Chris Roberts

After less than eight months of commuting through San Francisco&#8217;s Tenderloin neighborhood, former U.S. Attorney David Anderson had seen enough.

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After less than eight months of commuting through San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood, former U.S. Attorney David Anderson had seen enough.

After less than eight months of commuting through San Francisco&#8217;s Tenderloin neighborhood, former U.S. Attorney David Anderson had seen enough.

In order to reach his office at the Phillip Burton Federal Building &amp; U.S. Courthouse on Golden Gate Avenue, Anderson and his colleagues at the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration had to drive or walk through the neighborhood’s notorious open-air drug market. Federal law enforcement worked in the city&#8217;s de-facto “containment zone” for vice.

In order to reach his office at the Phillip Burton Federal Building &amp; U.S. Courthouse on Golden Gate Avenue, Anderson and his colleagues at the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration had to drive or walk through the neighborhood’s notorious open-air drug market. Federal law enforcement worked in the city's de-facto “containment zone” for vice.

In order to reach his office at the Phillip Burton Federal Building &amp; U.S. Courthouse on Golden Gate Avenue, Anderson and his colleagues at the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration had to drive or walk through the neighborhood’s notorious open-air drug market. Federal law enforcement worked in the city&#8217;s de-facto “containment zone” for vice.

In his first news conference as then-President Donald Trump’s chief local law enforcer, Anderson announced in August 2019 that 17 federal agencies would participate in a crackdown on a neighborhood “smothered by lawlessness.”

In his first news conference as then-President Donald Trump’s chief local law enforcer, Anderson announced in August 2019 that 17 federal agencies would participate in a crackdown on a neighborhood “smothered by lawlessness.”

While homelessness and street crime were part of the area’s woes, what bothered Anderson most was the drugs: 56% of the city’s drug arrests were concentrated in the Tenderloin’s 50 square blocks. Anderson’s “Federal Initiative for the Tenderloin” would notch dozens of arrests over the remaining 18 months of his tenure, including 32 Honduran nationals caught dealing drugs on street corners within sight of the federal courthouse.

While homelessness and street crime were part of the area’s woes, what bothered Anderson most was the drugs: 56% of the city’s drug arrests were concentrated in the Tenderloin’s 50 square blocks. Anderson’s “Federal Initiative for the Tenderloin” would notch dozens of arrests over the remaining 18 months of his tenure, including 32 Honduran nationals caught dealing drugs on street corners within sight of the federal courthouse.

But all of this was very familiar—then and now.

But all of this was very familiar—then and now.

Mayor London Breed last month had her own <a href="https://sfstandard.com/public-health-safety/breed-declares-state-of-emergency-in-the-tenderloin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">press conference declaring a “state of emergency”</a> in the Tenderloin. All that had been going wrong in the neighborhood—a life expectancy nearly 10 years shorter than the citywide average, the worst concentration of poverty in the city—was actually getting worse. Instead of 56% of the city’s drug arrests, the Tenderloin’s share of such crimes rose to 60% last year, according to SFPD data.

Mayor London Breed last month had her own <a href="https://sfstandard.com/public-health-safety/breed-declares-state-of-emergency-in-the-tenderloin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">press conference declaring a “state of emergency”</a> in the Tenderloin. All that had been going wrong in the neighborhood—a life expectancy nearly 10 years shorter than the citywide average, the worst concentration of poverty in the city—was actually getting worse. Instead of 56% of the city’s drug arrests, the Tenderloin’s share of such crimes rose to 60% last year, according to SFPD data.

The mayor was mad, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRBe45y-834" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">her colorful reference</a> to “all the bullshit that has destroyed our city” garnered national headlines. Her get-tough vision—police descending on the neighborhood and offering users a choice of treatment or jail—enjoyed enough support that skeptical SF supervisors went on to approve the state of emergency declaration after a <a href="https://sfstandard.com/city-hall/emergency-drug-overdose-measure/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">contentious 10-plus hour meeting</a> just before Christmas.

The mayor was mad, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRBe45y-834" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">her colorful reference</a> to “all the bullshit that has destroyed our city” garnered national headlines. Her get-tough vision—police descending on the neighborhood and offering users a choice of treatment or jail—enjoyed enough support that skeptical SF supervisors went on to approve the state of emergency declaration after a <a href="https://sfstandard.com/city-hall/emergency-drug-overdose-measure/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">contentious 10-plus hour meeting</a> just before Christmas.

The board on Tuesday affirmed its support for the emergency declaration, though some supervisors still hope to undo it. <a href="https://sfstandard.com/city-hall/emergency-linkage-tenderloin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Breed on Tuesday</a> also answered critics who said her plan was too vague by providing more details, including the location of a key new social services center at 1170 Market St.&nbsp;

The board on Tuesday affirmed its support for the emergency declaration, though some supervisors still hope to undo it. <a href="https://sfstandard.com/city-hall/emergency-linkage-tenderloin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Breed on Tuesday</a> also answered critics who said her plan was too vague by providing more details, including the location of a key new social services center at 1170 Market St.&nbsp;

In taking on the Tenderloin, history shows that the mayor has certainly met her match

In taking on the Tenderloin, history shows that the mayor has certainly met her match

The Tenderloin is plagued by problems that have defied attempted solutions for decades, despite the efforts of past mayors, police chiefs and prosecutors. It’s served as the city’s catchment basin&nbsp;for all manner of vice since the days of the Barbary Coast, and it’s also been the city’s hub for low-income housing, substance-abuse treatment and other services—resisted elsewhere in the city—since the 1980s. Without suppressing causes or demand, anything that suppresses drug use and crime in the Tenderloin risks simply moving it to other parts of town. And more comprehensive solutions to addiction, mental illness, poverty, homelessness and sky-high housing costs—all of which are major contributors to the Tenderloin’s problems—are largely outside of the city’s control.

The Tenderloin is plagued by problems that have defied attempted solutions for decades, despite the efforts of past mayors, police chiefs and prosecutors. It’s served as the city’s catchment basin&nbsp;for all manner of vice since the days of the Barbary Coast, and it’s also been the city’s hub for low-income housing, substance-abuse treatment and other services—resisted elsewhere in the city—since the 1980s. Without suppressing causes or demand, anything that suppresses drug use and crime in the Tenderloin risks simply moving it to other parts of town. And more comprehensive solutions to addiction, mental illness, poverty, homelessness and sky-high housing costs—all of which are major contributors to the Tenderloin’s problems—are largely outside of the city’s control.

