Yesterday, with temperatures dropping and winter approaching, a house fire in Revere brought attention to the need for home heating safety. Fire officials in Massachusetts urged residents to take proper heating precautions after a house fire in Revere caused by a furnace failure, according to the fire department.

Firefighter Jon M. Davine states that space heaters are the leading cause of carbon monoxide and the second leading cause of house fires in Massachusetts homes. According to the Department of Fire Services, there have been over 6,000 heating-related fires in the past five years, resulting in eight deaths, over 140 residents and firefighters injured, and over $39 million in damages.

To prevent further tragedies, firefighters emphasize the need for operational smoke and carbon monoxide detectors on all floors of the home. Another important aspect is annual professional inspection and maintenance of heating devices such as furnaces, water heaters and oil burners. Additionally, Massachusetts residents struggling with heating costs could benefit from the state's Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which provides assistance with winter heating costs and maintenance.

For households that use natural gas and oil as heating media, it is important to maintain a 90 cm wide “safety circle” around the heating devices and to clear them of flammable objects. Additional safety measures recommend not storing painting materials, aerosol cans and other flammable items near heating devices. In addition, gas smells should be reported immediately to the emergency services, as the fire department reports.

Those who rely on fireplaces or stoves for heat should use a fireplace screen or a closed stove door to contain sparks and embers. Regular inspections and cleaning of chimneys and flues are necessary to prevent chimney fires because it eliminates burning creosote, a harmful substance that builds up naturally. Professional chimney cleaning services from the Massachusetts Chimney Sweep Guild or the Chimney Safety Institute of America can be helpful in this regard.

When using space heaters, ensure they are at least three feet away from flammable items such as curtains and bedding. It is recommended that you plug it directly into the wall outlet and not into an extension cord or power strip. Space heaters that have been tested and labeled by reputable companies such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) or Intertek (ETL) are likely to have better safety features, including automatic shut-off mechanisms. Firefighter Davine similarly cautioned against the use of unvented kerosene space heaters and portable propane space heaters due to the high risk of fire and carbon monoxide.

Creating a comprehensive emergency escape plan is another important aspect of home security. Each plan should provide for two exits from each room, as well as alternate exits for children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities who may require assistance in emergencies. 1. Resources such as the Fire Department's Keep Warm, Keep Safe toolkit providing important information and guidance on maintaining home heating safety and emergency planning as mentioned by the Fire Department.

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RENO, Nev. (KOLO) -It’s a seasonal shift long known to firefighters. When the weather turns cold, home fires follow.

This time of year the Reno Fire Department responds to 5 to 7 home fires a week. They range in size and damage, but any fire in a home is a threat to those inside. And the reason for many will be our search for wintertime warmth using heating sources which we don’t think about until we need them.

“You want to make sure that we’re a little more vigilant this time of year,” says Reno Fire Captain John Beck, “We’re doing things that we don’t do much of the rest of the season so it’s important to keep those things in mind.”

Fireplaces and wood-burning stoves sit unused much of the year. Then when we need them we expect them to work. But, Beck says the whole system, including the flue and chimney, has been sitting unused and unmaintained and trouble may be lurking unseen.

“When you have flues or chimneys that become clogged or blocked with nests, debris or leaves,”>

Another danger is harder to see. As we burn wood a residue of creosote builds up in the chimney.

“That creosote is actually a fuel, so it can catch on fire. it can actually block the chimney itself.”

So, it’s a good idea to call in a professional chimney sweep before the cold weather hits. If you haven’t done it lately you likely don’t know what the inside of your chimney looks like and you might want to find out.

While we’re on the subject you should keep the fireplace or stove clean and dispose of any ashes in a safe metal container.

“Ash can retain heat for a long, long time. We’re talking days if not weeks. You get a windy day and all of a sudden you’ve got a fire. That’s what happened with the Washoe Drive Fire.”

Anyone who remembers that fire–one death,$4.5 million in damages–can tell you what a little wind with some supposedly spent ashes can do very quickly.

