The reaction to Thursday’s guilty verdict against former President Donald Trump in his New York “hush money” trial was varied in the Bay Area, whether you talked to political figures or regular residents.
Some local politicians did not hold back when they offered their opinion about the verdict.
East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell was pointed in his post on X, saying “Donald Trump is a convicted felon. This verdict is not a win for any single person. It’s a win for an idea. The idea that we all follow the same rules. The rule of law won today.”
Donald Trump is a convicted felon. This verdict is not a win for any single person. It’s a win for an idea. The idea that we all follow the same rules. The rule of law won today.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu also posted about the verdict on X. He said, “Trump has long disregarded the rule of law, but today a jury sent a clear message that no one is above the law. Voters across the country must wake up to the fact that trump is a convicted felon and is unfit for office.”
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi was more measured in her posted on the social media platform early Thursday evening, saying, “This moment is a somber one for America. Trial by a jury of peers is a fundamental principle of democracy, which must be respected.”
This moment is a somber one for America. Trial by a jury of peers is a fundamental principle of democracy, which must be respected.
CBS News Bay Area also spoke with some Bay Area Republican party representatives, including San Francisco chairman John Dennis. He reiterated what Trump has said himself about the trial being a politically motivated criminal prosecution.
“This is a bad look for the country,” said Dennis. “We represent ourselves as a paragon of a republic and democracy in the world and today we really showed that we’re something other than that.”
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“In 35 years as an attorney, I have never seen a judge act so far outside the law as this judge did. As an historian, I can say that it is likely this period will be viewed as the period wherein those in power acted at great cost to protect their power,” said Tom Del Beccaro, the former chairman of the California Republican Party. “In 2015 I wrote a book called the divided era and this will only further divide America.”
California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson released the following statement regarding the verdict:
“Today’s guilty verdict is a dark day for our justice system and our nation that never should have happened. From the very beginning, this was a politically-motivated case brought by a far-left district attorney. Despite Democrat-led efforts to interfere with the presidential election, Americans will have the final say this November when they re-elect President Trump and send him back to the White House to fix the many failures of the Biden administration and put our nation on a pathway to success.”
People who CBS News Bay Area spoke with responded with a range of comments.
Pleasanton resident Corey Morgenthaler said he somewhat surprised at the outcome.
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“I didn’t expect the full 34 counts, so I’m a little bit surprised there,” said Morgenthaler. “But I was kinda expecting there to be a guilty outcome at least a little bit.”
When asked if he thought the verdict would change people’s minds about who they are supporting, he replied, “I think with him being a convicted felon, there’s going to be some impact there. I don’t know if it will change the outcome one way or another, but I think it will definitely sway some of the votes.”
He also thought Trump would likely use the verdict to rally his supporters.
“He’s kinda a master propagandist for better or worse,” said Morgenthaler. “I think he’ll definitely take advantage of it in the media as much as he can, but I think the American people will have sense about them, and most of them will take this for what it is, which is a felony count.”
Angela Wipfli, another Pleasanton resident, was surprised.
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“I went ‘Wow!’ because I was not sure that they would do it,” said Wipfli.
She also said she did not think the verdict would affect his support.
“According to the polls I’ve seen, everything else he’s done does not impact his poll numbers,” she said.
Daylight saving time is here, and San Francisco residents have ample opportunities to take advantage of the extended sunlight.
Here are some of the top events to check out this week in The City.
San Francisco Camerata concert (Monday)
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The San Francisco chamber orchestra comes to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church at 1111 O’Farrell St. for a night featuring violinist Eric Silberger and other Bay Area musicians. They will play “Serenade for Strings” by Antonin Dvorak and Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
An evening with Marc Teicholz and Eric Zivian (Monday)
Guitarist Marc Teicholz perform preludes by Frederic Chopin and Sergio Assad with help from guitarist Eric Zivian.
Marta Lindsey chats with Nancy Botkin (Tuesday)
Local park experts and San Francisco residents Marta Lindsey and Nancy Botkin will stop by Bookshop’s West Portal location to chat about “Discovering Golden Gate Park: A Local’s Guide.” Written by the pair, the 210-page book gives readers recommendations on how to best spend their days at the urban attraction.
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Author Marta Lindsey’s 210-page book “Discovering Golden Gate Park: A Local’s Guide” features contributions from walking and biking tour designer Nancy Botkin.
Courtesy Marta Lindsey
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Cindy Cohn chats with Cory Doctorow (Tuesday)
Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Cindy Cohn talks with journalist Cory Doctorow about the former’s new book, “Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance.” Releasing Tuesday, the book documents three legal privacy battles that Cohn helped oversee throughout her career.