Members of San Francisco’s Homeless Outreach Team perform wellness check-ups and distribute food to people lying on Jones Street on Dec. 17, 2021. | James Wyatt

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DocumentingTenderloin_JamesWyatt_SFS_16-1-2500x1663.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22709"/><figcaption>Members of San Francisco’s Homeless Outreach Team perform wellness check-ups and distribute food to people lying on Jones Street on Dec. 17, 2021. | James Wyatt</figcaption></figure>

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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DocumentingTenderloin_JamesWyatt_SFS_16-1-2500x1663.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22709"/><figcaption>Members of San Francisco’s Homeless Outreach Team perform wellness check-ups and distribute food to people lying on Jones Street on Dec. 17, 2021. | James Wyatt</figcaption></figure>

“I’m trying to remember when we didn’t have an emergency,” said former Supervisor Jane Kim, who represented the Tenderloin on the board from 2011 to 2019. “It’s always a state of emergency in the Tenderloin—and it’s been exacerbated by the pandemic.”

“I’m trying to remember when we didn’t have an emergency,” said former Supervisor Jane Kim, who represented the Tenderloin on the board from 2011 to 2019. “It’s always a state of emergency in the Tenderloin—and it’s been exacerbated by the pandemic.”

Tenderloin crackdowns have historically focused on law enforcement. Frank Jordan, a former city police chief, tried his version of a cleanup in 1995, a scheme called Matrix. Former Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004 launched what he called a “scrubdown.” Another former police chief, George Gascón—who later morphed into a progressive district attorney—led another crackdown in 2009. U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, Anderson’s Barack Obama-appointed predecessor, tried to clean up the Tenderloin in 2013 with “Operation Safe Schools,” which&nbsp;targeted dealers peddling too close to schools by using a federal statute to get around more lenient state drug laws.&nbsp;

Tenderloin crackdowns have historically focused on law enforcement. Frank Jordan, a former city police chief, tried his version of a cleanup in 1995, a scheme called Matrix. Former Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004 launched what he called a “scrubdown.” Another former police chief, George Gascón—who later morphed into a progressive district attorney—led another crackdown in 2009. U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag, Anderson’s Barack Obama-appointed predecessor, tried to clean up the Tenderloin in 2013 with “Operation Safe Schools,” which&nbsp;targeted dealers peddling too close to schools by using a federal statute to get around more lenient state drug laws.&nbsp;

And while his tools were techies and realtors, former Mayor Ed Lee’s Twitter tax break and subsequent boosterism of the Mid-Market area <a href="https://sanfran.com/arise-tenderloin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">was a Tenderloin intervention effort</a>, too.

And while his tools were techies and realtors, former Mayor Ed Lee’s Twitter tax break and subsequent boosterism of the Mid-Market area <a href="https://sanfran.com/arise-tenderloin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">was a Tenderloin intervention effort</a>, too.

Neither a spokesperson for Anderson’s successor, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds, nor Gascón, who is now the district attorney in Los Angeles, responded to requests for comment. Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But so far, the Biden-appointed Hinds <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/eight-defendants-charged-tenderloin-based-drug-trafficking-conspiracy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">has continued prosecuting street dealers</a> while also launching a much softer-sounding <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/united-states-attorney-s-office-through-department-justice-project-safe-neighborhoods" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Youth Voice Program in the Tenderloin</a>.

Neither a spokesperson for Anderson’s successor, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Hinds, nor Gascón, who is now the district attorney in Los Angeles, responded to requests for comment. Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But so far, the Biden-appointed Hinds <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/eight-defendants-charged-tenderloin-based-drug-trafficking-conspiracy" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">has continued prosecuting street dealers</a> while also launching a much softer-sounding <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/united-states-attorney-s-office-through-department-justice-project-safe-neighborhoods" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Youth Voice Program in the Tenderloin</a>.

Randy Shaw, the outspoken executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic and a supporter of Breed’s efforts, said in a blog post published Tuesday that Gascón’s <meta charset="utf-8">crackdown was the only one that worked; the only problem was that it didn’t last long enough. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304017404575166332670248118">Other sources</a><a href="http://www.lacp.org/2010-Articles-Main/040810-TenderloinCrackdownSparksBacklashInSanFran.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> tell a slightly different story</a>: Filling the jails with drug users contradicted Newsom’s dictat to incarcerate fewer people, and even many Tenderloin residents and advocates felt locking up drug users was a waste of limited police resources. Gascón himself subsequently appeared to have a conversion: He went on <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-09/skelton-organized-theft-proposition-47" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">to co-sponsor Prop. 47</a>, which downgraded most drug crimes in the state from felonies to misdemeanors.

Randy Shaw, the outspoken executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic and a supporter of Breed’s efforts, said in a blog post published Tuesday that Gascón’s <meta charset="utf-8">crackdown was the only one that worked; the only problem was that it didn’t last long enough. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304017404575166332670248118">Other sources</a><a href="http://www.lacp.org/2010-Articles-Main/040810-TenderloinCrackdownSparksBacklashInSanFran.htm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> tell a slightly different story</a>: Filling the jails with drug users contradicted Newsom’s dictat to incarcerate fewer people, and even many Tenderloin residents and advocates felt locking up drug users was a waste of limited police resources. Gascón himself subsequently appeared to have a conversion: He went on <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-12-09/skelton-organized-theft-proposition-47" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">to co-sponsor Prop. 47</a>, which downgraded most drug crimes in the state from felonies to misdemeanors.

Same old law-and-order response? Or…

Same old law-and-order response? Or…

The initial tenor of Breed’s Tenderloin response was very much in line with the law-and-order approach of her predecessors. It also echoed her riposte to the recent hijinks in Union Square, where a mob cleaned out a Louis Vuitton store amid other flash-mob robberies across the Bay Area. The city responded by closing streets to vehicle traffic and stationing police on every corner, and District Attorney Chesa Boudin duly filed charges.&nbsp;

The initial tenor of Breed’s Tenderloin response was very much in line with the law-and-order approach of her predecessors. It also echoed her riposte to the recent hijinks in Union Square, where a mob cleaned out a Louis Vuitton store amid other flash-mob robberies across the Bay Area. The city responded by closing streets to vehicle traffic and stationing police on every corner, and District Attorney Chesa Boudin duly filed charges.&nbsp;

Mayor Breed speaks at a press conference about safety in the city on October 19, 2021. | Camille Cohen

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/breed-01-1-2500x1667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22695"/><figcaption>Mayor Breed at a press conference on Oct. 19, 2021. | Camille Cohen</figcaption></figure>

On Dec. 28, the mayor’s office circulated a “Strategic Plan and Operation Guide” for the emergency declaration approved a few days prior. At the top of the mayor’s list was “Targeted/strategic disruption and intervention” of “Drug dealing and violent crime.” Police are also central to her plan to interrupt “Open air drug use,” which was listed as third in the mayor’s top seven “priority problems.”

