SF Weekly - January 28 2021

15.8 MB·English

by  SF Weekly

JANUARY 28, 2021 • SFWEEKLY.COM
NEW TRASH BINS
HIT THE STREETS
PAGE 6
SHAUN DURKAN
COMES CLEAN
PAGE 16
CRUS H E D
The pandemic has seriously
disrupted the aluminum
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LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR NEWS HOME IMPROVEMENT
LETTERS FROM THE EDIVTOOL.R 39 | NO. 42 NEWS HOME IMPROVEMENT
JAN. 28, 2021
EDITORIAL BBaayy AArreeaa TTaakkeess SStteepp TToowwaarrdd
EDITOR
Nick Veronin • [email protected]
STAFF WRITERS
Grace Z. Li • [email protected]
Benjamin Schneider • [email protected] MMaajjoorr HHoouussiinngg GGrroowwtthh
CONTRIBUTORS Richard von Busack, Jonathan
Curiel, Jeffrey Edalatpour, Steve Greenberg,
Mike Huguenor, Veronica Irwin, Bill Kopp,
Peter Lawrence Kane, Joe Kukura, Will Reisman,
Zack Ruskin, Dan Savage
PHOTO EDITOR Kevin N. Hume
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Christopher Victorio, Geoffrey Smith II
INTERNS Olivia Tucker, Sheila Tran CRUSHED
PRODUCTION
The pandemic has seriously
All things considered, our frontline workers have been crushing it.
AGRlAl PtHhIiCn DgEsS IcGoNn sidered, our frontline workers have been crushing it.
disrupted the global aluminum
Dina Kuhar, Grace Z. Li
We’re Crushing It can supply chain.
We’re Crushing It
Clinton Reilly Communications
BY VERONICA IRWIN
PUBLISHER Jay Curran PAGE 8
T
TVICE PHREES INDEANTY /S GAENYEERARL SM AWNAIGLELR make their snide remarks: Now that Joe Biden
HE NAYSAYERS WILL make their snide remarks: Now that Joe Biden
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is feeling the heat of a recall effort — COVID-19 has magically ended!
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tGoEN tErReALa ItN FaO RmMAaTnIO tNh: 4a15t-3 c59la-2i6m00 ed the highest office in the land while spouting
to treat a man that claimed the highest office in the land while spouting
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supposed to deal with a sitting president who openly admired despots,
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regularly told both profane and pointless lies, and regularly did both in
regularly told both profane and pointless lies, and regularly did both in
ANALTILON CALA APDVSE RtTwISeINeGt: s4?15-359-2610
ALL CAPS tweets?
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Our hands were tied, America. Our hands were tied.
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sCItRaCnULdA TtIOhNa: t8 6p6-e73r3c-7e3p23tion we need look no further than his lobbyist-funded
excursion to The French Laundry lateh laesatl tyhe daer.fenders on the streets.
excursion to The French Laundry late last year.
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PAGE 6
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juncture in time. PAGE 12
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some truly horrific scenes. We’ve watched friends and family become sick
some truly horrific scenes. We’ve watched friends and family become sick
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The SF Weekly is published Thursdays by BBaayy AArreeaa mmuusstt cchhaannggee tthheeiirr zzoonniinngg hhyyppeerr--bbuurreeaauuccrraattiicc nnaattuurree aanndd iinn CCiittyyLLaabb,, WWiieenneerr aanndd hhiiss aalllliieess
Clinton Reilly Communications. SF Weekly is located at Cover Art: Artem Musaev
835 Market St. Suite 550, San Francisco, CA 94103. — Nick Veronin, Editor llaawwss ttoo aallllooww ffoorr tthhee ccoonnssttrruuccttiioonn iittss lloonnggttiimmee hhoorriizzoonnss,, mmaakkee iitt iinn tthhee YYIIMMBBYY mmoovveemmeenntt aarree
SFWEEKLY.COM — Nick Veronin, Editor of 441,000 new homes between more difficult to understand than starting to look more like Zeus,
of 441,000 new homes between more difficult to understand than starting to look more like Zeus,
sfweekly.com • Thursday, January 28, 2021 • 3
NEWS HOME IMPROVEMENT
raining policy lightning bolts on single family areas. If the hoopla
expensive coastal cities from their following Heather Knight’s latest
perch in the state capitol. Chronicle column on this exact
issue is any indication, that will be
RHNA GROWS TEETH a politically fraught process.
