Tag: san francisco

San Francisco Dems move to break with state party to oppose ‘Billionaire Tax’

In a move signaling a deepening ideological rift within Northern California’s political establishment, leaders of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) are preparing to formally oppose Proposition 40, breaking ranks with the California Democrat Party.

The statewide measure, known as the Billionaire Tax Act, was narrowly endorsed by the state party’s executive board following an intense debate, setting the stage for an unprecedented local rebellion in one of the nation’s most left-wing strongholds.

To clear the path for this rare divergence, the San Francisco DCCC quietly altered its local bylaws to allow the party committee to take an independent position on statewide ballot initiatives when the state party’s stance conflicts with local priorities.

While state party rules strictly forbid local chapters from endorsing alternative candidates, ballot measures reportedly fall into a procedural loophole, allowing San Francisco leaders to break from the broader party platform.

Proposition 40 would levy a one-time 5% wealth tax on the state’s roughly 200 billionaires, generating an estimated $100 billion primarily designated to backfill projected federal cuts to Medi-Cal, California’s healthcare program for low-income residents, non-citizens and illegal aliens.

Despite the measure’s strong backing from healthcare unions, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), local party leaders in San Francisco have expressed deep skepticism over its economic ramifications.

San Francisco DCCC Chair Nancy Tung and prominent local “moderate” figures argue that the measure poses a severe threat to California’s fragile budget dynamics. Opponents warn that an aggressive targeted tax will accelerate an exodus of high-net-worth individuals and corporate headquarters out of San Francisco and the whole state, ultimately gutting broader income tax revenues.

In taking this stance, the local committee aligns itself with Democrat leaders who also oppose the proposition, including Governor Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra, Mayor Daniel Lurie and organizations like Planned Parenthood.

Meanwhile, the impending vote has notably drawn criticism from more far-left members inside the local committee, who argue that defecting from the state party “undermines Democrat unity” and “shields the ultra-wealthy from contributing to basic social safety nets.”

However, with more moderate members holding a majority on the committee, the local party is widely expected to vote against Proposition 40 ahead of the upcoming election.

Beyond the ideological issues, the potential break carries financial implications for local campaign operations. Aligning against the initiative positions the local party to receive substantial financial support from well-funded anti-tax committees, tech leaders and venture capitalists who are pouring tens of millions of dollars into defeating Proposition 40.

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Report: SFPD Already Using Surveillance Video From Self-Driving Cars

An internal SFPD document obtained by VICE News shows that not only can the SF Police Department pull the camera video from autonomous Waymo and Cruise cars, but more chillingly, that they have “already done this several times.”

We all had a good laugh last month at the “Ain’t nobody in it!” video when SFPD pulled over a driverless car that had no human being inside. A sensible conclusion to draw was that law enforcement was having a hard time coming to terms with these strange new fleets of robot cars that are suddenly ubiquitously all over San Francisco streets. But a new report from VICE News suggests that the relationship between the SF Police Department, and Google-owned Waymo and GM-owned Cruise, is far more advanced than we’d realized.

“‘Autonomous vehicles are recording their surroundings continuously and have the potential to help with investigative leads,’” says a San Francisco Police department training document obtained by Motherboard via a public records request,” VICE News reports. “‘Investigations has already done this several times.”

VICE News has the goods in a three-page SFPD training document outlining policies and procedures for dealing  with autonomous vehicles when encountering issues with them on the road. A lot of it is perfunctory, nuts-and-bolts stuff, like where to send the citation if the self-driving car commits a traffic violation, or what to do if the car becomes disabled.

But the very chilling phrase that really jumps out is “Autonomous vehicles are recording their surroundings continuously and have the potential to help with investigative leads,” and “Information will be sent in how to access this potential evidence (Investigations has already done this several times).”

Privacy advocates are of course worried. “​​As companies continue to make public roadways their testing grounds for these vehicles, everyone should understand them for what they are—rolling surveillance devices that expand existing widespread spying technologies,” Chris Gilliard, Visiting Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center, told VICE News. “Law enforcement agencies already have access to automated license plate readers, geofence warrants, Ring Doorbell footage, as well as the ability to purchase location data. This practice will extend the reach of an already pervasive web of surveillance.”

For their part, Waymo said in a statement to VICE News that the company “requires law enforcement agencies who seek information and data from Waymo to follow valid legal processes in making such requests (e.g. secure and present a valid warrant, etc.). Our policy is to challenge, limit or reject requests that do not have a valid legal basis or are overly broad.”

