The Golden City is losing its shine as one of the largest United States-based cryptocurrency exchanges closes its San Francisco-based headquarters.

Kraken CEO Jesse Powell retweeted an announcement stating that the exchange will close its global headquarters at 548 Market Street, in the center of San Francisco. In the statement, a copy of which was initially tweeted by San Francisco-based political commentator Richie Greenberg, Powell states:

“We shut down Kraken’s global headquarters on Market Street in San Francisco after numerous employees were attacked, harassed and robbed on their way to and from the office.”

A spokesperson from Kraken told Cointelegraph that their “responsibility has been, and always will be, to ensure the safety and security of our team members,” adding that Kraken has “no plans to establish a new, formal global HQ” following the San Francisco closure.

A poor advertisement for living in California’s financial center, the statement also alleges that “San Francisco is not safe” and crime is “dramatically underreported.”

BREAKING: KRAKEN CEO Jesse Powell @jespow today issued a statement regarding rampant crime in San Francisco and the failures of DA @chesaboudin . pic.twitter.com/7gx7PldQM0

— Richie Greenberg (@richieSF2016) April 7, 2022

Coinbase, another US-based cryptocurrency exchange, also wants to close its San Francisco headquarters in 2022; however, no mention of crime or homelessness was cited regarding the decision. Instead, Coinbase is following the lead of its competitor Binance to become a fully remote, global company.

The Kraken spokesperson explained to Cointelegraph that Kraken was “one of the first companies in the world to pioneer the remote-first model.” The focus on “round-the-clock crypto services,” especially relevant given that crypto markets are 24/7 is key. Kraken continued:

“While we [Kraken] have no plans to change our status as a US-based entity, the location of our headquarters doesn’t affect how we run our business.”

The Twitter community was quick to respond to the Kraken news, sharing dark anecdotes of working in San Francisco.

I worked at Market St for few months, it is crazy, it turns into skid row after 6pm. I’m from Europe and never seen anything like it. Still have flashbacks of the things I witnessed. Just tried to look away and not get stabbed. Remember walking in the smell of skunk and pee.

— Markus (@markustallinn) April 7, 2022

The living situation has allegedly become so dire that there are applications that track human waste around San Francisco, with “Snap Crap” among the most popular. The apps help San Franciscans navigate the city without putting their foot in it.

A San Francisco poop map. Source: ARCgis

Comments from the Twitter and Reddit community shed light on how soaring rental prices have made homelessness more common, while crime is “rampant.” The average rent is now roughly $3,000 per month, and the San Francisco Chronicle has estimated that there are more than 18,000 people experiencing homelessness in the city.

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A report in 2020 revealed that San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area boasted the highest concentrations of crypto investments. In light of Kraken’s decision and the social crises in San Francisco, the region’s hold on crypto and the future of finance may falter.

Other US cities and states have made clear their intentions to attract crypto capital. Texas, for example, hosts pro-Bitcoin (BTC) Senator Ted Cruz, while Web3 and crypto payments have been lauded by the mayor of Austin.

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A San Francisco-based cryptocurrency exchange’s CEO announced the closure of its Market Street headquarters in the city for good — and blasted San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin in the process.

Kraken CEO Jesse Powell, in a statement first shared by Boudin recall organizer and conservative mayoral candidate Richie Greenberg on Twitter, appeared to shame Boudin for employees getting harassed and for “crime, mental illness and drug abuse” in the city.

“San Francisco is not safe and will not be safe until we have a DA who puts the rights of law abiding citizens above those of the street criminals he so ingloriously protects,” Powell wrote in the statement. Powell also praised the police in his statement, saying they were “known to arrest the same offenders dozens of times” thanks to Boudin. (Powell misspelled his own name in the statement provided to Greenberg.)

A Kraken spokesperson confirmed the company’s departure from San Francisco — but notably, did not mention Boudin as the reason for the company’s exit from downtown, only alluding to Powell’s comments by saying that there is a need “to ensure the safety and security of our team members.”

