San Francisco’s COVID-19 Joint Information Center announced Sunday that the Moscone Center and City College of San Francisco high volume vaccination sites are pausing operations, but no existing appointments will be canceled. The sites will reopen once the vaccine supply is sufficient to resume operations.
Moscone is expected to be closed for a week, while the City College site expects to resume operations on Friday for second doses only. A third high volume site is launching this week, but with limited appointments available.
With the opening of two high volume COVID-19 vaccination sites — Moscone and City College — the city increased the number of vaccines administered by health care providers, pharmacies and the Department of Public Health to an average of 7,400 doses a day over the last seven days, officials said.
The city has the capacity to administer more than 10,000 vaccines per day but lacks the vaccine supply, officials said. “The vaccine supply coming to San Francisco’s health care providers and the Department of Public Health is limited, inconsistent and unpredictable, making vaccine roll out difficult and denying San Franciscans this potentially life-saving intervention,” officials said in a statement.
The proposed four-year extension of 150-foot SkyStar Observation Wheel in Golden Gate Park faces another hurdle Wednesday, when the San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission will review the Recreation and Park Department’s request for a certificate of appropriateness.
Installed last fall to honor the park’s 150th anniversary, the Ferris wheel, is scheduled to be removed in March. It only operated for five weeks before it was closed because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Recreation and Park is proposing to extend the SkyStar Observation Wheel’s stay until March 1, 2023, to “offset financial hardship experienced by the vendor” and to March 1, 2025, to reinvigorate the city’s post-pandemic economy.
The Sierra Club’s San Francisco Bay chapter has asked the Historic Preservation Commission to deny the extension for environmental reasons.
The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission meets at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, and the meeting will be livestreamed at https://www.sfgovtv.org/planning. The public may call in at (415) 655-0001 with access code 187 731 7450. Disability and language accommodations available upon request to [email protected] or (628) 652-7589 at least 48 hours in advance.
Santa Clara County officials are applauding a federal court’s ruling that affirmed the county’s ban on indoor gatherings.
The ruling reversed the court’s earlier decision to provide an exception for churches to the county’s prohibition of indoor gatherings of any kind, after determining that the ban does not single out churches or houses of worship.
Friday’s temporary ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit extends the county’s ban on indoor gatherings to include churches once again, which allows the ban to remain until the court makes a final decision.
County officials heralded the decision in a statement issued late Saturday.
“The Ninth Circuit’s decision affirms that the County’s health orders are neutral, across-the-board rules focused on preventing the spread of COVID-19,” said James R. Williams, County Counsel. “Many in our community are eager to gather indoors together, including for indoor worship, but it is vitally important that we continue to keep our community safe and do everything we can bring the pandemic under control.
Williams noted the efforts of the local faith community in the county’s official statement.
“We are grateful for the continued leadership of our faith community in the COVID-19 response,” Williams said. “The vast majority of our faith community have been gathering outdoors or online so that they can worship safely and protect the broader community from serious illness and death. And our faith community continues to partner with the County to support vaccination, testing, and other critical efforts to get all of us through to the other side of this pandemic.”
A woman died in a collision Sunday afternoon on eastbound Interstate Highway 580 in Oakland, according to a California Highway Patrol spokesman.
CHP Oakland received a call about a collision on eastbound I-580 just west of Edwards Avenue in Oakland at about 3:10 p.m. Sunday, CHP Officer Sean Layton said. Officers found a Green Plymouth Breeze with collision damage on the right shoulder of the interstate.
A female adult passenger was pronounced dead on the scene, while the male driver was transported to a hospital for moderate injuries, Layton said.
The incident is still under investigation, but CHP officers believe another vehicle rear-ended the Breeze and drove away, he said.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or has information about the incident is encouraged to call California Highway Patrol at (510) 457-2875. Witnesses may remain anonymous if they choose to, Layton said.
Community organizers in Oakland and San Francisco rallied for unity over the weekend, after a surge of violence in recent weeks against Asian Americans in the Bay Area.
Oakland’s Chinatown, where Lunar New Year was being celebrated Saturday, has been a particular hotspot for incidents. On Jan. 31, a 91-year-old was sent to the hospital with serious injuries after being shoved to the ground, allegedly by 28-year-old Yahya Muslim, who police suspect may be linked to at least two other area attacks. The incident, which was caught on surveillance footage, has caused outrage across the country.
