San Francisco, CA

SAN FRANCISCO: 239 square miles packed with life

Published

2 years ago

June 20, 2024

Press Room

SAN FRANCISCO: 239 square miles packed with life

Make no doubt about it.

My soul is in the Sierra but my heart is in San Francisco.

One of the great things about living in the Northern San Joaquin Valley aside from the fact it is a great place to live and you have the world’s largest and most varied “farmer’s market” in your backyard, is the fact we are nestled between San Francisco and Yosemite National Park.

You can go cosmopolitan one weekend and wild as nature intended the next.

And you don’t have to do it while living in an aging, cramped flat that rents for $3,500 a month or having to dig yourself out from under five feet of snow just to trek 25 miles to the store to get milk.

It’s almost a tragedy that people who end up living here don’t venture west to the ocean’s edge or east to the mountain’s crest with any regularity to sample the endless smorgasbord of manmade and natural delights.

People from all over the world travel here just so they can take in San Francisco and Yosemite.

My love affair with The City started as a kid.

We’d go to San Francisco several times a summer to stay with my late Aunt Grace Towle who was an emergency room nurse at St. Mary’s Medical Center.

She lived out in The Avenues off Clement Street that parallels Geary Boulevard in western San Francisco. Clement Street — as well as Geary — offers every imaginable dining option possible at significantly less than the restaurants in and around San Francisco tourist traps.

The most unusual restaurant I’ve ever been in was a Mexican restaurant on Clement Street owned by a Chinese immigrant who had a waitress who was Filipino and a cook who was a Greek national that immigrated to the United States after ending his career as a cook on a freighter ship.

The enchilada and chili relleno were the most unusual I ever had but what I remember was how all three of them, owner, waitress and cook, were open and engaging.

And if you want real great Mexican food, head to the Mission District. There are great mom and pop places left that will have your tastebuds thinking they’ve died and gone to Puerto Villa that the gentrification of the high-tech crowd hasn’t pushed out yet.

If you get away from Fisherman’s Wharf, Pier 39, the Embarcadero, Market Street, Union Square, and other high-profile locations there are countless nuggets awaiting.

Although, I confess if I’m anywhere near Pier 39 I’ll head to Chocolate Heaven and fork over $10 for two truffles.

There’s plenty of interesting places to go in a city with 49 hills, 239.84 square miles, and 865,000 residents without feeling you’re running into every tourist on the planet.

Everyone flocks to the block of Lombard Street on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth streets to go down the so-called “Most Crooked Street in the World” that switches back and forth going downhill to tame a 27 percent grade much like a slalom skier would.

Vermont Street, though, in Potrero Hill between 20th and 22nd streets, is just as crooked if not more yet has less traffic than a rural road in northern Alaska.

Given it is in more of a working-class neighborhood (if such a thing exists anymore in San Francisco), doesn’t have red paver bricks or ornate gardens, and is away from the beaten tourist paths it might be why most people haven’t heard of it.

There’s endless shopping. If you’re feeling rich you can head to Union Square and duck into Neiman Marcus and rifle through the few discount racks there and discover you’re too poor to be even a thrift shopper along the 1 percent.

Then there are endless boutiques in places like Haight Ashbury, the epicenter of the Summer of Love, where you won’t only find one-of-a-kind offerings but you won’t need to pay with an arm and a leg.

The dining and cultural offerings would fill a book. They range from the California Academy of Sciences and Steinhart Museum in the heart of the 1,017 acres composing Golden Gate Park as well as the Palace of Fine Arts to the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Live music from opera to underground music is available every night of the week. There’s live theatre, street performers, and everything in between.

There is a reason why San Francisco is rated as a world class city in the same league as Paris, London, and New York.

Then there are things that tug at your heart as in those “little cable cars that climb halfway to the stars.”

I must have ridden them two dozen times growing up. My last ride — although it was aborted — was my favorite.

I had driven Cynthia to Drake’s Beach at Point Reyes Seashore where I proposed and she said “yes.”

On the way home we stopped at Alioto’s at Fisherman’s Wharf for dinner. Even though the late May skies had turned threatening after sundown, we opted to hop aboard a cable car grabbing onto poles as we took the last two standing positions just as the rain started falling.

