“Where you from? Do you like barbecues?” I approached a tight parking lot with five cars positioned next to a deck leading up to an Indian restaurant that doubles as an Irish pub.

Beneath the overhang was a large black barbecue smoker, with a white haze slowly billowing from its chimney. As I approached to order from the man behind the rig, the smells of applewood, cherry and hickory-infused meats pierced my senses, and my taste buds began to tingle.

Even without much signage, I knew I’d made it to my journey’s end: Adams Smoked Meats & BBQ, at 2351 Taylor St., the newest (and only) barbecue destination in San Francisco’s North Beach district, popping up every Thursday through Sunday .

70 years of barbecue

“I call [my barbecue] California barbecue with 70 years of experience,” said James Adams, co-owner and chef of Adams Smoked Meats. It’s an attempt to lure a potential customer who appears interested, but hasn’t quite committed to buying a plate just yet. “Come here, let me give you a sample. What do you like chicken? brisket? Ribs?”

A barbecue rib being cut for a customer at Adams Smoked Meats & BBQ in North Beach, San Francisco, on Friday, July 29, 2022.

Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE

The customer, a tourist who just got off the iconic cable car at the corner of Taylor and Francisco streets, grinned as she tasted a piece of rib that Adams offered, and immediately got in line for a full plate.

This is how things are run at San Francisco’s freshest barbecue joint. “My food speaks for itself,” Adams said, with a smile. “I’ll give you a sample. And if you like, I know you’ll buy it.”

The man wearing a round chef’s hat and black-rimmed glasses standing slightly hunched over the hot smoker is James Adams. His barbecue stand is one he’s wanted for 70 years but never had until now.

Adams, now 77, was born at San Francisco General Hospital but grew up in Stockton. He remembers growing up in the kitchen of his aunt and uncle’s soul food restaurant, which also doubled as a nightclub called Night Out Cafe.

He comes from a large family, and said his dad married three times and has 19 children. Almost everyone in the family is “food oriented” and he described all of the women as great cooks, but none had the perks that Adams did, with ready access to his aunt’s professional kitchen.

James Adams and Janice Adams of Adams Smoked Meats & BBQ in North Beach, San Francisco, on Friday, July 29, 2022.

Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE

“I started cooking barbecue when I was seven years old,” he said. “I started by emptying the ashes out of their barbecue pit. When I got a little bigger, I put the meat in the smoker. When I got a little bigger than that, she took me into the kitchen. So it was step one, two and three for me.”

Adams knew barbecue would become his vocation. It’s the one skill he’s always had a passion for.

“From a young age, it was all I wanted to do,” he recounted on a Thursday afternoon next to the smoker. “Everyone kept telling me, ‘Your food is good.’ And eventually, I started to believe it.”

Those words encourage motivated him to wake up even earlier than his aunt so he could practice and create his own recipes after finishing the prep work he did for her. And if you know barbecue, you know it takes a long time to properly smoke the meat to get it just right — tender, yet not grainy.

“If you don’t know your temperatures, you’re just cooking a piece of meat,” he explained. “But if you know how meat cooks with different temperatures, then you’ve got something.”

‘As much flavor as possible’

For most of his professional life, Adams cooked while others made money off his food. He worked many years as a caterer, cooking for an all-night supermarket owned by his childhood friend Marvin Robinson. Robinson also happens to be the program director for KSOL, a radio station based in the Bayview-Hunters Point district of San Francisco. Adams said he worked sometimes 20-hour days.

Eventually, he told his friend, “I’m tired. I make everybody else money, but I’m not quite getting what I want.”

At the time, Adams knew his recipes were delicious, but he didn’t know the right steps to take to start his own business. He went on to work as a journeyman butcher for Shenson’s corned beef, then for Gallo Salame, and as a chef at a children’s hospital. He even worked at Just Desserts for a stint, where he learned how to bake pastries such as croissants.

But he was always dissatisfied with the corporate structure of those positions.

