This is why San Francisco’s budget is so screwed

Cratered. Decimated. Tanked. Whatever word you use, the reality is the same.&nbsp;



San Francisco’s budget is screwed.



The deficit is an eye-watering $782 million out of a budget of $15.9 billion. Now, Mayor Daniel Lurie has the unenviable task of digging San Francisco out of that hole by slashing spending.&nbsp;



Lurie plans to balance critical priorities <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/27/san-francisco-budget-cuts-district-attorney-public-defender/">like public safety</a> while gutting the budgets of other city departments. Residents could see service cuts, and 1,000 city positions might be eliminated. More than 100 people may be laid off.&nbsp;



It’s not going to be pretty. The Board of Supervisors and the mayor’s office are mandated to agree on a balanced budget by the end of July.&nbsp;



So, how did we get here?&nbsp; Was it pandemic-era pain that cracked and emptied San Francisco’s piggy bank? Yes — but it’s more complicated than that.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sf-s-leaky-budget-was-patched-with-one-time-fixes">SF’s leaky budget was patched with one-time fixes</h2>



If the city government doesn’t have the money, it can’t spend it.&nbsp;



During boom times, as valuable tech companies planted local roots and property values exploded, San Francisco’s annual budget grew steadily, topping $13 billion by 2021. Then the pandemic hit, emptying downtown, killing tourism, and worsening a structural gap between spending and revenue. Temporary relief came in the form of emergency funds from the federal government.&nbsp;



Last year, Mayor London Breed faced a similarly dire deficit. Downtown is the city’s economic engine. As vacancies rose, tax income fell. Breed could have begun paring down the size of government, lessening the pain by doing so gradually over years.&nbsp;



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Instead, she plugged the budget hole with one-time fixes to the tune of $1 billion, according to the controller’s office. It’s the budget equivalent of raiding your savings account to pay off your credit card debt, rather than trimming spending.&nbsp;



The controller’s <a href="https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/FY24-25_and_FY25-26_Revenue_Letter_FINAL.pdf">annual revenue letter</a>, an analysis of the mayor’s budget, tells the tale: Breed used $445 million in leftover funding from the previous year’s budget, $235 million in pandemic-era Federal Emergency Management Agency reimbursements, $138 million from the city’s fiscal reserve, and $137 million in short-term cost shifts, among other one-time uses, to forestall the worst.



“As one-time solutions are depleted, the structural budget gap will become larger, making future budgets more difficult to close,” the controller wrote.



Blame a political season in which budget cuts might’ve guaranteed losing the mayorship. Or blame rosy optimism, with Breed hoping she could forestall layoffs as a hollowed-out downtown revived itself.&nbsp;



No matter the reason, she bet big that the economy would recover. Spoiler alert: It didn’t.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-paying-workers-fairly-is-pricey">Paying workers fairly is pricey</h2>



Breed’s contract negotiations with labor unions last year went surprisingly smoothly. There’s a reason for that: from visor-wearing clerks to meter maids, city workers got higher raises than expected. The cost of their benefits has risen, too.&nbsp;



Cynics pointed out that making unions happy was a sure bet to avoid messy public fights during a fraught election year. But in some ways, Breed’s hands were tied. Public workers&#8217; wage growth is tied to inflation, by city charter mandate, and if negotiations were taken to arbitration, that would be a key factor in handing them a win.



The city has added thousands of workers over the past decade, and the costs of employing them has grown, too. No one is saying people shouldn’t get raises, especially in pricey San Francisco. And workers’ spiraling healthcare costs <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/about/ama-research/trends-health-care-spending">are a national problem</a>. But city government spending is a balancing act. The money has to come from somewhere.



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The tools at Lurie’s disposal include generating revenue from putting tax measures on the ballot, using one-time funds while waiting for revenue to right-size, and laying off workers. Lurie has said — <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/23/daniel-lurie-san-francisco-mayor-budget-cuts/">repeatedly</a> — that he will not employ one-time fixes to balance the budget.&nbsp;



That’s why Lurie has signaled that for the first time in more than a decade, city workers may lose their jobs.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-property-owners-want-their-money-back">Property owners want their money back</h2>



Sure, downtown businesses emptied out like a keg at a frat party, but the pandemic hurt our finances in other ways, too. As commercial landlords watched the rental market dry up, they <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/04/06/property-tax-assessments-covid-remote-work/">appealed to the city to lower their tax burdens</a>.&nbsp;



Taxes are based on the property’s assessed value. A new assessment may mean lower taxes — a boon for owners but a pain point for the city. Property taxes are the city’s largest source of tax revenue, bringing in billions annually.



During economically stable times, there are 1,000 to 2,000 annual property value appeals, according to city data compiled by local think tank SPUR. But right now, there are a whopping 9,000 appeals pending. More than $217 million is being tucked away just to meet the demand of these appeals, according to SPUR.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-federal-government-stiffed-us">The federal government stiffed us</h2>



San Francisco spent big on public health efforts during the pandemic. FEMA was on the hook to pay the city back, but it has been dragging its feet. In the latest revenue forecast, <a href="https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/March_Update_FY_25-26_through_FY_29-30_03.31.25_FINAL.pdf">from March</a>, the city controller projected that reimbursements for the 2025-26 financial year would be reduced from $147 million to $80 million. This week, the controller’s office confirmed to The Standard that the forecast was accurate.&nbsp;



It could get worse.&nbsp;



<a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/san-francisco-lurie-budget-trump-2-billion/">Roughly $2 billion in federal spending</a> winds its way through San Francisco’s budget, and all of it is vulnerable to President Donald Trump’s whims. Lurie has pledged a $400 million reserve specifically to guard against federal meddling, <a href="https://missionlocal.org/2025/05/s-f-to-budget-400m-in-reserve-in-anticipation-of-federal-cuts/">Mission Local reported</a>.&nbsp;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-numbers-are-worse-than-they-look">The numbers are worse than they look</h2>



Many San Franciscans have at some time publicly bemoaned, “Why can’t the city pay for that thing we love with its $15 billion budget?”&nbsp;



It ain’t that simple. Most of San Francisco’s budget is legally locked into a specific purpose: immutable, unchangeable. The reasons vary.&nbsp;



For instance, roughly one-third of the budget is thought of as a “pass-through” from federal and state governments, <a href="https://www.spur.org/news/2025-05-20/balancing-san-franciscos-budget-part-2-revenues-and-expenditures">intended for a specific use</a>, like Medi-Cal. Another constraint is voter set-asides. These are the alphabet-soup ballot measures that voters approve regularly. These propositions run the gamut, ranging from a new tax that can be spent only on Free City college for residents to&nbsp; setting aside a certain amount of the general fund to bolster Muni as it hemorrhages riders.&nbsp;



Then there are the enterprise agencies, which raise their own money for internal use only. Those departments include the San Francisco International Airport, Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. Those agencies add up to billions in the city’s budget.



