San Francisco, CA

Monica Magtoto’s utility boxes: a healing love for San Francisco

Published

7 months ago

May 3, 2025

Press Room

Monica Magtoto’s utility boxes: a healing love for San Francisco

Guerrero Street is a bustling thoroughfare for people making their way through the Mission.

For artist Monica Magtoto it’s an ideal stretch of road to showcase her art.

Magtoto’s work is featured on ten sidewalk utility boxes, seven of which are on the corner of Guerrero, between 14th and 22nd streets. The boxes–usually painted dark green–are used by the city to house electrical equipment for regulating traffic.

“You get people who are crossing through the neighborhood to go more to the Mission side,” Magtoto said. “You get people who are crossing back over to go more towards the Dolores, Noe Valley, Castro side. So, for me, it’s the perfect location.”

Her other three boxes are on Dolores Street, on the corner of 14th and 15th Streets, and on Folsom, on the corner of 14th.

Magtoto is also a yoga instructor and an energy worker. In the latter capacity, she incorporates “reiki, curanderismo, somatic work and other energy work and spiritual modalities.” She painted each of her utility boxes black before layering on images such as hearts, butterflies, candles, suns, moons, flowers, and skulls in vibrant red, yellow, and white.

Each box has a unique design but all have a unifying theme: healing.

“Our city’s been through a lot, and for me, this set of paintings was a little bit of a love letter — like, ‘If I could heal the spirit of the city, this is where I would start,’” she said.

Magtoto is one of the artists selected for the “Paint the City” project backed by two San Francisco-based nonprofits, Paint the Void and the Civic Joy Fund.

The project’s first round includes 24 artists and 241 city utility boxes, 39 of them in the Mission.

Other Paint the City utility boxes in the Mission feature Jane Kang’s Korean-themed murals on Dolores and Church streets, native birds by Claudio Talavera-Ballón and various colorful illustrations, including renderings of city fixtures such as Sutro Tower and the Roxie Theater, by Shirley Lee.

Magtoto, a fourth-generation San Franciscan, said she draws inspiration from her multicultural background which includes Filipino, Mexican, Irish, and Cape Verdean family members, as well as from her connection to the city and its diverse community.

“Like a lot of people in San Francisco, my family was adjacent to the Catholic Church, but my mom was more like, ‘Get the basics and then develop your own way of being with nature and with spirit,’” she said.

As an energy healer, she said, she’s interested in the connection between the physical and the spiritual, and carries that over into her art.

“How we exist in our bodies and how we can attack things from both angles — that intersection is really important to me,” she said.

On one utility box, on the corner of Guerrero and 15th Streets, Magtoto painted a rendering of the Three of Swords tarot card, with white-outlined swords piercing a bright red heart.

“That card is about healing and about removing the swords one by one. So if you find yourself with those three swords in your heart, you can’t really move. Any way you move, it hurts, so you pull each out, one at a time, and deal with it,” she explained.

Magtoto appreciates the attention her boxes get from passers-by. People say, “‘Oh, I saw you painting on Guerrero!’ It’s not often I get to paint and just do my own thing, too. So having this be really authentically me and having people resonate with that and recognize [my work] has been a really high point for me.”

Best of all, perhaps, family members are delighted.

“My family getting to see my work and sending me photos that they’re taking in front of the boxes when doing errands or going out to dinner — that’s the dream, right?”

A utility box painted with a red heart pierced by five swords, surrounded by clouds, stars, a sun, and a crescent moon on a city street corner. — Artist, energy worker, and yoga instructor Monica Magtoto stands beside her utility box mural on Guerrero and 22nd Streets. She painted ten utility boxes in total; seven of them are along Guerrero. Photo courtesy of Monica Magtoto

A utility box painted with a red heart, an eye in the center, surrounded by yellow rays and red teardrop shapes; "Monica Magoto 2025" is written at the top. — Artist, energy worker, and yoga instructor Monica Magtoto stands beside her utility box mural on Guerrero and 22nd Streets. She painted ten utility boxes in total; seven of them are along Guerrero. Photo courtesy of Monica Magtoto

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco’s Santa Con expected to bring in large crowds, benefit local bars

Published

1 hour ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

San Francisco’s Santa Con expected to bring in large crowds, benefit local bars

For some businesses, Saturday is the most wonderful day of the year as thousands of Santas visit San Francisco watering holes for Santa Con.

