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CBS San Francisco Staff Report

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — With the demand for COVID-19 vaccination growing, the information you need to know is coming fast and furious. Here’s a roundup of the COVID stories we’ve published over the last 24 hours.

READ MORE: Senate Confirms Becerra To Lead Biden’s Health Department

San Francisco Schools Superintendent Announces Retirement Amid Battle Over Class Reopenings
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Vincent Matthews announced Wednesday he was stepping down from his post amid an ongoing and contentious battle over reopening the city’s public schools for in-class instruction. Matthews, who became superintendent in 2017, made the announcement just days after the district reached a deal with teachers’ union to reopen schools for K-5 students in April. Middle and high school reopenings have not yet been determined. His decision also comes two days after a group of SFUSD parents, frustrated that schools remain closed for in-person learning, proposed doing away with elections for Board of Education commissioners and instead moving to an appointment-based system. Read More

Two Maskless Women Seen Attacking Uber Driver in Viral Video Wanted For Assault, Robbery
SAN FRANCISCO — A police source on Wednesday night informed KPIX that two of the women seen in a video of a confrontation during an Uber ride in San Francisco that went viral are now wanted for assault and robbery. The Uber driver said the women called him racial slurs, grabbed his phone and ripped off his mask. San Francisco police also said one of the women sprayed what was believed to be pepper spray into the vehicle and toward the driver after getting out of the car. Some of that activity can be seen in the video the driver posted showing the confrontation. The law enforcement source identified the two suspects as Malaysia King — the woman seen in the video sitting behind the front passenger seat wearing red — and Arna Kimiai, the woman seen sitting behind the driver who at one point is seen in the clip grabbing the driver’s phone. Read More

Project Home: ‘Perfect Storm’ Sparks Bidding Wars As Bay Area Housing Market Heats Up 1 Year Into Pandemic
KENSINGTON — In the Bay Area’s housing market, bidding wars are back with a vengeance. Despite a global pandemic, 2020 is expected to outpace 2019 when it comes to the number of homes sold. “I’m very surprised by the numbers we’re seeing,” Michael Delehanty, a Real Estate Agent for Compass said. Delehanty has been a realtor for 16 years, he says he’s having daily conversations with clients about overbidding. They go something like this. “I’ve got good news and bad news, the good news is I think I know what it’s going to take to get this property. The bad news? The number is so outlandish that it’s hard to even say out loud,” he explained. Delehanty recently sold a three-bedroom home in Kensington, a neighborhood in the Berkeley Hills, for $400,000 over the asking price, that overbid is more money than the house sold for back in 2001. Read More

Santa Clara County Stops Scheduling First Dose Appointments Due To Supply
SANTA CLARA COUNTY — Health officials in Santa Clara County on Wednesday confirmed they have stopped scheduling first dose appointments for the COVID vaccine due to a lack of supply from the state. “Well, then I feel really lucky to have gotten it when I did,” said Allison Ireland. “It feels wonderful, I feel a lot more secure. Ireland, who is an occupational therapist and works with special needs children, received her second dose of the COVID vaccine at Levi’s Stadium Wednesday evening. A county spokesperson confirmed it had stopped scheduling first dose appointments last Friday because of the shortage in supply, and that its current supply was being reserved for second dose appointments. The county vaccination site reads that “all vaccination sites are currently full”, citing “lower than expected vaccine allocation from the state.” Read More

READ MORE: COVID Vaccines: San Mateo County Shifts To Community Clinics Amid Lower Supplies

Pleasanton School District To Become 1st In Alameda County To Reopen Middle, High Schools
PLEASANTON — Public schools in Pleasanton on Thursday will become the first in Alameda County to open middle and high schools for in-person instruction. The Pleasanton Unified School District (PUSD) said its six middle and high schools would reopen Thursday, joining nine elementary schools which have already reopened. Students in K-2nd grade returned to school last week while grades 3-5 returned on Monday. The schools reopening are Amador Valley High School, Foothill High School, Village High School, Hart Middle School, Harvest Park Middle School, and Pleasanton Middle School. PUSD said the move to reopen schools comes after the county Public Health Department’s announcement of entering the Red Tier which allows for all schools to open for in-person instruction. Read More