The sold-out conversation will take place at City Lights Booksellers, and it will also be broadcast on Zoom. It starts at 7 p.m.
Ukrainian Games Festival (Tuesday-Wednesday)
This two-day pop-up will bring cultural dishes, a charity auction and photo opportunities celebrating Ukrainian heritage to the Consulate General of Ukraine. Attendees will also be able to try demonstrations of upcoming games made by Ukrainian developers, such as the stock market simulation-game “Stonks-9800” and the point-and-click puzzle adventure game “Tukoni.”
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‘Moving San Francisco Lunchtime Talks’ (Wednesday)
Held by the San Francisco Arts Commission on the second Wednesday of every month through June, this event brings Muni historians, operators, riders, artists and other artists for conversations exploring the different themes of “Moving San Francisco: Views from the SFMTA Photo Archive 1903-Now.” On display at City Hall, the exhibition chronicles more than 120 years of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s history.
Guests will meet in the North Light Court of City Hall at noon, with this month’s edition centered on cable cars.
Free art workshop (Wednesday)
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts invites participants to explore lines, color and artworks’ compositions by painting miniature rocks. The workshop is inspired by “Double Horizon,” Sarah Sze’s public sculpture in the Yerba Buena Gardens.
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Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ latest workship is inspired by “Double Horizon,” Sarah Sze’s public sculpture in the Yerba Buena Gardens.
Courtesy Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
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Participants can register online, and they will get to take their creations home. All materials will be provided for the session, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m.
‘Nintendo in Concert’ (Wednesday)
The Sixth Station Trio, a group of local San Francisco musicians, will perform musical scores from some of the Japanese game publisher’s famous franchises including “Animal Crossing,” “The Legend of Zelda” and “Super Smash Bros.” Held at Grace Cathedral, the pieces have been arranged for cello, piano and violin, with the performers sharing personal anecdotes about gaming in between songs.
‘Flourish: Art of Abundance’ (Thursday)
Root Division’s annual fundraiser will bring ready-to-buy artworks, panel discussions and other conversations to the arts organization’s Mission Street headquarters. An after party features music by DJ Umami, drinks by the Stud Bar and light bites from the Pawn Shop.
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“It’s so rare to have such a long-standing, unique partnership,” ballet director Tamara Rojo said. “It deserves to be celebrated”
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Mayor and Board of Supervisors president want voters to reform City Charter to centralize authority, make it harder to qualify ballot measures
The nets were installed in 2024 as a suicide prevention measure after advocacy from survivors like Kevin Hines, who is producing a new documentary about them
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‘The MIX Indie Games Gallery’ (Thursday-Friday)
SFMOMA is teaming up with the Media Indie Exchange to turn the museum’s Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box into a pop-up featuring game developers who focus on innovative gameplay and diverse representation with their content. The event is free with museum admission.
SFMOMA’s pop-up games gallery is located inside the Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box on the museum’s fourth floor.
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Courtesy Myleen Hollero
SFMOMA’s pop-up is located on the museum’s fourth floor. It is open on Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Luther S. Allison’s residency (Thursday-Sunday)
The singer-songwriter and guitarist will play a four-day residency at the Black Cat Jazz Supper Club. The North Carolina musician is known for blending blues and gospel music with the bebop and soul genres.
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Tickets are available online, ranging in price from $20 to $50. The supper club is located at 400 Eddy St., with early and late shows taking place.
‘Pearls of Sorrow’ (Friday)
Members of the San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale return to Herbst Theatre for a performance that pairs 17th- and 18th-century African American and European spiritual hymns. The program features conductor Christine Brandes and countertenor Reginald Mobley.
‘Rogue Gestures/Foreign Bodies’ (Friday)
Based in San Francisco, members of the Nava Dance Theatre will perform a piece inspired by the oral histories of Indian nurses who came to the United States as a result of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. The performance combines live music and experimental movement with bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance.
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Tickets are available online, ranging from $27.45 to $40. The 90-minute show, which starts at 8 p.m., takes place at Dance Mission Theater.
‘A View from the Throne: Gina Schock — Inside The Go-Go’s’ (Saturday)
The Haight Street Art Center will examine one of rock music’s most famous all-female bands by highlighting archival materials, posters, photography and other rare ephemera from Gina Schock, the group’s drummer and a songwriter. Displayed items incude costumes, personal letters, Schock’s drum kit and band memorabilia.
The exhibition’s opening party runs from 5 to 9 p.m. The art center is located at 215 Haight St.
San Francisco Giants Fan Fest Tour (Saturday)
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Oracle Park’s doors will open to baseball fans for an afternoon of autographs, player meet-and-greets, stadium tours and photo opportunities with the team’s three World Series trophies. The team’s spring-training game taking place that day in Arizona will also be broadcast at the stadium.
San Francisco Greek Film Festival opening night (Saturday)
The 23rd edition of the showcase will come to the Delancey Street Foundation’s Embarcadero screening room for eight days of in-person events. More than 30 films will be screened, with presentations spanning documentaries, narrative features and short narrative films.
Tickets will go on sale soon, with opening night featuring “Broken Vein” by director Yannis Economides and “Nikh or the Impossible Hope of Trying” by Savvas Stavrou. Screenings start at 6 p.m., followed by a reception.
Oscars viewing party (Sunday)
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Small Car, Big Time Tours founder Reed Kirk-Rahlmann will host the Balboa Theater’s official viewing party for this year’s Academy Awards. Guests can expect prizes and trivia throughout the broadcast, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s annual gala (Sunday)
The 17th Street nonprofit will bring its 32nd annual gala to the San Francisco Design Center Galleria. Attendees will enjoy silent and live auctions, a seated dinner, a cocktail reception and a performance by ballet performers.
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The Smuin company in the world premiere of Jennifer Archibald’s “ByCHANCE” in October 2024.
Courtesy Chris Hardy
Tickets are available online. Guests are encouraged to dress in festive cocktail attire. The event starts at 5 p.m. takes place at 101 Henry Adams St.
People came out to speak out and speak up in San Francisco on International Women’s Day.
In San Francisco, demonstrators rallied and marched through Union Square, calling for not only the protection of women’s rights, but opposition to federal actions.
“I’m out here today for women’s rights, for all human rights,” Lacey, from the East Bay, said.
For over 100 years, people have recognized March 8 as International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
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The day also marks a call to action for gender equality. This year’s message varied, with some carrying signs calling for reproductive justice, women for peace not war and no war on Iran.
“We’re here today because the Trump regime’s attack on women and women’s rights is unacceptable and we have to rise of our millions we have to encourage that rising in our millions to defeat this,” Sully with Refuse Fascism said.
Sully was one of the speakers at the rally.
“We are going to be vehemently opposing the Trump regimes attack on Iran,” she said.
Meantime, Deborah and Paige who had their own take on the day.
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“We had the idea of dressing up like suffragettes to pay homage to our foremothers who led this very brave protest movement,” Deborah said.
They came with a reminder of their own.
“We want to remind people that protest movements do work,” Deborah said.
“Particularly, now that voting is really coming under attack with the Save Act,” Paige added.
After rallying, many in the group marched, vowing to keep speaking up.
San Francisco rang in the Year of the Fire Horse with its annual Chinese New Year parade Saturday evening, with thousands of revelers cheering on hometown hero and Olympic champion Eileen Gu as its grand marshal.
The procession featured drums, dancing and floats celebrating the vibrancy of the Chinese American community in the oldest celebration of its kind outside Asia and one of the largest.
Civic leaders and performers paraded from downtown to Chinatown through popping firecrackers. Children marched wearing inflatable horses while lion dancers and martial artists waved to the crowd.
The parade was first organized in the 1860s by Chinese immigrants who came to work during the California Gold Rush and wanted to share their culture through a “favorite American tradition,” the parade, according to the event website.
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While the celebration always draws massive crowds, attendees were especially excited for Gu, who drew loud cheers.
Vanessa Chan of neighboring South San Francisco said she represents “cultural infusion.”
“She’s really wonderful. … She’s funny, sunny, and she represents positivity,” Chan said.
Gu appeared partway through the parade in a red dress, sitting in a red convertible adorned with flowers. The color is a symbol of good fortune and prosperity for the Chinese holiday.
Parade organizer Wiliam Gee said Gu was picked for the role by the middle of last year — before she competed in the 2025 Milan-Cortino Winter Games, where she won two silver medals and one gold, making her the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history.
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“The year of the horse brings a lot of new life and energy,” Gee said. “She definitely represents Chinese heritage and definitely is an icon.”
Gu has come under scrutiny for her decision to represent China in competition, and Megan Chin, also of South San Francisco, said she felt the Olympian was attacked unfairly.
“When you’re multicultural and you want to celebrate both heritages, it’s great to be happy for someone if they want to celebrate their other heritage as well,” Chin said. “I am proud of her.”
Calvin Lui, who attended with his young son, said he loved Gu’s representation of the city where she was born and raised as well as her Chinese heritage.
“That’s her identity, both countries — so she gets the best of both worlds,” Lui said.
