SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports

Day Around the Bay: Low-Income California Families With Newborns to Receive 400 Free Diapers

The purple waves on the Point Reyes coast last weekend were likely tiny marine animals; flights in and out of SFO were delayed Friday due to low visibility; and low-income families in California will soon be receiving 400 free diapers when a new baby is born.

SF Jail Oversight Leader Faces Allegations of Violence Against Women, Multiple Parole Violations

The man hired to help hold the SF Sheriff’s Department accountable has faced repeated law enforcement encounters, parole violations, and allegations of violence against women, which he consistently denies or attributes to bias, misunderstanding, or retaliation.

SF Restaurants, Food & Drink

This Week In Food: Ciao, Del Popolo

Polenta debuts in Alamo Square, Del Popolo slings its final (non-frozen) pies, and the East Bay's takeout staple Grégoire opens in the Inner Sunset, all in This Week In Food.

Arts & Entertainment

Ray of Light Theatre Breathes New Life Into Longtime Jackson Square Performance Space

Ray of Light Theatre, the local musical-obsessed theater group that has performed mostly at the Victoria Theater in the Mission District for much of its 25 years of existence, has a new home downtown.

Backlash Prompts Safeway to Bring Back Paper Bags With Handles at Some Stores

Safeway recently eliminated handles on its paper bags, citing supply chain shortages, but after receiving complaints, the company has since restocked the original bags with handles at some of its locations.

Evidence of Human Remains, But No Body, Found In Yard During Search Related to Kristin Smart Case

Investigators continue to search the San Luis Obispo County home and backyard of Susan Flores, the mother of Paul Flores, who was convicted of killing fellow Cal Poly student Kristin Smart in 1996. And some gruesome evidence has been found.

19th Avenue Is Once Again Closed For Roadwork This Weekend

Both the northbound and southbound lanes of 19th Avenue (Highway 1) in San Francisco are closed this weekend as Caltrans continues repaving the roadway.

Controversial Leftist Hasan Piker, Other Out-of-Towners Attend Chakrabarti Rally

House candidate Saikat Chakrabarti is contending with being an outsider to the local political establishment by embracing creator-driven media and hosting other outside progressives at his rallies, including incendiary leftwing commentator Hasan Piker.

Oakland Police Shoot Suspect Who Dragged Officer With His Car

A man was shot early Friday by Oakland police officers in a strange incident that began with a traffic stop, and left both officers and the suspect injured.

Friday Morning Constitutional: Sponsors Pull Out of Oakland First Fridays

Sponsors are pulling out of Oakland First Fridays after last week's violent incidents; police in San Leandro fatally shot a man Thursday; and Scott Wiener leads by a large margin in a new congressional race poll.

Day Around the Bay: 23 People Charged In Sunday’s Bay Bridge Dirt Bike Takeover

Eighteen people contracted legionella infections from an outbreak linked to Kaiser's Santa Clara Medical Center; the Trump administration wants to allow sending guns through the mail; and Oakland police charged 23 people in connection to the Bay Bridge takeover Sunday.

Hackers Breach Education Platform Used By SF State, UC Berkeley and Thousands Others

Canvas, an educational platform used by thousands of schools globally, including local universities, was shut down by a group of hackers who are threatening to release students’ data if the company or its clients don’t pay their ransom.

Becerra’s Unlikely Rise In Governor’s Race Features Heavily In Former Colleagues’ Group Chat

Former Biden officials have been privately gossiping about Xavier Becerra’s rise in the governor's race, with several former colleagues describing the ex-HHS secretary as ineffective and unprepared in his response to the COVID pandemic and other crises.

Business & Tech

SF-Based Cloudflare Slashes 1,100 Jobs, Citing 'Agentic AI Era'

The steady march of Bay Area job losses to AI continues today with SF-based tech company Cloudflare, which says it is laying off 1,100 employees globally.

Arizona Man Arrested In Check-Washing Scheme That Targeted Napa Residents

Dozens of Napa County homeowners now have some answers as to why their property tax payments had not made it to the county tax collector this spring, and/or why the checks were getting deposited in other states.

SFist Is Seeking a Contributing Editor

SFist has an opening for a motivated newshound with weekend availability, and a deep knowledge of the Bay Area.

SF Restaurants, Food & Drink

Polenta, San Francisco's Newest Regional Italian Restaurant, Quietly Opens In Alamo Square

It's still in soft-opening mode, but a much anticipated new trattoria devoted to the cuisine of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northeastern Italy has made a quiet debut at long last in Alamo Square.

Half a Million More Tourists Are Expected to Visit SF This Year Than In 2025

SF has experienced two years of straight growth for the first time since 2019, with an additional 500,000 tourists expected to visit the city in 2026 compared to 2025, but hotel occupancy rates are still much lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Arts & Entertainment

Chonkers the Stellar Sea Lion Appears to Have Left the Bay For Now

After an unusually long stay among his smaller California sea lion brethren on the floating docks by Pier 39, which ended up making national news, Chonkers the enormous Stellar sea lion seems to have left the area.

Tenderloin Corner Store Was Allegedly Selling Meth, City Seeks to Shut It Down

The San Francisco City Attorney's Office filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to shut down a problematic store called The Corner Store, which in addition to selling weed and illegal flavored tobacco products, was also apparently selling meth.

Burning Tree In Golden Gate Park Takes Crews Nine Hours to Extinguish

A fire that ignited inside the base of a tree in Golden Gate Park Tuesday afternoon took SF firefighters and a park arborist until almost midnight to put out.

Thursday Morning What's Up: Driver Arrested In Fatal Pedestrian Crash In Guerneville

A suspected DUI driver was arrested Tuesday in a fatal pedestrian collision in Guerneville; a 19-year-old suspect has been arrested in a Cinco de Mayo festival shooting in Santa Rosa; and an SF streetcar collided with a minivan on the Embarcadero.

Day Around the Bay: Fire Breaks Out Inside Piece of Vaillancourt Fountain

The suspect in last months SoMa hit-and-run has dropped his defense attorney; UCSF is building a big new hearing center in Mission Bay; and a small fire broke out during the disassembly of the Vaillancourt Fountain today.

City Extends Lime, Spin Permits But Doesn’t Address Widespread Scooter-Related Complaints

As ridership for Lime and Spin continues to climb, so do complaints about improperly parked e-scooters. Meanwhile, the SFMTA board voted to extend the companies’ permits another two years — without addressing the parking issue.

SF Restaurants, Food & Drink

Hamburger Project Closes Mission Location Following Viral Incident

A long-cursed restaurant space at a prominent corner of the Mission District is vacant once more, and the curse, it seems, has not left the place.