San Francisco, CA

One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: The Ultimate Travel Guide

Published

2 years ago

January 7, 2024

One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: The Ultimate Travel Guide

Here is the ultimate one day in San Francisco itinerary. If you only have 24 hours in San Francisco (or less!), it’s possible to fill your day with so many wonderful activities and famous attractions. Even though there are so many fun things to do in San Francisco, you can get a good feel for the city in only a day.

When I visited the city of San Francisco with my sister, we travelled there on a cruise ship. The cruise docked in San Francisco for a full day, from morning until night (8:00am to 11:00pm). With so many hours in port, we set out early for an exciting and complete day in SF.

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No matter if you’re visiting San Francisco on a cruise, a road trip of Northern California, or you’re only taking a day trip to San Francisco, you’ll find this travel guide super helpful. This is a great blog post for any first time visitors to San Francisco, too. Even if you have two days in San Francisco, you can take a leisurely approach and slowly check off everything on this list.

Quick Guide to San Francisco

Here are some of the best tours, activities, attractions and lodging in San Francisco. If you’re planning your trip at the last minute and you’re looking for must do activities, look no further!

Best Tours and Activities in San Francisco

Best Hotels and Accommodation in San Francisco

While this San Francisco itinerary might seem packed, it is totally doable! I did everything exactly as listed in San Francisco in a day. If you start in the morning and continue through until the evening, you will be able to see and do all of the things listed in this San Francisco travel guide.

One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Getting Around

First things first, let’s get to San Francisco. If you’re traveling from afar, I suggest flying to the San Francisco International Airport. Here’s where you’ll find the best prices on flights.

I don’t generally recommend renting a car in SF. Parking can be tricky to find, and it’s best to explore the city by public transportation or on your own two feet. However, if you are starting a road trip of California and would like your own car, here’s where you’ll find the best rates on car rentals in San Francisco.

For first timers, you may wish to experience a tour that will help acquaint you with the city and showcase the highlights. The San Francisco Love Tour does exactly that. You’ll ride in style in a 1970s VW bus on a two-hour sightseeing tour to see the city’s best landmarks and iconic spots.

Another great way to get from attraction to attraction is by taking the Hop On Hop Off Bus. This double-decker sightseeing bus travels between the most famous landmarks in SF. Travel at your own pace, hop off at any of the stops, and hop back on when you’re done.

One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: Pier 39

We started our day at Pier 39 in San Francisco because we wanted to visit the local sea lions. California sea lions are loud and hilarious creatures. You’ll witness them piled up together on the docks, playing with each other and barking away. In fact, you’ll probably hear them before you see them as they’re quite noisy!

How did a bunch of sea lions end up at Pier 39? After the Loma Prieta earthquake in October 1989, a few California sea lions began to gather on Pier 39’s K-Dock. K-Dock was completely swarmed by sea lions a couple of months later.

The marina staff reached out to The Marine Mammal Center (an organization that rescues and rehabilitates marine mammals), and they recommended that the sea lions stay at Pier 39. While the number of sea lions rises and falls with the seasons and food supply, they reached an all-time record of 1701 in November 2009!

If you visit K-Dock on Thursday – Monday from 11:30am to 5:00pm, you can meet with conservation experts from The Marine Mammal Center about the best measures we can take to protect the sea lions and our oceans. In spring 2024, The Marine Mammal Center’s Sea Lion Spot will open behind the sea lion viewing area at K-Dock, featuring an informative and educational exhibit and retail space.

One Day in San Francisco: Fisherman’s Wharf

After you’ve seen the California sea lions, continue walking around Fisherman’s Wharf. Fisherman’s Wharf is the area between Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square. This is a very touristy area with expensive souvenir shops and crowds of people, though it’s an iconic place you should see when you spend one day in San Francisco.

Even if you don’t spend much time here, simply go for a wander around Fisherman’s Wharf and take in the sights and sounds. I have to admit that we only spent a short amount of time walking around here, though we did love the waterfront views.