Warriors’ James Wiseman Held From Practice After Missing COVID-19 Test; Status Vs. Clippers Unclear
SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors rookie big man James Wiseman missed a mandatory COVID-19 test during All-Star break weekend and had to be held out of practice when the team reconvened Wednesday night — and coach Steve Kerr called it “disappointing.” Wiseman’s status remained unclear for a road game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night. The No. 2 overall draft pick last year out of Memphis, Wiseman is averaging 11.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 20.8 minutes. “It was a mistake. He just forgot,” Kerr said. “So it’s disappointing because he could have used the practice tonight. We need him out there. So it’s disappointing that he made the mistake.” Wiseman, who turns 20 on March 31, stayed in San Francisco during the break, according to Kerr. The NBA alerted the Warriors on Wednesday the rookie center couldn’t practice. Read More

Bay Area Lawmakers Laud Passage Of $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package
WASHINGTON — Bay Area legislators celebrated Wednesday following Congress’ passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, a $1.9 trillion coronavirus pandemic relief and stimulus package. The ARPA, which became the chief priority of Congress following the inauguration of President Joe Biden, includes hundreds of billions for aid to state and local governments, vaccine distribution, health care subsidies, unemployment benefits and more. The bill also includes stimulus checks of up to $1,400 for taxpayers and up to $3,600 in child tax credits for parents. “Today is an historic day,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a letter to Congressional Democrats. “It is a day of fulfillment as the Democratic House passes the Biden American Rescue Plan, joining in President Biden’s promise to the American people: help is on the way.” Following the Senate’s approval on Saturday, the House voted 220-211 in a party-line vote, with just one Democrat dissenting, to send the bill to Biden’s desk. Read More

Women Reporting Worse Side Effects Than Men In CDC Study
SAN JOSE — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of a study that examined that first 13.7-million people to receive the vaccine and found that women experienced worse side effects than men. Of the patients who reported side effects like fatigue, injection site soreness, fever or chills to the agency, 79.1% were women, even though women made up on 61.2% of people getting vaccinated. “I didn’t have any side effects,” says Susan Diederichsen describing her symptom-free experience with the first dose of the vaccine. On Wednesday, Diederichsen received her second dose at Santa Clara County’s Berger Avenue vaccination site. She says she would not have been discouraged from getting a vaccine even if she experienced side effects. Read More

Free Program In San Francisco’s Mission District Teaches Students the Power of Music
SAN FRANCISCO — A pair of musicians is using the power of music to transform the lives of underserved students in San Francisco’s Mission District. Joyful sounds fill the air as students show off their musical skills in a concert performance. Many have taken free lessons for months or years at Music Mission San Francisco, the nonprofit founded by professional musicians Steve Perdicaris and Margaret Gonzalez in 2015. “The first time we see them holding their instrument is amazing. The pride they feel, the happiness,” said Gonzalez, who has worked with several professional chamber ensembles and symphonic orchestras. Perdicaris, a professional musician and associate professor at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, said the Mission District was the “ideal” place to open the nonprofit. Read More

MORE NEWS: Amtrak Train Hits Vehicle On Tracks In Oakland

Daly City Approves $5/Hour Hazard Pay For Workers At Large Grocery, Drug Stores
DALY CITY — Daly City’s City Council voted this week to establish hazard pay for certain grocery and drug store workers at $5 per hour. The City Council joins a handful of cities in San Mateo County that passed hazard pay ordinances this year to better compensate store workers who are exposed to COVID-19 through their work. Daly City councilmembers voted unanimously to adopt the urgency ordinance, which would apply to grocery and drug stores in the city that are at least 10,000 square feet and which employ at least 500 employees nationwide. Grocery stores are defined as stores that devote at least 10 percent of interior space to selling food products. Employees who work at least two hours in a week and are paid hourly qualify for the hazard pay, which does not apply to managers or supervisors. Read More

Article source: https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/03/11/covid-19-women-face-arrest-uber-assault-real-estate-bidding-wars-soaring-santa-clara-stops-scheduling-1st-dose-appointments/

CBS San Francisco Staff Report

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — It’s been a year since the historic COVID-19 shutdown and the battle with the virus is still impacting our daily lives. Here’s a roundup of the COVID stories we’ve published over the last 24 hours.