In January, a 52-year-old Asian-American woman was shot in the head with a flare gun in Chinatown. Residents say it’s part of an escalating pattern, including recent incidents in San Jose and San Francisco, that needs to be addressed.
“Everyone in my family has a story about being a victim to the issue we’re talking about here today,” Jennifer Tran, the executive director of the Oakland Vietnamese Chamber of Commerce, told the crowd Saturday at the “Love Our People, Heal Our Communities” rally at Oakland’s Madison Park. “All of my friends also have stories about being subjected to racial violence as Black and Brown people.”
Put on by the Coalition for Community Safety and Justice, the socially distanced event featured victims of violence, community groups and local officials, talking about watching out for each one another. Speakers addressed issues like racism, poverty and lack of services in communities of color that help lead to violence.
Two adults including an elderly man were displaced by a residential fire in Petaluma on Sunday afternoon, Petaluma Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Medeiros said.
The fire department received a report of a structure fire on the 1800 block of Fieldstone Lane at about 3:10 p.m. Sunday and dispatched the battalion chief, an engine, a ladder truck and an ambulance to the residence.
Upon arrival, firefighters saw that light smoke was coming from the front door of the home, Medeiros said. Firefighters quickly gained access, and they found a couch fire that had activated the overhead fire sprinkler and an elderly man who needed assistance to evacuate.
The man was evaluated for smoke inhalation and transported to Petaluma Valley Hospital for a further evaluation by a doctor, Medeiros said. A woman was outside when firefighters arrived on scene and was not injured.
An additional engine arrived to assist crews with salvage and overhaul to minimize further water damage from the sprinkler, Medeiros said.
The City of Petaluma Building Department and Fire Prevention responded to the scene. After an investigation, the residence was “red tagged,” due to the sprinkler system being activated, and the utilities shut off.
The preliminary fire investigation determined that the fire possibly started from an overloaded extension cord under the couch, but the exact cause of the fire is still under investigation, Medeiros said.
“Had it not been for the activation of the sprinkler system this fire would have grown to become much larger,” Medeiros said. Smoke detectors also alerted the residents to the fire.
The displaced adults have family who can care for them until their home is safe again, Medeiros said. Smoke and water damage is estimated at $25,000.
Rancho Adobe Fire and Cal Fire were also on the scene.
How do porcupines make love?
“Very carefully,” guide Leslie Thalman told a group of visitors during the Valentine’s Day “Wild Jungle Love” Tour at Safari West, an African-themed Santa Rosa wildlife preserve, on Sunday.
The sex lives of cheetahs, zebras, giraffes and other critters at the 400-acre park took center stage on the tour. The event Saturday and Sunday was the first stage of Safari West’s reopening as pandemic restrictions ease.
“That’s submissive behavior,” Thalman said as a female ostrich approached the group’s vehicle, head down, wings at half-mast. “If our vehicle was a male ostrich, she would lie down and let the male breed her,” the guide added.
“So the ostrich is hitting on us?”, asked visitor Rebecca Auerbach of Concord.
“In a dysfunctional way, yes,” Thalman answered, to laughter from the group.
Dubbed “the Sonoma Serengeti,” the preserve’s forest, grassland and warm weather resemble the savannas of Africa. It was founded by Peter and Nancy Lang in 1993.
Closed to help slow the spread of COVID-19, Safari West will open full time for guests booking tours Feb. 27. The park’s “glamping” tents reopen March 1.
The “Wild Jungle Love” tour included a walk and a ride on a vintage yellow Dodge Power Wagon M37. The vehicle is open-air, and the masked passengers are separated by plexiglass partitions. The facility has implemented a number of other safety measures as well.
Light showers and drizzle will spread southward overnight as wet conditions linger through Monday morning. The high will be near 60. Southwest wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Overnight lows are expected in the high 40s.
Showers are forecast to exit the region by Monday afternoon. Dry weather returns Tuesday and continues through most of Thursday. Rain chances develop by late Thursday and continue into Friday. Dry weather is forecast for the weekend.
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