The GrowSF Report: We want you! Join GrowSF Talent
PLUS: DA Brooke Jenkins is prosecuting corruption
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of March 9, 2025:
- We want you! Join GrowSF Talent
- DA Brooke Jenkins is prosecuting corruption
- SF’s newest sober living site opens this summer
- Embarcadero Plaza is getting a $35 million facelift
- SF’s grant system played favorites with Urban Ed Academy
Recent & upcoming openings:
- Stonestown gets even tastier with Raising Cane’s
We want you! Join GrowSF Talent
We’re excited to launch GrowSF Talent, a new initiative that helps talented, passionate San Franciscans participate in local government. Whether you’re looking to volunteer, join a Commission, or even run for office, we’ll help you navigate the process and find the right role where your skills and expertise can make a difference.
Every great city is built by the people who show up. Safer roads, better housing policies, thriving small businesses — all made possible by our San Francisco electeds and residents like you.
San Francisco needs leaders like you. Join GrowSF Talent today.
DA Brooke Jenkins is prosecuting corruption
DA Jenkins just secured a guilty verdict against Van Zeng, a former building inspector. He used his position to inspect projects tied to his own family, circumventing the conflict-of-interest rules meant to keep city services fair. Zeng, who was fired in 2023, now faces sentencing after a jury convicted him on two counts.
Jenkins has also charged SFMTA employee Maggie Pasigan and her partner, Daisy Avalos, with scamming City welfare services out of over $500,000 by inventing 17 fake children to collect housing and childcare subsidies. Both have pleaded not guilty.
This is a great reminder that our system is pretty good at rooting out corruption.
SF’s newest sober living site opens this summer
San Francisco is expanding its sober living options with Baldwin Place, a new transitional housing site opening this summer in the former Civic Center Motor Inn. The program will provide up to 56 beds for people in recovery, offering structure, support, and housing for up to two years.
While SF already has city-run sober living programs through the Department of Public Health and Adult Probation, this is a first for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to lead it. That brings the program directly under the homelessness system rather than just health services.
Mayor Lurie called the addition “critical capacity” in the city’s shelter system, and he framed it as aligned with plans to add 1,500 shelter beds.
Embarcadero Plaza is getting a $35 million facelift
San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza is getting a $35 million makeover, adding a five-acre waterfront park with green spaces, fitness areas, seating, and event space. Mayor Lurie supports the project alongside the Board of Supervisors, who recently greenlit the renovation in a unanimous vote.
The new space merges Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park into a cohesive five-acre waterfront area — effectively doubling the size of the existing green space. Among the improvements: Expanded lawn for concerts and community events, new shaded seating areas, and interactive public art. Dedicated fitness spaces and an updated playground are also on the way.
Don’t worry, that $35M isn’t all coming from taxpayers. Real estate developer BXP has already put in $2.5 million for the design, and the city is looking for $10 million from private donors.
SF’s grant system played favorites with Urban Ed Academy
A new report from the City Controller finds two SF departments, the Human Rights Commission and the Office of Workforce Development, paid Urban Ed Academy even after the nonprofit’s founder was barred from receiving public money for making shady backroom deals. The payments, according to the Controller, contained irregularities and, at a minimum, created the perception of favoritism or even allowed for double-billing against the City.
In 2023, Urban Ed Academy’s founder Dwayne Jones was charged with multiple felonies for allegedly paying off the director of San Francisco’s Community Challenge Grants Program. A report this week from the Controller’s Office shows money kept flowing to Urban Ed Academy even after the charges against Jones were filed. The Human Rights Commission and OEWD stepped up funding for Urban Ed Academy by 173% through the end of last year, according to the report.
The Dream Keeper Initiative was tangled in this, too. While Urban Ed Academy was cashing in on Dream Keeper grants, its executive director was sitting on the committee overseeing the money. We remember Dream Keeper as a $60 million effort racial equity program the HRC, but instead, it became a revolving door of insider deals, unchecked spending, and conflicts of interest.
Now this report shows us former HRC Director Sheryl Davis accepted a $5,500 portrait from Urban Ed Academy—and weeks later, she approved a $270,000 contract for them.
I guess we have a little more corruption to root out!
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Recent & upcoming openings
A great city is constantly changing and growing, let’s celebrate what’s new!
Progeny Coffee opens in Dogpatch
Progeny Coffee, a specialty café rooted in Colombian heritage, has opened its first San Francisco location in Dogpatch at 1395 22nd St. Founded by fifth-generation Colombian coffee farmer Maria Palacio, the shop focuses on sustainably sourced beans and fair compensation for farmers, often doubling their income. The café offers a range of specialty Colombian coffees, including pour-over options, alongside a selection of pastries.
WHERE: 1395 22nd St., San Francisco, CA 94107
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
Game Developers Conference returns
The Game Developers Conference is the world's premier event for professionals in the game industry, bringing together programmers, artists, producers, game designers, audio professionals, and business leaders. This five-day conference offers a comprehensive schedule of lectures, panels, and roundtable discussions covering topics such as programming, design, audio, production, business, and management.
In addition to the educational sessions, GDC features the GDC Expo, where companies showcase the latest game development tools, platforms, and services. Attendees can also look forward to the Independent Games Festival and the Game Developers Choice Awards, celebrating innovation and excellence in game development.
WHEN: March 17–21, 2025
WHERE: Moscone Center, 747 Howard St, San Francisco, CA 94103
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
San Francisco’s 174th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns with a mix of decorated floats, Irish dancers, and community groups. This year’s theme, “The Immigrant’s Story,” recognizes the role of immigrants in shaping San Francisco’s history. Grand Marshal Mark Gorman will lead the procession, which brings a blend of tradition and city pride.
While there won’t be a post-parade festival this year, the event remains one of the city’s biggest St. Patrick’s Day traditions. Expect plenty of music, bagpipes, and crowds decked out in green.
WHEN: Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 11:30 AM.
WHERE: The parade kicks off at 2nd and Market Streets, moving down Market to Civic Center Plaza
What we’re writing about
Why I love Mission Bay
“People talk about Mission Bay like it’s not a real neighborhood. Just a sterile expanse of glassy biotech buildings and aggressively modern condos — and sure, there’s a lot of that. Sometimes you get the sense that the whole thing was generated by an AI trained on phrases like “urban renewal” and “mixed-use development.”
But then I remember that Mission Bay isn’t actually soulless — it’s just playing hard to get. You come for overpriced coffee but stay for the spontaneous outdoor concert. This is where sports fans, tech people, and lost tourists somehow coexist in the same park, and where you might accidentally end up in a giant Jenga showdown at Spark Social.
Mission Bay reminds me I don’t need centuries of history to love a neighborhood—I just need it to surprise me every once in a while.
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