At the Thursday meeting, many
RHNA (pronounced ree-na), also
voiced concern that these hous-
known as the Housing Element,
ing goals would be impossible to
is the main lever the state govern-
achieve in the allotted time frame.
ment has to push cities to build
Mayor Pat Eklund of Novato, the
enough housing to keep up with
sole ABAG board member to vote
job and population growth. In
no, brought up a controversial
eight-year cycles, the department
study by the Embarcadero Insti-
of Housing and Community Devel-
tute that questions the RHNA
opment (HCD) allocates a certain
methodology and suggests the
number of homes to each major
state is asking the Bay Area to
metropolitan area in California,
produce far more homes than it
organized into four affordability
needs. Many urban planning aca-
levels: very low income, low in-
demics dispute the Embarcadero
come, moderate income, and above
Institute’s data.
moderate income.
There are also concerns about
Each metropolitan area has
the impacts that so much housing
their own planning organization
development could have on low
— in the nine-county Bay Area,
income communities of color, es-
it’s the Association of Bay Area
pecially in the Bay Area’s big cities.
Governments (ABAG) working
During public comment, Peter
with planners from the Metro- C Papadopoulos with the Mission
o
politan Transportation Commis- urte Economic Development Agency
sion (MTC) — that distributes sy M said, “This proposal will flood S.F.
the state’s housing allocation TC and other urban core communities
among the cities and counties in
Increase in new homes each Bay Area city must plan for over the course of the 2023-2031 RHNA cycle, with additional market rate hous-
the region.
and percentage increase in households, left. ing burden, on top of preexisting
But this cycle was different,
harms already endured… This
thanks to SB 828, the 2018 law
proposal currently doesn’t go past
Wiener masterminded. The law adjustment” to the methodology them in Marin and Contra Cos- cludes $4.3 million for a Housing
tinkering around the edges of eq-
beefs up the methodology used to intended to combat racial and eco- ta counties. These communities Accountability Unit to do much
uity and will have grave, harmful
determine each region’s housing nomic segregation, combined with were used to getting paltry RHNA the same thing.
impacts if left unchanged.” (The
allocation, accounting for previous their existing mandate to plan for allocations. Marin’s allocation of All that is to say that even
Supervisors have the power to de-
under-production of housing, as housing near jobs and transit. 14,285 is 21 times higher than the though there is no guarantee that
termine where new housing in the
well as areas where home pric- On Thursday, that plan was “ad- previous RHNA cycle. all 441,000 homes in this RHNA
city is allowed to be built, whether
es are rising faster than wages, opted” by the ABAG board, which is Not only were many wealthy, allocation will get built — they
in gentrifying or wealthy areas.)
among other considerations. The led by Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arre- politically powerful suburbs probably won’t — there are mea-
San Francisco has historically
result is that the upcoming cycle’s guin, and includes elected officials able to get away with minuscule sures in place to ensure every city
met its RHNA goals for above
RHNA allocations are multiple from around the region, including housing goals from the state (last does its best to try.
moderate income housing pro-
times larger than the current cy- San Francisco Supervisors Rafael cycle, Beverly Hills’ allocation
duction, while falling short in the
cle, which spans 2014-2022. The Mandelman and Gordon Mar, by a was 46, this time around it’s over AFFORDABILITY
other categories, especially mod-
Southern California Association vote of 29 to 1, with 3 abstentions. 3,000), cities frequently refused
of Governments’ (SCAG) housing Before it is officially certified, the to provide permits for homes the While RHNA receives little media erate income, since there are more
allocation more than tripled from plan will be reviewed by the state, state said they were required to attention, these changes have not subsidies available for building
about 400 thousand to about 1.3 and individual cities will be allowed produce. No longer. been without controversy among low-income housing. However, the
million. ABAG’s allocation merely to appeal their allocations. In September, the state released those in the know. city’s RHNA goals in all income
doubled, from 187,990 homes to So here’s what the latest, not a memo outlining the effect of Many leaders and planners in categories for the forthcoming cy-
441,176. quite final, RHNA maps look like: several recent laws including suburbs that have seen virtually no cle are now much higher.