Tally all that up, and only a scant 18% of the city’s budget, or $2.8 billion, is free for a mayor to sift about as needed —&nbsp;making plugging the $782 million deficit an even more challenging prospect.&nbsp;

Fleet Week could fall victim to Lurie’s budget cuts

San Francisco’s budget is in the danger zone, and Fleet Week is squarely in the crosshairs.



The city may yank the bulk of its funding for the event, The Standard has learned, giving organizers a scant four months to secure new backing.



Cue the most forlorn “Top Gun” tracks.



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Fleet Week won&#8217;t crash and burn like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8VAML8Yi6I">Goose</a>, though. The event’s spokesperson, David Cruise, said the Blue Angels will still fly.



The annual $100,000 from San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management represents only a portion of the program’s total funding, Cruise said, but is critical <a href="https://abc7news.com/post/san-francisco-fleet-week-high-anticipated-annual-event-kicks-off-earthquake-preparedness-drill/15405313/">to the event’s resilience and safety exercises</a> between the city and the Department of Defense.



The event’s organizer, the nonprofit San Francisco Fleet Week Association, may need to secure more private funding, Cruise said.



“Hearing it&#8217;s going to get cut was shocking, surprising. We weren&#8217;t expecting it, but we understand it,” he said. “The event will continue on in some form. The question is what will that cut mean? Will we cancel certain events? That&#8217;s the question if we can&#8217;t find other funding sources.”



The organization learned of the possible funding loss from The Standard, Cruise said.



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Fleet Week began in 1981, the brainchild of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein during her mayoral tenure. The event isn’t <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/08/fleet-week-helicopter-ride-uss-somerset/">just an air show.</a> It honors sea-based military members and has become one of the largest celebrations of the U.S. armed forces.



Not everyone <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/essays/article/SF-Fleet-Week-is-waste-of-money-time-16519302.php">loves</a> Fleet Week — <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peacenik">peaceniks</a> and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/10/03/fleet-week-san-francisco-noise-where-worst/">fans of undamaged eardrums</a> tend to complain annually. Despite the slings and arrows, Fleet Week brings an estimated annual $10 million to the local economy.



The Department of Emergency Management flagged its Fleet Week exercises as a possible cut in an email to the mayor’s budget office that The Standard obtained in a public records request.



“Please refer to the attached spreadsheet, &#8216;2 &#8211; Contract Review_DEM,&#8217; which reflects our review of existing contracts and identifies 2 contracts (SF Fleet Week &amp; EMS Fellows) for termination,” William Lee, deputy director of administration and support at the Department of Emergency Management, wrote in an April 25 email to Sophia Kittler, the mayor’s budget director.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1668" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?w=2500" alt="Blue jets soar behind the golden gate bridge." class="wp-image-321752" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg 5680w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241010-blueangelssflyoversf-es-38.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Blue Angels whiz past the Golden Gate Bridge, as seen from Crissy Field.</figcaption></figure>



To address an estimated $782 million deficit, Mayor Daniel Lurie has asked all departments to submit proposals to cut upward of 15% from their budgets. Numerous cuts have been proposed; eliminating some <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/02/18/san-francisco-city-hall-street-cleaning-services-department-of-public-works/">street cleaning</a>, laying off <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/05/05/brooke-jenkins-daniel-lurie-budget-cuts/">fentanyl prosecutors</a>, and slashing <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/04/15/muni-lines-cuts-parking-meter-fee-hikes/">transit service</a> are all on the table.



The city has long funded the Fleet Week events, but in 2012 the late Mayor Ed Lee capped the annual amount at $300,000 to stabilize the nonprofit’s fundraising efforts; this was later lowered to $100,000. The city’s final funding reduction would represent a symbolic divestment by the city.



The San Francisco Fleet Week Association depends on $500,000 to $700,000 in annual contributions to organize the event, according to its most recently available <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/272832209/202422679349301387/full">IRS filings</a>. The event provides funding for the air show through its own revenues, including tickets sold at the Marina Green.



The show’s sponsors include United Airlines. The Port of San Francisco, an enterprise agency with a budget separate from the city, confirmed that it will continue to contribute $50,000 toward the show this year.



The cuts aren’t settled — the mayor’s office and departments <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/05/san-francisco-budget-deficit-departments-daniel-lurie/">frequently communicate</a> to determine what programs will get knocked off. Lurie’s deadline to deliver a city budget proposal is June 1.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?w=2500" alt="Navy officers play in a brass band on a city sidewalk." class="wp-image-321298" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg 5526w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241007-fleetweekescapades-jk-01.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The San Francisco Fleet Week Association depends on $500,000 to $700,000 in annual contributions to organize the event.</figcaption></figure>



While Fleet Week resiliency exercises may fall by the wayside, the mayor is committed to ensuring San Franciscans are safe, his spokesperson Charles Lutvak stressed.



Despite the need to make tough decisions in a dire budget season, Lurie told The Standard he has fond childhood memories of the Blue Angels soaring over his school during Fleet Week. Like many other young San Franciscans, the roar of the jets sent him running to the windows to catch a glimpse of the pilots&#8217; derring-do.



To this day, he still dashes to nearby windows when he hears them.



“Every year, from 5 to 48, and I loved it,” Lurie said.

Where the hell are San Francisco’s trash cans?

A mound of clementine peels. A pile of poop. Soiled napkins. A Target bag. A McDonald’s bag. Poop in a bag. An empty Coke bottle. An empty sugar packet. A flattened Jamba Juice cup. A white plastic retainer case. Half of a Fruity Pebbles cereal box. A green pear with one bite taken out.&nbsp;



This is just a small sampling of the litter found on a half-mile stretch of 10th Street in SoMa. You’ll find it on curbs, beneath trees and car tires, scattered along the sidewalk, and jammed between walls, windows, and doors.&nbsp;



Along that corridor, with its Costco, school, and church, are just two trash cans. On one recent Tuesday, they weren’t helpful. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1875" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_4948.jpg?w=2500" alt="An overflowing trash can is on a city sidewalk, with buildings and a street full of cars in the background, under a clear sky." class="wp-image-361233" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_4948.jpg 4032w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_4948.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_4948.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_4948.jpg?resize=2500,1875 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_4948.jpg?resize=1536,1152 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_4948.jpg?resize=2048,1536 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">An overflowing trash can on the corner of 10th and Mission streets.</figcaption></figure>



At 10th and Mission streets, one of the city’s green, metal bins was overflowing with bottles, cans, and fast-food cups. 



Further south, on Bryant Street, one of the Bigbelly bins wouldn’t open. A single green bag of dog poop lay on the ground.



The trash-can desert in SoMa is one of several identified in a Standard analysis of San Francisco’s infrastructure, which found pockets of the city, including Nob Hill and the Outer Sunset, bereft of bins.&nbsp;



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“It doesn’t make any sense to me,” said resident Ivana Zivkovic. “Trash cans are an afterthought.”



Zivkovic said Nob Hill is particularly bad, specifically the area around Grace Cathedral and the Cable Car Museum. There, she often sees tourists walking around with cups of coffee and nowhere to dispose of them.&nbsp;



Then there’s the even more frustrating part: the disappearing cans. At Woh Hei Yuen Park in Chinatown, Zivkovic said she&#8217;s seen multiple cans go missing.


