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Articles by H.R. Smith
Election ad fact-check: Will Props. D, E, and F really ‘Clean up City Hall’?
The Federal Trade Commission regulates truth in commercial advertising, which is why Dannon can no longer tell you that eating yogurt protects you from the flu. But the FTC argues that fact-checking political ads is not its job, on the grounds that politics don’t qualify as “commerce.” Some states — California among them — have tried to pass stricter rules. But courts have tended to rule against them. In short: Lies are pretty easy to get away with in political advertising.
Meet the District 6 candidate: With Medicaid cuts looming, how will S.F. keep providing drug treatment and recovery?
Welcome back to our “Meet the Candidates” series, where Matt Dorsey, the District 6 supervisor who is running for reelection, is responding to questions in 100 words or fewer. Answers are published every Tuesday. Dorsey is, at present, the District 6 supervisorial candidate who meets Mission Local’s coverage criteria for supervisorial races. District 6 covers neighborhoods in the east of the city, including SoMa, Mission Bay and Rincon Hill.
Q&A: New York Times editor Dean Baquet on the good (and bad) old days, and why journalists shouldn’t reject AI
A lot of journalism bigwigs are good talkers. Dean Baquet, who was the executive editor at the New York Times during the period when it achieved more subscribers than ever before in its then-164 years, is arguably a very big wig. But when Baquet visited Mission Local’s offices last week, what stood out was his unflagging enthusiasm for listening.
Q&A: How do you make a gay film festival?
If you’ve seen films at Frameline (aka the San Francisco International LGBTQ+ Film Festival) before, you know that half the fun is the audience. You may have other chances to see horror films like Leviticus, and you’ve probably seen Bound and maybe even Cruising. But a scary film with gay characters hits differently in a theater full of other gays working out their multi-generational trauma from watching queers get murdered in every almost damn movie.
New police and fire contracts will add $100M to S.F.’s $634M deficit
The most recent union contracts with the city’s police and firefighters, will cost the city an additional $100 million over the next two years, and over $300 million over the next four years, according to a memorandum of understanding between the city and both departments that was discussed today at the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee.
Sharbel Saker, 34-year-old visiting from LA, found dead after leaving Mission piano bar
Over the weekend, friends of Sharbel Saker, a 34-year-old visiting from Los Angeles, made multiple posts to social media seeking information as to his whereabouts. Saker left Martunis, a piano bar at Valencia and Market streets, around 1 a.m. on Friday, April 3.
Can we design trouble out of the 16th St. BART plazas?
This is part of our ongoing coverage of 16th and Mission. Click here for a dashboard of crime statistics updated daily, and read an archive of past coverage here. For the first time in over two decades, a major plan to redesign the 16th St. BART plazas is underway. BART will share preliminary renderings of the redesign with the public in April, according to BART communications officer Christopher Filippi.
Can we design trouble out of the 16th St. BART plazas?
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns From the mid-2000s through the late 2010s, San Francisco was a magnet for young graduates driven largely by Web 2.0 and the mobile tech boom. It was …
Is SFPD going after cyclists on Market Street?
A cyclist posted on the r/sanfrancisco subreddit this morning that they were ticketed at 6:30 a.m.for attempting to cross a red light at an empty intersection. “The officer was friendly,” they wrote “but he was saying that, starting today, police will be enforcing cyclists/mopeds/e-bikes/scooters heavily on Market St this entire month.” Furthermore, the officer writing the citation added, the order to begin issuing citations to 2-wheeled vehicles on Market came directly from the mayor’s office.
How Spiders Fly - Bay Nature
Spiders make different silk for different jobs. Dragline silk, which they spin for the mode of transportation we call “ballooning,” is what the U.S. military considers the best kind. It is five times stronger than steel, and more flexible and resistant to extreme temperatures.
Is Warriors star Jimmy Butler's $4 shot of espresso worth it?
