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☆ In San Francisco, a Home Renovation Can Become a Battle Royale
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Heather Knight | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The project complies with city codes, and the San Francisco Planning Commission gave unanimous approval months ago; in many cities that would have been good enough for the remodel to move forward. But in San Francisco, neighbors wield unusual power over next-door renovations and modest improvements and can appeal even the replacement of rotted front steps. So on Tuesday, 11 members of San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors will serve as judges in home construction, hearing from Ms. Park and Mr. McDonald, their neighbors, lawyers, Planning Department experts and any members of the public who care to weigh in. The feud between wealthy neighbors is emblematic of the city’s languor when it comes to building anything. San Francisco has already drawn the ire of state housing officials, who have demanded that the city add 82,000 units in the next seven years, a goal that seems out of reach when many projects draw multiple rounds of challenges and years of delays.

Persons: Julie Park, Tom McDonald, McDonald Organizations: San Francisco Planning, San, Supervisors, Planning Department Locations: Francisco’s, San Francisco, San Francisco’s

☆ New York City’s Population Shrinks by 78,000
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Winnie Hu | Stefanos Chen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

City officials said that they were likely to challenge the 2023 census estimates, which they said had significantly underestimated the number of migrants and other people living in group settings, such as shelters and dorms. A spokesman for the Department of City Planning, Casey Berkovitz, said that 180,000 migrants had come to the city since the spring of 2022 and that 64,600 were still in the city’s care. City officials had previously projected that New York City would reach 9 million within two decades. Though the latest census numbers are a marked improvement over recent years, the turnaround has mostly benefited New York City’s more affluent areas, said Andrew Beveridge, the president of Social Explorer, a demographic data firm that analyzed the numbers. “But it’s the struggling people that leave for good.”Four of the five boroughs continued to see population declines in 2023, according to the latest census estimates.

Persons: Casey Berkovitz, Andrew Beveridge, ” Mr, Beveridge Organizations: Department of City Planning, New, Manhattan, Social Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Colombia's Petro Denies Calling for Cabinet Resignations
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Colombian presidents frequently request mass, 'protocol' cabinet resignations in order to make changes to the government, though these are not guaranteed. The three government sources said had Petro asked for the resignations of his ministers during a meeting on Wednesday evening. Rather than the president demanding their resignations, ministers offered to resign, Agriculture Minister Jhenifer Mojica said during a presentation near capital Bogota. Petro last called for ministers' resignations in April after a debate on a health reform was abandoned by the lower house of congress. (Reporting by Oliver Griffin and Luis Jaime Acosta; Additional reporting by Carlos Vargas; Writing by Oliver Griffin; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Persons: Oliver Griffin, Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA, Gustavo Petro, Petro, Jhenifer Mojica, Jorge Ivan Gonzalez, Ricardo Bonilla, Jose Antonio Ocampo, Luis Jaime Acosta, Carlos Vargas, Sandra Maler Organizations: Finance Locations: Bogota

☆ An Airbnb host whose SF duplex was flooded by a guest says she only got enough compensation to 'make a difference' after posting on X
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Lakshmi Varanasi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Erika Gemzer says her Airbnb guests flooded her San Francisco duplex, leaving her $300,000 in debt. She posted a thread on X six months later, criticizing Airbnb for its compensation offer. AdvertisementAdvertisementSix months after Airbnb host Erika Gemzer's duplex in San Francisco was flooded, she took to social media to confront the vacation rental company. Here's the story of how I ended up pregnant and homeless and in over $300,000 of debt after Airbnb guests flooded my home. While the new amount doesn't cover everything, it covers enough to "make a difference," Gemzer told Insider via text.

