The GrowSF Report: Naked duo thwarts Castro assault
PLUS: Aaron Peskin plays favorites with Bob’s Donuts.
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of July 7, 2024:
- Castro nudists bring justice with only their bare necessities
- Aaron Peskin plays favorites with Bob’s Donuts
- “Latinx” Dem Club’s Kevin Ortiz steps down amid sexual assault allegations
- Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao's partner named in FBI investigation
- SF police may soon broaden scope for chasing suspects
- Our weekly election coverage: Prop 33 support is a mistake
Recent & upcoming openings:
- Ferry Building gets sweeter with Ocean Malasada
Naked duo thwarts Castro assault
Two nudists became unlikely heroes in the Castro last week when they intervened to stop an attack on a tourist; Justice went full frontal for Pete Sferra and Lloyd Fishback, who were strolling au naturel when they saw a “pirate-looking guy” threatening a man with a blowtorch.
Sferra landed a swift right hook, followed by Fishback’s underhand smack, disarming the attacker. Zero Triball — notorious for his antics in the Castro — was arrested and is now cooling off in county jail. Local businesses hailed the nudists as unexpected heroes, showing that sometimes the best defense is no shirt at all.
“It’s completely unfair to a community when one person can hold it hostage,” Brandon Stanton, manager of the Castro Country Club, told the SF Standard.
Aaron Peskin plays favorites with local donut shop
Peskin recently passed a law to help Bob’s Donuts relocate, overturning his own law that prevented the move. Why? Presumably, he loves Bob’s and thinks it’s good for North Beach. But Aaron Peskin’s relationship to the donut shop sheds some light on how he might govern San Francisco if he wins Mayor.
Simply put, Peskin is playing favorites. This is not a good use of government time or resources, and it stinks of corruption. Elected officials shouldn't be able to pick and choose who can open a business or who gets to build homes. San Francisco should be fair to everyone, not just benefit the favorites of City Hall insiders like Aaron Peskin.
“Latinx” Dem Club’s Kevin Ortiz steps down amid sexual assault allegations
Kevin Ortiz, the co-president of the Latinx Democratic Club, has taken a leave of absence after being accused of sexual assault. The charges brought by Zahra Hajee reveal text messages and contemporaneous reports of Ortiz allegedly touching, kissing, and sexually assaulting Hajee.
”We are extremely concerned about these allegations,” the Latinx Democratic Club put in a press release. “We understand the importance of addressing these concerns and their impact on our community.”
Interestingly, Hajee received a preemptive “cease & desist” after rape allegations surfaced against his friend and fellow political operative Jon Jacobo. The legal threat prompted Hajee to file an official police report documenting her sexual assault claims.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao’s partner implicated in FBI probe
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao continues to face a firestorm of scrutiny, and now so does her romantic partner. A federal grand jury named Thao’s partner, Andre Jones, in its subpoena that relates to a rumored corruption probe involving California Waste Solutions, the Duong family’s recycling empire that handles Oakland’s curbside pickup.
This situation has raised serious questions about political connections and accountability in Oakland. Thao has maintained her innocence and dodged recent questions about Jones.
“I have done nothing wrong,” Thao said during a press conference that prompted her defense attorney to quit. “I can tell you with confidence that this investigation is not about me.”
She’s also facing a voter-led recall this November.
New police policies could broaden scope for felonies, misdemeanors
The S.F. Police Commission is required to broaden its rules for chasing down any felony or violent misdemeanor due to the passage of Prop E last March. Once approved, officers will consider a wider range of cases that can trigger a chase.
Under the new policies, officers could start a chase if they believe a felony or violent misdemeanor is about to occur rather than waiting for it to happen first. The broadened scope of the pursuit policies also includes drug sale or commercial burglary; as well as violent misdemeanors like battery or sexual battery. It’s a significant shift that Mayor Breed and San Franciscans broadly support.
“By freeing up officers to spend more time out in the community and giving them the tools to be more efficient and hold people accountable, we will make San Francisco safer,” she told the SF Chronicle.
The road to November
Now that ballots drop in less than 90 days, expect election updates every week.
Prop 33 “rent control” measure is an anti-housing trojan horse, vote No
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors endorsed Prop 33. That is a mistake. The “Justice for Renters Act” says it will expand rent control in California, but it will actually remove critical state oversight on punitive rent control policies and remove financial incentives for landlords to renovate units after a tenant moves out.
