Hundreds of San Francisco Department of Health and Human Services employees have been ordered to work from home due to high crime rates in the office's area, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The department recommended employees work remotely “for the foreseeable future,” the report said, citing an Aug. 4 memo sent to employees, a copy of which the Chronicle said it obtained.

The advice was given to workers “in light of conditions at the (Federal Building),” said Cheryl R. Campbell, the department's assistant secretary for administration, according to the report.

The Federal Building is located at 90 7th Street in San Francisco, a known drug hotspot where drug dealers often hawk near or across the street from the building, the Chronicle reported.

Two men were indicted in May on suspicion of conducting drug deals in front of federal building surveillance cameras, according to a June news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

San Francisco has struggled with a drug epidemic and a homelessness crisis in recent years.

The California governor's office said in June that the California Highway Patrol had seized more than four kilos of fentanyl in the Tenderloin and the “immediate area” of San Francisco in just six weeks.

It was claimed that this was “enough to kill the entire population of the city almost three times over.”

Elon Musk has also spoken out about crime in the city where his company X, formerly known as Twitter, is headquartered.

“Violent crime in SF is terrible,” Musk said in a tweet in April.

After the fatal knife attack on Cash App inventor Bob Lee, many described San Francisco as a “lawless” place to live.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

The post Authorities Staff in San Francisco Informed to Work From House On account of Excessive Crime appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Andersen — the leader in tax, valuation, financial advisory, and related consulting services — and The University of San Francisco (USF) have extended their partnership to create The Enterprise MBA program, in which eligible Andersen employees can earn an MBA in three to five years, fully funded by Andersen on behalf of its employees. Modeled after the USF Masagung Graduate School of Management’s rigorous Part-Time MBA offering, the new program offers a standard MBA curriculum with courses tailored to address the specific professional development needs of Andersen employees in today’s complex, global business environment.

The new program is available to employees of Andersen member firms and collaborating firms, starting with US employees and rolling out worldwide in 2023. Full- and part-time Andersen employees from senior associates to partners — regardless of tenure — are eligible for the program. Participating students must take three to four courses per year, delivered online and asynchronously, to complete the program requirements in five years. The first cohort of nearly 50 students started the pilot program in June 2022. USF welcomed 14 new Andersen students to the program in November 2022 and is targeting another 25-50 for January.

“Andersen strives to be the best professional services firm in the world and this new program is consistent with our dedication to continuous professional development and stewardship,” said Mark Vorsatz, CEO of Andersen. “To be the best in our industry, we have to attract and retain the best talent — that’s why we’re so committed to investing in our people. Working closely with the innovative educators at USF, we’ve built a customized program that reflects and enhances the work Andersen employees do on behalf of our clients every day. As the program grows, we expect it to be a unifying employee experience across our practice areas and global offices.”

Andersen’s offering is unique in the degree to which the firm was involved in course development, and the fact that the program is global in nature, fully funded by the firm, and does not have any kind of clawback, employees should choose enrolled in the program to leave the firm.

“Andersen’s culture is what keeps us together and what sets us apart,” continued intent. “Our investment in our people at all stages is just one component of how we are building and maintaining that culture.”

A Customized MBA to Meet Andersen’s Business Needs

Andersen and USF’s Masagung Graduate School of Management worked together to create a customized program, including content, delivery, modality, structure and timing, and even jointly creating a special elective class on the importance of company culture. In addition, in certain classes, Andersen senior staff may serve as adjunct professors to aid in instruction. Three trimesters of courses are offered each year: from early January to mid-to-late February; from early May to the end of August; and from early-November to mid-December. Given Andersen’s tax-centered business, program courses are offered outside of the busy tax seasons between March 1 and April 15 and between September 1 and October 15.

“This a truly unique and collaborative program and the close partnership between USF and Andersen sets a new standard for the future of corporate education,” said Otgo Erhemjamts, Dean of the School of Management at USF. “It demonstrates how educational institutions and companies can come together to address skill gaps and prepare organizations and their personnel for the rapidly evolving business world.”

Andersen and USF started their collaboration in 2014 when the organizations first partnered to provide Andersen personnel the opportunity to earn a Master of Laws in Taxation (LLM) or a Master of Legal Studies in Taxation (MLST) from the University of San Francisco School of Law . To date, more than 120 employees from 11 countries have graduated from those programs.