On Dec. 28, the mayor’s office circulated a “Strategic Plan and Operation Guide” for the emergency declaration approved a few days prior. At the top of the mayor’s list was “Targeted/strategic disruption and intervention” of “Drug dealing and violent crime.” Police are also central to her plan to interrupt “Open air drug use,” which was listed as third in the mayor’s top seven “priority problems.”

Other aspects of the plan are more holistic–and less carceral. Breed has in some ways gone further than her predecessors with the official emergency declaration itself, which grants her office extra power to push past bureaucratic hurdles like zoning laws. That has helped clear the way for the “linkage center” at 1170 Market St. that was announced Tuesday, where police and social workers will bring troubled people in need of services. (It could also facilitate a long-debated safe-injection site that’s tentatively slated for a Geary Street location, as well as a meth “sobering center” that even some supporters of the crackdown prefer would go somewhere else.) According to the mayor, “TL-dedicated beds” in the city’s homeless-shelter and a mental-health treatment complex are also part of the plan, but how many and where remains to be seen.

Other aspects of the plan are more holistic–and less carceral. Breed has in some ways gone further than her predecessors with the official emergency declaration itself, which grants her office extra power to push past bureaucratic hurdles like zoning laws. That has helped clear the way for the “linkage center” at 1170 Market St. that was announced Tuesday, where police and social workers will bring troubled people in need of services. (It could also facilitate a long-debated safe-injection site that’s tentatively slated for a Geary Street location, as well as a meth “sobering center” that even some supporters of the crackdown prefer would go somewhere else.) According to the mayor, “TL-dedicated beds” in the city’s homeless-shelter and a mental-health treatment complex are also part of the plan, but how many and where remains to be seen.

Though law-and-order is popular in the midst of pandemic uncertainty and blowback against the defund the police movement, the most successful efforts to clean up the Tenderloin in the past haven’t always been led by police, as Kim and others note. Take the corner of Turk and Taylor streets, a block up from the Warfield Theater music venue. Instead of deploying cops, transit officials <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Banning-parking-on-Tenderloin-block-drives-5208612.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">removed street parking in 2014</a>. Into the old Original Joe’s location, vacant since a 2007 fire, came the performance venue Piano Fight. With the street reimagined and the sidewalks activated, drug dealing went somewhere else—only for it all to come right back when businesses closed during the pandemic.

Though law-and-order is popular in the midst of pandemic uncertainty and blowback against the defund the police movement, the most successful efforts to clean up the Tenderloin in the past haven’t always been led by police, as Kim and others note. Take the corner of Turk and Taylor streets, a block up from the Warfield Theater music venue. Instead of deploying cops, transit officials <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Banning-parking-on-Tenderloin-block-drives-5208612.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">removed street parking in 2014</a>. Into the old Original Joe’s location, vacant since a 2007 fire, came the performance venue Piano Fight. With the street reimagined and the sidewalks activated, drug dealing went somewhere else—only for it all to come right back when businesses closed during the pandemic.

In a hint that her office is looking to repeat that success, Breed’s plan includes “street/sidewalk engineering” and the Department of Public Works will conduct “targeted and frequent cleanings.” But what lessons the mayor is taking from the past is unclear.&nbsp;

In a hint that her office is looking to repeat that success, Breed’s plan includes “street/sidewalk engineering” and the Department of Public Works will conduct “targeted and frequent cleanings.” But what lessons the mayor is taking from the past is unclear.&nbsp;

Breed did not agree to be interviewed for this article. In an email exchange, Jeff Cretan, the mayor’s spokesperson, declined to address the Tenderloin cleanup initiatives others have tried.

Breed did not agree to be interviewed for this article. In an email exchange, Jeff Cretan, the mayor’s spokesperson, declined to address the Tenderloin cleanup initiatives others have tried.

“I can&#8217;t speak to efforts before or challenges in the future,” he said. “What I can say is that we are taking what we learned during Covid, which is that no single agency can tackle a complex challenge alone.”

“I can't speak to efforts before or challenges in the future,” he said. “What I can say is that we are taking what we learned during Covid, which is that no single agency can tackle a complex challenge alone.”

“I can&#8217;t speak to efforts before or challenges in the future,” he said. “What I can say is that we are taking what we learned during Covid, which is that no single agency can tackle a complex challenge alone.”

A “cyclical” phenomena&nbsp;&nbsp;

A “cyclical” phenomena&nbsp;&nbsp;

Matt Gonzalez, chief attorney at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, recalled crackdowns led by former District Attorney Arlo Smith in the early 1990s, calling Tenderloin offensives a “cyclical” phenomena closely linked to political fortunes.

Matt Gonzalez, chief attorney at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, recalled crackdowns led by former District Attorney Arlo Smith in the early 1990s, calling Tenderloin offensives a “cyclical” phenomena closely linked to political fortunes.

“It’s driven by public frustration with the condition of the streets,” Gonzalez said. “There’s always this sudden effort or announcement that there’s going to be this law enforcement remedy because that’s always the first tool in the box.”

“It’s driven by public frustration with the condition of the streets,” Gonzalez said. “There’s always this sudden effort or announcement that there’s going to be this law enforcement remedy because that’s always the first tool in the box.”

The cycle often begins when outrage over the status quo boils over, leading to critiques of the mayor or other public officials. The city may be in this stage now: According to several sources who have seen recent polling numbers, Breed’s favorability ratings have fallen from Covid-19 pandemic highs of more than 70% to percentages in the 50s.

The cycle often begins when outrage over the status quo boils over, leading to critiques of the mayor or other public officials. The city may be in this stage now: According to several sources who have seen recent polling numbers, Breed’s favorability ratings have fallen from Covid-19 pandemic highs of more than 70% to percentages in the 50s.

