Can San Francisco be saved?

Can San Francisco be saved?

San Francisco, the beautiful city on the bay, has become a national punchline. During his debate along with California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom last year, Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis posted a map of poop sightings throughout the citywho were apparently reported to 311 more than 35,000 times in 2023, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Works. The city’s population fell starting in 2018, but has slowly declined. And a Chronicle of San Francisco 2022 survey found that 65 percent of respondents say life is worse in the city today than when they moved there.

Today’s guest, Mike Solana, wants to be part of the solution. He is the Marketing Director at Founders Fund—the venture capital firm founded by Peter Thiel—and editor-in-chief of Sons of Piratesa new media company covering technology from a Silicon Valley perspective.

Watch the full conversation on Reason’s Youtube channel or the Just Asking Questions podcast feed at Apple, Spotifyor your favorite podcaster.

Sources referenced in this conversation:

1. “This map shows that San Francisco is covered in human droppings“
2. “Update! The San Francisco poop map by OpenTheBooks in real time“
3. San Francisco Chronicle poll: “How fed up are San Franciscans with the city’s problems?”“
4. San Francisco Crime Rates and Statistics
5. Homelessness per 100,000 inhabitants, 2022
6. Violent and property crimes in San Francisco, 2010 to present
7. Report: “San Franciscans spend more and receive less from their police department than most large California cities“
8. New York Times article on Garry Tan
9. Report: What have been the results of Germany’s drug reform policy?

Timestamp:

• 00:00 Introduction to the simple act of asking questions
• 01:04 Presentation by Mike Solana: a voice for San Francisco
• 03:36 The Current State of San Francisco: A First-Person Perspective
• 09:37 Homelessness and the housing crisis
• 6:56 p.m. Comparing San Francisco to other major cities
• 11:01 p.m. Crime and policing in San Francisco
• 38:27 Challenges of education and the school system
• 49:37 Financing and school choice in San Francisco
• 52:33 Homelessness and nonprofit funding
• 54:45 Drug decriminalization and harm reduction
• 58:14 Origins of the opioid crisis
• 01:04:59 Libertarianism and political victories
• 01:12:36 Immigration and social protection
• 01:35:24 Who is really in charge?

• Producer: John Osterhoudt

Fuente