The San Francisco 49ers are speaking out and defending a newly implemented tailgating policy that has not bode well with fans.  

The new policy, dubbed directed parking, would allow parking lot attendants to direct cars to the next available parking spot. The team said it hopes the new policy will help with “reducing congestion, improved safety, enhanced accessibility, time savings and improved traffic.”   

Since the announcement, over 3,100 people have signed a Change.org petition saying the policy would make it harder for groups to park near one another and that its implementation is a sign of poor communication between the Niners and fans,  

“It’s just wrecking everything. It’s definitely going to hurt the experience because the tradition of football is tailgating as well,” said Niner Empire’s Joe Leonor, who started the petition. 

Despite pushback, the team said the implementation is all about safety.  

“Safety is our top priority,” the team told NBC Bay Area in a statement. “… And while we want to ensure all guests are able to enjoy themselves. Tailgating guidelines are in place to protect the safety of all guests and staff.”  

On the team’s website, the Niners acknowledged fans’ concerns and advised them to “sync your arrival or meet your party at a designated area near the stadium and caravan. Unfortunately, if you do not arrive at the same time, we cannot accommodate this request.”  

Avid tailgater Rey Pena said he hopes the team reconsiders the policy because it is a way for fans, friends, and family to get together.  

“We pride ourselves on our tailgates,” he said. “We show up hours before a tailgate just to get in line and to have this spot to set up so our loved ones, when they do show up, regardless of traffic, [they] can tailgate with us.” 

Mark Castanon, another avid tailgater, said changing the way fans can tailgate ruins their enthusiasm.  

“Tailgating’ is a way that family comes together. The faithful are family. And I have a lot of family out there in those tailgates,” Castanon said. “That’s what we look forward to. Of course, we love the game. Of course, we love the players. Of course, we love the team and the game, but … we get ready to go by going to the tailgates.” 

Stepping inside London Breed’s San Francisco apartment, you instantly feel her connection to generations of family that she says are bonded both by blood and by love.

“I remember this day when I took this picture,” she points at a photo of her kindergarten self. “I remember crying because I didn’t want to wear this shirt. Because I was wearing this shirt almost every day. So, it was like, ‘I want to wear a different shirt.’ I mean, even at five, I was a piece of work. I didn’t understand we didn’t have it to buy a different shirt it was like you’re going to wear what you have.”

She was raised by her grandmother Comelia, whose impact can be felt in each part of the mayor’s home which she’s rented for several years.

“Photos, if we were lucky enough to take any, you know it was a big deal, because now you have them on your cameras, but I don’t have a lot of pictures from when I was a kid,” she explained. “Because we didn’t have money for that.”

But to a young London, growing up in poverty and dependent on food stamps in the same city she now leads, she never could have imagined the shoes she’d later step into.

“I know what it feels like for people in positions like this to make decisions that negatively impact my community,” she explained, reflecting on her upbringing. “And I never want to be one of those people.”

To prepare to make decisions she hopes will carry a positive impact, each morning she tries to dedicate a moment just for herself. Making coffee, watering her beloved plants, and hopping on her Peloton bike for a ride with favorite Cody Riggsby while reviewing her notes for the day.

All with a reminder of her grandmother’s strength.

“A bit of that tough love that my grandmother it was like, you cannot live here unless you do your homework, make up your bed and clean up. There were rules, and I believe in rules,” said Breed. “I believe in structure and that allows for everyone to have an opportunity to be a part of a better community, a better society. I hope is that people learn that it’s not just politics. For me, it’s very personal.”

Her role as mayor has brought some healing to Breed, who recalls her own experience living among conditions she’s worked to improve during her six years in office.

“I know what that’s like, to count pennies, to roll up pennies and to go in with my 50 cents, you know, and try to buy something,” she said. “Being housing insecure and being afraid because of the violence, and being poor and broke and just feeling hurt and angry about everything all the time. It just was most of my life because we had no choice.”

But it’s a time she tries to apply in each decision she makes. 

“It is definitely a blessing to be able to go through that and to use those same experiences as a way to shape policy that could hopefully lead to better results for the people who have similar experiences like I do,” Breed said.

MORE MAYORAL CANDIDATE PROFILES IN THIS SERIES

Less than a week before the New York Jets’ first game, it’s an exciting time as the team looks to find the most success it has in over a decade.

However, one clear issue remains unsolved: the Haason Reddick drama. Reddick has yet to show up to anything for the Jets, a major concern as the season approaches.

Reddick signed a New York helmet earlier in the week, and while that doesn’t mean anything, it has led to some being hopeful that he’d show up. A day later, he wasn’t in the building.

He’s already been fined millions, but it doesn’t seem to bother the Pro Bowl edge.

For someone seeking a contract, it’s an interesting decision not to show up. If he doesn’t play for the entire year and the Jets don’t move him, the chances of getting paid are even slimmer.

No team in the NFL, including New York, would give a player who missed an entire season a massive contract.

It’s always possible that the situation gets resolved in the coming days, whether the Jets trade him or he comes in ready to play.

Nonetheless, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report named him the most likely trade candidate entering Week 1, focusing on the ongoing saga.

Knox listed landing spots for Reddick, which included the San Francisco 49ers.

“The New York Jets didn’t secure an extension with pass-rusher Haason Reddick when they acquired him in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. This has led to a notable standoff between the two parties… The Jets are rapidly running out of time, and Reddick is the most obvious trade candidate on our board. Unlike Ja’Marr Chase and Trent Williams, he’s a holdout who has never played a down with his current team. He’s also an accomplished pass-rusher who could help practically any defense—except, perhaps, New York’s.”

The 49ers have been hesitant to pay their own players, but recently got deals done for two important pieces to their team.

Reddick could land a contract with them if they believe he’s the missing defensive player on their roster, but they have some tough decisions to make in the future, so the chances of that happening seem slim.

With the year right here, it gets tougher by the day to see New York’s plan. Reddick clearly doesn’t want to be here, and if he doesn’t show up before Monday’s game, the Jets have to figure something out.