THIS WEEK AT THE VOICE FOR THURSDAY, OCT. 16, 2025
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by Mike Ege
Editor in Chief, The Voice of San Francisco
STEYER IN A HURRY: Tom Steyer is a busy man. Back in January, the billionaire hedge fund manager, former presidential candidate and megadonor started work on a new $4 million mansion in Sea Cliff featuring shoutouts to sustainability such as green roofs and an accessory dwelling unit.
Now, he’s putting $12 million into online ads for Proposition 50, the “fight fire with fire” redistricting measure to counter similar partisan moves in Texas. The new ads are already on YouTube, and while one is pretty funny, the other is dead serious.
“Let me tell you something about a bully. The only thing they understand is strength,” Steyer expounds in the serious ad, looking straight at the camera. “The Democratic Party was furious at me for organizing the need to impeach campaign…. You want to beat Trump? Democrats can’t keep playing by the old rules,” referring back to the $20 million ad buy he made in 2017 urging President Donald Trump’s impeachment.
The new ads are also sparking rumors that Steyer might join the race for governor, especially after the wounding of frontrunner Katie Porter by leaked videos showing her berating her staff and having meltdowns on camera.
(I should note here that San Francisco has had more than its share of politicians who developed reputations as horrible bosses. I can count almost a full hand’s worth of former supervisors with such reputations in recent years, including those who moved on to higher office. But I digress.)
Politico is pushing the candidacy narrative for Steyer pretty hard. But do regular voters remember who he is? Former Northwest Airlines honcho Al Checchi ran for governor in 1998, spending a whopping $40 million. He ended up boosting Gray Davis over the top, and few remember anything about him.
COLLATERAL DAMAGE?: Back in August, SFPD Interim Chief Paul Yep announced he was revamping the agency’s leadership structure, streamlining bureaus and eliminating several departments. The stated goals were to maximize efficiency and get more cops out on the street. But some insiders say that it was also a way to sweep out positions filled by former Chief Bill Scott, including several “permanent exempt” positions that were discretionary hires.
We found out that may have included veteran journalist and SFPD Media Programming specialist Stanley Roberts when we checked in with his Instagram and found out he was laid off earlier this week. When we checked in with him, he said he had nothing bad to say about his time there and neither did his bosses, but “when we put in the work, it just didn’t pay off the way we expected it to, especially being laid off by telephone…We had just received a new project and was looking at who was going to approve the overtime.”
Roberts compares the experience, which never happened to him before in his decades-long broadcasting career, to the scene in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy when the dolphins leave the earth behind, telling everyone, “So long, and thanks for all the fish.”
Meanwhile SFPD spokesperson Evan Sernoffsky denied any specific targeting of Scott hires, noting “Chief Scott hired me, and I’m talking to you.”
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Top News
CRIME
Diversion’s dirty little secret: Defendants have higher recidivism rates than those who are not diverted
Studies show participants commit ‘alarming number of new offenses’ while enrolled in diversion programs.
by Susan Dyer Reynolds
First two parts of a multipart series. Part 1 Part 2
According to the study, cases referred to diversion had lower conviction rates than nondiverted cases, but referred individuals had higher rates of “subsequent criminal justice contact.” The lower conviction rates were expected because successful completion of the program results in dismissal of the charges.
What was unexpected is that diverted defendants had higher rates of subsequent criminal justice contact than those who were not diverted at all — the opposite of the intended effect.
POLITICS
Benioff to Trump: Send us some troops, bruh
Forget the troops; send us trained police officers.
by John Zipperer
OPINION
Benioff and San Francisco are pawns in a larger play
MAGA couldn’t care less about the state of our streets, except as propaganda.
by Mike Ege
Quote of the week
“Some of this is just CYA-ing to protect their business interests, but telling the president to ‘send in the troops’ might be a bit more than just performative self-debasement.”
— John Zipperer on Marc Benioff’s take on sending National Guard troops to San Francisco, in Benioff to Trump: Send us some troops, bruh
Nomi toon
In Case You Missed It
EDUCATION
Ethnic studies beyond the classroom
Traveling across San Francisco offers a unique education about people and progress.
by John Trasviña
OPINION
Open enrollment for dummies
October’s open enrollment period is a cage match for city workers.
by Elizabeth Statmore
A&E
Finding an ephemeral home in Fairyland
Memoir of growing up as the daughter of a gay single dad in San Francisco is a powerful movie.
by Michael Snyder
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EVENTS
Out and about Oct. 16–22, 2025
What to do this weekend and beyond.
By Lynette Majer
Managing Editor, The Voice of San Francisco
We’ve got you covered for the next several days with fall festivals, sing-alongs, an art exhibition, a high-end art show, and a special night sky show. Read on for my picks.
Thursday, Oct. 16
Judith Schaechter Super/Natural explores natural elements, patterns, and ornament as vehicles for meditating on beauty. The heart of the exhibition is an 8-foot, 5-foot-5 diameter stained glass dome designed to accommodate a single viewer and features 65 stained-glass panels of insects, flora, birds, and beasts. The exhibition invites contemplation of inner space, how we experience environments, and outer space, how we extend ourselves into our surroundings. Through Feb. 8 at the Museum of Craft and Design. Tickets from $8.
Lovers of beautiful things won’t want to miss the San Francisco Fall Show, the renowned international art, antiques, and design fair on the West Coast (although some say it’s the best in the country). Over 40 top international dealers will offer a wide range of decorative arts representing all styles and periods, including paintings, furniture, ceramics, photography, and much more, including the new vendor featured above, specializing in antique textile pillows and other fine art. Other features include lectures, special programming, and food for purchase by Che Fico. Through Sunday at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion. Tickets: $55
Friday, Oct. 17
Tonight is Fort Mason’s Night Market. Enjoy more than 25 food and beverage options from Off the Grid, live music, workshops, over 50 retail vendors, live music, public art installations, and more, like a costume contest. 5–10 p.m. Free
Saturday, Oct. 18
The annual Potrero Hill R&B Festival is celebrating its 50th year. Join the revelry on over four blocks of food, live music, and fun. Proceeds benefit Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, which provides essential services to those in need, so yay on that. 20th Street between Wisconsin and Missouri streets. Free admission.
The Half Moon Bay Art and Pumpkin Festival is a Bay Area tradition. Now in its 53rd year, the festival features a gigantic pumpkin weigh-off championship, live music, arts and crafts from local artists, food and drink (yes, pumpkin-infused ales), Farmer Mike, a costume contest, and more. Through Sunday. Free.
The Life and Music of George Michael is a concert-style show that tells the story of the award-winning performer from his early hits with Wham! to his solo career. Expect dancing in the aisles, sing-alongs, and lotsa fun at the Curran Theatre. Tickets from $53.
Listen to our podcasts
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- A message for Mark Benioff and beyond
- No to troops in S.F. and the battle over rezoning has just begun
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