Copyright 2022 KOLO. All rights reserved.

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Gas prices over US$7.00 a gallon are displayed at a Shell gas station on Oct. 3 in San Francisco, Calif.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The next chapter in financial inequality will be the divide between those who can afford to prepare their household finances for the coming recession and those who cannot.

Keeping a stockpile of cash protects you against the interrupted income and job losses that are inevitable in recession as employers react to a weakening business environment. Quite a few households can tick this box instantly. They’re the ones who continue to hold cash that piled up during pandemic lockdowns.

And then there are the households who just made it through lockdowns in a financial sense and never built cash reserves – or those who have since spent that money. Telling them to start saving now for the recession ahead seems rather pointless, given the financial pressure they’re already under to afford things such as groceries and gas for their vehicles.

This is why the recession we’re heading into could be the most unfair ever. Never has there been such a clear dividing line between those who can arm themselves with savings for a recession and those who can’t afford to.

Recession talk has picked up lately because no relief is in sight on inflation or rising interest rates. Royal Bank of Canada sees a moderate recession starting as early as the first quarter of 2023. The International Monetary Fund forecasts slower growth for Canada next year, but a worse outlook is possible if inflation stays high and rates keep rising. That’s exactly where we’re at right now.

Let’s say the gold standard for an emergency fund is enough cash to cover six months of household expenses or more. Three months get you a silver saver’s medal, and less than that gets you a still respectable bronze. A general rule is that something in the way of savings is always better than nothing – even a few hundred bucks is valuable in covering off a surprise car repair or household maintenance issue.

How much money should be in my emergency fund?

High interest rates mean we can dispense with the never very sound idea that a home equity line of credit is all you need for emergencies. Expect to pay around 6 per cent to use a HELOC these days. If you needed $25,000 to tide you over, the minimum monthly interest-only payment would be $125.

Expect the rate on HELOCs and other floating rate debt to rise by at least 0.5 of a percentage point on Oct. 26, with a similar increase possible on Dec. 7. Those are the next dates when the Bank of Canada announces any changes to its trendsetting overnight rate. In early 2023, there are rate announcements set for Jan. 25 and March 8.

Rising rates highlight the way the pandemic has worsened financial inequality. If you have money sitting in savings accounts or guaranteed investment certificates, you’re earning virtually risk-free returns at levels not seen in decades. If you’re mainly a debtor as opposed to a saver, you get squeezed ever tighter as rates rise.

Ratehub.ca figures that someone who bought a $500,000 house five years ago with a five-year fixed rate of 2.69 per cent would see monthly payments rise by $445 on renewal at current rates, to $2,567 from $2,122. Interest costs on variable-rate mortgages rise with every increase in the Bank of Canada’s overnight rate, which has cumulatively increased to 3.25 per cent currently from 0.25 per cent at the start of the year.

Rates are rising to curb inflation, which is another aspect of the economy that highlights inequality. One of the key reasons why inflation is so stubborn is that the financially comfortable people keep spending. As prices go up, they pay up.

Those who don’t have the financial elasticity to afford inflation are in trouble. Record numbers of people are using food banks now, with the economy not yet in recession. The number of consumers declaring bankruptcy or making debt repayment proposals to their lenders was up 26.7 per cent in August on a year-over-year basis. Business insolvencies jumped 66.1 per cent, another sign of stress in the economy.

Get help now, prerecession, if your household struggles with affordability and you see a risk of job loss or lost income in a recession. Try a non-profit credit counseling agency if debts are a problem. Take advantage of today’s strong job market to reposition yourself in a sector or company that can ride through a recession. A safety net of savings is ideal, but it’s understood that many can’t afford it.

Are you a young Canadian with money on your mind? To set yourself up for success and steer clear of costly mistakes, listen to our award-winning Stress Test podcast.