Pressured by outside forces or genuinely sick of the untenable situation quo—or both—the mayor is driven to action. The media then reports the mayor is taking action. And the public, satisfied that the mayor is responsive, moves on—until something else, like the 11-year-old girl wearing a hijab being punched in the head on Sept. 29, steers the conversation back to the same ghastly old Tenderloin.

Pressured by outside forces or genuinely sick of the untenable situation quo—or both—the mayor is driven to action. The media then reports the mayor is taking action. And the public, satisfied that the mayor is responsive, moves on—until something else, like the 11-year-old girl wearing a hijab being punched in the head on Sept. 29, steers the conversation back to the same ghastly old Tenderloin.

That attack was a transgression of the Tenderloin’s street code and a new low, even by the neighborhood’s blinkered standards, said Tracey Mixon, a formerly homeless Tenderloin drug dealer who now organizes for the Coalition on Homelessness. The incident prompted hundreds of residents to sign a Nov. 5 letter to the mayor decrying the neighborhood’s “containment zone” status. That letter in turn prompted Breed to attend a Dec. 10 “listening session” in which Tenderloin residents aired grievances about that attack and other incidents. The mayor’s emergency declaration followed a week later.

That attack was a transgression of the Tenderloin’s street code and a new low, even by the neighborhood’s blinkered standards, said Tracey Mixon, a formerly homeless Tenderloin drug dealer who now organizes for the Coalition on Homelessness. The incident prompted hundreds of residents to sign a Nov. 5 letter to the mayor decrying the neighborhood’s “containment zone” status. That letter in turn prompted Breed to attend a Dec. 10 “listening session” in which Tenderloin residents aired grievances about that attack and other incidents. The mayor’s emergency declaration followed a week later.

Children play at the 4th Annual People’s Holiday Tree Lighting in the Tenderloin on Dec. 15, 2021. | Sophie Bearman

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/IA7A3203.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-22700"/><figcaption>Children play at the 4th Annual People’s Holiday Tree Lighting in the Tenderloin on Dec. 15, 2021. | Sophie Bearman</figcaption></figure>

Even those who disagreed with Breed’s technique couldn’t deny the obvious: The Tenderloin is bad and getting worse, and if not this, then what?&nbsp;

Even those who disagreed with Breed’s technique couldn’t deny the obvious: The Tenderloin is bad and getting worse, and if not this, then what?&nbsp;

“Without exaggerating, it is unlivable” right now, said Christy Shirilla, the director of community organizing at the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, which pressured Breed to call for the crackdown.

“Without exaggerating, it is unlivable” right now, said Christy Shirilla, the director of community organizing at the Tenderloin Community Benefit District, which pressured Breed to call for the crackdown.

A neighborhood resident for seven years, Shirilla moved away after she was “attacked, unprovoked, for the third time in three years in the middle of the day,” she said in a recent interview. “At any given time of day, any day of the week, there are 250 drug dealers in the neighborhood.”

A neighborhood resident for seven years, Shirilla moved away after she was “attacked, unprovoked, for the third time in three years in the middle of the day,” she said in a recent interview. “At any given time of day, any day of the week, there are 250 drug dealers in the neighborhood.”

Shirilla added that the touts are becoming more brazen and more aggressive, physically “poking” passersby with an index finger if they decline to buy.

Shirilla added that the touts are becoming more brazen and more aggressive, physically “poking” passersby with an index finger if they decline to buy.

Once the city’s emergency declaration ends in March, as-yet undefined “long-term City resource allocations” will follow. But looming over this as well is the June recall election of Boudin, the progressive district attorney blamed for failing to incarcerate wrongdoers. If Boudin is removed and Breed installs a successor and the Tenderloin is still unlivable, history may repeat itself yet again, at the mayor’s expense.&nbsp;

Once the city’s emergency declaration ends in March, as-yet undefined “long-term City resource allocations” will follow. But looming over this as well is the June recall election of Boudin, the progressive district attorney blamed for failing to incarcerate wrongdoers. If Boudin is removed and Breed installs a successor and the Tenderloin is still unlivable, history may repeat itself yet again, at the mayor’s expense.&nbsp;

Chris Roberts (cbloggy@gmail.com) is a contributing writer.

Chris Roberts (cbloggy@gmail.com) is a contributing writer.

Analysis: Political history haunts Mayor Breed as she attempts (another) Tenderloin cleanup

Carrie Sisto

Artist Mike Arcega and filmmaker Paolo Asuncion met at an art gallery in SoMa several years ago and were surprised to learn their brothers were friends in Manila. Their friendship—and mutual passion for motorcycles—led to their collaboration on a custom-built motorized tricycle, with a sidecar attached&nbsp;and a built-in karaoke machine.&nbsp;

Artist Mike Arcega and filmmaker Paolo Asuncion met at an art gallery in SoMa several years ago and were surprised to learn their brothers were friends in Manila. Their friendship—and mutual passion for motorcycles—led to their collaboration on a custom-built motorized tricycle, with a sidecar attached&nbsp;and a built-in karaoke machine.&nbsp;

The mobile, musical sculpture not only roams the streets of SoMa now but has become a symbol of Filipino American identity in the community and a repository for its stories spanning oceans and generations.&nbsp;The colorful contraption will be out for a spin on Thursday, July 29, for the Exploratorium’s <a href="https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark-art-for-action" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Art for Action</a> after-hours event, where attendees will be able to sing “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK03mMigki0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SideCaraoke</a>” and see the springboard for the friends’ forthcoming documentary in all its bespoke glory.&nbsp;

The mobile, musical sculpture not only roams the streets of SoMa now but has become a symbol of Filipino American identity in the community and a repository for its stories spanning oceans and generations.&nbsp;The colorful contraption will be out for a spin on Thursday, July 29, for the Exploratorium’s <a href="https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark-art-for-action" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Art for Action</a> after-hours event, where attendees will be able to sing “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK03mMigki0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SideCaraoke</a>” and see the springboard for the friends’ forthcoming documentary in all its bespoke glory.&nbsp;

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/G-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6428"/><figcaption>Having trekked across the Golden Gate Bridge earlier this year, the TNT Traysikel has become a vehicle for local Filipino Americans to belt out songs and celebrate their stories. | Photo by Mark Baugh Sasaki</figcaption></figure>

You could call it a coming-out party to the wider public for the tricycle, which Arcega sees as a signal for the Filipino American community in the South of Market neighborhood. When the <a href="https://www.somapilipinas.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SOMA Pilipinas</a> cultural district <a href="https://sfstandard.com/heres-how-san-franciscos-cultural-districts-work/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">was made official in 2016</a>, it was clear the Filipino community lacked physical representation, Arcega told Here/Say.