“Kraken was one of the first companies in the world to pioneer the remote-first model. We have team members in more than 70 countries around the world, enabling us to offer a range of round-the-clock crypto services in just under 200 jurisdictions around the world,” the spokesperson said in an email to SFGATE Wednesday.

The spokesperson added, “We have no plans to establish a new, formal global HQ at this time.”

As the district attorney recall approaches, sentiments such as the one raised by Powell will likely only grow louder, as will support Boudin. (On Wednesday, the R&B singer-songwriter John Legend publicly endorsed Boudin.)

San Francisco is indeed experiencing a crisis in increased drug use — and residents do believe that crime has gotten worse over the past year, even if the underlying data supports a more nuanced conclusion. Figures provided by San Francisco police show that reports of violent crimes such as rape, robbery and assault are at lower levels than they were before Boudin took office, but reports of some property crimes are increasing.

As many employees express a desire to continue to work from home, companies across industries and cities are beginning to ditch pricey office spaces. Their decision to close their offices — and not open a new location — certainly has financial benefits for the companies.

Many San Francisco tech companies have embraced the pandemic-induced transition to remote-first work — just as Kraken has. Tech heavyweights from Salesforce to Meta (with one notable exception) are granting employees the option of flexible work, and with that has meant a reduction or total closure of offices, especially in one of the most expensive markets in the United States.

A report from commercial real estate agency Kidder Mathews finds that more than 20% of offices are still vacant. In a recent update, the agency wrote that there is “an uptick in tenant prospects, yet it seems they are not quite ready to make the jump to return to the office.”

Take the company’s word for it: Remote work has been beneficial for Kraken.

“Kraken’s remote-first model has enabled us to take significant strides in bringing global expertise and knowledge to the cryptocurrency industry,” the company spokesperson said.

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The post AT&T Shuts Off 3G Service For Cellphone Clients – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

CARMEL (CBS SF) — Monterey County’s Highway 1 is closed south of Carmel late Friday night due to a fast-moving bushfire fanned by high winds and flames leaping across the road, prompting evacuations in the Palo Colorado region north of led Great Sur.

The California Highway Patrol has closed Highway 1 at Rio Road just outside of Carmel-by-the-Sea because of the fire.

The @PGE4Me webcam at CTRY CLUB HTS in Carmel Valley pointed to the fire continuing along the Big Sur shoreline near Rocky Creek and Palo Colorado Canyon. Please avoid Highway 1 south of Carmel. The humidity is in the teens with gusts around 35 km/h! #CAwx #CAfire pic.twitter.com/EM8dEy2HKg

— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) January 22, 2022

A spokesman for Cal Fire said Friday night that the vegetation fire — dubbed the Colorado Fire — had burned about 25 acres since 10 p.m

The area affected by the evacuations is for residents living along Palo Colorado Road from Highway 1 east to the Rocky Creek Bridge and Bixby Creek Road.

The CHP said the fire was first reported around 7:30 p.m. on Friday.

© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed or redistributed

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SONOMA COUNTY (CBS SF) – CHP issued a severe traffic warning Friday afternoon following an accident involving multiple vehicles, including two large oil rigs, that blocked both directions of State Highway 37 in Sonoma County for hours.

KCBS Traffic’s Twitter account posted about the incident around 1:24 p.m.

There’s a new crash going east 37 east of Hwy-121 that at least partially blocks the lone trail. A large team and two cars are involved and the traffic hardly moves behind them. #SonomaCounty #KCBSTraffic photo: Caltrans pic.twitter.com/XqLNQbMPH2

– KCBS Radio – The Traffic Leader (@KCBSAMFMTraffic) November 5, 2021

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The Twitter account 511.org published about the accident around 1:40 p.m. and said that traffic was blocked in both directions.

UPDATE: Traffic collision with injuries on CA-37 heading east and heading west east of CA-121 in Sonoma County. All lanes blocked in both directions. https://t.co/ITRwoLsl4h

– 511 SF Bay (@ 511SFbay) November 5, 2021

The accident on CA-37 east of CA-121 blocked traffic to both east and west, according to the CHP.

