San Francisco turned ghost town?: Dave Chappelle ‘what the f happened to this place ?!’

Would like to see Specialty Towing try that in Texas, we stay strapped.... Hell nah

 

The mayors and governors hate the very people that elected them, I don't blame them for hating woke liberals but they should at least do their jobs...

 

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/arti...lerts&utm_campaign=sfcn | real estate insider

San Francisco’s biggest mall loses another major store

American Eagle Outfitters, one of the largest remaining stores at San Francisco Centre, is the latest major retailer set to leave the city’s troubled mall.

The store is scheduled to close permanently on July 12 — four years before its lease is up — resulting in job losses for 52 employees, according to local official filings.

In September, the parent company of American Eagle, a popular clothing company that occupies a large retail space at the mall’s main entrance near Fifth Street, filed a lawsuit against the former owners, Westfield. The suit accuses Westfield of allowing the mall to fall into disrepair and crime to escalate.

The lawsuit alleges that Westfield neglected security measures and basic mall management required by American Eagle’s lease after the pandemic began in 2020, leaving employees “to suffer and respond to gun violence, physical assaults, burglaries, and robberies.”

The American Eagle store was reportedly the scene of over 100 significant security incidents between May 2020 and May 2023, with patrons brandishing firearms and verbally assaulting store employees on multiple occasions.

Westfield and co-owner Brookfield Properties announced in June their intention to default on their $558 million loan for the property. They blamed the San Francisco city government for allowing “rampant criminal activity” that reduced sales and foot traffic in the mall.

However, the lawsuit contends that the mall operators are equally at fault.

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“Westfield cannot walk away from the harm that it has caused without consequence,” said the lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court. “It must be held accountable for the damages caused by its failures and broken promises.”

It also claims that Westfield closed its management office in the mall during this period.

American Eagle is seeking all actual and compensatory monetary damages due to the alleged breach of contract regarding mall security and maintenance promised in the lease with the chain, which was set to run through 2028.

The mall at 865 Market St. has seen a steady departure of stores since losing its most prominent tenants last year, Nordstrom and the Cinemark multi-screen movie complex.

Despite its challenges in San Francisco, American Eagle Outfitters reported a record fourth-quarter revenue of $1.7 billion, a 12% increase from the previous year, in its most recent earnings report.

“We are entering 2024 with momentum and from a position of strength with an exciting line-up of innovation and customer engagement initiatives, “ Jay Schottenstein, the company’s CEO said in a statement.

American Eagle Outfitters also has locations in San Mateo, Concord, Livermore and Pleasanton.​

 

Folks who claim to grew up in Brazil or "third" "world" country can't compare that main street walk as the worst unless they're spoiled SF softies trying to score a point on the internet.

The loin is bad and incredibly sketch but I never felt like I had to hand my wallet over like a walk in Sao Paulo or Recife.

The tech dystopia comparison is apt. SF has always been Tech Everest, but it's really an iceberg built upon the majority being underwater to keep the VC, landed wealthy, and tech bros afloat.

They knew since Gavin was a mayor to add at least a million people in housing to the city but couldn't. Now he's governor dealing with the same problem statewide, except his buddies are profiting off the housing supply imbalance.

Maybe having two credible parties at the state level helps except Republicans generally like higher housing prices too...

 

Ghost world now

 

SF Denny's that was once California's most expensive has closed

https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/sf-dennys-closed-19652076.php

excerpt:

The last remaining Denny’s in San Francisco has shuttered after nearly 25 years. The 24-hour diner chain’s 816 Mission St. location closed Aug. 1, franchise owner Chris Haque told SFGATE. As of Aug. 12, the Denny’s sign has been painted over.

“We’re the only store left, and we operated until the last day that we could,” Haque said. “The cost of doing business is tremendous. There’s vandalism, and people come and eat and walk away, and there’s no one to stop them.”

Haque claimed that dining and dashing was a big issue at the Denny’s near Union Square, which he said cut into the restaurant’s profit margins. He also pointed to the lack of conventions in San Francisco over the past few years, which the restaurant typically depended on for business. Haque used to be the franchise owner of a Denny’s location in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf as well, which closed in 2019, and still runs a Denny’s in Tacoma, Washington.

“It’s a beautiful city — we love it, we have been there so many years,” Haque said of San Francisco. “But I think [city officials] should make it more business-friendly.”
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more at the link

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Self-driving Waymo cars keep SF residents awake all night by honking at each other

Silicon Valley's latest disruption? Your sleep schedule. On Saturday, NBC Bay Area reported that San Francisco's South of Market residents are being awakened throughout the night by Waymo self-driving cars honking at each other in a parking lot. No one is inside the cars, and they appear to be automatically reacting to each other's presence.

Videos provided by residents to NBC show Waymo cars filing into the parking lot and attempting to back into spots, which seems to trigger honking from other Waymo vehicles. The automatic nature of these interactions—which seem to peak around 4 am every night—has left neighbors bewildered and sleep-deprived.​

 

If the criminals gets sick they bout to fine the ice cream shop and threaten to shut it down....