San Francisco Chronicle

An outdated Department of Motor Vehicles office in San Francisco is expected to become?one of the city’s largest affordable housing complexes, after?Gov. Gavin Newsom?announced a plan to transform the site Thursday.

The developer behind a soaring housing tower that was approved to rise on the edge of San Francisco’s Mid-Market neighborhood months after the start of the pandemic, but has been frozen ever since, is planning a redesign in a bid to advance the stalled redevelopment plan — with 10 additional stories.

The?San Francisco school district?is scrambling to bring on board scores of special education teachers and aides after officials bungled their hiring, leaving hundreds of vulnerable students in the lurch. Now, officials, who had sought to?save money?by not hiring the legally required staff, are facing additional costs such as legal fees, more staff time and costly learning remedies. The price tag doesn’t include the costs the district could face if families wind up leaving the district over the error.?

Assembly Bill 796, which Gov. Gavin Newsom has until Monday to sign, would catch California up to other states by creating a regulatory board to oversee the licensing and certification of athletic trainers, but it doesn’t address the overall shortage in schools.

Today, we launched the Kamala Harris News Assistant, an AI-powered tool designed to answer your questions about Harris’ life, her journey through public service and her presidential campaign. Drawing from thousands of articles written, edited and published by Chronicle journalists since 1995, this tool aims to give readers informed answers about a politician who rose from the East Bay and is now campaigning to become one of the world’s most powerful people. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gk_c4FQg

California just banned plastic bags – again. Gov. Gavin Newsom?signed a law?on Sunday that closes a loophole in the state’s landmark 2014 plastic bag ban that contributed to an increase in plastic bag waste. Here’s what to know about the law, including why it was needed and how it affects California shoppers.

Artificial intelligence giant OpenAI has signed off on a second major expansion in San Francisco. OpenAI’s new deal is the city’s largest office lease of 2024 and largest since last year’s expansion.

Tech layoffs continued to take a toll on the San Francisco economy in August as the unemployment rate rose. Companies including Cisco, Udemy, Intel and Lyft all confirmed Bay Area layoffs in the past month, signs of continued weakness in the labor market.

When a condominium in?San Francisco’s Millennium Tower?hit the market a decade ago, it offered a living space?— and a lifestyle?— that only a well-heeled buyer could hope to attain. A one-bedroom on the 15th floor fetched more than a million dollars in 2014. But the same unit sold last week for $615,000 — or $779 a square foot — 45% decline in value in the course of 10 years. And it wasn’t the only Millennium condo whose price appeared to be in free-fall.?

If you are a Hawaiian Airlines cardholder, here’s what will happen to your account: