SF Gets A Competition to Save The City

Richie and Erica discuss Boundless San Francisco, the latest idea by Michael Moritz and the Crankstart Foundation,  to revitalize the city. It's a competition of ideas- with mega prize of $150 million split by 3 winners, judged by a panel, to save our city after years of Covid stagnation. Listen to a few ideas floated!

Comments? Shoot an email to: podcast@reallysfnews.com 

THANKS FOR LISTENING

If you'd like to make a sustaining donation in support of this podcast, feel free to make a contribution online: Click here

Transcript

Really, San Francisco?

Season 3 Episode 27

00:06:23.330 --> 00:06:30.370
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Hello, everyone, and welcome to Really San Francisco. I am here with my most amazing co-host, Richie Greenberg.

93
00:06:30.370 --> 00:06:35.949
Richie Greenberg: Hey everybody, happy Sunday! Right? Today is Sunday, August 9th.

94
00:06:36.470 --> 00:06:36.990
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: inventories.

95
00:06:36.990 --> 00:06:42.699
Richie Greenberg: Boy, Erica, is it cold this weekend? It is cold out.

96
00:06:43.200 --> 00:06:49.080
Richie Greenberg: you know, it's August, which means it's Foggist, to those who know.

97
00:06:49.300 --> 00:06:55.840
Richie Greenberg: And it's this weekend, is what's happening, it's outside lands, that mega, massive.

98
00:06:56.020 --> 00:07:00.589
Richie Greenberg: three-day music festival that is happening in Golden Gate Park.

99
00:07:00.770 --> 00:07:06.969
Richie Greenberg: I think you're a little bit too far away to hear it, but I can hear it from where I live here in the Richmond District.

100
00:07:07.350 --> 00:07:12.999
Richie Greenberg: And I used to actually live much closer, just a block away from one of the entrances, and

101
00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:23.189
Richie Greenberg: boy, were the windows shot… just the rumbling and everything, you know? But, it's funny to see so many

102
00:07:23.780 --> 00:07:25.549
Richie Greenberg: Out-of-town tourists.

103
00:07:25.820 --> 00:07:32.809
Richie Greenberg: are here for this show, to attend the festival, and they are completely

104
00:07:33.260 --> 00:07:36.860
Richie Greenberg: Inappropriately dressed because of the cold.

105
00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:52.659
Richie Greenberg: This is not Coachella. We are not in Southern California desert, where it's 90s, or 100, or 110 degrees. So right now, it's 59 degrees out here, with the wind, wind chill factors making it feel like 51. So…

106
00:07:52.660 --> 00:07:53.050
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Hmm.

107
00:07:53.050 --> 00:08:01.830
Richie Greenberg: It was bizarre to see them walking around. I saw them. Wild. Alright, so, we have a very interesting topic.

108
00:08:01.930 --> 00:08:09.800
Richie Greenberg: today. So, Erica, how about you let all of the listeners and some viewers, know what are we gonna talk about today?

109
00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:15.030
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yes, of course! A new contest has just been announced by Michael Moritz.

110
00:08:15.060 --> 00:08:26.840
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: And it's called Boundless San Francisco, who, he and his company, they're going to be awarding, $150 million to up to 3 organizations

111
00:08:26.840 --> 00:08:45.730
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: for their winning ideas about how to, I'm putting air quotes, save San Francisco. If San Francisco needs saving, this is… that is up for debate, too. But, yeah, so it is… it's a lot of money, and I'm really intrigued by who they're going to pick. I'd love to be on the judge's panel, of course.

112
00:08:45.730 --> 00:08:52.799
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Because I've seen some of these contests, and I went to the one on… about Market Street a while back.

113
00:08:52.800 --> 00:08:54.310
Richie Greenberg: Art Installations, was it?

114
00:08:54.310 --> 00:09:00.749
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: No, it was, how to reimagine Market Street, the area that's been closed to cars.

115
00:09:00.750 --> 00:09:24.479
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: And the ideas were so outlandish and stupid and just eye-rolling that God only knows what's going to happen with this. But hey, I love the… I love the idea of a good contest, and so, Richie, you and I had talked about if we were judges, what would we select? If we were… if we were applicants, what would we propose? So we came up with

116
00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:28.630
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: 5… Ideas out of the box.

117
00:09:28.640 --> 00:09:42.950
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: whether they're practical or not, it doesn't matter. These are our ideas about what we would love. It could be fantasyland, about how we would improve San Francisco, and I think we just let our imaginations run wild, didn't we?

118
00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:47.840
Richie Greenberg: So, yeah, of course, and I look forward to giving you my list.

119
00:09:47.840 --> 00:09:49.810
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Neither of us knows what we wrote down.

120
00:09:49.810 --> 00:09:50.579
Richie Greenberg: That's right.

121
00:09:50.580 --> 00:09:50.970
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: That's true.

122
00:09:50.970 --> 00:09:54.390
Richie Greenberg: We discussed before that we were going to keep it secret from each other.

123
00:09:55.000 --> 00:10:10.669
Richie Greenberg: Just a quick, quick background. Michael Moritz, who is this guy, right? So, he used to be a journalist years ago, and then he turned into a partner in, Sequoia Capital, so they do, big venture capital investment.

124
00:10:10.910 --> 00:10:16.250
Richie Greenberg: He was an early investor in Google, in YouTube, and PayPal.

125
00:10:16.380 --> 00:10:17.829
Richie Greenberg: Okay, so he made…

126
00:10:17.930 --> 00:10:27.500
Richie Greenberg: billion… so much money in the returns, so him and his wife started a foundation called Crankstart. And Crankstart

127
00:10:27.500 --> 00:10:44.370
Richie Greenberg: is been more in the news in the last couple of years here in San Francisco as being the vehicle, the way that Michael Moritz, without using his name, but we know who Crankstart is, because it's him, right? But Crankstart has been awarding

128
00:10:44.370 --> 00:10:52.270
Richie Greenberg: Very generous, amounts to civic civic projects.

129
00:10:52.470 --> 00:10:55.450
Richie Greenberg: around San Francisco. Now, the problem is.

130
00:10:55.590 --> 00:11:04.489
Richie Greenberg: Before we go into our list, the problem is, with this idea, with Boundless San Francisco, Save San Francisco, right, is…

131
00:11:05.260 --> 00:11:10.719
Richie Greenberg: what do you think about this? Do you think that this diminishes the success?

132
00:11:11.130 --> 00:11:15.289
Richie Greenberg: that Mayor Lurie has been touting lately.

133
00:11:15.510 --> 00:11:23.229
Richie Greenberg: For example, Mr. Lurie, has been sworn in, about a year and a half ago.

134
00:11:23.450 --> 00:11:30.559
Richie Greenberg: That has been constantly… Every, every second that he can get a microphone.

135
00:11:30.750 --> 00:11:38.690
Richie Greenberg: He says, San Francisco is on the rise, let's go San Francisco. And he's on social media, Instagram, and Twitter.

136
00:11:38.950 --> 00:11:58.950
Richie Greenberg: Constantly video showing how things are really turning around, how San Francisco is succeeding. So many businesses are opening. Coffee shops, cafes, restaurants are opening. We're having all these civic events, all these gatherings, and public dances, and dancing in the streets, and everything.

137
00:11:59.420 --> 00:12:00.320
Richie Greenberg: Yet…

138
00:12:00.670 --> 00:12:12.649
Richie Greenberg: Michael Moritz, Krangstart Foundation, now is announcing a, we need to save San Francisco. Does that seem to you like a total contradiction?

139
00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:30.730
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Not necessarily. I don't think so. I think it could be perceived as an adjunct. Hey, we're on our way, this is what we're doing, and we want to invest in it, because we know we're on the upswing. Why would anybody want to invest in something that is… you can see, feel, know is on…

140
00:12:30.730 --> 00:12:42.509
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: You know, on the outs. You kind of wouldn't unless you really are into that kind of betting, which I don't think that he is. So I interpret this as a positive. I understand that you don't, though.

141
00:12:42.800 --> 00:12:44.880
Richie Greenberg: Yeah, I just wonder why.

142
00:12:45.000 --> 00:12:49.719
Richie Greenberg: I wonder why, if things are so great, according to Mayor Lurie.

143
00:12:49.850 --> 00:12:56.900
Richie Greenberg: And to justify having a basically $17 billion budget.

144
00:12:57.230 --> 00:13:06.610
Richie Greenberg: For a town that is only 7 miles wide, 7 miles north-south, and has a little bit over 800,000 residents.

145
00:13:06.610 --> 00:13:21.239
Richie Greenberg: the amount of taxes, taxation debt that we are being saddled with going forward for years, that dollar amount, and if everything is great, why on earth do we have to have a Save San Francisco.

146
00:13:21.240 --> 00:13:21.769
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: We don't have…

147
00:13:21.770 --> 00:13:22.740
Richie Greenberg: Competition.

148
00:13:22.740 --> 00:13:32.690
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: We don't have to. This is not a have-to thing. This is a, hey, this sounds… this sounds kind of interesting, let's go for it. My… my idea about this

149
00:13:32.690 --> 00:13:46.909
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I think it's kind of a YIMBY thing. I really do. I think it's about building, I think it's about density, I do think it's kind of going in that direction. That's just my gut. I'm not… I don't know, but I think it's… it's a… a…

150
00:13:47.330 --> 00:13:53.689
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: whatever, turns… turning San Francisco into a space-age city, like…

151
00:13:53.690 --> 00:13:56.630
Richie Greenberg: you don't think it makes, Mayor Lurie look bad? It's like…

152
00:13:57.000 --> 00:14:03.310
Richie Greenberg: and you've run out of ideas. They're soliciting ideas for a competition.

153
00:14:03.310 --> 00:14:20.640
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: They're not soliciting. No, I mean, that's the thing, is I don't. I interpret it in a different way, which is, it's not a slap to Lurie, it's more of a, hey, we like what you're doing, and we want to do this. So I see it more as an add-on. I understand other people's interpretation is totally different.

154
00:14:20.640 --> 00:14:34.059
Richie Greenberg: Okay. Okay, so that gets the background out of the way. Now, how about if we… so if you were… if you were… and I were either on a judging panel, or we were applicants.

155
00:14:34.800 --> 00:14:36.740
Richie Greenberg: Throwing in our ideas.

156
00:14:36.930 --> 00:14:47.559
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yeah, so we developed 5 each, and we can start… I mean, what we… I'm so curious to see, are we gonna overlap it all? I doubt it, I doubt it, but we're gonna find…

157
00:14:47.560 --> 00:14:52.520
Richie Greenberg: I doubt it, I doubt it. I actually, I have to admit, I only came up before. Okay, but this is San Fernando.

158
00:14:52.520 --> 00:14:53.610
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: fantasy.

159
00:14:53.610 --> 00:14:55.100
Richie Greenberg: Yes, fantasy.

160
00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:55.640
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: fantasy.

161
00:14:55.640 --> 00:14:57.690
Richie Greenberg: I came up with 4, not 5.

162
00:14:57.690 --> 00:14:58.820
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Oh, okay!

163
00:14:58.820 --> 00:15:05.979
Richie Greenberg: Well, because one of them, I really liked the idea, and it just… then we got too much to our recording time today, so…

164
00:15:05.980 --> 00:15:07.160
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Well, let's start.

165
00:15:07.160 --> 00:15:09.049
Richie Greenberg: How about if we do one back and forth instead?

166
00:15:09.050 --> 00:15:09.370
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: God.

167
00:15:09.370 --> 00:15:10.120
Richie Greenberg: The whole list.

168
00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:28.540
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I'll start with mine. I'll start with mine first. You tell me what you think. Eliminate, completely eliminate the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. It's just over $750 million, and what you do with that money, we're going to turn it into a special unit

169
00:15:28.540 --> 00:15:46.979
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: SFPD that does nothing, day and night, but arrest drug dealers. That's all they do. That's it. They are special forces, they have one purpose, that's it, and it's a full court press. Get rid of that department, add on to this. The difference we could make. What do you think, Richie?

170
00:15:47.400 --> 00:15:52.969
Richie Greenberg: I… well, I mean, I could see that there'd be a lot of pushback.

171
00:15:52.970 --> 00:15:54.410
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Not her, this is fantasy!

172
00:15:54.410 --> 00:16:10.190
Richie Greenberg: No matter fantasy, okay. Yeah, no, I mean, really, I mean, this is what we need. We need to have more boots on the ground, and I'm not… I'm using the word boots not in a negative way, but meaning we need to have those who are enforcing

173
00:16:10.190 --> 00:16:16.880
Richie Greenberg: Those who are seeking accountability against those, scoff laws and dealers.

174
00:16:16.880 --> 00:16:26.560
Richie Greenberg: that, just seem to be a continuous plague here, that are… it's a money suck from the taxpayers. As I said, $17 billion budget.

175
00:16:26.760 --> 00:16:28.770
Richie Greenberg: So that's a good idea. I like it.

176
00:16:28.770 --> 00:16:29.280
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Thank you.

177
00:16:29.800 --> 00:16:30.490
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Thank you.

178
00:16:30.490 --> 00:16:31.310
Richie Greenberg: Alright, now…

179
00:16:31.310 --> 00:16:32.250
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: What's yours?

180
00:16:32.510 --> 00:16:38.690
Richie Greenberg: So, as I said before, I had more tongue-in-cheek Kind of.

181
00:16:38.690 --> 00:16:40.020
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Oh, I've got plenty!

182
00:16:40.020 --> 00:16:42.200
Richie Greenberg: Oh, okay, so here's one.

183
00:16:42.390 --> 00:16:45.539
Richie Greenberg: Drone-powered everything delivery.

184
00:16:45.960 --> 00:16:55.610
Richie Greenberg: Because, right? So, everything that is necessary can be, Managed by drone.

185
00:16:55.720 --> 00:17:05.660
Richie Greenberg: So you've got, like, drug delivery, but I don't mean illicit drugs, I mean, you know, for those who are in need, but also, potentially get drones that have…

186
00:17:05.780 --> 00:17:10.639
Richie Greenberg: Pick up little claws that can clean up the streets as well.

187
00:17:10.960 --> 00:17:16.730
Richie Greenberg: So they can clean up garbage, they can clean up needles, they can clean up whatever, and take it away.

188
00:17:17.030 --> 00:17:21.059
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Would we have to have drone times of day, so we don't have.

189
00:17:21.060 --> 00:17:21.560
Richie Greenberg: Rob.

190
00:17:21.569 --> 00:17:24.689
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: So we don't have the skies filled with these buzzing.

191
00:17:24.690 --> 00:17:25.030
Richie Greenberg: Correct.

192
00:17:25.450 --> 00:17:25.910
Richie Greenberg: And it wouldn't.

193
00:17:25.910 --> 00:17:26.260
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Okay.

194
00:17:26.260 --> 00:17:41.849
Richie Greenberg: that many. But the thing is, you could do… target certain areas, certain areas that need cleanup, certain neighborhoods and streets that need cleanup. Plus, you know, drones don't necessarily have to rely only on daytime vision, night vision. There's ways that you can get around

195
00:17:41.880 --> 00:17:47.409
Richie Greenberg: clouds and things. So, drone-powered, everything delivered.

196
00:17:47.410 --> 00:17:48.510
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Interesting.

197
00:17:48.510 --> 00:17:56.519
Richie Greenberg: And the drones themselves would be painted in psychedelic 1960s kind of hippie.