Shortly after 2 p.m., authorities confirmed that traffic on CA-37 had been diverted east to CA-121.

UPDATE: Traffic collision with injuries on CA-37 heading east and heading west east of CA-121 in Sonoma County. All lanes remain blocked in both directions. Eastbound traffic will be diverted at CA-121. https://t.co/ITRwoLsl4h

– 511 SF Bay (@ 511SFbay) November 5, 2021

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Photos released by an ambulance service showed several rescue vehicles, including a CHP helicopter at the scene. Footage captured by Chopper 5 appeared to show a lane of traffic moving past the accident.

Skaggs MVA pic.twitter.com/SbeHVWNfjW

– Paramedics Ambulance (@MedicAmbulance) November 5, 2021

It took a few hours for tow trucks to clear the wreckage of the large oil rigs from the scene of the accident. Two vehicles were also involved in the clash, one of which was a sport utility vehicle.

At least one person was flown to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek for treatment.

Around 4:30 p.m., according to KCBS Radio, the lanes of the motorway to the west were released again.

Update – #SonomaCounty – # Highway37 WB lanes are now open. 37 EB remains closed on # Hwy121. #KCBSTraffic https://t.co/3vpTT8uPJk

– KCBS Radio – The Traffic Leader (@KCBSAMFMTraffic) November 5, 2021

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Shortly before 5 p.m., CHP announced that all lanes were open again. The drivers were advised to expect residual delays.

UPDATE: Residual delays on CA-37 going east between Walnut Ave and CA-121 in Sonoma County. All lanes open.

– 511 SF Bay (@ 511SFbay) November 5, 2021

The post All Lanes Reopen After Large-Rig Accident Shuts Down Freeway 37 for Hours – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A suspect was arrested Tuesday after a “non-specific” online threat forced San Francisco State University officials to cancel face-to-face classes.

Campus police, who work with other law enforcement agencies, arrested a person of interest on Tuesday morning over the threat to the SF State campus, the university said. Early Tuesday at 3:11 a.m., the university issued a warning to students, faculty, and staff, instructing students to stay in their dormitories until security officers give the all-clear.

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The university said it now anticipates that there are no ongoing threats to the campus or community, and students have been given permission to exit the dormitories. Classes were to continue remotely for the rest of the day, and university buildings, including the library, remained closed on Tuesday.

The SFSU communications director told KPIX that a threat of armed violence on campus was posted on social media overnight. The post has since been deleted.

SF State Junior Ruqaiyah Angeles told KPIX it received the alert very early Tuesday morning and later learned of the possible threat of violence

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“Scary! You never know what’s going to happen,” said Angeles. “They’re just trying to protect us all and cordoned off the whole school. I don’t know if you were on campus, but all the doors are locked ..”

After initially saying the campus would be closed until 10 a.m., school officials extended the closure to the whole day while detectives examined the threat’s credibility. There was a large police presence on campus.

“All personal training and services for Tuesday, September 28th, should be switched to remote modalities if possible,” the school wrote on Facebook. “The university buildings, including the library, will remain closed. Dormitory students are asked to stay in the campus dormitories until nothing else is communicated. “

NEW: San Francisco State University switched to all remote teaching today. The police are investigating a so-called “anonymous, unspecific threat”.

University buildings are being closed and students should stay in the dormitories until told otherwise. @KPIXtv pic.twitter.com/AWnOohvrXh

– Justin Andrews (@Justin_EAndrews) September 28, 2021

There was no word from campus officials about who had made the threat.

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“Ultimately, I appreciate my school for taking the necessary precautions to protect not only its students, but its staff and the community,” said Angeles

The post Suspect Arrested After On-line Risk Shuts Down San Francisco State Campus – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

South City’s football program, once a peninsula power, has now fallen to the ground.

Terry Stogner, commissioner of the Peninsula Athletic League, announced during the PAL preseason soccer coaches meeting on Monday evening that the school will be discontinuing the varsity program for the 2021 season.

The Warriors will continue with a junior varsity program with the goal of returning to college level for the 2022 football season.