READ MORE: Uber Attack Suspect Arma Kimiai Charged With Assault, Attempted Robbery

Grand Princess: Dream Vacation Ended In COVID Tragedy For San Francisco Family
SAN FRANCISCO — The last vacation Margrit and Lucio Gonzalez took together began with an ominous delay: a medical emergency on the Grand Princess cruise ship they were set to board in San Francisco. After a four-hour wait, the couple of 51 years got on the Grand Princess on Feb. 11, 2020, for a round-trip voyage from San Francisco to the Mexican Riviera, a decision Margrit Gonzalez came to regret. “I wish we had come back home. He would still be alive,” the 82-year-old said. Within weeks, the Grand Princess had captured the world’s attention and made the coronavirus real to millions in the United States when thousands of passengers on a subsequent trip were quarantined as the ship idled off the California coast. Read More

Second Suspect Arrested in Fatal Oakland Assault, Robbery of 75-Year-Old Asian Man
OAKLAND — Police in Oakland on Monday evening confirmed the arrest of a second suspect in connection with the fatal assault and robbery of 75-year-old Asian victim Pak Ho. Police tweeted about the arrest of 56-year-old Elbert Britton shortly after 5 p.m. Monday. Britton was taken into custody in connection with “the homicide of a 75-year-old Oakland resident” last Friday, according to the tweet. Police confirmed to KPIX a short time later that the Oakland resident in question was Pak Ho. Britton has been identified by the Alameda County Sheriff as the getaway driver for robbery and homicide suspect Teaunte Bailey in the assault and robbery of Pak Ho last Tuesday. Read More

Gov. Gavin Newsom Launches Campaign Against Likely Recall – ‘I Will Fight It’
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom established a political committee Monday to begin raising money to defend his seat in a potential recall election, the strongest acknowledgment to date that he expects to be on the ballot this year. “I won’t be distracted by this partisan, Republican recall — but I will fight it,” the governor said in a tweet on Monday. The Democrat’s new fundraising arm could soon send a powerful message to his possible rivals: Under state rules, Newsom alone is allowed to raise money in unlimited amounts, while other candidates must adhere to contribution limits. It’s likely he will soon receive a flood of cash from his familiar Democratic constituency, including powerful public worker unions that spent millions of dollars helping install him in office in 2018. Read More

READ MORE: Witnesses: Elderly Asian Woman Beats Up Man Attacking Her In San Francisco

Bay Area Health Officers: Best COVID-19 Vaccine Is ‘One You Can Get The Soonest’
SAN FRANCISCO — As some debate the differences between the approved COVID-19 vaccines, health officials across the Bay Area gave their endorsement of all three shots, saying the vaccines are highly effective. “With COVID-19 continuing to circulate as we work toward community immunity, our collective medical advice is this: the best vaccine is the one you can get the soonest,” said a statement co-signed by health officers in all nine Bay Area counties and the City of Berkeley, which operates its own health department. The health officers said the shots from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson Johnson have been shown to be highly effective in preventing symptomatic illness and hospitalization from the virus. Clinical trials demonstrated the three vaccines have been 100% effective in preventing deaths from COVID-19, the officials said. Read More

Vaccine Eligibility Expands But Appointments For Doses May Be Hard To Find
SAN JOSE — Millions of Californians with pre-existing health conditions and disabilities are now qualified to get the COVID-19 vaccine as the state expands eligibility. However, many are finding that getting an appointment to get a dose isn’t easy in some parts of the state. In Santa Clara County, a shortage in supply has forced the county to nearly halt the scheduling of first doses. Some residents have said even trying to find an appointment for a second dose has been challenging. Last week, the county canceled many first dose appointments in order to reserve its supply for second doses. That included Kaiser patients whose appointments were canceled. Read More

Oakland Teachers, School District Tentatively Agree To March 30 Return To Classrooms
OAKLAND — Oakland schools will begin reopening before the end of March, after leaders from the teachers’ union and the school district reached a deal Sunday after weeks of negotiations. The tentative agreement — which won’t become official unless it is first approved by the Oakland Education Association and then passed by the Oakland Unified School District board — also preserves the option for students to remain in distance learning. The first phase of the agreement has in-person classes resuming March 30 for pre-kindergarten through grade 2 and priority students, with the second phase resuming April 19 for grades 3-5 and at least one secondary grade to be determined later. Read More

San Francisco Condo Market Heats Up After Pandemic Tumble
SAN FRANCISCO — The real estate selling season is off to a hot start this year and the San Francisco condo market has significantly strengthened since the pandemic doldrums of last the summer. Despite the lackluster condo market last year, the Four Seasons Private Residences at 706 Mission is home to the two highest closings for luxury high rise residences in 2020. KPIX 5 got an exclusive preview at the first luxury condo set to officially open in San Francisco during the pandemic. The ultra post, ultra luxury project has been in the works for 12 years. It fills the last remaining buildable space in the Yerba Buena neighborhood. Read More