“Those jobs, you aren’t cooking, you’re racing,” he said in regards to the speed he had to pump out orders. “I like flavor. I like to cook food and give it as much flavor as possible.”

BBQ Chicken from Adams BBQ in the North Beach of San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, July 29, 2022.
Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE

Lemon 7UP Pound Cake from Adams BBQ in North Beach of San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, July 29, 2022.
Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE

Pecan Pies from Adams BBQ in North Beach of San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, July 29, 2022.
Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE

Pulled Pork from Adams BBQ in North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, Calif. on Friday, July 29, 2022.
Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE

Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE
Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE

When I sampled some of Adams’ barbecue, I ordered the all-meat combo for $42. The immediate standout was the ribs. They were generously seasoned and didn’t slide off the bone, but were cooked with such precision that the fat still melted in my mouth. The brisket was moist in the middle but had some terrific bark that I would pick up with my fingers and dunk into the homemade barbecue sauce. The chicken, not usually a highlight in the world of barbecue, was a contender for the best bite. It had the most smoke flavor profile and paired very well with Adams’ sauce … which was maybe my favorite part of the entire meal.

The California barbecue scene doesn’t quite have a distinguishing factor that stands up against other regional barbecue standards; we sort of take a bit of every region and put it into our ‘cue. But one thing that our barbecue should highlight is the sauce — and Adams’ sauce would be a prime example of that. It wasn’t too thick, but not too runny, either. It had a tang that puckered my lips and it was great on all of Adams’ meats.

Even though Adams wasn’t ready for his own restaurant throughout the ’90s, he has a friend, Danny Knight, who was able to help him get set up in the backside parking lot of Kennedy’s Indian Curry House & Irish Pub on Columbus. Now, Adams along with his wife, Janice, and Knight, run the business together.

Love, family and barbecue

Knight, 71, was also born in San Francisco and raised in the Bayview-Hunters Point when it was still Navy housing for the base that used to be there. He attended Aptos Middle School and Balboa High School, but said he grew up in the historic Fillmore District, what used to be a thriving Black community, dubbed the “Harlem of the West,” until gentrification and “urban renewal” started to push people out of their houses. He also worked at San Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni, for 28 years.

For some of that time, Knight was a cable car operator and dropped off tourists at the corner of Taylor and Francisco streets. During that stint, he met Brahma Swami, another cable car operator, who eventually bought the building and parking lot where Adams Smoked Meats & BBQ sets up shop every Thursday through Sunday. It was Knight’s friendship with Swami that led Swami to take a chance on Adams and incorporate the barbecue pop-up into his business license.

“He’s a real kind-hearted person,” Knight said of Swami. “His bar is a real community base. It’s not just about money in his pocket. He’s just one of those special type of people where it ain’t always about money.”

After his tenure at Muni, Knight started his own catering business, which is how he met Adams. The two became instant friends. One day, Adams told Knight that he was going to marry a woman named Janice, and he wanted Knight to meet her. When she walked in the door of her house and saw Knight standing there, they started crying because they realized they had known each other as children. They grew up three houses away from each other in San Francisco.

Janice Adams helps a customer at Adams Smoked Meats & BBQ in North Beach, San Francisco, on Friday, July 29, 2022. Co-owner Danny Knight is in the background.

Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE

To make the world seem even smaller, Adams and Janice came to realize early on in their relationship that their parents were from the same small town — Marshall, Texas.

“We don’t know if they knew each other because everybody has moved away,” she said. “But my parents came from Marshall and his mother came from Marshall. It’s unbelievable.”

Now, they’re all partners in the barbecue business. Adams does the barbecue. Janice bakes her sweet treats such as lemon-7 Up pound cake and pecan and sweet potato pies, while Knight brings over the customers with his charming personality.

“It’s like fate,” Knight said of the three of them teaming up together. “You do the right things for people and the right things happen for you.”

Even back in the ’90s, when Knight and Adams were both in the catering business, Knight saw the potential Adams had with his food that everyone seemed to love. So when the right time came, they all decided to set up shop in the most unlikely places in San Francisco for barbecue — North Beach, a historically Italian neighborhood.

