• SF bookstore the Booksmith has stopped selling books by JK Rowling in response to the author’s ongoing anti-trans rhetoric. Rowling recently made a public announcement that she’s using her private wealth from the Harry Potter series to create a fund that aims to remove transgender rights “in the workplace, in public life, and in protected female spaces.” [Underscore_SF]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Booksmith (@booksmithsf)

• Dr. Marvin Boomer, the Oakland teacher killed during a CHP pursuit, saved his partner’s life by pushing her out of the way before he was fatally struck. As she recovered from her injuries, Nina Woodruff described being interrogated and denied help by officers at the scene, while Boomer’s family questioned why a dangerous police chase was allowed in a residential neighborhood. [KTVU]

• Parents and students expressed outrage after the Tamalpais Union High School District voted to cancel contracts for the Black Student Success Support Team, despite data showing improved attendance and academic performance. While the board cited financial concerns over the $250,000 cost, BoE member Ida Green and others criticized the decision as minimizing the needs of Black students and disregarding community voices. [KGO]

• A CBS News investigation found that Meta platforms, including Instagram and Facebook, hosted hundreds of ads promoting AI-powered “nudify” deepfake tools that generate nonconsensual sexual images of real people, many of which remained active even after Meta pledged removals. [CBS News]

National:

• San Antonio police walked back an earlier statement dismissing a possible hate crime in the fatal shooting of actor Jonathan Joss, with Chief William McManus admitting the comment was made prematurely and without sufficient information. Joss’ husband and others say the couple faced years of anti-gay harassment from neighbors, raising serious concerns about the motive behind the killing. [NBC News]
• Mid-2000s site, Digg, is attempting a comeback under original founder Kevin Rose and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Digg hopes to recapture its early internet magic while promising a mobile-first, human-driven platform focused on community feedback and light monetization for creators. [Hustle]
• A recently obtained DHS memo outlines plans to deploy up to 20,000 National Guard troops for immigration enforcement—including night operations, rural interdiction, detainee transport, and riot control in detention facilities—marking the first time the Guard would be used in such domestic law-enforcement activities. [NPR]

Video of the Day:

• Can you guess where this secret spot is? It offers a "front-row seat to the Bay Bridge, the skyline, and a swing that feels like it was never meant to be found."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dan Bernstein: Travel Guides | Hiking | California (@outdoorwiseliving)

Need last minute plans?

Check out Last Week, This Week for a few weekend events we featured last Sunday. Plus, some additions:

• Cheese Plus celebrates its 20th anniversary on Saturday, with a free Artisan Food Festival Block Party on Polk Street in San Francisco, featuring local craft brews, live music, comedy, and a craft market with vintage vendors and live screen printing. [FunCheapSF]
• Also on Saturday, La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley celebrates its 50th anniversary, with a full-day festival of music, art, storytelling, and community celebration. [Eventbrite]
• Pop-Ups on the Plaza celebrates Juneteenth on the Waterfront on Saturday, featuring over 20 vendors offering food, drinks, crafts, music, live screenprinting, and kids’ activities. [Foodwise]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

A female pedestrian suffered life-threatening injuries early Wednesday morning after being hit by a vehicle at the intersection Geary Boulevard and Laguna Street, in Japantown.

The incident happened at 5:25 a.m., and as the Examiner reports, the driver remained at the scene and cooperated with police.

The victim was transported to an area hospital, and her current condition is not yet known. The Chronicle reports via the SFPD that she was in critical condition when she left the scene.

The intersection and this stretch of Geary is part of the "high-injury network" noted in Vision Zero reporting — the 12 percent of SF's streets where 70 percent of vehicle injuries and fatalities occur.

We'll update you as we learn more.

A driver who beat a pedestrian for making contact with his car remains at large today, following a SoMa confrontation that sent the victim to the hospital.

Police say that the 50-year-old male pedestrian was crossing the street at the intersection of 10th and Harrison Streets at 7 p.m. Tuesday when the confrontation occurred. According to the San Francisco Police Department, the victim crossed in front of a brown 4-door sedan that apparently extended into the intersection, "and tapped on the vehicle."