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<figure class="alignright size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1170" height="2320" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/img_8284-e1738283719462.jpg?w=1170" alt="A green public restroom structure is on a littered sidewalk beside a road with a bus nearby. There's a utility box and some buildings in the background." class="wp-image-361809"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Trash accumulates at 48th Avenue and Ortega Street. A resident said a bin at the bus stop has been removed.</figcaption></figure></div>


In the outer Sunset, resident Allie Raul noticed that a bin was removed late last year by a bus stop at 48th Avenue and Ortega Street. Raul said there are bags of garbage hanging on nearby fences and cigarette butts and bottles strewn about. She sent in a 311 request, asking that the city install another bin, but it was quickly rejected.



“Case Resolved | Not in Scope,” the 311 response states, according to a copy of the complaint.



“I walk my dog, and I usually avoid that block because it is so dirty,” said Raul. “Once a week, I’m picking up trash.”



San Francisco and trash cans have a controversial history. In 2007, then-Mayor Gavin Newsom announced a surprising order: <a href="https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/s-f-to-kick-garbage-cans-to-the-curb/article_185a2479-805a-5b74-99c3-869d8db8dd78.html">The city would reduce its trash can portfolio</a>. Newsom argued that the number of bins per capita was the highest among big cities, and that residents and businesses were using them to illicitly dump household trash. At the time, there were 5,000 trash cans in the city, according to the Examiner.



Then came the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2022/08/17/heres-what-a-san-francisco-20k-trash-can-looks-like-after-a-month-of-city-living/">infamous and puzzling project</a> a couple of years ago to create a bespoke trash can that sparked headlines for its expensive price, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/sf-bespoke-trash-can-garbage-budget-deficit-breed-18617624.php">an effort that was paused</a> because of budget constraints.&nbsp;



Today, the Department of Public Works has nearly 3,000 trash cans. (San Francisco Recreation and Parks and the Port add approximately 1,400.) Recology services the Public Works cans at least once daily, though some in high-traffic areas are emptied as many as four times a day, according to the department.



The issue is top of mind for politicians. Mayor Daniel Lurie has <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2025/01/08/daniel-lurie-inauguration-speech-san-francisco/">promised a cleaner city</a> after an election in which street conditions were mentioned at nearly every debate and speech. Newly elected District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter, in his first piece of legislation this month, called for a hearing about trash cans and the decision-making behind their installation and removal.



“I personally knocked on 12,000 doors,” Sauter told The Standard about his campaign. “This was the thing that came up most.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="2500" width="1668" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250129_8214992788_garbage_asdegrazia.jpg?w=1668" alt="A woman in a red jacket stands at a street crossing, gesturing with her hands. She has curly hair, wears purple leggings, and has a black fanny pack." class="wp-image-361771" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250129_8214992788_garbage_asdegrazia.jpg 5321w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250129_8214992788_garbage_asdegrazia.jpg?resize=200,300 200w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250129_8214992788_garbage_asdegrazia.jpg?resize=768,1151 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250129_8214992788_garbage_asdegrazia.jpg?resize=1668,2500 1668w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250129_8214992788_garbage_asdegrazia.jpg?resize=1025,1536 1025w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/20250129_8214992788_garbage_asdegrazia.jpg?resize=1366,2048 1366w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1668px) 100vw, 1668px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Ivana Zivkovic at Mason Street and Pacific Avenue, one of the city&#8217;s trash-can deserts between Nob Hill and Chinatown.</figcaption></figure>



Behind the city’s trash can infrastructure is a Kafkaesque cycle of complaints, vandalism, homeless people rummaging through receptacles, overflowing bins, and more garbage than anyone can handle.&nbsp;



Public Works spokesperson Rachel Gordon said the city tries to maintain bins along commercial corridors and at transit stops, schools, and parks. San Francisco has 13,000 blocks, and it is not realistic to have a trash can on every corner, she said.



“We don’t have an infinite number of resources,” said Gordon, adding that the city has added trash cans in some areas — for example, the Mission —&nbsp; with no noticeable effect.



As for the disappearing bins, it’s a chicken-and-egg problem.&nbsp;



A bin will overflow with trash, neighbors will complain, the city takes it away, and neighbors complain again because there&#8217;s trash all over the ground. Gordon said the city <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/04/illegal-dumping-investigators-public-works/">has an enforcement team on the hunt for illegal dumpers</a> and creates social media campaigns encouraging good behavior.&nbsp;



In the case of the missing can at 48th and Ortega, Gordon confirmed that the city determined not to replace the bin because of persistent dumping.&nbsp;



“It became more of a problem than a help,” Gordon wrote in an email. She is convinced that a mindset change needs to occur among residents, making public cleanliness a higher priority.&nbsp;



Sintana Vergara, an assistant professor of engineering at Swarthmore College and an expert in all things garbage, agrees.&nbsp;



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“Once the norm has been set that you have overflowing trash cans, you’re in a difficult situation,” said Vergara. “It is an important opportunity to hit reset. We’ve got to rethink how we do this.”



But Sharon Christen, who lives near McCoppin Hub, thinks about it differently. She’s seen trash cans get plucked away in her neighborhood and now regularly sees waste being left in tree wells and bags of dog feces in the middle of the street.



“How are we going to encourage good behavior if there are no trash cans?” she asked. “When it looks like crap, and there’s trash everywhere, that’s not gonna encourage people to come here.”



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Ex-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao indicted on bribery charges

Sheng Thao, who was ousted as Oakland mayor in a recall election in November, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on bribery charges, along with her boyfriend Andre Jones and two brothers from the powerful Duong family, owners of California Waste Solutions. Federal prosecutors said Thao received kickbacks from the Duongs in exchange for political favors. Those included paying for a negative mailer campaign and $95,000 in direct payments disguised as wages for a no-show job for Jones.



California Waste Solutions CEO David Duong and Andy Duong are named in the bribery indictment, which followed an FBI probe.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="2500" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647702885-edited.jpg" alt="A person wearing an FBI jacket photographs a white car in a driveway. The car's door is open, and a house numbered 4320 is in the background." class="wp-image-356288" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647702885-edited.jpg 4184w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647702885-edited.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647702885-edited.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647702885-edited.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647702885-edited.jpg?resize=2500,2500 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647702885-edited.jpg?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647702885-edited.jpg?resize=2048,2048 2048w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647702885-edited.jpg?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FBI agents in June raid a home in Oakland in connection with another raid on Thao&#8217;s home.</figcaption></figure>



Thao, Jones and the Duongs are charged with conspiracy, aiding and abetting bribery concerning programs that receive federal funds, conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud and wire fraud, aiding and abetting honest services mail fraud, and two counts of aiding and abetting honest services wire fraud. Andy Duong was also charged with lying to the FBI in a June 20 three-hour interview in which prosecutors said he denied any knowledge of payments to Jones.



The four suspects pleaded not guilty Friday at federal court in Oakland, prosecutors said.



According to the indictment, Thao promised to purchase housing units from a company owned by the Duong brothers and to extend a recycling contract between the city and Cal Waste Solutions. Thao also agreed to appoint senior city officials selected by the Duongs.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="2500" height="1667" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240713-biproberts4bipcitymayor-13.jpg?w=2500" alt="A woman in a pink suit sits on a white chair, with her hands clasped holding tissues. The backdrop features a City of Oakland logo with a white tree on a dark background." class="wp-image-290763" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240713-biproberts4bipcitymayor-13.jpg 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240713-biproberts4bipcitymayor-13.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240713-biproberts4bipcitymayor-13.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240713-biproberts4bipcitymayor-13.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/20240713-biproberts4bipcitymayor-13.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Thao reportedly turned herself in Friday at federal court in Oakland.</figcaption></figure>



In exchange, the Duongs and an unnamed co-conspirator paid $75,000 for campaign mailers targeting Thao’s rivals in the 2022 mayoral election and made $300,000 in payments for a “no-show job” to Jones. After the election, the Duongs and the co-conspirator paid Jones $95,000 for the benefit of both Jones and Thao, with the promise of additional payments, according to the indictment.



First Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Robbins said at a press conference Friday that the alleged fraud by Thao had severely eroded public trust.



“The people need to know they can trust the government,&#8221; said Robbins. &#8220;This trust is broken when governments agree to a pay-to-play scheme to benefit themselves.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="2500" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647549515-edited.jpg" alt="Several people are exiting a building carrying labeled black containers and a cardboard box. One person is wearing an FBI jacket." class="wp-image-356287" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647549515-edited.jpg 5038w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647549515-edited.jpg?resize=150,150 150w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647549515-edited.jpg?resize=300,300 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647549515-edited.jpg?resize=768,768 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647549515-edited.jpg?resize=2500,2500 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647549515-edited.jpg?resize=1536,1536 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647549515-edited.jpg?resize=2048,2048 2048w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/ap24172647549515-edited.jpg?resize=180,180 180w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">FBI agents raid Thao&#8217;s home on Maiden Lane.</figcaption></figure>



In a written exchange around Nov. 10, 2022, Andy Duong and the unnamed co-conspirator acknowledged they were engaging in criminal activity, the indictment said.



&#8220;So we may go to jail. &#8230; But we are $100 million richer,&#8221; the co-conspirator said in a message to Andy Duong, according to an excerpt listed in the indictment. &#8220;Money buys everything,&#8221; Duong replied.



The co-conspirator replied: &#8220;You are right! &#8230; Plus we have a 10 year extension to [Recycling Company],&#8221; the indictment read.



A March 20, 2023, message to Andy Duong from the co-conspirator listed in the indictment revealed that they had financed mailers for at least 68,000 households and negotiated an increased amount of housing units Thao would purchase, to 300 units at the cost of $300,000 each; an unspecified land deal for an Army base; and an appointment to the Port of Oakland commission.



While not specified in the indictment, the Army base is most likely a 422-acre site in Oakland that was decommissioned in 1999. The former base is in the initial stages of redevelopment, according to the website of engineering firm Kimley-Horn, which is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.kimley-horn.com/project/oakland-army-base-redevelopment/#:~:text=The%20Oakland%20Army%20Base%20(OAB,the%20first%20Persian%20Gulf%20conflict." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">preparing the site</a>&nbsp;for redevelopment.&nbsp;



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Attorneys representing Andy Duong said the charges are baseless and an example of bias against Asian Americans.



&#8220;We have kept quiet despite the media frenzy of the past months in the hope that the government would correctly come to see through objective investigation that the allegations are baseless, and being fanned by nothing more than gossip and supposition stitched together by the fabrications and delusions of those who lack all fundamental credibility,&#8221; said the statement from Winston Chan, Doug Sprague, and Erik Babcock. 



&#8220;But disappointingly, Andy instead is today the most recent in a long line of Asian Americans who unfairly are singled out and forced to pay a price for daring to be active in the political sphere,&#8221; their statement said.



The scandal around Thao gained momentum when her home and three other residences were <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/24/oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-refuses-resign/">raided in June by FBI</a> and U.S. Postal Inspection Service agents. Speculation followed about a corruption investigation involving Cal Waste Solutions.



The probe appears to be linked to a trip East Bay elected officials took to Vietnam that was organized and sponsored by the Vietnamese American Business Association, headed by David Duong.



At a <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/24/oakland-mayor-sheng-thao-refuses-resign/">press conference</a> days after the June raid, Thao struck a defiant tone: &#8220;I have done nothing wrong. I can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me. I will not be charged with a crime, because I am innocent.&#8221;



<div data-wp-interactive="core/file" class="wp-block-file"><object data-wp-bind--hidden="!state.hasPdfPreview" hidden class="wp-block-file__embed" data="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-3-ygr-indictment_.pdf" type="application/pdf" style="width:100%;height:600px" aria-label="Embed of Federal indictment of Sheng Thao, Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong."></object><a id="wp-block-file--media-afec58f1-adc4-4c62-b75f-d73a23a50b06" href="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-3-ygr-indictment_.pdf">Federal indictment of Sheng Thao, Andre Jones, Andy Duong and David Duong</a><a href="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/25-3-ygr-indictment_.pdf" class="wp-block-file__button wp-element-button" download aria-describedby="wp-block-file--media-afec58f1-adc4-4c62-b75f-d73a23a50b06">Download</a></div>

San Francisco’s new transportation boss is a powerful nonprofit exec

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie said Monday that Alicia John-Baptiste, head of the influential urban policy think tank SPUR, will serve as a policy chief in his administration, overseeing infrastructure, climate, and transportation.



The hire is part of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/11/daniel-luries-san-francisco-mayor-reorganization/">Lurie’s restructuring of the mayor’s office</a>, in which a group of policy chiefs will act as intermediaries with a host of departments, rather than the agency heads reporting directly to the mayor. John-Baptiste’s portfolio of agencies includes the Environment Department, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency, the Port of San Francisco, the Public Utilities Commission, Public Works, and Recreation and Parks.



John-Baptiste spent a decade at SPUR; for the last six years, she ran the nonprofit as president and CEO. Prior to that, she worked as chief of staff at the SFMTA and, before that, the Planning Department, according to LinkedIn.



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John-Baptiste said in a statement that her return to City Hall comes at a “critical time” for San Francisco.



“How the city plans for and delivers on its major infrastructure, climate, and mobility goals will shape our vitality for years to come, and I’m looking forward to partnering with the mayor-elect and city leadership on this important work,” she said.



“Alicia brings extensive expertise in shaping bold, transformative policies, and whose leadership will enhance communication and transparency as we pursue a more sustainable, connected, and resilient San Francisco,” Lurie said in a statement.



Few agencies will be under more scrutiny than the SFMTA, whose embattled director <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/12/sfmta-chief-jeff-tumlin-to-step-down/">Jeffrey Tumlin stepped down</a> at the end of the year.