Still, Adams and team couldn’t be happier with the location.

“In a business, there’s two things you want,” Adams said. “You want good customers and good location.”

A cable car passes by Adams Smoked Meats & BBQ in North Beach, San Francisco, on Friday, July 29, 2022. Co-owner Danny Knight is seen in the light blue shirt.

Adam Pardee/Special to SFGATE

He estimates that he is the only barbecue spot in the area. From Pier 39 to the beach and north of Market Street, he’s “the only game in town.”

“I got people from Spain, Germany, Russia, Africa and all over,” he continued. “When they get off the cable car, they walk over, try a sample and say, ‘Hey man, your food is on hit.'”

Adams is proud of his 70 years experience of cooking barbecue and that he is finally making money from his food. And he should be. It’s never too late to realize your dreams, and Adams is a shining example of that.

“All my life. I’ve been cooking for people,” he said. “No boss realizes that the workers that cook your food and bring you the customers are the ones you should try to appreciate. I’m not asking nobody to suck up to me or anything. I just like to be appreciated.”

Adam’s Smoked Meats & BBQ, 2351 Taylor St., San Francisco. Open Thursday through Sunday, 11am-7pm

The post Adams Smoked Meats pops up in San Francisco’s North Seashore appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Wheels, a Helbiz company (NASDAQ:HLBZ) and amongst micro-mobility leaders in North America thanks to its unique sit-down scooter, is launching its first proprietary store in San Francisco, California, to allow for the purchase of its new vehicle, the Wheels One, and a vast assortment of micro-mobility related vehicles and accessories.

The store, to be opened by the end of Q1 2023, will offer a wide selection of electric micro-mobility products, including the highly-anticipated Wheels One, an innovative vehicle developed and patented by Wheels. The Wheels One is designed for urban commuting and features a sleek and compact design, long-range battery, and smooth ride.

In addition to the Wheels One, the store will also offer a variety of other electric vehicles and accessories, including scooters, bikes, and skateboards. Customers can test ride and purchase products on site, and experienced technicians will be available for repairs and maintenance.

“We are thrilled to bring our products and services directly to the people of San Francisco,” said Salvatore Palella, CEO of Helbiz. “Our goal is to make sustainable and convenient transportation accessible to everyone, especially in cities in which shared micro-mobility is not allowed, and we believe that having a physical presence in San Francisco will help us achieve this mission. This will further aid our strategy of driving towards profitability by incrementing revenues linked to retail sales and long term rentals. This will be the first of many openings we will carry out throughout 2023 and more information will be shared over the first quarter of the year.”

The new store is a reflection of Wheels’ commitment to sustainability and revolutionizing intra-urban transportation. The store will be powered by renewable energy and feature eco-friendly design elements, aligning with the company’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

According to recent data, proprietary ownership of micro-mobility vehicles in North America has grown significantly in recent years, with electric scooters and bikes leading the way in popularity. Wheels is excited to contribute to this growing trend and provide convenient and eco-friendly transportation options to the residents of San Francisco.

The store will be open seven days a week and located in San Francisco’s city center. Customers are encouraged to visit the store to test ride the various vehicles and learn more about the sustainable culture of Wheels. The store will also host community events and workshops focused on electric micro-mobility and sustainability. Follow Wheels on social media for updates on store events and promotions.

About Helbiz

Helbiz is a global leader in micro-mobility services. Launched in 2015 and headquartered in New York City, the company offers a diverse fleet of vehicles including e-scooters, e-bicycles, e-mopeds all on one convenient, user-friendly platform with over 65 licenses in cities around the world. The merger with Wheels, leading player in California, adds a unique sit-down scooter along with long term rental subscriptions for individuals, businesses and universities. Helbiz uses a customized, proprietary fleet management technology, artificial intelligence and environmental mapping to optimize operations and business sustainability. Helbiz is expanding its urban lifestyle products and services to include live streaming services, food delivery and more, all accessible within its mobile app. For additional information, please visit www.helbiz.com.

