The GrowSF Report: Our Mayoral Poll shows London Breed barely winning
The GrowSF Report: Our Mayoral Poll shows London Breed barely winning
PLUS: PG&E will add a fixed fee to your bill starting in 2026
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of May 13, 2024:
- Our Mayoral Poll shows London Breed barely winning if the election was held today
- Join us for our next Happy Hour on May 23rd
- PG&E will add a fixed fee to your bill starting in 2026
- Billions in federal funding for Caltrain, high speed rail
- Downtown nightlife is recovering, but is that enough?
Recent & upcoming openings:
- Trader Joe’s now ready for business in Hayes Valley
- Tiya offers California spin on Indian cuisine
Our Mayoral Poll shows London Breed barely winning if the election was held today
Who would you pick to be our next mayor? We asked voters and the results are out! If the election happened today, Mayor London Breed would win the election by a hair in the final round of ranked choice voting (RCV) with 51.43% of the vote.
However: Breed’s victory is within the margin of error, 28% of voters are undecided, and an additional 13% of voters didn’t rank either of the top two candidates. With Mark Farrell and Daniel Lurie close behind Breed, it really is anyone’s race.
Surprisingly, Aaron Peskin didn’t do very well, coming in fourth in the poll. But it's dangerous to count him out: he was the last candidate to declare, and his campaign is just getting off the ground. If Peskin becomes mayor, it will be catastrophic for San Francisco.
Reminder: San Francisco's ranked choice voting system means voters can rank more than one candidate in order of preference. We recommend ranking all the candidates you like, to ensure your voice is heard even if your top candidate is eliminated.
Reminder! Join us for our next Happy Hour on May 23rd
With special guests Supervisor Joel Engardio and Supervisor Matt Dorsey
Join us for the May edition of our monthly happy hour! We look forward to welcoming Supervisors Joel Engardio and Matt Dorsey. Bring your questions, come talk shop with like-minded people, and hear what’s on the November ballot! We’ll be back at ANINA in Hayes Valley on Thursday, May 23rd and hope to see you there.
PG&E will add a fixed fee to your bill starting in 2026
The California Public Utilities Commission recently approved a restructuring of residential utility bills, effective as of early 2026 for PG&E customers, according to Julie Johnson at the Chronicle. A fixed fee will be applied to bills, based on income. Most households will see a $24.15 fixed charge, while lower-income households will see a fee of $12 or $6.
Fixed charges are a fairly standard practice used by municipal utilities in California. They are meant to cover the cost of basic infrastructure – like transmission lines and cables – as well as operations and maintenance work. Previously, PG&E and other investor-owned utilities were not required to implement fixed charges, and rolled the cost of infrastructure and maintenance into the cost of energy usage itself.
The approved changes will now result in reduced charges for low-income households. UC Berkeley economist Severin Borenstein shared with the Chronicle, “These changes would help low income customers and have a very small impact on others.”
Billions in federal funding for Caltrain, high-speed rail
The Transit Center at Salesforce Tower was designed to be a nexus for the many public transit systems that crisscross the bay. While the station is already a depot for eight transit systems, the ultimate goal was to connect Caltrain commuter rail – which serves the Peninsula and South Bay – from its current terminus at 4th and King. In addition, the plan was to add a stop for California’s long-dreamed-of high-speed rail system.
This dream could become a reality thanks to a new cash commitment of $3.38 billion from the Federal Transit Administration, representing 41% of the estimated cost, according to Patrick Hoge at the Examiner. The funding will help extend the rail line by nearly two miles, dig over a mile of underground tunnel, and construct two underground stations. If everything falls into place, the rail extension will be in service around 2032 or 2033.
World-class cities around the globe boast efficient and effective public transport systems, and San Francisco is now one step closer to doing the same.
Downtown nightlife is recovering, but is that enough?
Cellphone data analyzed by University of Toronto researchers shows that while downtown activity during working hours is still low, at 56.6% of pre-pandemic levels, after-hours activity has rebounded to 94.8%, reported Kevin Truong and Kevin V. Nguyen at the Standard.
But this doesn’t mean that businesses are doing well: downtown activity has always been dominated by sales during working hours so a recovery in nightlife alone won’t be enough. “Ninety percent of sales take place during work and happy hour for most spots..So even if after-hours [traffic] is back to 90%, it’s still a drop in the bucket,” Ben Bleiman said to the Standard.