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By Paul FP Pogue

If you own a fireplace and use it regularly, fall is the time to give serious thought to hiring a chimney sweep — before you light your first fire. Chimney sweeping is an intricate and sometimes high-tech job that is critical to the safety of your home. The National Fire Protection Agency says unclean chimneys are a major cause of house fires. And for that reason, the NFPA recommends an annual inspection. A clear chimney improves safety, creates a more comfortable experience, and allows smoke and gases to vent away from your living area.

You won’t always need a full cleaning, but the inspection will help identify any problems. In addition to ensuring your safety, an inspection may also identify structural problems that can be solved for less that it would cost after years of buildup.

Signs that you need a chimney inspection include a visibly thick buildup of soot and creosote, smoke entering into your living space, a weak fire and a tar smell emanating from the fireplace.

Elements of a chimney inspection

A professional chimney sweep will closely inspect your chimney from top to bottom, including the firebox, interior flue, smoke chamber, exterior masonry and flashing. They’ll look for both creosote buildup and structural damage. In many cases, house fires caused by the fireplace take place because a structural issue or cracked wall allows the fire to escape. They’ll also keep an eye out for animals, bird nests and branches.

In many cases, a sweep will inspect your chimney free of charge. On average, a full chimney cleaning will cost between $125 and $325. In extreme cases with large amounts of buildup, the cost may be higher. If you have significant structural damage, the cost may be as high as a few thousand dollars.

A professional chimney sweep will use a wire brush attached to a flexible rod that extends deeply into the flue. In some cases this is an old-school brush that hasn’t changed much since the days of “Mary Poppins;” others use electrically driven brushes to break up the soot and creosote.

What is creosote?

Creosote is the thick, oily residue deposited into a chimney by burning wood. Creosote deposits increase fire risks, and if left unattended, harden into a solid glaze that can be difficult to remove. Chimney sweeps make a particular point of getting creosote off the surface.

You may have seen creosote-sweeping logs on the shelves at your local big box store. While they’re not fully effective in preventing creosote, using them throughout the season can dry up the creosote and make it easier to flake away. It’s not a substitute for chimney sweeping, but when used properly it can improve your fireplace experience.

As always, when hiring a professional, make sure they hold the proper license, bonding and insurance to work in your area. Ask if they hold certification from a professional organization such as the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

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San Francisco Mayor London Breed pledged Wednesday to confront the city’s most pressing issues — including homelessness, public safety, police reform and a COVID-battered economy — during her annual state of the city address, the first she has delivered in-person to a crowd since the pandemic began.

She vowed to add more police officers while continuing to pursue reform in use-of-force issues, to continue her efforts to address drug dealing, mental illness and homelessness on the streets of the tenderloin and to clear the way for more housing construction.

Breed, who is halfway through her first full term, touted her administration’s progress on housing and job creation but acknowledged the city still faces significant challenges. In a year in which discontented voters brought an unprecedented two recalls to the ballot, residents remain deeply divided over how to best solve the city’s biggest problems.

“We cannot sugarcoat it,” Breed told city leaders and employees at the Mission Rock residential and commercial development under construction near Oracle Park. “We have work to do. Our recovery will not be quick, or easy. But it is coming. San Francisco is coming back.”

Breed has become one of the most watched big city mayors in America. Over the last two years, she went from being praised nationally for her handling of the pandemic to being questioned by some over her response to the city’s struggling tenderloin neighborhood and its street conditions.

The mayor gave her speech as San Francisco emerges from yet another COVID-19 surge and on the day the city announced it would lift its vaccination mandate for businesses. She emphasized the city’s response to the pandemic, not just in health outcomes, but changes to the city’s landscape such as allowing outdoor dining and closing roads including JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park to car traffic.

But she acknowledged San Francisco is still struggling in its recovery, with emptier-than-usual office buildings, vacant storefronts and recovering small businesses. Breed has been trying to lure back tourists, conventions and remote workers downtown while battling perceptions that the city isn’t safe, with stories about viral shoplifting and the drug overdose crisis grabbing headlines.

Breed didn’t shy from confronting some of the city’s most divisive issues in Wednesday’s speech.