Persons: Erika Gemzer, Airbnb, Gemzer, —, Erika Gemzer's, rika, ake, emzer, rika G emzer, ince, ingle, lanning, ike Organizations: Service, ust Locations: Francisco, San Francisco

That’s very different than how Google defines Flatbush:Prospect Park Holy Cross Cemetery Flatbush by google maps Flatbush by readers Prospect Park Holy Cross Cemetery Flatbush by google maps Flatbush by readersLet’s look closely at Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights, which has mostly sharp edges and one very blurry one:Sharp prospect heights Sharp blurry Sharp Prospect Park Sharp prospect heights Sharp blurry Sharp Prospect Park Crown heights Prospect Park Crown heights Prospect Park prospect heights ? Crown heights Prospect Park prospect heights ? Racial composition of Prospect Heights and Crown Heights residents, 2000-2022 80% 60 Black 40 White 20 2000 2022 80% Racial composition of Prospect Heights and Crown Heights residents, 2000-2022 60 Black 40 White 20 2000 2022 Source: Furman Center, N.Y.U. prospect heights Condo for sale crown heights Prospect Park prospect heights Condo for sale crown heights Prospect ParkStreetEasy lists the unit as being in Crown Heights. A local grocery store on Classon Avenue — two blocks east of Washington,prospect heights Key Food Prospect Heights crown heights Prospect Park prospect heights crown heights Key Food Prospect Heights Prospect Parkused to be called Gala Fresh Farms.

Persons: Van, Obeid, ”, It’s, who’s, New, Casey Berkovitz, Mr, ’ you’re, ‘, Yemen ’, ” Mr, ” Long, Robert Moses ’ Brooklyn, Red, “, ” Colson Whitehead, Readers, Fort Greene, Tubby, ., Red Hook, Hook, Whitehead, we’ll, Douglas Elliman, ” “, streeteasy, Xavier Santiago, it’s, Suleiman Osman, Rambo, Ross Perlin, Perlin, Sures, Yemen hasn’t Organizations: Kennedy, Google, Bronx Zoo, East Harlem —, Carnegie, Brooklyn, New York Times, Times, Richmond Hill, city’s, Department, Bronx . The Bronx Muslim, Bushwick :, Stuyvesant Bushwick, Powell, soho tribeca, New York Public, Queens Expressway, Yorkers, steinway, Queens, Navy, Waterfront District, Fort, Brooklyn - Queens, Yorker, Bushwick, Jersey Silver, Park New Jersey Silver, Prospect, White, Furman Center, Sterling, East, Manhattan’s, brooklyn South brooklyn South brooklyn South brooklyn, Liberty Loan, Carroll Gardens, “, brooklyn ”, Language Alliance, East Harlem, Washington Locations: New York City, Bronx, Morris, New York, Little Yemen, Manhattan, East, Sugar, Clinton, Rose, Richmond, Todt, Lenox, Forest, Cypress Hills, Murray, Yemen, “, Brooklyn, Bushwick, Bushwick : Bushwick Bedford, Stuyvesant Bushwick Bedford, Stuyvesant, Windsor Terrace, windsor, Green, kensington, Queens, Point, Flushing, Powell, Lower Manhattan, TriBeCa, SoHo, Houston, soho, Hudson, Lispenard, Queens Expressway Brooklyn, Astoria, Woodside, Jackson Heights, astoria, sunnyside Brooklyn, Dumbo, Columbia, Red Hook, williamsburg, columbia, carroll, Red, Fort Greene Park Brooklyn, Queens Expressway columbia, Williamsburg, greenpoint East, Queens Expressway williamsburg, greenpoint East River williamsburg Brooklyn, East Williamsburg, ”, BoCoCa, Hamilton Heights, Greenwood Heights, Hudson Heights, Lincoln, Bridges, Carnegie Hill, Manhattan Valley, SpaHa, Village, Bedford, Kingsbridge, Riverdale, Fort, Inwood, Inwood washington, chelsea, greenpoint tribeca williamsburg ridgewood kew, brooklyn, bushwick, Soho ridgewood kew, Sheepshead, Shore, Staten Island, Jersey, Park New Jersey, Flatbush, Prospect, Prospect Heights , Brooklyn, Heights , Brooklyn, Prospect Heights, Crown, Washington, Classon, Crown Heights, Side, East Harlem, harlem, Harlem, Central, streeteasy, carnegie, South Brooklyn, Carroll, Revolutionary, Boerum, Cobble, South Bronx, Spanish Harlem, South Harlem, Lower, Loíza, Puerto Rico, Language, Barrio, Puerto Rican, Hispaniola, Dominican, Washington Heights

☆ Japan implements tourist tax at famous ‘floating shrine’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Japan’s popular Itsukushima Shrine has now become slightly more expensive to visit. Located in the town of Hatsukaichi, in Hiroshima prefecture, the torii – a shrine gateway – is part of a 1,400-year-old Shinto complex that’s listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its striking appearance has made it one of the most recognizable attractions in Japan – even President Joe Biden visited earlier this year. Hatsukaichi has long struggled with overtourism, prompting officials to implement a tourist tax, which came into effect on Sunday. Each visitor to Miyajima, the island access point for the shrine, is now charged 100 yen (67 cents).