At Fisherman’s Wharf, we hopped aboard the cable car, which I’ll explain in more detail in the next section. As we walked down the street, we even spotted some old decommissioned cable cars, including a TTC cable car from Toronto! We weren’t expecting to see a little piece of home in SF.

This is also where boats depart to Alcatraz Island if you’ve decided to take a tour there. Wander over to the ferry building at Pier 33 to find your boat tour to Alcatraz. Make sure you book your Alcatraz tour in advance.

Ride the Cable Car to Lombard Street

One day in San Francisco: Ride the historic cable car

Next, we’re going to make our way to Lombard Street. The best way to travel there is by cable car. When you think of San Francisco, this famous mode of transportation may come to mind. It’s one of the best things to do in San Francisco in a day. Plus, San Francisco is so hilly that you’ll save yourself some hill walking in the process.

First, you’ll want to download the MuniMobile app on your smartphone. This is the easiest way to purchase tickets for public transportation, so you won’t have to fumble around looking for exact change. If you think that you’ll ride the historic streetcars, trains or buses more than once in a day, it’s worth getting a day pass.

A day pass guarantees unlimited rides on all forms of Muni public transportation in San Francisco throughout the day. It’s one low price for the day and you can purchase a day pass through the app just as you would a bus / historic cable car ticket.

Walk to the Friedel Klussmann Memorial Turnaround, the cable car terminus on Hyde Street. It is named for Friedel Klussmann who saved the San Francisco cable car system in the 1940s and 1950s. She also pioneered the San Francisco Beautiful organization in 1947. We boarded the cable car and rode it to Lombard Street.

San Francisco in a Day: Walk Down Lombard Street

Even if you only have one day in San Francisco, you need to check out Lombard Street. It’s one of the most unique, curvy, and crooked streets in the world. Lombard Street covers one city block down a steep hill with eight hairpin turns. Believe it or not, Lombard Street is one of the top tourist attractions in SF.

Lombard Street is flanked by mansions and manicured gardens that will leave you in awe. As it’s so incredibly picturesque and wildly curved, it is one of the most photographed streets in the world. Don’t miss experiencing this zig zag street for yourself.

Lombard Street - One day in San Francisco, California

From the top of Lombard Street looking down, you’ll be able to admire stunning scenery of the city looking out to San Francisco Bay. As the naturally steep grade of the street was too dangerous for cars, the road was adapted to include eight switchback turns. It’s also much safer for pedestrians, too.

Stick to the sidewalks at the side of the road and be mindful of the cars that are slowly driving around the corners. Some of them may accidentally hop the curb at times, so be on the lookout when cars pass by. Make your way down to the bottom of Lombard Street and gaze upwards for a new perspective.

Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower

One of the most recognizable structures when viewing San Francisco’s cityscape is Coit Tower, which sits atop Telegraph Hill. Coit Tower, also known as Coit Memorial Tower, is the main feature at Pioneer Park. It stands at 210 feet tall and it was completed in 1933.

We walked from the bottom of Lombard Street to Telegraph Hill, which is about a 20 to 25 minute walk. On Google Maps, the jaunt looks pretty simple, though there are some uphill climbs that can be expected just about anywhere you go in the city. San Francisco is very hilly!

View from Telegraph Hill — Views from Telegraph Hill

From the observation deck at this historic building, you can enjoy sweeping panoramic views of the city and the Pacific Ocean. Visiting the tower itself is free. Make sure to take a look at the murals inside the base of the tower. They were painted in 1934 by artists employed by the Public Works of Art Project. They showcase life in California during the Depression.

Murals in Coit Tower - One day in San Francisco, California

It is free to check out the tower’s observation deck, as long as you don’t mind taking the stairs to the top. There is a fee to use the 90-year old elevator. You can also pay a small fee for a guided tour of Coit Tower, including more thorough explanations of the intriguing murals that were quite controversial at the time. More details are available on the San Francisco Recreation & Parks website.