But for others, the festive event is more trouble than it’s worth.

Kevin Sully Sullivan and his wife, Deb, met at the Marina Lounge in the 1980s. Sully then went on to work at the bar for 30 years and just two years ago, took over the business from the prior owners.

“We’ve loved this bar for such a long time and it’s a dream come true to actually have our names in it,” Sully said.

While Sully loves celebrating the holidays and supports Santa Con, he has posted this sign on the door of the Sully’s Marina Lounge, officially making it a Santa-free zone. For him, the extra customers aren’t worth the hassle.

“Some of these bars that encourage it, that participate, they do months of business in one day,” he said. “But many of them have to replace sinks in their restrooms. They get it torn off the wall and toilets that have all kinds of things go wrong.”

On the other hand, Westwood has beefed up its staff and is looking forward to all the Santas coming to town.

“It’s really good,” Kwame Wright said.

“It pumps in a lot of money into the economy,” Westwood said. “Local businesses, we benefit from it as well. So, we’re really happy and we’re excited that we get to host. Santa’s are welcome here.”

Aside from Halloween, Santa Con is one of the biggest events of the year for Westwood. This place normally has long lines to get in on weekends and it’s expecting an even bigger crowd Saturday. Westwood is taking steps to make sure all the Santas behave.

“Security does really hard work, and we have extra security to make sure everybody is safe,” said Wright.

But for those willing to wait until Christmas for a Santa sighting, Sully says his place will be the place to be.

“It actually ends up being a really nice day here because they know it’s a sanctuary haven from the Santa Con,” Sully said.

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San Francisco, CA

3-alarm fire burns San Francisco Tenderloin residential building

Published

13 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

3-alarm fire burns San Francisco Tenderloin residential building

Updated on: December 12, 2025 / 11:53 AM PST
/ CBS San Francisco

A large fire burned at a six-story residential building in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District early Friday morning, leaving dozens displaced, officials said.

The fire started at around 3 a.m. at a building on Golden Gate Avenue near Taylor and Market streets, adjacent to the Golden Gate Theatre. The San Francisco Fire Department said the fire started on the top floor and reached three alarms, spreading to the attic and roof of the building. Over 100 firefighters at the scene were able to prevent it from spreading to lower floors and nearby buildings, the department said.

UPDATE- FIRE CONTAINED
Early this morning, shortly after 3:00 AM, San Francisco firefighters responded to a fire at 50 Golden Gate, a six-story multi-residential complex located in the Tenderloin District. The firefighters executed an impressive and aggressive attack on the… https://t.co/iNKRlOQLPP pic.twitter.com/JwrezVyfpy
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— SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) December 12, 2025

Multiple people were rescued and self-evacuated, and a total of 45 residents were displaced, but there were no injuries, the department said. Two cats were also rescued, one that was treated by medics at the scene and another cared for by Animal Control.

Evacuated residents were provided temporary shelter at the corner of Golden Gate and Jones Street aboard a Muni bus. The Red Cross and other city agencies were called in to assist the displaced residents, the department said.

The fire was contained by 5:30 a.m., and firefighters remained on the scene for several hours. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco firefighters to retire uniforms linked to cancer

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

San Francisco firefighters to retire uniforms linked to cancer

San Francisco firefighters are finally getting the protective gear they were promised after years’ long research revealed certain chemicals used in traditional firefighter uniforms can cause cancer.