Persons: CNN —, Japan –, Joe Biden, ”, Shunji Mukai Organizations: CNN, UNESCO Locations: Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima prefecture, Japan, Miyajima, ”

☆ I moved into an ADU in my California backyard. It allowed me to leave my 9-to-5 and I even save $5,000 a month.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Alcynna Lloyd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

In 2019, Julie Fornasero and her husband, Tim Logan, decided to rent out their primary home. The couple moved into a 500-square-foot accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, they put in their backyard. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . My husband, Tim, is a technology consultant. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn 2019, a tenant moved into the main house and we moved into the ADU.

Persons: Julie Fornasero, Tim Logan, —, Tim, Marin, Logan Organizations: Service Locations: Marin County , California, San Francisco, California

☆ Affordable Housing Crisis in US West: Why It's Hard to Build New Homes
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Kyle Paoletta | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

The solution to keep prices under control seems fairly simple: Just build more housing. For a time, sprawl boosted housing supply and accommodated newcomers to the West: Nearly 60 million more people live in the region now compared with the 1950s. Running out of landWhen the economy crashed in 2008, housing construction screeched to a halt. All this red tape has caused a serious slowdown in much-needed housing construction. Build, build, buildDespite the unique challenges of building in the paradoxically wide-open West, some cities have been able to break through.

Persons: Mike Segrest, Megan Lawson, Kyle Stevens, Carrier Johnson, “, Lawson, Land Management . Nevada Sen, Catherine Cortez Masto, Kyle Roerink, Hillary Schieve, Schieve, Howard Blackson, Kyle Paoletta's Organizations: Forest Service, Southern Ute, Marin Headlands, Bureau, Land Management ., Water Network, Biggest, Biggest Little City, Housing Administration, Harper's Magazine, New York Magazine, Oasis Locations: Colorado, Durango ., it's, Animas, San Juan Mountains, Durango, Las Vegas, Montana, Houston, Minneapolis, Rocky, Phoenix, Denver, Mississippi, San Diego, San Jose , California, Marin County, San Francisco, Santa Fe , New Mexico, Jackson , Wyoming, California, Land Management . Nevada, Vegas, Reno , Nevada, Reno, Cumulatively, Biggest Little, Summit, Washington

As the death toll from the powerful earthquake in Morocco rose on Saturday, questions mounted about the vulnerability of buildings in the seismically active North African country. Moroccan architects said that the hardest-hit areas were rural zones with many earthen houses that were unable to withstand the shaking. “Given the state of the buildings in the country, this death toll was kind of expected,” said Anass Amazirh, an architect in the northern city of Casablanca. Image Rescue workers searching for survivors in a collapsed house in Moulay Brahim, in Morocco’s Al Haouz Province, on Saturday. “These more extreme risks occur regularly in other countries,” the report said, “and Morocco cannot avoid taking them into account.”

Persons: “, ”, Anass Amazirh, Omar Farkhani, Fadel Senna, Mr, Farkhani, Al Hoceima, Al, Haouz, Amazirh Organizations: Morocco’s, of Architects, ., Agence France, Moroccan, Organization for Economic Cooperation, Development Locations: Marrakesh, Morocco, Moroccan, Casablanca, Al Haouz, Moulay Brahim, Morocco’s Al Haouz Province, Al, Al Hoceima, “