Out of the dozens of people who have gathered outside of 1100 Valencia St. at 9 a.m. on a beautiful Friday morning, some have come for the chance (small, but real) of drinking coffee in the presence of six-time NBA all-star Jimmy Butler (now, as of this February, also a Golden State Warrior). Butler is the founder of BIGFACE coffee, which has opened a two-week-long pop-up coffee shop in the former storefront of Lucca’s Delicatessen, currently leased to local payment-processing behemoth Square.
S.F. supervisors begrudgingly greenlight big boost to SFPD overtime
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors today voted 9-2 to approve the police department’s request for $61 million in additional overtime funding for this year, but also chastised the department for coming to the board, as it has for years now, with a hefty, unexpected bill. “I’m not proud of this vote,” said District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who was appointed to his position directly from the role as head of public relations at the police department.
Survival of the Flittest: Relocated Butterflies Are Spotted in San Francisco
One year ago, a team of earnest conservationists released a few dozen silvery blue butterflies at the Presidio, hoping they would settle down and fill the ecological niche once held there by the Xerces blue butterfly, before the U.S. military poured gravel over Xerces’ last known habitat in the Presidio military base in the 1940s. The team placed butterflies transported from similar climates further south near deerweed, the insects’ host plant, and waited.
How did Waymo get onto Market Street?
On April 10, the office of Mayor Daniel Lurie made an announcement: Waymo, the autonomous taxi company once known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, will soon be driverlessly driving down Market Street. “Market Street runs through the heart of our city, and we’re making sure it continues to evolve with the times,” Lurie said in the release.
S.F. Drag queen Heklina’s cause of death is still a mystery, and the show goes on
“I’m just going to read this,” says Bobby Barber, a solid, bearded man standing in front of the glittery backdrop of the stage at The Stud, before the drag show protesting London’s Metropolitan Police Service begins. It’s 6:30 p.m. on Monday in San Francisco, and London is a long ways off. “So many people have so many questions,” Barber continues.
SoEx sends an SOS
Southern Exposure, the 50 year-old gallery and arts nonprofit that is known for its ambitious exhibitions, support of local artists, and youth education programs, is in trouble.
Aaron Peskin didn’t win the election — but his ballot measures sure did
Board of Supervisors president, mayoral candidate, and wildly prolific legislator Aaron Peskin lost the election to Daniel Lurie, a wealthy candidate with zero legislative experience. But his three main ballot initiatives are winning and will, barring unforeseen lunacy, pass into legislation. Here’s the story of how they made it. Prop.
BART is on the verge of going kaput. How do we save it?
Whoever wins the District 9 BART Board race has a hell of a job ahead. Emergency pandemic funds are running out. Ridership isn’t back. In July of 2025, when the next fiscal year starts, the agency will be facing a deficit of $35 million.. The year after that? $385 million.
Aaron Peskin encabeza la lista en las recientes donaciones, si se excluye el autofinanciamiento de Lurie
Read in English / 閱讀中文版 La intensa agenda de campaña de Aaron Peskin para la alcaldía, que ha abarcado desde reuniones en hogares, mercados de agricultores y hasta galas, parece estar rindiendo frutos. Peskin vuelve a encabezar la lista en las donaciones individuales. Su campaña recaudó $121,363 dólares desde mediados de septiembre hasta mediados de octubre, dichos recursos provienen de contribuciones que están dentro del límite de $500 que establece la ciudad.
若不計入羅偉的自籌資金，佩斯金在最新募款中領先
Read in English 市長候選人佩斯金（Aaron Peskin）馬不停蹄的競選行程，從家庭聚會、農夫市集到晚宴活動，已初見成效。最新數據顯示，佩斯金再次在個人捐款方面領先，其競選團隊在 9 月中至 10 月中期間，籌得符合三藩市 500 美元限額規定的捐款達 121,363 美元。 按規定，各競選團隊必須於週四前申報 9 月 22 日至 10 月 19 日期間的募支總額。前市長麥法恩（Mark Farrell）籌得 100,999 美元，現任市長布里德（London Breed）籌得 65,815 美元。羅偉（Daniel Lurie）則籌得 2,715,300 美元，但其中大部分為其個人投入。根據三藩市道德委員會規定，候選人對自己競選活動的捐款不受 500 美元的限制。 距離選舉日僅剩兩週，且投票已經展開，各陣營正加緊消耗競選資金——任何選舉日剩餘資金都必須捐出、保留作未來競選之用，若為公共資金則需歸還市府。然而，候選人並非總是嚴格遵守——2016 年，麥法恩即曾挪用剩餘的競選資金，在當選後招待賓客享用逾 30...
