Blog
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May 9, 2012What Can the Bay Area Learn From the First Crop of Sustainable Communities Strategies? By Jennifer Warburg
In recent months, Sacramento, Los Angeles and San Diego all passed their first Sustainable Communities Strategies (SCS) in response to SB 375, the 2008 bill requiring a coordinated land use and transportation plan to reduce per capita greenhouse gas emissions from driving in California.
We in the Bay Area have the advantage of being the last among the big regions to pass an SCS. What can we learn from the...
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April 24, 2012Big Wins, Big Questions as High-Speed Rail Moves Ahead By Egon Terplan, Regional Planning Director
Earlier this spring, high-speed rail in California took two very significant steps. First Bay Area leaders announced a plan to electrify Caltrain, which would make it possible for Caltrain and high-speed rail to share the same tracks between San Jose and San Francisco. Second the California High-Speed Rail Authority released an updated business plan that cuts the cost of the train system by a third.
The new business plan (...
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April 24, 2012SF Works to Reform Its Business Tax By Corey Marshall, Good Government Policy Director
For the last decade, businesses in San Francisco have been adamant that the city’s payroll tax is holding back job growth. First, companies must pay the tax when they reach $250,000 in payroll, which discourages new hiring. Second, they must pay it when employees exercise their stock options — a strong incentive for any company considering an IPO to leave the city. SPUR, along with much of the business community, has argued that...
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April 10, 2012Rethinking Oakland's School Food Program by Eli Zigas, Food Systems and Urban Agriculture Program Manager
Meals cooked from scratch. At least a quarter of the ingredients locally sourced. Fresh produce from the 1.5-acre farm adjacent to the new central kitchen. These are just a few of the goals in a new vision for Oakland’s school food program detailed in a recently released report.
The feasibility study, published by the non-profit...
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April 9, 2012Creating a Community Vision for Stockton Street By Noah Christman, Deland Chan, Vivian Chang and Cindy Wu
The Stockton Street Enhancement Project, spearheaded by Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) and SPUR, brought Chinatown and SPUR stakeholders together to discuss ways to preserve the economic and cultural vitality of Stockton Street while offering opportunity areas for improvement through the next decade. The project, made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, included a walking tour and two workshops designed to...
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April 5, 2012SF Approves First "Neighborhood Urban Agriculture" Permit by Eli Zigas, Food Systems and Urban Agriculture Program Manager
On March 9, 2012, San Francisco issued its first zoning permit for “neighborhood urban agriculture.” The change of use permit, given to Little City Gardens, allows the small urban farming business to grow produce for sale at its three-quarter-acre market garden in the Mission Terrace neighborhood. It is the first permit issued under San Francisco’s pioneering...
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April 3, 2012Selling What You Cook at Home by Eli Zigas, Food Systems and Urban Agriculture Program Manager
Let’s say you’ve got a great jam recipe. Or perhaps you make some mean pickles. Your friends keep telling you that you should quit your day job and follow your culinary passion. But unless you’ve got quite a bit of savings or other access to capital, following your friends’ advice is a pricey proposition.
That’s because in California, you can’t sell any food prepared in a home kitchen. And access to a licensed commercial kitchen costs...
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April 2, 2012SPUR Announces June 2012 Ballot Positions By Corey Marshall, Good Government Policy Director
This June’s primary election will bear little resemblance to the contentious ballot San Franciscans considered last November. Gone are the competing pension reform measures, sales taxes and bonds. We’re left with two measures, both placed on the ballot by voter petition.
While the June slate may be lean, voters should take the time to fully research the measures on the ballot this spring. They’re important not just to how the city operates but also to how we choose to...
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March 22, 2012SPUR Honors Ed Harrington with Life Achievement Award
SPUR’s 32nd annual Good Government Awards, held March 19, honored City of San Francisco employees who have performed exceptionally, becoming models for other agencies and cities around the country.
This year, SPUR honored Ed Harrington with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his service to the City and County of San Francisco, including unparalleled fiscal leadership and managerial excellence...
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March 22, 2012Good Government Awards: How Harlan Kelly Led the Next Generation of SF Utilities
SPUR's 32nd annual Good Government Awards, held March 19, honored City of San Francisco employees who have performed exceptionally, becoming models for other agencies and cities around the country.
Harlan L. Kelly, Jr. was honored for his outstanding leadership in the delivery and...
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