SPUR has been influential in shaping the incoming Lurie administration’s approach to governance. In August, the nonprofit recommended the&nbsp; restructuring of the mayor’s office to reduce the number of direct reports and create greater accountability.&nbsp;



“In its current state, the City and County of San Francisco’s government structure is like an overgrown garden: Everything was planted for its specific purpose but over time has grown thick and become difficult to disentangle,” the report states.&nbsp;



However, the report went on to note that the introduction of policy chiefs and other proposals — such as restoring the mayor’s ability to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sfstandard/reel/DD-KNq2NCgq/">hire and fire department heads</a> — would allow the city to “design a system that supports leadership and empowerment with clear lines of accountability.”



In addition to her work in the public and nonprofit sectors, John-Baptiste holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree from Duke University. She has served on the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, the Transbay Joint Powers Authority Board, and the Oakland Budget Advisory Commission.

Mmm, scandal: How to dine like a shameless SF politician

I’m in a Michelin-starred restaurant, contemplating an absurdly expensive glass of water, when I realize this may be the closest I’ll ever get to feeling like a candidate for San Francisco mayor.



The Progress on Fillmore Street is a swanky spot. It’s the place to drop $17 on a gin and smoked-chile vinegar cocktail called a “Low Tide” that our photographer sips while I order an old-fashioned with bourbon.



This is where former Supervisor Mark Farrell, who came in fourth in November’s mayoral election and is the recent <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/04/farrell-to-pay-108000-in-ethics-commission-settlement-for-election-violations/">subject of the largest-ever ethics penalty</a> in the city&#8217;s history, <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/01/mark-farrell-campaign-money-san-francisco-restaurants-bars/">spent $1,511 from a pool of leftover money</a> from his 2016 race for a seat on the local Democratic Party committee. Farrell, who denied wrongdoing when the pricey dining excursion came to light in July, was with a group of constituents he didn’t disclose.&nbsp;



They sure went home happy: Farrell ordered multiple bottles of champagne and wine, tasting menus, cappuccinos, and one sparkling water. 



I probably won&#8217;t be a reporter any longer if I order like Farrell did, but I have to try this delicious sparkling water. The $8 bottle of Lauretana is <a href="https://www.lauretana.com/eng/#:~:text=Lauretana%20Mineral%20Water%2C%20the%20lightest%20water%20in%20Europe&amp;text=With%20only%2014mg%2Fl%20of,far%20as%20lightness%20is%20concerned.">described as</a> “on the top step of the European podium as far as lightness is concerned.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1668" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_9.jpg?w=2500" alt="A restaurant entrance is shown with the sign &quot;THE PROGRESS&quot; illuminated above. The exterior is adorned with lush green plants, and the number 1525 is visible." class="wp-image-325210" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_9.jpg 7914w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_9.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_9.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_9.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_9.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_9.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Progress on Fillmore Street is where former supervisor Mark Farrell wined and dined on money from a Democratic Party committee race.</figcaption></figure>



It’s my second stop on The Standard’s tour of scandalous restaurants, on which I have the pleasure of visiting foodie joints that have provided the settings for some of the city’s most tantalizing controversies. It’s a hard job, but someone has to do it.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-boba-with-a-side-of-shakedown">Boba with a side of shakedown</h2>



Before heading to the Progress, I stop by a boba joint in the Sunset.&nbsp;If you aren’t a keen observer of the city’s political scandals, you may dismiss the spot as a sleepy milk tea shop in an even sleepier neighborhood.&nbsp;



Today, Quickly on Irving Street is filled with teenagers grabbing a bite after school. I order a decaf rose tea with boba and sit, reading about how this place was involved in an FBI investigation.



A 2007 article by the Examiner <a href="https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/grand-jury-indicts-ed-jew/article_be70d40a-f501-57db-b641-6fe9ead2abdd.html">reads like a comedy skit</a>. The abridged version is that Quickly on Irving Street was in a war with a business next door. Supervisor Ed Jew — who was tapped with the nickname “Tapioca Ed” — demanded tens of thousands of dollars from both spots. Somehow, the FBI got wind, and Jew was charged with mail fraud, bribery, and extortion. In 2009, he <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20101027204454/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/04/MNBF16SD39.DTL">was sentenced to prison</a>.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_4.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a green jacket is drinking from a cup while exiting a bubble tea shop named Quickly. A campaign sign for Alan Wong is on the window." class="wp-image-325205" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_4.jpg 6629w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_4.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_4.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_4.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_4.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_4.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Reporter Gabe Greschler at Quickly on Irving Street. The boba chain was caught up in a scandal involving a former supervisor.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shrimp-boy-cocktail-anyone">Shrimp Boy cocktail, anyone? </h2>



It wasn’t the last time the feds nabbed a San Francisco politician.&nbsp;



Less than a decade after our beloved boba supervisor was locked up, an undercover FBI agent sat across the table from former state Sen. Leland Yee for dinner at Waterbar, the stylish seafood spot next to the Bay Bridge.&nbsp;



As part of my tour, I order an $18 vodka cocktail and sourdough bread (with nice chunks of Maldon sea salt atop the butter), imagining Yee staring blissfully at the restaurant’s impressive aquarium. 



Things quickly went underwater for the state senator, who represented parts of San Francisco and was once a city supervisor. <a href="https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-leland-yee-q-and-a-20160223-story.html">Yee was charged and convicted</a> on a bevy of crimes in 2014. In keeping with the seafood theme, he got the infamous Chinatown gangster &#8220;Shrimp Boy&#8221; arrested too.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_20.jpg?w=2500" alt="A bustling waterfront scene with a large bridge in the background, outdoor dining, palm trees, a structure with a canopy, and a decorative fish sculpture." class="wp-image-325222" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_20.jpg 8192w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_20.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_20.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_20.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_20.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_20.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Waterbar, a seafood restaurant on the waterfront, was one of the locations where state Sen. Leland Yee met with an undercover FBI agent.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-backroom-deals-well-done">Backroom deals, well done</h2>



If you thought Waterbar was bougie, wait until you enter Harris’ Restaurant. You’ll pass large pieces of beef in the windows before entering golden doors at this uber-fancy steakhouse on Van Ness Avenue.



The place feels like the setting for a movie about a political scandal. As servers dish out prime rib and creamed spinach, I confirm that the plush, leather-bound booths are as comfortable as they look.



The bar has a similar backroom-deal vibe — it’s the wood paneling, lazy fans twirling, and dim lighting.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_22_cb7f16.jpg?w=2500" alt="A busy intersection at dusk with blurred cars and a woman standing on the corner. A restaurant named Harris' is lit up, with green awnings visible." class="wp-image-325450" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_22_cb7f16.jpg 3000w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_22_cb7f16.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_22_cb7f16.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_22_cb7f16.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_22_cb7f16.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_22_cb7f16.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Harris&#8217; Restaurant, a steakhouse that offers $280 waygu beef, feels like just the place for backroom dealmaking.</figcaption></figure>



A perfect fit for disgraced former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru, who took part in a $1,182 meal at Harris’, paid for by a Recology executive. Investigators discovered the dinner as part of a <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/recology-executive-pleads-guilty-s-f-nuru-bribery-18074652.php">sprawling corruption scandal</a> that shocked City Hall in 2020.&nbsp;



I count myself as frugal, ordering a dirty martini and a $27 plate of prawns. I haven’t seen a receipt of Nuru’s meal, but I’m guessing someone ordered the $280 wagyu.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scam-chowder">Scam chowder</h2>



Not all scandals involve such glamour. At Fisherman’s Wharf, the owners of tourist-filled Nick’s Lighthouse, Min “James” Paik and Hye Paik were charged in 2023 with two counts of bribery.



