• San Francisco is expected to enter the "Orange" tier for reopening next week, which will mean bars can open outdoors without food, and restaurants can have 50% seating indoors. SF will not be allowing all things the state allows under the "Orange" tier, and will keep offices at 25% capacity, and retail at 50%. [Chronicle]
• Abigail Stewart-Kahn, the interim director of San Francisco's Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, is stepping down from the post to move to a new city job, and she'll be replaced with another interim director, Sam Dodge. Stewart-Kahn has faced criticism in recent weeks over supportive housing units that are sitting empty, while the homeless crisis goes on, and a permanent director still has not been found. [Examiner]
• Governor Gavin Newsom offered an apology today for confusion about the state's COVID restrictions early in the pandemic, when the initial lockdown orders were lifted, before the summer spike began. [Associated Press]
• A UCSF study found that Trump's tweets about COVID being the "China virus" directly led to spikes in anti-Asian hashtags on Twitter. [CBS SF]
• An abducted toddler in Oakland who prompted an Amber Alert has been found, and was dropped off at a police substation Thursday morning. [KTVU]
• Hayward police are investigating a homicide after finding a man dead on Main Street Wednesday night. [Bay City News]
• A second case of the South African COVID variant has been found in Santa Clara County. [Mercury News]
• The U.S. House of Representatives today voted to approve a path to citizenship for 2.5 million undocumented immigrants, including "Dreamers." [New York Times]
• Senator Rand Paul yet again came after Dr. Anthony Fauci in a hearing today, questioning why vaccinated people still need to wear masks. [CNN]
• A new national report based on pre-pandemic surveys suggests that homelessness rose 2.2% last year, but the problem likely far bigger due to homelessness that was caused by pandemic job losses. [New York Times]

Photo: Andrew Seaman