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San Francisco Bay Area colleagues recall working with Kamala Harris

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San Francisco Bay Area colleagues recall working with Kamala Harris


SAN FRANCISCO — On Sunday, President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who has deep ties to the Bay Area.

In 1998, Harris became assistant district attorney in San Francisco, prosecuting homicide, sexual assault, burglary and robbery cases. Two years later, Harris began working for then-city attorney Louise Renne, handling child abuse and neglect cases.

“We worked together quite closely during that period of time,” Renne told CBS News Bay Area on Sunday. “I found her very personable. She was easy to get along with. She was a strong person. On the personal level, I know Kamala to be a family person. I know her to be honest. I know her to be straightforward. I know her to be a determined person. I know her to care a lot about the things we as Americans care about: education and equality for everybody.”

Renne, who was the first female city attorney in San Francisco history, said there is one, specific day that is ingrained in her memory while Harris worked for her office.

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“When you’re dealing with family and children that are in the court system, obviously it’s not always for pleasant reasons. So when adoptions take place, that was a happy day because children were being adopted into a permanent home situation. So, I remember the first day that Kamala was going to be the head of the court proceeding for adoption. She came into my office with an armful of teddy bears. She said, ‘Louise, come on! It’s adoption day! We’ve got to go over, we’re going to hand out teddy bears!’” Renne said. “To me, that showed a real side of sensitivity and a warmness of heart that I have always remembered.”

Renne endorsed Harris’ bid to become San Francisco district attorney in 2002, a race in which she was the least-known among three candidates who included the incumbent, her former boss, Terence Hallinan.

Harris would win in a 2003 runoff, becoming the first person of color elected as district attorney of San Francisco. She was re-elected to a second term in 2007 after running unopposed.

During Harris’ second term as district attorney, Connie Chan was her aide. Chan, who is currently a San Francisco supervisor representing District 1, joined a long list of Democrats Sunday endorsing Harris to be the Democratic presidential nominee.

“I am who I am today because of her. She inspired me to run for office but, really, she inspired me to dedicate my life to public service,” Chan told CBS News Bay Area. “She hears everybody out about what the problem is then, on the spot, says ‘OK, then what is our solution today?’ She will not let people walk out of the room until we propose solutions to the problem. This is someone who is going to bring us together to problem solve.”

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Chan described Harris as hardworking, analytical and thoughtful.

“She doesn’t just jump into something because a press headline says so. It’s because she has really thought it through and she makes those decisions by putting people first instead of politics,” Chan said.

Renne is waiting for the process to play out before endorsing Harris but said she would not hesitate to support Harris if she’s chosen to be the Democratic nominee.

“If the Democrats select Kamala Harris to be the standard-bearer for the party? Absolutely! And will I campaign on her behalf? Absolutely. I have relatives all over the country. I have people I know all over the country. I would travel on the campaign trail, if need be,” Renne said. “She has a depth of experience of dealing with people at all levels. Not just at the top level but at all levels. When she was in the city attorney’s office, you weren’t dealing with rich people. You were dealing with poor people. You were dealing with families and children in stressful circumstances. So, you could see firsthand what is going on in real life. And I think that’s important for anybody in politics at a high decision level to really have that kind of a broad understanding. And Kamala has that kind of a broad understanding.”

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San Francisco could vote again on whether to allow cars on the Great Highway

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San Francisco could vote again on whether to allow cars on the Great Highway


In San Francisco’s Sunset District, controversy continues over what to do with the Great Highway.

Friday, the newly-appointed supervisor for that district, Alan Wong, confirmed he is running to keep his job. He also shared that he would support a ballot measure that would bring cars back to the now-closed stretch of road. Some residents in the district already said they would be prepared to fight back against that ballot measure if it came to fruition.

This has been a politically tumultuous year for the Sunset District. In November of 2024, San Francisco voters narrowly approved Proposition K, which moved to close the highway along Ocean Beach to cars and to transform it into a park. In March of 2025, the stretch of road was permanently closed to cars, and in April, the area was officially reopened as Sunset Dunes Park. In September, voters recalled then-Supervisor Joel Engardio, with many in the campaign against Engardio expressing frustration with his support for turning the Great Highway into a park. In November, Mayor Daniel Lurie appointed Isabella “Beya” Alcaraz as the new supervisor for District 4, only to have her resign a week later amid growing questions about her actions as a small business owner.

At the start of December, Mayor Lurie swore in Alan Wong as his new appointee to serve as supervisor in District 4. Wong grew up in the Sunset, attended Lincoln High School, and has served as both an elected member of the San Francisco City College Board of Trustees and as a legislative aid to former supervisor Gordon Mar.

