This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateCalifornia hospital revenue plummeted by more than a third in the first four months of the pandemic as costs to care for coronavirus patients rose, a shocking financial blow that threatens to raise health care prices, according to a recent report.The report, published Wednesday by the California Health Care Foundation, said hospital revenue fell by a cumulative $13 billion from March to June — a 37% reduction from pre-coronavirus levels — as state and local shelter-in-place orders nearly eliminated surgeries and halved emergency...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateCalifornia hospital revenue plummeted by more than a third in the first four months of the pandemic as costs to care for coronavirus patients rose, a shocking financial blow that threatens to raise health care prices, according to a recent report.The report, published Wednesday by the California Health Care Foundation, said hospital revenue fell by a cumulative $13 billion from March to June — a 37% reduction from pre-coronavirus levels — as state and local shelter-in-place orders nearly eliminated surgeries and halved emergency...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateA San Francisco family is frantically searching for a Marine veteran with a head injury and trauma who disappeared from supportive housing downtown nearly two months ago.Abraham Siliezar was captured on security camera footage leaving his home at 250 Kearny St. at 10:24 a.m. Aug. 10. He was last seen on camera in the 900 block of Bush Street wearing an oversize black jacket, blue shirt and blue jeans. He had no ID, money or cell phone.His younger sister, Alexandra Siliezar, said her docile, 56-year-old brother — who suffered a...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateA San Francisco family is frantically searching for a Marine veteran with a head injury and trauma who disappeared from supportive housing downtown nearly two months ago.Abraham Siliezar was captured on security camera footage leaving his home at 250 Kearny St. at 10:24 a.m. Aug. 10. He was last seen on camera in the 900 block of Bush Street wearing an oversize black jacket, blue shirt and blue jeans. He had no ID, money or cell phone.His younger sister, Alexandra Siliezar, said her docile, 56-year-old brother — who suffered a...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateAs coronavirus cases fill hospital beds in record numbers across the Bay Area, health care and government leaders warn that a continued surge could edge facilities close to capacity.For now, regional hospitals say they remain in a stable place and are able to manage the influx of patients. But that could change, in a dramatic way.San Francisco’s top health official warned Wednesday that the city could see major hospital capacity problems in late summer and into the fall, if cases continue to rise at a rate that saw California...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateAs coronavirus cases fill hospital beds in record numbers across the Bay Area, health care and government leaders warn that a continued surge could edge facilities close to capacity.For now, regional hospitals say they remain in a stable place and are able to manage the influx of patients. But that could change, in a dramatic way.San Francisco’s top health official warned Wednesday that the city could see major hospital capacity problems in late summer and into the fall, if cases continue to rise at a rate that saw California...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFelecia Smith doesn’t want to grow old in the room she calls home in the Tenderloin. She dreams of one day having her own apartment in a safe neighborhood — a long shot in San Francisco’s impossibly pricey housing market.Smith, 59, pays nearly half her income to live in one of the city’s permanent supportive housing units, which help the formerly homeless. While she’s thankful for the roof over her head, she said the neighborhood she’s loved for four decades is becoming untenable, with drug dealers harassing her on the...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFelecia Smith doesn’t want to grow old in the room she calls home in the Tenderloin. She dreams of one day having her own apartment in a safe neighborhood — a long shot in San Francisco’s impossibly pricey housing market.Smith, 59, pays nearly half her income to live in one of the city’s permanent supportive housing units, which help the formerly homeless. While she’s thankful for the roof over her head, she said the neighborhood she’s loved for four decades is becoming untenable, with drug dealers harassing her on the...WW…

Five people, including a San Francisco police officer, were injured Wednesday morning after a crash on Market Street, authorities said.The crash happened around 11 a.m. at Market and Eighth streets, SFPD spokesperson Officer Robert Rueca said. The circumstances of the crash weren’t immediately clear, but Rueca said it involved “several vehicles and an on-duty SFPD motorcycle officer.”The police officer was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Rueca said. The four other people were also taken to the hospital, but their conditions were not immediately clear.Richard Byrd...…Five people, including a San Francisco police officer, were injured Wednesday morning after a crash on Market Street, authorities said.The crash happened around 11 a.m. at Market and Eighth streets, SFPD spokesperson Officer Robert Rueca said. The circumstances of the crash weren’t immediately clear, but Rueca said it involved “several vehicles and an on-duty SFPD motorcycle officer.”The police officer was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Rueca said. The four other people were also taken to the hospital, but their conditions were not immediately clear.Richard Byrd...WW…