☆ Elon Musk's flashing X sign at Twitter headquarters resulted in $4,447 of fines which the landlord paid, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk had a strobe light in the shape of an X erected on the roof of the company's headquarters. The landlord has paid $4,447 in fines as a result, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. The X sign that Elon Musk had installed on the roof of his company's headquarters resulted in $4,447 in fines which the landlord of the building paid, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. As Musk rebranded Twitter to become X, the iconic blue bird logos were removed from inside its downtown San Francisco office, and eventually from the exterior sign after interruptions from police. It's another headache for X's landlord, which previously filed a lawsuit against the company saying that it hadn't paid rent.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, Pacino, k5QfAm8yuG, e7ECCM2NUD — Christopher J, Beale, X Organizations: San Francisco Chronicle, Twitter, Francisco's Department, Planning Department, of Locations: San Francisco

☆ San Francisco drives tech; will it drive away robot taxis?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Greg Bensinger | Thomson Reuters | Greg Bensinger Joined Reuters As A Technology Correspondent In Focusing On The World'S Largest Technology Companies. He Was Previously A Member Of The New York Times Editorial Board | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/3] A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company?s headquarters in San Francisco where it does most of its testing, in California, U.S., September 26, 2018. Futuristic test vehicles from Cruise and Waymo are a common sight in some parts of San Francisco. The vote comes at a critical time for San Francisco, which is grappling with thousands of tech job losses, firms leaving the city, and COVID-era work-from-home policies that have contributed to a hollowed out downtown. loadingRamón Iglesias, another San Francisco resident, said that though he’d seen the videos and some erratic behavior from the cars, he supports the expansion and worries any further obstacles could drive tech companies away. “We have a very strong Luddite segment here in San Francisco and you see places like Las Vegas and Miami go out of their way to embrace tech,” said Iglesias, a data scientist.

Persons: Heather Somerville, Waymo, ”, Kyle Vogt, X, ” Cruise, San Francisco, Cruise, Julia Ilina, Mike Smith, Ramón Iglesias, he’d, Iglesias, “, London Breed, Greg Bensinger, Peter Henderson, Diane Craft Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, Motors, San, San Francisco County Transportation Authority, Cruise, California Public Utilities Commission, Las, Ford, Tesla, Francisco, FIRST, ”, London, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Francisco, San, San Francisco County, State, dazzled, Dallas, Miami, Las Vegas, Los Angeles

☆ Elon Musk's giant 'X' sign is going to cost his landlord fees for building without a permit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The San Francisco landlord of X's headquarters will be charged fees over Elon Musk's sign antics. Elon Musk is causing more headaches for the landlord of the San Francisco, California, headquarters of X, the social media giant formerly called Twitter. Workers prepare to dismantle a large X logo on the roof of X headquarters on July 31, 2023. A building permit was required to remove the "X" sign but, "due to safety concerns," the permit can be obtained after the fact, Hannan said. City officials had issued a notice of violation on Friday after the "X" sign was put up on the building's roof without a permit.

Persons: Elon Musk's, Musk, Elon Musk, Justin Sullivan, Patrick Hannan, Hannan, it's Organizations: Elon, Twitter, Morning, San Francisco's Department, Inspection, SRI, Department of, Workers Locations: San Francisco, San Francisco , California

☆ ‘X’ removed after being installed atop company headquarters following Twitter’s rebrand
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Elizabeth Joseph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Officials from the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection on Monday morning observed that the new “X” on top of the building formerly known as Twitter’s headquarters was being dismantled, according to Patrick Hannan, the department’s spokesman. “Over the weekend, the Department of Building Inspection and City Planning received 24 complaints about the unpermitted structure, including concerns about its structural safety and illumination. This morning, building inspectors observed the structure being dismantled. A building permit is required to remove the structure but, due to safety concerns, the permit can be secured after the structure is taken down,” Hannan said in an email to CNN. “The property owner will be assessed fees for the unpermitted installation of the illuminated structure.

Persons: Patrick Hannan, ” Hannan, ”, Maruf Organizations: CNN, San Francisco Department of, Department of, Planning

☆ Target CEO defends the decision to remove Pride displays and pledges to support the LGBTQ community. Read his letter to employees.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Dominick Reuter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The company has long been an outspoken LGBTQ supporter, but some employees have felt let down by the move. CEO Brian Cornell defended the choice, saying it took "many difficult days of deliberation." A Target spokesperson told Insider the move was a response to "threats impacting our team members' sense of safety and wellbeing." This has been a very hard day for Target, and it follows many difficult days of deliberation and decision-making. Thank you for the care you've shown each other, our frontline teams and the LGBTQIA+ community.

