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Kurtenbach: The 49ers must break their nasty habit — in Las Vegas of all places

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Kurtenbach: The 49ers must break their nasty habit — in Las Vegas of all places


The 49ers have a nasty habit in big games, and if they bring it to Las Vegas, their Super Bowl dreams will almost certainly become a nightmare.

No one can quite explain why the 49ers have posted slow starts in their four biggest games of the season — at Philadelphia, vs. Baltimore, and both NFC playoff games — and the good news for the 49ers is that it has only brought about one loss.

But the Kansas City Chiefs are a different kind of opponent.

Spot them an early two-score lead, and they will hold it until the confetti falls.

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This season’s edition of the Chiefs is not a super team. Up to the start of the playoffs, it became trendy to write them off as Super Bowl contenders — for good reason: The Chiefs’ offense went from No. 1 last year (per DVOA) to No. 8 behind bad wide receiver play and even worse play from offensive tackles. Tight end Travis Kelce didn’t look like his All-Pro self all season, and Mahomes didn’t either. This team had taken a step back, and in the competitive AFC, that was perceived as tantamount to a death sentence.

And here’s the thing: There hasn’t been much improvement. Kelce might be playing better, but Kansas City still has so many of those issues heading into the Super Bowl.

The reason they are in the big game is because they are ruthless.

They might not have the firepower to beat any team they want anymore.

But in addition to one of the best defenses in the NFL, the Chiefs have the experience and knowledge to appropriately manage a game.

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It’s all very reminiscent of the Tom Brady Patriots.

It’s become evident this season that the vast majority of NFL pundits are not, in fact, watching the full games. YouTube highlights, perhaps, but not the full game broadcasts or the All-22 film.

As such, the discourse (excuse me while I vomit) around Niners’ quarterback Brock Purdy is that he’s a dink-and-dunk game manager — someone who does very little but gets the ball to his playmakers on screen passes and lets them do the rest.

Meanwhile, Mahomes’ well-deserved reputation as a deep-ball-slinging, devil-may-care talisman persists.

In reality, the roles are completely reversed this season.

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Kansas City is running the offense people think the 49ers run.

The 49ers are running the offense that people think Kansas City still runs.

Purdy was one of the NFL’s best and most frequent deep-ball passers this season. He was a gunslinger of the highest order.

Mahomes, meanwhile, has become a screen-pass merchant — his average air yards per throw was sixth lowest in the NFL this season.

That’s the way it had to be for Kansas City, though. Things had to be pared back — the offensive made more simple.

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The Chiefs might not have the offensive firepower to beat you anymore, but they won’t beat themselves — they let their opponent take care of the rest.

That’s what Kansas City did in the AFC Playoffs. Miami playing in negative-degree temperatures made that playoff opener a breeze for Kansas City — the Dolphins made it clear from the opening snap that they’d do anything to get back to sub-tropical weather.

Then Buffalo beat itself the following week. The Bills scored with 3:23 to play in the third quarter of that game. They didn’t score again as their offense became solely predicated on Josh Allen running and throwing. He did neither at a high level down the stretch. One-man shows don’t work in the playoffs.

And then, in the AFC Championship Game, the Ravens went out and executed one of the strangest game plans in recent NFL history.

Kansas City scored 17 points in that title game. Had that been known before the contest, everyone would have fairly presumed the Chiefs lost.

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But the Chiefs won because Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson — the most extraordinary running quarterback ever — decided to stand in the pocket for eight, nine, ten Mississippi on dropback after dropback.

The Chiefs’ opponents en route to the Super Bowl were not ready for primetime.

Are the 49ers?

This is the fifth massive game the Niners will play this year.

They’re 0-4 with good starts in them.

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Against Philadelphia in Week 10 — remember how hyped that game was? — the Niners had negative offensive yards at the start of the second quarter.

Then, against Baltimore on Christmas, everything went wrong for the Niners on offense from the jump.

Green Bay never opened up a big lead in the teams’ NFC Divisional Round contest, but they held the Niners’ offense at bay in the battle of the Bays. The Niners needed a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter to advance.

And then Detroit put a hurt on the Niners in the NFC Championship Game. If not for a Detroit meltdown that started late in the second quarter, and if not for a comeback for the ages — 27 unanswered second-half points — San Francisco would be watching the Super Bowl on TV like the rest of us.

Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Detroit all showed their own flaws after the Niners showed theirs.

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But Kansas City won’t follow suit. This team — led by a Hall of Fame quarterback and head coach — has spent the last few weeks proving they can keep their poker face in Las Vegas.

The Chiefs have played enough playoff football to know that style points don’t mean a thing. You don’t get to skip a round if you blow out a team.

No, it’s survive and advance. The Chiefs might be more cunning than dominant this postseason, but the results are the same.