Cruise took a similar line, saying, “ We share footage and other information when we are served with a valid warrant or subpoena, and we may voluntarily share information if public safety is at risk.”

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Massive Security Blunder Exposes San Francisco Police’s Expanding Drone Surveillance

A major security lapse has exposed hours of live surveillance footage from the San Francisco Police Department’s drone program.

The footage offers a rare glimpse into the scale of aerial policing now taking place over one of America’s largest cities.

According to WIRED, two cybersecurity researchers discovered that live feeds from five SFPD drones had been publicly accessible through a web link generated by drone manufacturer Skydio.

The stream reportedly remained exposed for months before it was taken offline.

The leaked footage showed drones tracking suspects through city streets, monitoring apartment buildings, following vehicles, and assisting officers during arrests and investigations.

In one example, multiple drones tracked a suspect across San Francisco before officers surrounded and arrested him following what police described as an alleged vehicle theft-related incident.

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San Francisco Archdiocese Agrees To $395 Million Abuse Settlement

The Archdiocese of San Francisco has agreed to pay $395 million to settle more than 500 lawsuits alleging child sexual abuse by church officials, in what the plaintiffs’ lawyers described as the largest per-survivor settlement.

The plaintiffs’ attorneys said on June 29 that San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone will have to write an apology letter to each survivor as part of the settlement.

The settlement also requires the archdiocese to implement a series of child protection and transparency reforms.

The settlement comes three years after the archdiocese filed for bankruptcy and will cover approximately 530 survivors of child sexual abuse.

It is the latest agreement over clergy sexual abuse claims. In 2024, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles agreed to a record $880 million settlement.

This settlement follows years of back-and-forth mediation between the Archdiocese and the Survivors’ Creditors Committee.

The law firm representing the survivors said the $395 million “stands as the largest per survivor settlement in any clerical bankruptcy.”

“As a part of the settlement, the Archdiocese is turning over (assigning) its rights under the insurance policies for the survivors to recover additional damages against all the insurance companies who refused to abide by their contractual responsibilities to the Archdiocese and the survivors,” it said.

“I’ve been working with survivors for decades, and I’ve never heard of anything quite as significant, as rigorous, as robust as what is being required of the Archdiocese of San Francisco,” said Jeff Anderson, an attorney representing dozens of child sexual abuse victims.

The proposed 14-point settlement plan calls for appointing an independent child protection consultant with full access to archdiocesan records, publishing findings and a more complete list of credibly accused offenders, creating a survivor-sensitive public archive, and strengthening protections for whistleblowers and reporters.

It also calls for banning mandatory nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) in abuse settlements and prohibiting private digital communications between adults and children.

Margie O’Driscoll sued the archdiocese, alleging she was sexually abused almost 50 years ago by a priest while she was a student at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, a community north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

“I, like every survivor, have carried this pain and shame along like a ball and chain for a very, very long time,” O’Driscoll said during a news conference.

“Ashamed and confused about what happened, scorned by the archdiocese, and sometimes not even believed by family and friends, and I think today shame is gonna change sides.”

“We believe this proposal provides a path toward fair compensation for survivors who have borne the weight of this abuse for a lifetime,” Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone, archbishop of San Francisco, said in a June 29 statement.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco, led by Cordileone, serves more than 400,000 Catholics in San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin Counties.

“The entire Catholic family is called to unite and share in the work of making amends through this proposed settlement. We have a moral obligation to bring some level of healing and reconciliation to those who deserve our unwavering respect, attention, and prayers,” he said.

“With stringent preventative measures and trainings now in place for decades, the hope is that this proposal will allow us collectively to move forward by continuing the important ministries to the faithful and community members that rely on our services and charity.

“While the vast majority of sexual abuse allegations associated with this bankruptcy were from many decades ago, we accept full responsibility for what happened, and I sincerely apologize to all those who have been harmed.”

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Epic Humiliation Ensues for Openly Gay Leftist California Democrat When He Shows Up at San Francisco’s Trans March 

One of the most loathsome leftist Democrats in America learned this week that nothing he has done will ever satisfy the most extreme people in America.

As Newsweek reported, a viral video emerged showing openly gay California State Senator Scott Wiener getting some very rough treatment while attending San Francisco’s Trans March on Friday.

The footage shows Wiener getting screamed at and mobbed by rallygoers. Loud profanities can be heard throughout the two-minute video as the attendees slam him as a Zionist and his position on Gaza.

“Your policy on the genocide in Gaza is terrible!” one man shouts at Wiener.