Of the Bay Area’s allocation, 26 San Francisco needs to plan for Wiener’s SB 35 and East Bay’s new housing construction in de- Fernando Martí of the Council
percent of new homes must be a 22 percent increase in house- Sen. Nancy Skinner’s SB 167, cades are not thrilled about what of Community Housing Organi-
for very low income households, holds, or 82 thousand more units, that strengthen the decades lies ahead. In practice, abiding by zations, another group that has
15 percent for low income, 17 between 2023 and 2031. That’s old Housing Accountability Act RHNA will require cities to make historically been skeptical of in-
percent for moderate income, up from an allocation of about 29 (HAA). These laws will make it zoning changes similar to those creased market rate development
and 42 percent for above moder- thousand homes during the 2014- much harder for city governments proposed by state laws like Wie- in San Francisco, struck a different
ate income. 22 cycle. to reject housing projects that ner’s SB 50. Except this way, local tone. “It is not perfect,” Martí said
Other Bay Area cities slated to comply with zoning — zoning officials, not Wiener, will be poised of the RHNA housing allocations
PLAN ADOPTED see significant household growth that must be changed to allow to take the heat from change- with the equity adjustment, but
include Emeryville, Millbrae, for the amount of housing set averse residents. “this is a baseline to begin to sup-
Since that allocation came down Colma, Brisbane, Mountain View, forth in each jurisdiction’s RHNA This is the case in San Francisco, port racial and social equity across
from the state in June, planners at Santa Clara, and Milpitas. How- allocation. Legal watchdog groups too. Short of allowing a couple the region.”
the MTC have been working on dis- ever, the most dramatic changes like CaRLa and YIMBY Law have dozen Salesforce-tower sized
tributing those planned new homes could come in smaller, wealthier emerged to make sure that cities apartment buildings, it’s hard to
among cities and counties. In Oc- bedroom communities on the leafy follow these laws. Gov. Newsom’s imagine how the city can meet its Benjamin Schneider is a staff writer at SF Weekly.
tober, planners added an “equity fringes of major cities, many of most recent budget proposal in- RHNA goals without upzoning @urbenschneider
4 • Thursday, January 28, 2021 • sfweekly.com
LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR
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All things considered, our frontline workers have been crushing it.
We’re Crushing It
T
HE NAYSAYERS WILL make their snide remarks: Now that Joe Biden 2020
is in the White House — or, more locally, now that Gov. Gavin Newsom
is feeling the heat of a recall effort — COVID-19 has magically ended!
I get the cynicism, but I have a different take.
Yes, the media was hard on Old No. 45. How exactly were we supposed
to treat a man that claimed the highest office in the land while spouting
racist conspiracy theories, bragging about his ability to get away with
sexual assault, and insisting on spraypainting his face? How were we
supposed to deal with a sitting president who openly admired despots, FOR SIX YEARS IN A ROW!
regularly told both profane and pointless lies, and regularly did both in
ALL CAPS tweets?
Our hands were tied, America. Our hands were tied.
As for Newsom, my feelings are a bit more complicated. Our isn’t seen
as some holier-than-thou coastal liberal elite for no reason. To under-
stand that perception we need look no further than his lobbyist-funded
excursion to The French Laundry late last year.
But Newsom is human. So are the people around him. And, lo and be-
hold, when presented with the immense challenge of a once-in-a-century
pandemic, Newsom, and the people around him, made some honest mis-
takes. They waffled. They fucked up.
I don’t interpret Newsom’s latest dialing back of statewide restrictions
as some political calculation — not entirely, at any rate. Remember, we
now have a vaccine for this deadly virus. Furthermore, nearly a year into
this pandemic, public health officials — all of us, really — are starting to
truly get a handle on what is dangerous and what isn’t. The latest decree
from the governor’s office is merely a reflection of what we know at this
juncture in time.
And what do we know now? We know that as we approach the one-
year anniversary of San Francisco’s late-March lockdown, we have seen
some truly horrific scenes. We’ve watched friends and family become sick
and die. We’ve wondered if we were next. We’ve stood by, feeling help-
less, as our favorite local businesses have closed for good.
But we’ve also persevered. We’ve continued getting out of bed and go-
ing to work in the face of crippling anxiety and genuine fear for life and
limb: I’m looking at you, frontline workers and healthcare professionals.
You have shown us all what it means to serve.
So, what am I getting at, exactly? I think what I’m trying to say is that
we are crushing it, all things considered.
Speaking of… be sure to check out this week’s cover story (and pod-
cast) by Veronica Irwin (page 8), which explores how the pandemic has
disrupted the global aluminum can supply chain, and what it has meant
for local brewers.
— Nick Veronin, Editor
sfweekly.com • Thursday, January 28, 2021 • 5
NEWS CLEANING UP
Can New Trash Cans Clean Up S.F. Streets?
