Latest news with #MissionStreet
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
California Democrat refuses to tour junkie hot zone in his own district
California Senator Scott Wiener declined to tour a junkie hot spot in his very own district. The Democrat, who represents San Francisco, was stopped by ABC7 News Bay Area Sunday while the outlet checked out Mission Street to report on illegal street vending. After arriving, the reporter quickly realized a bigger issue plaguing the community - rampant open drug use on the streets. During the segment, Wiener openly talked about the 'violence' illegal street vending brings to the area, but when they asked if he wanted to join them on a walk down the drug-infested street, he refused. The reporter asked Wiener: 'Would you like to see with us to see what's going on there?' Wiener, who appeared to stumble on his words, responded: 'What? Uh, I'm here regularly so I'm aware of what's going on and it's bad.' Although the senator declined joining the news outlet, the reporter said they 'didn't hesitate' to check it out for themselves. Video showed several people laying on the pavement as paramedics made their rounds after three wellness calls were made to the fire department in less than five minutes, the outlet reported. Locals in the neighborhood said they frequently call 911, as one man said: 'I just thought they might be dead.' Video showed several people laying on the pavement as paramedics made their rounds after three wellness calls were made to the fire department in less than five minutes Francisco Grande, another resident, compared the scene to 'a third-world county.' 'It's very bad right now, it looks terrible. I don't know why the authorities don't do anything,' he added. The outlet not only asked Wiener about the issue, but also contacted District nine Supervisor Jackie Fielder to comment on the growing issue. She did not respond. Soon after ABC 7 left the scene, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie drove by the area to see the chaos for himself. He then went on to tell a crowd at the Bay Area-Silicon Valley Summit: 'And there were hundreds of people gathered at 5pm. I made some calls, and by 8pm it was clear. 'We are sending a message that if you are on our streets, we want to get you help, but the streets are no longer the option,' Lurie added. Before declining to join the outlet, Wiener spoke about his new bill, which would allow Bay Area police officers to cite illegal vendors. 'This is for folks who are selling goods that have been placed on a list of commonly stolen goods, who don't have a permit and don't have proof of purchase,' he explained. 'Then, the police will be able to cite them and on the third offense, they can get a misdemeanor.' The reporter then mentioned that not a single person was arrested for using drugs on the street, to which Wiener said: 'I can't speak for why they don't make a particular arrest for drugs. I know there have been more drug arrests recently.' In March, there were 140 drug-related arrests within 300 meters of Mission Street and the BART station, according to San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) incident reports seen by the outlet. 'We're receptive to the resident and business owners that are telling us this, and we are citing and arresting people for drug use or for their warrants,' Robert Rueca, a spokesperson with SFPD, said. 'We've done this more in the last few months than we have ever.'
BBC News
26-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
Residents in Cambridge concerned over landfill site development
A group of residents have raised environmental concerns over a development at a former landfill site. Cambridge City Council approved planning permission in September for a new science district to be built around Burnside Lakes near Cherry Hinton, Cambridge. After the Environment Agency raised concerns to the authority over contamination at the site, the developer Mission Street was given conditions to adhere to and will contribute Section 106 money, which will be spent on local residents' group, Cherry Hinton Against Reuse of Landfill in Spite of Evidence (Charlie), said the conditions were not stringent enough. What is the proposal? The lakes were former chalk pits, some of which were later used as landfill sites in the mid-20th Century. The project will provide 1,000,000 sq ft of building space and open up lakes at Burnside that are currently closed to the would be built partly on the site of old cement works, and the developer plans to make "significant ecological improvements".The planning documents for the Science District said two of the lakes would be opened to the public as part of plans for it to become an "urban country park, in an area where accessible open space is in short supply".An artist-in-residence will employed and there will be a STEM-based educational outreach partnership with the Cambridge Science Centre. What are residents' concerns? Karin Voth Harman is the vicar at St Andrew's Church in Cherry Hinton and said the residents' group had concerns over not knowing what was in the landfill site."There are all kinds of things in that landfill, we don't know what they are. There has been some testing done but, of course, they can't test for everything."She added that she wanted to see "proper consultation and dialogue with local residents".She added that the group thought there may additional pressure on the developer because of the government's plans for a growth corridor. The Government has confirmed plans for the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor, which would see thousands of new homes and jobs created between the two university cities. David McLean is a local resident and father of a two-year-old daughter. He was concerned there may already be pollution affecting the lakes. "They've made new boreholes for monitoring purposes. That in itself has a risk of creating new pathways."In the last couple of years there has been some large algal blooms in the lake, which is probably from nitrates that have come from the landfill into the lakes."He also raised concerns about toxins soaking through the chalk stream and the chalk aquifers in the area. What does the council say? Cambridge City Council said: "The applicant has undertaken an extensive assessment of contamination risks and is committed to ongoing monitoring, remediation, ground improvement and foundation strategies to minimise pollution risks."The authority assured residents that the conditions set by the council and the Environment Agency "would be closely monitored". "This is a complex site to develop and the decision to support the scheme was taken in light of all necessary expert and legal advice available to the council to ensure necessary environmental safeguards." What has the developer said? Mission Street told the BBC its redevelopment plan will improve the area. It said it would reduce "contamination to levels that are acceptable and strictly regulated"."Our proposals for the site will achieve to the satisfaction of all relevant statutory bodies, while also bringing forward land to create an urban country park for the community's full use and enjoyment.""Throughout the planning application process, we have worked closely with the local council and Environment Agency. We have also held several public consultations with local residents, to keep them updated at every stage. "Our proposals centre around the development and delivery of an open and inviting innovation district – one of the most groundbreaking globally – on disused land, satisfying national policy that prioritises brownfield first." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
