THIS WEEK AT THE VOICE FOR THURSDAY, AUG. 6, 2026
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by Mike Ege
Editor in Chief, The Voice of San Francisco
You may have already heard that Mohammed Nuru, the former San Francisco Public Works director who became the central figure in a major city corruption and bribery scandal, is back in town, and according to one outlet, “was seen at City Hall.” As it turns out, he wasn’t there on business. His niece was getting married.
Nuru remains under community reentry supervision with an electronic ankle monitor and will not complete his sentence for more than another year. Our source tells us that he’s completed his required community service but continues to volunteer at a nonprofit serving low-income seniors, where he is well-liked.
It’s August, and that means the Board of Supervisors is currently in summer recess. But before they left, several supervisors called for some potentially big hearings before the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, ensuring a full policy plate when they get back to work. Board President Rafael Mandelman, along with members Matt Dorsey and Jackie Fielder, have called for a hearing on citywide drug market conditions.
“Residents and visitors alike report improvements in street conditions, especially downtown,” Mandelman noted during roll call at the July 28 board meeting, but he also said “drug scenes have persisted in historically challenged neighborhoods at levels of activity that are unacceptable, and new areas have emerged as hubs of drug related activity, notably, including the areas around the BART Plazas at 16th and 24th streets.”
District 7 member Myrna Melgar has requested a hearing on the city’s response to rape and sexual assault, citing a recent San Francisco Standard article on SFPD’s abysmal case clearance rate, cuts to the department’s Special Victims Unit, and other issues. And District 3 member Danny Sauter is holding one on rental scams, as the increasing scarcity of apartments has seen a parallel growth of listings that are fake or copied, ask for deposits before a showing, and rush people into paying for vacancies that don’t exist.
Meanwhile, on July 30, the Eastern Neighborhoods Democratic Club held a forum for candidates running for District 10 supervisor at the Southeast Community Center in the Bayview. That race is proving to have the largest and most diverse range of contenders, but they all gravitated to common themes at the event.
Talking points included protecting longtime Bayview-Hunters Point residents from displacement while expanding homeownership, reviving the struggling Third Street commercial corridor, improving public safety through a mix of policing and youth investment, and ensuring that redevelopment of the Hunters Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point delivers tangible benefits to the community rather than outside developers.
Candidates differed on how to achieve those goals — some focused on accelerating housing construction, others on environmental accountability, jobs, or neighborhood services — but repeatedly stressed local hiring, government transparency, and community involvement. The discussion also highlighted concerns over the upcoming Third Street Bridge closure, transit access, and decades-long frustration with delayed promises to District 10 residents.
The forum did however have its accidental gold nuggets — like when “Gonzo Journalist” candidate Mike “Trouble” Lin pegged leading candidates DJ Brookter and Theo Ellington about largess their outfits received from former Mayor London Breed’s “Dream Keeper” initiative, during a segment where candidates could ask each other questions — usually the most annoying part of such events, and indeed there was so much bloviation at this point that organizers only had time for one question from audience members at the end, which elicited a wave of boos from the full house. (That said, credit is due to ENDC for staging an inherently difficult event.)
Brookter is CEO of Young Community Developers, a nonprofit that has had more than its share of troubles under his predecessors Dwayne Jones and incumbent District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton. His response to “Trouble” Lin’s barb was to argue that Young Community Developers’ role was to act as a fiscal sponsor for smaller neighborhood nonprofits that lacked the administrative capacity to contract directly with the city. He said his priority as supervisor would be helping community organizations build that capacity so they could eventually receive funding directly. Brookter being Walton’s endorsed heir apparent, perhaps you can do the math.
If you’ve been reading the papers lately, there’s a lot of writers making comparisons between two big city mayors — New York’s Zohran Mamdani and our own Daniel Lurie. But longtime political insider and San Francisco Hotel Council CEO Alex Bastian says San Francisco may be better compared to Karen Bass’s Los Angeles. Having worked in and around government in both cities, Bastian argues in The Hill that San Francisco is ditching performative progressivism in favor of practical governance, while L.A. remains trapped in ideology. His verdict: One city is finally fixing what voters care about — housing, public safety, and functioning government — while the other keeps doubling down on the politics that got it into trouble.
The view from this desk is less sanguine. San Francisco may indeed be moving in a more pragmatic direction, but residents are still living with the consequences of decades of ideological policymaking — high housing costs, persistent street disorder, and an incomplete downtown recovery. A change in direction is welcome — but it’s not the same thing as arriving.