“The University of San Francisco, founded by the Jesuits in 1855, has long worked with the business community in and beyond the City to strengthen their talent pool,” stated USF President Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald, SJ “Our work with Andersen has been a terrific iteration of this work. The alignment of our cultures makes this excellent teaching/learning experience possible. We are especially grateful to Mr. Vorsatz for envisioning this dynamic partnership.”

Andersen Global is an international association of legally separate, independent member firms comprised of tax and legal professionals around the world. Established in 2013 by US member firm Andersen Tax LLC, Andersen Global now has more than 13,000 professionals worldwide and a presence in over 390 locations through its member firms and collaborating firms.

About the USF School of Management

Founded in 1925, University of San Francisco’s School of Management is on the forefront of educating the next generation of conscious, mindful business leaders. Each year those students join the over 40,000 School of Management alumni around the world to create ethical and innovative change in the private, public, and non-profit management sectors. The School of Management is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

The post Andersen and The College of San Francisco (USF) Increase Partnership to Create New Enterprise MBA Program Particularly for Andersen Workers appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

South San Francisco city employees, including 911 dispatchers, park workers, preschool teachers, librarians and others, reached a settlement deal with the city to avoid a potential strike that includes raises of 11% to 15% for the next two years.

The tentative two-year agreement calls for a cost of living increase of 6% in 2022 and 4% in 2023, plus market equity wage increases of up to 5% depending upon the employee classification. The agreement provides for enhancements to tuition reimbursement, professional development, incentive pay for skills-based certifications, night shift premium pay, and additional pay for dispatchers who work on holidays, according to a city press release.

More than 95% of members working for the city had signed commitments to go on strike if necessary. A city worker strike could have affected parks, libraries, preschools, 911 call centers, building permits, and other essential services, according to a press release from People for a Fair South City, which is affiliated with American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, 829, a union that represents public employees. Employees will vote on the deal Wednesday.

“With the rise of inflation, a livable wage has become a necessity. Many of us can’t afford to live in the city where we work,” Kristin Pierotti, a South San Francisco preschool teacher said in the AFSCME 829 release. “This historic pay increase will help South City retain, and attract the best preschool teachers, 911 dispatchers, and other essential workers we all rely on to make South City a great place to live.”

The agreement includes a new paid family leave benefit and adds Juneteenth as a city-observed holiday. The new contract wage and benefit increases are in addition to a one-time bonus of $4,800 paid to all employees in July 2022. Collectively, the wage and benefit increases represent one of the largest investments in its employees in the city’s history, according to the city’s release.

“Great cities are built and maintained by great city employees. And great city employees need and deserve great support from the city they serve. We highly value and respect our city employees, and this new contract is a tangible representation of that value and respect. This new labor contract is a win-win for our residents, city employees, and everyone involved in the process,” South San Francisco City Manager Mike Futrell said in the release.

Previously, the workers said they were demanding raises to align with pay offered in neighboring cities, where employees make 12% more, according to People For A Fair South City. More than 95% of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 829 members working for South San Francisco have signed commitments to go on strike if necessary, according to the group.

The move also comes after the City Council approved $4,800 bonuses to be given to its workforce, nearly 450 employees, in June after fruit negotiations with the same union.

Along with the bonuses for city employees in June, the City Council also approved $4,800 bonuses for executive management and public safety managers, including the city manager, department heads and high-ranking fire and police department members — employees left out of the first round of bonuses.

Also approved with the council’s action were across-the-board raises of 6% in the first year and 3% increases in both the second and third years for the group.

With an agreement with AFSCME, all of the City’s labor contracts are in place until at least July 1, 2024.

The post South San Francisco staff to get increase | Native Information appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Wildfires and COVID — both of which can threaten the quality of indoor office building air — are triggering demand for better ways to filter out contaminants such as smoke which according to the Centers for Disease Control can irritate the lungs, cause inflammation, alter immune function and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.

“Our company has seen 35% growth in demand for air quality solutions, evidenced by increasing sales of air scrubbers, HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters and MERV 13-plus filtration products, ultraviolet light systems and related solutions for businesses, residences , schools and hospitals,” said Nick Hartman, HVAC division manager for Ongaro & Sons in Santa Rosa.

The heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems contractor serving Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties installed updated devices in its 7,500-square-foot main location at 2995 Dutton Ave. in Santa Rosa.

