San Francisco, CA
New downtown San Francisco recovery plan would increase number of drinking spots
A new proposal to help downtown San Francisco flourish would increase the number of drinking establishments by creating a special district.
Senate Bill 395 would create 20 new liquor licenses for use only in a special district, which would be created by San Francisco on or after Jan. 1, 2026 — The number of liquor licenses in a county is capped by population and getting one is often an expensive process.
The liquor licenses would be on-sale general licenses, and the special district must have “at least 1,000,000 square feet of retail shopping space open to the public,” according to the bill’s text.
The bill was introduced by State Sen. Scott Wiener and sponsored by San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
“To get San Francisco’s economy going again, downtown needs to be at full strength. Now, we are building on the success of last weekend with permanent solutions for this neighborhood,” said Lurie, in a press release. “This legislation will bring new restaurants and bars, new people, and new energy downtown.”
Only one special district may be created under the proposal, and only 10 of the 20 licenses may be issued in the first year to bona fide public eating places. After the first year, there can be up to five licenses issued per year, if there are any that have not been issued.
The Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control would be the issuing agency for the licenses.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco man who sexually assaulted relatives gets 25-year prison sentence
A San Francisco man convicted of sexually assaulting two of his relatives was sentenced to a lengthy prison term, prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said in a press release that a judge sentenced Sergio Alvarado, 60, to a total of 25 years and four months in state prison following his convictions.
A jury found Alvarado guilty of three counts of forcible rape and one count of forcible oral copulation for crimes that happened in 2014. He was also convicted of attempted forcible oral copulation on a minor and assault in a 2019 case involving a different victim.
Prosecutors said Alvarado sexually assaulted the first victim repeatedly over a period of several months. Several years later, Alvarado assaulted the other victim, a 16-year-old relative, in his car after he offered to drive her to a job interview, the DA’s Office said.
“Family violence occurs within ongoing relationships that are expected to be protective, supportive, and nurturing,” said Assistant District Attorney Sheila Johnson in a prepared statement. “Mr. Alvarado’s exploitation of that trust caused two generations of women profound psychological trauma. Hopefully, seeing him brought to justice restores their sense of humanity and sends the message that violence of this kind will not be tolerated.”
San Francisco, CA
Holiday travel at San Francisco airport being affected by winter weather
With rain and wind in the forecast, it may make some people’s holiday travel a little more difficult.
At San Francisco International Airport, more than 400 flights have been delayed. Maggie Nelson’s was delayed coming into the airport.
“It seemed like everyone was in a panic or a hurry to get anywhere,” said Nelson. “The plane was crowded. There was a lot of turbulence.”
Nelson flew in from Redmond, Oregon, usually a quick flight to SFO, just under two hours, but she ended up being delayed nearly that long.
“Originally, we were supposed to take off at 2 p.m. and then our flight got delayed to 2:50 p.m., and then it got delayed again,” Nelson explained. “I don’t think we took off until 3:30 p.m. because of high winds or something.”
California is in the middle of an intense storm period. Two systems bringing heavy rain and strong winds, and Nelson could feel all of it.
“The turbulence was pretty bad,” said Nelson. “There was a point where I got nauseous. I was like ‘Are we there yet? Is this over?’”
While she’s grateful to be on solid ground, Shon Alkaslasi was about to take off or at least try to.
“United sent a text that wind might affect operations,” said Alkaslasi.
He arrived early, just in case of holiday traffic, now he’s anticipating he may be delayed. He’s travelling home to Los Angeles, another area in the middle of the storms.
“I would say I’m not the biggest fan of turbulence so I am a little bit nervous about that,” Alkaslaski detailed. “But if they say it’s totally safe to travel, I’m not usually concerned but the feeling of bumps on a plane is just not the most comfortable and I’ll have to deal with it.”
Airport Duty Manager Crystal David said overall things haven’t been too bad, but West Coast flights, like Alkaslasi’s and Nelson’s, are the ones most likely to be impacted.
“SFO is on a ground delay program throughout the night, through midnight and so right now it’s about 127 minutes because of winds,” said David. “Mostly it’s the west coast flights are that are being affected right now with delays of up to 35 minutes for the west coast traffic.”
She said the delays could continue into the morning, when even stronger winds are expected. She recommends travelers check in with their airlines.
But for Nelson, she’s just glad she made it home.
“I used to live a lot closer so it’s a lot harder to come home now so when I do get to come home, I try to take advantage of that and appreciate it,” said Nelson.
San Francisco, CA
Executive chef of new buzzy San Francisco restaurant Bourbon Steak visits ABC7
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — ABC7 got in the holiday spirit Monday with the executive chef of San Francisco’s buzziest restaurants that just opened in October — to a lot of fanfare.
We’re talking about Bourbon Steak, inside the Westin St. Francis Hotel.
Legendary celebrity chef Michael Mina’s latest opening brings him back to San Francisco, and everyone came to celebrate: a cable car, Mayor Daniel Lurie, and Warriors superstar Stephen Curry — a partner in this venture who created the bourbon bar Eighth Rule inside the restaurant.
But they’re not just about style. They are first and foremost about steaks.
Because they are on the menu for so many holiday gatherings, we are delighted that Bourbon Steak executive chef Kevin Schantz joined us on ABC7’s “Midday Live.”
Watch the full interview in the player above.
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
Copyright © 2025 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.
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