• A man in South San Francisco was arrested last week under suspicion of shooting into an apartment building after burglarizing a vehicle. There were 10 people inside the building at the time, including a child, but no one was injured. [Bay Area News Group]
• Southwest Airlines now offers nonstop flights out of Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa to four cities, including daily flights to San Diego and Las Vegas, five flights a week to Burbank, and weekly flights to Denver. [KTVU]
• An SF jury found Aljerone Green, 33, of San Francisco guilty of violently kicking a small dog multiple times in the hallway of an SRO, which was also caught on surveillance cameras, and the condition of the dog is not known. [KRON4]

National:

• More than 850 girls have signed up to attend Camp Mystic in Texas this summer following last year’s floods that killed 27 girls. Texas health regulators are currently investigating hundreds of complaints with the assistance of the Texas Rangers, as the state considers allowing the camp to reopen. [Associated Press]
• Iran has agreed to President Donald Trump’s offer of a two-week ceasefire in the war, with plans to negotiate with the US in Islamabad beginning Friday, emphasizing its military will be on high alert “should the slightest error be committed by the enemy." [PBS]
• Pope Leo XIV condemned Trump over his threat Tuesday to destroy Iranian civilization, saying attacks on civilians violate international law while urging the American public to contact their political leaders and congressional representatives demanding an end to the war. [Associated Press]

Video of the Day:

SF Public Library’s annual Night of Ideas is Saturday, featuring talks, performances, food, art, collective imagination, and a dance party under the atrium.

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

Finding Bay Area waterfalls and undisturbed mushroom rings, a self-guided tour of SF libraries, and a cavalcade of custards in San Jose. Plus, a new all-ages club in Richmond, the best view via SF’s public-private open spaces, and how artist Morisot was more than Manet’s muse.

A map for wandering

The San Francisco Public Library’s Explorer Map turns the city into a low-stakes scavenger hunt: visit all 27 branches, collect a sticker at each, and see how far curiosity will take you. Library patron Matt Spitz, who visited all 27 locations, described how the map makes you notice distance differently — some branches fit easily into a day, while others require intention and planning.

SFPL’s website includes staff recommendations for nearby places to stop while visiting each branch, and the library is offering a chance to win a grand prize for those who complete the quest. — SFPL, Matt Spitz

Above the workday

San Francisco’s privately owned public open spaces are easy to miss, tucked inside office buildings and marked by small signs, but they’re open to anyone who knows where to look. One spot that’s pretty easy to access is One Kearny, where an elevator ride leads to a compact rooftop terrace on the 11th floor.

The main draw at One Kearny is its spectacular view — Market Street unfolding below, rooftops stacked into the distance. The entrance is at 23 Geary Street, and visitors just need to let security know they’re heading to the public rooftop; there’s also a restroom key available at the front desk. — AllieEdition, SF Privately Owned Public Open Spaces

In close company

The Legion of Honor’s Manet & Morisot exhibition looks at the long artistic relationship between Édouard Manet and Berthe Morisot, pairing their paintings to show how closely their work developed over time. Moving chronologically, the show highlights shared subjects, recurring figures, and moments where one artist clearly responds to the other.

Curators also acknowledge the ambiguity of their personal connection without trying to resolve it, focusing instead on what can be seen on the canvas. The exhibition brings together loans from several museums and is now on view at the Legion of Honor. — KGO

Off the beaten block

A small all-ages venue called The Planetarium opened Thursday in the East Bay city of Richmond, with room for about 120 people and a calendar already filling up with lesser-known band names. Run by longtime DIY scene organizers, the space is geared toward local and touring acts still finding their footing, alongside performance art, comedy, film screenings, and monthly variety shows.

The founders describe it as a place where younger audiences can show up without alcohol shaping the room, and where stranger ideas are welcome on the bill. The Planetarium is located at 5327 Jacuzzi Street, with its January shows now underway. — Richmondside

Lunches made with care

Since 2017, Joy D’Ovidio has been assembling lunches for unhoused San Franciscans with the same care she once brought to specialty foods — soft brioche buns, ripe fruit, and ingredients chosen to be nourishing and easy to eat. What began the day after the 2016 election as a small act of resolve became A Meal with Dignity, a volunteer-run nonprofit operating out of her home.