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Top News
REYNOLDS RAP
A karaoke bar busted for drugs, prostitution, and human trafficking may come back to haunt Attorney General Rob Bonta and other politicians
by Susan Dyer Reynolds
In a July 4, 2024, column, I exposed possible links to Attorney General Rob Bonta and a bar reportedly owned by Andy Duong called the Music Cafe, which had been busted for drugs, prostitution, and human trafficking. Duong, whose family ran a waste company at the center of a sprawling East Bay corruption scandal, touts an Instagram filled with smiling selfies taken with California politicians including Bonta and his wife Assemblywoman Mia Bonta, Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the Democratic candidate running to become the state’s next governor, Xavier Becerra.
NEWS
S.F. police boost hiring from other agencies
The event marks the largest hire of such personnel in over 10 years and was described in a statement from the department as “a significant step forward in the department’s aggressive hiring efforts.”
by Mike Ege
TRANSPORTATION
More frequent Muni service coming to the N-Judah, 1-California
San Francisco’s transit system is making service changes at the end of this month to address overcrowding and to improve reliability on some of Muni’s busiest routes without spending a dime.
by Jerold Chinn
Quote of the week
“When I first came to the neighborhood, it looked like it was closing down, but I feel very heartfelt that it’s opening. This should be nice for this neighborhood because everyone loves chicken.”
— Patrick Lane, Jr. is excited about Jollibee’s return to San Francisco
Nomi toon
In Case You Missed It
DOWNTOWN
Market and Fifth streets finally get jolly
The highly anticipated Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee finally opens its doors again after six years of bureaucratic delays.
by Erica Sandberg
A&E
Flow, Works by Tyler Zheng at MAG Galleries: A creative journey into the unknown
The S.F.-based artist began exploring clay while working as a mechanical engineer.
by Sharon Anderson
TRANSIT
Caltrain warns of weekday, weekend cuts if November measure fails
Officials say service could be drastically cut in the future without new revenue sources.
by Jerold Chinn
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EVENTS
Out and about Aug. 6–12, 2026
What to do this weekend and beyond.
By Lynette Majer
Managing Editor, The Voice of San Francisco
Outdoor or indoor, take your pick, from concerts to treasure hunting, space viewing events, and more.
Thursday, Aug. 6
Downtown First Thursdays has you covered for happy hour; live music; D.J. Eric Rhodes; line and flamenco, dancing; bachata and salsa lessons; and more. 5 to 10 p.m. on Second Street between Market and Howard streets. Free admission, RSVP here.
Friday, Aug. 7
The San Francisco Aerial Arts Festival opens today featuring “aerial dance, circus arts, and site-responsive performance” from 15 choreographers, six youth companies, and 20 films. Through Sunday at Fort Mason. Visit link above for schedule. Tickets from $13.
A San Francisco favorite chanteuse, Paula West, will perform an eclectic selection of songs from the Great American Songbook to David Bowie and Johnny Cash in two shows at the Keyes Jazz Bistro. Tickets: $40
Saturday, Aug. 8
The Hillwide Garage Sale in Bernal Heights is a ginormous annual fundraiser to support community housing and other programs. Treasure hunters can search a map of participating garages and here and also see what’s up for sale. Free admission.
The 33rd Annual Pistahan Parade and Festival, starts today, the largest celebration of Filipino Americans in the country. You’ll find art, culinary, dance, health, heritage, innovation, sports, and tavern pavilions; entertainment; food vendors; and more. Through Sunday at Yerba Buena Gardens. Free admission.
Sunday, Aug. 9
It’s always cool over on the beach, but it won’t interfere with some nice music at Sunday Serenades, part of the Sundays at the Beach series (just don your down like this little girl, who is clearly enjoying). Noon to 2 p.m. on the Great Highway/Sunset Dunes Park. Free admission.
ACT’s adaptation of the romantic comedy of Viola and the Duke in the bard’s classic Twelfth Night features jazz-funk music and young performers, making it sound like a not-to-miss to me. Through Aug. 16 at the Strand Theater. Tickets from $35.
Listen to our podcasts
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- Interview with Robert Cox on Preservation and its importance
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- The hidden gem in Los Altos …The Halsey House
- Plus more (and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible or everywhere else you get your favorite podcasts)
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