News Roundup for Monday May 9, 2016

SUPER BOWL GENERATED $2M IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE FOR CITY, COST MORE THAN EXPECTED

San Francisco’s controversial turn as host city for Super Bowl 50 generated around $2 million in additional revenue for the city overall but also cost more than previous estimates, according to a report released by the city controller’s office today.
Super Bowl-related events generated city revenues of $11.6 million from items including hotel and sales taxes, permit and license fees, rents and parking fees, and costs of $9.6 million for items including increased
staffing and overtime, materials and equipment and contractors, according to the report.
The city had previously estimated costs to police and other agencies at more than $5 million.
The largest positive revenue impacts came from increased hotel taxes, which were reported at $6.2 million above normal for that period, and
revenues from San Francisco International Airport, which generated $1.8 million above normal.
The largest expense impacts were to police, with costs estimated at $4 million, and to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, at
$2.5 million.
The report does not include the total number of city staff and resources dedicated to the event, opportunity costs and lost productivity, or
the overall economic impact on San Francisco, according to the controller’s office. Nor does it consider the impact of the event on San Francisco residents.
Super Bowl 50 was played at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara in February, but San Francisco hosted the NFL Experience, a ticketed fan event
at Moscone Center, and Super Bowl City, a free fan village at Justin Herman Plaza that included free concerts and other entertainment. The two events
drew around 1.1 million people between Jan. 30 and Feb. 7, according to the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee.
The Super Bowl drew controversy when it became clear that city costs and resources involved were likely to far outstrip initial estimates and would not be reimbursed by the National Football League.
Street closures also drew complaints from residents who found their commutes disrupted and businesses that reported reduced revenues in the
affected areas.
The event also drew negative publicity for the city when reports of efforts to relocate homeless residents from areas affected by the Super
Bowl events became public.
Business groups and Mayor Ed Lee, however, called the event a success and argued that it would make the city more money than it cost
because of increased hotel and sales tax revenue.
Supervisor Mark Farrell, a vocal supporter of the Super Bowl, said the report “proves once and for all that San Francisco was made whole and
then some.”
Farrell said in addition to generating revenue for the city, the event also generated $13 million in donations by the host committee to Bay
Area charities and “free marketing and exposure” to San Francisco.
“Hosting events like the Super Bowl is what world-class cities do, and San Francisco is a world-class city,” Farrell said. “I look forward to welcoming similar events that energize our city and the entire region.”
“We bid to host Super Bowl 50 here in the Bay Area knowing that it would be a smart investment for our region,” said Keith Bruce, CEO of the host committee. “Clearly, this investment has paid off.”
Supervisor Jane Kim, who along with Supervisor Aaron Peskin and John Avalos began raising concerns in the fall about the costs of the event,
said she was skeptical of the numbers in the report.
The report does not include the number of city employees asked to “volunteer” at Super Bowl events during work hours, and leaves out some
one-time expenses for improvements to city Wi-Fi and to the Old Mint, among other issues, Kim noted.
“I think this report just demonstrates that this was a bad deal for San Francisco,” Kim said today.
“The cost overruns are actually double what the city estimated,” Kim said. “I don’t think you can call $2 million a lot of revenue when you
spent nearly $10 million.”
Peskin said in a statement, “To say we broke even is being generous, and that doesn’t start to address the abysmal process or the impact
to neighborhoods and small businesses.”
He said for special events like the Super Bowl, the city needs to “make sure that there’s a better process moving forward and start
prioritizing San Franciscans over corporations.”
Kim has introduced legislation that will require the city to do a cost-benefit analysis of major events such as the Super Bowl before they take place.
Critics of the event argued that the city failed to negotiate a contract seeking reimbursement for its expenses before agreeing to host the
Super Bowl and did not make cost estimates public until shortly before it began.