“We believe this decision convinced most of our people to come back to the workplace after the lockdown,” Hartman said. “We continue to install a range of healthy air options in several Sonoma and Marin County schools, private homes and for large commercial customers.”

High tech solutions

There are small business or home electrostatic air filtration systems that contain several multifold, 5-inch-wide air filters on racks, They can capture particles as small as 0.1 micron in size (700 times narrower than a human hair).

Hartman said this system is up to 100 times more effective than the standard 1-inch filter and captures up to 99.98% of allergens from filtered air. That performance level has been independently verified by experts at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Also available are ozone-free air scrubbers that incorporate high-intensity UV-C light and produce negatively charged ions that inactivate airborne contaminants.

“This innovation can be installed in existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system ductwork to eliminate up to 99.96% of common flu and DNA or RNA viruses, mold and bacteria while also lowering indoor air quality index (AQI) values ​​to maintain green levels of less than 50, where pollutants cause little or no risk,” Hartman added.

The AQI index runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution. A good AQI level is between 0 and 50. Levels during the North Bay wildfires shot up above 300 — the hazardous level — in some areas.

Mark Hagarty, with Simpson Sheet Metal Inc. in Santa Rosa, said his firm has also seen a rise in residential customer demand for HVAC air-quality improvements and has several new installation projects underground.

“Bringing fresh air outside indoors is important. This has become a high priority for a variety of health reasons, but more can be done to enhance air quality by upgrading or replacing existing systems,” Hagarty said.

He said California’s Building Standards Code Title 24 contain “robust” regulations that contribute to achieving the state’s climate and air quality goals. In addition, The California Green Building Standard promotes healthy indoor and outdoor air quality by addressing issues of adequate ventilation, air exchange and indoor air pollution.

School air quality grants

California Air Resources Board Supervisor Pat Wong said building code revisions in 2020 addressed air-quality standards for new buildings, the construction of multifamily housing and for major upgrades to existing structures.

That year a research study at the University of California Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that only 15% of public-school classrooms studied met the state’s ventilation standard. That means 85% of schools were likely “woefully under-ventilated.” The study arrived at the time the COVID-19 respiratory coronavirus was being spread by close human interaction.

As a prelude to reopening schools after mandatory COVID closures, the California Legislature passed AB 841 (The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Energy (CalSHAPE) Ventilation Program). It provides up to $600 million through two grant programs for energy upgrades and to test, adjust and repair HVAC systems in schools.

Governor Newsom signed this bill into law Oct. 1, 2020. The round 2 application deadline for both ventilation and plumbing program funds is May 31.

Demand for increasing system MERV ratings

Zach Brandner, vice president for construction with Peterson Mechanical Inc. in Sonoma, said a trend toward widespread adoption of air quality improvements during the pandemic “began slowly and did not take hold as fast as I thought it would be among all sectors of the economy due to cost and maintenance issues.”

The post Indoor air high quality attracts new consideration as workers return to San Francisco North Bay workplaces appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Wildfires and COVID — both of which can threaten the quality of indoor office building air — are triggering demand for better ways to filter out contaminants such as smoke which according to the Centers for Disease Control can irritate the lungs, cause inflammation, alter immune function and increased susceptibility to respiratory infections.

“Our company has seen 35% growth in demand for air quality solutions, evidenced by increasing sales of air scrubbers, HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters and MERV 13-plus filtration products, ultraviolet light systems and related solutions for businesses, residences , schools and hospitals,” said Nick Hartman, HVAC division manager for Ongaro & Sons in Santa Rosa.

The heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems contractor serving Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties installed updated devices in its 7,500-square-foot main location at 2995 Dutton Ave. in Santa Rosa.

“We believe this decision convinced most of our people to come back to the workplace after the lockdown,” Hartman said. “We continue to install a range of healthy air options in several Sonoma and Marin County schools, private homes and for large commercial customers.”

High tech solutions

There are small business or home electrostatic air filtration systems that contain several multifold, 5-inch-wide air filters on racks, They can capture particles as small as 0.1 micron in size (700 times narrower than a human hair).

Hartman said this system is up to 100 times more effective than the standard 1-inch filter and captures up to 99.98% of allergens from filtered air. That performance level has been independently verified by experts at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Also available are ozone-free air scrubbers that incorporate high-intensity UV-C light and produce negatively charged ions that inactivate airborne contaminants.