The couple allegedly offered money to a Port of San Francisco employee to secure a lucrative waterfront lease — <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/05/24/san-francisco-fbi-nicks-lighthouse-bribery/">and the restaurant could be shut down due to the charges</a>.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_16.jpg?w=2500" alt="Outdoor dining at Nick's Lighthouse features a counter displaying seafood under a maroon awning. People sit at wooden tables enjoying their meals." class="wp-image-325218" srcset="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_16.jpg 7224w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_16.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_16.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_16.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_16.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/20241024-scandalrestauranttour_aar_16.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2500px) 100vw, 2500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The owners behind Nick&#8217;s Lighthouse at Fisherman&#8217;s Wharf are wrapped up in an FBI investigation.</figcaption></figure>



It wouldn’t be a visit to the wharf without a $17 clam chowder bread bowl, washed down with a $4 Sprite.



As I sit outdoors, a pushy server asks a passing couple if they want to come in, but the two decline. “Are you suuuuuuuure?” the server asks coyly. Maybe the folks implicated in scandals could learn something from these tourists: When things sound too good to be true, just walk away.&nbsp;

Flooding threatens to inundate San Francisco neighborhoods, report says

San Francisco is woefully unprepared when it comes to combating and mitigating rising seas, which could lead to disastrous flooding, according to the city’s latest civil grand jury report.&nbsp;



In a 71-page report titled “Come Hell or High Water,” the jury—a civilian oversight body of 19 San Franciscans—details how a precipitous increase in atmospheric rivers against the backdrop of vulnerable infrastructure and poor communication across city departments will inundate San Francisco’s low-lying neighborhoods. Overall, the jurors took issue with a gaping hole in communication with the public conveying the threat that rising seas pose.



“The issue at large needs more attention,” Ralph Lane, a member of the jury, told The Standard. “Climate change and sea level rise is gradual, so there&#8217;s not gonna be a cataclysmic event like an earthquake that can focus people on climate change adaptation, which is why transparency is one of the bigger pieces of our recommendations. There are going to be winners and losers, so it&#8217;s gotta be done in the sunshine.”



As the intensity and frequency of atmospheric rivers climbs due to climate change, sea levels are <a href="https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/hazards/sealevelrise/sealevelrise-tech-report.html#step3">projected to rise</a> as much as three-and-a-half feet by 2100, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The city’s wastewater system could not “manage that change alone” without the ability to direct water elsewhere, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission reported in December 2022. This could result in flooding in areas like SoMa, the Inner Mission, Civic Center and the Western Addition. Additionally, an increase in storms leads to more saturated soils, which can lead to landslides already seen statewide.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="6000" height="4000" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined1_floodingreport.jpeg?w=2500" alt="Men wearing neon uniforms help to pack levees into a car during an intense storm in January 2023." class="wp-image-282673" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined1_floodingreport.jpeg 6000w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined1_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined1_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined1_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined1_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined1_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 6000px) 100vw, 6000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">City public works employees unpack sandbags to distribute to the public ahead of a significant storm in January 2023.</figcaption></figure>



In 2021, the mayor&#8217;s office created ClimateSF as a partnership between the SFPUC, the Port of San Francisco, the Planning Department, the San Francisco Environment Department, and the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning to build a nexus of environmentally resilient and adaptable programs citywide.



However, the grand jury’s report found that while the group has created projects that identify vulnerable points, it lacks the thrust to implement these projects due to poor communication and absenteeism. The directors of the Port and SFPUC, the agencies that manage flooding, only attended one meeting together in all the years reviewed by the civil grand jury.&nbsp;



“Good ideas were discussed at the staff level; however, by not attending staff-level meetings, departmental leadership did not then develop ideas for implementing them,” the report reads.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="6000" height="4000" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined02_floodingreport.jpeg?w=2500" alt="A woman carrying a small dog sits in her car awaiting sand bags during the January 2023 storms." class="wp-image-282674" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined02_floodingreport.jpeg 6000w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined02_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined02_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined02_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined02_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/inlined02_floodingreport.jpeg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 6000px) 100vw, 6000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Audette Bennett and her dog Pablo wait for free sandbags ahead of a massive storm in January 2023.</figcaption></figure>



The Office of Resilience and Capital Planning, which oversees ClimateSF, will publish a formal response to the report within 60 days.&nbsp;



&#8220;We appreciate the civil grand jury’s work on this and will closely review the recommendations,” a department spokesperson said. “To meet our climate goals, climate resilience must be embedded into every department’s work. While there&#8217;s still work to be done, San Francisco has been a nationwide leader on climate resilience.”



Since ClimateSF&#8217;s launch, the city has moved forward on several citywide initiatives to fight climate change. Among those are the Ocean Beach Climate Adaptation Project, a major armoring project that will turn parts of the Great Highway into a park, and the Climate Adaptation Plan, which cuts a path toward net zero greenhouse gas emissions citywide.

Oakland just changed its airport name. San Francisco is pissed

Oakland officials have approved changing the name of the city’s airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, a controversial move that is ruffling feathers with its neighbor across the water and <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/04/08/san-francisco-oakland-airport-renaming-lawsuit/">could set up a fierce legal battle</a>.



Port of Oakland commissioners gave the official thumbs up in a unanimous vote on Thursday, doing away with the Metropolitan Oakland International Airport moniker to better advertise, in their view, the travel hub’s proximity to the San Francisco Bay and bring in more service. 



The site’s three-letter code, OAK, will stay the same.



&#8220;This is to boost Oakland,&#8221; said Danny Wan, executive director of the East Bay city&#8217;s port, during Thursday&#8217;s meeting. &#8220;This is to bring more business to Oakland.&#8221; 



Port spokesperson Robert Bernardo said the name change must go through a second reading among the commissioners for it to be officially implemented.



But the simple name swap, which is expected to cost $150,000 in operating expenses, could carry legal penalties.&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1359" height="906" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/inlined04_20240115laborwar.jpg?w=1359" alt="Mayor London Breed talks with City Attorney David Chiu." class="wp-image-239378" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/inlined04_20240115laborwar.jpg 1359w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/inlined04_20240115laborwar.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/inlined04_20240115laborwar.jpg?resize=768,512 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1359px) 100vw, 1359px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Both Mayor London Breed and City Attorney David Chiu are pushing back against the Oakland airport name change.</figcaption></figure>



On Monday, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu said the city would sue to block the name change. 



