THURSDAY, JANUARY 9, 2024
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A new regime — sort of
by Mike Ege
Editor in Chief, The Voice of San Francisco
With the swearing in of a new mayor and five new members of the Board of Supervisors, San Francisco is being promised major changes in the style of governance. Will the promises be kept? We’ll see.
A couple things that were notable about Wednesday’s pomp and circumstance: the mayor-elect, Daniel Lurie was sworn in by Jessie Peterson, a young woman with an inspiring history that was outlined by an introduction by the city’s new First Lady, Becca Prowda.
Lauded as “a testament to the power of service” by Prowda, Peterson grew up from being in foster care to graduating from the University of San Francisco Law School with honors. Peterson now serves the city as a deputy public defender, and while her personal story is indeed inspiring, some might consider her a curious choice for swearing in a mayor promising a final crackdown on fentanyl dealing and restoring the capacity of police in his inaugural address, which was otherwise a very Kennedyesque “what you can do for your city” speech.
Later in the day, the new Board of Supervisors president, Rafael Mandelman, was elected by acclamation, having been nominated by moderate chieftain Matt Dorsey and seconded by progressive standard bearer Connie Chan. Both walked him up to the dais, reinforcing a grand bargain that one source told us became “common knowledge” well in advance. The price: Chan retains control of the budget committee as we predicted.
Meanwhile, Susan Dyer Reynolds brings back her long-missed three-dot observations on local machinations, including how the Mission’s most notorious heel got to go to Disneyland despite being under house arrest; and we also welcome new contributor Stephen Martin-Pinto with his first-person view of a tragedy that has reignited the rancor over the Great Highway.
Indeed, we’ve been very busy the past seven days, and not everything new is listed below. Head to our website for a look at our Editor’s Picks for 2024, as well as Michael Snyder’s look at the best in film this year.
Check out links to our latest content below, or just bookmark our homepage to see the latest.
Top News
SOTTO VOCE
Accused serial rapist Jon Jacobo goes to Disneyland
Plus Mayor Daniel Lurie’s mixed messages on insiders, shelter beds, and budgets.
by Susan Dyer Reynolds
Once the darling of progressive politicians as a community leader and heir apparent to the District 9 supervisor seat, Jon Jacobo’s fall from grace came as a surprise to no one, including those progressive supporters. Rumors persisted for years about his heavy drinking, bullying, threats of “gang connections,” and sexual assaults.
OPINION
Death of woman with dementia on the Great Highway is personal
On Dec. 27, 2024, at 5:43 a.m., the Chow family lost their beloved mother, Melissa, when she was hit by a car on the Great Highway. Melissa lived with frontotemporal dementia, the family said, a cruel condition that affects behavior, judgment, and memory.
by Susan Dyer Reynolds
EDUCATION
Facing a $113 million budget deficit, the Board of Education is being asked to create a new high-level position for communications and governance next week. The post, for whom an individual is already selected, will cost the district over a quarter million dollars annually.
by John Trasviña
Quote of the week
“What they are missing about the incident is context. These individuals were quick to capitalize on this incident to promote their pet causes. Still, as someone who was at this incident, I can tell you that this was not just some routine visit to the beach, nor was this a typical stroll by a senior citizen along the sand. This had much more to do with the mental condition of the victim.”
— Contributor Stephen Martin-Pinto as an eyewitness to the recent pedestrian death on the Great Highway, in An on-the-ground-look at recent Great Highway fatality
Nomi toon
In Case You Missed It
OPINION
A San Francisco firefighter/EMT present at the incident offers his perspective.
by Stephen Martin-Pinto
POLITICS
Three oversized agenda items for City Hall in 2025
A bloodied budget, social disorder, and an increasingly unaffordable city will — or should — take priority this year.
by Mike Ege
TRANSIT
San Francisco secures $35.8 million grant for traffic signals near Great Highway and Muni bus upgrades
Funding will help maintain Muni buses and install new traffic signals.
by Jerold Chinn
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EVENTS
Out and About
What to do this weekend
By Lynette Majer
Managing Editor, The Voice of San Francisco
Have you recovered from the holidays? You may be on a January hiatus of one thing or another, which many of our performance venues have decided to do as well after offering us a plethora of events over the last few months. So, for some lower-key out and about-ing, go listen to some music, catch some museum exhibitions that are closing soon, or watch a classic movie inside a beautiful historic Greek revival building.
Thursday, Jan. 9
The magnificent 16th-century Battle of Pavia tapestries (above), made of wool, silk, silver, and gold are nearing the end of their run at the de Young. The exhibition has be covered nationally (read The Voice’s coverage of the exhibition here), and don’t miss Art and War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries, on view through Saturday. Tickets from $11.
Friday, Jan. 10
Make it a movie night at the Internet Archive screening of Meet John Doe with Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck in a tale about a downtrodden man forced into the spotlight, and ordinary people against fascist ideology. Hmm. Tickets: $5
Listen to our podcasts
- Mayor Lurie is getting down to addressing the problems facing San Francisco…we hope he succeeds!
- Mayor Lurie has a lot on his plate but emergency preparations must be high on the list for action
- Prayers for our outgoing and incoming mayors are a good thing
- The end of the call letters KGO with John Rothmann
- Plus more (and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible or everywhere else you get your favorite podcasts)
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