Dolores Huerta稱後悔為布里德背書，改挺佩斯金為首選
Read in English 在今日下午的視訊記者會上，傳奇工運領袖、全美農工工會共同創辦人 Dolores Huerta 表示，她對九月時決定為現任市長布里德（London Breed）參選三藩市市長背書感到遺憾。 上週，Huerta 發表聲明，出人意料地給予第二個背書：支持布里德的競選對手、市參事會主席佩斯金（Aaron Peskin）。 週四的記者會是對上週聲明的跟進，出席者包括 Huerta、佩斯金和全國醫護工作者工會（NUHW）榮譽主席 Sal Rosselli。會上，Huerta 表示，她此前是在拉美裔社區友人的極力游說下，看在布里德於新冠疫情期間展現出良好領導力，才給予支持。 Huerta 說，即便在背書布里德之前，她和 Dolores Huerta 基金會的其他董事會成員就心存疑慮。「我們本來很猶豫，」Huerta 說，「因為市長在某些議題上頗具爭議，對弱勢群體的支持也不夠。但三藩市的許多朋友一直催促說『你必須支持市長』。」 得知 Huerta 背書布里德後，Sal Rosselli 立即致電詢問究竟。「我和 Dolores 的交情可以追溯到 80...
Dolores Huerta expresa su arrepentimiento por haber respaldado a London Breed y ahora posiciona a Aaron Peskin como su candidato principal
Read in English Esta tarde, durante una conferencia de prensa virtual, Dolores Huerta; reconocida organizadora laboral y cofundadora de Trabajadores Unidos del Campo, manifestó su arrepentimiento por haber decidido respaldar a la actual alcaldesa London Breed en la contienda por la alcaldía de San Francisco, el pasado mes de septiembre.
See how they run: Peskin leads once again in individual donations … if you don’t count donating to yourself
Aaron Peskin’s brutal campaign schedule for mayor, which has included everything from house parties to farmer’s markets to galas, appears to be paying off. Peskin is once again in in the lead in individual donations — his campaign raised $121,363, much of it from contributions well under the $500 limit. On Thursday, every campaign was required to file its totals for money raised and spent from Sept.
Dolores Huerta says she regrets endorsing London Breed - backs Peskin as No. 1
In a video press conference this afternoon, Dolores Huerta, legendary labor organizer and co-founder of the United Farm Workers, expressed regret over her decision in September to endorse current mayor London Breed in the San Francisco mayor’s race. Last week, Huerta released a statement making a surprise second endorsement — of Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, Breed’s campaign rival.
看看他們如何競選：Dolores Huerta 也為佩斯金背書
Read in English Mission Local 正在為主要市長候選人發布競選系列報導，每週輪流報導一位候選人直至十一月。本週焦點：佩斯金（Aaron Peskin）。往期報導請點擊此處。 與 Cesar Chavez 共同創立聯合農工會的勞工運動傳奇人物 Dolores Huerta，已表態為三藩市市參事會主席佩斯金參選市長背書。九月底，她曾表態支持布里德（London Breed）市長連任，這次是雙重背書。 Huerta 支持布里德時特別提到她在新冠疫情期間的領導力。而她對佩斯金的支持則更著重於勞工權益和住房可負擔性。Huerta 在聲明中寫道：「佩斯金是工人和家庭的鬥士——他一再證明了這一點。如果你希望這座城市有效運轉、健康發展、住房可負擔，支持家庭、租戶和為更好未來奮鬥的工人，我鼓勵大家投票給佩斯金！Si se puede（是的，我們能！）」 「我從小在一個因為支持聯合農工會而不吃餐桌葡萄的家庭長大，」佩斯金今天說。「Cesar Chavez、聯合農工會運動和 Dolores Huerta 是我童年餐桌上最早接觸到的教育。」佩斯金表示，這些年他和 Huerta...