The meals are intentionally restaurant-quality, funded by donations, and designed around the realities of life on the street, from dental health to portability. Volunteers distribute 30 to 150 lunches a month to people living outdoors and in RVs, primarily in the South of Market district. — KPIX

Small custards, long lines

A&M Patisserie is a San Jose pop-up turning the familiar egg tart into a rotating cast of flavors, from yuzu and pistachio to honey garlic and corn cheese. Started during lockdown by Alice Ngo and Minh Pham, the operation has grown into a fixture at makers’ markets, where long lines form around a banner listing 18 variations at a time.

The tarts sit between Portuguese pastel de nata, Macau-style egg tarts, and Cantonese dan tat — deeply flaky crusts, lighter custard, less sweetness — shaped by Pham’s bakery training and the flavors the pair grew up with. The menu changes as they test new ideas, with savory versions and a salted egg yolk tart planned around Lunar New Year, and regular appearances at SJMade fairs and other South Bay pop-ups. — KQED

Rings after rain

On Christmas morning, content creator Divya came across a rare sight on a forest hike: a full fairy ring of fly agaric mushrooms, glowing red against the wet ground. Divya explains that fairy rings are very delicate and take years to form, relying on consistent soil, undisturbed space, and just the right amount of rain to bloom at once.

Divya recommends places like Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Santa Cruz, Claremont Canyon in Berkeley, and the redwoods of Portola Valley near La Honda for potential sightings. — WeekendWanderersInc

Waterfall season

After the record-breaking King’s Tide and heavy rains, Bay Area waterfalls are sure to be at their most spectacular. Cataract Falls via Rock Spring on Mount Tamalpais offers a 6.5-mile loop with about 1,500 feet of elevation change, winding through shaded forest and past the Laurel Dell picnic area.

The trail passes multiple cascades and wooden bridges, making for plenty of scenic stops along the way. — OutdoorWiseLiving

Top image: The Planetarium/Google Reviews

Previously: Field Notes: Tamales, New LGBTQ Club in Oakland, and 21 Artists From ‘90s Mission School

Night of Ideas, a free, global “nocturnal arts and culture marathon,” which brings together leading scholars, activists, and artists for a night of performances and activities, will take place on April 5 in SF’s Civic Center, with a family program earlier in the afternoon.

This year’s Night of Ideas theme, “(Un)Common Ground,” dives into what unites communities—exploring real connections in a digital world, dialogue in a divided society, and ways to protect our planet in the face of extreme weather.

The event will include a wide array of discussions, performances, and interactive activities (see a PDF of the lineup here) including dance-along ballet, drag story hour, and a puppet show during the family program, and a BART fashion show, zine-making and screenwriting workshops, lip-syncing with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, and a slew of panels and performances later in the evening.

The family program will be at the Main Library from 4–6pm, with food trucks starting at 5pm at the newly illuminated Fulton Plaza. The main portion of the event will be from 7pm until 1am throughout Civic Center, including the Main Library, Fulton Plaza, and the Asian Art Museum.

The event is free, but registration is encouraged.

Night of Ideas is organized by Villa Albertine San Francisco, KQED, the Asian Art Museum, and the San Francisco Public Library, with artistic curation by Circuit Network.

Bay Beats, SFPL's fairly new free streaming music platform, is having its annual open submissions right now through May 31. The streaming platform is also hosting a few upcoming shows at neighborhood libraries.

In late 2023, San Francisco Public Library launched its new streaming platform, Bay Beats, in partnership with Amoeba Records. Each year, a panel of jurors from the local music community and a team of library staffers select 100 local musicians from the library's call for submissions to be showcased on the platform. The winners also receive $250 honorariums for their participation. All genres are encouraged, "from jazz to soul, rap to rock, classical to world, New Age to noise and everything in between." Submission guidelines can be found here.

