San Francisco is using millions of dollars in federal grant money to help train and educate local residents to make them attractive hires for the booming technology industry.
As The City celebrates its emergence as a tech hub around industry heavyweights such as Salesforce.com and Twitter, city officials are emphasizing the need to make sure some of the benefits accrue for San Franciscans who don’t yet possess specialized technology skills. Read More
In an unexpected move, developers in San Francisco’s mid-Market Street neighborhood are applying for a tax break put in place for Twitter and other tech companies.
In 2011, the Board of Supervisors eliminated the payroll tax for new employees hired by companies in the area. Mayor Ed Lee and other supporters called the move necessary to keep Twitter from leaving town and to foster the emergence of a tech economy in the long-depressed neighborhood.
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Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting was the last for Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, who is sadly termed out. The party for him that night at the Irish Cultural Center was packed with elected leaders and City Hall staffers wishing him well and thanking him for 12 years of service as the voice of reason at the board.
Here are some juicy tidbits of gossip I picked up while mingling at the shindig. Read More
In November 2007, voters passed Proposition I, creating the Office of Small Business and directing it to issue, by April 2008, a report that recommended possible streamlining and consolidation of regulatory functions supervised by that agency. The idea was to make life easier for The City’s often-beleaguered small business. Read More
A development across the street from the proposed waterfront basketball arena could house a 200-room hotel, 125 residential units and 34,000 square feet of retail space, according to information the Warriors provided to The City. Read More
City agencies are looking into the hiring and payment practices of an America’s Cup event production contractor previously caught letting its roving workforce be paid less than San Francisco’s minimum wage.
The inquiries were prompted by complaints from local unions crying foul about compliance with the terms of last winter’s assiduously discussed labor agreement between City Hall and organizers of the sailing regatta. Read More
In a bid to re-establish The City’s place among West Coast convention destinations, the Moscone Convention Center could add more than 200,000 square feet of underground and aboveground convention and meeting space.
San Francisco Travel Association President Joe D’Alessandro unveiled plans to add the meeting and exhibition space Friday during a San Francisco Business Times event about future development here. Read More
San Francisco supervisors expressed unanimous support Tuesday for negotiations between the Golden State Warriors and city officials for a waterfront arena already being touted as the “envy of the world.”
The Board of Supervisors voted to waive The City’s competitive bidding requirements for the development of Piers 30-32 and bless the negotiations between the basketball franchise and The City’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, which will act as the lead negotiator. Read More
During the next eight months, The City plans to issue about $1 million in loans to people wishing to expand or start a small business. Mayor Ed Lee’s proposed $1 million for a small business revolving loan fund was approved Wednesday by the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee. The committee had postponed a vote last month over concerns about outreach and whether the full amount was necessary. Read More
Groups that have raised environmental concerns about the America’s Cup said Wednesday that they intend to slow down the development approval process if the Planning Commission will not do so.The commission is scheduled to vote Friday on the event’s environmental impact report. If it certifies that report, members of the Environmental Council coalition vow to appeal the decision to the Board of Supervisors. Read More
