Speed cameras are working, Waymos are blocking ambulances, a new ethnic studies fight is brewing in the schools, and Barnes and Noble is eyeing a comeback on Market Street — San Francisco's reform era, in one very busy Thursday. Welcome to the San Francisco Daily Fix — I'm Cassidy, with Devin. Today we've got evidence on what's actually changing in this city, and what's still a mess. Speed cameras, curriculum wars, robo-cars blocking fire trucks — this is exactly the kind of show where we find out which reforms are real and which are just press releases. And a retail giant possibly returning to a stretch of Market Street that desperately needs a pulse — we'll get into all of it. First up, this was moving on r/sanfrancisco — 216 points, 103 comments:
Drivers who were speeding at 10 mph or more over the limit dropped by almost 80% at camera locations compared to the time before the traffic safety program began, according to data shared by the mayor’s office and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
San Francisco's speed camera program is showing real numbers: speeding violations down nearly 80% at camera locations, and 65% of cited drivers don't get a second ticket. That's from SFMTA and the mayor's office — so grain of salt on the sourcing, but the directional trend is hard to argue with. This is exactly what evidence-based policy looks like. You raise the probability of getting caught, behavior changes. We've known this forever in criminology — it's not the severity of punishment, it's the certainty. Cameras are cheap, they scale, and they don't require a cop standing on every corner. And then, from Katie DeBenedetti at KQED:
San Francisco's public school district has approved a permanent ethnic studies curriculum, following years of controversy over course content. The decision was made after Parents Defending Education obtained excerpts from a trove of SFUSD ethnic studies teachers' lesson plans, curriculum, and miscellaneous documents.
SFUSD has officially adopted a permanent ethnic studies curriculum, and KQED has the story — this comes after years of back-and-forth, a WestEd audit that basically said 'needs work,' and a conservative parent group called Parents Defending Education getting their hands on a pile of teacher lesson plans that raised red flags. Here's the history: SFUSD has been running its own homegrown ethnic studies course since 2010 — first as an elective, then they made it a graduation requirement for ninth graders. The problem is it was never held to the same vetting standard as, say, history or social science. No rigorous curriculum adoption process, just teachers doing their own thing. And the audit from WestEd — that's an education nonprofit — found it only partially met expectations and wasn't coherently tied to the state's own model ethnic studies curriculum. That's a real problem when you're talking about a required course. Ethnic studies can be genuinely valuable — the history of redlining, labor organizing, immigration, that's real San Francisco history that kids should know. But when an audit says your curriculum is incoherent and activist-driven rather than academically grounded, that's not serving students, especially working-class kids of color who need rigorous coursework, not a political seminar. Okay, switching gears — another r/sanfrancisco thread, this one at 334 points and 103 comments:
Emergency first responder leaders told federal regulators in a private meeting last month that they were frustrated with the performance of autonomous vehicles on their streets—that city firefighters, police officers, EMTs, and paramedics are forced to spend time during emergencies resolving issues with frozen or stuck cars.
WIRED got audio from a private federal meeting where San Francisco and Austin first responders told NHTSA — that's the feds who oversee self-driving safety — that Waymo's performance isn't improving. It's backsliding. Fire Chief Patrick Rabbitt said Waymos are now routinely blocking fire station exits, and their default behavior when confused is to just... freeze. A frozen robot car blocking a fire truck from leaving the station isn't a software quirk — that's a life-or-death problem. And the fact that this is apparently happening more than it used to? That's the part that should terrify people. Mary Ellen Carroll from the city's Department of Emergency Management used the phrase 'backsliding' directly to federal regulators. That's not a Reddit comment — that's an official on the record telling the feds things are getting worse. And Reddit had a pretty measured take on this too — over on r/sanfrancisco, 241 upvotes:
I am a fan of Waymos and use them often, but I fully support more rigorous government oversight for issues like interfering with first responders. Our regulatory agencies should be holding Waymo's feet to the fire, and Waymo should be throwing far more resources at solving these problems.
There is zero reason a Waymo should block a fire house more than one time. That should provoke a strong regulatory response and a rapid and permanent fix by the company.
NHTSA needs to treat repeated fire station blockages the way the FAA treats near-misses — mandatory reporting, mandatory fixes, and consequences if it keeps happening. 'We're working on it' is not an answer. Then there’s this one from r/sanfrancisco — 37 upvotes, and honestly, very San Francisco:
as someone who drove the wee woo busses- Waymo’s did some dumb shit, but wayyyyy less dumb shit compared to the actual humans in the bay. And they yield consistently. The issue is when they DO freeze I don’t have anyone to yell at to move the damn car.
A former ambulance driver pointing out that Waymos still cause less chaos than human drivers is fair context — but 'better than average' is a low bar when the failure mode is an unmovable two-ton obstacle with no one to flag down. The 'no one to yell at' problem is real and it's underrated. Human error is at least negotiable in the moment. A frozen algorithm just sits there. Now for a little downtown retail whiplash — from r/sanfrancisco, 470 points, 122 comments:
Sources recently told the Business Times that Barnes & Noble is among the large national retail chains that have been exploring large store spaces in the downtown shopping destination. Others include Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's.
San Francisco Business Times broke this one — a staff member spotted Mayor Lurie on Market Street outside the Flood Building, huddled with a man carrying a burgundy Barnes and Noble tote bag. That man confirmed to the Biz Times he was indeed Barnes and Noble CEO James Daunt, who said he was — quote — successfully impressed upon of the vigor with which the city is rebounding. A CEO personally touring downtown with the mayor. That's not a scouting trip, that's a closing argument. And if Nordstrom and Bloomingdale's are also circling, Union Square is starting to look like Union Square again. The Flood Building on Market is a gorgeous historic space. If Barnes and Noble moves in there, I will personally be there on opening day with a very large coffee. And the comments immediately got practical. Over on r/sanfrancisco, 121 upvotes:
Great I have 1.50 left on a gift card, cant wait till they're back
Someone on Reddit says they've got a dollar fifty left on a gift card and they're ready. Honestly, same energy. Another one, from r/sanfrancisco — 117 upvotes:
As a kid I used to love going to Borders Books & Music across from Saks. Back when my memories of Starbucks were also decent, there was a Starbucks inside the store and it was a bonus to browse at books and get a hot chocolate. Anyway, a large bookstore like Barnes & Noble would be interesting for that area. Not knocking the mom & pops, but it’s fitting for downtown.
Another commenter remembers Borders across from Saks, Starbucks inside, hot chocolate, browsing. That whole era. Downtown retail used to be a destination, and a flagship bookstore is exactly the kind of anchor that makes it one again. One more useful wrinkle here, from r/sanfrancisco — 30 upvotes:
Barnes and Noble is actually buying up, supporting, and keeping local neighborhood indie bookshops alive so they don't have to shut down due to competition. Barnes and Noble becomes the majority owner but doesn't change anything about the local bookstore so they retain their unique character. You won't even know you're in a Barnes and Noble when walking around inside one of them. One example is Books Inc in Laurel Village and Chestnut in the Marina
Worth flagging — Barnes and Noble has actually been quietly acquiring indie bookshops, including Books Inc locations right here in SF, and keeping them indie in feel. So the 'big chain vs. local bookstore' framing doesn't fully hold anymore. You’ll find links to every story we talked about today in the show notes, so if something caught your ear, you can go read the full piece there.
That’s The San Francisco Daily Fix for this Thursday. Thanks for listening — we’ll be back next time. This is a Lantern Podcast.