Vea cómo se postulan: Una nueva encuesta indica que Peskin y Lurie están en empate en la contienda por la alcaldía
Read in English Este domingo, días después de afirmar a Mission Local que nunca difunde encuestas a los medios, Jim Stearns; asesor de campaña del presidente de la Junta de Supervisores, Aaron Peskin, en su candidatura a la alcaldía, hizo públicas dos encuestas. Una encuesta, llevada a cabo por la firma Public Policy Research a principios de octubre, colocó a Peskin en tercer lugar con un 17%.
See how they run: New poll says Peskin and Lurie are tied for mayor
This Sunday, mere days after telling Mission Local that he never releases a poll to the press, Jim Stearns, campaign consultant to Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin’s campaign for mayor, released two polls to the press. One poll, conducted by the polling firm Public Policy Research in early October, showed Peskin in third place, at 17 percent.
Vea cómo se postulan: Las encuestas indican que Peskin tiene posibilidades de ganar, ¿O tal vez Breed? ¿O Lurie? ¿O Farrell?
Read in English Mission Local está publicando artículos de la campaña electoral de cada uno de los principales contendientes en la carrera por la alcaldía, alternando entre los candidatos semanalmente hasta que las elecciones concluyan en noviembre. Esta semana es el turno de: Aaron Peskin. Lea los artículos anteriores aquí.
Vea cómo se postulan: Dolores Huerta también respalda a Aaron Peskin
Read in English Dolores Huerta, la icónica organizadora laboral que cofundó Trabajadores Unidos del Campo (United Farm Workers) junto a César Chávez, ha respaldado al presidente de la Junta de Supervisores, Aaron Peskin, en la contienda electoral por la alcaldía de San Francisco. A finales de septiembre, Huerta también respaldó a la alcaldesa London Breed para su reelección, lo que convierte esta situación en un respaldo conjunto.
See how they run: Dolores Huerta also endorses Aaron Peskin
Dolores Huerta, the legendary labor organizer who co-founded of the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez, has endorsed Board of Supervisors’ president Aaron Peskin in San Francisco’s mayoral race. In late September, Huerta endorsed Mayor London Breed for re-election, making this a co-endorsement. When Huerta endorsed Breed, she specifically cited her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Huerta’s support of Peskin is more focused on labor rights and housing affordability.
See how they run: The polls say Peskin just might win. Or maybe Breed? Or Lurie? Or Farrell?
Mission Local is publishing campaign dispatches for each of the major contenders in the mayor’s race, alternating among candidates weekly until November. This week: Aaron Peskin. Read earlier dispatches here. “So there are actually 13 people in the mayor’s race,” says Aaron Peskin, to a group of about a dozen people gathered at a house party held by former District 10 Supervisor Sophie Maxwell last Saturday night.
Vea cómo se postulan: Moritz afirma que Peskin está arruinando San Francisco, mientras que Peskin responde que Moritz desea una monarquía
Read in English Mission Local está publicando artículos de la campaña electoral de cada uno de los principales contendientes en la carrera por la alcaldía, alternando entre los candidatos semanalmente hasta que las elecciones concluyan en noviembre. Esta semana es el turno de: Aaron Peskin. Lea los artículos anteriores aquí.
See how they run: Moritz says Peskin is destroying SF. Peskin says Moritz wants a monarchy.
On the morning that one of the richest men in San Francisco took to the pages of the New York Times to accuse Aaron Peskin of ruining the city, Peskin, mayoral candidate and president of the Board of Supervisors, was standing at a foggy bus stop on Mission Street in the Excelsior, engaging in the election ritual known as “morning visibility.” This entails making small talk with commuters and answering questions about political developments like school closures, before heading into work at...