MORE NEWS: Dublin City Council Approves Contract For Low-Income Housing In City’s Downtown

Bay Area Transit Workers Become Eligible For Shots
SAN JOSE — Transit workers across California can begin registering for vaccines Monday, as part of the latest change to the state’s constantly evolving distribution plan. In a joint announcement last week, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265, said the news felt like “Christmas in March.” The agency’s 2,100 workers have been separated into tiers within the organization itself, with frontline drivers and operators slated to get the vaccine first, using a special registration code. As of Monday afternoon, 300 VTA employees had already been vaccinated. Read More

Article source: https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/03/16/bay-area-covid-19-roundup-dream-vacation-ends-in-covid-tragedy-vaccine-supply-shortage-slows-distribution-newsom-launches-recall-fight/

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — The real estate selling season is off to a hot start this year and the San Francisco condo market has significantly strengthened since the pandemic doldrums of last the summer.

Despite the lackluster condo market last year, the Four Seasons Private Residences at 706 Mission is home to the two highest closings for luxury high rise residences in 2020.

READ MORE: UPDATE: SF Police Link Suspect In Attack That Almost Blinded Asian Man To Brutal Mission District Stabbing

KPIX 5 got an exclusive preview at the first luxury condo set to officially open in San Francisco during the pandemic.

The ultra post, ultra luxury project has been in the works for 12 years. It fills the last remaining buildable space in the Yerba Buena neighborhood.

NBA star Stephen Curry also reportedly purchased a condo in one of its two towers.

“It was pretty dead last year, there was not a lot of movement during COVID of anybody wanting to see anything with an elevator, a lobby, or shared amenities,” said Sotheby’s International Realty broker Gregg Lynn.

Lynn says things started to shift last November.

“When the Presidential election became settled, and Pfizer came out with an announcement that they were going to begin vaccine within the next months, things started to change in San Francisco condominiums,” said Lynn. “We’ve had a busier ten weeks since then, than we did in all of 2020.”

KPIX 5 toured a 3-bedroom, 3,590 square foot unit on the 37th floor, available for $11,290,000.

READ MORE: Ferris Wheel Stays In San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park Through 2025

Amenities include a game room, and bar and lounge. The grand penthouse is priced at $49 million – making it the most expensive condo listing in San Francisco.

“I like the neighborhood I’ve been here for 5, 6 years, so I certainly like it,” said Grace Lin, who lives in the area. “You obviously have the MOMA, you have a lot of good restaurants.”

Jon Banks lives a block away from the development.

“I’ve seen the activity increase in the area over the past month, activities increased – vehicle traffic, foot traffic,” he said.

Buyer interest is also up.

February’s San Francisco condo sales were up about 48% from last year. And year-over-year, the median condo sales price was down 8%, according to Compass research data. The rollout of vaccines may continue to drive sales up further.

“We have never been busier working with people trying to help them find homes. So yes, there’s an exodus but there’s still a very strong number of people moving here and relocating within here,” said Lynn.

Interest rates hit record lows at the start of the year, which also helped fuel the market.

MORE NEWS: 1 Dead In Castro Valley Double Shooting; Police Search for Suspects in Oakland’s Rockridge

“If you are a buyer committed to finding the best space within San Francisco, you’re going to consider looking for a luxury condominium than right now,” said Lynn. “You’re either going to find the best value, or the best unit with the least amount of competition.”

Article source: https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2021/03/16/covid-12-san-francisco-condo-market-heats-up-after-pandemic-tumble/

“The market is hot going into spring,” Vanguard agent Alan Thuma told SFGATE. “Like always it’s a tale of many markets, with the single-family homes being the most sought-after properties, especially those in $1-2 million range.”

Real estate brokerage Compass characterized San Francisco’s market as coming “in with a vengeance in early 2021, especially within the city’s house market,” in a recent report that revealed the year-over-year active listings for houses and condos was up 66% for February.

As the shift to remote work becomes the new normal, many of these buyers are looking for single family homes and second bedrooms over smaller units. Though condos with any extra space for new owners spending more time than ever at home are also in demand.

“Condominiums that offer alternatives to single-family homes, with deeded outdoor space and home-office potential can be as hot as single-family homes,” said Thuma.