You could call it a coming-out party to the wider public for the tricycle, which Arcega sees as a signal for the Filipino American community in the South of Market neighborhood. When the <a href="https://www.somapilipinas.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SOMA Pilipinas</a> cultural district <a href="https://sfstandard.com/heres-how-san-franciscos-cultural-districts-work/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">was made official in 2016</a>, it was clear the Filipino community lacked physical representation, Arcega told Here/Say.

“People were looking for some iconic thing to create a cultural presence in the community,” he said.

“People were looking for some iconic thing to create a cultural presence in the community,” he said.

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tricycleA-2500x1875.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6488"/><figcaption>Filipino-Korean singer-songwriter and DC Comic&#8217;s &#8216;Birds of Prey&#8217; star Ella Jay Basco poses in front of the TNT Traysikel at the Asian American film festival CAMMFest. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tricycleA-2500x1875.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6488"/><figcaption>Filipino-Korean singer-songwriter and DC Comic's 'Birds of Prey' star Ella Jay Basco poses in front of the TNT Traysikel at the Asian American film festival CAMMFest. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tricycleA-2500x1875.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6488"/><figcaption>Filipino-Korean singer-songwriter and DC Comic&#8217;s &#8216;Birds of Prey&#8217; star Ella Jay Basco poses in front of the TNT Traysikel at the Asian American film festival CAMMFest. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

Grant funding and support from the San Francisco Arts Commission—which has been pushing to bring innovative Filipino art installations to the SOMA Pilipinas cultural district—aided Arcega and Asuncion’s purchase of a bike and sidecar that was “just bare metal” about two and a half years ago, Asuncion said.

Grant funding and support from the San Francisco Arts Commission—which has been pushing to bring innovative Filipino art installations to the SOMA Pilipinas cultural district—aided Arcega and Asuncion’s purchase of a bike and sidecar that was “just bare metal” about two and a half years ago, Asuncion said.

The two friends collaborated with painter<a href="https://www.instagram.com/allthingsmeng/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Michelle “Meng” Nguyen</a> and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/HandsomeAsiansMotorcycleClub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Handsome Asians Motorcycle Club</a> to customize the vehicle and started riding it around San Francisco, particularly in SoMa, under the moniker <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tnt_traysikel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TNT Traysikel</a>. According to the artists, TNT is a Tagalog acronym for Tago ng Tago, which translates to “always hiding” and is used as a codeword among Filipinos for an undocumented person.

The two friends collaborated with painter<a href="https://www.instagram.com/allthingsmeng/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"> Michelle “Meng” Nguyen</a> and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/HandsomeAsiansMotorcycleClub" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Handsome Asians Motorcycle Club</a> to customize the vehicle and started riding it around San Francisco, particularly in SoMa, under the moniker <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tnt_traysikel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TNT Traysikel</a>. According to the artists, TNT is a Tagalog acronym for Tago ng Tago, which translates to “always hiding” and is used as a codeword among Filipinos for an undocumented person.

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/E-1-2500x1875.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6399"/><figcaption>The Handsome Asians Motorcycle Club was essential in TNT’s early restructuring. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

The rig’s full karaoke machine plays songs in English and Tagalog (the standardized language of the Philippines), and riders can don a helmet with an embedded microphone to belt out their song of choice.&nbsp; Standard microphones can be used when the tricycle is parked.

The rig’s full karaoke machine plays songs in English and Tagalog (the standardized language of the Philippines), and riders can don a helmet with an embedded microphone to belt out their song of choice.&nbsp; Standard microphones can be used when the tricycle is parked.

While the tricycle started as just a moving, musical art piece, it has now transitioned into an oral history project on wheels and a source of mobile joy, offering Filipinos across the Bay Area an opportunity to re-connect to their cultural roots, Arcega said.

While the tricycle started as just a moving, musical art piece, it has now transitioned into an oral history project on wheels and a source of mobile joy, offering Filipinos across the Bay Area an opportunity to re-connect to their cultural roots, Arcega said.

In April 2021, the tricycle <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf04-RFk-hM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">made an epic journey</a> across the Golden Gate Bridge as part of a trek organized by the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/norcalpinoyriders/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northern California Pinoy Riders</a> to celebrate the state’s gradual reopening from COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions and sport some cultural pride.

In April 2021, the tricycle <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf04-RFk-hM" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">made an epic journey</a> across the Golden Gate Bridge as part of a trek organized by the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/norcalpinoyriders/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Northern California Pinoy Riders</a> to celebrate the state’s gradual reopening from COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions and sport some cultural pride.

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/C.png" alt="" class="wp-image-6390"/><figcaption>The Hon. Neil Frank R. Ferrer and Marie Soleil Tropicales belt out the song ‘Manila’ by Hotdog on the sidewalk in front of the Philippine consulate’s Sutter Street office. &nbsp;| Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

“We started driving it around and anywhere we went, people would just approach it, admire it, and then turn to us and start telling us a story,” Asuncion said. Prompted by the tricycle, Filipinos spanning first-generation to fifth would dive into the history of their immigrant experience and their cultural connections.

“We started driving it around and anywhere we went, people would just approach it, admire it, and then turn to us and start telling us a story,” Asuncion said. Prompted by the tricycle, Filipinos spanning first-generation to fifth would dive into the history of their immigrant experience and their cultural connections.

Asuncion recounted one interview in which one of the NorCal Pinoy Riders recounted the story of going through his grandfather’s belongings after his death.

Asuncion recounted one interview in which one of the NorCal Pinoy Riders recounted the story of going through his grandfather’s belongings after his death.

The rider’s father and his four siblings had approved visas to go to the U.S. because of his grandfather’s service in World War II. But for some reason—perhaps because of the family’s economic status—the grandfather never told his family about the visas and their access to the U.S. When the documents were discovered after his death, the family pooled their funding to send one sibling to Chicago, where she worked at a White Castle drive-thru window until she had saved enough money to bring another sibling over. The siblings continued working and saving until the whole family was reunited in the U.S.

