San Francisco's Mayor is Urging Employers to Return Workers to Downtown Offices

San Francisco mayor London Breed "is working with business leaders to push San Francisco employers to start bringing more workers back to downtown offices at some point in March," reports the San Francisco Chronicle. "Breed said she was developing a strategy with the Chamber of Commerce and other groups to help turn around the city's once-bustling commercial core."San Francisco's downtown has been hit hard as most employees have stayed home during the pandemic.... Breed's comments reflect the pressure she's under to revive San Francisco's struggling downtown where weekday foot traffic remains sparse, small businesses have shuttered and massive office towers sit largely empty nearly two years after COVID-19 sent most workers home indefinitely. Some workers are likely to stay remote because they're concerned about being exposed to the virus or for other personal reasons.... San Francisco officials predict that around 15% of office workers will stay remote when the economy is expected to stabilize in 2023, a major shift that would permanently hurt business tax revenue, according to a report released last month.... Despite rampant commercial vacancies and an abundance of employees choosing to work remotely in perpetuity or leave San Francisco entirely, Breed said she was encouraged by a number of businesses that have signed new leases or are looking at new opportunities in the city. "Working from home has been so convenient and so comfortable, let's be honest," Breed said. "But at the same time, people miss people. They miss being out in the streets. They miss being at places and restaurants." John Bryant, CEO of the Building Owners and Managers Association of San Francisco, tells the newspaper that downtown San Francisco's buildings are only about 20% occupied now. And that this year he hopes to see that double - to 40%. Thanks to Slashdot reader nray for sharing the story...

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