Sales of existing single-family homes in the Bay Area rose 36% in January, as buyers hunted for bargains and suburban space, reports the San Jose Mercury News. Median sale prices jumped nearly 16 percent to $860,000 in eight Bay Area counties, driven by a thin inventory and eager buyers.

One year on from coronavirus upending the market, condo sales in San Francisco are up 64%, year-over-year, as buyers seek out deals and start to see the end of pandemic restrictions.

In Alameda County, data from the California Association of Realtors revealed the median home price surged 21% to $1.06 million — the 7th consecutive month the county’s median home sale prices have topped $1 million.

The rise in buyers combined with scant inventory has led to a surge in offers particularly in the $1 – $2 million range.

Santa Clara-based agent Alan Wang told the Mercury News that the January surge in buyers was more bullish than he’s seen in nearly two decades. “The aggression of the buy side is shocking to us,” Wang said.

This was exemplified in one of his clients, a family who bid on a single-family home in Dublin, discovering they were one of 49 offers on the house. The four-bedroom home sold for about $400,000 over the $1.7 million listing price.

And as for the much reported Bay Area pandemic exodus? There may be signs that the tide is returning to San Francisco.

“We’re even starting to see buyers who left the city make their returns,” said Thuma, “after moving away during the pandemic.”

The auction will open on April 22 and close on April 27.

Herbert Boyer, a co-founder of biotech giant Genentech, previously owned the property and won approvals to build a 27,500-square-foot mansion but never started construction. Those approvals are vested and permanently available for the landowner to refresh the permits, avoiding a public approval process that can stretch for years.

Steven Mavromihalis, a broker with Compass who represents the sellers, said the views are spectacular, spanning downtown San Francisco, the Bay Bridge, Mount Diablo, the Marin Headlands and Mount Tamalpais.

The owner is a Los Angeles trust, Mavromihalis said, declining to provide the identity of members.

Real estate website Socketsite reported in 2015 that Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was an owner of the property. A Metallica representative didn’t have immediate comment and didn’t confirm the report. A Tiburon mansion previously owned by Ulrich sold last year for $10.3 million.

The King Mountain property at 128 Ridgecrest Road is in unincorporated Marin County and spans the borders of Kentfield and Larkspur.

Marin County’s median home price rose more than 10% to $1.45 million at the end of 2020, according to the Association of Realtors. A Compass real estate report said Marin had the highest price increases of any Bay Area County during the pandemic, and sales volume in January surged 50% compared to the prior year.

Mavromihalis said buyers are attracted to Marin’s spacious homes and easy access to nature, particularly during a pandemic.

“People have been very aware of their surroundings and making their homes an oasis,” he said.

King Mountain Estate has garnered interest, but the ownership is deciding to move forward with an auction to maximize value and potentially attract bidders from around the world.

“We have had attention and high-priced offers very near the current asking price,” Mavromihalis said. “Some of the most serious attention has come from young entrepreneurs who don’t want to build palatial estates and are more attracted to it as a sense of a return to nature.

“I think because of the love that the ownership has with the property, there was somewhat of a reluctance to see it go at a lesser price,” he added.

The public King Mountain Loop Trail has an easement through the property, which will remain. The trail is near the bottom of the property and not in the residential building area, which is around 32 acres and on a flat ridge on the property, Mavromihalis said.

Concierge Auctions, which specialized in luxury homes, is running the auction.

Chad Roffers, Concierge’s chairman, said interested buyers must make a six-figure deposit in escrow and provide proof of funds before bidding. The bids are public, and a winner who backs out has to pay a penalty of 12% of the high bid.

Concierge is on pace to have 200 auctions this year, with an average price of $5 million. The company is well suited to having all-digital tours during the pandemic and pulling a global pool of wealthy buyers that Roffers said makes the auction process more straightforward compared with traditional sales.

“Buying a high-end property is not as efficient as it should be,” he said. “We are very transparent about our business.”

Concierge previously auctioned off the Villa Firenze mansion in Beverly Hills, which had a previous asking price of $165 million. Roffers said the sale would close soon and it will be the most expensive property auction in history.

Roffers expects the King Mountain site to benefit from the pandemic shift toward homes near nature.

“It’s an extraordinary property,” he said. “What’s performed particularly well are places like Marin and the Hamptons, where you’re away from it all but you have access to a world-class city.”

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf