San Francisco is charging ahead with its plan to prosecute drug dealers as murderers as the city reels from record-levels of overdose deaths and rampant public drug use — a central topic in the city’s mayoral race.
“Harm reduction from my perspective is not reducing the harm,” the city’s mayor, London Breed, said at a rally Monday, as residents marched in the streets and demanded solutions from leaders to address the city’s crippling drug crisis.
As Ms. Breed faces criticism in her re-election campaign for the city’s drug policies, she is taking a tougher-on-drugs approach, backing a contentious ballot proposition that would screen welfare recipients for drug addiction, as the Sun has reported.
In October, Ms. Breed, Governor Newsom, and the city’s district attorney and police chief announced a law enforcement task force to investigate opioid-connected deaths in the city. The task force aims to treat opioid deaths like homicide cases, Mr. Newsom said in an announcement, adding that it will investigate, gather evidence, analyze data, and disrupt distribution networks in San Francisco to hold dealers accountable.
Advertisement
The city is in its final stages of assembling the task force, NBC Bay Area reported after an interview with the city’s district attorney, Brooke Jenkins, and the task force is expected to be fully operational this spring.
When asked about her response to critics who said the dealers are the low-level criminals and that the manufacturer and suppliers are the greater threat, Ms. Jenkins said the drug crisis requires attention at all levels.
“We can’t simply ignore the people who are out on our streets selling death while we only go after suppliers. We have to be attacking this on all fronts,” she said, adding that the dealers’ actions have been taking over neighborhoods, posing a threat to children and adults on their way to school and work. “The status quo isn’t working and it hasn’t been working.”
When the task force was first announced, Mr. Newsom said it was because victims deserved peace.
“The opioid crisis has claimed too many, and fentanyl traffickers must be held accountable including, as appropriate, for murder,” Mr. Newsom said in a statement, adding that the state will provide treatment for drug addicts but will also work to “secure justice for families who have lost loved ones.”
Advertisement
Ms. Breed echoed his statements, adding that she was putting people “on notice” that pushing fentanyl could lead to homicide charges.
Daylight saving time is here, and San Francisco residents have ample opportunities to take advantage of the extended sunlight.
Here are some of the top events to check out this week in The City.
San Francisco Camerata concert (Monday)
Advertisement
The San Francisco chamber orchestra comes to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church at 1111 O’Farrell St. for a night featuring violinist Eric Silberger and other Bay Area musicians. They will play “Serenade for Strings” by Antonin Dvorak and Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1.
An evening with Marc Teicholz and Eric Zivian (Monday)
Guitarist Marc Teicholz perform preludes by Frederic Chopin and Sergio Assad with help from guitarist Eric Zivian.
Marta Lindsey chats with Nancy Botkin (Tuesday)
Local park experts and San Francisco residents Marta Lindsey and Nancy Botkin will stop by Bookshop’s West Portal location to chat about “Discovering Golden Gate Park: A Local’s Guide.” Written by the pair, the 210-page book gives readers recommendations on how to best spend their days at the urban attraction.
Advertisement
Author Marta Lindsey’s 210-page book “Discovering Golden Gate Park: A Local’s Guide” features contributions from walking and biking tour designer Nancy Botkin.
Courtesy Marta Lindsey
Advertisement
Cindy Cohn chats with Cory Doctorow (Tuesday)
Electronic Frontier Foundation Executive Director Cindy Cohn talks with journalist Cory Doctorow about the former’s new book, “Privacy’s Defender: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Digital Surveillance.” Releasing Tuesday, the book documents three legal privacy battles that Cohn helped oversee throughout her career.
The sold-out conversation will take place at City Lights Booksellers, and it will also be broadcast on Zoom. It starts at 7 p.m.
Ukrainian Games Festival (Tuesday-Wednesday)
This two-day pop-up will bring cultural dishes, a charity auction and photo opportunities celebrating Ukrainian heritage to the Consulate General of Ukraine. Attendees will also be able to try demonstrations of upcoming games made by Ukrainian developers, such as the stock market simulation-game “Stonks-9800” and the point-and-click puzzle adventure game “Tukoni.”
Advertisement
‘Moving San Francisco Lunchtime Talks’ (Wednesday)
Held by the San Francisco Arts Commission on the second Wednesday of every month through June, this event brings Muni historians, operators, riders, artists and other artists for conversations exploring the different themes of “Moving San Francisco: Views from the SFMTA Photo Archive 1903-Now.” On display at City Hall, the exhibition chronicles more than 120 years of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s history.
Guests will meet in the North Light Court of City Hall at noon, with this month’s edition centered on cable cars.
Free art workshop (Wednesday)
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts invites participants to explore lines, color and artworks’ compositions by painting miniature rocks. The workshop is inspired by “Double Horizon,” