sf.citi’s TWO CENTS ON STRIPE LEAVING SAN FRANCISCO
Last week, sf.citi weighed in on the decision made by payment processing company Stripe to move its headquarters outside of San Francisco.
Valued at $35 billion, Stripe’s departure is a loss for San Francisco. As stated in an article by the San Francisco Chronicle, it is neither a surprise nor an anomaly. The company named San Francisco’s lack of available office space as the main reason for its departure. We have to consider, however, that South San Francisco, the home of Stripe’s new headquarters, boasts a more business-friendly tax structure. While San Francisco’s transition from a payroll tax to a gross receipts tax in 2012 has helped accelerate tech’s growth in the City (currently 15 percent of private-sector jobs, up from 3 percent in 2004), companies continue to face new tax burdens almost every election cycle. We at sf.citi look forward to collaborating with our City’s leaders to establish a “fair and equitable tax system that we can all rely on.”
Read More About Stripe’s SF Exit
WORK IN TECH, ENGAGE IN POLITICS
Steven Bucinni is a software engineer turned political candidate. Sharing his own political journey, Buccini explains why now is the time for tech workers to get involved in local politics and how to get started.
A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and former software engineer at Uber, Apple, and Affirm, Steven Buccini decided to run for political office in 2018. Campaigning to represent his hometown in the North Carolina state legislature, he quickly discovered that there is a conspicuous lack of technical know-how among lawmakers. Part of the reason Buccini himself decided to enter the political arena was to fill this void. At a time when technology and regulation increasingly overlap, Buccini shares three tips for people—especially the tech-minded—to engage with lawmakers and help build stronger, smarter policy. Find out what they are in the blog below.
Read About Steven’s Foray into Politics
HAPPY HALLOWEEN: sf.citi MEMBERS GET SPOOKTACULAR
Like well, everyone, tech companies love an occasion to dress up. We’ve listed a few of the wonderfully spooky things sf.citi members have done to celebrate Halloween.
Known for their ingenuity, San Francisco tech companies tend to go all out for special occasions. And Halloween is no exception. As in years past, sf.citi members found creative ways to show their appreciation for this haunted holiday. See below for a few fun ideas on how to embrace the Halloween spirit—all courtesy of sf.citi members.
- Airbnb invites you to participate in a Spooky Encounter. If you want to add an adrenaline rush to your upcoming travels, sign up for one of these deliciously chilling Airbnb Experiences, which range from a haunted bar crawl in New Orleans to a movie prosthetics workshop in Amsterdam.
- Google (or shall we say B????????GLE) has adapted many of its products to enhance your Halloween fun. Here’s a checklist of 13 ways to transform your home into a sort of spooky wonderland using Google Nest products. Some of our favorites include telling your Google Nest to “get spooky” (cue an hour-long playlist of scary songs and sounds) or customizing your Next Hello doorbell to imitate a cackling witch with each ring.
- Pinterest offers much-needed inspiration for last-minute Halloween costumes. Today is Halloween, which means the time for coming up with an elaborate costume has probably come and gone. If you’re still in a pinch, sf.citi member Pinterest has you covered with these last-minute costume ideas.
DON’T FORGET, THE SF ELECTION IS DAYS AWAY
We are less than a week out from San Francisco’s next election on November 5th. Before casting your vote, make sure to study up on all of the ballot measures using sf.citi’s voter guide.
As far as sf.citi is concerned, there is no excuse for not voting. In San Francisco’s November 2019 election, you will see several noteworthy ballot measures, including two measures—Propositions A and E—to address housing affordability in San Francisco. And if you use rideshare services to get around town (read: Uber, Lyft), you should probably pay attention to Proposition D, which would impose a surcharge on all such rides to improve transportation infrastructure across the City. It needs a two-thirds supermajority vote to pass.
Aside from determining the fate of six local ballot measures, San Francisco voters will also help decide the City’s next Mayor (Mayor Breed is up for re-election), City Attorney, District Attorney, Sheriff, Treasurer, and one seat on both the Board of Education and Community College Board. We’re also looking at two special elections: one to succeed the late Jeff Adachi as Public Defender and one to take over Mayor Breed’s former seat as District 5 Supervisor (currently occupied by Supervisor Vallie Brown).
DID YOU KNOW?
sf.citi member Twitter has created a feed of emergency management accounts to help Californians keep track of the fires ravaging cities across the state. You can find the latest news and resources for the California fires here.
BUZZ | #MEMBERNEWS
- Twitter Will Ban All Political Ads, C.E.O. Jack Dorsey Says (The New York Times)
- Facebook Pledges $1 Billion to Ease Housing Crisis Inflamed by Big Tech (The New York Times)
- Zoox raises $200 million to build self-driving car (Axios)
Comments are closed.