About Wheels

Wheels is a last-mile, shared electric mobility platform whose seated form factor changes the landscape in dockless mobility. In addition to being seated, wheeled devices have a low center of gravity and 14-inch wheels to help navigate uneven pavement surfaces. Wheels has launched a first-of-its-kind integrated helmet system that can give riders physical access to a shareable helmet with every ride they take. Wheels is headquartered in West Hollywood, California. Learn more at www.takewheels.com.

The post Helbiz Continues North American Enlargement by Asserting its First Retailer in San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

A Brisbane man in custody for allegedly assaulting someone last month in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood may also face manslaughter charges now that the victim has died from his injuries.

The assault was reported about 2:11 am Oct. 6 on the 500 block of Broadway, where officers found the victim on the ground. He was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, San Francisco police said.

At the time, a witness told police they had seen someone spit on the victim and pointed out a suspect, later identified as Alexis Octavio Meneses, 37.

Meneses was taken into custody on suspicion of misdemeanor battery at that time, and was cited and released.

Investigators later reviewed camera surveillance and developed evidence that Meneses allegedly punched the victim, causing the man to fall and hit his head on the ground. While the man was lying unconscious, Meneses allegedly kicked him multiple times and spit on the victim.

Meneses was arrested Oct. 31 on the 800 block of Bryant Street and booked on suspicion of multiple crimes that include assault likely to cause great bodily injury.

The victim died from his injuries on Nov. 4 at a hospital, police said. His name was not released.

On Monday, a complaint against Meneses was amended to include manslaughter.

While an arrest has been made, the investigation is still active. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. Tips may remain anonymous.

The post Sufferer in San Francisco’s North Seashore assault dies from accidents | 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.

US economic conditions are shutting the door on the red-hot residential real estate market in the North Bay, with increasing interest rates contributing to May’s double-digit percentage drop in the region’s home sales, according to the California Association of Realtors.

And this may be just the start of a changing real estate market, thanks in part to interest rates that have doubled since the start of the year.

“The industry was caught very blindsided by that, because all of the mortgage-lending industry and most economists expected mortgage rates to remain in the (3% range) all during this year,” said Nevin Miller, president and CEO of San Rafael- based Pinnacle Loans, which serves Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties, as well as Southern California. “For them to go from 3% to 6% is a shock to the market.”

The current market still favors sellers, he noted, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t reacting, even with all-time low inventory.

“Sellers who have now got a ton of equity because homes have appreciated so much are rushing to put their home on the market before the market changes, which it is doing now,” Miller said.

In the North Bay, year-over-year property sales in May were down in several counties, according to the agent association. Sonoma County home sales dropped by 22.8% to 385 homes sold; Napa County 12.1% to 102 homes; and Marin County, 10.1% to 178 homes, CAR reported. Solano County sales, however, rose 5.8% to 328 homes sold in May.

This wasn’t surprising to CAR Deputy Chief Economist Oscar Wei, who noted that Solano is the most affordable county in the Bay Area and North Bay.

Insights and cash

In Sonoma Valley, while large overbids on homes have not been unusual, with three-quarters of offers coming in all-cash, the buying frenzy reached out to traditionally more affordable areas of the county, said Duane Margreiter, sales manager for Century 21 NorthBay Alliance in Sonoma. One of his properties was a $1 million home in Windsor, where overbids had previously gone as high as asking $25,000 over, and that property sold for $75,000 over.

“We’re seeing a shift in the market,” Margreiter said. “Buyers are taking a different look. They’re realizing that they do not need to put in an offer on the first thing they see.”

While the rise in interest rates is likely to initially price out first-time homebuyers, overall it likely will result in a shift to a more balanced market, rather than a crash like in 2005 to 2012, when the Great Recession had a wave of foreclosures , Margreiter said.

Patricia Oxman, a 30-year real estate veteran and top producer for Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, said the Marin County market data she tracks suggests local entry-level buyers have already pulled back so far this year, but higher-priced homes continue to be selling.

