This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe Bay Area’s march to reopen the economy was disrupted on Friday when two counties jarred by a jump in new coronavirus infections abruptly halted plans to open some businesses and a third county said it is considering a similar move.San Francisco postponed plans to allow certain businesses to reopen next week, including hair salons, museums and outdoor bars, following a spate of new coronavirus cases, officials said Friday. Earlier this week, the city announced plans to accelerate the reopening of the city’s economy by several...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateThe Bay Area’s march to reopen the economy was disrupted on Friday when two counties jarred by a jump in new coronavirus infections abruptly halted plans to open some businesses and a third county said it is considering a similar move.San Francisco postponed plans to allow certain businesses to reopen next week, including hair salons, museums and outdoor bars, following a spate of new coronavirus cases, officials said Friday. Earlier this week, the city announced plans to accelerate the reopening of the city’s economy by several...WW…

Shoppers in Berkeley will soon see fewer junk food items on their way out of grocery stores now that the City Council has passed an ordinance requiring grocers to offer healthy food and beverages in checkout aisles.In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Berkeley City Council passed the “healthy checkout” bill, possibly the first city in the nation to do so, eliminating the sale of junk food and beverages in the checkout lane and requiring healthy food options instead.The bill was co-authored by Berkeley council members Kate Harrison and Sophie Hahn, and backed by the nonprofit Bay Area...…Shoppers in Berkeley will soon see fewer junk food items on their way out of grocery stores now that the City Council has passed an ordinance requiring grocers to offer healthy food and beverages in checkout aisles.In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Berkeley City Council passed the “healthy checkout” bill, possibly the first city in the nation to do so, eliminating the sale of junk food and beverages in the checkout lane and requiring healthy food options instead.The bill was co-authored by Berkeley council members Kate Harrison and Sophie Hahn, and backed by the nonprofit Bay Area...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFor 20 years, Adam Smith, owner of San Francisco newsstand Fog City News, told employees and customers one thing before they left his store at Market and First streets.“You’re going on a highway that is Market Street. Be careful or you’ll be trampled by people,” he would say.No longer. The coronavirus pandemic has turned downtown San Francisco, once bursting with workers and tourists, into a ghost town. A nearly decade-long boom that fueled record low unemployment and the highest average real estate prices in the country has come...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateFor 20 years, Adam Smith, owner of San Francisco newsstand Fog City News, told employees and customers one thing before they left his store at Market and First streets.“You’re going on a highway that is Market Street. Be careful or you’ll be trampled by people,” he would say.No longer. The coronavirus pandemic has turned downtown San Francisco, once bursting with workers and tourists, into a ghost town. A nearly decade-long boom that fueled record low unemployment and the highest average real estate prices in the country has come...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateTwo rounds of federal loans are helping Bay Area small businesses rehire workers and survive the coronavirus fallout. But owners say it’s a temporary fix amid the worst job losses since the Great Depression.The Paycheck Protection Program, which included a and an ongoing $310 billion second round in forgivable loans, helps businesses pay workers during widespread shutdowns.As of Friday, the government had issued , with $35.8 billion going to California, the highest amount for any state. There was $122 billion that hadn’t been...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateTwo rounds of federal loans are helping Bay Area small businesses rehire workers and survive the coronavirus fallout. But owners say it’s a temporary fix amid the worst job losses since the Great Depression.The Paycheck Protection Program, which included a and an ongoing $310 billion second round in forgivable loans, helps businesses pay workers during widespread shutdowns.As of Friday, the government had issued , with $35.8 billion going to California, the highest amount for any state. There was $122 billion that hadn’t been...WW…

Should grocery workers, who spend hours indoors in businesses catering to a wide range of customers, receive hazard pay?Bay Area and other California cities are increasingly saying “yes” to that question, creating momentum that could spread nationwide.Oakland’s City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to require large grocery stores to add $5 an hour onto the pay of workers. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday weighed a similar measure. Other Bay Area cities including Berkeley, Concord and Antioch are considering following suit, according to union representatives.The Santa Clara County...…Should grocery workers, who spend hours indoors in businesses catering to a wide range of customers, receive hazard pay?Bay Area and other California cities are increasingly saying “yes” to that question, creating momentum that could spread nationwide.Oakland’s City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to require large grocery stores to add $5 an hour onto the pay of workers. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday weighed a similar measure. Other Bay Area cities including Berkeley, Concord and Antioch are considering following suit, according to union representatives.The Santa Clara County...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateGrocery store Whole Foods’ efforts to open in a retail space that has been empty for three years in San Francisco’s Western Addition may be delayed for years.The Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday night an appeal by opponents of the proposed store, which will require Whole Foods to undergo environmental review, a process that can take years. The Planning Commission had previously voted to exempt the store from the review, but will have to vote again on the project after it is complete.Supervisors questioned the Planning...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateGrocery store Whole Foods’ efforts to open in a retail space that has been empty for three years in San Francisco’s Western Addition may be delayed for years.The Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday night an appeal by opponents of the proposed store, which will require Whole Foods to undergo environmental review, a process that can take years. The Planning Commission had previously voted to exempt the store from the review, but will have to vote again on the project after it is complete.Supervisors questioned the Planning...WW…