The mayor started her talk with a recent political win — the landslide recall of three school board members. Breed, who endorsed the recall, is now poised to appoint three new members, potentially tipping the board in a more moderate direction. She argued the recall underscored that public officials should deliver on the essentials, instead of getting distracted by big ideas. She and others who supported the recall criticized the school board members for renaming 44 schools during the pandemic and being slow to reopen classrooms while vulnerable children struggled with online learning.

Breed stressed that the school district’s focus should be on helping families and children who’ve suffered.

Breed also dove into her own perspectives on policing and crime, which have become huge issues for city residents.

Outrage over crime fueled the upcoming June recall vote on progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin, whose policies critics view as too lenient. Data shows that crime in San Francisco is complicated. During the pandemic, some reported crimes including robberies and larceny thefts went down from previous years, while homicides, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts increased since 2019.

Breed hasn’t yet stated her position on Boudin’s recall, but has previously said “I am not necessarily on the same page with a number of things that he’s doing.”

In her speech, Breed mentioned Asian seniors fearful of leaving their homes, Tenderloin families terrorized by drug dealers and Bayview families dealing with gun violence.

“These are complicated problems, with twisted roots that reach well below surface-level solutions,” she said. “But, again, we have the tools to deliver both the basics and the big ideas.” First, she said, “we need law enforcement.”

Breed directly addressed to her critics who oppose an increase in policing.

“And to those who say we don’t need the police — again, I say, listen to the residents. They are speaking louder than ever,” she said. “No, not for a return to the past, like when I was growing up, and there was often a deep mistrust between the community and the police. Even then, we needed the police. We needed them to cease the gunfire. We needed them to protect victims of violence. We just needed them to help us live our lives—not undermine us in our community.”

Breed gained national attention in December when she pledged to step up policing against drug dealers — and users who refused services — as part of her state of emergency to clean up and reduce overdose deaths in the Tenderloin neighborhood. She’s reiterated that she’s open to police getting involved in clearing the Tenderloin’s streets, but data earlier this month showed arrests for drug crimes hadn’t increased since the emergency began.

One issue that’s hamstrung that effort is police staffing shortages, which Breed highlighted Wednesday. San Francisco was 540 officers short of a recommended staffing level as of early March, with 1,636 officers.

Breed also emphasized alternatives in some situations are needed. She mentioned the city’s street crisis response teams, started last year to send mental health professionals to calls of people in mental crisis, and community ambassadors.

Breed also said police were working on reform, which was also critical. Data shows police use of force has decreased in recent years, but Black residents are still between 9.5 to 17 times far more likely to have used force upon them than white residents. Police are completing reform recommendations from the state and federal governments.

Breed also touted her investment in the Black community to address historical inequities, highlighting the Dream Keeper Initiative she created with Board of Supervisors President Shamann Walton to 2020 to pour $60 million annually into Black-led community organizations.

“These are programs that recognize the root causes of crime are driven by poverty. By decades of disinvestment and systemic racism. These are programs that will heal our communities with housing, mental health, education, job training and economic empowerment,” she said. “Let’s be the national model: For reform, for alternatives and for safety.”

While the mayor dove into policing, she didn’t dwell too much in her speech on her push in the tenderloin and the drug crisis that prompted it. Overdoses killed nearly twice as many people in San Francisco as COVID-19 over the past two years. Close to two people a day die of overdoses in the city.

She acknowledged her emergency has stoked debate, but said “the main takeaway is that we can’t continue to accept things as they were.”

“I’m done arguing if it’s okay for people to remain on the streets when we have a place for them to go. Because it’s not. It just isn’t,” she continued. “And to be honest, there are some folks who cannot — or will not — do what’s safe for themselves and for others, so we have to be honest about the need to deal with those struggling with mental illness and we need to make serious changes to our state laws.”

She said she’s been meeting with state leaders to talk about mental health laws — potentially a reference to the ongoing debate about conservatorship, mandated treatment for someone who is a danger to themselves or others.