“We knew this was possible,” said Stogner. “I think they (the school management) wanted to hold out until school started (to see if more kids came out for the team). When it became clear that this was not going to happen, I got a call on Monday morning (in which he told me that the school was about to give up college). “

Mills found himself in a similar predicament that spring and dropped his college program. It should be that time again in autumn.

Dion Evans took over the South City program in February 2020 as the coronavirus gained traction and led the Warriors through a four-game season in the fall.

Dion Evans

As in previous years, the results were not nice. The Warriors were 0-4 and beat 181-18 and are now on a 24-game losing streak. Their 36-6 win over El Camino in The Bell Game in 2017 was the last game the Warriors won on the field (the 2017 season ended with a 2-0 win over Woodside in a wildfire-choked season ).

In addition, the program struggles with consistency. When Evans took over before 2020-21, he became the fourth coach in four years.

But Evans said more and more kids left the team over the past spring season. He said after a 42-0 loss to Carlmont, six juniors left all their gear and gear in the locker room, left and never came back. As the summer workouts rolled around, no aspiring juniors or seniors showed up.

“All (ascending) juniors and seniors from last year have quit,” said Evans.

It looks like the Warriors have players, just not nearly enough to safely set up a varsity team. Evans said he had a number of freshmen and sophomores.

Evans said he told South City administration in July that the best course of action is to drop the varsity program for the season and focus on preparing JV players to go to varsity for the next season. Play level.

Evans said the administration asked him to wait until the start of the school year before making a decision. The thought was that after school started, more children would be interested in playing.

Evans said he went to the school’s orientation and picture day to raise support and interest in the South City soccer program.

“Zero. Zero registrations,” said Evans. “So I tell the administrators, ‘I’ve done everything you asked and more. There’s no interest. Let’s honor the kids who really want to play. Let focus on JV. You will be the university team next year. ‘”

Stogner said he received a call Monday from South City administrators telling him the varsity program would be dropped and only a JV team would be set up. Stogner said there were PAL statutes that said a college team must be set up first before a JV team can play, but said he waived the rule for the good of South City football.

“The only way to survive is to have a viable JV season. In order to gain a year of experience in the next year, ”said Stogner. “As soon as you drop a sport (completely), it’s hard to come back.”

A few minutes after Stogner announced to coaches that South City would be on hold of its varsity program, Evans apologized for the late announcement. He realized that this put the other teams in the PAL Lake Division in a bind, as it will be nearly impossible for teams to fill that spot in their schedule at this late point in time. Stogner said South City will stay on schedule and the rest of the Lake Division teams will receive a 2-0 win.

But Evans was embarrassed at the time of the announcement.

“I knew some of the guys there (the meeting) would be salty,” said Evans. “I knew it was unfair for the league coaches to find out [Monday] than they could have found out on July 6th. “

Evans said he was a little relieved to learn that the school administration followed his recommendation. Now he’s ready to go back to work.

“Why do I stay? I’ve committed to the Zoom meetings (now my sophomore year), ”said Evans. “If you want to bring a dead tree back to life, you have to cut some branches. … There are no limbs now, but some roots.

“I can’t stop because these kids need a coach who cares and doesn’t give up.”

The post South San Francisco Excessive College shuts down its varsity soccer program | Native appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

FAIRFIELD (CBS SF) – Fairfield firefighters responded to a vegetation fire that closed Highway 12 Monday night.

Firefighters responded around 8:30 pm to the two-acre fire on 12 State Highway and Beck Avenue, which the Fairfield Fire Department said “was moving at a moderate rate.”

(Fire Department Messeplatz)

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Eastbound Highway 12 has been closed. Authorities warned motorists to avoid the area.

According to the authorities, “the forward movement was stopped” within about an hour and the crews mopped up.

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Fairfield firefighters respond to a vegetation fire on Highway 12 & Beck Avenue. Please avoid the area

– Fairfield Fire Dept. (@Fairfieldfire) June 8, 2021

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There were no reports of damage or injury.

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