San Francisco Chronicle: People are fleeing the Bay Area. But they might not be gone for long. “Just like [Erica] Johnston, most other Bay Area escapees have left because the coronavirus pandemic, shelter-in-place rules and wildfires have amped up the region’s space constraints and high cost of living, while minimizing many of the cultural and career reasons that motivate people to bear with the downsides.”
San Francisco
San Francisco Chronicle: Worried about Bay Area smoke? Here’s how to look up the air quality in your microclimate
San Francisco Chronicle: Worried about Bay Area smoke? Here’s how to look up the air quality in your microclimate . “The air over much of the Bay Area is generally clean, thanks to ocean breezes. But when the skies fill with wildfire smoke, that changes. For your health and safety, it’s vital to know the latest air quality information in your community. But it can be hard to find, especially since the Bay Area has so many microclimates. Here is a guide to resources that can help you monitor and understand your local air quality.” This article was written for people in the Bay Area, but it has plenty of resources for California in general and a couple for the entire United States.
Vox: San Francisco’s lonely war against Covid-19
Vox: San Francisco’s lonely war against Covid-19. “On June 25, San Francisco Mayor London Breed was excited the city’s zoo would finally reopen after closing down for months in response to Covid-19. She visited the facilities, posting photos on social media with a mask on and giraffes in the background. ‘I know people are eager to get back to some sense of normalcy, especially families and children,’ she tweeted. And it looked like her city was taking a step toward it. The day after the visit, Breed had to announce the sad news: San Francisco’s reopening plan — for the zoo and various other facilities, including hair salons and indoor museums — would have to be put on hold.”
San Francisco Chronicle: Should I isolate my newborn? Move to the Bay Area for college? Stories of pandemic risk, hard choices
San Francisco Chronicle: Should I isolate my newborn? Move to the Bay Area for college? Stories of pandemic risk, hard choices. “The coronavirus pandemic has forced countless tough decisions for Bay Area residents. We’ve weighed medical, financial and personal risks against needs and benefits. Experts say these calculations are not always easy under the best of circumstances, and especially difficult in periods of high stress and strong emotion. Here are the stories of four people in the Bay Area and how they approached difficult choices that seemed to have no clear answer.”
San Francisco Chronicle: SF Muni driver beaten with bat after telling passengers to wear masks
San Francisco Chronicle: SF Muni driver beaten with bat after telling passengers to wear masks. “A San Francisco Muni bus driver was beaten with a bat Wednesday by passengers who refused to wear face masks at the driver’s instruction, officials said. Three men with no face coverings boarded the bus around 3:30 p.m. at 11th and Division Streets in the SoMa district, according to San Francisco police.”
San Francisco Chronicle: More than 40 Bay Area school principals in quarantine after in-person meeting
San Francisco Chronicle: More than 40 Bay Area school principals in quarantine after in-person meeting. “More than 40 school principals in the South Bay are in quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 during an in-person meeting held by the Santa Clara Unified School District. A pre-symptomatic individual at the school reopening planning meeting on June 19 tested positive for the coronavirus just a few days after school administrators congregated.”
UC health experts: San Quentin coronavirus outbreak could pose threat to entire Bay Area (San Francisco Chronicle)
San Francisco Chronicle: UC health experts: San Quentin coronavirus outbreak could pose threat to entire Bay Area. “A team of UC Berkeley and UCSF health experts warned prison medical officials nearly two weeks ago that they’d need to cut the population of San Quentin State Prison in half to avoid a potentially ‘catastrophic’ outbreak there. But prison officials didn’t heed the warning and since then, confirmed coronavirus infections among prisoners have rocketed from 48 to 456, far outpacing any other facility in the state and overwhelming a system that waited too long to react.”
Coming to an SF street near you: A photo of what it looked like 100 years ago (SF Gate)
SF Gate: Coming to an SF street near you: A photo of what it looked like 100 years ago. “OpenSFHistory, an online archive of over 50,000 historic images of San Francisco and the Bay Area, recently launched a project to integrate modern-day S.F. with its historic past. With walking tours halted and most historic sites closed, the folks behind the site are hoping their ‘guerilla history posters’ will give residents a little entertainment and education.”