198
00:17:56.820 --> 00:17:59.479
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Oh my gosh, I kind of like that!

199
00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:01.559
Richie Greenberg: There's, there's one of my ideas.

200
00:18:01.560 --> 00:18:05.649
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Okay, I think that actually could be implemented. It may even be implemented soon.

201
00:18:05.650 --> 00:18:05.990
Richie Greenberg: Yup.

202
00:18:05.990 --> 00:18:09.110
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Okay, here's definitely an outside-of-the-box one.

203
00:18:09.710 --> 00:18:14.219
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: transform the Tenderloin into a casino zone.

204
00:18:14.390 --> 00:18:21.619
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Think limousines. Think crumbling areas, and wild shows, and…

205
00:18:21.620 --> 00:18:23.060
Richie Greenberg: Red carpets…

206
00:18:23.060 --> 00:18:23.570
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: red.

207
00:18:23.570 --> 00:18:26.600
Richie Greenberg: Right, the VIP gambling area.

208
00:18:26.990 --> 00:18:27.440
Richie Greenberg: Oh, no.

209
00:18:27.440 --> 00:18:29.550
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: It already has sort of a…

210
00:18:29.750 --> 00:18:35.350
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: debauched feel to it. I say lean into it in a different way.

211
00:18:35.350 --> 00:18:36.230
Richie Greenberg: And go even further.

212
00:18:36.230 --> 00:18:37.080
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: lights.

213
00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:37.870
Richie Greenberg: Yeah.

214
00:18:37.870 --> 00:18:38.260
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Right?

215
00:18:38.260 --> 00:18:41.579
Richie Greenberg: With the big spotlights and openings and certain…

216
00:18:41.580 --> 00:18:50.490
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yeah, definitely. It's really close to City Hall. It's, yeah, so I say casino-fly, parts of the Tenderloin.

217
00:18:51.480 --> 00:18:59.619
Richie Greenberg: Okay, so in that vein, okay, Civic Prediction Marketing.

218
00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:00.980
Richie Greenberg: Okay.

219
00:19:01.520 --> 00:19:10.880
Richie Greenberg: You've heard of Kashi, you've heard of Polymarket. That's where people can bid, okay? So here's what we do. We launch a city-centric

220
00:19:11.190 --> 00:19:12.400
Richie Greenberg: prediction market.

221
00:19:12.790 --> 00:19:18.459
Richie Greenberg: So that would be where residents can… I'm just reading my notes here, okay?

222
00:19:18.490 --> 00:19:35.169
Richie Greenberg: Residents can bet on everyday municipal outcomes. Will the 38 dairy run on time? Will the next Board of Supervisors result in, you know, whatever? Will it end by midnight? Will the pothole on Market and Fifth be fixed within 10 days?

223
00:19:35.570 --> 00:19:42.089
Richie Greenberg: and… So we… we would be betting on that, okay?

224
00:19:43.040 --> 00:19:44.760
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Would there be financial incentive?

225
00:19:44.760 --> 00:19:48.829
Richie Greenberg: Yes, because what would happen is, if that

226
00:19:48.960 --> 00:19:54.180
Richie Greenberg: That specific task, that project, that issue, doesn't…

227
00:19:54.720 --> 00:20:06.410
Richie Greenberg: perform within the time allotment that this market has bet on, then they lose that much of funding out of their department budget.

228
00:20:06.760 --> 00:20:13.580
Richie Greenberg: And the winner, the winning goes to the department that does do it in time.

229
00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:14.930
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Richie.

230
00:20:14.930 --> 00:20:15.430
Richie Greenberg: See you then.

231
00:20:15.430 --> 00:20:21.409
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I love this idea. I absolutely love this idea.

232
00:20:21.410 --> 00:20:23.539
Richie Greenberg: Yep, yep, you see that?

233
00:20:23.540 --> 00:20:24.820
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Come to you in a dream?

234
00:20:24.820 --> 00:20:27.530
Richie Greenberg: No, I'm telling you, these are things I've been thinking about.

235
00:20:27.530 --> 00:20:28.340
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I love that.

236
00:20:28.340 --> 00:20:33.950
Richie Greenberg: And that's why I couldn't come up with 5, because I only had 4. And then there's another one, too, that I think you might like to, but…

237
00:20:33.950 --> 00:20:34.370
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Okay.

238
00:20:34.370 --> 00:20:35.540
Richie Greenberg: Now, now you go.

239
00:20:35.770 --> 00:20:47.340
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Or, actually, I'm gonna… I'm gonna take that and give them to the one that's on the end of my list, but I think this sort of goes into the same… same vein in a way. Not really. But,

240
00:20:47.780 --> 00:20:58.360
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: a monthly drawing of $1,000 for San Francisco residents, anybody who wants to participate, you put your name in the proverbial hat.

241
00:20:58.470 --> 00:21:05.380
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: And there is a monthly drawing, could be in the center of a Union Square, right? Somebody takes out…

242
00:21:05.390 --> 00:21:20.649
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: A name, that person gets $1,000 they can spend at a hotel, restaurant, cafe, and it elicits excitement. It could be even sponsored by one of these,

243
00:21:21.020 --> 00:21:23.870
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: retailers, right? But…

244
00:21:24.170 --> 00:21:33.339
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: bring… bring in some… some excitement about earning some cash, and you could do a few of them. $1,000 isn't that much.

