San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Future Hall of Fame Pitcher Will Shape Team’s Culture
The San Francisco Giants are doing what they can to keep pace in a loaded National League West. That’s why they signed Justin Verlander to a one year, $15 million dollar deal in January.
Verlander is a future, first ballot Hall of Fame pitcher that, in many ways, is the last of his kind. He’s the active leader in career wins with 262. Max Scherzer (216) and Clayton Kershaw (212) are next on that list and are Cooperstown bound themselves.
Those are the only three active pitchers with at least 200 career wins. Next on the list is New York Yankees starter Gerrit Cole, who has just 153 career wins.
When looking hard at that list, Cole might be the last pitcher to reach 200 wins for a very long time if he even gets there since he’ll turn 35 in September.
Verlander will turn 42 years old on Feb. 20, and he could be the last pitcher to hit 250 career wins for decades, if not ever.
The game has changed in many ways during his soon-to-be 20 years as a Big Leaguer. For better or worse, how starting pitchers are handled today is radically different than it was when the Detroit Tigers first called up Verlander in 2005.
If any pitcher can produce at a high level after the age of 40, it’s Verlander. That’s certainly the Giants’ hope, but it would be no real surprise if he misses time or struggles like he did in 2024. Even if he has a middling 2025 campaign, production is not the only thing Verlander brings to the table for San Francisco.
“I think he’s going to be really good for us. Then for our younger pitchers to watch him everyday, it’s invaluable,” Giants legend and current president of baseball operations, Buster Posey, said about Verlander’s potential value per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.
From 28-year-old ace Logan Webb to 23-year-old Hayden Birdsong, every pitcher in San Francisco camp can learn from Verlander. His habits, his mental approach, everything he does can help shape the next generation of Giants pitchers.
His wealth of experience may actually be a greater value add to the organization than his ability to pitch.
As Posey said, the team would love it if Verlander can be a productive player for the team. But even if he struggles, just having a guy like that around will help make the Giants better, both today and and in the future.
San Francisco, CA
S.F. police arrest 20 at 300-person SoMa block party during Pride
San Francisco police officers arrested 20 people late Saturday night in SoMa after breaking up an unauthorized “Stud Alley” block party with hundreds of participants, according to the police department. It marked the second round of arrests of Pride attendees this weekend after police arrested five people at the tail end of the Trans March on Friday.
Police officers arrived near Kissling and 11th streets at 10:58 p.m. and “encountered an unsanctioned and unpermitted block party” that had about 300 participants and a D.J., according to a statement from the San Francisco Police Department. The following details are based on the department statement and social media videos; two participants reached by Mission Local declined to comment.
The department said that the large crowd “prompted the response of additional SFPD resources.” Social media footage shows dozens of officers marching through SoMa streets armed with batons, wearing riot helmets and carrying plastic zip-ties.
Officers then gave an order to disperse, the department said, and told the D.J. to leave the area. The D.J. left but the partygoers did not, the department said, and officers tried to “disperse the crowd.” Two people “resisted,” the department said, and officers arrested them.
Several people also “vandalized two vehicles passing through the area,” the department said, and made them “inoperable.” The two vehicles may have been Waymos: One online video shows two Waymos in the street blinking hazard lights, and appears to show one officer telling others that the Waymos had been vandalized.
The party then reformed a few blocks later at Washburn Street about two blocks away, the department said, with about 200 people; the police shut that gathering down as well.
Footage from the scene shows a line of officers in tactical gear advancing rapidly on the crowd, shoving people out of the alleyway before forming a cordon line to block the street. In total, 18 people were arrested on Washburn Street, the department said, for “obstructing or delaying a peace officer and unlawful assembly.”
The department said that “makeshift barricades” had been set up to keep officers at bay; at one point in a video, an officer moves several large rocks that were placed in the street. Two officers sustained minor injuries, the department said.
SoMa has been the site of unsanctioned “Stud Alley” parties on the Saturday evenings of Pride weekend for at least the past six years. The parties have made headlines in past years for graffiti, broken windshields and outraged neighbors.
The organizers of Stud Alley posted an announcement this year that they would not host a party, saying that the party had recently “outgrown itself,” but reminded past party-goers of the unofficial slogan that is frequently graffitied onto walls around the party: Every alley is Stud Alley.
Jesse, a bartender at the nearby bar the Willow, reported seeing cops “everywhere” after the Saturday incident, when people “fled” to the bar to escape. He did not report hearing of any incidents of violence between party-goers and police.
The arrests mark the second encounter between Pride-goers and police this weekend. On Friday, at the end of the Trans March, police officers arrested five marchers for alleged vandalism and assault after march-goers allegedly spray-painted several statues and a person.
On Sunday afternoon, Washburn and Kissling streets still bore signs of the party. Spray painted on the walls of buildings were “Fuck SFPD,” “No Cops at Pride,” and “Every Alley Stud Alley.”


San Francisco, CA
6/28 Gamethread: Giants vs. Braves
It’s series finale time, and it’s rubber match time, as the San Francisco Giants host the Atlanta Braves.
