What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of October 11, 2026:
- SFUSD Moves to End School Lottery, Give Families Predictability
- Pelosi’s Petty Break With Scott Wiener
- Court Rejects Prosecutors’ Blanket Boycott of Judge Tong
- Lurie Signs 45-Day Data Center Moratorium
- PG&E Says SF Grid Takeover Could Cost Over $20 Billion
- Nordstrom Rack Returns to Union Square in Fall 2027
Election Countdown
17 days until the November 3 SF General Election. Read the GrowSF Voter Guide for the November election.
SFUSD Moves to End School Lottery, Give Families Predictability
Published October 16, 2026
The Facts
Families will get a guaranteed neighborhood elementary school instead of navigating an unpredictable lottery starting in fall 2028. The board voted 5-2 to switch to neighborhood schools while retaining the ability of students to attend specialized programs in other schools citywide. Final approval is scheduled for April 13, 2027.
The Context
The district ran a survey of three options:
A) Zones of choice: pick between 3-5 schools near you
B) Neighborhood + city: guaranteed seat at your neighborhood school with the option to apply to any other school
C) Neighborhood + citywide special programs: guaranteed seat at your neighborhood school with the option to apply to specialized programs (language immersion, special ed, etc) citywide
Among respondents, 82% favored a guaranteed nearby seat, with options A and B both getting 72% support, and option C getting 48%. The district said option A was too difficult to implement, and the Board of Education voted to adopt option C.
Research on Los Angeles’ high-school Zones of Choice found improved test scores and college enrollment compared with traditional neighborhood assignment, with larger gains at schools facing more competition.
The GrowSF Take
We don’t yet know the impact of requiring students to attend a low-performing neighborhood school. Some people think it will hurt those kids. Others think the added scrutiny from parents who would have otherwise chosen a different school will result in more investment and improvements. And others think parents will just opt into private schools or leave the City entirely, though a lot of parents have already opted out due to the lottery... so maybe some decide to opt back in to SFUSD.
There’s also a time aspect to this: in the short term, families who already live near great schools will be happy their child can easily attend a good school, but families who live near underperforming schools likely will feel a lot of stress and frustration. But in the long term, perhaps performance will even out and (hopefully) rise across the city.
We do know, though, that the lottery failed to improve academic performance while simultaneously worsening segregation. So we’re hopeful that this change will result in better outcomes. Predictability is nice, but we are withholding any judgment until we see how it affects academic performance.
Pelosi’s Petty Break With Scott Wiener
Published October 15, 2026
The Facts
Nancy Pelosi backed Supervisor Connie Chan over state Senator Scott Wiener to succeed her in Congress. New reporting shows Wiener spent roughly two years trying to reach Pelosi before launching his campaign, with another candidate already competing for the seat.
Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez at The San Francisco Standard reports that Pelosi hadn’t returned his calls. When they finally spoke, Wiener’s allies say he gave her advance notice of his launch. Pelosi’s allies dispute the conversation’s timing and say she wanted him to wait.
The Context
Waiting carried a cost: Saikat Chakrabarti, a wealthy former aide to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was already campaigning while Pelosi had not announced whether she would retire. His growing campaign helped push Wiener to run, Josh Koehn reported at The San Francisco Standard in October 2025.
The GrowSF Take
This is petty. A congressional candidate should not need the incumbent’s permission to run, and wounded pride is a lousy basis for choosing San Francisco’s next representative.
We endorse Scott Wiener for his governing record. Voters should judge who will deliver for them, not who showed Pelosi enough deference.
Court Rejects Prosecutors’ Blanket Boycott of Judge Tong
Published October 16, 2026
The Facts
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office has pursued blanket boycotts of Judge Michelle Tong since early 2025, renewing its effort when she returned to criminal court. Prosecutors initially accused Tong of incompetence; in the renewed boycott, they alleged bias against police and prosecutors, including an alleged threat to “get even” with one prosecutor when she was a public defender.
Now, the DA’s office can no longer continue that blanket boycott: on October 8, Presiding Judge Rochelle East rejected the blanket challenges as bad faith, reports Frankie Solinsky Duryea at Mission Local. East had allowed the boycott on October 6, but changed her decision after reviewing additional evidence. Individual prosecutors may still object; Jenkins’ office withdrew its remaining challenges.