So, while the 49ers might feel pretty good about themselves (and for good reason) heading into the Super Bowl, after back-to-back comebacks, the better policy would be to play their best football early.

The last time these two teams met in the Super Bowl, Kansas City won with a late push. The 49ers led by 10 and had Kansas City facing a third-and-15 in their own territory with just over seven minutes to play in the game.

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Then the Wasp stung.

But the Chiefs don’t hold those kinds of cards this time around.

That Chiefs team was a cobra. This team is a boa constrictor — simple, steady, and suffocating.

As such, a late-game push like the two that lifted the Niners to the Super Bowl is likely not in the cards for a third straight game.

The most important quarter of the Super Bowl might end up being the first.

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And the Niners can’t afford to miss it.



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Live Updates: San Francisco Primary Election 2026

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Live Updates: San Francisco Primary Election 2026


Welcome to our running tally of Election Night results. Or, as this is California, well beyond tonight, as results continue to trickle in.

The first batch of results should arrive at 8:45 p.m., with three more to follow tonight. The Department of Elections has the breakdown.

San Francisco is voting in three special elections, for District 2 and District 4 supervisors and for a Board of Education member. Both supervisor races are referendums on housing, especially District 2, while the main backdrop of the D4 race is all the hot feelings around the fate of the Sunset Dunes Park (nee Great Highway).

The winners of all three special races will have to compete again in November for their seats.

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Keeping it local, SF is also voting on four ballot measures. Prop A is for a bond to pay for an emergency water-system. B is for term limits. C and D are dueling measures related to the “overpaid CEO” tax. (Links go to our reporting on each race or issue; or click here for our Election 2026 page.)

Vote local, think national: Which two candidates will advance to the November election to replace Nancy Pelosi?

Statewide races include the primaries for governor, education superintendent, lieutenant governor, and much more.

Polls close soon. If you haven’t voted yet, find your polling station here.

Tuesday, June 2, 5:40 p.m.

Two and a half hours until our polls close. Before we go down the local rabbit hole, a reminder that other states have primary action today: New Jersey, Iowa, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Montana.

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Why does it take so long to get results in California? CalMatters has you covered on that story. We shouldn’t expect a call tonight on the governor’s race.

The last big election was November 5, 2024. (Remember?) Ten days later, there were still races to call in San Francisco.


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So if you’re waiting for the pundits (and maybe even us) to tell you What It All Means, you might have to wait a while.



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San Francisco voters to decide on dueling measures on Top Executive Pay Tax changes

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San Francisco voters to decide on dueling measures on Top Executive Pay Tax changes


San Francisco voters weighed in Tuesday on two competing measures that seek to change the Top Executive Pay Tax, with one of the measures also including a change to the Gross Receipts Tax.

Should both measures pass, the one with the most votes will take effect, according to the propositions’ legal text.

Currently, the measures state that most businesses with San Francisco gross receipts up to $5 million are exempt from the Gross Receipts Tax. And businesses that use more than half of their city payroll for in-house administrative and management services pay an Administrative Office Tax instead of a Gross Receipts Tax.

The Top Executive Pay Tax is a tax some large businesses pay if their highest-paid managerial employee earns more than 100 times the median pay of their San Francisco employees. Businesses that have city gross receipts up to $5 million and are not subject to the Administrative Office Tax are exempt.

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Proposition C

Proposition C states it would increase the number of businesses that could be exempt from the Gross Receipts Tax and would stop any further increases to the “Top Executive Pay Tax” after a final rate bump.

The proposed measure says it would raise the Gross Receipts Tax exemption ceiling to $7.5 million. The $7.5 million ceiling would also apply to the Top Executive Pay Tax exemption.

As for changes to the Top Executive Pay Tax, Proposition C states it would implement the 2028 tax rate increase in 2027, but then stop any future increases.

Supporting Proposition C are Rodney Fong, CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and Chris Wright, senior vice president of Advance SF, an organization of companies, which includes Bank of America, OpenAI, Waymo, the SF Giants CEO and others.

Fong and Wright, in their argument for the measure, say giving businesses more tax breaks would help keep more employees on payroll and would give companies the ability to “contribute to city services in a predictable and balanced way.”

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Critics of Proposition C, such as the San Francisco Tenants Union, slam the measure as “billionaire-backed” and argue it would kill the Top Executive Pay Tax and would hand out more tax breaks to businesses at a time when the city is in a budget deficit and faces cuts to essential services.

Proposition D

Proposition D also seeks to change the Top Executive Pay Tax, which is collected from some large businesses where the highest-paid managerial employee earns more than 100 times the median compensation paid to other employees.