☆ What’s a President to Do When a Nation’s Capital Is Sinking? Move It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hannah Beech | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +38 min

A new capital city for a place with such disparities and diversity presents both a challenge and a chance for reinvention. Moving the Seat of Power From Java to Borneo Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, will be about 800 miles from the current capital, Jakarta. It cannot be overnight, it’s not like Aladdin comes with his genie,” said Bambang Susantono, the head of the Nusantara Capital City Authority. We have to prove that this will be a self-propelling city.” — Bambang Susantono, head of the Nusantara Capital City AuthorityCritics of I.K.N. Indonesia’s capital city faces sinking land and rising seas.

☆ 27-year-old pays $0 to live in a ‘luxury tiny home’—how she built it for $35,000: 'I forget I'm living in a shed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Precious Price | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In 2020, I built a tiny home in the backyard of my 1,400-square-foot house in Atlanta, Georgia for about $35,000. A lot of the time, I forget I'm living in a shed. Tiny homes are just beginning to gain traction in the U.S., but the process isn't as straightforward as it should be. Do a quick Google search with your city's name and the terms "zoning map" or "zoning office." Zoom In Icon Arrows pointing outwards Precious used a lofted shed from Liberty Storage Solutions as the base of her tiny home.

☆ China plans to revamp finance, tech oversight
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Lintao Zhang | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China plans to overhaul its financial regulatory system by consolidating aspects of the central bank and securities regulator under a new entity, while doing away with the existing banking regulator. The moves also come as Beijing has increased regulation on parts of the economy that had developed quickly, with little oversight. The latest plan calls for the establishment of a National Financial Regulatory Administration, which replaces the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission and expands its role. watch nowThe China Securities Regulatory Commission's investor protection responsibilities are set to shift to the new financial regulator. "China's consolidated financial regulatory body is [a] paradigm shift to ramp up oversight of its vast financial system," said Winston Ma, adjunct professor of law at New York University.

☆ Elon Musk's Twitter ordered by officials to properly label bedrooms in San Francisco HQ as sleeping areas — or convert them back to offices within 15 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Kate Duffy | Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

San Francisco told Twitter to label converted bedrooms as sleeping areas, per a correction notice. If it doesn't comply, Twitter has 15 days to convert the bedrooms back to offices in its HQ. Officials launched an investigation in December into Twitter's office bedrooms. Patrick Hannan, the Building Inspection Department's communications director, confirmed to Insider in December it was investigating reports that Twitter had converted some office rooms into sleeping areas in its HQ. A former Twitter employee told BBC News that Musk had often slept in Twitter's offices since taking over the company.

☆ Mexican authorities find bullet-riddled car that missing Ohio man was traveling in and bodies buried nearby
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Authorities in Mexico found a car that a 36-year-old Hamilton, Ohio man was traveling in when he went missing in the country at the end of last year, according to officials. The body of a man roughly between the age of 20 to 35 was also found along with the car, according to the attorney general. Gutierrez went missing in Mexico in Dec. 2022 while visiting his fiancé, Daniela Pichardo, in Mexico, NBC affiliate WLWT reported. According to a preliminary forensic analysis, four bodies were found in the burial site near Gutierrez' car, three women and one man, the office of the attorney general said. Gutierrez worked for Champlin Architecture at the time of his disappearance, a spokesperson for the company confirmed over the phone.

[1/3] Examples of Japanese yen banknotes are displayed at a media event in Tokyo, Japan, November 21, 2022. Those positions took a hit when Tuesday's Bank of Japan policy shift allowed 10-year yields to almost double to 0.47%. On Wednesday the long end of Japan's yield curve actually rallied, with 30-year yields down 2.5 bps to 1.545%. "The 10-year yield is still very low ... maybe they will invest in the 20-year." In Australia, where Japan is also the largest foreign player in the bond market, 10-year yields are up about 20 bps.

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