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In an interview with NBC Bay Area on Friday, Wong shared that he has not hidden the fact that he voted no on Prop. K in the 2024 election. However, in his first three weeks in office, Wong said he set out to “have conversations with different constituent groups and listen to them” about the issues.

“After three weeks of listening and having these conversations, I believe that my values and how I voted before align with the majority of the district,” Wong said.

San Francisco Supervisor Alan Wong supports a ballot measure that calls for cars to return to the Great Highway.

“And as the district supervisor, I need to take a leadership role in representing the district that I am here to serve,” he continued.

Wong said he is now prepared to be one of the four supervisors supporting a ballot initiative to reopen the Great Highway to cars on weekdays.

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Molly Rose, with Sunset Parent Advocates, worries that when Wong was listening to community voices over the past three weeks, some voices may have been left out.

“If he talked to the Sunset residents, he didn’t talk to me, and he didn’t talk to us– the family groups I am a part of,” Rose said.

“We are all very pro-park, we use it very heavily as a park,” she continued.

Rose said there are several hundred parents involved with her group. As a parent, Rose said her children love going to the park there.

“Sunset Dunes is the place where I take my kids to have a safe place to play,” she said.

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Rose said that she has been asking for Wong to meet with her group, but has been waiting to hear back from his scheduling team.

Wong’s office confirmed that Rose is in touch with their office and that Wong’s scheduler is “actively coordinating a time” for them to meet.

“While I do think there is a very loud, anti-park contingent of people in the Sunset, I don’t think they’re the majority,” Rose emphasized.



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New SF supervisor supports reopening Great Highway on weekdays

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New SF supervisor supports reopening Great Highway on weekdays


SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Alan Wong, the new supervisor for District four in San Francisco, has publicly expressed his support for reopening the Great Highway to vehicles on weekdays. This statement comes amid ongoing debates surrounding the highway’s conversion into a park last spring, which was met with mixed reactions from the community.

The Great Highway was transformed into a public park earlier this year, a change that many residents have embraced, while some local neighbors have pushed back. Joel Engardio, the former supervisor who supported this conversion through Measure K, was recalled this year, highlighting the division among constituents in District four.

Wong, who was appointed as supervisor following Engardio’s recall, filed paperwork to run for the elected position on the board. His term is set to last until January 2027, during which he aims to solidify his platform around reopening the Great Highway.

In his statement, Wong emphasized, “I believe my values align with a majority of Sunset residents who support reopening the Great Highway to cars on weekdays. As a result, I am prepared to be one of four supervisors needed to sponsor a ballot initiative to restore that compromise.” This suggests Wong’s intent to address community concerns head-on while building a wider consensus.

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Prior to its conversion, the Great Highway allowed vehicles during the week and served as a park on weekends, a compromise Wong supports restoring. He aims to return to this model in response to feedback from local constituents.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.



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Women’s volleyball professional team headed to San Francisco

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Women’s volleyball professional team headed to San Francisco


Pro volleyball will soon be coming to San Francisco and this latest team is part of a surge of women’s sports.

League One Volleyball officially launched this year with six teams. Now the league has announced it’s expanding to nine teams, and that one of those expansion teams will be based in the city by the bay.

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Three-time Olympic volleyball medalist Kelsy Robinson Cook is on the ownership team for LOVB San Francisco, bringing professional volleyball to the city. “Can tell you it’s going to be amazing,” said Robinson Cook. “Then, when you bring in the fandom of the Bay Area and SF I think personally it’s going to make for an incredible atmosphere.”

Team ownership said starting a team in the Bay Area is a natural with colleges and universities in the region turning out top talent. “It’s the number one sport for women and girls and I think that just speaks volumes as to where we’re headed, not only in club and college, but professionally,” said Robinson Cook.

Pro women’s volleyball is part of a growing list of professional women’s sports teams calling San Francisco and the Bay Area home.

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The women’s professional baseball league announced plans for a team in San Francisco. Bay FC and the Golden State Valkyries are already proving there is a market for professional women’s sports.

When pro-volleyball was looking to expand, San Francisco was a natural choice. “You’re seeing Bay FC, the Valkyries, the success that they have, and this market loves sports, and they’ve also proven they love women’s sports,” said Robinson Cook.

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San Francisco leaders said the city has already proven that it supports pro-women’s teams, and will welcome professional volleyball. Mayor Daniel Lurie pointed to the city’s rich sports history and enthusiasm to support the home teams. “Now, as we saw with the Valkyries selling out every single home game last year, there is an appetite, there is a fan base, and this new league understands that,” said Mayor Lurie.

At this time, there are still a lot of questions up in the air, including exactly where LOVB San Francisco will play. Organizers say they have a lot of plans in the works to get the team ready to bump, set and spike starting in January 2027.

 

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