THIS WEEK AT THE VOICE FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 21, 2025
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by Mike Ege
Editor in Chief, The Voice of San Francisco
THE UNSINKABLE GHOST SHIP COMMISSION: In San Francisco’s quest to pare down dormant and superfluous commissions and boards, the Sweatfree Procurement Advisory Group appears to have nine lives, despite having no legislative power and not even a quorum in over five years.
On July 17, we reported that a bill sponsored by Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman to clear red tape out of city purchasing was shunted back to committee by a vote of 6-5 because the San Francisco Labor Council was incensed over a clause that would abolish the advisory group.
The legislative drama prompted a reproachful warning of popular political backlash from Mandelman. It was especially stinging as the bare majority vote was delivered by besieged Supervisor Joel Engardio, possibly in a futile attempt to keep Labor from defenestrating him from his seat next month.
As it turns out, the seemingly Teflon body was up for review again this week, this time by the Commission Streamlining Task Force, yet another commission created by passage of a ballot initiative last November in the hopes of … streamlining the city’s commission system. They reviewed a recommendation that the Sweatfree Procurement Advisory Group be eliminated along with eight other “borderline inactive bodies.”
On Wednesday, the task force decided to defer making any recommendation on the body until November.
THE GAP AND THE INTERN: Meanwhile, a committee of the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force voted Tuesday to uphold a complaint against Engardio, alleging that his office tried to conceal a May meeting with Todd David, the political director of tech-driven PAC Abundant SF, and Lucas Lux, president of Friends of Great Highway Park, from a schedule report submitted to the city’s Ethics Commission.
The complaint was filed by recall supporter and former police captain Rich Corriea and announced at a press conference in late July.
According to meeting attendee and Substacker John Crabtree, the supervisor wasn’t present, but his chief of staff, Jonathan Goldberg, was. Goldberg argued that “the fault for deleting the calendar entry probably lies with an intern who was put in charge of keeping the Supervisor’s calendar.”
Crabtree adds, “For those of you who are keeping score (like me), that is one “gap” and one “intern” at the heart of this matter. It’s like a 20th Century political scandal sh*t-parade.”
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Top News
TRANSPORTATION
BART riders can now use credit or debit cards to pay fares
A new ‘tap and ride’ system allows passengers to use contactless payment methods.
by Jerold Chinn
On Wednesday morning, BART launched its Tap and Ride system that allows passengers to pay for fares using a credit/debit card or a mobile wallet. BART is the only Bay Area transit system that currently allows its passengers to use this payment method. It’s part of a major upgrade to the Clipper card system, which has been delayed for years now.
POLITICS
Cyber brigades of the Engardio recall
In a very local political war, one central front is online.
by Mike Ege
POLITICS
Why Newsom went ALL CAPS, and other political questions answered
There is no limit to how weird our politics can get.
by John Zipperer
Quote of the week
“As the daughter of a Chinese immigrant whose family fled the Red Guards, I find it deeply troubling that curriculum content would glorify a movement responsible for violence and persecution.“
— Student Evelyn Conboy on SFUDSD’s Ethnic Studies Controversy, in Why students are pushing back on an ethnic studies expansion
Nomi toon
In Case You Missed It
OPINION
Steeper and crookeder
The real question is why our forefathers saw a topography of more than 50 hills and thought that would be a good place to plop a city.
by Will Durst
REYNOLDS WRAP
Part 2: My year investigating former SFPUC manager Harlan Kelly
Another reason the former SFPUC boss should never get his pension back.
by Susan Dyer Reynolds
EDUCATION
School board takes a step back and schedules revote on ethnic studies
Uncertainty looms over what is to be taught and what won’t be taught.
by John Trasviña
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EVENTS
Out and about Aug. 21–27, 2025
What to do this weekend and beyond
By Lynette Majer
Managing Editor, The Voice of San Francisco
There are plenty of street fairs and outdoor parties this week, some indoor movies, theater, music, and more, like a Broadway tea party and a Sistine Chapel experience. If you’re looking for something to do, read on.
Thursday, Aug. 21
View Michelango’s masterpiece up close without getting a neckache at the internationally acclaimed Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Using high-definition photographs and an innovative printing technique, the life-sized images are displayed at eye level allowing a closer view of the color of the original frescos and the artist’s technique. Through Sept. 14. Tickets here.
Enjoy a Fogust Merch Drop and Party at Sunset Dunes park (at Noriega St.) with live music, games, and other foggy fun. Be in the first 25 and you’ll receive a vintage gift; in the first 100, a free Sunset Dunes poster. 5–7 p.m. Free.
The description of The Return at ACT is compelling: A Palestinian and an Israeli meet in a body shop in Israel. Do they know each other? But their lives will be changed by their surrounding realities. It’s had great reviews. Through Sunday. Tickets from $40.
Friday, Aug. 22
If you missed Mrs. Doubtfire last week in Union Square, Grace Cathedral will screen the film tonight in its indoor labyrinth as part of its Movies on the Labyrinth series (this is the last). BYO seating. 6:30 p.m. Free, registration appreciated, but not required. Free.
The San Francisco International Piano Festival kicks off tonight as part of the Old First Concerts series, featuring a historic recreation of Maurice Ravel’s San Francisco stop at the Curran Theatre in his acclaimed 1928 tour of the United States. The concert will be celebrated in period style, and audience members are encouraged to dress the same. Through Aug. 31. Tickets from $20.
Saturday, Aug. 23
Enjoy a whimsical, elegant, and fun afternoon at the Broadway-themed Tipsy Tea pop-up at the Orpheum. Sip premium teas and cocktails along with typical tea fare of finger sandwiches and other gourmet bites; have fun with tea trivia, “name that tune,” and other interactive games; snap your memories in a photo booth with themed props, and more. 1 p.m. Tickets: $99
A Ghost King parade fittingly kicks off the The Hungry Ghost Festival, an evening of art, performances, and a marketplace in Chinatown. Ghost festivals are when the hangriest ghosts come to seek solace in the living realm, and these traditional festivals aim to distract and calm those restless spirits. So do your part and have fun because there’s a lot to be had. 4–9 p.m. Free.
Head to Fisherman’s Wharf for the Pier Party, featuring craft cocktails, bistro-style seating, dancing to music, like hip hop, jazz, R&B, folk rock, and more. 3–7 p.m. every second and fourth Saturday through September. Free.
Listen to our podcasts
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