THIS WEEK AT THE VOICE FOR THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2025
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by Mike Ege
Editor in Chief, The Voice of San Francisco
The road to drug-free supportive housing in San Francisco is apparently rife with pit stops. District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey moved to send his bill to fund more recovery-based sites back to committee Tuesday for amendments to address concerns from the San Francisco/Marin Medical Society over eviction protections for clients who relapse and other issues.
“After a lot of back and forth between us over the last month, we have reached an agreement, at least in principle, on clarifying language, for eviction protections that I am very comfortable with,” Dorsey told colleagues at Tuesday’s full board meeting. “Likewise, many advocates from the recovery community I’ve spoken with are comfortable with it. It’s my understanding that SFMMS is also comfortable with it and is prepared to withdraw its opposition to the legislation.”
The bill is expected to return to the full board next month.
Meanwhile, District 3 member Danny Sauter is looking for ways to make it easier for families to use public transit. He’s called for a hearing to discuss the matter with SFMTA and other agencies as part of the legislative package he introduced this month aimed at boosting public amenities for residents raising children, ranging from better access to diaper changing and nursing stations, to better parental job benefits, to better accommodations for strollers on the Muni.
“We should make sure our transit agencies are doing everything they can to make sure that these experiences are more positive, yes, but also, more importantly, faster, less expensive, and more reliable. Doing so is a major way that we can make it more affordable to raise a family in San Francisco,” he said during roll call for new business Tuesday. “The cost of owning a car is enormous, and it’s gotten considerably more expensive in recent years. … Given this, the ability for our public transit systems to be good enough for more families to not feel forced to drive is an opportunity to put thousands of dollars back in the pockets of an average family each year.
Speaking of supervisors on the move: Board President Rafael Mandelman is running for Assembly, not the State Senate, and his fundraising kickoff is June 17 at … where else? The Harborview restaurant at the Embarcadero. That leaves Christine Pelosi to run for the eastside Senate seat, possibly against… current Assemblyman Matt Haney.
Finally, as of today, District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder has been on leave of absence for approximately seven weeks, following an “acute personal health crisis” first reported in late March. On April 7, 2026, she requested an extension of her medical leave, asking to be excused from Board of Supervisors meetings through June 30.
In the meantime, we’ve been getting reports that drug activity in the Mission is on the increase, and constituent calls asking for help yield crickets, but Fielder still had time to show up (but not get arrested) at the SFO May Day protest.
A quick look at Legistar shows Fielder’s office still has seven bills percolating through the committee process, ranging from a request for a street plaque honoring Carlos Santana to a duplicate file of her interim zoning controls that were supposed to ban drone testing in the Mission.
We reached out to the absent Supervisor’s office for comment. They responded with an unsigned statement saying “our office is working every day to address constituents’ concerns and advance Supervisor Fielder’s agenda … constituents regularly reach out to us at fielderstaff@sfgov.org and we are continuing to work on pending legislation initiated by Supervisor Fielder and our office.”
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Top News
CITY HALL
Deputies call for resignation of Oversight Board president
Palmer’s tenure marred by controversy, criminal charges, and antisemitic social media posts
by Mike Ege
The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (SFDSA) is calling for the resignation of Sheriff’s Oversight Board president William Palmer, after recent reports of criminal charges for sexual assault and abuse, his social media accounts revealed posts that repeated antisemitic conspiracy theories, and a possible attempt to leverage his status as an Oversight Board member when pulled over for a traffic stop.
EDUCATION
S.F. school closure discussion off to a rough start
Miscommunication sharpens tension between school board and Superintendent Su
by John Trasviña
HOMELESSNESS
Lurie upholds positive homeless count to defend policies
Unsheltered homelessness is reportedly at its lowest level in 15 years, according to a new count, new methodology
by Mike Ege
Quote of the week
“I made a lot of excuses, but I was ready for the change and ready to break the cycle of addiction and homelessness. … I’m so grateful, because of the mayor’s initiative that allowed places like Hope House to open.”
