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Well-intended legislation in Sacramento often can go way off track once implemented.
What comes readily to mind is recalled former Gov. Gray Davis pushing the requirement for all high school students to take Algebra 2. Davis argued that it was necessary for students to enter an increasingly technological work force.
Nice try. Trying to jam that level of algebra into a student headed for a career in the trades or hospitality industry made no sense then and the same is true now.
Palo Alto Assemblyman Marc Berman seems headed down a similar road with his legislation to establish computer science as a high school graduation requirement. Same argument applies, although given Berman’s district, it’s unlikely too many of his constituents would speak to him about it.
Statewide graduation requirements should cover the basics—U.S. history and civics, English and literature and math and let local districts determine what best serves their constituents.
Retail continues to crash in San Francisco as the city fights to avoid the doom loop. Union Square has been the hub of retail in the city for decades, but Macy’s announced this week that its West Coast marquis store will be closing.
The company, restricting its retail footprint under a new CEO, plans to close 50 stores this year and another 100 in the coming years. That the iconic Union Square site, famed for its Christmas windows with cats and dogs to be adopted, is on the list because it is under-performing speaks to the deterioration of the retail environment in the downtown.
Last August, when its lease expired, Nordstrom walked away from its 300,000-square-foot anchor site in Westfield’s San Francisco Centre mall. Westfield surrendered the mall to its lender. There are plenty of vacancies there plus around Union Square.
The open space reflects San Francisco’s fall from a destination retail downtown to one to be avoided.
The city faces major challenges as its strives to deal with the more than 30% vacancies in the downtown office buildings with tech tenants shrinking spaces to align with fewer days and people in the office.
City officials expect the store to remain open through the year because Macy’s doesn’t plan to close it until the building is sold.
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