Caltrain Railyard Housing Plan, PG&E Grid Price Tag, and Tenderloin Outage Lead San Francisco Updates

Housing, redevelopment, and local policy debates remain active across San Francisco. On Friday, HousingWire reported that a Caltrain railyard plan targets 5,834 new San Francisco homes. As housing proposals continue to draw scrutiny, the San Francisco Chronicle published a report on Friday examining what the data shows on whether Chan is a "NIMBY" supervisor and Wiener is a "YIMBY" senator. Meanwhile, The Business Journals reported on Wednesday that the Tanforan redevelopment is gaining momentum toward a 2028 start.

Power infrastructure, utility costs, and insurance proposals also featured in local and state reporting this week. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Thursday that an underground fire sparked a power outage in San Francisco's Tenderloin and Civic Center neighborhoods. On the utility policy front, Renewable Energy World reported on Thursday that PG&E has put a $22.5B price tag on a San Francisco public grid takeover proposal. Elsewhere in the state, CalMatters reported on Thursday that California cities are pulling the plug on data centers after state regulations did not scale up fast enough. Additionally, Annenberg Media reported on Friday that Jane Kim wants guaranteed natural disaster insurance for Californians.

Several transit, roadway, and county governance updates are also underway in the region. Streetsblog San Francisco reported on Thursday that Oakland celebrated a new 20th Street bikeway, and Hoodline reported on Friday that Oakland opened the new protected bikeway linking 19th St. BART to Lake Merritt. For drivers heading north, ABC7 Bay Area reported on Thursday on what travelers should know about Highway 37 closures planned for this weekend in the North Bay. In ballot news, the San Mateo Daily Journal reported on Friday that Measure J addresses elected vacancies through a county charter change that would extend vacancy filling to 60 days.

In football news, the 49ers made a roster move on Friday as the team prepares its receiving corps. Yahoo Sports reported that the 49ers released a defensive lineman to clear a path for a veteran wide receiver's return to the roster. Separately on Friday, Niners Nation reported that the 49ers offensive coordinator spoke about a second year wide receiver, saying that "the ball is going to find him."