Lunch at Wildseed

Wildseed is a vegan restaurant in San Francisco where eating well is not only nutritious, but also delicious. Their lunch menu features small bites, such as spicy cucumbers, smoked white bean hummus and baba ghanoush.

For the main course, you can choose between sharable plates, full plates, salads, bowls and pizza. Whether it’s spicy yellow curry, a plant-based chicken sandwich, or a spicy sausage pizza, you’ll surely discover some tasty and special dishes at this San Francisco plant-based restaurant.

Coffee at Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters

Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters is not too far from Wildseed, so you can opt for a coffee either before or after lunch, depending on your schedule. In my case, I went for a coffee after lunch for a little pick-me-up before I continued the rest of my day in San Francisco.

Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters - One day in San Francisco, California

Located in the Cow Hollow neighborhood of San Francisco, Wrecking Ball Coffee offers a full-service cafe with a full menu of espresso drinks, brewed coffee, hand-crafted pour-over coffee, as well as a selection of teas and herbal tisanes. I had to try one of their hand-crafted pour-over coffees, and it was heavenly.

One Day in San Francisco Itinerary: The Painted Ladies

After lunch and coffee, it’s time to embark on the second half of our day in San Francisco. First up, it’s the Painted Ladies, a row of colorful houses made famous from their appearance in the intro for Full House. From Wrecking Ball Coffee Roasters, it’s about a 40 minute walk through town. Although we walked, you could easily take the bus instead.

The Painted Ladies, also known as the Seven Sisters or Postcard Row, is the row of Victorian houses at 710–720 Steiner Street across from Alamo Square Park. When you walk up the hill at Alamo Square Park, you’ll be treated to a view of these brightly painted houses with an impressive city skyline backdrop.

While these are among the most famous “Painted Ladies”, the term refers to any Victorian or Edwardian house (or any historic home, really) painted in three or more colors. These old homes began to be painted in the 1960s during the “Colorist Movement”.

While San Francisco’s Painted Ladies are a bright and cheery location to visit, most people recognize them from the opening credits of Full House. Some tourists even refer to these homes as the Full House houses. It’s even possible to book a tour inside one of the Painted Ladies. The homeowner of the blue home (#712) offers guided tours of the top three floors of their home.

24 Hours in San Francisco: Haight-Ashbury

The Summer of Love Experience mural - One day in San Francisco, California

From the Painted Ladies, we walked to the corner of Haight Street and Ashbury Street, the center of the counterculture movement in the 1960s. As someone who studied English and history at university and even took some courses about countercultures, I was really excited to visit Haight-Ashbury in person.

Colorful Haight-Ashbury - One day in San Francisco, California

Hearts on ground Haight-Ashbury - One day in San Francisco, California

Street art Haight-Ashbury - One day in San Francisco, California

Back in the day, the community and neighborhood surrounding Haight-Ashbury was a gathering spot for hippies and the center of the hippie subculture and the psychedelic rock movement. The Summer of Love happened during the summer of 1967 when 100,000 young people descended upon Haight-Ashbury.

There were overwhelming messages supporting free love, no war, living communally, and dropping out of society (hence the phrase “turn on, tune in, drop out”). This also involved taking psychedelic drugs and listening to hippie music.

Flower power and the spirit of the Summer of Love are alive and well in The Haight. I loved seeing all of the colorful murals and brightly painted Victorian homes. There are quite a few shops featuring everything from vintage goods to luxury wares. There’s no shortage of tie dye clothing. Pop by Amoeba Music, a famous record store where there are occasionally free live concerts.

Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park

While Golden Gate Park is a beautiful green space in San Francisco and I highly recommend seeing as much of it as possible, don’t miss visiting the Japanese Tea Garden. This is the oldest operating Japanese Garden in North America where you’ll experience a little slice of Japan in San Francisco.

Japanese Tea Garden at Golden Gate Park - One day in San Francisco, California

Visit the traditional Japanese tea house for a cup of tea or a light bite in a serene setting. Wander around the tranquil environment of this botanical garden, surrounded by Japanese maples, flowering azaleas, and cherry trees. Cherry blossom season arrives in March and April, so you can time your visit to San Francisco accordingly.