“We f**king hate you!” others scream. “You do not belong here!”

This treatment came despite the rallygoers’ own admission that Wiener, who is Jewish and running for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat, has stood in lockstep with them on advancing their sick agenda.

“You’ve done wonderful things for trans people, but not anymore!” the first man yells. “And it breaks my f**king heart!”

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Democrat Running to Replace Pelosi Opened Women’s Prisons to TRANS Inmates and Eased Laws on SEX OFFENDERS

For nearly four decades, Nancy Pelosi represented San Francisco in Congress and became one of the most powerful Democrats in American history. Now, as California voters decide who will replace her, one candidate has emerged as the frontrunner: State Senator Scott Wiener.

Most Americans have probably never heard his name.

That is exactly why his record deserves scrutiny.

Wiener is not just another California Democrat running in a deep-blue district. He is one of the clearest examples of how far the modern Democrat Party has moved from ordinary American values. If elected to Congress, he would bring one of the most extreme records in California politics to Washington.

In the primary race for California’s 11th Congressional District, Wiener advanced to the November general election against San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan. According to recent reports, Wiener led the primary field while Chan, who was backed by Pelosi, finished second. 

The race is now a contest to determine who will inherit one of the safest Democrat seats in the country.

But while the media will likely describe Wiener in polite terms as a “pro-housing” lawmaker or an “LGBTQ rights advocate,” voters deserve to know the rest of the story.

Wiener authored SB 145, a bill that changed sex offender registration rules for certain adults convicted of sexual activity with minors when the age gap is within ten years. Supporters claimed the bill addressed unequal treatment in California law. 

But for many parents, the obvious question was why California lawmakers were focused on weakening sex offender registration requirements in cases involving minors at all.

Wiener also authored SB 107, which made California a refuge state for minors seeking so-called “gender-affirming care.” In practice, the law placed California on the front lines of the transgender medical movement and shielded certain records and proceedings from out-of-state laws. 

For parents across the country who believe children should not be pushed into irreversible medical decisions, this was not moderation. It was radicalism.

He also pushed SB 357, which repealed California’s loitering law related to prostitution, making it harder for law enforcement to respond to prostitution and trafficking concerns in communities already struggling with public disorder.

This is the pattern. On issue after issue, Wiener has used state power to advance the priorities of California’s progressive activist class, even when those priorities collide with public safety, parental rights, and basic common sense.

That is why his congressional campaign matters nationally.

San Francisco is one of the bluest districts in America. Whoever wins Pelosi’s seat will almost certainly become another reliable vote for the Democrat agenda. 

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San Francisco YMCA bans nudity after trans member exposes himself to women, children

A San Francisco YMCA has implemented new rules after a trans-identified male was seen walking around naked in the locker room in front of women and children, as well as allegedly harassing female members.

New rules at the Stonestown Family YMCA stated that “Nudity should be discreet, limited, and brief.” The rule added, “Nudity is permitted only while actively showering. Members are expected to put clothing on or be covered during use of the space outside of showering,” per the Daily Mail.

The new rules continued, “Respect privacy and personal space. Please maintain appropriate distance from others, be mindful of personal space during times of undress, and demonstrate courtesy at all times.” 

Also among the new rules are that hair dryers should be used “for drying head hair only,” and that children five and younger need to be accompanied by a parent or guardian while using changing rooms for the opposite sex. 

The new rules come after a series of complaints by female YMCA attendees against Sammy, a trans-identified male. Sammy, who had been a regular at the gym since 2024, has reportedly not been seen at the location since the new rules went into effect. 

Elizabeth Kenney, a member of the Berkeley YMCA location that Sammy also attends, recalled to the outlet seeing the male “harassing” an elderly member who had asked him to cover up. The male allegedly told the elderly woman, “If you don’t like the way I look, then you’ve got a sexual problem with yourself.” 

Kenney recalled telling Sammy, “Get away from her, leave her alone. You’re a man, you’d don’t belong here.” Sammy had also been caught on camera by Kenney’s husband, Travis, claiming to a YMCA staffer that a “drunk” woman had been lecturing him. 

Anne, who attends the Stonestown YMCA location, filed a police report in March accusing Sammy of harassment. She said that after blow drying himself while naked, Sammy had walked up to her “very close,” turned around, and used a handheld mirror to stare back at her. 

Anne wrote in the police report, “He used it as if it were a rear-view mirror to look at me behind himself. His eyes caught mine in the mirror and I froze.” She also claimed that Sammy had “paraded” around in front of Anne’s two young children in the locker room.