In a press release, SFPL noted that in the platform's first year, they received 600 submissions and more than 420 submissions in 2024. Additionally, San Francisco is on track for offering "the most robust catalog of its kind in the country." The collection currently consists of more than 300 albums from top-rated solo musicians and bands, which are available to stream with or without a library card.

Additionally, Bay Beats is hosting a few upcoming shows at local libraries. The featured performers include jazz vocalist and pianist Rita Lackey at Ingleside Branch on March 22, indie-pop and folk-rock band The Corner Laughers at Merced on April 19, and singer/songwriter Cornelia at West Portal on April 26.

Image: Israel Palacio/Unsplash

Previously: That SF Library-Amoeba Music Free Streaming Music Platform for Bay Area Artists Launches Saturday

Image: @sflabor via Twitter

The SF Public Library’s new streaming music platform for Bay Area bands and musicians launches Saturday, and they’re celebrating with a Saturday afternoon live music bash on the Fulton Street steps of the library’s Main Branch.

It was music to our ears in April when the SF Public Library and Amoeba Music announced they were launching a free streaming music platform featuring Bay Area musicians. And it was probably nice news for local musicians too, as all artists accepted to the platform would get $250, plus a new avenue to promote upcoming shows and their merchandise. That announcement came with a call for musicians to submit their music, which several hundred did.

And now, this coming Saturday, that new music streaming platform Bay Beats will be launching, with the music of more than 100 Bay Area artists available to stream absolutely free, with no ads.

“Bay Beats, a free music streaming platform offered by San Francisco Public Library (SFPL), goes live on Saturday, October 28,” according to an SF Public Library announcement. “After a hugely successful open call for submissions, albums from more than 100 top-rated solo musicians and bands from popular genres—jazz to soul, rap to rock, classical to world—will be available for anyone to listen, with or without a library card.”

And to mark the launch, there will be a Bay Beats Launch Party Saturday, October 26 (11 a.m. - 5 p.m.) at the SF Public Library Main Branch’s Fulton Street steps. The food trucks El Alambre SF and Churros Mexicanos will be on hand, plus the following lineup of musicians featured on Bay Beats scheduled to perform:

11:00 a.m. – Opening Remarks

11:10 a.m. – Alison Faith Levy

12:05 p.m. – Nashville Honeymoon

1:00 p.m. – UnLearn the World

1:55 p.m. – Tori Roze & The Hot Mess

2:50 p.m. – Razteria

3:45 p.m. – gloomy june

According to the Chronicle, more than 600 Bay Area music acts submitted their work for consideration, which was winnowed down to around 100 artists that would be featured on the platform. KQED reports the panel of judges included Penelope Houston of legendary SF punk band Avengers, hip-hop historian Dregs One, and up-and-coming SF vocalist La Doña.

“For anyone wondering whether we’ve still got it, I can personally assure you that the music scene in San Francisco and beyond is alive and well,” SFPL librarian Brian Weaver said in the release. “The talent we saw from the submissions round was phenomenal and it was a real challenge to be able to select only 100 albums. To say we’re excited to launch Bay Beats is an understatement—we can’t wait for everyone to discover bands and artists they’ve never heard before.”

You will not need an SFPL library card to stream music on Bay Beats once it launches, but you will need an SFPL library card to download music. But since the listeners can stream music without a library card on the online platform, it will be accessible worldwide.

Related: SF Public Library Teaming Up With Amoeba Music To Create Bay Area Artist Streaming Platform [SFist]

Images: (Left) Amoeba Music via Yelp, (Right) San Francisco Public Library Bernal Heights Branch via Facebook

The SF Public Library has announced that it's launching a streaming music platform for Bay Area bands and musicians, paying artists $250 if they’re accepted, and users will be able to stream and download full albums with just a library card.

There are now plenty of streaming music services out there, but a new one is coming that will feature only Bay Area artists, won’t cost you anything to listen to, and will not have any ads. The Examiner reports that the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) and Amoeba Music are teaming up to create a free Bay Area artist streaming music platform. The platform will be called Bay Beats, and artists whose submissions are accepted will get paid, well, a little something.