In 2019, a report found 4,000 people who were homeless and struggling with mental illness and substance use disorder. The city has made slow progress to increase the number of treatment beds — with only 89 of the 400 planned added so far — and to make the care system more cohesive and easier to navigate.

Breed focused more on another challenge prevalent in the Tenderloin: homelessness.

The mayor has highlighted the city is pouring $1 billion into tackling homelessness over the next two years. Most of that money comes from a voter-approved tax that breed didn’t support in 2018.

Her administration will spend some of the funds to reach her goal of creating 1,500 new permanent supportive housing units by June. Breed said the city is on track to exceed by 70% that goal of creating subsidized housing with services for formerly homeless people.

But the city struggles with quickly filling available units, with 10% — or around 850 units — vacant this week, the spokeswoman said. That number covers units getting repaired and those ready for referral, including some where a tenant is already scheduled to move in.

The city is also working to add new shelter beds and reopen beds still shuttered during the pandemic to get to 2,100 short-term shelter beds by July.

Despite the progress, between permanent and temporary housing, there simply isn’t enough for the city’s homeless population. In 2019, a count found around 8,000 unhoused people, but the health department recently estimated 18,000 people citywide are experiencing homelessness.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The mayor of San Francisco on Tuesday announced even more initiatives aimed at curbing open drug use, brazen home break-ins and other criminal behavior that she says have made a mockery of the city’s famed tolerance and compassion.

Mayor London Breed said at a news conference attended by the police chief and other public safety personnel that she would introduce legislation to allow law enforcement real-time access to surveillance video in certain situations and to make it harder for people to sell stolen goods.

She also announced emergency intervention to improve safety in the Tenderloin, one of the poorest and most drug-infested neighborhoods in San Francisco, where parents have pleaded for protection from drug dealers and violent street behavior. The neighborhood contains several government buildings, including City Hall.

“What I’m proposing today, and what I will be proposing in the future will make a lot of people uncomfortable, and I don’t care,” said Breed, a Democrat. “We are past the point where what we see is even remotely acceptable.”

She said it’s time to get aggressive and “less tolerant of all the bull— that has destroyed our city.”

The announcement follows a meeting the mayor had last week with Tenderloin families, as well as a report by The Associated Press describing the frustrations of some residents who say the city is in decline. They said despite San Francisco’s wealth, city officials are not doing enough to keep streets cleared of human feces and trash, provide housing to people experiencing homelessness, and deter drug dealers.

They are also upset that San Francisco public schools spent much of last year teaching remotely while neighboring districts and private schools within the city provided in-class instruction.

Criminal justice advocates in favor of less incarceration say the media has been drumming up fear in a city where overall crime rates have declined in recent years. Increased enforcement, they say, only ends up harming the most vulnerable, including Black and homeless residents, without improving public safety.

Similar debates are taking place across the country in liberal cities where the murder of George Floyd led to a surge of progressive activism that included calls to rethink the way cities deal with crime. Some cities where there were calls to defund the police, including Portland, Oregon, have moved in recent months to bolster police budgets.

John Hamasaki, a San Francisco police commissioner and defense lawyer who is highly critical of extra policing and surveillance, said Tuesday that taxpayer money is better spent on services, treatment and housing.

He said the city should open a supervised drug consumption site and act to treat addiction rather than using methods that will shove dealing into other neighborhoods.

“The situation in the tenderloin isn’t ultimately going to be solved through more policing,” he said. “It seems like we’re doing the same dance over and over and expecting different results.”

But Randy Shaw, executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which provides legal services and housing to low-income people, said more police patrols would deter dealers and make the neighborhood safer for residents. At the same time, he heard the mayor’s promises before and seen little concrete action.

“I’m glad the mayor’s coming out like this, but it’s really actions speak louder than words,” he said. “We heard a lot of commitments, and now we have to make sure they happen.”

Breed has directed the city’s Department of Emergency Management to lead the response in the Tenderloin, much like the agency coordinated efforts to address the pandemic. The department will, in part, streamline emergency medical calls, disrupt drug dealing and use, and clean up “nasty streets,” she said.

“And when I say nasty, full of feces and urine, that the Department of Public Works is cleaning every single day, but it comes back just a few hours later,” she said.

Breed said she would ask the Board of Supervisors for more money to pay for police overtime and to increase the department’s budget. Legislative changes would also require the board’s support, which is not guaranteed.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said the criminal justice system has changed so that drug possession doesn’t land a person in jail and that police now try to balance enforcement with offers of help to those suffering with addiction and homelessness.

“But at the end of the day, at the end of all of these people will not be allowed to smoke meth, to smoke fentanyl, to inject heroin into their arms in public spaces,” he said.

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

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SnapDNA, a company that has developed technology to improve food safety, has selected Broomfield as its new headquarters, state officials announced Wednesday, joining a growing number of foodtech companies establishing or growing in Colorado.

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the company plans to hire up to 144 employees at an average salary of $124,573 over the coming years. Colorado sweetened the pot by adding up to $1.45 million in job-creation tax credits over the next eight years.

“SnapDNA is excited to be part of Colorado’s burgeoning centers of excellence in life sciences, technology development and product manufacturing,” said CEO David Medin in a press release. “Colorado is ideally located and central to the nation’s largest and most influential food companies; we already work with some of them… and our employees love the can-do culture and world-class outdoor activities that Colorado has to offer.”

SnapDNA “creates a food safety molecular recognition technology that enables rapid on-site detection of foodborne pathogens,” according to filings submitted to the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

Austin, Texas, or a California location with a combined headquarters and development facility was also sought. When the Colorado Economic Development Commission discussed the project in September, the company had just four employees and contractors. However, the company agreed to “raise significant amounts of capital” as part of its deal with the state.

A portion of this funding came from the Rocky Mountain Venture Club, as well as the Office of Economic Development’s Global Business Development Advanced Industries grant program, which provided a $250,000 Early Stage Accelerator grant. The commissioners said the company will help with the “growth and diversification of Colorado’s food and agriculture industries, and particularly the foodtech sector.”

“Colorado is a hub for innovative technologies, including those in the life sciences and food technology sectors,” Gov. Jared Polis said in the release. “We welcome the opportunity to partner with SnapDNA to support our vital food and agriculture industries while creating more than 140 high-paying jobs for Coloradans.”

These jobs include microbiologists, production and test engineers, sales and marketing staff, and managers.

SnapDNA “invented the first self-contained, rapid, on-site analysis intended to replace laboratory testing for food pathogens. Results are available in less than an hour and hundreds of samples can be analyzed per day.” According to the press release, the technology promises “to enable predictive analysis that reduces the occurrence, risk and severity of large-scale outbreaks, reduces production costs and provide consumers with fresher, safer food”.

The state reported that 15 Colorado food technology startups received $244 million in venture capital funding last year, the sixth-highest sum in the United States

“Snap DNA joins a rapidly growing national center for life sciences and food technology in Colorado, where companies like Evolutionary Genomics, Growcentia and Myco Technology are pioneering revolutionary solutions for the future of food and agriculture,” the press release reads.

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A self-driving cruise car owned by General Motors Corp is seen in front of the company’s San Francisco headquarters, where it conducts most of its testing, in California, U.S., September 26, 2018. Picture taken September 26, 2018. REUTERS / Heather Somerville

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Dec 1 (Reuters) – San Francisco’s public transit operator has challenged Cruise’s request for fees for robotaxi rides, saying that on Wednesday promotional videos from the General Motors Co (GM.N) unit showed Cruise passengers illegally entering and exiting vehicles in the middle of the street rather than at the curb.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) said in a 24-page letter that Cruise’s recent videos show the self-driving tech company allowing unlawful behavior that also endangers nearby people and slows down buses, agency director Jeff Tumlin said. The agency also blasted Cruise’s application for failing to plan for services in low-income and minority neighborhoods or to accommodate wheelchairs.

“Together, the cruise videos document 14 stops to pick up or drop off passengers; they provide evidence that not one of these stops meets the requirements of the Vehicle Code and the Transport Code,” the agency wrote.

