News

Democrats and Republicans expressed frustration Monday as they grilled Gov. Gavin Newsom’s top housing officials in a tense legislative hearing about how billions of state dollars have been spent on the worsening homelessness crisis.

The hearing by the Assembly budget subcommittee on accountability and oversight came after a state audit released last month found that California has failed to adequately track the outcomes of its vast spending on homelessness programs, raising questions about efficacy and transparency.

San Francisco’s only independent hospital is getting a boost from the state to improve the Bay Area’s access to care for patients who require special medical equipment, supplies and treatment.

Assemblyman Phil Ting who will reach his term limit later this year, announced Friday that $5 million had been allocated from the 2023-24 state budget to Chinese Hospital to construct a 23-bed subacute-care unit.

Thousands of low-income San Franciscans are poised to lose a critical food benefit if Gov. Gavin Newsom’s currently proposed budget cuts pass through the California State Assembly, and local farmers market operators say they’re fearful of the impact in The City.

The Market Match program, started 15 years ago and funded through the California Nutrition Incentive Program, allows recipients of CalFresh and federal food benefits to match daily purchases at farmers markets up to $15 with vouchers.

State lawmakers on Monday once again are focusing on how to make our roads safer when it comes to driverless vehicles.

The state Assembly is considering measures to include better oversight and more accountability for the companies that own and operate driverless vehicles as well as conequences for when those vehicles make mistakes.

Assemblymember Phil Ting of San Francisco is behind the bill.

On Tuesday, San Francisco Assemblymember Phil Ting proposed a bill to convert Downtown San Francisco’s empty office spaces into housing. The way they would convert the spaces, Ting says, is through tax incentives.

“We can address two problems with one bill. AB 2488 empowers San Francisco to create vibrant, walkable, mixed-use communities that open the door to new economic, social and cultural opportunities. The prospect is exciting,” said Ting.

Private colleges and universities in California could be penalized for continuing use of legacy admissions under a bill in the state Legislature.

California wants residents to buy electric vehicles to fight climate change, to the point of ending the sale of new gasoline-fueled cars in 2035. 

AB 645 was made law last year in California. It allows for six California cities to pilot speed safety cameras for five years on city streets. 

Los Angeles, Glendale, Long Beach, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland are the cities included.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will be implementing 33 speed cameras within San Francisco.

A Bay Area lawmaker is proposing a new bill aimed at ensuring that bridges throughout the state remain toll-free for pedestrians and cyclists.

Assemblyman Phil Ting has introduced AB 2669 to guarantee that walking and biking across publicly owned California bridges, including the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, remains free of charge.

The California DMV is investigating allegations a driverless Cruise vehicle nearly hit a 7-year-old boy after failing to yield to him and his family while they crossed the street in San Francisco last year, according to DMV records obtained by the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit.