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Opposite of Efficiency

A team of 20 people from the U.S. Digital Service had been providing project oversight and design expertise to modernize the CDC’s National Electronic Disease Surveillance System Base System to ensure it would flexibly meet the diverse needs of public health departments nationwide. When DOGE laid off 19 of those federal employees. it stripped away the expertise and accountability needed to ensure the project would be successfully completed by federal software contractors — in effect promoting government waste and inefficiency instead of reducing or eliminating it.
Visible Progress or Political Theater? Factions Disagree on How to Clean Up Street Conditions

In February, the San Francisco Police Department converted a Sixth Street parking lot in South of Market to what it called a triage center — a fenced-off area where police could connect people to social services or put them in a van bound for jail. According to a city staff report, in the first month of the triage center’s operation, police made 350 arrests, three-quarters of them drug related. Triage personnel connected 275 people to shelter and 408 people to health care. Advocates for people struggling with homelessness or substance use disorder say the city’s approach is unnecessarily punitive, but some business owners and community members say they approve of what the mayor and Police Department are doing.
Scientist Who Helped Prove Humans Changed the Climate Watches Evidence Being Erased

The data sources that trace humanity’s effect on the climate are under threat. Under the Trump administration, publication of scientific reports is being frozen and some records risk being removed from public access. The National Centers for Environmental Information, which houses critical archives, has significantly reduced its staff. The White House has also moved to terminate a key contract with the firm responsible for producing the National Climate Assessment, casting doubt on the completion of the next scheduled report. Computer models and observational records climate scientist Ben Santer helped build are in the crosshairs.
Tech to Table: Second-Generation Business Owners Take Over Chinatown Restaurants

Chelsea Hung wasted no time in making a life-changing decision: In her late 20s, she left her tech job in New York City, and headed back to San Francisco’s Chinatown to take over her parents' restaurant, all within a month. Hung’s parents were planning to sell the restaurant, R&G Lounge. Her motivation was simple: She didn't want to see the place where she grew up and celebrated so many milestones close its doors. After moving back in 2018, she kept the business running and in March, R&G Lounge celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Organizers Mobilize Nationally as SF Student, Grads Lose Visas in Spate of Revocations

The visas of a student and four recent graduates of San Francisco State University have been terminated, according to a university statement. The revocations are the latest in a spate of visa cancellations by the Trump administration, which has targeted permanent residents and visa holders in retaliation against their involvement in political organizing and demonstrations. […]
Uber Submitted False Information to Regulators, Used Substandard Limousines, Agency Rules

Uber must pay a $50,000 fine for submitting false information to state regulators about numerous substandard rides it provided on its Uber Black luxury limousine service, violating a fundamental rule that officials said caused “harm to the regulatory process.” In the previously unreported final decision, the California Public Utilities Commission found that San Francisco-based Uber had lax review procedures and failed to detect obviously falsified limousine licenses presented to it by independent limousine companies that Uber had subcontracted to give rides on Uber Black.
Mission District Slated to Gain 168 Affordable Homes for Families by 2027

After years of advocacy and shifting plans, construction has begun on Casa Adelante at 1515 South Van Ness, a project set to bring 168 below-market-rate units to the Mission District by 2027 for low-income, formerly homeless, and HIV-affected families.
Chinese American Democratic Club Becomes First Political Group to Back Engardio Recall

The Chinese American Democratic Club has officially endorsed the recall of Supervisor Joel Engardio, becoming the first political group in San Francisco to publicly support the effort—months after an informal poll showed member support for his removal.

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