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

Sunday Links: Black-Owned Bay Area Businesses Continue To See Boosts in Sales and Donations

Bay Area communities are rallying behind local Black-owned businesses, the BART Board of Directors has given the OK for a mixed-use housing development near the West Oakland station, and as it turns out: self-swab COVID-19 tests are just as effective as those administered by a medical professional.

California's Surge in COVID-19 Cases Linked to Increased Testing, CHHS Secretary Says

As we slowly transition back to a point of pre-coronavirus normalcy, counties across the state are seeing swells in COVID-19 cases. However, a California Health and Human Services (CHHS) official claims these spikes are because of increased testing — and not due to businesses reopening.

City of Oakland To Enforce Parking Meters, Regulations Starting July 6

One windfall of the pandemic has been unmetered, ticket-free street parking in many Bay Area cities. But now, just like in San Francisco — where street sweeping ticketing will resume on June 15 — the City of Oakland is set to start enforcing certain parking regulations soon.

Saturday Links: 'Zeit Booths' Offer Glimpse Into the Future of Dining

Hundreds showed up for a Women's March rally at Dolores Park yesterday afternoon to denounce both rampant racism and sexism, the Christopher Columbus statue at Coit Tower was vandalized Friday — its face and hands painted crimson red — and Zeitgeist unveiled their new socially distant "Zeit booths."

Arts & Entertainment

Big Freedia Announced As Headliner for SF Pride 2020, More Artists Join Two-Day Online Celebration

San Franciso Pride's virtual June 27–28 tribute to LGBTQ luminaries and queer solidarity now includes "the Queen of Bounce" Big Freedia as its headlining performer, with other notables like singer-songwriter Betty Who as well.

48-Year-Old Woman Shot in Hunters Point Monday Night Dies From Injuries

Monday evening, 48-year-old Deanna Rice was shot near Kirkwood Avenue and Earl Street in Hunters Point and was later taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. But her wounds proved too grave to recover from; according to police, Rice passed away Tuesday from her injuries.

Business & Tech

Self-Driving Car Company Cruise Using Food Bank Deliveries To Get Around Shelter-In-Place Restrictions

In the long list of business operations now allowed in San Francisco, autonomous-vehicle testing isn't included. But Cruise, a self-driving car service headquartered in SOMA, is using their cars for an essential service — food delivery — to sidestep current shelter-in-place restrictions.

Scenes of Solidarity: Photos and Videos From Sunday's Demonstrations Across the Bay Area

Another day of Bay Area-wide demonstrations saw thousands of young children circling Lake Merritt bobbing "Black Lives Matter" signage, a second kids march near City College in SF that instilled hope for a more empathic future, and a Santa Cruz "paddle out" in honor of George Floyd’s life.

UCSF Testing Effort Welcomes Hundreds for Free COVID-19 Screening in Bayview-Hunters Point

Unsheltered residents in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood — which has the city's second-highest homeless population — flocked to the United Council of Human Services' Mother Brown’s Dining Room on Saturday for free barbeque, music, and COVID-19 testing organized by UCSF.

Sunday Links: Quail Fire Grows to 1,400 Acres, Destroys Three Buildings

A Santa Cruz County deputy was killed after an ambush Saturday, doctors warn tear gas and pepper spray might help spread the coronavirus, and the now-called Quail Fire burning in Solano County has grown to 1,400 acres — destroying at least three buildings and threatening a hundred more.

Scenes From Saturday's Golden Gate Bridge and Berkeley Demonstrations

Today saw thousands descend on the Golden Gate Bridge — which backed up the roadway for some time — hundreds take a knee at Candlestick Park to honor George Floyd, and the East Bay mobilize to denounce racism and recognize black healthcare workers on the pandemic’s frontlines.

SF Supervisors Seek to Ban Chemical Sprays, Rubber Bullets During Protests

Recent reports of peaceful protesters in San Francisco subjected to rubber bullets and inhumane tactics by on-site police have flooded social media. In a bid to stop a repeat of those scenes, three SF supervisors are set to introduce an act banning certain militant crowd control tools.

