Hey there, San Francisco. 

Happy Tuesday. 

Perhaps not a surprise – rent in the city is on the rise. That’s according to a recent report from Apartment List, which found that San Francisco rental prices have increased for four straight months. 

In April, the median price for a 1-bedroom apartment in the city was $2,390 per month. The price for a 2-bedroom, $2,760. 

• Compared to last year, rental prices across the city are up 12%. 

Still, some neighboring cities have seen steeper spikes, Apartment List said. 

• Rent in Berkeley increased over 17% compared to last year, and in Redwood City, rent is up nearly 15%. 

The good news? Rent in the San Francisco metro area (which includes SF, Oakland, and Berkeley), is still down 3.3% compared to prices before the pandemic. 

And with that… onto the news… 

Quick bits: News to know 

🦠 “There’s a [Covid] surge in San Francisco,” UCSF associate professor of medicine and infectious diseases Dr. Carina Marquez told the Latino Task Force on Monday. 

• Currently, the city is averaging just over 400 new cases per day, up from 133 one month ago. 

• Those numbers are much lower than SF’s January spike of over 2,300 new cases per day. But as we’ve reported before, case numbers moving forward will likely be lower since more people are taking at-home tests, which are not included in the city's official count. 

• Hospitalizations, though, are also rising. Last Friday, there were 65 people in the hospital because of Covid, compared to 25 people the month prior. (Mission Local) 

🚛 San Francisco’s waste company Recology netted $23.4 million more than it should have over the past three years, a report from the controller’s office revealed on Monday. 

• Apparently, according to the report, Recology argued that its approved profit margins (9%) were merely a target and that it should be able to keep the money. 

• Instead, the $23.4 million will be set aside to offset future rate increases for San Francisco residents, the Chronicle reported. (Chronicle) 

📝 BART installed “short story dispensers” last year at four of its stations, including Balboa Park in San Francisco, Richmond, Pleasant Hill, and Fruitvale. And on Monday, the transit agency announced a writing contest involving those kiosks. Here’s how it works: 

• Starting June 1, BART will start accepting short stories (no longer than 7,500 characters) on the theme of “motion.” (Only the first 400 submissions will be accepted, so write fast!) 

• Then, judges will select 30 finalists, whose stories will be available to print at the kiosks. Winning writers will receive $200 as well. (Chronicle) 

What else I’m reading: Links to browse

• SF Voters Approved Big Money for ‘Social’ Housing. Officials First Have to Squabble Over It (Frisc) 

• Return of the Milk: Buttermilk Southern Kitchen resurrected (Mission Local) 

• 'Illuminated' Pink Triangle returns again for Pride Month with streamers (Hoodline) 

And finally… 🩸Blood moon 

In case you missed the full lunar eclipse on Sunday night (and early Monday morning), local photographer Eric Brummel has you covered. 

Brummel told me he captured the blood moon from Battery Spencer in the Marin Headlands at around 10 pm. He used a Canon 6D and credited a couple of iPhone apps, PhotoPills and Sky Guide, for being at the right place at the right time. 

“The clouds were covering the eclipse for most of the night from my vantage point,” Brummel said. “But after over an hour of waiting, the moon finally made an appearance.” 

That’s all for today! But before you go, I wanted to let you know that over the next few days I’ll be in Washington, DC for a company-wide retreat with Axios. Exciting times and I’m looking forward to hanging out with my new colleagues IRL! 

As for The Minute, I’ll still send a newsletter each day, but expect these to be a bit shorter than normal. 

Alright. Have a wonderful evening y’all and I’ll see you back here tomorrow. - Nick B. 🛫