Some famous landmarks at the Japanese Tea Garden include the Buddha (cast in 1790 in Japan and donated to the garden), the Zen Garden, the Arched Drum Bridge and the Pagoda. You can take a 60-minute guided tour of the garden or explore on your own. I love peaceful gardens and feel this is one of the best places to visit in San Francisco.

Baker Beach at Sunset (Views of Golden Gate Bridge)

Let’s end our perfect day in San Francisco with a bang! From Golden Gate Park, walk to Baker Beach for epic sunset views. It’s about a 30 minute walk or you can take public transportation for a 13 minute ride. Baker Beach offers some of the most amazing views of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge at sunset.

Not only can you witness some of the best views of the Golden Gate Bridge, but the sunset here is magnificent. Watch the sun drop down below the horizon on a long stretch of beach that doesn’t get too busy.

Dinner at Nourish Cafe

After taking in those brilliant sunset views, it’s time for a nourishing meal at Nourish Cafe. They have two locations in San Francisco, so take your pick between their establishment in the Richmond District or Nob Hill.

This is a 100% plant-based cafe that uses organic, whole food and non-GMO ingredients to create healthy and flavorful meals. The menu features bowls, sandwiches, toasts, smoothies, smoothie bowls, a soup of the day and more.

We ordered two hearty and delicious bowls, the Nourish Bowl and the Bap Bowl. These were full of veggies and topped with savory dressings. After a long day out exploring, these meals were both filling and energizing. There’s no shortage of good food in SF, especially when it comes to vegan eats.

Where to Stay in San Francisco

If you’re only spending one day in San Francisco, you’ll want to make sure you are centrally located near all the action. After all, you’ll need as much time as possible to experience the city to its fullest.

For a hotel in the heart of Fisherman’s Wharf (where I begin this one day in San Francisco itinerary), I recommend staying overnight at the Riu Plaza Fisherman’s Wharf. This highly rated, four-star property is only a 10-minute walk from Pier 39. You can also enjoy an outdoor swimming pool, outdoor fire pits, and spacious rooms.

The Hotel Nikko San Francisco is another excellent choice. Situated in the middle of San Francisco near Union Square, Hotel Nikko offers a brilliant location for an amazing day in San Francisco. It’s a five-star hotel with many amenities, like a terrace, an on-site restaurant with plant-based offerings, and city views from your room. This is one of the best luxury hotels in the city that won’t break the bank.

More Accommodations in San Francisco

Here is a really handy map that lists all hotels, apartments and accommodations in San Francisco. Enter your travel dates for more precise information. Click each property to learn more and then you can book your stay.

Year 1 of the Lurie era is done. Here’s how he kept — or whiffed — his biggest promises

Published

8 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Year 1 of the Lurie era is done. Here’s how he kept — or whiffed — his biggest promises

On Jan. 8 of last year, San Francisco tried on its new mayor like a pair of Levi’s 501 jeans.

So far, it has liked the fit.

For 365 days, Mayor Daniel Lurie has taken swings at solving the city’s ills: scrambling to scrap the fentanyl scourge, working to house the homeless, and shaking his proverbial pompoms with enough vigor to cheerlead downtown back to life.

So is San Francisco all fixed now?

The eye test tells one story. The data tell another. But politics is more than paper gains and policy battles. It’s also a popularity contest — and Lurie has categorically been winning his, riding high on a stratospheric 71% approval rating.

Lurie’s rainbow-filled Instagram posts have gone a long way toward soothing locals’ doom-loop fears, but the political fortress he’s built over the past year could easily crumble.

After all, his predecessors as mayor, London Breed and the late Ed Lee, each enjoyed positive approval ratings (opens in new tab) in their first year in office. But the honeymoons lasted only about that long before voters gradually soured on their performance. Should San Franciscans’ adulation for Lurie similarly ebb, his policies might meet more resistance.