"I'm very excited to get Bay Beats off the ground,” SFPL librarian Brian Weaver, who’s involved with planning and launching the platform, tells the Examiner. “I think it will be a really great way to check out the variety of amazing local music that continues to be created in the Bay Area."

The Bay Beats streaming platform will only accept artists from the nine Bay Area counties, but artists will get paid... a little at least. According to 48 Hills, “Artists who are selected and agree to sign a non-exclusive licensing agreement will receive a $250 honorarium.”

You won’t need a library card to just stream music on the Bay Beats platform for free, but a library card will be required to download full albums that are included on the service.

And not every artist who submits music will be included on the platform. The Bay Beats website says that “A diverse panel of musicians and music aficionados will review the submitted tracks and select albums to feature on the site. Because Bay Beats is a growing and evolving collection, there will be additional submission calls in 2024 and beyond.”

The submission guidelines are here, and Bay Beats will be accepting music submissions from this Monday, May 1 through Monday, July 31.

The Bay Beats website says that the streaming platform “goes live later this year,” while 48 Hills adds that “Bay Beats will launch in the fall (date TBD).”

Related: A.C.T. Releases 'Tales of the City' Musical on Streaming, for Pride Week [SFist]

Images: (Left) Amoeba Music via Yelp, (Right) San Francisco Public Library Bernal Heights Branch via Facebook

The SFPD has just released a few details in a pair of weekend homicides that left two men dead, one near the San Francisco Public Library main branch, and the other at Fulton and Webster streets.

The first incident happened Friday night, November 11, around 9:30 p.m., near the promenade of the SFPL main branch at Grove and Larkin streets.

"Upon arrival, officers located an adult male victim lying on the ground unconscious," the SFPD said in a release. "Officers rendered aid and summoned medics to the scene. Despite the lifesaving efforts of the officers and medics, the victim succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene."

SFPD Investigations Deputy Chief Raj Vaswani tweeted that the victim was "possibly in a fight" with another individual, and the victim was a 56-year-old San Francisco resident. Homicide detectives are currently investigating and no arrests have been made.

The second incident happened Saturday night around 9 p.m. near the intersection of Fulton and Webster streets. SFPD officers were summoned to the scene after a ShotSpotter alert, and they found a 37-year-old male victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

The victim was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and he succumbed to those injuries at the hospital.

Homicide detectives are currently investigating this incident as well, and no arrests have been made.

These were San Francisco's 47th and 48th homicides to date in 2022, which is on par with the homicide rate in 2021. At this time last year there had been 47 homicides in the city.

Anyone with inforamation about either incident is asked to call the SFPD 24-hour-tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and start the message with SFPD. Anyone who provides a tip may stay anonymous.

Photo via Google Street View

Thursday night’s opening celebration kicks off several months of Cockettes content, in honor of the library’s new exhibit “The Cockettes: Acid Drag & Sexual Anarchy.”

SF’s celebrated Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence did not originally wear white face paint when they were founded in the 1970s. That custom was inspired by another noteworthy cabal of drag bon vivants from the era, a late 1960s and early 1970s psychedelic performance troupe known as the Cockettes. Founded in a Haight-Ashbury flophouse, the Cockettes also popularized the “glitter beard” look, and at their peak, counted disco star Sylvester as a member, and made a movie with Divine (Journey to the Center of Uranus). We still see their legacy today, in the 2002 documentary The Cockettes (trailer below), their lyricist Scrumbly Koldewyn still does productions and Cockettes revivals with the Thrillpeddlers, and once-Cockette Bambi Lake was much eulogized upon her passing in November 2020.

The Cockettes will be honored with a six-month exhibition at the San Francisco Public Library’s  James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center called The Cockettes: Acid Drag & Sexual Anarchy, whose opening celebration is tonight (March 17) from 6-7:30 p.m.  That event kicks off several months of Cockettes content and Cockette-related live events.

“People should have listened to the way we lived,” author and original Cockette Fayette Hauser said in an interview with the Examiner. “We were happy. It didn’t require a lot of money. Creativity, new ideas. Look what we did! A whole vernacular of fashion and wearable art.”