While we’re happy to see the city continue to invest in legislation that makes it easier for small businesses to adapt to post-pandemic life, like the first “entertainment zone” in the Financial District, the reality is that downtown is not going to truly recover until we get people back to the office.
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Recent & upcoming openings
A great city is constantly changing and growing, let’s celebrate what’s new!
Trader Joe’s now ready for business in Hayes Valley
WHERE: 555 Fulton Street
WHEN: Monday-Sunday, 9am-9pm
A new Trader Joe’s opened yesterday at 555 Fulton Street. Construction for the nearly 13,000-square-foot store took seven months and cost approximately $3.2 million, according to Laura Waxmann at the Chronicle. The grocery store is a welcomed addition to the development of a 139-unit condominium building which was stalled for years. We’re happy to finally see Trader Joe’s open and serving the community of Hayes Valley!
Tiya offers California spin on Indian cuisine
WHERE: 3213 Scott Street
WHEN: Tuesday-Thursday, 5-10pm; Friday & Saturday, 5-11pm
Last week a fine dining Indian restaurant, Tiya, opened in the Marina. Brothers Pujan and Sujan Sarkar, who also run local restaurant Rooh, were inspired to start Tiya to put a California spin on Indian cuisine. Tiya will offer both a tasting menu and a prix fixe with four courses. Visitors can expect dishes such as lamb keema with poached egg as well as vegetarian offerings like yogurt chat with strawberry and mint.
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
Golden Gate Bandshell Concerts
The free outdoor concerts feature a diverse lineup of local artists performing genres like singer-songwriter, folk, rock, jazz, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, and more. The historic 122-year-old Golden Gate Bandshell received upgrades like a new stage, lighting, and sound system during the pandemic. This beloved San Francisco tradition is put on by the SF Recreation & Parks Department and Illuminate.
WHEN: From May through November
WHERE: 75 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco
Bloom Floral Ball
Welcome to "Bloom," an enchanting costume ball where the beauty of spring and your fabulous fantasy collide in a celebration of abundance. This is a follow-on event to The Academy’s Spring Flower Festival, happening the same day. Immerse yourself in cascading blossoms and fabulous looks. Guests are invited to dress in their floral best—whether you choose to embody the grace of a blooming rose, or the mystery of a tropical orchid, interpret as you wish, but look your best.
WHEN: May 18, 2024, 7:00 PM – 11:00 PM
WHERE: 2166 Market St., San Francisco
Oaklash
Oaklash hosts a weekend-long festival of drag and other queer performance that takes place annually in Oakland, California. They’re dedicated to building new and ever-expanding stages to showcase & elevate Bay Area queer talent, and their programming aims to create safe and accessible environments that celebrate the queer community, especially queer and trans people of color. Oaklash was created to showcase performances that are boundary pushing, provocative, and unique to the sensibility of the Bay Area.
WHEN: May 17th - 19th
WHERE: Located at a few places in Oakland, including Nectar Social Club, Old Oakland, ForTheCulture, and Omni Commons
What we’re writing about
San Francisco is heating up — Here’s what’s happening coming up this month
Spring is here, summer is finally arriving, and so begins our street festival fervor alongside concerts and picnics in San Francisco. As flowers bloom across the Bay Area, our city emerges from the fog with a burst of energy and excitement. May is a month of celebration, with a diverse array of events and activities that cater to every taste. Here are The Bold Italic’s favorites.
Review: ‘The Spring’ is a love letter to San Francisco in serial thriller form
The Spring is a fast-paced, gripping true crime novel that unravels the murder of 17-year-old Alexa Thomas. The story by native San Franciscan Annie Wilson puts us in the days after the Giant’s third World Series win in the fall of 2014. The first chapter debuted on January 1 on Wilson’s Substack — My Plastic Camera — with new chapters following every Tuesday and Friday. At less than 2,500 words, each chapter is a quick morning-coffee type of read. Read our review.
How I felt as the only man in a dress at the Kentucky Derby
“Our privilege in San Francisco extends beyond food, parties or iconic architecture: We live in the most saturated progressive community in the United States, which affords us radical inclusivity and self-expression. I’ve become so enmeshed in this bubble that I seldom ventured outside California since moving to San Francisco in 2010.” TBI editor Saul Sugarman describes his surprisingly positive experience at the 150th Kentucky Derby — with photos from a Bay Area celebration, too.
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