It’s a battle of Cy Young southpaws. For the Giants, it’s Robbie Ray, who won the award in 2021 in the American League. Ray, a 34-year old two-time All-Star, is making his 17th appearance of the year, and is 6-6 with a 3.70 ERA, a 4.80 FIP, and 80 strikeouts to 42 walks in 87.2 innings. After a rough patch, he’s been exceptional in his last two games, including allowing just an unearned run in eight innings against the Athletics his last time out.
For the Braves, it’s Chris Sale, who won the prestigious pitching award in 2024. Sale, a 37-year old nine-time All-Star, has made 14 starts, and is 8-5 with a 2.14 ERA, a 2.71 FIP, and 99 strikeouts to 21 walks in 84 innings. He allowed two unearned runs in 5.2 innings against the Milwaukee Brewers in his last start.
Enjoy the game, everyone.
Who: San Francisco Giants (34-48) vs. Atlanta Braves (49-32)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
San Francisco, CA
People’s Budget Coalition Claims Victory After San Francisco Budget Restores Most Proposed Service Cuts – Davis Vanguard
By Vanguard Staff
SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco People’s Budget Coalition declared a major victory this week after the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Appropriations Committee advanced a budget proposal restoring nearly all of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s proposed cuts to community organizations and workers providing essential services throughout the city.
The coalition credited months of organizing by labor unions, community organizations, residents and advocates for reversing many of the reductions initially proposed in the mayor’s budget. The committee-approved budget now moves to the full Board of Supervisors and then to Mayor Lurie for final approval. According to the coalition, few, if any, additional changes are expected during that process.
The coalition said thousands of San Francisco workers, residents and community members participated in neighborhood town halls, marches, rallies, phone banks, letter-writing campaigns and demonstrations to pressure city leaders to restore funding for programs serving vulnerable populations.
“This budget represents a remarkable victory for every single San Francisco resident,” said Anya Worley-Ziegman, coalition coordinator for the San Francisco People’s Budget Coalition.
“And it shows that public pressure works. Showing up works. Organizing, going out into communities where people will see their lives impacted by cuts, where people feel like their government and their representatives aren’t listening to them, and giving people an outlet to make their voices heard can make real change.”
Worley-Ziegman credited “the thousands of people, workers, unions, community and advocacy organizations, as well as the leadership of Budget Chair Connie Chan and Supervisors who fought for their districts’ priorities” with helping restore “tens of millions of dollars for essential programs serving our city’s most vulnerable populations.”
“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us that budgets are moral documents, and today, City Hall seems to agree,” Worley-Ziegman added.
According to the coalition, many of the mayor’s proposed reductions affecting LGBTQ+, immigrant, student and homeless services were restored through the city’s annual budget “add-back” process during the Budget and Appropriations Committee’s final meeting, chaired by Supervisor Connie Chan.
The coalition said restorations include tens of millions of dollars for senior services, housing and rent assistance, Free City College, HIV services, immigrant services and other community programs.
The organization argued that many of the programs initially targeted for reductions serve communities that are already facing challenges resulting from actions by the federal government. The coalition said restoring those programs demonstrates continued city support for immigrants, LGBTQ+ residents, Black, Indigenous and other communities of color, as well as individuals struggling with mental health, substance use disorders or homelessness.
The coalition said investments in those communities strengthen the city and help maintain San Francisco’s reputation as a welcoming and inclusive city.
Despite celebrating the committee’s actions, the coalition said significant fiscal challenges remain. It noted that not all proposed reductions were fully restored and that city officials project next year’s budget deficit to exceed this year’s.
The coalition argued that San Francisco possesses substantial wealth, particularly amid the city’s growing artificial intelligence industry, and said city leaders should pursue additional revenue sources to sustain public services rather than relying on service reductions.
“San Francisco is one of the wealthiest cities in the wealthiest country in the world, and with the AI boom, it’s only getting richer,” Worley-Ziegman said.
“The fact that we need to exert this much time and energy fighting for such a small slice of the pie is, frankly, as ridiculous as it is shameful.”
“We should be laser focused on expanding the pie. We need to be talking about IPO taxes, wealth taxes, mansion taxes, and every policy tool available to close future deficits,” Worley-Ziegman continued.
“It feels like every year our leaders tell the most vulnerable communities to eat cuts and make ‘hard choices,’ while simultaneously opposing comically small taxes on the city’s wealthiest and well connected residents.”
“It should not be this hard to get an immigrant mother on the cusp of eviction $50 to make rent, or a senior living with HIV on our streets counseling or a hot meal.”
Worley-Ziegman concluded by urging advocates to continue organizing beyond this year’s budget process.
“Yes, let’s celebrate this win, but don’t forget that there’s so much more work to do if we want to move San Francisco forward without leaving its most vulnerable residents behind.”
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Categories:
Breaking News San Francisco
Tags:
budget advocacy community services Connie Chan Daniel Lurie People’s Budget Coalition San Francisco budget
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