SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It seemed so unfair. They’d been using their carpad for decades – when suddenly the city said it’s illegal. Not only that, they were threatened with a $1,500 fine – a huge penalty even for San Francisco. The only way out? Go back into San Francisco history.

UPDATE: How an Army aerial photo expert helped SF couple park in driveway again after threat of $1.5K fine

Parking in San Francisco is a difficult part of life here. You find a spot… but get a ticket anyway.

For Judy and Ed Craine it seems especially unfair.

“We always use the carport,” said Judy.

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“Parked in that driveway every day and every night,” confirmed Ed.

They live on a steep hill where parking can be a gravity-defying challenge.

But they could slip into their driveway and park on their carpad, which they’d been doing every day for the past 36 years.

But not anymore.

“We got this email saying we can’t park in the pad anymore. I said what, that’s crazy,” recounted Ed.

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Out of the blue, the couple got a ticket for parking in their own driveway.

“It was very surprising, to say the least,” said Judy.

And worse? It came with an enormous fine: $1,542 dollars, plus another $250 per day if they didn’t get the car off their carpad.

“I wrote them back saying I thought this was a mistake,” Judy said.

But it was no mistake. And no ordinary parking ticket. It came from the city planning department, telling them it’s illegal to park in the front of a house.

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“And if we were found parking there again, it would be a $1,500 fine,” Judy said.

And so they quickly pulled the car out — but none of it made sense.

“Why are you taking away something that has great utility?” asked Ed.

Ed and Judy had been parking there for nearly four decades. And as far as they could tell, the space was used for parking since the house was built back in 1910 – one of the first in their Noe Valley neighborhood.

“To all of a sudden to be told you can’t use something that we could use for years. It’s, it’s startling. Inexplicable,” Ed said.

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And so the Planning Department gave them a challenge: prove that parking was a historic use on the lot, and they might get a waiver.

“We could be grandfathered in. If we show them a historical photo that showed a car… or a horse-drawn buggy in the carport,” said Judy.

Right away they dug up a photo of their daughter 34 years ago – a part of the car barely visible.

But officials said: not old enough.

“I did a number of online searches,” said Ed.

And so they combed through hundreds of historic photos.

Plenty showed the early days, when there were few streets or homes.

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“Our house and our neighbor’s house had empty fields all around,” Ed said.

But to find a photo of a car or horse in their particular driveway, back before the days of iPhone cameras?

Nearly impossible.

And then, bingo.

“To me, it’s pretty compelling that was a car,” Ed said.

An aerial photo from 1938 shows their exact home – and Ed is sure he can see a car – or horse-and-buggy — pulling into his driveway!

“So this little black blob looks like it’s pulling into our house,” Ed said.

It looks like just a blob from above. But Ed says it must be a car — like all the other blobs you can see along the road.

“I don’t know what else they would be,” he said. “To me, it’s pretty compelling that that was a car pulling in or out of the parking pad.”

They rushed the photo to the Planning Department – the proof they need!

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Right?

wrong

“They said they were too fuzzy,” Judy said.

The Planning Department said this was not clear evidence.

Officials tell 7 On Your Side the couple was violating a code section banning vehicles in a setback in front of a house, even if it isn’t blocking a sidewalk.

Though it’s OK to park in front of a garage, like many of their neighbors.

Planning Chief Dan Sider said it was enacted decades ago for aesthetic reasons, to “Ensure that front yards don’t turn into parking lots.”

Yet, it’s OK to park in front of a garage, like their neighbors,

“I don’t think our car looks any worse than all the cars stacked in front of garages,” Ed Craine said.

And why enforce the rule after all these decades?

Sider said someone made an anonymous complaint to the city. Two neighbors also got tagged for the same violation, parking in a front driveway.

In an email, Sider wrote:

“I recognize that the property owner is frustrated. I think I would feel the same way in their situation. But the Planning Code doesn’t allow for the City to grandfather illegal uses on account of their having flown below the radar for a length of times.”

And so their carport sits empty — the oil stain a testament to easier days — as they struggle to park on the hill.

“I had to use my head to keep the trunk open while getting out groceries,” Judy said.

“The onus is on us to prove we’re innocent… though I don’t feel guilty,” Judy said.

The city did close the case without charging any penalties after the couple got the car off the carpad and kept it off. And the city says they could build a covered carport or garage to park there – or maybe find that old photo.

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

Have a question for Michael and the 7 On Your Side team? Fill out the form HERE!