<a href="https://www.sfcityattorney.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CAO-Ltr-to-Port-of-Oakland-re-OAK-Renaming.pdf">In a letter</a>, Chiu argued that it would infringe on the trademark of San Francisco International Airport and confuse travelers, especially those coming from abroad.



&#8220;While the proposed new name is very likely to cause confusion and mistakes broadly, the problem will be particularly acute for an audience of international travelers who may not speak or read English,&#8221; Chiu wrote.&nbsp;



Mayor London Breed also called out Oakland’s move, saying the city should try to improve its airport instead of using San Francisco’s name.



&#8220;[Oakland] does not need the name San Francisco as part of its airport to stand out,&#8221; Breed wrote in a letter to Oakland Port Commission President Barbara Leslie.



But the Port of Oakland&#8217;s Wan pushed back on those claims on Thursday.



&#8220;This is really not about San Francisco,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We’re not trying to confuse people. We’re not trying to copy them.&#8221;



In a statement on Thursday, City Attorney Chiu wrote, “We are disappointed that Oakland did not take the opportunity to work collaboratively with us to develop alternative names and to avoid litigation. We will have further updates in the coming days.”



A spokesperson with the San Francisco Mayor’s Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



Oakland port officials conducted polling that shows over half of Oakland residents and the broader East Bay are comfortable with the name change. About two-thirds said they were in support after reviewing information about how the action could improve demand and bring more flights to the airport. 



The survey was conducted in 2023 with over 1,400 East Bay registered voters.











“The airline industry is perceived as being reluctant to sustain certain new routes and destinations to and from OAK, in large part based on the lack of awareness of OAK’s geographic advantages and the centrality of Oakland to the San Francisco Bay by air travelers residing outside of the local region,” a memo from Thursday’s name change vote reads.



This week, <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/04/10/oakland-airport-rename-ideas/">The Standard turned to readers to crowdsource names</a> for Oakland’s airport. The ideas included names like, “Raiders Airport of Las Vegas in California,” “Brokeland International,” “No Sports San Francisco Bay Area International Airport,” “The Athletics-Raiders-Warriors Departure Field” and finally, “The There&#8217;s No There There International Airport,” a nod to Gertrude Stein.

San Francisco sent hundreds of homeless people away. To where, the city doesn’t know

San Francisco has no idea where hundreds of homeless people have gone after giving them bus, train and airline tickets to return to their families in other parts of the country over the past two years, The Standard has learned.



The origin of San Francisco’s homeless population is one of the most persistent and controversial questions posed about the city’s crisis, with some policymakers arguing that out-of-towners flock here for welfare and should be returned home. The issue has spurred policy changes, like <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/03/05/san-francisco-election-results-prop-f-drug-welfare/">Proposition F</a>, which was passed in March and ties drug screenings to welfare benefits in some cases.&nbsp;



But the Homeward Bound program, a city-funded service that officials say has reunited thousands of homeless people in San Francisco with their out-of-town families since 2005, stopped collecting basic data about where people were transported to in early 2022. Officials said the program’s location collection efforts and database ended in 2022 but did not elaborate further as to why.&nbsp;&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="5000" height="3333" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?w=2500" alt="A person in red shoes stands by a blue bus with a greyhound logo; luggage is visible underneath." class="wp-image-264661" style="width:670px;height:auto" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg 5000w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/inlined01_homewardboundnodata.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 5000px) 100vw, 5000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Since early 2022, the Homeward Bound stopped collecting basic data about the destinations homeless people traveled to under the program. </figcaption></figure>



Since June 2022, the city has spent $202,010 on the program, which is part of a larger “problem-solving” effort that provides cash stipends to people for furniture, rent and other means that may help them stave off homelessness, like fixing their cars so they can get to work, for example.&nbsp;



After the Board of Supervisors passed new legislation from Supervisor Ahsha Safaí last month to expand Homeward Bound to people in shelters and permanent supportive housing, the program will track where it sends homeless people, starting in July. The city&#8217;s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, which currently runs the program, will also have to provide an annual report on the program to the board.







The homelessness department didn’t provide the number of people the bus ticket program has served over the past two years. But city records analyzed by The Standard estimate around 400 people were sent away on buses, trains and airplanes via Homeward Bound. No breakdown of how many bus, train or flight tickets were paid for by the city was supplied when requested.



Safaí said when the program was moved from the Human Services Agency to the homelessness department, there was poor communication on how it should be run.



“I think they just didn’t have the internal tools to follow through with how the program should be operated,” Safaí said. “We’ve put into the program language we have to be able to account for who utilizes the program. &#8230; I would say it was just poor management, poor oversight and accountability.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="3000" height="2001" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man in a suit converses with a woman outside at night, near a lit-up ambulance." class="wp-image-256451" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg 3000w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=2500,1668 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=1536,1025 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/20240305-electionday_photo-me-47.jpg?resize=2048,1366 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 3000px) 100vw, 3000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">New legislation from Supervisor Ahsha Safaí passed last month expanded the Homeward Bound program.</figcaption></figure>



Paul Boden, executive director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project, said he believes the pause in location tracking was part of the city’s larger effort to sweep homelessness out of view.&nbsp;



“They don’t want to know,” Boden said. “When they want to, they track everything.”



The Homeward Bound program launched in 2005 under then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, but it slowed down when travel was restricted during the pandemic.&nbsp;



But when the program picked up the pace again in 2022, the homelessness department neglected to revamp its data efforts. When asked about the outcomes of people in the program, the department did not provide any data. But in a press release last month, Mayor London Breed said participants rarely return to San Francisco. Safaí said most program users are sent to other cities in California.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1910" height="2235" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?w=1910" alt="A person is lying on a sidewalk by a building, with traffic cones and vehicles visible in the street in the background." class="wp-image-264660" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg 1910w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?resize=256,300 256w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?resize=768,899 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?resize=1313,1536 1313w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/srooverdoses101223_1011.jpg?resize=1750,2048 1750w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1910px) 100vw, 1910px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A person lays on the sidewalk in the Tenderloin District on Oct. 12, 2023.</figcaption></figure>



Roughly 71% of the city’s homeless population reported having a previous address in San Francisco, a 2022 survey conducted by the city found. However, some policymakers have called that data into question as it’s self-reported.&nbsp;



In February, Supervisor Matt Dorsey asked the City Controller’s Office to produce an <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/02/01/san-francisco-drug-tourism-report-would-track-address-history-of-city-drug-users-supe-says/">annual report</a> tracking the home addresses of people who have been arrested for drug use or who have died from overdoses in the city in order to quantify so-called &#8220;drug tourism.&#8221;



Boden criticized the focus on whether people are from the city, arguing that it’s meant to distract from the city’s failure to house and provide treatment for vulnerable people.



“This is what happens with people that are poor and disabled or unhoused,” Boden said. “It&#8217;s like, ‘Here’s a one-way bus ticket, brother.’”

Aaron Peskin to announce run for San Francisco mayor in Chinatown, sources say

After months of rumors and <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/01/26/san-francisco-progressive-supervisor-aaron-peskin-not-running-mayor/">guarded statements</a>, Supervisor Aaron Peskin is expected to announce his campaign for mayor of San Francisco this Saturday in Chinatown, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the event.