PROTESTERS RALLY OUTSIDE TWO CITY HALL ENTRANCES

Protesters rallied outside of two entrances at San Francisco City Hall this morning in support of the Frisco Five, five people who abstained
from food for more than two weeks while calling for Mayor Ed Lee to fire police Chief Greg Suhr.
About 20 people were outside the entrance at Van Ness Avenue, while about 80 people were rallying outside the entrance at Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place.
The Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place entrance has been closed and the steps were blocked with metal barriers. Extra sheriff’s deputies and police officers were standing guard at all four entrances of City Hall during the protest.
The protesters are calling for the resignation of the police chief in response to recent fatal police shootings of black and Latino men in the city, including Alex Nieto, Mario Woods, Amilcar Perez Lopez and Luis Gongora.
Among the protesters are the parents of Alex Nieto, Elvira and Refugio Nieto. Alex Nieto was fatally shot by police in March 2014.
Yayne Abeba, spokeswoman for the Frisco Five, said the group is also now calling for the mayor’s resignation in addition to the police
chief’s.
“Now were calling for the mayor to go too. He’s not serving the people of San Francisco. He’s serving money, the developers and big corporate interest in San Francisco. His response to this has been cowardly,” Abeba
said.
The mayor last spoke with the Frisco Five via phone on Thursday, but no resolution was reached and the mayor said he stood behind Suhr,
according to organizers.
The five hunger strikers remain hospitalized this morning. They were hospitalized Friday afternoon after doctors monitoring them advised them against continuing to abstain from food.
“We want reforms to the Police Department and we want real reforms, not just reactive reforms,” Abeba said, adding that the San
Francisco Police Officers Association was also part of the problem.
“The POA is resistant to changing their use of force protocol. They want to use excessive force even though it’s been recommended they use minimal force, especially when dealing with mentally ill and unarmed people,” Abeba said. “They need to get out of their car and get to know people.”
The protesters are planning to continuing rallying throughout the day until City Hall closes at 8 p.m.
Today’s protest follows a larger gathering inside City Hall on Friday in which nearly 200 people refused to leave the building, even after it closed.
That protest resulted in dozens of arrests, according to organizers.
Additionally, City Hall sustained broken windows and damaged metal detectors during the protest, city officials said.

SUNSET DISTRICT BANK ROBBED BY WOMAN CARRYING HANDGUN

A bank in San Francisco’s Sunset District was robbed Friday afternoon by a woman carrying a gun in her bag, police said.
The suspect, a woman believed to be in her mid 20s, walked into a bank in the 2000 block of Irving Street just before 5 p.m. and handed the teller a note demanding money.
The teller told police he saw a handgun in the suspect’s bag. He gave the suspect cash and she fled north on 21st Avenue, police said.
The suspect was associated with a black sedan, police said. No arrest was reported as of this morning.

POLICE OFFICER RESPONDING TO TENDERLOIN FIGHT DOUSED WITH BLEACH

A police officer suffered chemical burns after being doused with bleach in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood Saturday night, police
said.
The officer was responding to a call about a fight shortly after 11 p.m. in the 100 block of Hyde Street when the suspect, a 47-year-old woman, allegedly poured bleach from a sixth-story window, police said.
The officer was taken to a hospital with chemical burns. Police said the officer was expected to survive their injuries.
The suspect was arrested at the scene, but police did not immediately release her identity.

2 PEOPLE SHOT, INJURED OVER WEEKEND

San Francisco police responded to two shootings this weekend, one of which left a victim with life-threatening injuries.
The first occurred Saturday afternoon near Jefferson Square Park. The victim, a 53-year-old man, called 911 shortly after 2:30 p.m. from the 900 block of Eddy Street to report that he had been shot in the leg, police said.
He was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries. Police did not release any suspect description and no arrest has been reported as of this morning.
A second shooting occurred shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday in the Bayview District.
Officers responded to the area of Nichols and Cameron ways after a ShotSpotter detection system indicated shots had been fired in the area.
A vehicle fled the scene and arrived at a hospital with the victim, a 39-year-old man who was taken immediately into surgery with
life-threatening injuries.
Officers found bullet casings at the scene, but further details on the circumstances of the shooting or a suspect description were not available as of this morning.

SERIOUS INJURIES REPORTED IN CRASH NEAR OCEAN BEACH LATE SUNDAY NIGHT

One person suffered serious injuries in a crash near San Francisco’s Ocean Beach late Sunday night, police said.
The collision was reported at 11:19 p.m. at Great Highway and Fulton Street.
A vehicle was traveling south on Great Highway and collided in the intersection with a car coming from westbound Fulton Street, according to police.
A male victim in one of the cars was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. No other information about the collision was immediately available from police.

HUNGER STRIKE TO CONTINUE TO PROTEST ALLEGED ATTACKS ON ETHNIC STUDIES

Four San Francisco State University students will continue a hunger strike today to call attention to alleged attacks by administrators against the university’s ethnic studies department.
Today is the eighth day of the strike in which the four are consuming liquids only, San Francisco State University Professor Andrew
Jolivette.
For the last two days the four have been seen by doctors and the four are okay, he said.
Jolivette identified the four as Ahkeel Andres Mestayer, 20, Hassani Bell, 18, Sachiel Rosen, 19 and Julia Retzlaff, 19.
The four are seeking to prompt administrators to allocate more money to the College of Ethnic Studies after money for two positions in the college was cut from the university’s permanent budget.
The hunger strikers will continue their strike this morning in an encampment in front of the university’s library.