“This innovation can be installed in existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system ductwork to eliminate up to 99.96% of common flu and DNA or RNA viruses, mold and bacteria while also lowering indoor air quality index (AQI) values ​​to maintain green levels of less than 50, where pollutants cause little or no risk,” Hartman added.

The AQI index runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution. A good AQI level is between 0 and 50. Levels during the North Bay wildfires shot up above 300 — the hazardous level — in some areas.

Mark Hagarty, with Simpson Sheet Metal Inc. in Santa Rosa, said his firm has also seen a rise in residential customer demand for HVAC air-quality improvements and has several new installation projects underground.

“Bringing fresh outside air indoors is important. This has become a high priority for a variety of health reasons, but more can be done to enhance air quality by upgrading or replacing existing systems,” Hagarty said.

He said California’s Building Standards Code Title 24 contain “robust” regulations that contribute to achieving the state’s climate and air quality goals. In addition, The California Green Building Standard promotes healthy indoor and outdoor air quality by addressing issues of adequate ventilation, air exchange and indoor air pollution.

School air quality grants

California Air Resources Board Supervisor Pat Wong said building code revisions in 2020 addressed air-quality standards for new buildings, the construction of multifamily housing and for major upgrades to existing structures.

That year a research study at the University of California Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that only 15% of public-school classrooms studied met the state’s ventilation standard. That means 85% of schools were likely “woefully under-ventilated.” The study arrived at the time the COVID-19 respiratory coronavirus was being spread by close human interaction.

As a prelude to reopening schools after mandatory COVID closures, the California Legislature passed AB 841 (The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Energy (CalSHAPE) Ventilation Program). It provides up to $600 million through two grant programs for energy upgrades and to test, adjust and repair HVAC systems in schools.

Governor Newsom signed this bill into law Oct. 1, 2020. The round 2 application deadline for both ventilation and plumbing program funds is May 31.

Demand for increasing system MERV ratings

Zach Brandner, vice president for construction with Peterson Mechanical Inc. in Sonoma, said a trend toward widespread adoption of air quality improvements during the pandemic “began slowly and did not take hold as fast as I thought it would be among all sectors of the economy due to cost and maintenance issues.”

The post Indoor air high quality attracts new consideration as workers return to San Francisco North Bay workplaces appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Wildfires and COVID — both of which can threaten the quality of indoor office building air – are triggering demand for better ways to filter out contaminants such as smoke which according to the Centers for Disease Control can irritate the lungs, cause inflammation, alter immune function and increase susceptibility to respiratory infections.

“Our company has seen 35% growth in demand for air quality solutions, evidenced by increasing sales of air scrubbers, HEPA (high-efficiency aarticulate air) filters and MERV 13-plus filtration products, ultraviolet light systems and related solutions for businesses, residences , schools and hospitals,” said Nick Hartman, HVAC division manager for Ongaro & Sons in Santa Rosa.

The heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems contractor serving Marin, Sonoma and Napa counties installed updated devices in its 7,500-square-foot main location at 2995 Dutton Ave. in Santa Rosa.

“We believe this decision convinced most of our people to come back to the workplace after the lockdown,” Hartman said. “We continue to install a range of healthy air options in several Sonoma and Marin County schools, private homes and for large commercial customers.”

High tech solutions

There are small business or home electrostatic air filtration systems that contain several multifold, 5-inch-wide air filters on racks, They can capture particles as small as 0.1 micron in size (700 times narrower than a human hair).

Hartman said this system is up to 100 times more effective than the standard 1-inch filter and captures up to 99.98% of allergens from filtered air. That performance level has been independently verified by experts at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Also available are ozone-free air scrubbers that incorporate high-intensity UV-C light and produce negatively charged ions that inactivate airborne contaminants.

“This innovation can be installed in existing heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system ductwork to eliminate up to 99.96% of common flu and DNA or RNA viruses, mold and bacteria while also lowering indoor air quality index (AQI) values ​​to maintain green levels of less than 50, where pollutants cause little or no risk,” Hartman added.

The AQI index runs from 0 to 500. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution. A good AQI level is between 0 and 50. Levels during the North Bay wildfires shot up above 300 — the hazardous level — in some areas.

Mark Hagarty, with Simpson Sheet Metal, Inc. in Santa Rosa, said his firm has also seen a rise in residential customer demand for HVAC air-quality improvements and has several new installation projects underground.