245
00:21:33.340 --> 00:21:36.759
Richie Greenberg: It's like a… it becomes like a voucher for use within the city.

246
00:21:36.760 --> 00:21:37.700
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Exactly!

247
00:21:37.700 --> 00:21:38.480
Richie Greenberg: businesses.

248
00:21:38.640 --> 00:21:51.070
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Exactly, you can use it almost… maybe you have 10 ways to use it. It could be on the cable car, it could be at, as they say, at a hotel for a spectacular tea at the Ritz, wherever, right?

249
00:21:51.070 --> 00:21:52.880
Richie Greenberg: Oh yeah, wow, okay. Yeah.

250
00:21:52.880 --> 00:21:55.000
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: What do you think? Would you participate?

251
00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:57.350
Richie Greenberg: Good, good feeling. Yeah, of course.

252
00:21:57.350 --> 00:21:58.550
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Would you put your name in?

253
00:21:58.550 --> 00:21:59.410
Richie Greenberg: Yeah, of course I will.

254
00:21:59.410 --> 00:21:59.860
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Right?

255
00:21:59.860 --> 00:22:06.610
Richie Greenberg: Of course, why wouldn't we? We do things like that. We like going to these openings, we like going to restaurants and cafes and bars, yeah.

256
00:22:06.610 --> 00:22:17.680
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Can you imagine? I mean, Mayor Lurie absolutely loves being at ribbon cuttings and positive announcements. To have him standing at wherever, let's just say.

257
00:22:17.940 --> 00:22:24.690
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Fisherman's Wharf, or, at the beach. I'm pulling the hat out today, here it comes, here's the name.

258
00:22:24.690 --> 00:22:25.040
Richie Greenberg: Damn.

259
00:22:25.040 --> 00:22:26.040
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Right?

260
00:22:26.470 --> 00:22:27.430
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: That would be very cool.

261
00:22:28.060 --> 00:22:34.680
Richie Greenberg: Okay, so here's my last one, because I said I didn't have, 5, I had 4.

262
00:22:34.900 --> 00:22:40.140
Richie Greenberg: Oh, no, no, I'm sorry, I do have two more. Alright, I'm gonna say the last… the best of the last one.

263
00:22:40.340 --> 00:22:50.960
Richie Greenberg: How about a fog harvester network? What? So we have a citywide array of giant Fog-catching nets.

264
00:22:51.090 --> 00:22:54.840
Richie Greenberg: That catch condensation from the fog.

265
00:22:55.410 --> 00:23:05.609
Richie Greenberg: On hilltops, and then rooftops, like rainwater collection, but this would be fog water collection, fog collection, and then it could be used both.

266
00:23:06.180 --> 00:23:07.840
Richie Greenberg: to irrigate

267
00:23:08.270 --> 00:23:19.209
Richie Greenberg: Right? We'd have water collection. And secondly, we can bottle the water that comes from the fog, and then that becomes… that's sell to the city. So there you go, fog, fog collector, fog…

268
00:23:19.210 --> 00:23:19.710
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: house.

269
00:23:19.710 --> 00:23:21.130
Richie Greenberg: Amazing.

270
00:23:21.130 --> 00:23:28.889
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Fog, water, water, we could have fog water beer, we could have fog water wine, fog water punch.

271
00:23:28.890 --> 00:23:39.730
Richie Greenberg: Yep. So, we use a natural resource that is famous in San Francisco, and market the hell out of it.

272
00:23:40.330 --> 00:23:42.920
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: How difficult with the technology for something like that.

273
00:23:42.920 --> 00:24:01.560
Richie Greenberg: It's not for us to have to figure out. Got it! That's right. That's why the prize is, you know, millions of dollars, right? 10, 20, 30, 50 million dollars. Have the atmospheric engineers work on.

274
00:24:01.560 --> 00:24:02.389
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: And I was…

275
00:24:02.390 --> 00:24:03.559
Richie Greenberg: the idea guy.

276
00:24:03.560 --> 00:24:10.869
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I like it! Okay. Well, I also know that you love… you are a big…

277
00:24:10.900 --> 00:24:24.219
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: theater guy, you like live entertainment. So this one is for you, Richie, and for everybody else who does enjoy live performances. In Union Square, there's the old Saks Fifth Avenue building.

278
00:24:24.580 --> 00:24:27.739
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: It's not a particularly nice-looking building at all.

279
00:24:28.080 --> 00:24:34.079
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I think that… that one was built in… I'm gonna say 79 now.

280
00:24:34.080 --> 00:24:35.069
Richie Greenberg: Oh, really, that one.

281
00:24:35.070 --> 00:24:39.740
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yeah. On the corner. On the corner, right? It's on… it's actually… It's right on the corner of Calgary.

282
00:24:39.740 --> 00:24:42.790
Richie Greenberg: They're dingy inside, it seems so much older inside.

283
00:24:42.790 --> 00:24:49.340
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: So, anyway, it's been empty. Saks declared bankruptcy… papa-ba.

284
00:24:49.680 --> 00:24:50.699
Richie Greenberg: Year and a half ago.