“What none of us could have known is that some of the very gear designed to protect us was quietly harming us,” said San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen, who spoke alongside dozens of first responders on Thursday as he announced the city’s $3.6 million plan to provide protective equipment to all frontline firefighters by the end of the year. “This is a joyous occasion for our city.”

San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen was flanked by the mayor, state and local lawmakers, and dozens of first responders on Thursday when detailing the city’s plans to provide new, non-PFAS uniforms to frontline firefighters across San Francisco.

The San Francisco fire department, the tenth largest in the nation, has already distributed the redesigned gear to about 80 of its firefighters and hopes to have all 1,100 of its new uniforms in use within the next three weeks – that’s enough protective equipment to provide one uniform to each of the city’s frontline firefighters. While city leaders hope to eventually purchase a second set of gear, San Francisco firefighters will, for now, need to wash their new gear before returning to work or continue to rely on their old uniform as a backup.

“Public safety relies on the people who stand between danger and our residents,” Mayor Lurie told the crowd during Thursday’s announcement. “Firefighter health must always be at the center of our decisions.”

San Francisco’s efforts stem from a first-in-the-nation ban that local lawmakers passed last year, which requires the city to outfit firefighters with new uniforms by July 2026. Over the years, studies have shown the jackets and pants firefighters across America have long relied on to keep safe during emergencies are made with materials proven to cause cancer.

These so-called “PFAS” materials, often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’ because of their reluctance to breakdown, have long been used to bolster the reliability of firefighter clothing by helping to repel flammable liquids and reduce temperatures, even in extreme heat. Researchers, however, have found the compounds to be harmful when absorbed through skin. While the precise level of PFAS exposure for firefighters and the associated health risks are still being studied, the compounds have been linked to cancer and other negative health effects impacting cholesterol levels and the immune system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

PFAS aside, the inherit health risks of firefighting, including prolonged exposure to smoke and ash, led the World Health Organization to deem the occupation a “carcinogen.” Yet, some fear the very safety uniforms firefighters have come to rely on for protection could also be making them sick.

Female firefighters in San Francisco are six times more likely to develop cancer compared to the national average, according to the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation.

In San Francisco, female firefighters have a six times higher rate of breast cancer than the national average, according to the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. More than 400 firefighters in San Francisco have been lost to cancer over the past 20 years, according to the city’s fire department.

“The cost of inaction is measured in funerals,” said Stephen Gilman, who represents the local chapter of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). “The reward of action is measured in lives saved.”

The cost of inaction is measured in funerals.
Stephen Gilman, International Assoc. of Fire Fighters (IAFF)

While materials laced with PFAS have been shown to pose safety risks, so has fire gear that has been manufactured without it. Last year, the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit reported on research from North Carolina State University that found non-PFAS fire equipment to be less breathable and more flammable than traditional uniforms made with PFAS.

“We don’t want to just trade one hazard for another,” Dr. Bryan Ormand told the Investigative Unit back in May 2024. “We’re introducing a potential hazard for flammability on the fire scene where firefighters didn’t have that before.”

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a city-wide ban of what are known as ‘PFAS’ or ‘forever chemicals,’ but replacement options still aren’t widely available and those that are seem be raising new safety concerns. Senior Investigator Bigad Shaban reports.

Milliken & Company, the textile firm that made the material for San Francisco’s latest uniforms, said the new type of gear “meets or exceeds” all industry standards for “breathability and thermal protection.”

“We refused to trade one hazard for another,” Marcio Manique, senior vice president and managing director of Milliken’s apparel business, noted in a written statement.

“It meets the strictest performance standards without adding weight or compromising breathability – giving firefighters exactly what they asked for.”

We refused to trade one hazard for another
Marcio Manique, senior vice president and managing director of Milliken’s apparel business

In San Francisco, the new gear underwent a 90-day test trial with 50 of the city’s own firefighters.

“What we did was we actually went through a really comprehensive testing process,” Chief Crispen told the Investigative Unit. “It went to the lab and received testing and everything came back great, so we feel strongly about this product.”