Here’s what’s happening in the Bay Area, as curated by KALW news:
King tides at Candlestick Point offer glimpse of planet’s future // SF Gate
“As this week’s king tides washed over a small beach at Candlestick Point, the San Francisco Bay became an unlikely classroom for teaching the grim reality of sea-level rise...
“The Bayview on San Francisco’s southeastern edge, much of it built on low-lying fill, stands to lose as much coastline as anywhere in the city in coming decades. By the end of the century, climate experts expect oceans to rise in the region as much as 3 feet.”
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Archbishop on crash course with S.F., state // SF Gate
"San Francisco’s archbishop is trying to make its Catholic schools more Catholic, but city and state officials are poised to push back, saying any effort to discriminate against employees will be met with legal action.
“In recent weeks, the Archdiocese of San Francisco caused dismay among teachers, students, parents and the public for introducing morality clauses into four Catholic high school handbooks as well as teacher labor contracts.”
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Alameda: USS Hornet to host teachers STEM workshop // Contra Costa Times
“The U.S. Naval Academy's science, technology, engineering and math (or STEM) office organized the free Feb. 28 event to give local teachers more exposure to hands-on learning. Topics range from fluid mechanics and thermodynamics to materials science and electrochemistry.
“This is the first time we have hosted the event," said Charlotte Rodeen-Dickert, STEM program coordinator for the USS Hornet Museum. The Naval Academy "will set up lab activities and train our staff in the morning, and then in the afternoon, our staff will be showing teachers activities they can take back to the classroom," Rodeen-Dickert said.”
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Can Tiny Houses Help Fix Homelessness? // Mother Jones
“Come last winter, June upgraded from his ramshackle encampment to a pink wooden house with a tan door and shiny roof. The new house, which is just long enough for him to lie down inside, cost only $30 to build.
“It's one of about 25 colorful homes artist Greg Kloehn has fashioned from the massive amounts of garbage dumped illegally in Oakland—a city where a minimum wage worker would have to put in 150-hour weeks to afford a fair market, two-bedroom apartment. He uses whatever materials he happens upon—pallets, bed boards, sheets of plastic, dryer doors. One home has an umbrella and grill propped on its miniature front porch. Wheels accommodate the "nomadic life" of people living on the street, who relocate frequently to avoid cops and city cleanup crews. As Kloehn jokes, he builds "illegal homes out of illegal garbage.”
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Proposed rules for SF homeless shelters create controversy // SF Examiner
“A push to implement uniform homeless shelter rules addressing such issues as violence and someone’s ability to use the bathroom has been met with pushback from homeless advocates and one supervisor whose district is home to several shelters.
“Rules of conduct have stirred controversy before. Most recently, the Main Library attempted to push through austere patron rules that were subsequently toned down to address concerns about their impact on homeless patrons”
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SF cab company goes mobile in hopes of better competing with ride-hail apps // SF Examiner
“DeSoto had considered converting its business model to a charter transportation service, as traditional taxis have lost business to companies that operate ride-hailing apps. Now, however, it is turning in the opposite direction and will brand itself after the technology that made Uber, Lyft, Sidecar and others overnight sensations.
“DeSoto will become the first fleet for taxi-hailing app Flywheel, changing its name to Flywheel Taxi and painting its vehicles bright red with reflective white decals of the new logo and moniker.”
