S.F. retrofit plan causes concern
San Francisco leaders broadly support a bid to get out ahead of a major earthquake by forcing the retrofit of about 3,000 collapse-prone buildings, but the first public hearing on the plan exposed a few fault lines on Monday.
Mayor Ed Lee and a majority of the Board of Supervisors are sponsoring legislation that would mandate seismic upgrades to what are called soft-story buildings - described as multistory, wood-frame buildings that have large windows or a garage on the ground floor.
While there was little debate among speakers at the hearing that upgrades were needed, tenants-rights advocates voiced concern about renters bearing the cost.
Paul Wermer, a San Francisco sustainability consultant, said he supports the legislation but worries about senior citizens, who some tenant advocates said could suddenly see rent increases of $100 per month if their building needs to be upgraded.
More San Francisco families want to attend city schools, with 12,786 applications for a kindergarten, sixth-grade and ninth-grade placement for fall - 500 more than last year, district officials said Monday.
The annual student assignment process is often filled with anxiety and anticipation as families hope for the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.