Hauser, who literally wrote the book on the Cockettes, will speak and show memorabilia at Thursday night’s opening reception, along with co-curator Jim Van Buskirk. Hauser will also speak in a Thursday, March 31 author conversation, also at the Hormel Center.

The events keep coming, when the venue hosts Cockettes on Film April 28, with screenings of their films Palace, Tricia’s Wedding and Elevator Girls in Bondage. Hauser will join the Vau de Vire Society for a spoken word event there on Thursday, May 26. A musical performance called Cockette Cabaret with Scrumbly & Co. is also scheduled for Thursday, June 23.

Outside of the SF Public Library’s events, a screening of highlights the film The Cockettes Are Golden will play at the Tenderloin Museum next Thursday, March 24, in a 6 p.m. show with live performances by Scrumbly Koldwyn, Birdie Bob Watt, and Kitten on the Keys.

The Cockettes: Acid Drag & Sexual Anarchy remains on display through August 11 in the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center at the San Francisco Main Library, 100 Larkin Street. Admission is free.

Related: Remembering Bambi Lake: A Short Film and a Formal Obituary [SFist]

Image: SFPL.org via Mary Ellen Mark

In July, the San Francisco Public Library announced its contact-free SFPL To Go program, which it was hoping to roll out sometime in August; the rolling, alas, will start August 10 at the Main Library on 100 Larkin Street.

To the giddy delight of local bookworms, audiophiles, and purveyors of cinema transcribed onto DVDs, the San Francisco Public Library's curbside pick up program is officially set to start August 10 at the Main Library. (The Excelsior Branch on 4400 Mission Street, too, is set to launch the program the following day.)

“Books are back!” said SFPL Librarian Michael Lambert in a press release Saturday, according to the SF Examiner. The impending launch of the program — that will operate under the city-approved health and safety plan — was announced alongside words from Mayor Breed.

“We are thrilled to launch SFPL To Go and to see all of our patrons again at our front doors," says Lambert. "We thank everyone for their patience as we implement contact-free service throughout the city."

Per the SFPL, patrons will need to arrive wearing face coverings and practice proper social distancing when in line to be helped. Upon reaching the help table, library cardholders will be asked to utter the last four digits of their card or account number; on-site staff will then fetch a bag containing the reserved items on the table for people to pick up.

Also, take note: library staff will not be "able to answer general reference or other library questions at the door."

Like the City's macro-strategy dealing with the pandemic, more SFPL pick up locations will go online in the weeks to come as part of the "phased" curbside program. Branches at Mission Bay, Eureka Valley, and Lake Merced are next in the queue.

“The San Francisco Public Library has significantly increased digital access to its collection during the COVID-19 health emergency, but I know that for many of us nothing replaces the feeling of holding and reading a physical book,” said Mayor Breed in the release.

You can request rentable materials — books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, etc. — by visiting sfpl.org and placing them on hold through your library account. Should you hit a snag or can't access your account online, SFPL cardholders can also email info@sfpl.org or call (415) 557-4400 to request materials.

When it comes time to return those rented materials, only branches operating the SFPL To Go program will take them. Once returned, those same materials will be quarantined for at least 72 hours before staff handles them again; SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen responsible for COVID-19, can live on most surfaces for a maximum of three days.

"We can't wait to see you!" writes the SFPL on Twitter in regards to the program's nearing start.

Related: San Francisco Public Library To Reopen With Contact-Free 'SFPL To Go' Service Next Month

Breed’s New Budget Defunds Police by $120 Million to Cut $1.5 Billion Deficit

Oakland Zoo Reopens To Sold-Out Crowds

Image: Wikimedia Commons

All of SF's libraries have remained shut for months now, leaving bibliophiles to live with just SFPL's online services and catalogs. But starting next month, San Franciscans can again start checking out physical books and other tangible media via the newly proposed "SFPL To Go" service.

The pandemic has hit our cultural institutions particularly hard. Museums are struggling, amassing mountains of debt; zoological facilities — across the nation — have had to either furlough or lay off most of their staff in lieu of ticket-buying guests; libraries, too, still are questioning how they'll operate amid this global health crisis that has no clear end in sight (no matter what the propaganda-filled posts your estranged relatives share ad nauseam on Facebook say).