The rider’s father and his four siblings had approved visas to go to the U.S. because of his grandfather’s service in World War II. But for some reason—perhaps because of the family’s economic status—the grandfather never told his family about the visas and their access to the U.S. When the documents were discovered after his death, the family pooled their funding to send one sibling to Chicago, where she worked at a White Castle drive-thru window until she had saved enough money to bring another sibling over. The siblings continued working and saving until the whole family was reunited in the U.S.

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/B-2500x1875.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6471"/><figcaption>Arianna Lady Basco and Maddie Dimayuga sing karaoke from the sidecar at Kapwa Gardens in SoMa. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

“The sacrifice and hard work involved to move here is typically overlooked,” Asuncion said. The TNT Traysikel project aims to spotlight such stories and document them.

“The sacrifice and hard work involved to move here is typically overlooked,” Asuncion said. The TNT Traysikel project aims to spotlight such stories and document them.

Once the artists realized the clear, emotional response to TNT, they saw an opportunity to use it to create a more in-depth documentary series. The two friends are utilizing the spontaneous interactions with the tricycle to identify interview subjects for their documentary, which will be filmed over the coming year. Some interviews will be within the tricycle itself as part of a karaoke session, while others may occur in a more stationary setting.&nbsp;

Once the artists realized the clear, emotional response to TNT, they saw an opportunity to use it to create a more in-depth documentary series. The two friends are utilizing the spontaneous interactions with the tricycle to identify interview subjects for their documentary, which will be filmed over the coming year. Some interviews will be within the tricycle itself as part of a karaoke session, while others may occur in a more stationary setting.&nbsp;

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tricycleF-2500x1875.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6417"/><figcaption> The Filipina Bayanihan Choir admire TNT at SoMa&#8217;s Kapwa Gardens while the tricycle project films its upcoming documentary. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tricycleF-2500x1875.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6417"/><figcaption> The Filipina Bayanihan Choir admire TNT at SoMa's Kapwa Gardens while the tricycle project films its upcoming documentary. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tricycleF-2500x1875.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6417"/><figcaption> The Filipina Bayanihan Choir admire TNT at SoMa&#8217;s Kapwa Gardens while the tricycle project films its upcoming documentary. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

The stories invoked by the tricycle not only tell Filipino immigrants’ stories but also explain why so many Filipinos <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/filipino-immigrants-united-states-2020" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">are migrating</a> to the United States, Arcega said.&nbsp;

The stories invoked by the tricycle not only tell Filipino immigrants’ stories but also explain why so many Filipinos <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/filipino-immigrants-united-states-2020" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">are migrating</a> to the United States, Arcega said.&nbsp;

“Most people haven’t learned — or don’t remember — that all of the people in the Philippines were Americans,” when the U.S. colonized the islands in 1898, he said. “The U.S. is and has been present in the Philippines since then… even the educational and government systems are based on the U.S. system.”&nbsp;

“Most people haven’t learned — or don’t remember — that all of the people in the Philippines were Americans,” when the U.S. colonized the islands in 1898, he said. “The U.S. is and has been present in the Philippines since then… even the educational and government systems are based on the U.S. system.”&nbsp;

But Filipino contributions to American culture have been mostly invisible or unrecognized, he added.

But Filipino contributions to American culture have been mostly invisible or unrecognized, he added.

“Even many Filipinos are ignorant of this history,” Asuncion said.

“Even many Filipinos are ignorant of this history,” Asuncion said.

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tricyclej-2500x1875.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6510"/><figcaption>The TNT Traysikel is filled with bespoke touches. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

Just as Filipinos reclaimed and converted military jeeps left by Americans on Manila’s streets after World War II into <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15344340/the-history-of-the-jeepney-the-philippines-mass-transit-solution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">customized Jeepneys</a>, putting a “traysikel” on American soil also announces the Filipino presence and claims space, according to the artists.

Just as Filipinos reclaimed and converted military jeeps left by Americans on Manila’s streets after World War II into <a href="https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15344340/the-history-of-the-jeepney-the-philippines-mass-transit-solution/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">customized Jeepneys</a>, putting a “traysikel” on American soil also announces the Filipino presence and claims space, according to the artists.

Although the work is mainly mobile, the artists are collaborating with <a href="https://saintjosephsartssociety.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saint Joseph’s Art Society</a> to develop stationary in-person events. Saint Joseph’s church used to host the largest Filipino congregation in the U.S. before the <a href="https://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/earthquakes/loma-prieta" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1989 Loma Prieta earthquake</a> rendered it unsafe for occupation, Arcega said. It <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/style/article/Ken-Fulk-reveals-Saint-Joseph-s-Arts-Society-13465241.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reopened</a> before the pandemic as a sort of members-only space, but the tricycle project is one of its first big efforts to expand Saint Joseph’s to the full SOMA Pilipinas community, he added.

Although the work is mainly mobile, the artists are collaborating with <a href="https://saintjosephsartssociety.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Saint Joseph’s Art Society</a> to develop stationary in-person events. Saint Joseph’s church used to host the largest Filipino congregation in the U.S. before the <a href="https://www.conservation.ca.gov/cgs/earthquakes/loma-prieta" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1989 Loma Prieta earthquake</a> rendered it unsafe for occupation, Arcega said. It <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/style/article/Ken-Fulk-reveals-Saint-Joseph-s-Arts-Society-13465241.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reopened</a> before the pandemic as a sort of members-only space, but the tricycle project is one of its first big efforts to expand Saint Joseph’s to the full SOMA Pilipinas community, he added.

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/I-1-2500x1406.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-6501"/><figcaption>The TNT Traysikel outside Oracle Park at twilight. | Photo by Mike Arcega</figcaption></figure>

“We have an opportunity to continue [to] shape the culture rather than just assimilate,” Arcega said.&nbsp;

“We have an opportunity to continue [to] shape the culture rather than just assimilate,” Arcega said.&nbsp;

The forthcoming documentary, supported by a grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission, will share stories of those who may not otherwise have the opportunity. The tentative release date for the documentary is summer 2022 when the TNT Traysikel will have an appearance at the <a href="https://asianart.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Asian Art Museum</a> in San Francisco’s Civic Center.&nbsp;

The forthcoming documentary, supported by a grant from the San Francisco Arts Commission, will share stories of those who may not otherwise have the opportunity. The tentative release date for the documentary is summer 2022 when the TNT Traysikel will have an appearance at the <a href="https://asianart.org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Asian Art Museum</a> in San Francisco’s Civic Center.&nbsp;

Until then, you can catch the tricycle at <a href="https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark-art-for-action" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Exploratorium</a> later this month.&nbsp;

Until then, you can catch the tricycle at <a href="https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark-art-for-action" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Exploratorium</a> later this month.&nbsp;

Interested in helping the TNT Traysikel’s documentary project get off the ground? Proceeds from the sale of t-shirts and patches via the group’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tnt_traysikel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a> will go toward the making of the film. Follow @tnt_tricycle for updates.&nbsp;Tickets for the Exploratorium’s ‘After Dark: Art for Action’ event can be purchased <a href="https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark-art-for-action" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.