7OYS’s consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. We assist individuals with consumer-related issues; we cannot assist on cases between businesses, or cases involving family law, criminal matters, landlord/tenant disputes, labor issues, or medical issues. Please review our FAQ here. As a part of our process in assisting you, it is necessary that we contact the company / agency you are writing about. If you do not wish us to contact them, please let us know right away, as it will affect our ability to work on your case. Due to the high volume of emails we receive, please allow 3-5 business days for a response.

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post San Francisco couple instantly will get $1,500 high-quality for parking of their driveway as they’ve for 4 many years appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Parking in San Francisco is a difficult part of life here. You find a spot… but get a ticket anyway.

For Judy and Ed Craine it seems especially unfair.

“We always use the carport,” said Judy.

SEE ALSO | FTC sues Walmart for allowing scammers to use money transfer services, take millions from consumers

“Parked in that driveway every day and every night,” confirmed Ed.

They live on a steep hill where parking can be a gravity-defying challenge.

But they could slip into their driveway and park on their carpad, which they’d been doing every day for the past 36 years.

But not anymore.

“We got this email saying we can’t park in the pad anymore. I said what, that’s crazy,” recounted Ed.

RELATED: Plainfield family almost loses $11K to thieves using ‘grandchild scam’

Out of the blue, the couple got a ticket for parking in their own driveway.

“It was very surprising, to say the least,” said Judy.

And worse? It came with an enormous fine: $1,542 dollars, plus another $250 per day if they didn’t get the car off their carpad.

“I wrote them back saying I thought this was a mistake,” Judy said.

But it was no mistake. And no ordinary parking ticket. It came from the city planning department, telling them it’s illegal to park in the front of a house.

SEE ALSO | Stranger who moved into Chicago home and refuses to leave says she was scammed

“And if we were found parking there again, it would be a $1,500 fine,” Judy said.

And so they quickly pulled the car out — but none of it made sense.

“Why are you taking away something that has great utility?” asked Ed.

Ed and Judy had been parking there for nearly four decades. And as far as they could tell, the space was used for parking since the house was built back in 1910 – one of the first in their Noe Valley neighborhood.

“To all of a sudden to be told you can’t use something that we could use for years. It’s, it’s startling. Inexplicable,” Ed said.

RELATED: What are NFTs: How to avoid NFT scams before you invest

And so the Planning Department gave them a challenge: prove that parking was a historic use on the lot, and they might get a waiver.

“We could be grandfathered in. If we show them a historical photo that showed a car… or a horse-drawn buggy in the carport,” said Judy.

Right away they dug up a photo of their daughter 34 years ago – a part of the car barely visible.

But officials said: not old enough.

“I did a number of online searches,” said Ed.

And so they combed through hundreds of historic photos.

Plenty showed the early days, when there were few streets or homes.

SEE ALSO | Ex-CPS principal admits defrauding district of hundreds of thousands of dollars

“Our house and our neighbor’s house had empty fields all around,” Ed said.

But to find a photo of a car or horse in their particular driveway, back before the days of iPhone cameras?

Nearly impossible.

And then, bingo.

“To me, it’s pretty compelling that was a car,” Ed said.

An aerial photo from 1938 shows their exact home – and Ed is sure he can see a car – or horse-and-buggy — pulling into his driveway!

“So this little black blob looks like it’s pulling into our house,” Ed said.

It looks like just a blob from above. But Ed says it must be a car — like all the other blobs you can see along the road.

“I don’t know what else they would be,” he said. “To me, it’s pretty compelling that that was a car pulling in or out of the parking pad.”

They rushed the photo to the Planning Department – the proof they need!

RELATED: Sextortion scams: FBI warns of schemes targeting teenage boys in effort to extort money

Right?

wrong

“They said they were too fuzzy,” Judy said.

The Planning Department said this was not clear evidence.

Officials tell 7 On Your Side the couple was violating a code section banning vehicles in a setback in front of a house, even if it isn’t blocking a sidewalk.

Though it’s OK to park in front of a garage, like many of their neighbors.

Planning Chief Dan Sider said it was enacted decades ago for aesthetic reasons, to “Ensure that front yards don’t turn into parking lots.”

Yet, it’s OK to park in front of a garage, like their neighbors,

“I don’t think our car looks any worse than all the cars stacked in front of garages,” Ed Craine said.

And why enforce the rule after all these decades?

Sider said someone made an anonymous complaint to the city. Two neighbors also got tagged for the same violation, parking in a front driveway.

In an email, Sider wrote:

“I recognize that the property owner is frustrated. I think I would feel the same way in their situation. But the Planning Code doesn’t allow for the City to grandfather illegal uses on account of their having flown below the radar for a length of times.”

And so their carport sits empty — the oil stain a testament to easier days — as they struggle to park on the hill.

“I had to use my head to keep the trunk open while getting out groceries,” Judy said.

“The onus is on us to prove we’re innocent… though I don’t feel guilty,” Judy said.

The city did close the case without charging any penalties after the couple got the car off the carpad and kept it off. And the city says they could build a covered carport or garage to park there – or maybe find that old photo.

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

Have a question for Michael and the 7 On Your Side team? Fill out the form HERE!
7OYS’s consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. We assist individuals with consumer-related issues; we cannot assist on cases between businesses, or cases involving family law, criminal matters, landlord/tenant disputes, labor issues, or medical issues. Please review our FAQ here. As a part of our process in assisting you, it is necessary that we contact the company / agency you are writing about. If you do not wish us to contact them, please let us know right away, as it will affect our ability to work on your case. Due to the high volume of emails we receive, please allow 3-5 business days for a response.

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post San Francisco, California couple in Noe Valley all of a sudden will get $1.5K high quality for parking of their driveway as they’ve for 4 a long time appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SACRAMENTO (AP) – Unspecified “family obligations” prompted California Governor Gavin Newsom to suddenly cancel his trip to Scotland on Friday for the United Nations’ annual climate change conference, a huge gathering of international leaders on a subject that is one of his highest priorities.

Newsom, who has four children, ages 5 to 12, will attend the gathering virtually, spokeswoman Erin Mellon said. Mellon declined to comment when asked to provide details about what caused Newsom to change its plans.

Newsom asked Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, a Democrat colleague, to lead the California delegation to Glasgow. In an interview with The Associated Press, Kounalakis said she spoke to Newsom on Thursday and felt that she might be asked to leave.

“The governor has a young family and we should all understand, especially those of us who have been there,” said Kounalakis, who has two grown sons.

Democratic Senator Bob Hertzberg, who is attending the conference, said he suspects Newsom will be very disappointed not to leave.

“He loves this topic, it is very important to him,” said Hertzberg. “It’s a big deal for him and I’m sure he was dying to go.”

Newsom has spoken passionately about the need to take decisive action on climate change issues. Last month, while surveying the damage caused by one of the state’s many recent major forest fires, he said, “I literally have no patience with climate change deniers,” adding, that view is “totally inconsistent … with the reality of the field.”

California has long been a global leader on climate issues, dating back to the 1960s when the state first regulated emissions from cars and trucks. While President Donald Trump was in office, California filed more than 100 lawsuits against the federal government, mostly over environmental issues.

Newsom has sought to build California’s influence through a series of ambitious executive orders that, if survived a lengthy and controversial rulemaking process, could transform the way people live. So far, Newsom has proposed banning all new gasoline cars in California by 2035, banning all oil drilling by 2045, and banning gas-powered lawn equipment sales by 2024 or whenever state regulators determine it is feasible.

Most recently, Newsom proposed a ban on new oil and gas wells within 3,200 feet of schools, homes and hospitals in the country’s largest buffer zone in a state that is the country’s seventh largest oil producer.

Newsom, who is not attending the conference in person, will affect the state’s influence “to some extent,” said State Assembly spokesman Anthony Rendon, a Democrat from the Los Angeles area. But he said Newsom doesn’t have to be in Scotland to be a leader on climate change.

Even so, Rendon said he was frustrated that the state was not moving faster.

“Our aggressive actions were cool when we thought the problem was progressing at a certain pace. Now I’m not sure if they are aggressive enough or immediate enough, ”said Rendon, who will be attending the UN conference. “It’s an opportunity to talk about what we’ve done, but at the same time light a fire under the bums of some of our MPs and develop a sense of urgency on an issue that is not just existential, but that is” immediately . “

Last month, Newsom easily pushed back a Republican-backed recall election aimed at removing him from office and cemented his power in the nation’s most populous state. The trip to Scotland would have been his most significant international trip as governor and would have given him a global platform to highlight his agenda and urge others to follow California’s lead.

Newsom is up for re-election in 2022 and is a strong favorite for a second term. Under California law, governors are limited to two terms.

It is unlikely that the cancellation of the trip would harm him politically, said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, professor of public policy communication at the University of Southern California. In fact, Newsom could have been harmed both politically and personally if he had participated, she said.

“The look of leaving the country, assuming something happens that requires his attention at home, would be completely negative,” she said.

“He won’t be able to socialize and network, but he will be visible,” she added. “As long as there is Zoom, as long as there is a means of virtual face-to-face communication, I don’t think it will go off the radar screen.”

Newsom had recently decided to attend the conference and was sending staff, media organizations and other lawmakers out to prepare for the trip. His decision not to go was just as abrupt and more surprising.

Hertzberg credits Newsom for putting his children first.