However, one flicker of hope that at least our book bastions will return to some pre-pandemic normalcy was revealed this week when City Librarian Michael Lambert told the Library Commission Thursday of plans to start a contact-free pick up and delivery model.

According to the SF Examiner, SFPL's plan is to start opening up again and will start with offering pick up and drop-off services at both the Main Public Library and the Excelsior Branch Library. Aptly named "SFPL To Go," the service is set to match patrons with physical media — DVDs, CDs, books, magazines, etc. — next month.

Though, guests will not be allowed inside; patrons will be limited to only entryways where they can pick up the said materials they've requested earlier via “email, phone, or online.”

“I am fully aware of how anxious library staff and our beloved patrons are for reopening library services in our community,” said Lambert to the Library Commission Thursday night, per the newspaper. “And I am excited that we are now on the precipice of launching this service.”

Lambert and staff expect as much as 500 people embracing the service at 100 Larkin Street each day alone, with the Excelsior site guesstimated to see only a few dozen patrons each day.

SFPL's principal branch, before the pandemic hit with a demoralizing thud, had some 400 employees working on-site daily, but Lambert notes that number will be greatly reduced for safety reasons; only 100 staff are expected to work at a time — even on "the busiest days." Even far less will work at the Excelsior branch, Lambert later adding in that meeting the SFPL's Department of Human Resources will have a sufficient number of workers recalled to helm these libraries.

Library security will also be present to ensure "physical distancing is practiced that facial coverings are worn.” And to mitigate the risk of infections, all media will be placed inside paper bags by library staff for people to grab at each branch’s entrance. Once returned, those same materials will be quarantined for at least 72 hours before staff handles them again; SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen responsible for COVID-19, can live on most surfaces for a maximum of three days.

As of now, "SFPL To Go" is expected to operate at the Main Library Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., as well as on Sundays from noon to 5:30 p.m. sometime next month. The Excelsior branch, however, will only stay open Monday through Friday with the same hours previously mentioned for SFPL's central site. Other libraries are expected to open later down the line but, as the SF Examiner notes, those reopenings will need additional health and safety plan approvals for each site, as well as more staff.

So, yes: if you've been clenching onto an SFPL rental since March — you'll soon be able to return it. And pick up a new title from your summer reading list, all the while.

Related: Mayor Breed On Reopening Pause: 'We Need These Numbers to Go Down'

Oakland Zoo In Danger Of Closing As Lockdown Orders Linger

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The streaming service Kanopy has been steadily teaming up with libraries across the country—including in NYC and Los Angeles—to bring a massive movie selection to cardholders, for no additional charges. Today, Kanopy says that the service is available as of today at the San Francisco Public Library.

The on-demand video platform "allows users to experience a curated collection of more than 30,000 of the world’s best films," including movies and documentaries from award-winning filmmakers, film-fest picks, indies, classics, world cinema, rare and hard to find titles, and critical favorites. This includes films from the Criterion Collection. Here's the portal for the SFPL's offerings, which even features a special selection of San Francisco flicks, which you can find here—these titles highlight local filmmakers and locally set films.

There are no commercials or charges for use, all you need is your library card. (If you don't already have one, you can get one here.) You can access Kanopy via platforms and devices like Roku, iOS and Android, and (soon, they tell SFist) Apple TV.

All in all, Kanopy’s library is made up of 60% documentaries, with over 1 million minutes and more than 17,000 hours of content.

The CEO of the SF-based company, Olivia Humphrey, commented on the SFPL launch, noting, "We have curated a rich treasure trove of thoughtful entertainment and we hope San Francisco will enjoy."

A quick spin through the SFPL offerings shows recent releases like The Girl On The Train, true crime like Raising Adam Lanza, and classics like Nosfaratu. We can't speak for all of SF, but it's safe to say that, yes, we will definitely call in sick to binge movies today enjoy this.