Still, if there’s one pattern with Lurie’s efforts in his freshman year, it’s this: While he hasn’t achieved all of his lofty goals, he has fundamentally changed how the city approaches many of its problems, potentially setting up success for future years.

As we enter Lurie: Year 2, here’s a rundown of where the mayor has delivered on his campaign promises, where he’s been stymied, and why voters may continue to give him the benefit of the doubt. At least, for now.

Misery on the streets

Jason Henry for The Standard

Headwinds: While Candidate Lurie promised to declare a fentanyl “state of emergency” on his first day in office, he quickly found it wasn’t legal to do so. (Per the city’s administrative codes, an emergency needs to be sudden and unforeseen; the fentanyl epidemic was neither.) Instead, the mayor asked the Board of Supervisors to grant him similar powers that an emergency declaration would have afforded him, and they agreed. But as Lurie touted his efforts to curb drug use on Sixth Street, all those drug dealers just moseyed on down to the Mission. The mayor’s first year in office ended with 588 drug overdose deaths, according to the office of the medical examiner (opens in new tab). That’s an improvement from the 635 in 2024, but it’s still an appalling body count — and December 2025 isn’t even part of the official tally yet.

Silver linings: The mayor employed his newfound powers to speed up approvals of initiatives, notching well-publicized wins, like fast-tracking the 822 Geary stabilization center, where police can place mentally ill folks instead of arresting them. It’s got a 25% better success rate at connecting patients to treatment than previous facilities, according to city data, part of a noted change for the better in the Tenderloin. And while some of the police’s high-profile drug busts didn’t net, you know, actual drug dealers, law-and-order-hungry San Franciscans were just happy to see batons fly.

Shelter-bed shuffle

Source: Manuel Orbegozo for The Standard

Headwinds: On the campaign trail, Lurie talked a big game about his nonprofit experience, which he claimed had allowed him to cinch deals to create shelter that seasoned politicians had been too slow to enact. He even promised 1,500 treatment and recovery beds built for homeless folks in just six months. By midyear, he had backed off that promise. The real number of beds Lurie created in 2025 is about 500, and that’s after 12 months — twice the amount of time he gave himself.

Silver linings: Housed San Franciscans gauge success on homelessness with their eyeballs, not bureaucrats’ spreadsheets. By that measure, Lurie is succeeding. As of December, the city counted (opens in new tab) just 162 tents and similar structures, almost half as many as the previous year. (And as a stark counter to what some would call an achievement, for people on the streets, that can mean danger — without a thin layer of nylon to hide in, homeless women say they are experiencing more sexual assaults.) And drug markets haven’t vanished; they just moved to later hours. But are folks really getting help? Rudy Bakta, a man living on San Francisco’s streets, would tell you no, as he’s stuck in systemic limbo seeking a home. He’s just one of thousands.

Reviving the economy

Headwinds: Lurie asked for (opens in new tab) “18 to 24 months” to see downtown booming again, so we shouldn’t ding him for Market Street’s continued slow recovery. Foot traffic downtown has generally risen, reaching 80% of pre-pandemic levels by midyear, but slumped to roughly 70% as of November. While it doesn’t sound like much, that’s a reversal of the rising trend the city controller had projected. Office attendance is also slipping. It had risen past 45% of pre-pandemic occupancy in January 2025 but by the fall had slid below 40%.

Other economic indicators are wobbly too. Hotel occupancy “lost steam” in November, the controller wrote, nearing pre-pandemic levels in the summer but dipping below 2019 levels in the fall. The poster child for downtown’s troubles is undoubtedly the San Francisco Centre, the cavernous, and soon tenantless, shell of its former self. And while public employee unions are undoubtedly happy that promised layoffs were avoided, Lurie’s light hand in his first-ever budget pushed some even harder decisions to 2026’s budget season.