Elizabeth, another YMCA member, told the outlet that she had felt “repulsed and angry” to see the male “blow drying his entire naked body, including his penis, posed in front of all of the other women.”

Despite the new rules, the YMCA restated that California law allows for people to use the locker room of their self-declared gender identity.

Susan Pete, a 59-year-old member of the YMCA who was a vocal critic of Sammy, told the outlet she hopes he’s gone for good. “The transgender people ruined everything for women. They ruined sports, ruined the locker room, they upset me,” she said. “We’ve been very happy since he’s been gone, but I don’t know if he’s going to come back and cover up, or fight against it. Hopefully he just went to Seattle.”

She also raised concerns about the new rules being impractical. “So what are they going to do – having someone standing around monitoring the situation, saying ‘you’ve been naked too long?’ He’s ruined everything.”

Women Are Real, a Bay Area group defending women’s spaces, wrote in response to the rule changes, “We’ve been working to remove this guy from the women’s locker room for 2 years. He was literally there almost every day for HOURS. It’s a super tiny locker room and he spent hours in it.” 

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San Francisco plots outdoor smoking ban as locals erupt

San Francisco is rolling out a sweeping outdoor smoking ban that would snuff out cigarettes on bar patios and parklets across the city.

The move has ignited outrage among local business owners, who argue the draconian measure is just the latest example of government overreach putting neighborhood bars at risk.

The controversial ordinance, being crafted by Supervisor Myrna Melgar and Dr. John Maa of the San Francisco Marin Medical Society, would require bars and taverns to follow the same smoke-free outdoor regulations already imposed on restaurants under state and local law, KTVU reported.

If passed, customers would no longer be allowed to smoke while enjoying drinks at outdoor bar spaces across the notoriously left-leaning city.

Maa, a surgeon backing the proposal, insisted the crackdown is necessary to protect patrons, workers and pedestrians from secondhand smoke.

“This is to protect the patrons of these establishments and also importantly, the employees and anyone who might be exposed to secondhand smoke,” Maa told the outlet.

He argued San Francisco should put public health ahead of business profits.

But furious bar owners have slammed the proposal as an example of heavy-handed government meddling.

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4 Baltimore Police officers will not face charges after San Francisco investigation

San Francisco prosecutors declined to bring charges against four Baltimore Police officers who have been under investigation in the California cityafter a woman says she reported a sexual assault that took place there.

The officers, including the commander of the Eastern District, have been suspended with pay and assigned to administrative duties by the Baltimore Police Department since November of last year while the Special Victims Unit of the San Francisco Police Department investigated. The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office told The Banner this week that the evidence in the case was deemed insufficient to file charges.

“Although the San Francisco Police had probable cause to submit an arrest warrant for review in this case, after careful review of all of the evidence gathered, we do not believe we can meet our higher burden of proof,” the office said in a statement, adding that it would reevaluate if additional evidence emerged.

The accuser, a 39-year-old California woman, contacted the Banner saying she was frustrated with the outcomein a case she says dates to September 2024. She also shed light on the circumstances that she said led her to contact police.

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Woke San Francisco nonprofit boss charged with fraud made local library buy 1,500 copies of HER children’s book, netting her $100,000

A former California civil rights leader is accused of pocketing $100,000 by directing a library to buy thousands of her children’s books, amid allegations she siphoned funds meant for the black community. 

Sheryl Davis, former director of San Francisco’s Human Rights Commission, was arrested Monday on allegations of a ‘pervasive pattern of self-dealing,’ with prosecutors accusing her of misappropriating thousands of dollars in taxpayer funds. 

She allegedly used her partner’s nonprofit as a ‘slush fund’ for lavish personal spending, including travel, VIP party tickets and even her son’s tuition at UCLA. 

On Tuesday, an affidavit revealed that thousands of dollars were personally used toward promoting her children’s book through questionable deals and high-profile, celebrity-studded events, according to The New York Post.

The once-respected activist allegedly arranged the sale of 1,500 copies of ‘Free to Sing’ to the San Francisco Public Library, her book about a young black girl’s passion for singing despite criticism.

Davis raked in $100,000 in 2024 from book sales through her publisher, Book Baby, under the deal, according to an economic disclosure filing.

From 2021 to 2024, the nonprofit spent upwards of $30,000 on hotels and singer Goapele’s performances at two events, including $5,000 for a 2023 book launch party for Davis. 

The city’s Human Rights Commission (HRC) also spent at least $6,000 on the firm Varner PR, along with other expenses, to further promote sales. 

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