Related: Right-Wing Media Flips Its Wig Over 'Drag Queen Story Hour'

A post shared by Bruce Getty (@gettyphotography) on Oct 10, 2017 at 8:12am PDT

As we head into a second full day of out-of-control wildfires across Northern California, residents in areas of nearby areas like Marin County, San Francisco, and Oakland aren't untouched by the blaze: Smoke and air fill our skies, leading to health problems for the vulnerable and the bittersweet spectacle of sunrises and sunsets enhanced by the particulate in the air.

Read all of SFist's coverage of the North Bay wildfires here

According to an alert sent Tuesday morning by AlertSF, San Francisco's emergency alert system, air quality in the city will continue to be diminished Tuesday as a result of the smoke and ash still in the skies.

This can pose problems for many, San Francisco Department of Public Health spokesperson Rachael Kagan says, especially those with health concerns, the elderly, and children.

Kagan says that the blanket of smoke can cause eye and throat irritation, coughing, and difficulty breathing for folks with heart issues, allergies, and asthma (to name just a few conditions exacerbated by poor air quality).

In addition, the Fairfield Police Department said in a press release sent to media, there are "harmful chemicals" in the wildfire smoke that can sicken even otherwise healthy people.

Alert SF urges people who are suffering from the effects of the smoke to seek shelter at the SF Main, Chinatown, Mission Bay or Glen Park branch libraries, as "they have filtered air and are available for respite from poor air quality."

Kagan also urges residents to avoid outdoor activities anywhere you "can see, taste, or feel smoke," which basically leaves out anywhere outdoors in the Bay Area and a lot of places indoors. She said you should contact your doctor if you start to suffer from the following issues:

• Repeated coughing
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Wheezing
• Chest tightness or pain
• Palpitations
• Nausea or unusual fatigue
• Lightheadedness

If you believe the symptoms are life-threatening, Kagan says, call 911. But, remember, do not call 911 to report a fire just because you smell smoke! If you see flames, give them a call, otherwise please hold off. If you have questions about smoke or ask, call 311. Don't tie up our emergency services lines unnecessarily.

Healthy people should make sure they stay that way, Kagan says, by observing the following suggestions:

• Stay indoors with windows and doors closed as much as possible
  
• Do not run fans that bring smoky outdoor air inside
  
• Run your air-conditioner only if it does not bring smoke in from the outdoors
  
• Consider leaving the area until smoke conditions improve if you experience symptoms related to smoke exposure

Of course, many of those suggestions aren't an option for the city's homeless population. According to Kagan, the city's Homeless Outreach Team "is performing wellness checks throughout San Francisco and providing transport upon request for unsheltered people to MSC South (525 5th St), the Medical Respite and Sobering Center (1171 Mission St) and Next Door Shelter (1001 Polk Street)."

Homeless people who need transport or care are asked to contact the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing Services by calling 311.

And if you think traditional face masks will keep you safe, think again. According to SF Weekly, the CDC says that "traditional masks, like those found in hardware stores, are only designed to capture large particles of matter such as sawdust. Tiny particles, such as those found in wildfire smoke, will still pass through the filters."

If you're seeking a mask that'll do the trick, particulate respirators are the way to go. But let's hope it doesn't come to that.

Instead, the Weekly advises, head to the water. Citing a map from AirNow, the EPA"s air quality site, they say "it appears that areas on the east and west edges of the city (near the water) are slightly less toxic than the central neighborhoods."

Another reason to head to the water: The gorgeous sunrises and sunsets we'll see as long as the fires continue to burn. While a pretty photo you can post to Instagram is miles away from a "silver" lining to the fatal destruction our northern neighbors are suffering, in dark days like this I believe we have to take beauty whenever we can find it.

The San Francisco Main Library at Civic Center was evacuated and temporarily closed Thursday afternoon after a person jumped from one of the balconies into the lobby atrium, possibly in a suicide attempt.

The incident happened at 3:43 p.m. according to CBS 5, and the person was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The library was then closed for the remainder of the day while the incident was under investigation.