The driver, a man in his 20s, hopped out of the car and chased the pedestrian down "and punched him, knocking him to the ground," police say.

The driver then fled in an unknown direction, leaving his victim injured on the ground.

The pedestrian was transported to San Francisco General Hospital for treatment of injuries police say are not life-threatening. The suspect and his brown car remain at large, and neither have been tracked down as of Wednesday afternoon.

Related: Hit-And-Run Driver Leaves SoMa Pedestrian With Life-Threatening Injuries

One man lies dead and and another is hospitalized after a Saturday night hit-and-run in the Tenderloin. According to KRON 4, the hit-and-run accident took place at 6:46 p.m. Saturday night at the intersections of Leavenworth and Ellis Streets.

After hitting the two pedestrians, the vehicle fled west on Ellis Street.

SFPD has identified the deceased pedestrian only as a man in his 50s who was crossing Leavenworth Street. The vehicle was traveling west on Ellis Street when it struck and killed him.

The second pedestrian victim, identified only as a man in his 30s, was also hit by the vehicle. He was transported to a San Francisco hospital with injuries that are described by KPIX as “non-life threatening.”

As of press time, SFPD does not have a description of the vehicle or the driver. The incident remains under investigation, and eyewitnesses or anyone with information is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department at (415) 345-7300.

Related: Driver Of White Van Kills Broadway Pedestrian, Speeds Away

Just in time for Black Friday shopping mania, that pedestrian plaza that helps distract from the chaotic, never-ending Central Subway construction is coming back. The turf was getting laid over a week ago, and as Hoodline reports, this second annual Winter Walk arrives Friday with a full schedule of caroling and "other wintry surprises" through New Year's Day.

New this year will be a Philz Coffee truck on site every day, and a rotating array of food trucks from Off the Grid on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays for lunchtime from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and dinner from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. The largest gathering of six trucks will happen on Wednesday evenings, along with live music.

Also you can expect a 3D light show to play from 5 p.m. to midnight every day, and live entertainment Thursdays and Saturdays from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. See the full schedule of entertainers here.

As always, the windows at Macy's will be filled with adorable adoptable puppies and kittens from the SFSPCA through the season.

There were a lot of calls last year to make the pedestrian plaza a permanent thing, and after another full years of bottlenecks on those sidewalks as the Central Subway project continues, there will surely be more.

Jeani Hunt-Gibbon of the Union Square Business Improvement District says that the success of last year's plaza may have influenced the SFMTA's recent decision to try closing part of Powell Street to most vehicle traffic.

Previously: Should Stockton Street's Pedestrian Holiday Plaza Become Permanent?

Intersections are dangerous! We know this. And three specific San Francisco intersections have now been ranked among the most potentially deadly in the nation: Octavia Boulevard and Market Street (which has been noted frequently for its dangers to bicyclists and pedestrians in the past); Potrero Avenue and 16th Street; and the sprawling intersection of South Van Ness Avenue with 12th, Mission, and Otis Streets.

The city of San Francisco shared accident data from 2008 to 2012 with the driving app Waze, which then compiled the report that also covers LA and Boston. Quartz reported on the findings.

The report notes both accident statistics and describes what makes each intersection so uniquely dangerous for drivers and pedestrians alike.

Intersection of South Van Ness Avenue, 12th, Mission, and Otis Streets

"This enormous intersection has 17 lanes of traffic and 7 crosswalks. Between 2005 and 2012, there were 92 vehicle collisons here: 6 with bicycles, 12 with pedestrians, and 74 with other cars."

Intersection of Octavia Boulevard and Market Street

"Here, Octavia Blvd turns into an on-ramp for the 101 as it crosses Market St. Of the 42 collisions of cars and bicycles at this intersection between 2005 and 2012, six were categorized as severe."

Intersection of Potrero Avenue and 16th Street

"On the periphery of the Mission district, this busy intersection features five lanes of Potrero crossing four lanes of 16th St. A pedestrian was killed at this intersection in 2013, and 10 pedestrians were hit by cars here between 2012 and 2013."

