THIS WEEK AT THE VOICE FOR THURSDAY, FEB. 12, 2026
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by Mike Ege
Editor in chief, The Voice of San Francisco
Filbert Street is becoming San Francisco’s road of wretched excess.
Some say it started when the NIMBY King, Aaron Peskin, realized his desire to have a monster home on the Filbert Street Steps.
Others say the street’s reputation was sealed when the San Francisco Community Land Trust, an affordable housing nonprofit flush with cash from a $20 million donation from philanthropist (and former Jeff Bezos partner) MacKenzie Scott, purchased a complex of flats located smack-dab in the middle of the infamous 31 percent grade slope on Russian Hill and featuring fairly luxurious units, including one where Herb Caen used to live, that boasts a floor-to-ceiling window with views of Telegraph Hill. In the bathroom.
Now, people are talking about Filbert Street’s next steps into perdition, which may be cleared today by the Planning Commission at their regular meeting.
As it turns out, the owners of a two-story Filbert Street house in Cow Hollow want to install an Airstream trailer on top of it. They originally wanted to put a greenhouse up there, but we guess that in these times, YOLO has taken over. One suspects the project might have been more palatable to the neighbors had it been a more original idea — there is already a rooftop Airstream on Turk Street in the Tenderloin.
Meanwhile, between the Super Bowl, election intrigue, a statewide rash of teachers’ strikes, and a possible onslaught of Molotov Cocktail-wielding massage therapists (once Epstein let them go, they had to head somewhere), the local news cycle has started to resemble one of those YouTube videos where someone throws a cinder block into a washer-dryer and then turns it on. Restive city operatives inevitably turn to leaking things to move narratives.
One such story we bring you below involves a confidential legal memo about Mayor Daniel Lurie’s RESET center; another concerns what appears to be a purloined police report that is moving the Standard’s coverage of a star-studded Super Bowl shooting in the Mission. At least there were no Molotov Cocktails.
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Top News
CITY HALL
Memo leak, budget threats fail to derail sobering center vote
Chan, Fielder voice objections to RESET Center pilot, aimed at curtailing open-air drug use
by Mike Ege
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the underlying service contract for a sobering center project aimed at curbing open-air drug use Tuesday, but not without debate based in part on an illegally leaked memo from the city attorney’s office, which outlined some possible legal objections to the project. Budget Chair Connie Chan has threatened to revisit the contract during the city’s budget process.
LAW & ORDER
Assistant District Attorney Phoebe Maffei and Deputy Public Defender Alexandra Pray will compete for Sandoval’s now-open seat.
by Liz Le
EDUCATION
S.F. teachers’ strike is a question of ‘What schools need’ vs. ‘What schools can afford’
Appeals to families and community sit side-by-side with on and off negotiations
by John Trasviña
Quote of the week
“This is what used to be called a drunk tank. Where somebody goes, stays for four hours, up to eight hours, and then they’re released, and they get all their property back and are sent out the door. Our intention is to get them to other services.”
— Sheriff Paul Miyamoto says the silent part out loud about Mayor Lurie’s planned RESET Center in Memo leak, budget threats fail to derail sobering center vote
Nomi toon
In Case You Missed It
OPINION
The antidote to disrespect is self-respect
How hard should it be to get a little sympathy when you haven’t been paid correctly in five years?
by Elizabeth Statmore
LAW & ORDER
A father’s international hunt for his abducted son and a judge’s fateful ruling
Maximilien has been missing for nearly two years since Judge Tong’s fateful decision.
by Liz Le
A&E
Welcome the Year of the Horse with the Chinese Culture Center
Celebrate with an ‘Art Zone’ and an exhibition in the center’s new gallery.
by Sharon Anderson
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EVENTS
Out and about Feb. 12–18, 2026
What to do this weekend and beyond.
By Lynette Majer
Managing Editor, The Voice of San Francisco
The weather may make for a wet out and about in the coming days, but that’s what umbrellas and hoodies are for. There are concerts, theater, dance, and some different ways to celebrate the heart day that include the natural world.
Thursday, Feb. 12
This exclusive Bay Area performance of Great American Crooners, Robbie Lee, Shenel Johns, and Benny Benack III, focuses on singers like Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Bobby Darin. Expect to hear classics like Moon River, I Only Have Eyes for You, and others, along with true stories about these musical legends. 7:30 p.m. at the Presidio Theatre. Tickets from $49.
Learn about the varied and creative ways the natural world gets it on, from insect mating rituals to the naughty bits of flowers and more, like the science of pole dancing at Sexplorations. 6 to 10 p.m. at the Exploratorium. Tickets (adults only): $23.
Friday, Feb. 13
Smuin Contemporary Ballet will present Spring Point, a biennial showcase of early-career choreographers. 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday; weekend matinees through Sunday at ODC Theater. Tickets from $50.
Saturday, Feb. 14
This is definitely my pick for Valentine’s Day: At Penguin Valentines, you can write a Valentine to one of the critically endangered African penguins at the California Academy of Sciences. Biologists will distribute them to (typically) the males, who then deliver the felt hearts to their bonded female for nest making. How awww is that? 10:30 a.m. Tickets from $49 or livestream (free).
The Grammy-winning quartet New York Voices is on their final tour, “The Grand Finale,” marking an end of an era in vocal jazz and celebrating their legacy. The concert will feature jazz standards, big band classics, and more. 8 p.m. at the Herbst Theatre. Tickets from $45.
John-Boy Richard Thomas will perform in the legendary one-man show, Mark Twain Tonight. Thomas is the first and only actor authorized to perform the play since the original was performed by Hal Holbrook, who also wrote the play. 7 p.m. at the Curran Theatre. Tickets from $76 and change.
Fresh flowers and plants (symbolizing growth and possible prosperity), fruits (oranges and tangerines for abundant happiness), candy (for serving to friends and family during the New Year), and more await you at the Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair to begin the new lunar year. Enjoy traditional Chinese magicians, acrobats, folk dancers, and opera, and over 120 booths and concessions. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Grant Avenue (between Clay and Broadway). Free admission. Through Sunday (9 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
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