As the SFPD's Public Information Officer Grace Gatpandan tells the Examiner, regarding where the person was in the library, "It sounds like they were inside, I don’t know how high up." The highest balcony in the library is four stories above the atrium lobby.

An SFist tipster says this is the first time that such an incident has occurred in the library's history, since its completion in 1996.

If you are in crisis, text "BAY" to 741741 for free, 24/7, confidential crisis support from Crisis Text Line. And if you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you or they should call the San Francisco Suicide Prevention crisis line at 415-781-0500.

If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.

It is none too unusual for the conservative blogosphere to gin up conniptions over any LGBTQ artistic endeavor or any institution with rolls of public employees. But the latest coordinated takedown attempt hilariously targets the completely innocuous children’s face-painting-and-cookies program known as Draq Queen Story Hour. The Michelle Tea-founded kids' storytime program is held regularly at libraries, schools, and bookstores here in SF, in Los Angeles, and Brooklyn. But Drag Queen Story Hour just got dragged into the culture wars by the widely read and influential National Review, in their piece titled "Tax Dollars Are Paying for Drag Queens to Read Stories to Children," which goes orange-alert over the claim that “people around the country are interested in having their tax dollars spent paying for drag queens to read to their children.”

While that is the future that liberals want, the claim is inaccurate. “The Library's Drag Queen Story Hours are not taxpayer funded,” the San Francisco Public Library's public relations team says in a statement to SFist. “Drag Queen Story Hour is paid for through the programming grants for innovative and engaging community programs at each neighborhood library, supported by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and not with city tax dollars.”

The National Review’s attack on Drag Queen Story Hour is not isolated. In recent weeks, the program has also been criticized on Breitbart, in the Glenn Beck-founded The Blaze and on smaller wingnut blogs like the Illinois Family Institute and Christian News. Intrigued by the fuss, SFist visited Drag Queen Story Hour this weekend at the SF Public Library’s Eureka Valley Branch, where local queen Panda Dulce (known in the default world as multimedia journalist Kyle Casey Chu) read two children's books to a crowd of more than 200 parents and children.

"Youth are fascinated and enchanted by the makeup, the larger-than-life features, the fantasy," Panda told SFist. "Why not indulge their imaginations, and teach them acceptance in the process?"

"When I taught second grade, I heard kids yell ‘faggot’ all the time in the playground,” she continued. “Even as an adult, it struck me with the same visceral sharpness. Before leaving that position, I told my class that I was gay. Concerned, one student responded, 'Don’t say that about yourself, Mr. Kyle’. This student wasn't aware that gay was an identity, that it was anything more than a name to make you hurt.”

Juliana Delgado Lopera, executive director for Radar Productions who produce the event, sees the program’s popularity as proof that it addresses a genuine need. “The Library feels that this is a necessity that the community is responding to,” Lopera told SFist. “Right now, we’re divesting [money] from education and the safety net for low-income people to go and invest in the military and in a wall.”

Image: Radar Productions

"Having a drag queen in a position of leadership shows [kids] that they can be whoever we want to be,” she continues. “Usually drag queens have been relegated to the bar. We’re taking the drag queens out of the bar and putting them in a position of power where she is leading the youth. Maybe that’s where some of the anxiety comes from."

But despite the grief from right-wing media, “The response has been overwhelmingly positive,“ according to Eureka Branch children’s librarian Bix Warden. "Most publications who've covered it think it’s a wonderful thing. It’s been in the New Yorker, it’s been in the New York Times. It’s a very sweet and innocent program. The drag queens come in and they read a couple of stories, they sing some songs, the kids get their pictures taken with them. There’s face-painting and cookies. It’s a great family day at the library.”

Additional Drag Queen Story Hours will feature Honey Mahogany this Saturday, June 10 at the Main Library, Yves St. Croissant on Saturday, June 17 at the Bernal branch, and Black Benatar on Saturday, June 24 at Oakland’s Dimond Recreation Center. “Draq Queen Story Hour isn't a gay recruitment program,” said Panda Dulce, who then joked, “we are still workshopping on that proposal for 2018.”

Related: What It's Like To Be Gay, Out, Or In Drag At Mission High School