• The Cliff House is likely going to return as a restaurant in the near-ish future, though it may not be called the Cliff House. A spokesperson for the National Park Service says they are committed to finding a temporary food use for the property until a new long-term lease is secured, following the dramatic December closure by longtime operators Dan and Mary Hountalas (who trademarked the name and likely want money for it). [Chronicle]
  • Nine employees of the SF Department of Public Works have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last three weeks, and now their union has filed a complaint with the city over unsafe working conditions. All nine workers report the same maintenance yard at 2323 Cesar Chavez. [Examiner]
  • There are a few more details in that case we mentioned last week of the Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy who allegedly faked a hate crime shooting against himself. Investigators say that video surveillance showed no evidence of another vehicle in the area of the remote road where Deputy Sukhdeep Gill claimed to have been shot, and there was a peculiarly placed bullet casing at the scene that also raised suspicion. [Mercury News]
  • Scratch that — billionaire venture capitalist Chamath Palihapitiya says he won't be running for California governor, whether or not we have a recall election, despite what he appeared to say recently on Twitter. [KRON4]
  • Some good pandemic news: A new study suggests that AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine provides strong protection for three months on a single dose, and it reduces virus transmission from the vaccinated who become infected. [Associated Press]
  • According to city data on legally recorded tenant buyouts, there were 333 such transactions last year, likely mostly in rent-controlled buildings, and the average buyout was $45,000. [Socketsite]
  • Starting February 11, CVS stores in San Francisco, Sonoma, and elsewhere in California will begin giving COVID vaccine shots. [Mercury News]
  • Richmond police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading them to a suspect in the cold-case 2019 murder of former NFL player Terrell Roberts, who was shot by an unknown assailant while he was visiting his grandmother's home in east Richmond. [CBS SF]
  • Nancy Pelosi dissed House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in a press release saying he's part of the "Q" party, using the parenthetical (Q-CA) after his name. [KRON4]
  • It's time to start to look forward to concerts again! The Weeknd has announced tour dates in the Bay Area — for early March 2022. [Mercury News]

Photo: Tim Foster