Who’s afraid of the inspector general? Peskin pushes anti-corruption reform measure
Supervisor Aaron Peskin gathered today for a press conference with several former government officials — former City Controller Ed Harrington, former Ethics Commissioner Paul Melbostad, and retired judge Ellen Chait — to discuss why San Francisco voters should vote for Proposition C, even though the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee is telling them not to. Prop.
Vea cómo se postulan: Aaron Peskin visita la zona de pánico de la urbanización
Read in English Mission Local está publicando artículos de campaña para cada una/uno de los principales contendientes en la carrera por la alcaldía, alternando entre los candidatos semanalmente hasta noviembre. Esta semana: Aaron Peskin. Lea los artículos anteriores aquí. Es lunes por la noche, pero la bodega del Ministerio de Noe Valley está abarrotada con más de cien personas.
Aaron Peskin visits the zoning panic zone, talking new housing
Mission Local is publishing campaign dispatches for each of the major contenders in the mayor’s race, alternating among candidates weekly until November. This week: Aaron Peskin. Read earlier dispatches here. It’s a Monday night, but the nave of the Noe Valley Ministry is packed with well over a hundred people.
Vea cómo se postulan: El equipo de campaña de Peskin se dirige a desconocidos
Read in English Mission Local está publicando artículos de campaña para cada una/uno de los principales contendientes en la carrera por la alcaldía, alternando entre los candidatos semanalmente hasta noviembre. Esta semana: Aaron Peskin. Lea los artículos anteriores aquí. Las personas que hacen campaña por primera vez suelen hacerlo mejor que las que llevan tiempo haciéndolo, le dice Otto Pippenger a la multitud que se ha reunido en el césped del parque infantil Rossi, en la cima de Inner Richmond.
SF poised to beat DOJ to the punch, ban rent-fixing software
The city of San Francisco has lost over 60,000 residents since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic according to the census (3,660 in 2020; 55,136 in 2021; 4,605 in 2022). There’s been a bit of a resurgence since then; 2023 shows a net gain of a whole 276 people. But still, that’s a lot of missing persons in a city of a little over 800,000. Why is it that rent payments, while still lower than the recent peak in 2019, are still so high? Is there someone we can blame?
SF poised to beat DOJ to the punch, ban rent-fixing software
Northern California 4 hours ago 1 dead after 2 cars go over cliff below historic SF restaurant sfstandard.com - Garrett Leahy • 4h One of the vehicles crashed into the Cliff House, which has been closed since 2020, before coming to a rest.
See how they run: The Peskin campaign talks to strangers
Mission Local is publishing campaign dispatches for each of the major contenders in the mayor’s race, alternating among candidates weekly until November. This week: Aaron Peskin. Read earlier dispatches here. People who are canvassing for the first time are usually better at it than people who have been doing it for awhile, says Otto Pippenger. That’s because they don’t have a script memorized yet (Pippenger has, admittedly, just passed out a sample script — don’t memorize it!).
Aaron Peskin presenta en la Misión un plan de seis puntos para solucionar el problema de las personas sin hogar
Read in English El supervisor Aaron Peskin se reunió con sus partidarios en la escuela Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 el martes para anunciar su plan de seis puntos Crisis to Care, diciendo que si es elegido como alcalde abordará el problema de las personas sin hogar con viviendas, acompañamiento y pagos en efectivo para evitar desalojos. El plan en sí, que se imprimió en folletos satinados y se repartió a los asistentes, es el arquetipo de Peskin: imposible de resumir en una sola frase.
Aaron Peskin, in Mission, delivers six-point plan to fix homelessness
Leer en español 閱讀中文版 Supervisor Aaron Peskin gathered with supporters at Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 school on Tuesday to announce his six-point Crisis to Care plan, saying that, if elected mayor, he would address homelessness with housing, conservatorships, and cash payments to avoid evictions. The plan itself, which was printed on glossy pamphlets and handed out to attendees, is classic Peskin — impossible to distill down to a single soundbite.