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Cruise said it will address the concerns in a letter to the CPUC next Monday.

GM’s Cruise, Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo (GOOGL.O), and others see San Francisco as a good proving ground for robotaxi services. With the federal government reluctant to enact regulations for autonomous vehicles, states have stepped in to regulate them. But local authorities in San Francisco and elsewhere have been scrambling to get a bigger say in the emerging technologies, which include Tesla Inc.’s (TSLA.O) Autopilot. Continue reading

The SFMTA letter responds to a cruise filing last month with the California Public Utilities Commission, which has the final say on whether companies can charge for rides.

SFMTA’s letter calls for Cruise’s request to be denied unless it can demonstrate that its automated systems can detect lawful on-street parking, parallel parking, and back-to-back parking.

The agency also criticized Cruise’s original deployment plan because it would ignore almost all of the city’s low-income and disadvantaged communities and serve only 19% of San Francisco’s Hispanic population and 24% of the black population. The company has also yet to test wheelchair-accessible travel, the agency wrote.

Additionally, Cruise said it would avoid streets with light rail lines but failed to recognize a long train route in its planned service area, SFMTA wrote.

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Reporting by Paresh Dave; Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by David Gregorio

Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The mayor of San Francisco on Tuesday announced even more initiatives aimed at curbing overt drug use, brazen home burglaries and other criminal behaviors that she says make a mockery of the city’s famed tolerance and compassion to have.

Mayor London Breed told a news conference attended by the police chief and other public safety officials that she would introduce legislation that would give law enforcement real-time access to surveillance video in certain situations and make it harder for people to sell stolen goods.

She also announced emergency measures to improve security in the Tenderloin, one of the poorest and most drug-infested neighborhoods in San Francisco, where parents have asked for protection from drug dealers and violent behavior on the streets. There are several government buildings in the neighborhood, including City Hall.

“What I’m proposing today and what I’m going to propose in the future will make a lot of people uncomfortable, and I don’t care,” said Breed, a Democrat. “We’ve passed the point where what we’re seeing is even remotely acceptable.”

She said it was time to become aggressive and “less tolerant of all the cops that destroyed our town.”

The announcement follows a meeting the mayor had with tenderloin families last week and a report from The Associated Press detailing the frustrations of some residents who say the city is in decline. They said that despite San Francisco’s wealth, city officials are not doing enough to clear the streets of human feces and trash, provide housing for the homeless, and deter drug dealers.

They are also upset that San Francisco public schools have spent much of the last year distance learning while neighboring counties and private schools in the city have taught in-class.

Criminal justice advocates who are campaigning for fewer incarcerations say the media has fueled fear in a city where crime rates have been falling overall in recent years. They say increased enforcement only harms the most vulnerable, including black and homeless residents, without improving public safety.

Similar debates are taking place across the country in liberal cities, where the killing of George Floyd sparked a wave of progressive activism that has included calls to rethink how cities deal with crime. Some cities that have been calling for police relief, including Portland, Oregon, have relocated in recent months to bolster police budgets.

John Hamasaki, a San Francisco police commissioner and defense attorney who is critical of additional policing and surveillance, said Tuesday taxpayers’ money is better spent on services, treatment and housing.

He said the city should open a regulated drug consumption facility and take action to treat the addiction, rather than using methods that push trafficking to other parts of the city.

“The situation in the tenderloin will not ultimately be resolved through more policing,” he said. “It seems like we’re doing the same dance over and over again and expecting different results.”

But Randy Shaw, chief executive of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which provides legal services and housing to people on low incomes, said more police patrols would deter traffickers and make the neighborhood safer for residents. At the same time, he has heard the mayor’s promises before and seen few concrete measures.

“I’m glad the mayor is coming out like this, but actions speak louder than words,” he said. “We have heard many promises and now we must ensure that they are kept.”

Breed has directed the city’s Department of Emergency Management to lead the response in the tenderloin, much like the agency has coordinated efforts to combat the pandemic. The department will, in part, streamline emergency medical calls, disrupt drug trafficking and use, and clean up “bad roads,” she said.