— Tyrone Lewis, Hope House resident, at Mayor Lurie’s press conference on new homelessness stats
Nomi toon
In Case You Missed It
TRANSPORTATION
SFMTA launches new parking apps, online reservations for easier payments
The transportation agency launches new parking tools to make it easier to find parking and pay.
by Jerold Chinn
CULTURE
What happened to the heart of the Rose Garden?
Treasured rose centerpiece in Golden Gate park has been dramatically redesigned; “… the horticultural equivalent of a bad haircut.”
by Liz Le
A&E
SFMOMA’s Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal revisits an old controversy
How an iconic part of SFMOMA’s personal collection made its mark on art history.
by Sharon Anderson
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EVENTS
Out and about May 14–20, 2026
What to do this weekend and beyond
By Lynette Majer
Managing Editor, The Voice of San Francisco
Spring has sprung, and so has a host of events in the next several days. Here are my picks from cultural celebrations, neighborhood festivities, outdoor music and dance, and more, including our iconic Bay to Breakers.
Thursday, May 14
Valencia Live! is an all-ages monthly street neighborhood celebration every second Thursday, featuring live music, art, family activities, specials, shopping, and lotsa fun inside from local eateries and bars and out in the street. 5 to 10 p.m. between 16th and 19th streets through June 11; two additional blocks through October. Free. RSVP here.
Friday, May 15
Join Wreckless Strangers for Friday Happy Hour today in the park. The band calls its music a blend of “Ameri-Cali Soul,” with the blues styling of Bonnie Raitt and Boz Scaggs, the songwriting style of Sons of Champlin and Fleetwood Mac, funk of Sly Stone and Tower of Power, with some Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane to honor the “free-spirited musical fun and adventure that defines the Bay Area.” 4:30 p.m. at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell. Free admission.
Don’t miss the site-specific aerial dance performance of Air Between Us: A Vertical Dance Experience by Megan Lowe Dances where aerial performers will scale walls, “soar across open spaces, and cascade down” building façades. 7 p.m. at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum. Three additional performances through Sunday. Tickets from $30.
Saturday, May 16
We used to have a calendar category in the Marina Times, “Worth Crossing a Bridge For,” and this week, the Marin Irish Festival is the winner. Inspired by Beltane, the Celtic festival that celebrates summer’s arrival with maypoles, music, and revelry, there will be live entertainment on six stages, dance performances, a dance competition, storytelling, a children’s game area, over 40 craft food vendors offering traditional Irish fare, and much more, like “Falcon’s Court,” a birds-of-prey environment where you can meet falcons, owls, and hawks up close. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Sunday at the Lagoon Park at the Marin County Fairgrounds. Tickets from $15; weekend passes available.
Celebrate the Southeast Asian New Year at the Songkran Festival, featuring a parade, a water blessing ceremony, live music and cultural performances, Southeastern food and vendors, and more. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Fulton Plaza. Free admission
It’s party time in Cow Hollow for the Bus Stop’s 126th Anniversary Block Party. The all-ages celebration will feature a petting zoo, games, live music; food from Perry’s, The Final Final, Italian Homemade; drinks from the Bus Stop and others, and more. Noon to 8 p.m. 1901 Union Street from Laguna to Buchanan streets. Free admission.
Sunday, May 17
The Bay to Breakers, the city’s best-known spectacle returns with world-class runners leading a pack of jogging centipedes, salmon spawning upstream against the crowd (my favorite), jiggling Elvises (and other exposed body parts) over the treacherous Hayes Street hill to the finish at Ocean Beach and celebration festival. Or crash a house party along the way. This is one big happy, fun day, and we need it. Free viewing, race tickets from $116.
Civic Strings: Adoration will feature a program of Florence Price, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Joseph Haydn. 3 p.m. at the First Baptist Church on Waller Street. Free admission, but they’d really appreciate a $10 to $20 donation. RSVP here.
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