Vea cómo se postulan: Aaron Peskin habla de la apertura de la Gran Autopista
閱讀中文版/ Read in English “¿Puedo hacerle una pregunta?”, grita una mujer vestida con ropa deportiva que pasea a su perro al otro lado de la calle Clement. “Claro que puedes”, responde Aaron Peskin. La mujer cruza corriendo la calle para unirse a Peskin y a la pequeña masa de voluntarios del equipo de campaña que caminan con él por la calle Clement, portando grandes pilas de carteles de campaña en inglés y chino. Su voz se reduce a un murmullo bajo y confidencial. “¿Qué pasa con la Gran Autopista?
See how they run: Aaron Peskin on opening the Great Highway
“Can I ask you a question?” shouts the woman in athleisure, walking a dog on the other side of Clement Street. “Of course you can,” Aaron Peskin shouts back. The woman runs across the street to join Peskin and the small amoeba of campaign staff volunteers that are walking down Clement with him, carrying big stacks of campaign signs in English and Chinese. Her voice drops to a low, confidential murmur. “What about the Great Highway?” she says. “Keeping it open?” “What do you think?” responds Peskin.
Vea cómo se postulan: Aaron Peskin tiene prohibido llevar la corbata
閱讀中文版/ Read in English Cuando Aaron Peskin empezó a participar en la política de San Francisco, se imaginaba a sí mismo como alguien capaz de llevarse bien con todo el mundo. Alguien que forjaría vínculos duraderos con todo el mundo, desde el agente inmobiliario más obstinado del centro de la ciudad hasta el mayor progresista del Área de la Bahía que jamás hubiese existido. Pero la gente del centro era fría y presumida.
See how they run: Aaron Peskin is forbidden to wear the tie
When Aaron Peskin first started getting involved in San Francisco politics, he fancied himself as someone who could get along with anyone. Someone who would forge enduring bonds with everyone from the most real-estate obsessed downtown power broker to the most Bay Area progressive that ever progressived. But then the downtown people were cold and snooty. A business lobbying organization called the Committee on Jobs started trying to dig up dirt on him and get it in the papers.
See How They Run: Aaron Peskin hangs with the Young Democrats
The arc of U.S..electoral politics currently leans toward gerontocracy. The median age in the House of Representatives is 57.9. The median age in the Senate is 65.3. But in the San Francisco Young Democrats, your voting days are over the day you turn 35 (You can still give the organization money, though). This might feel abrupt, says SFYD co-president Vanessa Pimentel, but you can join when you’re 14 and start voting when you’re 16. That’s plenty of time to flex as a baby-faced power broker.
Mira cómo se postulan: Aaron Peskin recorre la Misión
Read in English Es un lunes por la noche con niebla en la Misión, y Aaron Peskin está describiendo el programa de gestión de la propiedad a un hombre sentado en un taburete en el Lone Palm. Aparentemente, Peskin y su directora de eventos de campaña, Hana Haber, están distribuyendo folletos para un concierto benéfico el miércoles por la noche en El Río con la cantautora Kelley Stolz, pero donde va Peskin, la charla política nunca se queda atrás.
See how they run: Aaron Peskin bar-crawls the Mission
It’s a foggy Monday night in the Mission, and Aaron Peskin is describing property management software to a man on a barstool in the Lone Palm. Ostensibly, Peskin and his campaign events manager, Hana Haber, are out distributing fliers for a benefit concert on Wednesday night at El Rio with singer-songwriter Kelley Stolz, but where Peskin goes, policy talk is never far behind.
Branch Manager - Bay Nature
Left to its own devices, a tree will prune itself. It will ruthlessly drop lower branches in the quest to harvest maximal sunlight and will deaccession large chunks of personal real estate during times of botanical crisis. In cities, which teem with soft humans and their crushable objects, tree pruners (who focus on tree health) and trimmers (who also serve the gods of aesthetics) mediate between a tree’s goals and the community at large.
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