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.
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.
Every August, something special happens in the Sunset. School campuses come alive again. Sidewalks fill with backpacks. Muni buses welcome new riders. Parks echo with recess conversations, and neighborhood businesses greet familiar faces after the final bell.
The window of Yvonne’s Southern Sweets sat shattered after vandalism. For Yvonne Hines, the owner of the Bayview shop, this was not merely cosmetic; it was a threat to her business’s ability to operate. For many small businesses, a broken storefront can mean days or weeks without customers, repair bills and uncertainty about whether reopening is even possible.
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.
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.
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.
Recent police activity in the Sunset District.
Things to do on San Francisco’s west side in August 2026.
This is a colorful, easy to prepare and nourishing salad. It makes a good addition to any meal. The deep green Dino kale and white quinoa dotted with strips of red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes and slivered almonds make this salad nutritious, colorful and crunchy. The lemony vinaigrette tenderizes the kale while giving it a refreshening taste. Both quinoa and kale have a good deal of protein and they are both low in calories.
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How can the City justify allowing hazardous, uncertified “DIY” projects on a highway median while legitimate neighborhood parks are left completely broke? Rec & Parks must halt this installation.
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.
Imagine a vast playground where you can row a boat, work on your tennis serve, try lawn bowling or pickleball, ride a bike, skate along the promenade, engage in birdwatching or forest bathing, hear a free concert or view an art or science exhibit. From archery to Zumba, countless activities await in Golden Gate Park, the 1,017-acre oasis that is the Sunset and Richmond’s backyard.
Maggie & Mac’s, the new spot on the Ninth Avenue and Irving Street corridor, feels less like an opening and more like a place that was always supposed to be in the neighborhood. That is by design.