285
00:24:50.700 --> 00:24:57.689
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: About a year and a half ago, yeah, so they reworked their finances, they're still in existence. But, okay, so the building's been empty. What to do?

286
00:24:58.010 --> 00:24:59.840
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: It's a performing arts center.

287
00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:19.740
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Okay, so I want to tell you the advantages of that, because this really is something I've been thinking about for a long time. It's in an area where so many tourists go, right? But also, we want to bring in our wonderful residents and everybody in the area, outside the area, but people who live here.

288
00:25:19.740 --> 00:25:28.610
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: To have a new performing arts center for dance, theater, cultural events, it's not disrupt… disruptive to the area, it enhances

289
00:25:28.610 --> 00:25:41.739
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: the commercial shopping area. People want to wear something nice, you want to get a good scarf to get to the opera, you have it right there. And, and you've got the hotels that are literally right there for it.

290
00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:43.020
Richie Greenberg: Next door, yeah.

291
00:25:43.020 --> 00:25:44.310
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Right. Thoughts.

292
00:25:44.430 --> 00:25:48.099
Richie Greenberg: That's really cool. I like that idea, too. I like that.

293
00:25:48.100 --> 00:25:48.970
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Amazing.

294
00:25:48.970 --> 00:25:49.440
Richie Greenberg: it, it.

295
00:25:49.440 --> 00:25:49.880
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yeah. It'd be.

296
00:25:51.290 --> 00:26:04.430
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: And we don't have anything like it at all in that area. We've got ACT, we've got the Orpheum down the road, poor Orpheum, not in a great area. This is a beautiful area, it's already… it's good to go.

297
00:26:04.790 --> 00:26:10.209
Richie Greenberg: And it's what has been, for decades, the… one of the centers of retail and…

298
00:26:10.210 --> 00:26:10.560
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: the moon?

299
00:26:11.150 --> 00:26:16.680
Richie Greenberg: and gathering for tourism in San Francisco. We've… you and I have lamented.

300
00:26:16.680 --> 00:26:17.090
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yes.

301
00:26:17.090 --> 00:26:25.299
Richie Greenberg: Ever since the COVID lockdown and the previous mayor, has really neglected Union Square. I mean, everything was all about…

302
00:26:25.300 --> 00:26:26.060
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: my heart.

303
00:26:26.060 --> 00:26:26.520
Richie Greenberg: Yeah.

304
00:26:26.520 --> 00:26:27.750
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Breaks my heart.

305
00:26:27.750 --> 00:26:29.350
Richie Greenberg: Yeah, yeah, I like that. I like that.

306
00:26:29.350 --> 00:26:30.910
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Okay, what's your next?

307
00:26:30.910 --> 00:26:45.510
Richie Greenberg: So this is my last one, because this is really… okay. So, it goes along the lines, and you and I didn't discuss this before, but we have good segues back and forth, okay? So this is… this is also repurposing a building.

308
00:26:45.510 --> 00:26:53.600
Richie Greenberg: This is what you just talked about. Repurposing an existing building for a different use. So… Ready for this?

309
00:26:53.600 --> 00:26:54.650
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I am ready.

310
00:26:54.650 --> 00:26:59.510
Richie Greenberg: How about we start and develop vertical farming?

311
00:27:01.070 --> 00:27:01.570
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Okay.

312
00:27:01.570 --> 00:27:01.890
Richie Greenberg: Why do I…

313
00:27:01.890 --> 00:27:02.460
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Don't be more.

314
00:27:02.460 --> 00:27:11.490
Richie Greenberg: So, right now, what is the big trend, and it's getting a lot of pushback and finding to be very expensive and difficult? Converting

315
00:27:11.620 --> 00:27:18.269
Richie Greenberg: these vacant, Skyscraper buildings in downtown into housing.

316
00:27:18.620 --> 00:27:23.839
Richie Greenberg: So how about instead, or along with it, we turn them into farms?

317
00:27:23.840 --> 00:27:24.640
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: So…

318
00:27:24.800 --> 00:27:42.050
Richie Greenberg: you're gonna have to… so each floor would be maybe a different crop, okay? They're gonna be… they're gonna be… you're laughing… they're gonna be gutted. The buildings have to be gutted, right? Leave the big floor-to-ceiling windows, now it becomes a greenhouse, right?

319
00:27:43.110 --> 00:27:43.640
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Okay.

320
00:27:43.640 --> 00:27:51.769
Richie Greenberg: For it to be converted in an office into a home, you still have to do massive,

321
00:27:51.960 --> 00:28:02.050
Richie Greenberg: moving of walls, shoring up of things, plumbing. Right now, the plumbing is just gonna be irrigation. And so you're just gonna spread dirt

322
00:28:02.360 --> 00:28:12.689
Richie Greenberg: Soil on the ground. You've got the windows there, maybe put certain crops gonna need more, types of, of lighting, right?

323
00:28:13.330 --> 00:28:16.740
Richie Greenberg: But you've got drainage, you've got… you've got,

324
00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:22.939
Richie Greenberg: The soil. You've got everything that you would need for farming, but it's vertical.

325
00:28:23.480 --> 00:28:33.679
Richie Greenberg: And the taller buildings would potentially be even more desirable, because they would get the sun in the morning side, sun in the evening.

