Tag: san francisco

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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San Francisco Judge Frees Man Who Killed 84-Year-Old ‘Grandpa Vicha’ in Unprovoked Attack After Citing Murderer’s ‘Traumatic Childhood,’ Releases Him on Probation

A San Francisco Superior Court activist judge has ordered the immediate release and probation of Antoine Watson, the man convicted in the 2021 unprovoked killing of 84-year-old Thai immigrant Vicha Ratanapakdee, widely known as “Grandpa Vicha.”

On Thursday, Judge Linda Colfax sentenced Watson to a total of eight years but suspended the remaining portion of the term after giving him credit for approximately five years already served in San Francisco County Jail.

Watson, now 25, was released to live with his mother in Hayward on five years’ probation, which includes weekly therapy sessions and regular check-ins.

The high-profile killing was captured on surveillance video and helped lead to the national “Stop Asian Hate” movement in early 2021.

On January 28, 2021, Watson, then 19, was recorded on video running full speed and violently shoving Ratanapakdee to the ground as the elderly man took his daily morning walk in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood.

Ratanapakdee struck his head on the pavement, lost consciousness, and died several days later from his injuries.

Watson was initially charged with murder, assault, and elder abuse.

This January, a jury convicted him of involuntary manslaughter and assault but acquitted him of murder and elder abuse charges.

During Thursday’s sentencing hearing in the San Francisco Superior Court, Judge Colfax explained that she selected the middle term of three years for the assault conviction and added a five-year enhancement for aggravating factors, including the victim being over 70 and suffering great bodily injury.

However, because Watson had already served more than five years, he was eligible for immediate release.

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Election Fraud in Deep Blue California? Officials Investigate Alleged Scheme Paying People to Sign Ballot Petitions With Fake Names

California election officials are investigating a disturbing allegation that petition circulators in San Francisco were paying individuals to sign ballot petitions using fake names.

According to state officials, the investigation began after a video surfaced online earlier this week showing what appears to be a sidewalk operation offering cash in exchange for signatures on ballot petitions, News4Jax reported.

The footage, posted Monday on X, shows a sign reading “Sign petition for $5” with a line of people waiting along a San Francisco sidewalk.

At a nearby folding table, a woman appears to be instructing individuals on what name and address to use while filling out the petitions.

When the person recording the video asked what the petitions were for, the woman simply responded: “Just sign it.”

The video quickly went viral and caught the attention of California election authorities.

In a statement Friday, the California Secretary of State’s office confirmed it is actively investigating the matter.

“We are aware of, and investigating, the matter,” the office said.

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Caught in Broad Daylight: Ballot Initiative Signature-Gatherers in California Paying For Signatures – Backed by Billionaire PAC

On Monday, street videographer JJ Smith captured on camera what appears to be election crimes in San Francisco, California.  In broad daylight.

The video shows a line of people at the corner of 6th Street and Mission Street in the SoMa neighborhood, soliciting signatures on Monday afternoon.

The clip begins with Smith walking up on the line with a sign that reads, “Can you read & Write?  Sign Petition for $5.”

Smith asks a man in the line, “What’s the line for?”  He responds that they’re “giving five bucks to sign a petition.”

When Smith asks the two women seated at the table, “I get $5 too?”  She replies, “Yeah.”

“What is it?” he asks.

The woman responds, “Just sign it.”

The woman can then be seen highlighting a paper for another woman in the line but off camera.

“First name is going to be Carol, last name Sanderson.  This is the address right here.  This is the city, Avila Beach, and this is the zip code,” she tells the woman.  As the woman takes the paper and pen to sign it, the worker says, “So remember, first name is ‘Carol’”.

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