“And when I say angry, full of feces and urine, that the Department of Public Works cleans up every day, it comes back just a few hours later,” she said.

Breed said she will ask the board for more money to pay police overtime and increase the department’s budget. Legislative changes would also require board support, which is not guaranteed.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said the criminal justice system had changed so that drug possession no longer puts a person in jail and police are now trying to balance enforcement with offers of help to addicts and the homeless.

“But at the end of the day, at the end of all this, people are not going to be allowed to smoke meth, smoke fentanyl, inject heroin in their arms in public,” he said.

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

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The Mayor of San Francisco on Tuesday announced even more initiatives aimed at curbing overt drug use, brazen home break-ins and other criminal behavior that she says draws on the city’s famed tolerance and compassion Have made mockery.

Mayor London Breed said at a press conference attended by the police chief and other public security officials that she would put in place laws that allow law enforcement agencies to have real-time access to surveillance video in certain situations and make it difficult for people to sell stolen property.

She also announced emergency operations to improve safety in Tenderloin, one of the poorest and most drug-infested neighborhoods in San Francisco, where parents have pleaded for protection from drug dealers and street violent behavior. There are several government buildings in the neighborhood, including the town hall.

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“What I propose today and what I will propose in the future is going to make a lot of people uncomfortable and I don’t care,” said Breed, a Democrat. “We have passed the point where what we see is even remotely acceptable.”

She said it was time to get aggressive and “less tolerant of all that bull – it destroyed our city”.

The announcement follows a meeting the mayor had with Tenderloin families last week, as well as a report from The Associated Press describing the frustration of some residents who say the city is in decline. They said that despite San Francisco’s wealth, city officials were not doing enough to clear the streets of human feces and trash, shelter people who were homeless, and deter drug dealers.

They’re also upset that last year San Francisco public schools taught remotely for much of last year, while neighboring counties and private schools within the city offered classroom teaching.

Criminal justice advocates for fewer incarcerations say the media has fueled fear in a city where overall crime rates have declined in recent years. They say increased enforcement only harms the most vulnerable, including black and homeless residents, without improving public safety.

Similar debates are taking place across the country in liberal cities, where the murder of George Floyd sparked a surge in progressive activism, including calls for cities to reconsider the way cities deal with crime. Some cities calling for police relief, including Portland, Oregon, have moved in recent months to boost police budgets.

John Hamasaki, a San Francisco police commissioner and defense attorney who is very critical of additional policing and surveillance, said Tuesday that tax dollars are better spent on services, treatment and housing.

He said the city should open a monitored drug use site and act to treat addiction rather than employing methods that push trafficking to other neighborhoods.

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“The situation in the tenderloin will ultimately not be resolved by more police work,” he said. “It seems like we’re doing the same dance over and over and expecting different results.”

However, Randy Shaw, executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which provides legal services and housing to low-income people, said more police patrols would deter vendors and make the neighborhood safer for residents. At the same time, he has heard the mayor’s promises and seen little concrete action.

“I’m glad the mayor came out like this, but actions speak louder than words,” he said. “We heard a lot of promises and now we need to make sure they are kept.”

Breed has directed the city’s emergency management department to lead the response at the tenderloin, much like the agency is coordinating efforts to fight the pandemic. The department will, in part, streamline emergency medical calls, disrupt drug trafficking and use, and clean up “bad roads,” she said.

“And when I say nasty, full of feces and urine, that the Department of Public Works cleans up every day but comes back only a few hours later,” she said.

Breed said she would ask the board of directors for more money to pay police overtime and top up the department’s budget. Changes in the law would also require the support of the board, which is not guaranteed.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said the criminal justice system has changed so that possession of drugs does not put a person in jail and that police are now trying to balance enforcement with support services for the addicts and the homeless.

“But at the end of the day people won’t be allowed to smoke meth, smoke fentanyl, inject heroin in public places,” he said.

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