“Bringing fresh outside air indoors is important. This has become a high priority for a variety of health reasons, but more can be done to enhance air quality by upgrading or replacing existing systems,” Hagarty said.

He said California’s Building Standards Code Title 24 contain “robust” regulations that contribute to achieving the state’s climate and air quality goals. In addition, The California Green Building Standard promotes healthy indoor and outdoor air quality by addressing issues of adequate ventilation, air exchange and indoor air pollution.

School air quality grants

California Air Resources Board Supervisor Pat Wong said building code revisions in 2020 addressed air-quality standards for new buildings, the construction of multifamily housing and for major upgrades to existing structures.

That year a research study at the University of California Davis and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that only 15% of public-school classrooms studied met the state’s ventilation standard. That means 85% of schools were likely “woefully under-ventilated.” The study arrived at the time the COVID-19 respiratory coronavirus was being spread by close human interaction.

As a prelude to reopening schools after mandatory COVID closures, the California Legislature passed AB 841 (The California Schools Healthy Air, Plumbing and Energy (CalSHAPE) Ventilation Program). It provides up to $600 million through two grant programs for energy upgrades and to test, adjust and repair HVAC systems in schools.

Governor Newsom signed this bill into law Oct. 1, 2020. The round 2 application deadline for both ventilation and plumbing program funds is May 31.

Demand for increasing system MERV ratings

Zach Brandner, vice president for construction with Peterson Mechanical Inc. in Sonoma, said a trend toward widespread adoption of air quality improvements during the pandemic “began slowly and did not take hold as fast as I thought it would be among all sectors of the economy due to cost and maintenance issues.”

The post Indoor air attracts new consideration as workers return to San Francisco North Bay workplaces appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

“We are seeing plenty more drop ins,” said Michael Conol, the Gym’s general manager. “People are getting back into their routines so they are checking us out and it has been great.”

Many San Francisco businesses are now asking workers to head back to the office following the pandemic fueled work from home period. Both foot and car traffic, Tuesday was busier than usual.

WATCH: 24% of CA companies will require employees back to office by spring, survey finds

“It was crickets a year ago,” said Philip Dizon, who was on his way to attend a meeting. “Glad to see it is now picking up.”

And with downtown becoming busier, small businesses like LuxFit Gym are starting to see the benefits. Conol says they opened their downtown location at the beginning of the year. It is in the middle of multiple office buildings, so they are really hoping to see business boom.

“All you can do is hope, but so far it is looking good,” Conol said. “Things are still uncertain but we are here to show the community what we offer.”

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post San Francisco small companies already see extra income as workers return to workplace appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Autodesk is downscaling its physical presence in San Francisco and Marin County, another sign of how some large Bay Area employers are reconfiguring their plans for the workplace in the pandemic.

Autodesk recently decided to consolidate some of the office space it occupies around its San Rafael headquarters and in San Francisco, according to a spokesperson. The software developer is exiting two locations — 3900 Civic Center Drive in north San Rafael and at 300 Mission St. in San Francisco — and consolidating employees into surrounding buildings.

“Rather than a departure, these two closures represent a reallocation of Autodesk’s investment in the San Francisco market,” wrote Stacy Doyle in an email. “We remain committed to our presence in the Bay Area.”

Company hiring during the pandemic has increased because of company growth and turnover, said to be below industry average, Doyle wrote. But the company has accelerated its “flexible workplace” program in recent months, working from quarterly input from workers.

“Based on insight gained via direct employee surveying, there is a growing preference to carry out individual work remotely, and conduct team meetings or collaboration-based work in offices,” Doyle wrote. That preference have been over half on some of those polls.

Autodesk announced the opening of the 117,000-square-foot office at 300 Mission last year, and the lease for the nearly 47,000-square-foot 3900 Civic Center building commenced at the beginning of 2020, according to San Francisco Business Times and North Bay Business Journal reporting.

According to its latest annual report, the company’s San Rafael facilities included about 162,000 square feet under leases with expiration dates ranging from December 2021 to December 2024, and its San Francisco facilities consisted of around 284,000 square feet of leases with expiring December 2022 to June 2026 Corporate real estate totaled 2.1 million square feet in 100 US and global locations.

In its fiscal third-quarter report, released in early December, the company said it expected to take a roughly $180 million impairment charge for the adjustments to its real estate because of the pandemic.