The Standard has confirmed details of the campaign kickoff with multiple political activists, retired leaders and Chinese community members. Peskin called and invited these people to the event, which will be held at Portsmouth Square at 11 a.m. Some said Peskin called them as early as last week to inform them of his plans.



Records provided by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department show that the Rose Pak Democratic Club, a progressive Asian American political group, reserved Portsmouth Square from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, paying a $360 permit fee for a “Chinatown Community Rally.” The applicant, Calvin Yan, is a member of the club and a staffer in Peskin’s office.&nbsp;



Yan declined to comment Wednesday, deferring to club president Jeremy Lee, who couldn’t be reached by press time.



In a phone call Wednesday morning, Peskin told The Standard that he had mistakenly answered the phone and was taking part in a separate conference call. The line cut out when asked to confirm whether he will be holding a rally Saturday to announce his run for mayor. He did not respond to a follow-up call and text.



Jim Stearns, the supervisor’s longtime political consultant, also did not respond to a call and a text message requesting comment.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="5187" height="3458" src="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SRO-CityFederal-092823_JY_001.jpg?w=2500" alt="Aaron Peskin listens intently in a crowd while Mayor London Breed speaks." class="wp-image-206546" srcset="https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SRO-CityFederal-092823_JY_001.jpg 5187w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SRO-CityFederal-092823_JY_001.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SRO-CityFederal-092823_JY_001.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SRO-CityFederal-092823_JY_001.jpg?resize=2500,1667 2500w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SRO-CityFederal-092823_JY_001.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https://content-develop.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/SRO-CityFederal-092823_JY_001.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 5187px) 100vw, 5187px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Supervisor Aaron Peskin has frequently sparred with Mayor London Breed during their time in office.</figcaption></figure>



Peskin, 59, is one of San Francisco’s most experienced politicians, but he has never won a citywide race. He was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2000 and served two four-year terms before rejoining the board in 2015. He is currently in his fourth term representing the district that includes North Beach, Chinatown and the Financial District.



Saturday’s event was first reported in a tweet by the Voice of San Francisco.



His entry into the mayor’s race will offer voters a clear-cut progressive candidate, as he will face off against moderate candidates in Mayor London Breed, former mayor and supervisor Mark Farrell and nonprofit founder and Levi’s heir Daniel Lurie. Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, who is also running, has positioned himself to the left of the field, but Peskin is a more clearly defined progressive. 



Last month, Peskin told The Standard he sees “a lane” to victory through the city’s ranked-choice voting system.



During his time as a supervisor, Peskin has wielded substantial power over City Hall, serving three terms as board president—a role that he currently holds. He has sparred with colleagues and city staff, leading to an acknowledgment during the pandemic that he had a drinking problem, and he also has enraged YIMBYs and pro-development groups in the city by blocking new housing projects.&nbsp;



Joe Arellano, a spokesperson for Breed’s campaign, compared Peskin to the fictional character The Terminator, saying his approach to governing is “intimidation, obstruction, and dysfunction.” 



“He is the person most-responsible for creating a city of haves and have nots, by limiting the amount of housing that gets built and freezing out young people from owning a home,” Arellano said in a statement. “He’s also a hypocrite—he masquerades as a progressive while owning hundreds of thousands of dollars in Amazon, CVS, and Bank of America stock and owning <a href="https://develop.sfstandard.com/2024/04/02/san-francisco-mayor-finances-breed-peskin-safai-farrell-lurie/">millions of dollars of property</a> across town.”



Farrell issued a statement saying he would do everything in his power to stop Peskin from becoming mayor.



“Peskin is abusive, toxic, and a documented obstructionist to the progress San Francisco needs to make to get back on track,” Farrell said, adding that the board president has not been helpful in addressing public safety, housing or the local economy.



Laura Foote, the executive director of YIMBY Action, said that a Peskin mayoral victory would represent a “major step backwards” for the city.



“Aaron Peskin has a long track record of opposing housing and trying to freeze our city in amber—much to the detriment of everyday San Franciscans,” Foote said. “He does not believe we have a housing shortage that requires changing how we do things. He&#8217;s comfortable fiddling with conditional use permits while San Francisco&#8217;s housing shortage burns.”&nbsp;



Peskin was born and raised in Berkeley and graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz. In addition to serving as a supervisor, he runs a nonprofit with his wife called Great Basin Land and Water, which represents and negotiates with Native American tribes on water rights and land acquisitions in California, Nevada and Utah.

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Asian Art Commission Commissioner 23

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 24

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 25

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 26

Asian Art Commission Commissioner 27

Asian Art Museum showcases Asian art and culture through exhibitions and educational programs. It offers diverse collections and hosts special events to engage the community. The museum fosters cultural appreciation and understanding by providing access to its extensive art collections.

Dr. Soyoung Lee

Asian Art Museum, Director

The Assessment Appeals Board #1 hears property tax assessment appeals in San Francisco. It evaluates evidence presented by taxpayers and the Assessor to determine property values. The Board has the authority to make final decisions on assessments regardless of property type or value.

Assessment Appeals Board #1

Assessment Appeals Board #1 Commissioner 1

Assessment Appeals Board #1 Commissioner 2

Richard Lee

Stephen Wasserman

Adena Gilbert

Paul Bellar

Quirina Mitchell

Hilary Winslow

The Assessment Appeals Board #2 adjudicates property tax assessment appeals for San Francisco taxpayers. It evaluates evidence presented by taxpayers and the Assessor to determine accurate property values. The Board exercises authority to render final decisions on residential properties and specific real estate assessments.

Assessment Appeals Board #2

Assessment Appeals Board #2 Commissioner 1

Assessment Appeals Board #2 Commissioner 2

Assessment Appeals Board #2 Commissioner 3

Claire Ervin Lee

Louisa Mendoza

Joyce Lewis

Nicholas Goldman

Michelle Domingo

The Assessment Appeals Board #3 provides a platform for San Francisco taxpayers to contest property tax assessments. It conducts hearings where evidence from both taxpayers and the Assessor is evaluated. The Board makes binding decisions on property assessments based on presented evidence.

Assessment Appeals Board #3

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 1

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 2

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 3

Marc Dickow

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 5

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 6

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 7

Assessment Appeals Board #3 Commissioner 8

Assesses property, applies exemptions, collects transfer taxes, and records official documents.

Assessor-Recorder

Joaquín Torres

The Ballot Simplification Committee ensures voter materials are clear and understandable. It reviews and revises ballot language to accurately reflect propositions and measures. The committee advises on simplifying complex legal and technical terms for voter comprehension.

Ballot Simplification Committee

The Bayview Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee provides policy advice on planning and land use matters in Zone 2 of Bayview Hunter's Point. It offers expertise in land use policies, zoning issues, and urban development. The committee advises the Board of Supervisors, City Boards, and commissions on relevant projects and initiatives.

Bayview Hunters Point Citizens Advisory Committee