Interested in helping the TNT Traysikel’s documentary project get off the ground? Proceeds from the sale of t-shirts and patches via the group’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tnt_traysikel/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Instagram</a> will go toward the making of the film. Follow @tnt_tricycle for updates.&nbsp;Tickets for the Exploratorium’s ‘After Dark: Art for Action’ event can be purchased <a href="https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/calendar/after-dark-art-for-action" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.

SoMa’s ‘TNT Traysikel’ spreads cultural pride on three wheels

Sameea Kamal at CalMatters

Another coronavirus variant spreading like wildfire, and another huge state budget surplus: In some ways, 2022 is off to a similar start as 2021.&nbsp;

Another coronavirus variant spreading like wildfire, and another huge state budget surplus: In some ways, 2022 is off to a similar start as 2021.&nbsp;

That could carry over to the state Legislature’s new session starting today. In addition to the pandemic and surplus, California is dealing with some of the same big issues it has long grappled with, including housing and climate change.&nbsp;

That could carry over to the state Legislature’s new session starting today. In addition to the pandemic and surplus, California is dealing with some of the same big issues it has long grappled with, including housing and climate change.&nbsp;

“Our challenges continue to be the challenges that we have started and built momentum to work towards,” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, a San Diego Democrat, told CalMatters.&nbsp;

“Our challenges continue to be the challenges that we have started and built momentum to work towards,” Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, a San Diego Democrat, told CalMatters.&nbsp;

The difference? Looking at key issues more through a lens of equity, she said.

The difference? Looking at key issues more through a lens of equity, she said.

The state Assembly’s agenda shares those priorities, said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Lakewood Democrat. Access to health care will be another focus: “We’re proud of where we are as a state, but we need to make sure that everybody in the state is covered.”&nbsp;

The state Assembly’s agenda shares those priorities, said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Lakewood Democrat. Access to health care will be another focus: “We’re proud of where we are as a state, but we need to make sure that everybody in the state is covered.”&nbsp;

Where will things look a little different? The state Capitol complex is undergoing renovations, which means the “<a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article255966717.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bacteria Bear</a>” is safely in storage for now.

Where will things look a little different? The state Capitol complex is undergoing renovations, which means the “<a href="https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article255966717.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Bacteria Bear</a>” is safely in storage for now.

The public and press will be allowed to attend in person, but due to COVID, access and seating will continue to be limited,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.ca.gov/pdfpublications/dailyfile">masks and social distancing will be required</a>&nbsp;and meetings will continue to be livestreamed. “We had hoped that as we go back, we’d be through the pandemic, but it hasn’t gone away,” Atkins said. “We’re going to have to continue to bear that in mind.”

The public and press will be allowed to attend in person, but due to COVID, access and seating will continue to be limited,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.senate.ca.gov/pdfpublications/dailyfile">masks and social distancing will be required</a>&nbsp;and meetings will continue to be livestreamed. “We had hoped that as we go back, we’d be through the pandemic, but it hasn’t gone away,” Atkins said. “We’re going to have to continue to bear that in mind.”

There’s also the makeup of the Legislature itself. Following the redistricting process after the 2020 census, state Senate and Assembly district lines have been shaken up — and a number of lawmakers will be lame ducks this session because they’re not running for re-election in 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;

There’s also the makeup of the Legislature itself. Following the redistricting process after the 2020 census, state Senate and Assembly district lines have been shaken up — and a number of lawmakers will be lame ducks this session because they’re not running for re-election in 2022.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Here are four themes to watch in the new legislative session:

Here are four themes to watch in the new legislative session:

<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cash-rules">Cash rules</h3>

core/heading

<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-cash-rules">Cash rules</h3>

Compared to the&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2021/06/california-newsom-budget-deal/">$76 billion surplus from 2021</a>, California is&nbsp;<a href="https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4472">projecting a $31 billion surplus</a>&nbsp;in the general fund, plus $20 billion in Proposition 98 funding for education.&nbsp;

Compared to the&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2021/06/california-newsom-budget-deal/">$76 billion surplus from 2021</a>, California is&nbsp;<a href="https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4472">projecting a $31 billion surplus</a>&nbsp;in the general fund, plus $20 billion in Proposition 98 funding for education.&nbsp;

The windfall is fueled, like last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/712?utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=outlook">with tax revenue</a>&nbsp;and federal funds. In addition, the November&nbsp;<a href="https://t.co/71drM5nRmQ">cap-and-trade auction</a>&nbsp;generated $732 million, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4480?utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=4480">Legislative Analyst’s Office</a>.&nbsp;

The windfall is fueled, like last year,&nbsp;<a href="https://lao.ca.gov/LAOEconTax/Article/Detail/712?utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=outlook">with tax revenue</a>&nbsp;and federal funds. In addition, the November&nbsp;<a href="https://t.co/71drM5nRmQ">cap-and-trade auction</a>&nbsp;generated $732 million, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4480?utm_source=t.co&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=4480">Legislative Analyst’s Office</a>.&nbsp;

In his budget proposal that is due by Jan. 10, Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to include&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2021/12/california-crime-newsom-budget/">more than $350 million to stop organized retail thefts</a>, plus more money for&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/12/governor-newsom-budget-priority/">dyslexia programs after authoring a children’s book</a>&nbsp;on his own battles. He’s also hinted that he’ll include&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/11/california-stimulus-checks/">another round of stimulus checks</a>.

In his budget proposal that is due by Jan. 10, Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to include&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/politics/2021/12/california-crime-newsom-budget/">more than $350 million to stop organized retail thefts</a>, plus more money for&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/12/governor-newsom-budget-priority/">dyslexia programs after authoring a children’s book</a>&nbsp;on his own battles. He’s also hinted that he’ll include&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/newsletters/whatmatters/2021/11/california-stimulus-checks/">another round of stimulus checks</a>.

