SAN FRANCISCO: Police in the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno, California, said on Monday they were on the scene of a shooting, which local media reported occurred at a shopping mall and left several people injured. Few official details of the shooting were immediately available. Two gunshot victims were brought to San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, while two other victims were transported to other medical facilities, hospital spokesman Brent Andrew said in a television interview with ABC News affiliate KGO-TV. One employee of a shop inside the mall, Angelica Castro, said she saw a “mob of people running” toward her store from the opposite side of shopping center while they were “screaming ‘shooting, shooting, shooting,‘ and their faces just had terror.” CBS affiliate station KPIX said the shooting unfolded at the Tanforan Mall, a shopping center where a witness reported hearing eight gunshots and seeing at least two gunshot victims … [Read more...] about Four people injured in San Francisco-area shopping mall shooting
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San Francisco bans sales, manufacture of e-cigarettes
LOS ANGELES - San Francisco on Tuesday became the first major US city to effectively ban the sale and manufacture of electronic cigarettes, as concerns grow over a sharp rise in vaping among youths. The city's legislature unanimously approved an ordinance suspending the sale in shops or online of e-cigarette products that lack approval by federal health authorities. No such approvals currently exist. Backers said the ban was necessary due to the "significant public health consequences" of a "dramatic surge" in e-cigarette use among teenagers. But the move triggered a swift backlash from critics who say it could drive former smokers back to conventional cigarettes. US health authorities are alarmed by the rise in popularity of e-cigarettes, battery-powered devices that enable users to inhale addictive nicotine liquids that are often fruit flavored. The potential health consequences of vaping, including fears it could stunt adolescent development, remain largely unknown, in part because … [Read more...] about San Francisco bans sales, manufacture of e-cigarettes
San Francisco first major US city to ban e-cigarette sales
SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco will become the first major city in the United States to ban the sale of e-cigarettes as officials look to control the rapid uptick in teenage use of nicotine devices made by companies such as Juul Labs Inc.The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the ordinance on Tuesday (Jun 25), banning the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes until they have approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.States and cities across the United States have already moved to ban flavored e-cigarettes and raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco products to 21, but San Francisco's new approach is the most far-reaching yet.No other major cities have proposed a similar hardline ban, though San Francisco's move could lead others to consider it.The city council in Beverly Hills, California, this month approved a ban on the sale of tobacco products beginning 2021, though it carved out exceptions for some cigar lounges and hotels.Juul, which is based in San … [Read more...] about San Francisco first major US city to ban e-cigarette sales
San Francisco closer to ban on e-cigarette sales
San Francisco will become the first US city to ban all sales of e-cigarettes. (Bangkok Post photo) SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco supervisors moved a step closer Tuesday to becoming the first city in the United States to ban all sales of electronic cigarettes to crack down on youth vaping.In a unanimous vote, supervisors approved a ban on the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes until the Food and Drug Administration completes a review of their effects on public health. Another proposal would ban the manufacturing of e-cigarettes on city property. The measures will require a subsequent vote before becoming law. "We spent the '90s battling big tobacco, and now we see its new form in e-cigarettes,'' supervisor Shamann Walton said. The supervisors acknowledged that the legislation would not entirely prevent youth vaping, but they hoped it would be a start. "This is about thinking about the next generation of users and thinking about protecting the overall health and sending a … [Read more...] about San Francisco closer to ban on e-cigarette sales
Ridesharing companies worsened congestion in San Francisco
One of the early promises of the ride-hailing era ushered in by Uber and Lyft was that the new entrants would complement public transit, reduce car ownership, and help alleviate urban congestion. But a new study on tech hub San Francisco published Wednesday in Science Advances has found the opposite may be in fact be true: far from reducing traffic, the companies were the biggest contributors to its growth as commuters ditched bus rides or walking for the convenience of their mobile-app summoned rides. The peer-reviewed paper, which adds to a growing body of research in the area, was co-authored by scientists at the University of Kentucky and a team at the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA). It used 2010, when so-called transportation network companies (TNCs) didn't exist, as its baseline to compare travel times and roadway conditions to 2016, when they were firmly established. But the period also saw the city's population grow from 805,000 to 876,000, while some … [Read more...] about Ridesharing companies worsened congestion in San Francisco