A new city report unveiled Thursday estimates unpaid commercial rent in San Francisco from April to December 2020 to be between $172.1 million and $404.5 million.The report was released at a Board of Supervisors hearing Thursday on the state of unpaid commercial rent in the city stemming from the pandemic and related public health orders. The report prepared by the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s Office said unpaid rent for office, retail and industrial properties ranged from $19 million to almost $45 million per month from April to December 2020.The meeting tackled the issue of some...…A new city report unveiled Thursday estimates unpaid commercial rent in San Francisco from April to December 2020 to be between $172.1 million and $404.5 million.The report was released at a Board of Supervisors hearing Thursday on the state of unpaid commercial rent in the city stemming from the pandemic and related public health orders. The report prepared by the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s Office said unpaid rent for office, retail and industrial properties ranged from $19 million to almost $45 million per month from April to December 2020.The meeting tackled the issue of some...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSan Francisco authorized another 500 scooters in the city Friday, adding to the fleet of street-rented, two-wheeled electric vehicles that have caused considerable controversy since their arrival three years ago.Staff at the city transportation agency reported the increase at a public meeting Thursday. Once a sign of outlaw tech, the devices have become a common sight on city streets.During the pandemic, scooters have become an alternative to closed-in buses or cars at a time when people are concerned about airborne transmission...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSan Francisco authorized another 500 scooters in the city Friday, adding to the fleet of street-rented, two-wheeled electric vehicles that have caused considerable controversy since their arrival three years ago.Staff at the city transportation agency reported the increase at a public meeting Thursday. Once a sign of outlaw tech, the devices have become a common sight on city streets.During the pandemic, scooters have become an alternative to closed-in buses or cars at a time when people are concerned about airborne transmission...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board approved a package of changes Tuesday that could be the first steps in a controversial scaled-back proposal of the Market Street redesign.In the approved changes, the SFMTA will drop the speed limit on Market Street between Franklin and Steuart streets from 25 to 20 mph, force some right turns for vehicles, add crosswalks and stop signs, and ban some left turns and right turns on red.The changes prompted a larger debate about the Better Market Street project after the agency...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board approved a package of changes Tuesday that could be the first steps in a controversial scaled-back proposal of the Market Street redesign.In the approved changes, the SFMTA will drop the speed limit on Market Street between Franklin and Steuart streets from 25 to 20 mph, force some right turns for vehicles, add crosswalks and stop signs, and ban some left turns and right turns on red.The changes prompted a larger debate about the Better Market Street project after the agency...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBay Area governments and health care providers are opening new sites to administer vaccines and ramping up the number of shots given per day, as California tries to catch up with much of the rest of the country in doling out doses amid the worst surge of the pandemic.Local officials said Friday that the vaccine rollout is cramped by limited supply and a deluge in demand from residents over the age of 65 deemed eligible by the state to get immunizations this week, with some counties also citing the need for personnel, facilities...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateBay Area governments and health care providers are opening new sites to administer vaccines and ramping up the number of shots given per day, as California tries to catch up with much of the rest of the country in doling out doses amid the worst surge of the pandemic.Local officials said Friday that the vaccine rollout is cramped by limited supply and a deluge in demand from residents over the age of 65 deemed eligible by the state to get immunizations this week, with some counties also citing the need for personnel, facilities...WW…

There is no cure or vaccine yet for COVID-19, but Bay Area doctors now have months of experience treating the illness, using what they’ve learned from similar respiratory diseases while absorbing new research and trying out different drugs to help people heal.These front-line health professionals say the shelter-in-place orders put in place back in March bought them valuable time to learn how to treat the disease before seeing more cases.“We’re writing history as we’re living it, but we do anchor in what we do know,” said Dr. Erica Farrand, a pulmonologist specializing in lung diseases at...…There is no cure or vaccine yet for COVID-19, but Bay Area doctors now have months of experience treating the illness, using what they’ve learned from similar respiratory diseases while absorbing new research and trying out different drugs to help people heal.These front-line health professionals say the shelter-in-place orders put in place back in March bought them valuable time to learn how to treat the disease before seeing more cases.“We’re writing history as we’re living it, but we do anchor in what we do know,” said Dr. Erica Farrand, a pulmonologist specializing in lung diseases at...WW…