“At some point you will be human, as much as we want to be out there in politics. You have to take care of your family. And he does it, and I think that’s a good thing, ”said Hertzberg.

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

The post Newson Instantly Pulls Out of Journey to U.N. Local weather Convention, Sends Lt. Gov. Kounalakis – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

They all made it, from Salesforce to Uber to Twitter. It was pure magic, a show that was produced with tremendous hype. Now they’re all trying to get out at the same time.

By Wolf Richter for WOLF STREET.

When Airbnb reported a net loss of $ 1.17 billion for the first quarter last week, the company announced in its letter to shareholders that that loss included an expense of $ 113 million, which it expects if it tries to get one We terminate the San Francisco office lease we consider no longer necessary given our restructuring and cost-cutting efforts. “

The $ 113 million cost is an estimate of the difference between what would be incurred by subletting the space to new tenants and what the landlord and associated costs would have to pay over the remainder of the lease term. But that’s a cheaper way out than leaving it empty and paying the landlord until the lease ends.

The fascinating thing about it is how much office space Airbnb had secured with long-term office rents during the years of so-called office shortages, which it had never used, and which it had by renting office space that it did not need .

Airbnb’s disclosure pertains to the 287,000 square feet (sf) at 650 Townsend St. south of the market. According to the San Francisco Business Times, Airbnb rented the space in 2017 for a term of nine years. But it only took 170,000 sf of it at a time. The rest had remained empty all these years.

This brings the total area of ​​office space in San Francisco that Airbnb is currently trying to rent to CHF 427,000, spread over three buildings. That’s roughly half the total Airbnb office space in San Francisco.

They all made it, from Salesforce to Uber to Twitter. They were looking for the office space they envisioned for the future, assuming everything would grow at an endless rate. And by renting office space that they didn’t need and often didn’t occupy, they also exacerbated the office shortage and drove office rents into the ridiculous realm.

It was pure magic, a show that was produced with tremendous hype. And now they’re all trying to rip that vacant office space – from Salesforce, Uber, and Twitter down – by sublet it at the same time, to make those office dreams come true and create San Francisco’s worst. ever historical office flooding.

In San Francisco, the number of subleases exploded to a new all-time high of 8.9 million square feet in the first quarter, according to real estate services company Savills. The overall availability rate (subletting and direct leasing from landlords) rose to 23.6% of the total office space. And the asking rents for class A fell by 15% year-on-year.

However, the decline in asking rents is not an appropriate measure in this environment, as the actual rental contracts are 10 to 15% below the asking rents and, in addition, enormous incentives are negotiated, e.g. B. Improvement grants of up to $ 80 per person, according to John McNellis of McNellis Partners, more than pre-covid deals and an additional three months of free rental.

Leasing activities in the first quarter decreased by 85% compared to the first quarter of 2019. Of the few signed leasing contracts, more than half were for the extension of leasing contracts. In this environment, Airbnb tries to sublet office space that is not needed.

Airbnb share [ABNB] has had a tough time over the past few weeks, and given the $ 1.17 billion loss in the first quarter, it makes sense for the company to try to cut costs. Since the closing high on Feb.11, the stock is currently down 38% to $ 136 (data via YCharts):

In order to get the employees in San Francisco back to the office and not work from everywhere, Airbnb will develop a hybrid model.

“We want to live the lifestyle everywhere. By modeling lifestyle everywhere, we can give our employees more flexibility, ”said CEO Brian Chesky during the call for results (transcript via Seeking Alpha).

“I told our employees that they wouldn’t have to return to the office until next September. And even if we ask people to come back, they will be much more flexible than before, ”he said.

“People are not expected to return to the office five days a week every week. We believe that this is not how most workplaces will work in the 21st century, ”he said.

“We also think personal collaboration is important. So we want to strike a balance between modeling lifestyle everywhere and enabling personal creative collaboration. And that’s exactly what we’re designing, ”he said.

They all do it. Dropbox announced a $ 400 million fee in February for leaving its San Francisco headquarters. After Salesforce announced in February that it would switch to a hybrid work-from-anywhere model, the company announced in March that it had canceled the lease for 325,000 sf of space in an undeveloped tower in the Transbay region. And it brought its 225,000 SF to the sublet market at 350 Mission St. Uber and Twitter, along with a number of others, have brought large chunks of office space to the sublet market. And since they all do, it’s hard to see a recovery in the San Francisco office market.

Airbnb will eventually be able to find a tenant if the rent is low enough, considering how lavishly these office buildings have been furnished. If the rent is low enough, companies will leave their old digs when the lease ends and move in for a big upgrade, possibly for less. The flight to quality. This will cause the vacancy rates to gradually move downwards. However, given the length of typical commercial leases, this takes years.

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