While larger employers in the Bay Area and Marin generally are being more cautious about their plans to reoccupy their offices, a number of smaller firms have been getting back together in their corporate spaces, according to Whitney Strotz, who overseas commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield’s San Rafael location.

“This recent spike in omicron seems to be putting things on hold in the short term, as we go through a relatively steep spike in cases,” Strotz said about large companies’ plans to expand their local real estate. But rather than nixing those goals, those employers tend to be slow-rolling their site searches, he said.

One trend in those site searches that has been gaining momentum in the pandemic is the shift from central offices in urban areas to a hub-and-spoke model, with a smaller central office there plus even smaller satellite locations in surrounding suburbs closer to the employees ‘ homes, according to Strotz.

He’s currently working with a handful of San Francisco firms that are looking for multiple locations of about 4,000-5,000 square feet in Bay Area suburbs.

“Sales organizations have seen success with this model for a long time,” Strotz said. That arrangement typically includes a regional office staffed with a management, human resources and operational support, then small offices in surrounding markets. “What’s different now is we are seeing other kings of organizations looking for similar space.”

Haden Ongaro, who leads Newmark’s North Bay commercial real estate brokerage team from San Rafael, said the rebound of rents and occupancy rates in higher-class office space in Silicon Valley, San Francisco “viewspace” (with window views above surrounding buildings) and southern Marin prime complexes are signs of the market for such space is recovering.

“We are seeing a flight to quality in the Bay Area,” Ongaro said. “Buildings in southern Marin have done well and maintained high lease rates and low vacancy — in some cases below 5% available (to lease).”

One company that gave up sizable Marin County office space earlier in the pandemic was jobs online marketplace Glassdoor, which moved its headquarters to a San Francisco high-rise as part of a Bay Area consolidation. But the company’s 40,000-square-foot former head office at 160 Shoreline Parkway in Mill Valley is in late-stage negotiations with three undisclosed companies in various industries to occupy the space, according to Ongaro, who is part of the team brokering the deals. And one of those companies also is interested in adding another 15,000 square feet in an adjoining building.

Yet the 3900 Civic Center space Autodesk is moving out of may have a tougher time on the market, according to Strotz.

“Larger blocks of space have not seen as much action since COVID,” Strotz said. “That’s a soft spot in the market. Medium- and smaller-(sized) suites have seen the most action in the last 24 months. I’m hopeful that as we move from the pandemic to the endemic stage soon, we will see larger blocks get more interest again.”

Jeff Quackenbush covers wine, construction and real estate. Before the Business Journal, he wrote for Bay City News Service in San Francisco. He has a degree from Walla Walla University. Reach him at jquackenbush@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4256.

The post Autodesk scales again its Marin County, San Francisco workplaces as workers favor hybrid office appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Ukraine’s 41 and a half million people are well aware of the military buildup along its eastern border with Russia. The threat is a big concern for San Francisco’s JustAnswer. One-third of its workforce — 252 people — live in Ukraine.

“A lot of our engineering, a lot of our critical functions are done there,” said CEO Andy Kurtzig. “So it’s very scary, and even more scary on a personal level because these are all our friends.”

We connected with Nadya Semen, JustAnswer’s country manager based in Lviv near the border with Poland. She believes Russia has already initiated cyberattacks.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

“We are experiencing a set of cyberattacks on different websites and banking system and some governmental websites were down. So it’s weird,” she said.

She has an 18-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. Their safety has already been threatened.

“Two times during class for weeks, I had to pick up my kid from school because someone called that there is a bomb in the school,” she said.

JustAnswer has developed its own action plan. It puts the current threat level at moderate to high because of some military activities. As the threat rises to high and to realized threat, that will initiate more action to protect its workers.

RELATED: Biden says US has reason to believe Russia ‘intends to attack’ Ukraine: ‘I’m convinced’

“We are moving people from the east to the west as we speak and give them time of and putting them up in hotels and then actively helping them move across the country from the more dangerous parts of Ukraine,” CEO Kurtzig said.

Stress levels are rising. School children are drilled about evacuating to shelters, which frightened Nadya’s daughter.

VIDEO: Bay Area Ukrainians worried about Russian invasion, many praying for peace

“She was stressed by that, so she was asking me, ‘When are we supposed to expect the real worst to come here? So why are Russians doing this? Why people are starting to worry? I really can be killed now?'”

