August 22, 2019
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“The complete lack of any toxicologically-significant analytical findings in the Peripheral Blood of Mr. Jeffrey Adachi as summarized in the SF OCME’s Toxicology Report do not, in my opinion, support the notion of an acute mixed ethanol-cocaine death.”
Robert Chan, the attorney for the late public defender Jeff Adachi's family, released the reports of three independent experts who concluded that Adachi’s death was of natural causes and unrelated to drugs and alcohol, raising questions about the validity of Office of the Chief Medical Examiner’s report.
On Tuesday, the First Amendment Coalition sued the San Francisco Police Department and Mayor London Breed to require them to release information on the raids conducted on the home and office of freelance journalist Bryan Carmody. Sledgehammer and pickaxe in hand, officers arrived at Carmody's home and office on May 10 to handcuff him and seize his possessions, despite local laws protecting journalists. The coalition alleges that Breed's office and the SFPD failed to produce records it had requested concerning the raids as well as the SFPD investigation into the February death of public defender Jeff Adachi. CBS | KQED
The San Francisco Examiner obtained a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California to BART warning the agency to beware of the free speech implications of a ban on busking and the solicitation of money on trains. San Francisco Examiner
Non-native bullfrogs, habitat loss and raccoons contributed to the decline of red-legged frogs in Yosemite National Park over the last half century. Over the past four years, the San Francisco Zoo has bred the amphibians and released them at the park, where they number an all-time high of over 1,000.
San Francisco-based e-cigarette giant Juul hasn’t only spent millions on promotions to overturn The City’s Juul ban on the November ballot. The company this year also dropped $10 million on its TV advertising campaign "Make the Switch,” despite cigarette advertisements being banned from American television for 50 years. California Healthline states that Juul can skirt the law because the law doesn't specifically address it. California Healthline
Delivery company DoorDash has not followed through on its month-old promise that it would stop pocketing workers' tips, according to current workers. recode
A black-and-white cat nicknamed Tenzing was rescued from the Bay Bridge as he lied with a red leash and a harness around his body. SF Animal Care and Control Officers, in coordination with the California Highway Patrol and California Department of Transportation, conducted the operation. SFACC officers have tweeted photos in the hope that someone recognizes him.
On Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom passed legislation making it more difficult for police officers to shoot civilians with impunity. Also on Monday, the San Francisco Police Department spent all of an hour joined by a dozen lawyers, civilian reformers and police officials to grapple with the definition of "biased policing." While SFPD’s use-of-force has declined 30% since 2016, that force has disproportionately targeted people of color.
“We’re really excited about the amount of teams that have signed up so far and how this is turning out so far.”
Over Labor Day weekend, the first San Francisco Mayor’s Cup youth soccer tournament will kick off, bringing over 100 teams from California, Nevada and Utah to compete for the title. The action will be held at the Beach Chalet and Crocker-Amazon soccer fields.
Community groups mostly in The City's southeast neighborhoods are installing hyperlocal sensors to monitor air pollution and release real-time data to the public. Ten "Purple Air" sensors have been deployed in The City's neighborhoods over the summer. They will be joined by 10 more Dylos air monitors in the Bayview later this year. The neighborhood’s African American community has higher rates of asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease hospitalizations than other communities.
Marina
In September, a new festival dedicated to the future of Earth will be held over three days at the Palace of Fine Arts. Planet Home will combine music and TED talks with a lineup that includes celebrities from Bill Nye the Science Guy to Snoop Dogg.
Sunset
After merchants cried foul over the San Francisco Municipal Transportation’s Agency’s plan to take up 96 parking spaces on the Great Highway for the storage of construction vehicles and material, officials unveiled a new plan requiring the use of only 16 spaces. The spaces will be used for the L-Taraval Improvement Project.
Embarcadero
BART has eliminated the sale of paper tickets at Embarcadero Station as part of a pilot program to encourage commuters to use Clipper. Although the tickets will not be sold, they can still be used at the station.
Mission
Last week, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Ulmer ruled that property management firm the John Stewart Co. was unfairly trying to evict Shantel McClendon and her five children from Valencia Gardens. John Stewart Co. has until Aug. 31 to file any objections to Ulmer’s ruling.
Russian Hill
"You need to cuddle through the bar to get to the bathroom."
Black Horse London Pub and Deli serves beer from an ice-filled clawfoot bathtub behind the bar. At 7 feet wide by 19 feet deep with a maximum occupancy off 22 people, the dive bar may be the small, but it packs in a lot of character.
Richmond
George Washington High School students may have started school on Monday, but that does not mean the international debate has ended over the controversial frescos adorning the interior of the institution. After someone was found surveying students about the artwork without permission, parents have begun to call for more security to protect the teaching environment.
Potrero Hill
Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital is planning to close 41 permanent, residential treatment beds to make space for a short-term psychiatric respite program. Nurses are protesting the decision because it requires many patients to find new accommodations.
Chinatown
“I cannot deny that there are people who love Rose Pak. But you can see that so many people do not love her. Why force this on us? This is a public station. Take your love private. Don’t bring this upon us.”
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency directors voted against their own policy to name the Central Subway Chinatown station after Rose Pak, a community activist with a complicated past.
Heather Knight, On San Francisco: Visiting Every Playground In San Francisco In 1 Summer: No Walk In the Park
Phil Matier: Businesses Hiring Real San Francisco Cops on OT to Keep Crime Down, Employees Safe
Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, On Guard: Faced With Safety Fears in Chinese Community, Breed Pins Blame On Board of Supervisors
Jaya Padmanabhan, In Brown Type: African Immigrants Struggle to Find Place In US
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What I'm reading: A jaunty feature story about San Francisco bar dice culture.
This edition was curated and written by Alex Mullaney and edited by David Mamaril Horowitz.The newsletter is designed by Marquee and published on Proof.
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