by Megan Degeneffe, SF2011 Soon after starting work at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) I noticed something strange. I work in the Water Conservation Section, a group dedicated to helping San Francisco customers reduce their water use. The SFPUC, however, is funded by selling water to ratepayers. The paradox is clear- I workRead… Read more »
by Meg Degeneffe, SF2011 Last week I felt like I made a difference in my city. Last week the Fellows presented on our final project: analyzing recidivism in San Francisco. Recidivism is a huge challenge facing cities, with most studies showing 50% to 80% of those released from custody re-offend. Unfortunately, a comprehensive analysis ofRead… Read more »
by Dani Fitts San Francisco Fellow ’11 In my time here at San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors has held two hearings entitled “Report of Assessment Costs for Blighted Properties”. During these hearings property owners are given the opportunity to object to fines levied against them for failing to remove blight from their properties. IRead… Read more »
by Whitney Ramos, SF2011 When I came across an article about the first University of San Francisco McCarthy Center Bay Area Survey, I immediately found the full report on the USF website. The trigger for my interest was a discussion of how much trust Bay Area residents have for the people who run their cities.Read… Read more »
Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series by SF2011 Fellow Marielle Earwood on lessons she has learned working on San Francisco’s Urban Watershed Framework, inside the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. by SF2011 Fellow Marielle Earwood My role as the Urban Watershed Framework (UWF) Coordinator has been to keep track of theRead… Read more »
This post is part one of a special two-part series by SF2011 Fellow Whitney Ramos Whitney served her Fellowship in the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. by Whitney Ramos, SF2011 I’m a big fan of distributed generation (DG), specifically when it’s renewable. DG (also called localized generation) refers to generation units that are interconnected toRead… Read more »