KPIX: Photo Tribute To 50 Years Of San Francisco Pride Celebrations Goes Online
KPIX: Photo Tribute To 50 Years Of San Francisco Pride Celebrations Goes Online. “The exhibition features photojournalism, portraits, posters and magazine covers from prior Prides. Many images came from the GLBT Historical Society’s archives but others are from other institutions and more than a dozen independent queer photographers.”
San Francisco Chronicle: Coronavirus shutdown pushes Bay Area LGBTQ community to reinvent
San Francisco Chronicle: Coronavirus shutdown pushes Bay Area LGBTQ community to reinvent. “The Bay Area’s shutdown, now nearly six weeks in, has affected everybody. But there are differing degrees of disruption, and the queer community has been hit hard in its own, unique way. Bartenders and promoters and DJs and drag performers and go-go dancers have all lost their jobs. And the broader community has lost refuge — places to feel free, connect, flirt and make art…. There’s also a strong history of resilience. So, as the community goes online in the short term, it’s also figuring out how to support those in nightlife and the spaces hit hardest, to make sure there’s something to go back to.”
San Francisco mayor says city’s PPE orders have been diverted, confiscated: It ‘blows my mind’ (The Hill)
The Hill: San Francisco mayor says city’s PPE orders have been diverted, confiscated: It ‘blows my mind’. “San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) said Friday that her city’s orders for personal protection equipment (PPE) have been diverted to other U.S. cities and foreign countries. ‘We’ve had issues of our orders being relocated by our suppliers in China,’ she said at a press conference. ‘For example, we had isolation gowns on their way to San Francisco and they were diverted to France. We’ve had situations when things we’ve ordered that have gone through Customs were confiscated by FEMA to be diverted to other locations.'”
San Francisco Chronicle: SF begins offering free coronavirus tests to all essential workers
San Francisco Chronicle: SF begins offering free coronavirus tests to all essential workers. “San Francisco officials have started making COVID-19 tests available to all essential workers still on the job during the coronavirus pandemic, thanks to a significant expansion in testing capacity…. any essential worker in the public or private sector — from frontline health care workers to grocery store clerks and restaurant cooks — will have access to a COVID-19 test if they exhibit symptoms of the disease, like a fever, cough or shortness of breath.”
The Bold Italic: From Drag to Wine Tastings, How to Virtually Soak Up SF Culture in April
The Bold Italic: From Drag to Wine Tastings, How to Virtually Soak Up SF Culture in April. “In light of our current isolation plights, we’ve decided to cherry-pick some of the best digital happenings — most locally — that we’re putting on our calendars this month. From drag shows on Twitch to wine tastings via Instagram Live, here’s the best of the bunch to enjoy while wearing your sweatpants.”
CNET: Instagram creates gift card site to help restaurants during lockdown
CNET: Instagram creates gift card site to help restaurants during lockdown. “Mike Krieger, co-founder of social media platform Instagram, is working to help keep funds flowing to restaurants impacted by the coronavirus. His new site SaveOurFaves sells gift certificates to a directory of Bay Area restaurants and coffee shops. Visitors can search for restaurants by name or neighborhood location.” Do one nationally!
Syncopated Times: San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation’s West Coast Revival Collection Digitized
This is from last year, but I missed it, and it’s too good not to share. Syncopated Times: San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation’s West Coast Revival Collection Digitized. “Realizing that they had amassed a huge collection of important artifacts of the jazz revival, and hoping to ensure their preservation, The San Francisco Traditional Jazz Foundation (SFTJF) transferred 750 linear feet of materials to Stanford’s music library in 2009. Fundraising to digitize the SFTJF’s most historically significant recordings, photographs and documents began in 2014, and digitization was begun in 2016. The process of organizing and digitizing them is finally complete and we are delighted to share with you the result of their efforts.”