Neither of the spending priority lists put out by Senate or&nbsp;<a href="https://a19.asmdc.org/sites/a19.asmdc.org/files/2021-12/2022%20Budget%20Blueprint%20FNL_0.pdf">Assembly leaders</a>&nbsp;mention a stimulus check. Instead, they are framing the budget around a more inclusive economic recovery and a more equitable economy.

Neither of the spending priority lists put out by Senate or&nbsp;<a href="https://a19.asmdc.org/sites/a19.asmdc.org/files/2021-12/2022%20Budget%20Blueprint%20FNL_0.pdf">Assembly leaders</a>&nbsp;mention a stimulus check. Instead, they are framing the budget around a more inclusive economic recovery and a more equitable economy.

<a href="https://sd39.senate.ca.gov/news/20211208-senate-budget-key-values-focus-putting-california%E2%80%99s-wealth-work-more-equitable-economy">Atkins said</a> California’s economy is strong, but that&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/12/california-racial-inequality-budget/">wealth needs to be put to work</a>.

<a href="https://sd39.senate.ca.gov/news/20211208-senate-budget-key-values-focus-putting-california%E2%80%99s-wealth-work-more-equitable-economy">Atkins said</a> California’s economy is strong, but that&nbsp;<a href="https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2021/12/california-racial-inequality-budget/">wealth needs to be put to work</a>.

“Those at the top are doing better than ever before, and that’s good for California in terms of our revenue,” Atkins said in an interview. “But as strong as the economy is, we face a homelessness crisis that you see every day in every corner of the state. And we know how hard it is for everyday, ordinary families to get by.”

“Those at the top are doing better than ever before, and that’s good for California in terms of our revenue,” Atkins said in an interview. “But as strong as the economy is, we face a homelessness crisis that you see every day in every corner of the state. And we know how hard it is for everyday, ordinary families to get by.”

The&nbsp;<a href="https://sbud.senate.ca.gov/sites/sbud.senate.ca.gov/files/1208-SenateBudgetPlan-Step1.pdf">Senate plan builds&nbsp;on</a>&nbsp;2021 programs, including targeted relief such as the child tax credit, Earned Income Tax Credit&nbsp;and small business aid.&nbsp;

The&nbsp;<a href="https://sbud.senate.ca.gov/sites/sbud.senate.ca.gov/files/1208-SenateBudgetPlan-Step1.pdf">Senate plan builds&nbsp;on</a>&nbsp;2021 programs, including targeted relief such as the child tax credit, Earned Income Tax Credit&nbsp;and small business aid.&nbsp;

Senate and Assembly leaders also say they will seek to put more money into K-12 schools and higher education, and look to maintain the state’s reserves “to protect the progress we are making from future downturns,” per Atkins. Last year, the Legislature was able to maintain&nbsp;<a href="https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/analysis-2021-22-state-budget/">$25 billion in reserves</a>.

Senate and Assembly leaders also say they will seek to put more money into K-12 schools and higher education, and look to maintain the state’s reserves “to protect the progress we are making from future downturns,” per Atkins. Last year, the Legislature was able to maintain&nbsp;<a href="https://calbudgetcenter.org/resources/analysis-2021-22-state-budget/">$25 billion in reserves</a>.

Rendon said that the budget surplus would enable California to “rebuild infrastructure in every corner of the state.”&nbsp;Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are calling for $3.3 billion to be spent on water projects, most of which would go to the contentious Sites Reservoir.&nbsp;

Rendon said that the budget surplus would enable California to “rebuild infrastructure in every corner of the state.”&nbsp;Meanwhile, Senate Republicans are calling for $3.3 billion to be spent on water projects, most of which would go to the contentious Sites Reservoir.&nbsp;

Expending one-time funds on infrastructure would help the Legislature avoid exceeding the&nbsp;<a href="https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2021/4416/SAL-042121.pdf">Gann Limit</a>, which requires that when the state hits a spending revenue threshold two years in a row, the excess money must be reimbursed to taxpayers or spent on schools. Revenue spent on building reserves and paying off debt is excluded from the limit.&nbsp;

Expending one-time funds on infrastructure would help the Legislature avoid exceeding the&nbsp;<a href="https://lao.ca.gov/reports/2021/4416/SAL-042121.pdf">Gann Limit</a>, which requires that when the state hits a spending revenue threshold two years in a row, the excess money must be reimbursed to taxpayers or spent on schools. Revenue spent on building reserves and paying off debt is excluded from the limit.&nbsp;

<a href="https://twitter.com/jasonsisney/status/1468262450516561927?s=20">Jason Sisney</a>, Rendon’s budget advisor, noted that the Gann limit did not kick in last year, despite the historic surplus.&nbsp;

<a href="https://twitter.com/jasonsisney/status/1468262450516561927?s=20">Jason Sisney</a>, Rendon’s budget advisor, noted that the Gann limit did not kick in last year, despite the historic surplus.&nbsp;

Assembly Budget Chairperson Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat,&nbsp;<a href="https://a19.asmdc.org/press-releases/20211209-assembly-budget-blueprint-aims-deliver-prosperity-more-californians-while">told reporters last month</a>&nbsp;that with less money than last year to expand programs, the Legislature is likely to employ more creative one-time funding measures, including on transportation and transit, which didn’t receive as much funding in 2021.

Assembly Budget Chairperson Phil Ting, a San Francisco Democrat,&nbsp;<a href="https://a19.asmdc.org/press-releases/20211209-assembly-budget-blueprint-aims-deliver-prosperity-more-californians-while">told reporters last month</a>&nbsp;that with less money than last year to expand programs, the Legislature is likely to employ more creative one-time funding measures, including on transportation and transit, which didn’t receive as much funding in 2021.

“We’re definitely not back towards normal, but as we sort of come out of the pandemic a little bit, it’s not exactly clear where the best investments are and where the biggest impact is,” Ting said. “This is what the budget process is for. We have from now ’til June to really identify where we can make the biggest impact.”

“We’re definitely not back towards normal, but as we sort of come out of the pandemic a little bit, it’s not exactly clear where the best investments are and where the biggest impact is,” Ting said. “This is what the budget process is for. We have from now ’til June to really identify where we can make the biggest impact.”

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