It’ll make building new homes nearly impossible by granting local governments draconian control of the process. Bad-faith NIMBYs will slap extreme rent control requirements on new projects as a way to keep renters out of their neighborhoods.
The whole measure is written in one sentence, 23 words. The vagueness of Prop 33 “will enable rent control laws so bad [that] no one will build,” Max Dubler, policy manager for California YIMBY, told The Frisc.
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Recent & upcoming openings
A great city is constantly changing and growing, let’s celebrate what’s new!
Ferry Building welcomes Ocean Malasada's sweet treats
This week, we welcomed Ocean Malasada and its Hawaiian treats to a new kiosk at the Ferry Building. Owner Randy Santos infuses Filipino and Hawaiian flavors into traditional malasadas, offering varieties like ube, passionfruit, guava, and haupia. This exciting debut marks a new chapter for Ocean Malasada, which has grown from pop-ups and curbside pickups to a permanent spot in one of the city's most iconic locations.
WHERE: 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA
The Spirit of San Francisco
There’s a lot to love about our city and the Bay Area. Here’s what makes it great. Brought to you by The Bold Italic.
What we’re doing this week
Art Battle San Francisco
Art Battle is a timed, three-round live painting competition consisting of two preliminary rounds and a final round. Each artist is provided with the same Fredrix® Canvas, acrylic paint, basic equipment, and their easel. Artists bring only their brushes or other non-mechanical tools. No at-easel references. No outside material or tools (ex. tape) may remain on the canvas. No pre-made stencils.
WHEN: July 17 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: The Great Northern, 119 Utah St, San Francisco, CA
‘Blooms and Bubbles’ bar crawl
Is it fun to drink with strangers at many different bars? We don’t know, but you can find out by joining the “Blooms and Bubbles” bar crawl. Here are the details of their June 20th event:
Immerse yourself in Union Square’s vibrant nightlife with visits to 12 distinctive venues, including bars, hotel lounges, and restaurants. Each location offers exclusive specials—whether it’s a complimentary shot or bites.
WHEN: July 20, 2024 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
WHERE: 12 participating bars, including Sool Bar, The Poppy Lobby Bar at Hilton Union Square, The Barnes Hotel, The Grand Hyatt, Pls on Post, Dirty Habit, Parc 55, Redwood Room at the Clift, Marriott, Post Room (Beacon Grand), The Marker/Tratto, and Harlan Records
What we’re writing about
Here’s what I enjoyed on my first visit to Treasure Island
Treasure Island is an entirely artificial creation. In the 1930s, engineers piled mud that was dredged from the bay onto a shoal next to Yerba Buena Island; Tons of bay muck was transformed into a 400-acre plot to house the Golden Gate International Exposition, the island’s World’s Fair site. It has since been home to a naval station, psychiatric ward, and playground for Hollywood films.
Today, Treasure Island is a mishmash of urban development and eerie desolation. You can enjoy casual wineries and flea markets, yet also encounter abandoned military buildings and a Job Corps campus. It’s like stepping into a parallel universe where past, present, and future collide in the most unconventional ways.
Flinstone House is now a fully-booked sushi joint
If ever you’ve driven north on I280 towards San Francisco, you’ve probably noticed the eccentric, dome-shaped Flintstone House in Hillsborough. Now, rather than just wondering about life inside, we can dine at a high-end sushi pop-up that opened there this week.
Stoneage Omakase now features a 15-course menu priced at $230, created by sushi chef Masa Sasaki. Known for his previous Michelin-starred ventures in San Francisco, Sasaki presents an array of delicacies such as premium Wagyu beef and sea urchin. Reservations are already booked up, though.
We’ve learned the project already hit pause, too.
Mrs. Doubtfire comes home to San Francisco
The touring production of the musical version of Mrs. Doubtfire has arrived in San Francisco for a July run at the Orpheum Theatre — and we had our doubts. This is, after all, the same musical that closed on Broadway after only 126 previews and performances, barely lasting four months.
Of course, there’s logic in bringing the beleaguered production back home to where the plot takes place. Tourists still clamor around the corner of Steiner and Broadway in Pacific Heights to take pictures of “the Mrs. Doubtfire house,” used for the exterior shots in the film.
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