Sales of single-family homes in Marin County are down 17%, with 1,120 changing hands so far this year, compared with 1,346 in the same time frame last year. Home sales under $1 million have dropped to 72 from 145 a year ago. Sales of mid-range homes ($2 million to $4 million) moved down to 48% of all sales from 54% last year, while top-end homes (over $4 million) now make up 46% of sales, up from 34% a year ago.

“The luxury market is still strong because buyers pulled money out in anticipation of the purchase, and 28% of our sales are all cash,” Oxman said.

Gerrett Snedaker, broker and partner with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate-Wine Country Group, said he’s seen “a decrease in multiple offers and selling homes in excess of asking prices.” The firm has multiple offices in Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

In May, 16% of homes in the three counties sold at reduced prices, and by late June that proportion is 19%, in line with the level from a year before, according to Snedaker. And the share of homes selling for over the asking price was 55% in May, 44% through late June and 52% a year before.

Market influences

The changing market conditions have already started to reduce prices on listings.

Just over 9% of Sonoma County listings experienced a price cut in May, compared with 6.9% in April and 4.9% in March, Zillow reported. About the same percentage of sellers lowered their prices in neighboring Napa County, in contrast to reductions in April at 7.1% and 6.3% in March. To the west in Marin County, 6.8% of listings were lowered, versus 5.1% in April and 4.9% in March.

Much of this trend is due to “rising interest rates on the back of the incredible price appreciation in recent years,” Zillow spokesman Matt Kreamer pointed out, adding: “People are being priced out.”

The post North San Francisco Bay Space residential actual property markets react to spiking rates of interest 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.

The latest North Bay Business Journal research (Lists.NorthBayBusinessJournal.com) focuses on organizations (and their suppliers) that use “cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products” that improve health, life and the environment.

That’s the definition of Biotechnology Innovation Organization.

This list of biotechnology and biomedical companies and research institutions is ranked by number of North Bay employees, then companywide. Other information included is product or service categories, targeted markets, top products or services, pharmaceuticals or products in development and ailment, funding sources, strategic relationships, and name of top local executive.

Detailed information from the list is available for purchase as a spreadsheet via the links above.

Want to have your company surveyed for this and other lists? Contact Research Director Michelle Fox at michelle.fox@busjrnl.com or call 707-526-8682.

The post Biotechnology, biomedical business in San Francisco North Bay appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

The latest North Bay Business Journal research (Lists.NorthBayBusinessJournal.com) focuses on firms with local offices that design and implement technologies, equipment and processes to deal with contamination and environmental impact.

The list of environmental consulting and engineering firms is ranked by 2020 North Bay environmental billings. Other information provided includes annual environmental billings companywide, number of employees and professionals with advanced degrees, number of North Bay offices, year established, percentage of work in various categories, services offered, North Bay 2019-2020 projects, and top local executive.

Detailed information from the list is available for purchase as a spreadsheet via the links above.

Want to have your company surveyed for this and other lists? Contact Research Director Michelle Fox at michelle.fox@busjrnl.com or call 707-526-8682.

The post Environmental engineering and consulting companies in San Francisco North Bay appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

What started out as a North Bay effort to coordinate rebuilding after the devastating 2017 wildfires has turned into a national effort to take lessons learned locally to help burned communities elsewhere quickly organize in the aftermath.

In recent months, Rebuild NorthBay Foundation has become After the Fire USA.

But the transition has been underway for the past few years as megafires have raged across the West, according to Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO.

“Our name makes a lot more sense,” she said. “We worked with the county (of Sonoma) on COVID response. We do more than build houses.”

That expansion started in 2018 with helping Paradise and Malibu organize after the Camp and Woolsey fires, respectively. Then the group was called in to help after blazes local and distant in 2019 and 2020, from Santa Cruz into southern Oregon. And last year, help was sought for Greenville in California’s Plumas County after the nearly 1 million-acre Dixie Fire in November near Paradise.

