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... The Department of General Services and the Department of Motor Vehicles issued a “request for interest” for the busy Fell Street site Friday, seeking a developer that could build both a new DMV — “identical in function” to the current one — as well as an unspecified number of housing units. Previous studies have indicated that the site could handle about 400 housing units, which would make it one of the city’s largest affordable housing developments. ...

As the calendar turns to 2023, jaywalking will no longer be illegal in California.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Freedom to Walk bill into law in October, and it takes effect on January 1. The legislation ends ticketing for jaywalking unless doing so leads to “an immediate danger of a collision.”

The day after California officials announced the state will close its third prison, a top Democratic lawmaker indicated more shutdowns may be in the pipeline. A Budget Blueprint that Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting, D-San Francisco, released on Wednesday suggested the state should close three more prisons over the next three years, in addition to the two facilities already slated for closure in 2023. Ting’s proposal follows the state’s announcement that it will close Chuckwalla Valley State Prison in Riverside County by 2025.

After two years of unexpectedly large budget surpluses, California faces a budget deficit next year for the first time since 2020. The shortfall is projected at about $24 billion dollars, but luckily the state has socked away billions in its reserves and rainy day fund. The question now is should California dip into that piggy bank to balance the books next year, or cut spending or delay some programs as recommended by the state’s legislative analyst?

THE BUZZ — COOL YOUR JETS? The report from the state Legislative Analyst’s Office predicting a $24 billion budget deficit for 2023 rattled Sacramento last month.

Hundreds of new laws passed by the California Legislature will take effect in the new year, from legalizing jaywalking in many scenarios to a higher minimum wage for more workers. Most of them take effect on Jan. 1. Here are 13 laws coming to California in 2023:

Kiswendsida Kola received a postcard this fall with a novel proposition.

It read: “You may be eligible to receive $100 per day for your jury service!” as a participant in a pilot program called Be the Jury.

n February of 2020, Covid-19 had not yet hit American shores.

But even before the pandemic emerged in the U.S., Manju Kulkarni, executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance, noticed a menacing trend: the rise in hate-motivated violence and speech targeting Asian Americans, fueled by former President Donald Trump’s xenophobic remarks on the origins of the virus and its carriers. “The China virus,” proclaimed Trump. “Kung Flu,” he stated, to his cheering fans on the campaign trail.

A Historic Ride took place this morning in San Francisco celebrating the opening of Muni's Chinatown Rose Pak subway station that connects Chinatown with Mission Bay.

One of those present for the first ride out of the station was Assembly Member Phil Ting. Click the link below to listen to the live interview.

After the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office released its grim report that California faces possible deficits of up to $25 billion, Democratic leaders put on a brave face, promising to protect existing budget priorities from cuts.