SF Politics

Oakland Fires Sheng Thao’s Former Chief of Staff Over Note That Refers to Using Black People as ‘Tokens’

Former Sheng Thao chief of staff Leigh Hanson was kept on after the recall, but was fired Sunday over a 2024 meeting note that referred to Black people as “tokens,” though she says it was a reference to certain Black people being paid by the recall campaign.

SF Politics

49ers’ Favorite Perjury-Committing Santa Clara Elected Official Avoids Jail, Gets 40 Days of County Work

Former Santa Clara city councilmember Anthony Becker was convicted of perjury for trying to do the 49ers a favor, but he won’t do jail time, and will just get 40 days of community service.

Business & Tech

Trump Extends TikTok Ban/Sale Another 75 Days, as Tariffs Blow Up Current Deal

Just as a deal to place TikTok in the hands of US owners was almost in place, China pulled ByteDance out of that deal in response to our tariffs, though Trump is selling this as him just extending the deadline.

SF Politics

Newsom Wants to Negotiate Separately For California With Global Trading Partners, Asks for Tariff Exemptions

Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday asked other countries to exempt California exports from retaliatory tariffs, in an effort to save the state's agricultural industry in particular amid Trump's asinine trade war.

SF Politics

Suspended SF City Hall Director Now Claims She Was Ousted For Whistleblowing On a Sex-Abuse Case

The strange case of an allegedly moonlighting City Hall director just got stranger, as she claims she wasn’t put on leave over a side gig, but because she was about to blow the whistle on “the sexual abuse of a minor in a city-funded foster care program.”

SF Politics

Feds Release New Sheng Thao Documents, Showing Depth of Her Boyfriend’s City Hall Involvement

Former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s romantic partner Andre Jones is accused of taking a $95,000 no-show job from Thao’s big-bucks donors. But newly released documents say he showed up plenty on high-price junkets to Vietnam and the SXSW festival.

SF Politics

Xavier Becerra Throws His Hat In the Ring In California Governor's Race

Former US Secretary of Health and Human Services, former congressman, and former Attorney General of California Xavier Becerra has officially joined an already crowded field of Democrats who may be challenging Kamala Harris in the race for California Governor next year.

SF Politics

Evan Low Nailed for Concealing Campaign Payments, Including a $227,000 Payment to Actor Alec Baldwin

Rising California political star Evan Low was just hit with a massive fine for concealing political donations and payments, and one payment that stands out was $227,000 under the table to actor Alec Baldwin for showing up at a Lunar New Year party.

SF Politics

As Layoffs Begin Across Health Agencies, SF Office of Health and Human Services Set to Close

The Trump administration sent layoff notices Tuesday to around 10,000 employees of the US Department of Health and Human Services, including dozens who work out of the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building in San Francisco.

SF Politics

Latest Proposed California Ballot Measure Named After Luigi Mangione

Alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione could be immortalized in California law even if Trump sends him to the electric chair, as a ballot effort is underway to create an insurance measure called the “Luigi Mangione Access to Health Care Act.”

SF News

SFMTA Board to Vote on Oak Street Bike Lane, Other Improvements Next Week

A long-delayed project to add a protected bike lane and improve pedestrian safety along the south side of the Panhandle on SF's Oak Street looks to be moving forward, with a final vote at the SFMTA board meeting Tuesday.

SF Politics

Ousted Police Commissioner Max Carter-Oberstone Speaks Out, Blasts Both Lurie and Breed

Freshly fired SF Police Commissioner VP Max Carter-Oberstone gave a lengthy exit interview, and painted both Mayor Lurie and ex-Mayor London Breed as being imperious, vindictive, and defensively secretive.

SF Politics

Another Federal Judge Pushes Back on Trump Immigration Action, Suggests It's Racist

Another federal judge in San Francisco is voicing concern about the legality of an action being taken by the Trump administration, and suggesting that deporting hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Venezuelan migrants with legal status may just be racist.

SF Politics

Fired City Hall Director Back In Hot Water Over $19K In City Funds Used for Her Son’s UCLA Tuition

If you thought it was bad when an SF City Hall director got fired over using city money to pay for a $10,000 Martha’s Vineyard house rental, wait ‘til you hear that she also got $19,000 of your tax dollars to send her kid to UCLA grad school.

SF Politics

SF City Hall Department Head Placed On Leave Over Apparent $10K Side Gig, Conspicuously Pricey Conferences

We’ve got another City Hall department head embroiled in scandal over alleged unauthorized moonlighting and no-bid contracts to previous clients for extravagant conferences, and Department on the Status of Women director Kimberly Ellis has been put on leave.

SF Politics

Contra Costa DA Diana Becton Faces the Latest Bay Area Effort to Recall a District Attorney

Recall-mania has spread to Contra Costa County, where District Attorney Diana Becton has a recall effort in effect against her, though she’s been elected twice and may be better able to beat it than Chesa Boudin or Pamela Price were.

SF Politics

Suspect Charged in Shooting Attack at the Home of Potential Sheng Thao Case Informant

It is widely believed that Oakland businessman Mario Juarez was an informant on the case that led to the raid of Sheng Thao’s home. Some might assume that's why shots were fired at him at his Fruitvale home, and now charges have been filed in that case.

SF Politics

Scott Wiener At It Again With a Bill to Upzone Housing Density Near Transit Hubs

After his multiple previous attempts to throw out zoning restrictions in areas near transit hubs have failed, state Senator Scott Wiener has a new measure to streamline larger housing projects near a more limited number of those hubs.

SF Politics

Mayor Daniel Lurie Posts Awkward Video Reading 'Nice Muni Emails'

Modeled on Jimmy Kimmel's "Mean Tweets" segments, SF Mayor Daniel Lurie has posted a video to social media in which he's reading nice emails the city has received about Muni drivers.

SF Politics

Mayor Daniel Lurie Promises 'New Era of Accountability' In New Homelessness Plan

SF Mayor Daniel Lurie is signing a new executive order Monday and announcing an ambitious plan for tackling the combined crises of homelessness, drug addiction, and mental health, which includes holding nonprofits more accountable for outcomes.

SF News

Monday Morning Headlines: Schumer Postpones Book Tour That Would Have Brought Him to SF

VTA workers are entering their second week of a strike; BART Red Line service between SFO and Millbrae is suspended; and Chuck Schumer is postponing his book tour over "security concerns."

SF Politics

Pelosi Joins Chorus of Democrats Slamming Schumer for Supporting GOP Spending Bill

Things are tense in Washington today as Congress moves to avert a government shutdown. And while there are arguments on both sides for how a shutdown would not help anyone, many Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, say that this was a "false choice" and they should have gone to the mat.

SF Politics

As ‘Empty Homes Tax’ Faces Legal Challenge, Supervisor Jackie Fielder Moves to Not Suspend It

The Empty Homes Tax that SF voters approved in 2022 is in limbo because landlord groups sued, but Supervisor Jackie Fielder wants to explore possible amendments allowing the city to collect the tax if the courts allow it prior to their final decision.

SF Politics

At Oakland Mayoral Debate, Barbara Lee and Loren Taylor Blame Each Other For the Whole Sheng Thao Mess

Both Loren Taylor and Barbara Lee were sharp and well-prepared for Tuesday night’s Oakland mayoral debate, and both crafted arguments that somehow the other was the bigger enabler of the alleged corruption under former mayor Sheng Thao.

SF News

Friday Is the Last Day for Cars on the Great Highway, But a New Lawsuit Hopes to Bring Cars Back

Just days before the Great Highway is set to become a full-time car-free zone, a new lawsuit is trying to hit the brakes on the car-free conversion, saying that last November’s Prop K vote was unlawfully placed on the ballot.