“There are a thousand Greenvilles and a thousand Paradises in the American West,” Thompson said. “There is a huge need out there for convening hubs for long-term recovery. What usually happens in a disaster is that a small group stands up to help and then stands down after three years. With megafires, we can get people across a line much faster if we share lessons.”

That’s why the organization focuses on coaching local leaders and doesn’t get involved directly with individual property owners. One frequent partner in its community responses is United Policyholders, a San Francisco-based group that helps homeowners navigate insurance claims after disasters.

“We don’t do insurance at all,” Thompson said.

Since insurance is a big part of any recovery, drawing on United Policyholders’ experience is a good match with After the Fire’s efforts, she said.

The coronavirus pandemic was partly responsible for the Sonoma County-based effort’s transformation into an organization with a growing staff and an increasing toolkit of online resources for far-flung, hard-hit communities, Thompson said.

“With COVID, we were deciding whether we should ramp down or up,” Thompson said about discussions she, the main employee as of early 2020, had with the organization’s board of directors, which includes former Kaiser Permanente Marin-Sonoma executive Judy Coffey and Napa Valley vintner Michael Mondavi.

In the past year, the group has recruited veterans of local organizing efforts to its staff.

A key hire is Pamela Van Halsema, once president of Coffey Strong, which formed after the Tubbs Fire in 2017 to help residents of Coffey Park neighborhood in Santa Rosa. She came to After the Fire to ramp up its online presence and now is director of community and digital programs. The group got permission from Coffey Strong to trademark recovery-effort organizational terms such as “block captain” and “zone captain,” to prevent what Thompson said have been attempts by some companies to profit from trauma. That’s why the organization doesn’t charge for its services to communities.

And three years after Thompson helped guide the creation of Rebuild Paradise Foundation, homeowner Charles Brooks late last year handed off leadership of the Paradise group as rebuilding there had accelerated to 25%. He started working with After the Fire on helping other communities and was set to come on to lead operations. But in early January following work with survivors of the Dixie Fire, which erupted to the east of Paradise, Brooks decided to quietly step back from the role, Thompson said.

Brooks told the Business Journal that seeing the plume of smoke from the Dixie Fire from his driveway and knowing fellow Paradise survivors who had moved to an area threatened by the new fire made him realize that he needed to heed advice he heard about taking care of himself after a disaster.

“If I can share anything with other people is to be very, very focused on that and setting time aside and being intentional about personal recovery,” Brooks said.

After the Fire USA now is gearing up for a trip next month to help local residents and officials in Boulder County, where Colorado’s costliest fire destroyed over 1,000 homes around the end of last year.

Previously, Thompson, board members and partner organizations had been the ones primarily hitting the road to visit California and Oregon communities for initial and follow-up help. Now the effort is taking flight via an agreement announced this month with Alaska Airlines, which flies to Western states out of Sonoma County airport. The arrangement includes a $25,000-a-year travel credit with the airline.

The board approved an expansion of the staff last year, and it now numbers seven, including contractors. The organization is looking to raise $2.5 million to cover three years of operating costs, Thompson said. That would allow the group to dedicate more staff to more communities, such as a request from Boulder County to dedicate one staff member half-time to get that effort kick-started.

“We’ve learned from our four years of experience that most communities are well on their way after three years, but we ask communities to then mentor other communities,” Thompson said. It’s what the group calls the Wildfire Resiliency Network.

That funding would also go toward at least three years’ use of a civil-engagement online platform called Social Pinpoint that community leaders and residents can use to see best practices used by burned communities across multiple states to rebuild, recover and build resiliency against future fires .

Until wildland-urban interfaces — where forests meet neighborhoods — are hardened and woodland fuel loads are brought into balance, communities in the West will likely need more help with recovery from megafires, Thompson said.

“We have a really rough decade ahead of us,” she said.

The organization has received a $4.9 million grant from the US Department of Agriculture to work with Cal Fire, Clear Lake Environmental Resource Center and resource conservation districts in Colusa, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, Lake and Yolo counties on land-management practices that help prevent forest fires.

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.

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