Silver linings: There’s a brighter story to tell outside the Financial District: Neighborhoods are where the action is nowadays. Just ask anyone dining at one of Stonestown Galleria’s 27 restaurants. This is where Lurie’s Instagram account (opens in new tab) truly has generated its own reality, crafting an image of a retail and restaurant renaissance. While that neighborhood vibrancy may lead some to shrug their shoulders concerning downtown’s continuing malaise, it’s worth noting that San Francisco’s coffers depend on taxes generated by the businesses nestled in those skyscrapers. There’s a reason we had a nearly $800 million budget deficit last year.

Fully staffing the SFPD

Headwinds: At first glance, Lurie appears on track to meet his campaign promise to staff up the city’s police force. “I’ve talked with current command staff and former command staff. We can recruit 425 officers in my first three years. We will get that done,” he said at a 2024 League of Women Voters forum. True to his word, the SFPD hired and rehired roughly 144 officers last year. There’s just one problem: The department recalculated the number of officers it needs in order to be fully staffed, raising the number to 691. And the police academy, which already struggled with graduating officers, might be hampered in the aftermath of a cadet’s death, after which top brass reassigned the academy’s leadership.

Silver linings: Crime is trending down, and that’s what voters care about, full stop. The reduction is part of a national trend (opens in new tab), yes, but San Francisco’s rates are experiencing an exceptional drop. Really, Lurie really should be sending Breed a thank-you card. Her March 2024 ballot measure Proposition E (opens in new tab) gave the SFPD carte blanche to unleash a bevy of technological tools to enable arrests, including drones and license plate readers, which have seen noted success. “Soon as you slide past that motherf—er with stolen plates, they’re gonna issue a warning to every SFPD station in that area, if not the entire city … and they start dispatching to that area,” rapper Dreamlife Rizzy said in a recent podcast, as reported by the New York Post (opens in new tab). That is music to any crime-fighting mayor’s ears.

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San Francisco, CA

Downtown San Francisco Immigration Court Set to Close In a Year

Published

20 hours ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

Downtown San Francisco Immigration Court Set to Close In a Year

The federal immigration court in downtown San Francisco that started 2025 with 21 judges and will soon be down to just four, thanks to Trump administration mass-firings, will close by January 2027.

News arrived Wednesday that federal officials are planning to shut down the immigration court at 100 Montgomery Street in San Francisco by the end of the year, and transfer all or most immigration court activity to the court in Concord. Mission Local reported the news via a source close to the situation, and KTVU subsequently confirmed the move.

Jeremiah Johnson, one of the SF judges who was fired this past year, serves as vice president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, and confirmed the news to KTVU.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review, which oversees immigration court operations, has yet to comment.

As Mission Local reports, a smaller set of courtrooms at the other SF immigration facility and ICE headquarters at 630 Sansome Street will remain open for business.

The Concord immigration court saw five judge fired last year, though two had not yet begun hearing any cases. Seven judges remain at that court, and four remaining judges based at 100 Montgomery are expected to be transferred there by this summer.

Mission Local previously reported that out of 21 judges serving at the courthouse last spring, 13 have been fired in recent months, and four others are scheduled for retirement by the end of this month.

This is happening as the court has a backlog of some 120,000 pending cases.

As Politico reported last month, the Trump administration has fired around 98 immigration judges out of the 700 who had been serving as of early last year.

Olivia Cassin, a fired judge based in New York, said this was by design, and, “It’s about destroying a system where cases are carefully considered by people with knowledge of the subject matter.”

This is all perfectly legal, as Politico explained, because immigration judges serve in administrative courts as at-will employees, under the purview of the Department of Justice — and do not have the same protections as the federal judiciary bench.

A spokesperson for the DOJ has said that the department is “restoring integrity to our immigration system and encourages talented legal professionals to join in our mission to protect national security and public safety,” following “four years of the Biden Administration forcing Immigration Courts to implement a de facto amnesty for hundreds of thousands of aliens.”

Johnson also spoke to Politico suggesting that this recruitment language by the DOJ is disingenuous, and that the real intention is just to cripple the entire court system and prevent most legal immigration cases from being heard.