India, where he had completed These days, those insides often
research. include PPE that could have been
“In those communities, I’m al- covering someone’s nose and
ways struck that they’re relatively mouth moments before. The good
clean,” he says, whereas in San news is that on its own, a single
Francisco, “You have one of the mask on the ground is probably
richest cities in the world, and not going to infect passersby with
yet you have parts of it where the the novel coronavirus. “I can’t
cleanliness is worse, or at the same think of these inanimate objects
level, as some of the urban slums as being a major source for the
of the world.” COVID virus,” Riley says. “I don’t
A trash can alone won’t solve know of any evidence of transmis-
underlying social issues that lead sion of COVID from inanimate
to garbage-strewn streets. They objects, from trash, or PPE.”
can’t address housing insecuri- Risk to the community lies in
ty or unhoused people’s lack of the volume. In a blog post encour-
ownership over the environment aging reusable masks, the San
in which they live — two of the Francisco Department of the Envi-
reasons Riley suspects some neigh- ronment cited a study suggesting
borhoods have excess trash. that if the U.S. matched Wuhan’s
You can’t generalize, he ac- medical waste output during its
knowledges. Not all neighbor- COVID-19 peak, our country could
hoods in San Francisco deal with produce a year’s worth of medical
poor street cleanliness at the same waste — five million tons — in
level. But he also points out that two months.
garbage issues aren’t restricted to The repercussions of excess
just one place: “Even in the nicest waste are widespread in the Bay
neighborhoods, people dump trash Area. The San Francisco Public
S next to the trash cans.” Utilities Commission warns that
h
utte littler clogs basins and storm
rsto BROKEN BINS drains, resulting in “neighborhood
ck flooding and pollution of our
San Francisco’s current trash cans aren’t cutting it, according to the Department of Public Works. waterways.” And the California
There are now more than 3,000
Coastal Commission says that 80
green city trash cans on San Fran-
‘Slim Silhouette,’ ‘Soft Square,’ and ‘Salt & Pepper’ are the names of revamped
percent of the blame for ocean
cisco streets, says Beth Ruben-
bin designs aimed at curbing the city’s litter problem. BY JESSICA SILBER stein, Deputy Director of Policy pollution comes from land-based
sources: litter, industrial discharge,
and Communications for San
and “garbage management
I Francisco’s Department of
N THE COMING year, San ment and the logistical challenges And that was all before (ill-fitting trash can
Public Works. But a re-
Franciscans will encounter a of dose distribution, it is easy to COVID-19 introduced disposable lids, etc.).”
design has been in the
new squad of public health overlook the street-level public personal protective equipment to works for a few years, That’s why func-
defenders on the streets. One health consequences of a dysfunc- the masses. Crumpled face masks because the cans have tionality matters. A
is tall and slender. Another has a tional waste management system. and used gloves are now ubiqui- a major problem. good design helps
curvy hourglass figure. You might But everything from the design tous among the battered boxes and “They’re not street- keep the lid on trash
admire one’s snorkel-shaped of trash bins, to peoples’ interac- broken furniture that residents worthy, as it turns out,” in all neighborhoods
throat, or another’s quarter-inch tions with them, to the question regularly see piled against the she says. at once.
metal fins. of whether they should be on the city’s exhausted green trash cans. The locks and hinges
abThle.ey’re meant to be approach- smtrueneittsy ahte aalllt, hp.lays a role in com- typThe ec arnosll oisu at ogof othdr teiem nee fwo rp trhoeto - banreda vka tnhdroaluisgmh .u Thsaegye c Works DESIGN OVER
Slim Silhouette, Soft Square, Department of Public Works to attract illegal dumping. ubli DETRITUS
and Salt & Pepper are their names, ask what, if any, public health out- And their wide mouths F P
S
and they’re the top contenders for TOTALLY TRASHED comes they are looking to achieve, make it easy for people The Department of
San Francisco’s new public trash says Dr. Lee Riley, head of the to reach in and sift Public Works tasked
can. After a tryout period, the San Francisco has a reputation Division of Infectious Disease and through the can, which the Institute for Cre-
Department of Public Works will for dirty streets. In 2018, an NBC Vaccinology in the School of Public can result in a can’s ative Integration, an
deploy one of these designs — or a Bay Area survey of downtown Health at UC Berkeley. contents spilling out Oakland industrial de-
remixed version with the best fea- concluded that there was “trash on In 2018, Riley spoke to NBC onto the street. sign firm, with creat-
tures of all three — replacing the every block.” In 2019, 57 percent Bay Area for their report on street “Rummaging is a The ‘Salt & Pepper.’ ing options that were
green receptacles currently seen on of respondents to the Office of the cleanliness, unfavorably com- problem,” says Ruben- rummage-resistant,
city streets. Controller’s most recent City Sur- paring street contamination in stein. “It’s not safe for the people discouraged dumping, and were
With national attention fixated
vey said that the streets had be- San Francisco to less-resourced rummaging, and it’s not safe for easy for both the public and trash
on the science of vaccine develop-
come dirtier in the prior two years. communities in Brazil, Kenya, and the people on the sidewalk.” collection staff to handle. “Slim Sil-
6 • Thursday, January 28, 2021 • sfweekly.com
NEWS CLEANING UP
SERVING SAN FRANCISCO SINCE 1961
houette” and “Salt & Pepper” both attempted this in 2007, Ruben-
have chute or snorkel openings stein says, when then-Mayor
to prevent people from reaching Gavin Newsom was interested in
deep inside the can. “Soft Square” that exact idea.