As we stood there kissing and apparently blocking the view of a middle-aged French tourist, he uttered “les imbeciles, sortir de la voie.”

Those few words changed the myth that all Frenchmen were romantics.

How can you be idiots in San Francisco where part of the view are people in love with life?

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco court clerks strike for better staffing, training

Published

12 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

San Francisco court clerks strike for better staffing, training

The people cheering and banging drums on the front steps of San Francisco’s Hall of Justice are usually quietly keeping the calendars and paperwork on track for the city’s courts.

Those court clerks are now hitting the picket lines, citing the need for better staffing and more training. It’s the second time the group has gone on strike since 2024, and this strike may last a lot longer than the last one.

Defense attorneys, prosecutors and judges agree that court clerks are the engines that keep the justice system running. Without them, it all grinds to a slow crawl.

“You all run this ship like the Navy,” District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder said to a group of city clerks.

The strike is essentially a continuation of an averted strike that occurred in October 2025.

“We’re not asking for private jets or unicorns,” Superior Court clerk employee Ben Thompson said. “We’re just asking for effective tools with which we can do our job and training and just more of us.”

Thompson said the training is needed to bring current employees up to speed on occasional changes in laws.

Another big issue is staffing, something that clerks said has been an ongoing issue since October 2024, the last time they went on a one-day strike.

Court management issued their latest statement on Wednesday, in which the court’s executive officer, Brandon Riley, said they have been at an impasse with the union since December.

The statement also said Riley and his team has been negotiating with the union in good faith. He pointed out the tentative agreement the union came to with the courts in October 2025, but it fell apart when union members rejected it.

California’s superior courts are all funded by the state. In 2024, Sacramento cut back on court money by $97 million statewide due to overall budget concerns.

While there have been efforts to backfill those funds, they’ve never been fully restored.

Inside court on Thursday, the clerk’s office was closed, leaving the public with lots of unanswered questions. Attorneys and bailiffs described a slightly chaotic day in court.

Arraignments were all funneled to one courtroom and most other court procedures were funneled to another one. Most of those procedures were quickly continued.

At the civil courthouse, while workers rallied outside, a date-stamping machine was set up inside so people could stamp their own documents and place them in locked bins.

Notices were also posted at the family law clinic and small claims courts, noting limited available services while the strike is in progress.

According to a union spokesperson, there has been no date set for negotiations to resume, meaning the courthouse logjams could stretch for days, weeks or more.

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San Francisco, CA

Which San Francisco Giants Prospects Are Real Depth vs. Marketing Names

Published

24 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Which San Francisco Giants Prospects Are Real Depth vs. Marketing Names

The San Francisco Giants are likely to break camp with one of their top prospects on the 26-man roster. But they’re all getting plenty of work in camp.

The thing is, just because a prospect doesn’t make a 26-man opening day roster doesn’t mean they can’t help a Major League team at some point in the season. Others, for now, are working on developing talent.

In this exercise, five prospects that are part of Major League camp were selected to determine if they’re real depth this season or if they’re marketing names — for now. Marketing names can become real depth before one knows it, such as the first Giants prospect listed.

Bryce Eldridge: Real Depth

San Francisco Giants Bryce Eldridge | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Eldridge has nothing left to prove at the minor league level after he was selected in the first round in the 2023 MLB draft. Back then, he was the classic example of a marketing name, one that creates buzz in the organization and with fans.

But, after more than two years of development and a taste of the Majors, he’s real depth. He’s expected to make the opening day roster and share time at first base and designated hitter with Rafael Devers, one of the game’s most established sluggers.

On Wednesday, he hit his first spring training home run, one of three in the 13-12 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Blake Tidwell: Real Depth

Tennessee pitcher Blake Tidwell | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Tidwell was acquired from the New York Mets in July in the Tyler Rogers trade. He only pitched in four games for the Mets, so he still has prospect status. But that MLB service time, combined with his early impressions in camp, make him real depth for a team that only has one or two spots available on the pitching staff.

Tidwell may not make the team out of camp for opening day. But he’s one of those prospects that could make his way to San Francisco during the season due to injury or underperformance. It’s an example of using the time in spring training wisely and paving the way for a future promotion.

