Founded in 2001, SF City FC is the oldest community-owned soccer club in the United States. The team competes in USL League Two, several rungs below Major League Soccer,
The Nation’s Oldest Community-Owned Soccer Club Lives on the West Side
San Francisco Richmond ReView
NEIGHBORHOOD INFORMATION
The Richmond District is located in the northwest corner of San Francisco, nestled in between Presidio National Park and the city’s Golden Gate Park. The neighborhood, which includes Sea Cliff and Laurel and Presidio Heights, is home to about 80,000 people. About half of Richmond residents are of Asian ancestry, primarily of Chinese and Korean descent. There is also a large Irish population and many recently arrived Russian immigrants.
Several vibrant commercial areas, including California Street, Clement Street and Geary Boulevard, serve the neighborhood. The 1,400 merchants and small offices in the Richmond District offer a wide range of goods and services.
Local landmarks include the Cliff House and the Beach Chalet at Ocean Beach, the V.A. Hospital at Fort Miley, University of San Francisco and numerous holy houses, including Temple Emanuel, St. John’s Orthodox Church and St. John’s Presbyterian Church. There are numerous attractions in Golden Gate Park, including an American Bison pen, M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, California Academy of Sciences, Strybing Arboretum, the oldest children’s playground west of the Mississippi River and a 9-hole golf course.
NEWSPAPER INFORMATION
Distribution by Neighborhood: Presidio and Masonic Avenues to the Pacific Ocean, Golden Gate Park to the Presidio, Sea Cliff
Distribution by Zip Code: 94118 and 94121
Circulation: 25,000
History Becomes a Form of Resistance to Family Zoning
Three San Francisco Supervisors are pushing to give structures with a significant past “landmark” status, to protect them from changes coming through the Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Family Zoning Plan.
Lawsuit Attempts to Halt Great Highway Ballot Measure
Just as it was announced that a proposed measure to reopen the Upper Great Highway to vehicle traffic will make the November ballot, a lawsuit has been filed by supporters of Sunset Dunes to try to stop it.
Commentary: Quentin L. Kopp
Last month we learned from a reported City Hall audit that a wily operator, former Chief Assistant Treasurer Tajel Shah, ignored procurement rules to ensure that a $7 million City Hall contract for a new tax collecting system went to tech corporation Mechanical Orchard. The system handles billions of dollars in San Francisco‘s infamous business taxes. City Attorney David Chiu, City Controller Greg Wagner and the Controller’s Auditor of City Services uncovered Shah’s perfidy. Shah never revealed her friendship with the chief revenue officer of Mechanical Orchard whose subcontractor (Ratio PBC) then hired Ms. Shah’s niece. A complaint was thereafter filed by a knowledgeable citizen with the Ethics Commission in late 2024. The San Francisco Standard reported such malefeasance on Sept. 25, 2025. Mechanical Orchard pulled out of contract talk the day before Shah’s perfidy was revealed. Shah resigned on Nov. 21, 2025.
State Senate: Scott Wiener
For many people, health insurance is a lifeline. That’s why it’s such a profound violation when health insurers deny care they should be covering. Wrongful denials are a growing indignity facing Californians, and we have to call it out. I wrote a first-of-its-kind bill called the Health Insurance Accountability Act to tackle this problem head on by holding health insurance companies accountable for wrongful denials. We need to pass it through the Legislature before the deadline at the end of August, and then fight to pass similar reforms through Congress.
Assembly: Catherine Stefani
If you’re anything like me, you’re probably sick and tired of being bombarded every day with phone calls, text messages and emails from complete strangers, and sometimes even scammers. The constant barrage is frustrating, but it’s also increasingly dangerous. These messages are often part of sophisticated schemes designed to steal your money, personal information or even your identity.
City Hall: Connie Chan
In July we announced the drafting of two new pieces of legislation to support small businesses. Our City and our communities thrive when our small businesses and workers thrive. The Workers Opportunity to Purchase Act and the creation of Small Business Tenant Unions will empower our workers, stabilize our commercial corridors and protect our small businesses, helping to create more vibrant and successful neighborhoods and a more stable workforce.
Announcements: August 2026
Things to do on San Francisco’s west side in August 2026.
Police Blotter: Richmond District
Recent police activity in the Richmond District.
After 17 Years on Clement St., USPS Closure Leaves Many Inconvenienced
The United States Postal Service (USPS) store at 837 Clement St. had its last day of operations on June 18. For the past 17 years, this postal location has served the Richmond District.
Real Estate: John M. Lee
No one can predict the real estate market with certainty from year to year. As the first half of 2026 comes to a close, we have navigated the war in Iran, high gas prices, elevated inflation, rising mortgage rates and a stock market at record highs. In this column, I will review the current state of the local real estate market.
‘Then and Now’: The Japanese Tea Garden
Comparison photos of The Japanese Tea Garden 53 years apart.
‘Treasure of the Pharaohs’ Exhibition Digs into Egyptian Life and Afterlife
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco is counting on the public’s continuous fascination of ancient Egypt when FAMSF presents, “Treasures of the Pharaohs,” from Aug. 1 of this year to Jan. 31, 2027, at the de Young Museum. The touring exhibition spans 3,000 years of ancient Egyptian history, showing how the all-powerful pharaohs shaped religious practices, social structure and daily life.
Acclaimed Berkeley Restaurant, Rose Pizzeria, Opens in the Richmond
There has been palpable excitement in the Richmond District ever since Rose Pizzeria, the popular Berkeley-based casual pizzeria opened in the neighborhood. The new San Francisco branch began serving lunch and dinner in late April, on the corner of Clement Street and Arguello Boulevard, in the former Village Pizzeria space.
Westside’s ‘Goshfather’ of Music Spreads Disco House and Mentorship
Born and raised in the Richmond District, Victor Alexander Tapia, known more commonly in the DJ world as “The Goshfather” has played throughout the Bay Area and is now taking his music to an international audience at the FIFA World Cup.
