After years of poor maintenance and neglect in San Francisco’s public housing sector, an influx of federal funds is finally providing hope to residents starved for improved conditions.
Union construction crews are nearing completion of several projects modernizing public housing for non-profit housing developers in San Francisco. The first phase of rehabilitation work on 1,425 units began in November 2015 and was completed in 2017. Phase II projects are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018 or early 2019, with 2,066 units throughout the city getting much needed repairs.
On March 20, the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council (SFBCTC) and the San Francisco Labor Council held a series of meetings with Bay Area legislators in Sacramento as part of the Joint Legislative Conference, which was sponsored by the California Labor Federation along with the SFBCTC.
Delegates to the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council (SFBCTC) voted March 15 to endorse five of the nine San Francisco measures on the ballot in June’s primary election, as well as Regional Measure 3. The Building Trades Council urges a “Yes” vote on Propositions A, D, E, F and G. The SFBCTC delegates voted to oppose Proposition I and made no recommendation for Propositions B, C, and H.
The Moscone Convention Center Renovation project remains on-schedule and is slated for completion by December 2018. The project will upgrade the existing convention center and add 305,000 square feet of space. Webcor Builders is the general contractor for the $500 million improvement and expansion.
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced February 21 that the California State Lands Commission (SLC) had agreed to drop its lawsuit against the City over Proposition B. The 2014 ballot measure giving San Francisco voters the power to approve height increases for new waterfront developments passed with 59-percent in favor. The State Lands Commission challenged Prop. B in 2014, asserting California's jurisdiction over property managed by the Port of San Francisco. The State Lands Commission oversees public use of most of California's land up to three miles inland from the tide line.
Work on the Central Subway project is progressing on schedule to be completed and operational by December 2019, according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). The $1.6 billion project will extend the existing, mostly underground Third Street rail line from the 4th Street Caltrain Station to Chinatown, bypassing heavy traffic. Three new underground stations and a new street-level station along the 1.7-mile extension of the rail line are under construction in Chinatown, Union Square and the Moscone Convention Center.
At the end of January, Urban Pacific Development LLC and Hines submitted a revised proposal for their project in the Transbay Transit District. The developers purchased Parcel F, at 542-550 Howard Street, from the Transbay Joint Powers Authority for $160 million in 2016. Proceeds from the sale will help fund construction of the Transbay Transit Center, with Parcel F being the final major skyscraper site in the Transbay district.
IBEW Local 6 Assistant Business Manager Kevin Hughes retired earlier this month after 24 years. Hughes served as City Representative for the union, representing public sector electrical workers in San Francisco after working as an inside wireman in the private sector and for the City for several years.
Delegates to the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council voted Feb. 1 to endorse Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom for Governor and Supervisor Jeff Sheehy for District 8 Supervisor.