Will Bednar: Real Depth

Mississippi St. Bulldogs pitcher Will Bednar. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The Giants have been waiting for their first-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft to pay off, and this might be the year that Will Bednar finally makes the jump to the Majors. He’s in Major League camp and he’s been converted into a reliever in the past couple of seasons.

He went 2-3 with a 5.68 ERA in 38 games, his full season as a reliever. But he’s impressed the new coaching staff during camp and there’s enough buzz around him to consider him a potential call-up during the season. He’s in his fifth professional season so the Rule 5 draft is a consideration this coming offseason.

Parks Harber: Marketing Name

For now, the young third baseman is going to create a lot of buzz in the farm system in 2026, but he isn’t a threat to anyone’s job yet. Picked up in the Camilo Doval trade, he only has 102 minor league games under his belt after he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Yankees. He got his first spring training hit on Wednesday. His career slash of .312/.413/.528 is encouraging but he hasn’t played higher than High-A Eugene.

Bo Davidson: Marketing Name

San Francisco Giants left fielder Bo Davidson. | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

The Giants signed Davidson as an undrafted free agent and he’s starting to generate real buzz in spring training as a non-roster invitee. He’s not quite real depth yet because he has yet to play above Double-A Richmond. But the way he’s playing in the spring he should be at Sacramento sometime this season, which puts him in the position to be real depth.

He’s hit well at every stop, but he showed off more power than ever last season. He hit a career-best 18 home runs and 70 RBI as he slashed .281/.376/.468. He played 42 games at Richmond last season.

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San Francisco, CA

Three Takeaways as Giants Suffer First Spring Training Loss of Campaign

Published

2 days ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Three Takeaways as Giants Suffer First Spring Training Loss of Campaign

The San Francisco Giants weren’t giving up that undefeated spring training slate without a fight, apparently.

Wednesday’s game between the Giants and the Milwaukee Brewers came down to a raucous ninth inning that saw the two teams combine for seven runs. Milwaukee had the final at-bat and rallied to win, 13-12.

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A lot happened in this one, not the least of which was Harrison Bader’s home run putting a dent in a food truck.

Here are three important takeaways from the game.

Adrian Houser’s Giants Debut

San Francisco Giants pitcher Adrian Houser. | Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Before this game got out of hand, Adrian Houser made his first spring training start and looked solid.

He pitched two innings, giving up three hits, one run and one walk. He also allowed a home run. He threw 36 pitches, 23 of which were strikes. The right-hander figures to be the third or fourth starter in the rotation, depending upon how San Francisco wants to line up Houser and Tyler Mahle behind Logan Webb and Robbie Ray.

Houser resurrected his career last season with the Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays, as he combined to go 8-5 with a 3.31 ERA in 21 starts, with 92 strikeouts and 38 walks in 125 innings. It was his best season since going 10-6 with Milwaukee in 2021.

Power Surge

San Francisco Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge. | Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The Giants are looking for more slug in their lineup in 2026. Part of that is a long-term project that included signing Willy Adames last offseason and trading for Rafael Devers last June. Both hit at least 30 home runs last season. That’s sustainable power for San Francisco. But they could use more and some of that was on display in Wednesday’s game.

Bader’s home run got a lot of attention. But two other Giants hit home runs, each slugging their first of spring training. Luis Matos, an outfielder that was the designated hitter, slammed one in the second inning. Then, Bryce Eldridge, who played first base, hit one in the third inning.

San Francisco’s ability to compete offensively with the top teams in the National League won’ just hinge on Adames and Devers. It will hinge on what others can produce, too. From that standpoint Wednesday was a good day.

Parkr Harber’s Instant Offense

San Francisco Giants infielder Parks Harber. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Parks Harber isn’t going to make the opening day roster. But that’s not expected. The top prospect, acquired in the Camilo Doval trade from the New York Yankees, is off to a solid start to his first spring training with the Giants.

He entered Wednesday’s game as a pinch-hitter and in his only at-bat he claimed a hit and drove in a run. It pushed his spring training batting average to .333. The downside? It was his first hit of spring training. But, the fact that a young player entered the game as a pinch hitter and drove in a run is a good sign for his ability to come off the bench later in his career and give the Giants something.

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