THIS WEEK AT THE VOICE FOR THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2025
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by Mike Ege
Editor in Chief, The Voice of San Francisco
ONLY YOU CAN STOP BEAR-POKING: Gov. Gavin Newsom and local Democratic Chair Nancy Tung are pushing Proposition 50, a measure to counter GOP gerrymandering in Texas. Tung’s City Hall rally drew big names like Senator Scott Wiener, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis, and more.
But some progressives aren’t buying it. Assemblyman Alex Lee argues California’s independent redistricting is already a national model, dismissing Proposition 50 as unnecessary meddling. Former Supervisors and local Democratic Central Committee members Jane Kim and John Avalos also appear to have hopped on the anti-50 bandwagon. (Update: Avalos reached out to us and qualified his stand on the measure, saying that he does support it, but doesn’t like the campaign.)
Meanwhile, former Supervisor David Campos is targeting Tung over her questioning of a state party resolution urging a ban on sharing license plate data with federal agencies (California already limits sharing data with ICE). Tung argued a blanket ban could hinder human trafficking and other life-saving investigations. “There wasn’t much room for nuance or thoughtful discussion in the debate,” Tung told The Voice.
Sources say Campos is looking to paint local Democratic leaders as the party’s “right wing” to build up talking points for the next committee election. The infighting threatens to undercut Proposition 50 as Dems seek unity against MAGA redistricting schemes.
DOOM TOURIST: At yesterday’s Drug-Free Sidewalks rally in SOMA, one notable supporter was Alex Ludlum, interim director and founder of SOMA West CBD. Political junkies may remember him as the pithy prankster behind the infamous “Doom Loop Tour” fracas almost precisely two years ago.
The still-live Eventbrite page promised an up-close look at “the Doom and Squalor of downtown San Francisco” and the policies fueling crises in housing, addiction, mental health, and crime. The stunt drew national press, but City Hall fumed. Yours truly ended up being instrumental in outing Ludlum, and then Mayor London Breed pushed him to resign from a development-related commission.
In his resignation, Ludlum wrote he intended to spotlight “deplorable street conditions & rampant criminality,” not mock the suffering. Two years later, he’s still taking a stand against the problem, though perhaps with more politesse.
HALF COCKED: Last month, the Standard reported that SFPD and the Sheriff’s Office quietly ditched the controversial Sig P320, a pistol now infamous for firing without a trigger pull. The highly accurate but temperamental gun, also adopted by the U.S. military, had been issued to SFPD’s Tactical Unit and carried by some deputies by choice.
However, one local agency still issues the P320 to most of its officers: BART Police. The force adopted the P320 in 2018 after an “upgrade” meant to fix the flaw. Military sources now say that the fix may actually cause jamming.
Despite this, BART spokesperson Alicia Trost insists: “We have no information to indicate that our issued firearms are subject to a safety problem … we are not actively working to replace our weapons.”
Meanwhile, local, state, and federal agencies continue to dump the gun, fed up with Sig’s silence about whether the problem was ever truly solved.
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Top News
EDUCATION
SFUSD Board of Education meetings have become a powder keg
We are only inches away from some really dangerous behaviors.
by Elizabeth Statmore
Like the July 29, 2025 meeting before it, the Aug. 26, 2025 Board of Education meeting was a sickening power struggle over the microphone at public comment — but that wasn’t the worst part.
The ethnic studies debacle is only the latest and most hostile chapter in a long-running story of failed meeting leadership at Board of Education meetings.
DRUGS
Dorsey, activists campaign against open-air drug dealing in SOMA
Drug-Free Sidewalks group urges ‘coordinated strategy’ against public drug use
by Mike Ege
ASIAN VOICES
America needs immigrant stories
Hearing how my grandmother escaped persecution and how my grandfather worked to build his life in America gave me a deep respect for them and for all others who took on the challenge of immigrating to this country.
by Elliot Hom
Quote of the week
“I want a world where kids in S.F. don’t have to worry about what’s on the ground…. so clean the ground so they can reach the stars.”
— George Washington High student Ziggy Brown speaks out against open-air drug-dealing in SOMA
Nomi toon
In Case You Missed It
NEWS
Second chance for dog meat survivor in San Francisco
After years in a slaughterhouse, Aurora was rescued by an international partnership.
by Mike Ege
OPINION
What happens when the troops get to San Francisco?
The president’s threats to ‘clean up’ San Francisco collide with the governor’s proactive pushback.
by John Zipperer
EDUCATION
Near-secret school board meeting produces ‘good governance’ measures
New rules will give Kim more authority over commissioners.
by John Trasviña
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EVENTS
Out and about Sept. 4–10, 2025
What to do this weekend and beyond.
By Lynette Majer
Managing Editor, The Voice of San Francisco
We’ve got a mix of indoor and outdoor events this week, from some street festivals, theater and dance, and more. Read on for my picks.
Thursday, Sept. 4
As part of the Presidio Theatre’s opening season celebration, San Francisco’s ODC/Dance will perform a mixed repertoire of three programs: Brenda Way’s A Brief History of Up and Down, a kind of retrospective of the company’s 55 years of dancing and Unintended Consequences (A Meditation), about human relationships and isolation; and Kimi Okada’s Inkwell, inspired by the cartoons of Max Fleischer from the 1920s and 1930s, “rooted in physical comedy, vaudeville forms, and early cinema, the piece explores the power of demagogues over unwitting humans and the path from seduction to indoctrination.” Tickets from $38.
Friday, Sept. 5
It’s Superman Movie Night at Oracle Park tonight, with a special screening of the 2025 movie that will feature some lighting and sound enhancements and other entertainment, like Krypto’s Playpen, where you can fall in love with and adopt rescue doggos looking even more adorable sporting Krypto capes, so you can’t resist. Tickets from $28.
Saturday, Sept. 6
Opera in the Park is one of my absolute not-to-miss favorites. Pack a picnic and get there early to stake out your spot and listen to the rehearsal. 1:30 p.m., Robin Williams Meadow. Free admission.
In Alonzo King Lines Ballet x Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors, three to four dancers will perform alongside of and in between the video projections of Ragnar Kjartansson: The Visitors (closing Sept. 25). The performance will complement, respond to, and expand visitors’ experience through choreography. Noon–4 p.m. Free with museum admission. Tickets from $23.
Sunday, Sept. 7
Haight-Asbury Street Fair has been around for a long time (this is their 46th year), and organizers describe it as the city’s “most iconic, free-spirted festivals,” which I don’t doubt — it’s received multiple awards and honors. You’ll find a Children’s Alley, Skate Jam, Art Walk, and new this year, a Poetry and Photography Space for local poets and storytellers to exhibit and perform. Plus two stages of music. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Free admission.
As if the Presidio Tunnel Tops aren’t already the best, you can enjoy that incredible place even more at the World Arts West Dance Festival, which will feature legacy artists who will share cultural rituals from Haiti and the Philippines embodying health and healing through dance and ritual. 1 p.m. Free admission, register here.
Calling all car buffs and those who just want to get enjoy getting out: vintage cars, classic cars, high-end cars, and new cars will be on display at the 4th Annual Chinatown Car Show and Car Parade. There will be live music, and cultural performances like lion dancing, and kung fu and tai chi exhibitions. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. (parade starts at 3 p.m.) Free admission..
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