resembles the Bigbelly “We removed, I
cans that the city — think, several hun-
in partnership with dred public cans
community benefit — that was maybe
district organizations about 10 percent
— purchased for of the cans on the
some neighborhoods. street — just to see
It’s a mailbox-style if it would deter bad CLOSING
concept that prevents behavior,” she says.
rummaging, but may However, she con-
be a magnet for graf- tinues, “It’s a little
fiti, Rubenstein says. skro bit like, ‘If we remove
W
But a lesson that c benches, people won’t
the U.S. has learned ilbu be unhoused.’ At
P AFTER
with great difficulty FS least for our culture,
during the pandemic it doesn’t necessarily
is that individual be- work.”
haviors affect entire At any rate, the
communities when it backlash from business-
comes to health. Even es and the Board of
with a perfect design, The ‘Slim Silhouette.’ Supervisors was imme- 60 YEARS
people need to interact diate. The trash cans
effectively with trash cans, or returned. Now it’s time to improve
they won’t work. on what we’ve got.
In a counterintuitive example
of how one of the world’s largest
cities managed to beat litter, Riley TRIAL RUN
points to Japan’s capital.
“If you go to Tokyo, you don’t Trash can boot camp is the next
see trash cans anywhere,” he says. step. Within four to six months,
“And yet it’s one of the cleanest Rubenstein hopes, Public Works 70% OFF
cities in the world.” will place fifteen cans — five of
In 1995, cities in each prototype — stra-
Japan removed tegically throughout
many public trash the city. Then it’s up
cans after the Aum to residents, visitors,
Shinrikyo dooms- and the elements to Entire Store*
day cult released do their worst. Data
deadly sarin gas collected by Public
inside the Tokyo Works, with input
Metro. The attacks from the Controller’s
killed 13 people, office, will determine
aclneds rterapsrhe sreencteepdt aa- skroW haroew p tehrfeo prrmoitnogty.pes &*( 3E0x%clu odfef so fA XL-Lm haesli uLmig hbtasl l&o oAnrsti fi/ c*iEaxl cHluosuisoen sP lAapnptsly)
possible security cilb Rubenstein ac-
risk. While 26 years uP knowledges that
have passed since FS even the best trash
the attacks, the cans can won’t solve every LIMITED TIME LEFT TO STOCK-UP!
never returned in problem. But in a
large numbers. The time when sanitation,
cultural norm is to carry disease, and pollution
your trash with you un- are top of mind, every foot • Silk Flowers • Party Supplies
The ‘Soft Square.’
til you can dispose of it, soldier in the fight for pub-
says Riley. lic health matters. Ruben-
“The complete absence of cans stein will consider the effort a suc- • Easter Decor • Costumes & Accessories
actually forces people to behave cess if the new cans prove durable,
better and take care of their trash easy to service, hard to vandalize,
themselves,” he says. “To litter is and appealing. Meaning, she says, Valentine Decor Dried Flowers
• •
really so anti-social, and you’d be that “residents and visitors find it
ostracized.” attractive and easy to use… and it
Rubenstein is familiar with doesn’t gross them out.”
Tokyo’s approach. But she and
Riley are both skeptical that this 559 6th St. (Between Brannan & Bryant) • 415-982-0680
cultural shift could occur in San Jessica Silber is a contributing writer. Mon. – Fri. 8am – 5pm • Sat. 8am – 4pm / www.fantastico.com • PARKING AVAILABLE
[email protected]
Francisco. In fact, the city already
sfweekly.com • Thursday, January 28, 2021 • 7
COVER STORY CRUSHED
Can Down

A disruption to the global aluminum can supply chain has the San Francisco
craft brew industry scrambling to keep up with demand. BY VERONICA IRWIN
I
F YOU LIVE in the Bay Area, to half a million dollars in 2020. where shutdown orders have been
you’re probably familiar with Rather, Fort Point was forced to particularly stringent, breweries
the signature printed alumi- sticker their cans on account of a who spoke with SF Weekly said
num Fort Point can. Decorated worldwide aluminum can shortage. cans now make up nearly 90-95%
with playful colors like pastel blue “I think the last thing that we of sales. Yet, as breweries all made
or bright orange, the geometric would compromise is the liquid — the same switch nationwide, alu-
line-designed cans are synony- but the package design is part of minum cans quickly became diffi-
mous with the San Francisco beer. the product, and we feel like we’re cult to come by. Can suppliers have
Lately, however, some of those compromising the overall finished delayed deliveries, rationed sup-
cans have been looking a little product,” says Justin Catalana, plies, and raised prices in response
different. Whereas the design was founder of the Fort Point Beer to the spike in demand.
