Latest news with #SunsetDistrict
CBS News
26-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
2 displaced in early morning fire at San Francisco Sunset District market
Two people were displaced following a fire in San Francisco's Sunset District early Monday morning. The San Francisco Fire Department announced on social media around 6 a.m. that crews responded to a location at 44th Avenue and Taraval Street in the Outer Sunset. Firefighters said the location was a grocery store that was closed at the time. 1 alarm fire at Taraval/44th Ave. Units are on scene currently fighting the fire. This is a grocery store that is closed at this time. @SFMTA_Muni light rail line is affected. #SFFD Red Cross has been called for 2 people displaced. — SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) May 26, 2025 The Red Cross was called to the scene for the displaced people. Additional details about the fire were not immediately available.
CBS News
25-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Recall election of San Francisco Supervisor Joel Engardio likely after signature verification
It's looking likely that a recall election for San Francisco District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio will happen. Recall organizers said city officials have verified that more than 99% of signatures sampled on Friday were valid. Now, "Recall Engardio" posters are popping up throughout the Sunset. Resident Selena Chu agrees with it. "Hold him accountable and ask, where's our voice in this decision-making?" Chu said. Chu has lived in the sunset since 2011, she doesn't feel Supervisor Engardio is listening to his constituents. "He was elected to be the District 4 Supervisor, but instead of coming to us, he went for the whole city, but I think it needs to start here," Chu said. Engardio angered many Sunset residents, including Chu, when he sponsored and voted for an initiative, known as Prop K, to close a two-mile stretch of the upper Great Highway to cars and instead create a park. Citywide, Prop K passed with more than 54% of the vote, but the majority of Sunset and Richmond district residents, the areas closest to it, opposed it. "With the closure, it does add 15-30 minutes extra, per morning, to my commute," explained Chu. "Some people on social media ask, 'Why don't you just wake up earlier?' accusing me of being lazy. It's not a matter of that." This change impacts her everyday life and takes away something she can never get back, her time. She said Engardio didn't hold townhalls to hear from the community. But in a statement to CBS Bay Area, Engardio said he's confident the majority of voters would oppose the recall and approve of the work he's doing. "I'm working with SFMTA to further improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety," Engardio said. "I'm fixing problems big and small for residents, supporting merchants, and working with the mayor and my colleagues to pass legislation that addresses pressing issues on public safety, housing, and our local economy. I'm continuing to do the job of supervisor as I always have." So far, the Department of Elections has only done a random sample of signatures. They still have to verify every one of the nearly 11,000 signatures, and that could take weeks. Chu was one of the people collecting signatures with the Sunset United Neighborhood Group. She believes the recall will get on the ballot. "We did our own validations prior to submitting," Chu said. "We double checked, we triple checked, we quadruple checked to make sure we have good signatures prior to submitting." Engardio is a former journalist and was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2022. He was a notable supporter of the successful recall of several board members and District Attorney Chesa Boudin, but he was critical of the recall effort against him. "If there's a recall every time we disagree with one issue, we won't have a functioning government," said Engardio. Chu argues the recall is not about one issue, but how he handles issues. "That's his distraction from actually listening," Chu said. "He's still not listening. He still doesn't get it. It's not about the great highway. It's about how he works. We pay someone with our tax dollars for representation for the sunset district and that starts with town hall meetings."
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Why a slice of San Francisco real estate is defying the city's sharp crash
While homes in most of San Francisco are selling for a loss, those in three west-side neighborhoods are quietly bucking the trend. Since the start of the pandemic, rising interest rates have battered real estate across the city. Some ZIP codes have seen price drops of up to 20 percent. Concerns over crime haven't helped. A spike in burglaries, robberies, and homicides has left some l ongtime residents installing chicken wire to deter break-ins and considering a move out altogether. But in 94122, 94116, and 94127, prices are creeping back up by between 2 and 3 percent — which equals tens of thousands of dollars. The Sunset District, West Portal, and Miraloma Park are all seeing a rise in home prices, the new data from Zillow shows. San Francisco still maintains a notoriously pricey housing market despite the condition the city is currently in. The average home in San Francisco goes for between $1.5 million and $1.8 million, but compared to price dips everywhere else, it's good news for those neighborhoods. Realtors say the west side is thriving thanks to family-friendly amenities, limited housing supply, and a strong demand for a suburban feel that comes with a city ZIP code. 'The Sunset is one of the last places in the city where you still see homes going over asking,' Allison Fortini-Crawford, a top agent with Sotheby's International Realty, told the San Francisco Chronicle. 'It's got bigger homes, flatter streets, and easy access to parks — a dream for young families.' She added that due to a major shortage of new builds in the area, sellers feel little pressure to cut prices. They know they'll likely sell at asking price or over. Eastern and central San Francisco have seen home price declines in part because they are oversaturated. Too many condos that come with hefty HOA fees and limited space are sitting on the market. 'People realized during the pandemic that they wanted yards, quiet, and room to breathe,' Judson Gregory, of Compass Realty, told the outlet. 'The Sunset offers that — without leaving the city.' Buyers actually began to see the Sunset District's appeal prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2014, the typical home in 94122 was worth around $900,000. By 2018, that number had hit $1.4 million, and it's now closing in on $1.6 million, which is nearly 60 percent higher than its 2014 value. Other neighborhoods like Russian Hill and Lower Nob Hill used to be equally priced, but they have since flatlined. And realtors predict that rising interest rates and growing recession fears could cool the market further — including the currently hot west side. 'The west side isn't immune,' Fortini-Crawford warned. 'It's popular with first-time buyers, and they're the ones hit hardest by high mortgage rates.' For now, competition for a home may not be like it once was, but it is still there. 'You used to get eight offers on a home. Now maybe it's just two or three,' she said. 'But remember — it only takes one.'
