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New year, same meteoric housing prices in San Francisco. Interestingly, San Francisco ended 2022 on an unexpectedly positive note for buyers: Year over year, it had the largest drop (5.1%) in median home prices out of any metro area in the country. But the city's real estate market still started 2023 from an unforgiving, unattainable place; it remains nearly impossible to find something "affordable" here. In January, there were a few surprising sales for under $1 million, including in the Outer Richmond and Outer Sunset. On the whole, though, the number of sales for sub-seven-figure properties was about on par with prior months when we dug through Zillow. Below are our finds from the first month of the year. 641 28th Ave. Neighborhood: Outer Richmond Yes, it's true: This is a real-life, honest-to-goodness, three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that sold for just under $1 million in the Richmond District. Clocking in at 1,975 square feet, the property — constructed in … [Read more...] about These San Francisco homes sold for less than $1 million in January 2023

In the middle of a San Francisco downpour, Eric Schmidt pedaled directly toward a curb on the outskirts of Potrero del Sol Park. This would’ve spelled disaster for a normal bike, but Schmidt smiled as his 900-pound vehicle sauntered easily up onto the sidewalk. He continued riding through the park on this wet January day, past a maintenance crew who seemed unfazed by what appeared to be a VW bug rolling down the bike path. For the past few months, Schmidt has been traversing San Francisco in his “use less car” as a way to challenge people’s ideas about transportation and fossil fuel use. From a distance, his ride looks like a normal VW bug that just happens to be driving at a snail’s pace, but a closer look reveals that it’s powered by two bicycles welded into the car frame. “According to the DMV, it’s still just a car in my name,” Schmidt says. “I got a registration notice; they don’t ask how it’s powered.” Schmidt purchased the 1971 VW bug for $1,300 in 2022 after trying … [Read more...] about The story of the 900-pound bike seen at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park

close Video Fox News Flash top headlines for February 22 Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. The new district attorney for California's Alameda County in the San Francisco Bay Area said Tuesday that a new Public Accountability Unit will re-investigate eight police shootings and custody deaths, including two killings of unarmed men by the same Oakland police officer. The announcement by Pamela Price to the Bay Area News Group could open the door to the filing of criminal charges involving officers after the previous DA declined to charge them. The review will include two 15-year-old shootings by Oakland Officer Hector Jimenez. In July 2008, Jimenez killed 27-year-old Mack "Jody" Woodfox, who was shot in the back while running away from a traffic stop. TYRE NICHOLS' FAMILY DISMISSES RUMOR IN MEMPHIS MAN'S BEATING DEATH AFTER POLICE STOP Seven months earlier, Jimenez and another officer shot and killed Andrew … [Read more...] about New CA district attorney to re-investigate police shootings, custody deaths in San Francisco Bay Area

Jericho Cruz. PBA IMAGES MANILA, Philippines—Jericho Cruz powered San Miguel past Blackwater on Wednesday after a subpar opening game in the PBA Governors’ Cup three days ago. Cruz led all scorers in the Beermen’s 105-86 win over the Bossing with 22 points on a blistering 9-of-13 shooting from the field after tallying only two points in a victory over Phoenix last Sunday in Antipolo. The veteran guard attributed his bounce-back game to his coaches. “Of course, the coaching staff [gets credit] because they give me confidence. In our first game, I had a bad outing. All I did was get back to the drawing board,” said Cruz. “I told myself I’d bounce back in the next game,” he added. Cruz hit three out of his four attempts from long range and also had three rebounds and three assists in close to 27 minutes off the bench. “Players are playing well they are defending well that’s why I think our offense is going up also. It’s because of their defense,” said SMB coach … [Read more...] about PBA: Jericho Cruz bounces back to lead San Miguel to victory

A chain-reaction collision involving 19 vehicles — possibly caused by heavy traffic and the glare of the sunrise — snarled the morning commute on Highway 101 in San Francisco on Wednesday morning, according to California Highway Patrol. CHP officers received a report of a traffic collision at 6:49 a.m. on southbound 101, south of the Cesar Chavez on-ramp, said agency spokesperson Mark Andrews. When officers arrived, they found “a series of collisions that occurred one behind the other” in the fast lane, said Andrews. “It was basically a domino-effect collision,” he said. There was a total of six separate crashes involving 19 vehicles, he said. One person was taken to San Francisco General Hospital for a complaint of pain with no visible injuries, said Andrews. Chronicle staff writer Michael Cabanatuan contributed to this report. Jessica Flores (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @jesssmflores … [Read more...] about Massive S.F. car crash involving 19 vehicles snarls Highway 101 traffic

San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area saw apartment rents fall in January at a higher rate than the national average, another sign of a slowing Bay Area economy that could be hurt further by mass tech layoffs , according to data from Apartment List. San Francisco median rents fell 1.1% to $2,174 per month compared to December, one of the biggest drops in the country. Metro area rents are down 5% compared to March 2020 when the pandemic started, making San Francisco and San Jose the only two metro areas with more than 1 million people that have rents that are below pre-pandemic levels. San Jose’s median price fell 0.4% to $2,370 per month compared to December. Prices are 2% lower than March 2020. Oakland saw a 0.9% monthly decline to a $1,613 monthly median rent. National rents fell for the fifth straight month, with prices down 0.3% compared to December. Prices are still up 3.3% compared to January 2022, but growth has slowed in the past two years. Two thirds of … [Read more...] about S.F. apartment rents fell again. Tech layoffs could weaken the housing market further

A San Francisco resident who has been trying for years to build apartments in his yard sought on Tuesday to use the builder’s remedy clause under state law to win approval for a project. But the city’s Planning Department said the builder’s remedy was not applicable for an apartment building at 4300 17th St., because the state certified San Francisco’s Housing Element Plan earlier in the day. That means the builder’s remedy, which would allow projects with a certain number of affordable units to bypass local restrictions, was not valid. Though San Francisco narrowly avoided being out of compliance with state law, the majority of Bay Area cities have not won approval for their housing elements, which are plans for how local housing stocks will grow over a seven-year period. The ramifications are uncertain, but could trigger developers to seek the builder’s remedy in other municipalities. The San Francisco proposal at 4300 17th St. in Corona Heights has already been … [Read more...] about S.F. homeowner sought to use the builder’s remedy to construct apartments. Here’s why the city rejected it

San Francisco’s Presidio has benefited from ample private donations over the years. Now the federal government is chipping in — with a $200 million grant for such unglamorous essentials as new pipes and power lines. The funding was announced Wednesday by Rep. Nancy Pelosi , whose involvement with the unusual national park dates back to its creation in 1994. The grant’s impact won’t have the visual pizzazz of projects like last year’s Presidio Tunnel Tops , but park officials say it is vital to insure the long-term health of the former U.S. Army post. “We have a lot of very old stuff,” said Jean Fraser, chief executive officer of the Presidio Trust, the autonomous federal agency that manages the ridge-laced park at the foot of the Golden Gate Bridge. “If we had to rely on our own (funding) resources, systems would fail before we could get to them.” The one-time appropriation will pay to install a totally new power grid that should triple the electrical capacity of the park. … [Read more...] about S.F.’s Presidio getting $200 million from Washington. Here’s how the unique national park will change

Editor’s note: This story originally ran on Sept. 26, 2019. Elton John played the piano here, and the Rolling Stones partied here. When John F. Kennedy slept here, Marilyn Monroe supposedly snuck out of the room through a secret passageway hidden by a sliding bookcase when Jackie arrived. And when the Kardashian clan checked into the $18,000-a-night penthouse at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, they shared photos of their stay on Instagram. The lavish penthouse crowning the eighth floor of the hotel's historic main building has hosted kings, presidents, rock stars — basically a who's who of the most famous people on Earth. Prince Charles of Wales? Check. Alfred Hitchcock? Of course. YouTuber Casey Neistat? He may be the penthouse guest with the biggest-ever following. Many hotels have special suites for celebrity guests, but this luxury residential-like offering unfolds across 6,000 square feet and includes three spacious bedrooms, a living room with a grand … [Read more...] about The hidden stories of San Francisco’s infamous Fairmont Hotel penthouse

Two dozen community projects are set to get a chunk of $3.5 million in funds from Mayor London Breed’s ongoing Tenderloin initiative , launched out of her temporary emergency to address drug deaths and street conditions in the neighborhood. Applications getting money include a program to help kids get safely to and from school, the neighborhood’s first-ever dog park and a center for Arab youth. The city’s Planning Department made final decisions on which projects to fund informed by the votes of nearly 1,400 community members on 31 proposed projects at the end of last year. Tenderloin community leaders told the Chronicle in December they were grateful for the support and hoped the funding would continue. The $3.5 million is expected to fund projects from June 2023 to June 2025. Although grateful for the community development funds, neighborhood residents and workers continue to express frustration at the situation on the streets, in particular drug dealing and violence. … [Read more...] about Tenderloin welcomes infusion of funds for small projects as next step in Mayor Breed’s drug crisis initiative