once always printed directly on Company. “There’s an enormous But the problem isn’t only due
the aluminum, many Fort Point deficit on printed cans this year, to the sudden increased demand
purchases now arrive in a can and also just aluminum in general.” for portable beverages during
fitted with a decorated sticker. It With communal dining mostly COVID-19. Supply chain inefficien-
wasn’t an aesthetic or cost-cutting off limits due to the pandemic, cies and national drinking trends
decision — in fact, stickered alu- breweries pivoted from selling also played a role in the global alu-
minum cans are much more expen- kegs to restaurants to selling minum deficit. That’s left the beer
sive than the printed variety, and canned beer directly to consumers. industry, already hemmed-in by
the switch cost the brewery close In the San Francisco Bay Area, narrow profit margins, scrambling.
Shutterstock/Design by Grace Z. Li
8 • Thursday, January 28, 2021 • sfweekly.com
COVER STORY CRUSHED
SUPPLY & DEMAND BREAKING THE CHAIN
The aluminum supply chain is All of these factors put pressure on
complex. the aluminum supply chain before
For starters, aluminum is one the pandemic hit. But, as is the
of the most recyclable materials case with most aspects of Ameri-
around: According to the Alumi- can life, the pandemic exacerbated
num Association, nearly 75% of weaknesses in the supply chain to
all U.S.-made aluminum is still in a breaking point.
circulation today. As of 2019, the Recycling, for example, which
average aluminum can was made was already on a decline, has de-
of 73% recycled material. Most creased significantly during the
aluminum cans are made cheaper pandemic. Though recycling at res-
by reducing the amount of virgin idential properties has significant-
aluminum required to make them. ly increased, it’s outweighed by the
Used aluminum cans generally decrease in recycled material from
go from a recycling facility to a commercial properties that have
smelter where they are blended halted business. Robert Reed, Pub-
with other inputs to make an alu- lic Relations Manager at Recology
minum alloy. Non-recycled inputs San Francisco, told the Weekly that
for aluminum like Bauxite Ore waste at residential facilities had
must be mined. Then they go to increased by five tons, but that to-
a manufacturer, and often then tal waste from commercial proper-
through several middle men who ties had decreased by a total of 10
aggregate demand from smaller tons since March. Hilary Near says
breweries before ordering from this has resulted in about a 20%
the main two American suppliers, overall decrease in waste collected
Crown and Ball. Any disruption by Recology.
along this lengthy supply chain The pandemic has also required
can cause hiccups, and there’s been many operators along the supply
endless disruptions in the last chain to reduce and socially dis-
several months both related and tance staff, slowing aluminum
unrelated to COVID-19. can production. According to a
Tariffs on foreign aluminum, survey by the National Association
for example, which the Trump ad- of Manufacturers (NAM), 53%
ministration imposed and lifted in expected their own operations
a boomerang fashion throughout to be impacted by the pandemic,
2020, made it difficult for many and PWC adds that even metal
aluminum product manufacturers manufacturers that don’t have to
to depend on a consistent price or shift their own operations may be
supply for raw materials. affected by the operational capac-
Demand on aluminum cans has ity of players they interact with
increased in recent years as well. along the supply chain. According
Hard seltzers in particular became to the NAM survey, 35.5% of man-
a huge hit towards the end of 2019 ufacturers expected supply chain
and into 2020. Research from the disruptions due to COVID-19.
International Wines and Spirits Breweries themselves might be
Record (IWSR) found that over less impacted by social distanc-
half of American alcohol consum- ing measures. Canning doesn’t
ers were drinking at least one hard require more than a lean crew,
seltzer a week in 2020, and expect J and workers are generally spread
e
seltzers, which currently make up ssica more than six feet along a canning
a 0.8% share of the American mar- C line. “These types of activities lend
h
ket, to near 2% by 2023. Behind ristia themselves well to social distance
seltzers, canned wine and canned n anyways, even pre-pandemic,” says
Recology’s Recycle Central on Pier 96 in 2016. During COVID-19, Recology experienced a 20% decrease in waste collection.
cocktails also became more pop- Ryan Nosek, one of the co-found-
ular in the months leading up to ers of Ghost Town Brewing. How-
and during the pandemic. Last comes a plethora of diverse all 284 of its centers in August of mobile CRV vending program soon ever, that doesn’t mean they’ve
“Coming into 2020, our expec- recycling issues nationwide that 2019. After the pandemic, only as funded through a grant from the been untouched by the pandemic
tation was that the wine busi- have left manufacturers with less one redemption center remains in beverage container pilot program. by any means — Nosek says they
ness was going to continue in its recycled materials to work with. In San Francisco: Recology, the com- Meanwhile, the reduction in have been regularly testing em-
growth, but that beer was kind of California, hundreds of redemp- pany managing the vast majority redemption centers means the ployees and shifting employee
staying flat,” says Jenn Coyle, CEO tion centers have closed in recent of the city’s recycling. incentive for people to recycle has schedules to reduce interaction.
of the Can Van, a mobile canning years, leaving Californians with “People need that source of decreased, and that less recycled Nonetheless, they had a staff
service that assists a number of few places to redeem the five to income and it’s not available,” aluminum is ultimately available for member test positive the night of
craft beverage makers throughout 10 cent California Refund Value says Hilary Near, a Commercial manufacturers. Virgin aluminum is Jan. 8, and quarantined all staff
Northern California. “In March, all (CRV) of the bottles & cans they Zero Waste Coordinator for S.F. significantly more expensive mainly members who had been in contact
of a sudden everything shut down buy. RePlanet, California’s largest Environment. She notes that San due to the high amount of energy with them as a result until receiv-
and it flipped.” recycling center business, closed Franciscans can look forward to a required to produce it. ing negative tests (on Facebook,
10 • Thursday, January 28, 2021 • sfweekly.com
COVER STORY CRUSHED
Drink, Repeat (FDR) Brewing in
Portola Valley closed their doors at
the end of the year. These are only
some of the industry’s losses.
Those who have stayed afloat
may be looking at an even tough-
er 2021: As a result of last year’s
shortages, can suppliers have
raised prices industry-wide for the
first time in years. The increases
may sound small — breweries
who spoke with SF Weekly said
can prices had increased anywhere
from one tenth of a cent to half a
cent per can — but even a small
increase can throw off budget cal-
culations in a big way. “This is the
biggest increase that we’ve seen in
the last 10 years,” says Jenn Coyle.
Those increases might get
passed onto consumers, says Cat-
alana from Fort Point. “Breweries,
S
ara specifically production breweries
h
C like Fort Point — we operate at a
h
ore very thin margin so a 5% increase
y
to the price of cans is significant,”
A typical printed aluminum Fort Point can, left, sits next to a can with a sticker.
he says. “At Fort Point we’ve kept
our pricing consistent so far into
they reported that the infected a little bit of profit to instead to 2021, but I suspect you’ll start to
staff member was asymptomatic work with any brewery that could see this reflected in the price to
and recovering well). at least cover their transportation consumers.”
All of this has been compounded costs. “From day one [of the pan- There might be a silver lining
by the sharp increase in demand demic] the phone started ringing to the pandemic however, too.
for canned beers that can be drunk off the hook, and we were trying to Let’s face it — the pandemic has
at home. In the first two weeks of figure out how we can help every- encouraged a lot more at-home
March alone, beer sales increased body and make sure that everyone drinking, and mass produced stan-
8% in grocery, convenience, and has equal access to be able to can dards like Coors and Bud Light News, Food
liquor stores. their beers,” she says. only entertain for so long. Many
Even those who had their own customers, including this reporter, & Drink, Art &
canning lines are often limited have found themselves indulging
REINVENTING THE CRAFT by storage issues in the crowded in creative craft beverages from Culture, Music,
The fluctuation between factors San Francisco Bay Area. Laughing small local businesses we want to Night Life, Events,
Monk Brewing, with canning fa- support. And brewers, responding
has required brewers to be more
cilities in Bayview, says that even with an increased offering of can Cannabis
nimble, creative, and resourceful
when extra cans were available beer, have forged relationships
than ever before. While some brew-
to stock-up they could only hold with customers who may have nev-
eries have had to make occasional
a short supply. Head of Brewing er discovered them before.
aesthetic changes, like Fort Point,
Jeff Moakler says that if he could, Laughing Monk, for example,
others have held off on releasing
he would have bought a truckload already had a plan to increase
new beers, or laid off employees
of cans when they were available, canning in 2020. “We were trying
to counteract the financial strain.
but could only store between one to build up a higher margin, just
“Some people were putting it in
quarter to a third of that amount, maybe not as high as we are now,”
jars, like mason jars — they were
or five to eight palettes of cans. says Moakler.
literally packaging beer any possible
“Most breweries in the city have Ryan Nosek, from Ghost Town
way you could,” says Nosek.