Walk SF, a pedestrian advocacy organization, notes that "12% of all streets in San Francisco — a total of 125 miles — account for over 70% of all traffic-related injuries and deaths (pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists)."

Be careful out there, everybody!

Previously: Dangerous Octavia-Market Intersection to Get Traffic Cameras

A terrible accident caught on film highlights the dangers faced everyday by pedestrians on the streets of San Francisco. The crash, which thankfully did not result in any death, occurred when a scooter ran headfirst into a jogger at the busy SoMa intersection of Third and Folsom Streets. The entire October 13th collision was captured on the scooter driver's point-of-view helmet cam.

Mark Pettit, the man driving the scooter, wrote about the crash in detail on the YouTube page where he posted the video of the incident.

"I saw her at the last second and hit the brakes as hard as I could, but I couldn't avoid a collision. I did slow down pretty far, though; I only went another foot or two forward before falling."

Pettit continued that he "immediately went to check on the pedestrian" who "seemed a little shaken up and dazed." After dialing 911, and an ambulance arrived, he "stayed away and let the professionals do their work."

The jogger was running against the light, and Pettit had the right of way.

CBS San Francisco followed up on the jogger, and found out that she was released from the hospital only yesterday.

Walk SF, a San Francisco pedestrian advocacy group, notes that in SF cars on average hit three pedestrians a day, and that "60% of all San Francisco’s traffic deaths are people walking" which is four times the national average.

Previously: Map: Where You're Most Likely To Get Hit By A Car On A Bike, Or On Foot

San Francisco's aging batch of ficus trees claimed a few more victims this morning, as the trees — which are known hazards — toppled across the city.

In a July report in the Chron, San Francisco's Department of Public Works admitted that the decision in the 1960s to plant ficus trees throughout the city was a crummy one, as the trees are known for "limb failure." That was all too apparent this morning, when the modest amount of precipitation we had today took at least four of the trees down.

CBS5 reports the following incidents so far Thursday:

• A branch fell on a car at Gough and Post Streets.
• An entire tree came crashing down on the 600 block of Lombard Street near Joe DeMaggio Playground.
• A 40-foot ficus split in half and fell on top of multiple cars at Steiner and Eddy Streets.
• At 7:30 a.m., a tree fell near 23rd Street and Potrero Avenue, striking a pedestrian, cars, and overhead Muni lines. The pedestrian suffered head wounds, and was transported to the hospital.

According to CBS5, the DPW says that "all it takes a bit of dust or moisture to topple the trees," which is certainly comforting given that this is a fairly dusty and moist city, if my apartment is any indication.

When trees like the four (so far) that fell today topple, it's on the city to clean up the mess and pay for damages, with a price tag that begins at around $395 and skyrockets from there.

DPW spokesperson Rachel Gordon told the Chron in July that the agency tries to address issues with the trees "before they become major, but we just don't have the staff to inspect and prune proactively...Optimally, we should be inspecting our trees, such as the large ficus trees, every one to two years."

However, she said, "We don't even hit the five-year mark, which we set as a goal. Now it's closer to every 12 years for trees."

The only good news here? SF has wised up and stopped planting the hazardous trees. And, hey, if they keep toppling at this rate, 12 years from now maybe DPW won't have any to check on at all!

A driver in a pickp-up truck barreling through a crosswalk killed an unidentified woman in her 50s this morning. The accident occurred at Judson Avenue and Edna Street. She was later pronounced dead at San Francisco General Hospital.

CBS 5 reports that the collision happened at "6:58 p.m. ... just east of City College of San Francisco’s Ocean campus." While SF Appeal notes that "[t]he driver of the Dodge pickup, a 42-year-old woman, stopped at the scene and was not arrested."

Today's fatal accident comes on the heels of a similar incident in West Portal back in March where two pedestrians were hit while using a crosswalk. In that situation, however, no one died one of the victims died from her injuries. Tania Madfes, 68, was killed.