SACRAMENTO — California’s Proposition 24, which would expand the state’s landmark consumer privacy law, was passed by voters Tuesday night.The initiative prohibits legislators from weakening the California Consumer Privacy Act, creates a state agency to enforce privacy protections, and gives people more control over how tech companies use their personal information, such as race or health data.Privacy advocates led by , a wealthy San Francisco developer, proposed the measure because they say the existing law is at risk of being watered down in response to pressure from technology companies...…SACRAMENTO — California’s Proposition 24, which would expand the state’s landmark consumer privacy law, was passed by voters Tuesday night.The initiative prohibits legislators from weakening the California Consumer Privacy Act, creates a state agency to enforce privacy protections, and gives people more control over how tech companies use their personal information, such as race or health data.Privacy advocates led by , a wealthy San Francisco developer, proposed the measure because they say the existing law is at risk of being watered down in response to pressure from technology companies...WW…

San Francisco’s entertainment and nightlife businesses will get some relief in the form of fee and tax waivers, offering a reprieve for businesses still on the hook for expenses while revenues plummet during the coronavirus pandemic.The city’s entertainment and nightlife businesses, and venues, have either not been able to operate at all or are open in a very limited capacity. These businesses include music venues, nightclubs, bars and restaurants with live performances.Mayor London Breed announced the initiative Monday, saying that waiving license and registration fees as well as taxes is...…San Francisco’s entertainment and nightlife businesses will get some relief in the form of fee and tax waivers, offering a reprieve for businesses still on the hook for expenses while revenues plummet during the coronavirus pandemic.The city’s entertainment and nightlife businesses, and venues, have either not been able to operate at all or are open in a very limited capacity. These businesses include music venues, nightclubs, bars and restaurants with live performances.Mayor London Breed announced the initiative Monday, saying that waiving license and registration fees as well as taxes is...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateGap Inc. will permanently close its flagship store near Union Square, as the coronavirus pandemic and prolonged retail woes strike into the heart of the company’s San Francisco hometown.The company has also closed two other Gap stores in the city — in Embarcadero Center near its waterfront corporate headquarters and Stonestown Galleria — for good.That leaves the Chestnut Street location as the only Gap store operational in San Francisco. The company’s Old Navy flagship on Market Street, multiple Banana Republic and Athleta...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateGap Inc. will permanently close its flagship store near Union Square, as the coronavirus pandemic and prolonged retail woes strike into the heart of the company’s San Francisco hometown.The company has also closed two other Gap stores in the city — in Embarcadero Center near its waterfront corporate headquarters and Stonestown Galleria — for good.That leaves the Chestnut Street location as the only Gap store operational in San Francisco. The company’s Old Navy flagship on Market Street, multiple Banana Republic and Athleta...WW…

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateGov. Gavin Newsom called it a “dimmer switch.”For Bay Area business owners already grappling with new rules for protecting workers and customers as they reopened, the unexpected orders to close back up again are more like the flickering light in a horror film.Sonoma Fit CEO Adam Kovacs was in a meeting Monday when he began getting startling text messages saying that he would have to shutter his gyms in Petaluma and Sonoma.Kovacs was one of thousands of people operating businesses across the Bay Area who are dealing with what some...…This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateGov. Gavin Newsom called it a “dimmer switch.”For Bay Area business owners already grappling with new rules for protecting workers and customers as they reopened, the unexpected orders to close back up again are more like the flickering light in a horror film.Sonoma Fit CEO Adam Kovacs was in a meeting Monday when he began getting startling text messages saying that he would have to shutter his gyms in Petaluma and Sonoma.Kovacs was one of thousands of people operating businesses across the Bay Area who are dealing with what some...WW…