326
00:28:33.840 --> 00:28:36.820
Richie Greenberg: And the tallest buildings would be

327
00:28:36.970 --> 00:28:50.090
Richie Greenberg: potentially even above fog, so they would have more sunlight. The elevators would be bringing the crops, the harvest, up and down, right? And you would have vertical San Francisco farms.

328
00:28:50.670 --> 00:28:59.879
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: So this vision, would this… would this be a commercial crop kind of thing, where we actually… we've got San Francisco tomatoes, and we're gonna be…

329
00:28:59.880 --> 00:29:09.660
Richie Greenberg: Yeah, urban tomato, urban farming. So you… specific crops that would be, identified that could be grown this way.

330
00:29:10.010 --> 00:29:11.329
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: That's… this is so interesting.

331
00:29:11.330 --> 00:29:30.010
Richie Greenberg: you could do all of this. And of course, you're going to have that segment of the city is going to say, well, we want to have pot farming in there, too. We want to grow marijuana. So, I'm not gonna judge on, you know, yes or no, but… So, there you go. Imagine a 40-story farm.

332
00:29:30.340 --> 00:29:33.240
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: So where would it be? Do you have, like, a couple areas?

333
00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:34.230
Richie Greenberg: district.

334
00:29:34.230 --> 00:29:35.070
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Financial District.

335
00:29:35.070 --> 00:29:47.109
Richie Greenberg: Market Street, California Street, any of them that are empty or could be taken out of service, instead of solely turning them into housing.

336
00:29:47.320 --> 00:29:48.940
Richie Greenberg: Turn them into a farm.

337
00:29:50.750 --> 00:29:56.160
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: That's a very… that's a very interesting one. That is… that is… okay, I'm gonna do a lot of thinking about that.

338
00:29:56.160 --> 00:30:02.549
Richie Greenberg: So that's urban farming. Take urban farming to new heights.

339
00:30:02.550 --> 00:30:03.760
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Okay.

340
00:30:03.760 --> 00:30:04.130
Richie Greenberg: Yeah.

341
00:30:04.130 --> 00:30:04.900
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Hi!

342
00:30:04.900 --> 00:30:05.580
Richie Greenberg: That, that was…

343
00:30:05.580 --> 00:30:10.179
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I've been thinking about that for a while. Oh, gosh, am I already at number 5?

344
00:30:10.180 --> 00:30:10.750
Richie Greenberg: Yeah, you are.

345
00:30:10.980 --> 00:30:11.730
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Wow, okay.

346
00:30:11.730 --> 00:30:12.179
Richie Greenberg: You are.

347
00:30:12.180 --> 00:30:14.289
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: This is something that I, I…

348
00:30:17.620 --> 00:30:26.370
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I've always loved old school San Francisco, when you see men in suits and women in beautiful dresses dashing into

349
00:30:26.900 --> 00:30:40.939
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: the gloves dashing in and out. You and I, we both sort of agree about that. I say incentivize that. We have… we make… I thought about this for a long time, have done some things on it, but really make formal Fridays a thing.

350
00:30:40.940 --> 00:30:41.590
Richie Greenberg: Yeah.

351
00:30:41.590 --> 00:30:57.419
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: And Friday, whatever it is that you have in your closet, I don't care what it is, the best thing that you have, wear it out. Wear it out. Go to the supermarket. Wear it out to Walgreens. Go to the park. Whatever it may be.

352
00:30:57.680 --> 00:30:58.859
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: put it on.

353
00:30:59.190 --> 00:31:01.659
Richie Greenberg: So, like, you'd be, like, a ball gown.

354
00:31:01.660 --> 00:31:03.350
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Absolutely, absolutely.

355
00:31:03.350 --> 00:31:07.930
Richie Greenberg: Even… even a tiara, I've seen, ZRA.

356
00:31:07.930 --> 00:31:11.709
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I want your tiara on, I want your tuxedo on.

357
00:31:11.710 --> 00:31:12.070
Richie Greenberg: Yeah.

358
00:31:12.070 --> 00:31:22.190
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: If you don't have nothing, if you have nothing that's special, whatever it is that you have that's most special, but to make sure that this is available to everybody.

359
00:31:22.190 --> 00:31:42.079
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: we would have a clothing swap, a great San Francisco… I have a gown, I've got… you don't even know how many gowns I have in my closet. Some I could not fit into. I would love to give them to somebody who can fit into them, and just encourage this sense of whimsy and beauty and elegance in our own unique San Francisco way. And on top of that.

360
00:31:44.270 --> 00:31:46.049
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Cable car conductors.

361
00:31:46.190 --> 00:31:47.100
Richie Greenberg: No.

362
00:31:47.100 --> 00:31:59.690
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I'm on the kibble car line. I see… I understand this is a practical, utilitarian uniform that they wear, but they used to have these really snappy uniforms. Can we please go back to that? The hat.

363
00:31:59.690 --> 00:32:13.980
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Right? They look smart, they look sharp. Let's… let's go back to… to an actual nice-looking uniform and get people, instead of these horrible, bedraggled-looking kind of vests, they just… they just look like, you know.

364
00:32:13.980 --> 00:32:15.719
Richie Greenberg: And that really dark brown, is it still?