If approved, the measure would change the calculation of the tax using the compensation of all employees, not just employees based in San Francisco. Top Executive Pay Tax rates would also be increased for San Francisco gross receipts and payroll.

Supporters have billed the measure as a way to counteract federal cuts to Medicaid. A report by the City Controller’s Office said the measure could result in $250 million to $300 million in additional revenue.

“Proposition D is the solution to our budget deficit. It asks large corporations — not small businesses, not working families — to contribute a little more,” supporters said in the city’s official voter guide.

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The measure has the backing of most of the Board of Supervisors, along with labor unions and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

Opponents, including Mayor Daniel Lurie and state Sen. Scott Wiener, have argued Proposition D would negatively impact the city’s recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“San Francisco is already one of the most expensive cities in the country to live and do business. Adding extreme and unpredictable tax increases risks driving employers away just as we are trying to bring jobs, workers, and foot traffic back downtown,” said Supervisor Matt Dorsey in the city’s voter guide.



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San Francisco ‘adult supremacy’ workshop brands teachers as oppressors — as fringe trend spreads in California schools

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San Francisco ‘adult supremacy’ workshop brands teachers as oppressors — as fringe trend spreads in California schools


A San Francisco public school reportedly hosted a workshop on “adult supremacy” — a new woke trend labeling teachers and adults “oppressors” that’s quietly gaining traction in California.

The confab, held at John O’Connell High School during an “Ethnic Studies Everywhere” weekend seminar in April, was titled “Youth as Knowledge Producers: Challenging Adult Supremacy Through Ethnic Studies,” according to an attendee who spoke with The Post.

“Due to systemic power dynamics inherently the relationship between students and educators is an oppressive one. Oppressor (educator) & oppressed (student),” a presentation slide explained.

Maria Su, superintendent SFUSD, speaks at a press conference. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The workshop was led by Jennifer Sanchez, a third-year ethnic studies educator in the Central Valley, and convened by Teachers 4 Social Justice, a nonprofit that aims to create “empowering learning environments, more equitable access to resources and power, and realizing a just and caring culture,” according to its website.

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Teachers 4 Social Justice was founded by local teacher activist Jeremiah Jeffries, who led an unpopular push to rename public schools during the pandemic that was abandoned after sparking outrage from local parents.

So-called adult supremacy “constructs adults as developed, mature, intelligent, and experienced, based solely on their age and ensures that adults control the resources and make the decisions in society,” the presentation further explained.

Success “within the Western context” is “demanding, overwhelming, and dehumanizing,” the presentation claimed.

Jackson Matos’ work is cited in “adultism.” Jackson Matos

Friends of Lowell Foundation, which advocates for academic merit at San Francisco schools, compiled the “adult supremacy” slides.

Another slide obtained by The Post cited the work of academic Jackson Matos, who is mentioned as connecting “adultism” to cultural imperialism, marginalization, exploitation, powerlessness and violence.

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“We have knowledge and life experience, and it is our job as parents and teachers to impart information on the next generation, on our kids,” one flabbergasted San Francisco parent, who asked not to be named, told The Post.

“Given that a large percentage of students in the district do not meet grade level standards in ELA and math, our focus as a school district is clearly way off track,” the parent said.

A presentation slide titled “Adultism Continued” defining adult supremacy and discussing power dynamics between students and educators. SFUSD

Friends of Lowell Foundation has taken legal action surrounding the school district’s controversial “ethnic studies” curriculum, which was made a one-year requirement for high school freshman this year.

The San Francisco teachers’ group isn’t the only organization blaming “adultism” for society’s failures.

Adam Fletcher is a consultant who counts California school boards and agencies among his clients. He’s made “adultism” a centerpiece of equity training aimed at teachers.

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Adam Fletcher has made “adultism” a centerpiece of equity training aimed at teachers. Adam Fletcher

“Adultism, as an idea, is bias towards adults,” Fletcher said in an online seminar held by TEACH Los Angeles, an educators’ network funded through grants from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, per its YouTube page.

A slide from a presentation on “Adultism” defines it as a bias towards adults. TEACH Los Angeles

Likewise, the Oakland Youth Commission announced last year a training for city employees about adultism, which is blamed for taking power away from kids, according to slides published online.

The Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services Department sponsored an “anti-oppression training series” that explores how “ageism and adultism” fuel discrimination.

“Participants consider how the myth of independence, rooted in settler colonial capitalism, contributes to the marginalization of youth & elders by diminishing agency, excluding perspectives, & reinforcing stereotypes in behavioral health practice,” an invitation read.

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Three children acting out a scene during a seminar on “adultism.” Instagram/oakyac

San Francisco Unified School District didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The district may be in hot water over its ethnic studies program, with Superintendent Maria Su due to appear at a June 10 congressional hearing about parents’ rights and “inappropriate content” in schools.



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