The Context
“Presiding judge” is a formal leadership role: East oversees court operations, including assigning judges and distributing cases.
California law generally lets each side remove one judge per case by declaring prejudice under oath, without proving bias. Repeated across cases, those challenges can sideline a judge. The California Supreme Court’s May 28 decision allows courts to investigate whether blanket challenges are made in bad faith.
The GrowSF Take
Prosecutors and defendants both deserve an impartial judge. Credible evidence of bias against an entire prosecutor’s office could justify an office-wide challenge; individual objections might not adequately address that problem. But blanket boycotts also give prosecutors enormous power to sideline judges whose decisions they dislike. We’re not endorsing Tong’s record, and we support judicial accountability through elections. Any renewed office-wide challenge should require evidence of office-wide bias, not simply dissatisfaction with a judge’s rulings.
Lurie Signs 45-Day Data Center Moratorium
Published October 16, 2026
The Facts
San Francisco has paused approvals for new and expanded data centers for 45 days. Mayor Daniel Lurie signed the moratorium on October 16, reports Omar Rashad at The San Francisco Standard.
Supervisor Shamann Walton’s ordinance passed unanimously on October 6. The final ordinance exempts ordinary accessory server rooms and maintenance that does not increase capacity; it does not order existing facilities to close.
The Context
Data centers house the computers that store and process our emails, websites, and other digital services. As our earlier coverage explained, they power modern life.
San Francisco already regulates them. The City Attorney’s legislative digest explains that rules adopted in 2001 require special Planning Commission permission citywide, with review of energy consumption and noise. The moratorium freezes approvals while officials consider replacement rules; an extension would require further action.
The GrowSF Take
Walton, Lurie, and all 11 supervisors chose a blanket pause despite existing authority to scrutinize individual facilities. Updating old rules is reasonable. Treating essential internet infrastructure as something to freeze first and understand later is backward.
With the sudden prominence of data centers as an electoral issue, we expect this issue to mostly disappear after the November 3rd midterms.
PG&E Says SF Grid Takeover Could Cost Over $20 Billion
Published October 16, 2026
The Facts
San Francisco’s proposed takeover of PG&E’s local electric grid could cost over $20 billion when including separating the systems and building replacement facilities, not just buying the city’s wires and substations.
PG&E’s detailed testimony on a potential buyout is due October 20 before the California Public Utilities Commission, the state utility regulator. Customers would repay acquisition bonds through electricity bills.
The Context
The city’s $3.4 billion figure is an asset valuation, not an all-in takeover budget. The city’s plan already anticipates a replacement PG&E substation, despite PG&E’s suggestion that such expenses have been overlooked.
As we previously reported, competitive crew compensation, acquisition debt, and grid upgrades all complicate promises of cheaper public power.
The GrowSF Take
This number deserves as much scrutiny as the potential takeover. PG&E has an obvious interest in keeping its customers and inflating the buy-out cost.
We remain unconvinced either way. Before approving a purchase, Supervisors should require a comparison showing what customers would actually pay under public ownership versus staying with PG&E, including separation, debt, staffing, and upgrades.
Nordstrom Rack Returns to Union Square in Fall 2027
Published October 15, 2026
The Facts
Nordstrom is back downtown! Nordstrom Rack plans to open a 51,500-square-foot store at 2 Stockton Street in Union Square in fall 2027. The discount division of Nordstrom will also offer online order pickup and returns. Co-CEO Erik Nordstrom credited downtown’s growing appeal to customers. (We are so back!)
The Context
In 2023, Nordstrom closed both its downtown department store and its Market Street Rack. Its return follows Uniqlo’s reopening on Market Street last week. Zara is also expected to open a larger store at 400 Post Street in early 2027.
The company’s downtown return follows its smaller Fillmore Street service hub, which we previously covered when it won approval in 2025.
The GrowSF Take
Welcome back! Nordstrom’s departure was a clear call for change in the City, and voters and policymakers listened. Its decision to invest in a substantial new store is worth celebrating, for shoppers and for neighboring businesses that stand to benefit from more people walking past their doors.
We’re glad to see retailers betting on San Francisco again. Put a trip to the new Rack on your fall 2027 calendar.
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