[CBS 5]
[SF Appeal]

According to reports, 69-year-old Hector Arana, died this morning after being struck by a car near San Jose Avenue and Liebig Street in the Outer Mission. The accident occurred a little before 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

According to SF Appeal, "The vehicle, driven by a man in his 30s, was heading north on San Jose Avenue when it struck Arana, who hit the front windshield of the car and landed in the street." The Chronicle notes that the driver was "visibly shaken up" after he plowed into Arana.

Though police are still investigating the crash, the "have ruled out alcohol, drugs and speeding as possible factors."

[SFA]
[Chron]

Last night at the intersection of Sixth and Market streets in San Francisco, a Muni bus smacked a pedestrian. The incident happened at around 6:15 p.m. The pedestrian was immediately whisked away to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to SF Appeal.

The cause of the Halloween night collision, which coincided with the end of yesterday's Giants victory parade, remains under investigation.

[SFA]

Ugh. It appears that a pedestrian was killed in the early evening on Saturday while walking across the street in the 'loin. The culprit? A cabbie who allegedly ran a red light. "The collision was reported at 6:54 p.m. at Eddy and Larkin streets," notes SF Appeal. "Police said it appears the taxi driver ran a red light and struck another car and the pedestrian, a man in his 30s."

The victim later died at SF General. No further information about the incident is available, but we'll update as soon as we know more.

This most recent cab-in-the-Tenderloin incident follows on the heels of last week's mess wherein taxi cab plowed through a laundromat window at Post and Hyde.

Please welcome Alissa de Vogel. You might have already read her fine work over at Uptown Almanac. (If you haven't, please do so at once.) She can also be found here at SFist, tending to your bike-related and cycling-fixation (and more!) needs. Take it away, Alissa...

As a cyclist in San Francisco, we're lucky to live in the Panhandle. The lush, mature eucalyptus trees provide shade and make the entire neighborhood smell amazing. The long path of smooth, uninterrupted pavement allows us to move quickly between the Wiggle and our house without the hassle of stop signs and traffic. While biking through the Panhandle is easy and convenient, we'd like to suggest a few improvements.

To put it simply, the pedestrian and bike paths in the Panhandle should be segregated with bikes traveling on the northern path, and pedestrians on the southern side. Right now everyone seems to use the north path almost exclusively. Bikes should take the northern path since it is already striped and labeled as a bike lane, and the light at Masonic is timed for cyclists. Makes sense, right? Because the path gets so crowded on the weekends that we have to take the street instead of the bike paths.

On weekends and nice days the path becomes crowded with families walking three abreast, people walking dogs, and kids on tricycles. Nothing against children, but they frequently move in erratic patterns that are unpredictable for cyclists. Similarly with dogs; owners let their dogs run freely across the path with extendable leashes that are not visible to cyclists from a distance. Combine that with weekend warriors in skinsuits sprinting towards the Golden Gate Bridge, groups of teenagers on BMX bikes, and semi-oblivious Blazing Saddles customers, and the whole thing is a disaster waiting to happen.

In no way are we claiming that the rights of any of these groups are superior to the rights of any other, simply that keeping cyclists separate from everyone else would be much safer and more convenient for all. Cyclists like to go fast. That’s why cycling is so fun - because it feels like flying. Not to mention that maintaining a higher average speed is a more efficient use of your energy. It is very easy to gain and maintain speed in the Panhandle and it’s frustrating for cyclists to be constantly pumping the brakes (or skidding, whatever) in anticipation of a double-wide stroller ahead on the path.

Now, we don’t walk through the Panhandle too frequently, but we would guess that pedestrians feel a little unsafe sharing the path with speeding cyclists. It has to be a little disarming to be out jogging with your friends and have cyclists racing past you on your left at 20 mph. When we're out on our bike, we can see that the flying bikes grazing past with mere inches to spare intimidate some pedestrians. To demand that all cyclists change this behavior would be unreasonable and, more importantly, impracticable.

Further, there is no real reason not to make use of both the paths in the Panhandle. Almost no additional infrastructure would be required from the city - perhaps just a few signs, some new striping on the paths, and a little publicity would be enough to implement this change. Moving foot traffic to the southern path would promote wider usage of everything the Panhandle has to offer.