Andy Kurtzig and his family lived in Ukraine for six months in 2019, prior to the Russian threat. The people and the culture of Ukraine captivated them.

“We love them,” he said. “We’ve been working with them for a long time, and we’re committed to them.”

As part of that commitment, Kurtzig said he has made arrangements to be able to pay them from Poland, even with cryptocurrency if necessary. He is also supplying them with satellite phones and alternatives if the internet or electricity is lost.

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post San Francisco CEO works to guard lots of of staff in Ukraine amid menace of Russia assault appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SACRAMENTO (AP) — California would mandate that all businesses require their employees and independent contractors to receive the COVID-19 vaccine under legislation announced Friday by Democratic state lawmakers that was immediately criticized by Republicans as government overreach.

Employees or contractors who qualify for medical or religious exemptions would have to be regularly tested under a planned amendment to the bill. New employees would have to get at least one dose by the time they start work and the second dose within 45 days of being on the job.

READ MORE: FDA Delays Meeting on COVID-19 Vaccine for Children Under Age 5

Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks introduced her bill months after delaying an original proposal last fall. The previous version would have allowed workers to submit to weekly testing as an alternative to getting vaccinated, but that is not an option in their new proposal.

Vaccines mandates are highly controversial and there have been many rallies at the state Capitol in Sacramento opposing such requirements.

Wicks and other supporters said the mandate is needed even as California moves to ease other requirements and anticipates moving into a new “endemic” phase that accepts the coronavirus is here to stay but is manageable as immunity builds.

“That’s fundamentally what this bill is about,” she said. “Getting back to some sense of normalcy so we can go on with our lives, and we don’t have these constant interruptions and outbreaks and all these things that we’ve been experiencing for so long.”

The mandate would stay in place unless the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention decides that COVID-19 vaccinations are no longer needed.

The bill would require state health and occupational safety officials to advise employers on what qualifies as a medical condition, disability, religious belief and valid vaccination status. Businesses that didn’t comply would face penalties that have yet to be determined.

Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher said he is vaccinated and urges others to also get their shots.

“But telling people they can’t feed their family unless they get the vaccine is just wrong,” Gallagher said. “I trust Californians enough to treat them like adults who can make their own health care decisions. It’s unfortunate that a few Democrats in the Legislature don’t.”

The proposal drew similar concerns from Jonathan Keller, president of the conservative California Family Council advocacy group, who said that “Government should not force employers to fire people over personal medical decisions.”

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last year ordered all of the state’s roughly 2.2 million health care workers to be vaccinated or lose their jobs.

READ MORE: Black Composers in the Spotlight at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music

He also required state workers and teachers to either get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. And California’s school children by summer must be vaccinated to attend in-person classes.

Wicks’ proposal is just the latest of several far-reaching measures introduced by Democratic state lawmakers this year.

Among others, Sen. Scott Wiener would allow children 12 and up to be vaccinated without their parents’ consent, while Sen. Richard Pan would eliminate a personal belief exemption in school-based COVID-19 vaccination requirements.

Pan argued in support of Wicks’ bill that “having a safe workplace is essential to … keeping our economy going.”

People can’t be scared of getting infected when they go to work or while patronizing businesses, and businesses cannot endure frequent outbreaks that sideline their employees, he said.

More than 2,000 of the 30,000 San Francisco Bay Area members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 have been sickened and some have died from the coronavirus, said Jim Araby, the union’s director of strategic campaigns.

“Just like we would never ask a construction worker to go to a construction site without a hardhat, we shouldn’t ask our members and workers who work in these essential industries to go in without the protection of a vaccine,” he said in backing Wicks’ bill.

The California Chamber of Commerce, California Restaurant Association, California Retailers Association and California chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses did not immediately comment on the bill.

But the bill has support from the Small Business Majority advocacy group that has 85,000 members nationwide, including nearly 20,000 in California.

“Small businesses don’t want to be traffic cops in debates about public safety,” said John Arensmeyer, the group’s chief executive. “They’re looking for a common statewide standard that disentangles them from politics and enables them to operate their businesses safely and predictably.”

MORE NEWS: FBI Warns Of The High Cost Of Romance Scams; Bay Area Residents Lost More Than $64 Million In 2021

© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The post Proposed California Invoice Would Require Vaccines for All Workers – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.