storage issues because it’s such a Brewing, says he calls this shift a
Even the transition alone was
small area,” he says. “Some brewer- “silver lining,” albeit a small one.
difficult to estimate — Coyle of
ies have offsite storage where they “We’ve established new relation-
the Can Van says multiple brew-
can store some stuff, but I’d say all ships with customers that we pre-
eries had her return repeatedly in
breweries have at least some stor- viously hadn’t interacted with, and
a short span, realizing beer they
age issues.” we want to keep them,” he says.
thought they could still sell in kegs
Many breweries have collapsed “When things open up, and the
had to be canned. Breweries that
entirely under the pressure. South keg accounts return, we’re just go-
didn’t already have their own can-
San Francisco’s Armstrong Brew- ing to be making a lot more beer.”
ning lines and had to depend on
ery, for example, closed their doors
services like hers were hardest hit.
permanently in August. Southern
The Can Van even eliminated their
Pacific Brewery in the Mission Veronica Irwin is a contributing writer.
minimums for orders, sacrificing sfweekly.com
closed in September. Ferment, @vronirwin
sfweekly.com • Thursday, January 28, 2021 • 11
DINING HEART’S DELIGHT
KINGDOM
of Dumpling
A Valentine’s Day Sweet-Buying Guide
30 Kinds of Dimsum: dumplings, pancakes,
potstickers, and much more.
Open for Take-Out & Delivery
415-566-6143
(Doordash, Ubereats, Postmates, and Grubhub)
1713 Taraval St., San Francisco
Local home-style, corner gem.
Plenty of dumplings to choose
from, frozen options as well!!!
TAKE-OUT
ASIAN AMERICAN
Food Company
1309 9th Avenue, SF CA 94122
Frozen dumplings and dimsum available.
Cook at home, convenient, tasty. ORDER ONLINE WITH DOORDASH,
GRUBHUB, & UBEREATS.
Open for Take-Out
415-665-6617 415-702-6108
2048 Taraval St., San Francisco
NEVER STOP
EXPLORING
DUMPLINGS
TO INFINITY
& BEYOND
C
o
u
rte
sy
K
o
ka
k
C
h
o
co
la
te
s
FIND OUT
Try not to procrastinate on gift-giving this holiday season!
HOW TO
Say ‘I Love You’ — or whatever — with these local chocolatiers. BY GRACE Z. LI
RESERVE
W
e know it’s something of the raspberry pop rocks chocolate RECCHIUTI CONFECTIONS
THIS AD
a Hallmark holiday, but, if bar ($9.95); the Little Saigon Box
1 Ferry Building, Shop #30
you haven’t yet dissolved ($38.95 for 12 pieces), which fea-
recchiuti.com
into a puddle of cynicism tures lychee, sriracha, and spices
SPACE
in the past eleven months, this is commonly found in pho (“beef and
Recchiuti Confections has plenty
the Valentine’s Day chocolate gift noodles not included”); and the tea
of Valentine’s boxes to choose
guide for you. Save your Godiva collection ($38.95 for 12 pieces).
TODAY! from, with themed ganache to
or Lindt-shopping spree for after
match. Red and white beakers
Feb. 14, when the brand names
For more information contact us at: go on sale at Target, and opt to KOKAK CHOCOLATES decorate its Chemistry of Love
[phone] or shop small and local when buying ($28) burnt caramel truffles, doves
a special gift for your loved ones. 3901 18th St. for its Love Birds box ($48), and
[email protected] Or, in the immortal words of Parks kokakchocolates.com heart-holding hand for its (yes,
& Recreation and self-care-themed you guessed it) Heart in Hand
Etsy candles, treat yourself! Kokak definitely follows through on chocolates ($88). Valentine’s Day is
the saying, “the more the merrier,”
probably the most corny calendar
with its five-box chocolate love tow-
day, so you might as well go all out.
SOCOLA CHOCOLATIER er ($96.95) featuring truffles from
its pies, coffee and tea, Castro pride,
535 Folsom St. and happy hour collections. It also 9TH AND LARKIN
socolachocolates.com comes with a palette-shaped dark
chocolate bar, but if you want to opt 9thandlarkin.com
Founded and owned by sisters for something a little more tradi-
Wendy and Susan Lieu, Socola tional, order one of their five-piece This engineer-run shop boasts
Chocolatier incorporates “unique, Valentine’s bouquets ($19.95), com- small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate,
cosmopolitan flavors” in its plete with heart-shaped chocolates and a monthly chocolate club sub-
sweets. Some standouts include: and gold floral designs. scription ($32.99) for the gift that
12 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 2021 • SFWEEKLY.COM