365
00:32:15.720 --> 00:32:16.539
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: They're dark brown, yeah.

366
00:32:16.540 --> 00:32:17.320
Richie Greenberg: Yeah.

367
00:32:17.320 --> 00:32:19.139
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: We could change the… let's change the color!

368
00:32:19.140 --> 00:32:19.599
Richie Greenberg: It's a call.

369
00:32:19.600 --> 00:32:20.610
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: It's a color scheme!

370
00:32:20.610 --> 00:32:21.850
Richie Greenberg: Right!

371
00:32:21.850 --> 00:32:39.189
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: So, you know, it's funny, a long time ago, I would say, oh my gosh, it was probably in the 80s, Valentino took over Alitalia, and, did their uniforms for the flight attendants. So if you look, if you look up the flight attendant uniforms that he

372
00:32:39.280 --> 00:32:52.309
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: revamped. They're stunning, right? We could have a contest, that's another one, have a contest for, like, our… the San Francisco uniforms for the people who work for the city. A new color scheme, a new, right?

373
00:32:52.710 --> 00:32:54.040
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Let's elevate.

374
00:32:54.040 --> 00:32:55.900
Richie Greenberg: facing, the public-facing employees.

375
00:32:55.900 --> 00:32:57.400
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yeah, exactly.

376
00:32:57.700 --> 00:32:59.050
Richie Greenberg: Bell bottoms.

377
00:33:01.090 --> 00:33:15.380
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I'm not into 70s style so much, but… Yeah, so there are so many ways. I mean, I think this exercise, and as we all continue, like, you and me, Richie, as we continue to do it, I'm sure, like, mmm, the juices are flowing, what else can we do?

378
00:33:15.380 --> 00:33:15.839
Richie Greenberg: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

379
00:33:16.680 --> 00:33:30.220
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: just keep going with this. You know, there are so many things that we can do, large and small. Obviously, our ideas are probably not going to go into the big pool for Michael Moritz. However.

380
00:33:31.400 --> 00:33:32.650
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: It's good to drink.

381
00:33:32.790 --> 00:33:36.799
Richie Greenberg: Of course it's good to dream. And that's what has made San Francisco so special.

382
00:33:37.350 --> 00:33:40.989
Richie Greenberg: Over the years, over the decades, is the innovation and the dream.

383
00:33:41.210 --> 00:33:42.030
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yes.

384
00:33:42.280 --> 00:34:01.930
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I do want to have a shout out to somebody who contacted me from Los Angeles, one of our listeners. Her name is Carrie, and Carrie said that she loves our podcast, said that she came up to San Francisco recently, and had the time of her life. Could not believe how amazing the city is, and.

385
00:34:01.930 --> 00:34:02.670
Richie Greenberg: It is.

386
00:34:02.670 --> 00:34:11.739
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: cannot wait to come back. So, I asked her what she did, and she said basic just walked around, went to restaurants, just enjoyed, enjoyed

387
00:34:11.969 --> 00:34:12.550
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: being.

388
00:34:12.550 --> 00:34:13.829
Richie Greenberg: injured being in severity.

389
00:34:13.830 --> 00:34:20.759
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Right. And, so, thank you, Carrie, thanks for listening, and Los Angeles.

390
00:34:20.940 --> 00:34:25.819
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: You know, you could have your own version of really San Francisco, really Los Angeles.

391
00:34:25.820 --> 00:34:29.540
Richie Greenberg: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Someone, someone do it. I don't think we're ready to do that.

392
00:34:29.540 --> 00:34:29.870
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: No.

393
00:34:29.870 --> 00:34:46.089
Richie Greenberg: No. No. We have… we have so much to do here, and so much to dream. So, listeners, viewers, thank you so much for… for tuning in, listening in today, and please let us know what you think about our ideas. Definitely.

394
00:34:46.090 --> 00:34:46.940
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: want to hear.

395
00:34:46.940 --> 00:34:48.879
Richie Greenberg: And we want to hear yours, too, not just.

396
00:34:49.449 --> 00:34:53.349
Richie Greenberg: comment on ours, but we want to hear yours, so…

397
00:34:53.350 --> 00:34:53.960
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Definitely.

398
00:34:53.969 --> 00:35:06.259
Richie Greenberg: Yeah, drop your, drop your comments in, on social media, or send us a direct message to podcast at reallySFNews.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

399
00:35:06.260 --> 00:35:22.540
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yes. How would you… what are your crazy, outlandish, out-of-the-box ideas for getting San Francisco to that next level? We want to know. I am going to Panama on Tuesday for a while.

400
00:35:22.560 --> 00:35:26.299
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: And, so I'll be back afterwards, and I cannot wait to…

401
00:35:26.300 --> 00:35:30.080
Richie Greenberg: Panama, the country, not the Panama City in Florida. That is correct.

402
00:35:30.080 --> 00:35:30.560
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: Yeah.

403
00:35:30.560 --> 00:35:31.850
Richie Greenberg: your passport.

404
00:35:31.850 --> 00:35:36.900
Erica Jennifer Sandberg: I have everything ready to go. Alright, bye everybody, love you all, thank you so much!

405
00:35:36.900 --> 00:35:40.440
Richie Greenberg: Take care, this is Willie San Francisco, signing off for another day.