“During Trump One, when I was appointed, there was a policy that got some pushback called ‘No Dark Courtrooms.’ We were to hear cases every day, use all the [available] space,” Johnson said, speaking to Politico. “Now, there’s vacant courtrooms that are not being utilized. And any attempts by the administration saying they’re replacing judges — the math just doesn’t work if you look at the numbers.”

Two Democrats in the House, Reps. Dan Goldman of New York and Zoe Lofgren of California, have recently introduced legislation that would move immigration courts out of the Executive branch, but that seems likely to go nowhere until Democrats regain control in Congress.

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco supervisors call for hearing into PG&E’s massive blackout

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

San Francisco supervisors call for hearing into PG&E’s massive blackout

SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco supervisors are calling for a hearing by the board into the massive power outage in the city last month.

Calls for a hearing

What we know:

Supervisor Alan Wong and other lawmakers say residents deserve answers about the outage on December 20, which, at its height, affected about a third of the city.

Wong added that the credits offered by Pacific Gas and Electric are insufficient to cover lost food, wages and many other disruptions. The utility has offered customers and businesses impacted by the Dec. 20 blackout $200 and $2,500 respectively.

Wong in a statement said power was gradually restored during the initial outage, but that periodic outages continued for several days and that full restoration was achieved on Dec. 23.

“This was not a minor inconvenience,” said Sup. Wong. “Families lost heat in the middle of winter. Seniors were stranded in their homes. One of my constituents, a 95-year-old man who relies on a ventilator, had to be rushed to the hospital at 2 a.m. People watched their phones die, worried they would lose their only connection to 911.”

Wong’s office had sent the utility a letter after previous outages on Dec. 7 and Dec. 10, regarding the utility’s lack of reliability. The letter called the frequency of the outages unacceptable.

PG&E agreed with Wong’s office’s characterization of service specific to the Sunset District and met with the supervisor.

Despite this development, the root cause of the outage on Dec. 20, that impacted some 130,000 residents citywide, was due to a substation fire near Mission and 8th streets. That fire remains under investigation.

Wong thanked fellow supervisors Bilal Mahmood, Connie Chan, Stephen Sherrill, Danny Sauter, and Myrna Melgar for co-sponsoring his request. The boardmembers have asked board President Rafael Mandelman to refer their request to the appropriate committee.

Wong is separately submitting a letter of inquiry to the SF Public Utilities Commission requesting an analysis of cost and implementation of what it would take for San Francisco to have its own publicly-owned electrical grid.

The other side:

A PG&E spokesperson addressed the board on Tuesday, asking for the hearing to be scheduled after they get results of an independent investigation.

“We have hired an independent investigator company named Exponent to conduct a root-cause investigation. We are pushing for it to be completed as soon as possible with preliminary results by February which we will share with the city,” said Sarah Yoell with PG&E government affairs. “We are proud of our ongoing investments to serve San Francisco.”

Yoell assured the utility would be transparent with whatever they find.

PG&E added that they have met all state requirements and that they have a current Safety Certificate approved by OEIS (Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety).

Loss of inventory

Abdul Alomari, co-owner of Ember Grill in the Tenderloin, said his business lost electricity during the massive outage.

“It’s not just me. Across the street, all these restaurants here, nearby businesses. It hurst a lot of people. I’m just one small voice from so many people here that got hurt,” said Alomari.

He plans to attend the PG&E hearing and said Tenderloin merchants already have a tough time.

“Less people come here, the Tenderloin, Every single bit of help helps. It doesn’t help that every three months we get a power outage for four hours and we lose business,” said Alomari.

He said compensation from PG&E alone is not the answer. He wants reliability and stability.

“That’s only short time if we have things like this happen all the time, eventually it’ll off set what we get,” Alomari said.

The Source: PG&E statement, interviews with the supervisors, interview with a restaurant owner and original reporting by Amber Lee.

PG&ESan FranciscoNews

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