Arts & Entertainment

Latinx Film Festival CINELOA Moves Online, Ticket Sales Go Toward Supporting Local Nonprofits

Pedestaling Latinx short films, CINEOLA's cinematic lineup aims to connect audiences with diverse representations of Latinoamérica on screens (big and small), with funds made through ticket sales benefiting SF institutions like the Roxie Theatre and Artists’ Television Access.

Saturday Links: The Golden Gate Bridge Starts Singing

Dozens of political demonstrations are scheduled across the Bay Area this weekend, two free COVID-19 testing sites in Oakland still remain closed due to protesting, and because of newly installed railing slats — the Golden Gate Bridge is crooning.

[Updates] Thousands Again Protest Through San Francisco; Groups Gather at Union Square, City Hall

Throngs of vociferous — yet nonviolent — crowds gathered at City Hall this afternoon in the hundreds to denounce the killing of George Floyd and ongoing police brutality, later expanding in numbers before individual groups weaved down Market Street and through parts of the Embarcadero.

Arts & Entertainment

SOMArts To Host Live-Streamed, 90s-Inspired Fundraiser and Performing Arts Event in June

Wrapped in the current panorama of dystopias and injustices, SOMArts' "Please Stand By Virtual Summer Solstice" event is a welcomed ode to the iconic telethons and infomercials of the 90s that'll offer some much-needed levity later next month.

Bay Area Police Observed Using Excessive Force, Rubber Bullets Against Nonviolent Protesters

Episodes of police force used against protesters across the country have been documented across social media — driving debate, outrage, and dialogue on the topic. Though not as common as in other U.S. metros, Bay Area police were seen using tear gas and firing rubber bullets at protesters Saturday.

Sunday Links: Mayor Breed Issues Curfew for Tonight

Mayor Breed announced a curfew will be set from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. tonight, Target temporarily closes stores across the country amid nationwide protests, and the SpaceX Dragon crew makes history as the first humans to travel into orbit on a spacecraft built and operated by a private company.

[Updates] Hundreds Rally at UN Plaza To Stand Against Police Brutality; Protesters Continue Crisscrossing San Francisco

Hundreds convened at the United Nations Plaza this afternoon to protest the killing of George Floyd and call for an end to police brutality. The nonviolent crowd practiced social distancing — the vast majority wearing face masks — with many protesters still marching through SF.

As Shelter-In-Place Restrictions Relax, Traffic Returns to San Francisco

With "Phase 2A" of the City’s reopening plan beginning Monday — after weeks of marginal lifts on its shelter-in-place order — another reality of urban life is slowly, but surely, making a comeback: downtown traffic.

Saturday Links: More Bay Area Protests Planned This Weekend Over George Floyd's Death

Several more marches and protests held in the name of George Floyd are expected across the Bay Area this weekend, today marks the start of SF’s more extensive face-covering order, and the Mission District's vibrant shopping scene along Valencia Street continues reeling from COVID-19.

Day Around the Bay: SFFD Crews Continue Dousing Hot Spots at Pier 45, Origin of Fire Still Unclear

SF firefighters continue battling flare-ups at Pier 45, over twenty workers at an Oakland McDonald's went on strike to demand safer working conditions and better pay, and, in a kernel of good news, Twitter added fact-checking labels to President Trump's tweets today.

Day Around the Bay: SF Beaches Crowd With People Relishing Today’s Sunny, Warm Weather

Locals flocked to SF beaches to enjoy the summer-like weather today, Oakland-born Fantasy Football founder Andy Mousalimas passes away at 95, and Newsom announced in-store retail can begin reopening in California counties — but don't expect any in the Bay Area to do so soon.

Black Bay Area Ministers Hold 'Socially Distanced Sermon' In Support of Church Closures, Call for More Testing

On the steps at San Francisco City Hall, ten of the Bay Area's leading black ministers held a "socially distanced sermon" Memorial Day afternoon, advocating for churchgoers to uphold social distancing practices — and continue "worshiping in place."

Update: SFFD Crews Will Continue Monitoring Pier 45 Through Memorial Day, Fishing Companies Devastated

Saturday’s four-alarm fire at Pier 45 damaged a quarter of the dock's structures, filling the clouds with smoke and blanketing nearby cars in ash. SF firefighters will continue monitoring the area for hot spots today and tomorrow, and fishing businesses are now reporting catastrophic losses.