San Francisco is once more the nation’s costliest area

Good morning, Bay Area. It’s Wednesday, December 15th, and another round of wet weather is coming to the Bay Area. Here is what you need to know to start your day.
The metropolitan area of San Francisco was named the most expensive residential area in the country for the sixth time in a row.
In fact, three of the top 10 most expensive metropolitan areas in 2020 were in the Bay Area. While incomes can be higher in these neighborhoods, goods and services also cost more, which eats up workers’ extra money.
The cost of living is one of the main reasons – along with the pandemic work from home policy – people keep leaving San Francisco. And yes, they go on … Earlier this year we reported USPS data suggesting the San Francisco pandemic “exodus” was over, but new data on migration patterns contradicts that finding. The Chronicle received exclusive insight into this data from the California Policy Lab, and our analysis includes graphs and maps that break down the patterns.
Look at the dates of Nami Sumida and Susie Neilson.
Additional police presence
Mayor of London Breed announces new initiatives to address growing public safety and health concerns across the city.
Santiago Mejia / The Chronicle
The latest plan to solve the tenderloin’s drug problem? Flood the neighborhood with police to confront drug dealers – and drug users.
A more visible police presence would reduce stolen property resales, fatal overdoses and the rise in gun violence, Mayor London Breed said. The mayor has previously avoided stepping up law enforcement for interactions with people who use drugs, have mental health problems, or are homeless.
New plans usually require more money, and this is no exception. Breed wants more money for police overtime, but it’s unclear how much extra money will be needed.
Read more from Trisha Thadani and Mallory Moench.
What to eat
The honey nut pumpkin soup is a highlight of the menu at Daytrip Restaurant in Oakland.
Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle
Freshly fried donuts are on the menu at Diamond Head General Store Hawaiian restaurant and grocery store in San Bruno. There’s also the little Nigerian cafe near West Oakland Station that serves fragrant jollof rice. And a vegan dinner pop-up series in San Francisco features bespoke pottery and pumpkin towers.
A pandemic can’t stop a determined chef from opening a new restaurant. In all of the chaos of 2021, these restaurants didn’t just survive. They thrived and made it onto critic Soleil Ho’s short list of Best New Restaurants.
• More from the food team: What is the future of restaurant parklets in the Bay Area? Here’s what’s happening in eight cities.
Around the bay
Stephen Curry reacts after hitting a 3-pointer the night he set the NBA career record.
Mary Altaffer / Associated Press
• Swish: Steph Curry broke Ray Allen’s NBA 3-point record at Madison Square Garden. Here’s how the Warriors star did it.
• To the masks: California will allow San Francisco to adhere to its no-mask rules in offices, gyms, and college classrooms.
• No state takeover … nor: The SF Schools Board approved a budget on Tuesday evening to address a $ 125 million deficit.
• Tesla shooting: Police arrested an employee who was accused of killing his colleague outside the automaker’s factory in Fremont.
• You wanna do something Throwing poison on an island to save birds seems contradictory. However, researchers say it could suppress mouse invasion of the Farallon Islands.
• additional drizzle: Atmospheric flow is over, but expect more rain today as another storm system encroaches on the area.
• Thom Porter: He led Cal Fire through some of the largest forest fires in the state. When he retires, his future prognosis is bleak: every hectare of vegetation “can and will burn”.
• Stonestown Gallery: New renderings show what nearly 3,000 residential units could look like in the parking lots of the San Francisco Mall.
• Approved: San Francisco is the first city to grant paid sick leave to domestic workers such as nannies and janitors.
• Food for thought: Nearly two dozen restaurants in Oakland are planning to add an extra charge to diners’ bills to feed the homeless.
Goodbye to Jessica
Jessica DiDia (left) smokes a cigarette while her mother Laurie Steves watches in the tenderloin.
Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle
In early December we published the story of a woman on the streets of San Francisco who set out to save her daughter from fentanyl. Laurie Steves didn’t know what she was up against: the dangerous collision of a city completely unprepared for its fentanyl crisis and the heartbreaking appeal of addiction.
Columnist Heather Knight and photographer Gabrielle Lurie will join Steves at the KQED forum today to share the story, their daughter Jessica, and what she went through in San Francisco. Tune in at 9 a.m. at 88.5 FM or https://www.kqed.org/forum.
Bay Briefing was written by Gwendolyn Wu and sent to readers’ email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here and contact the author at gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com.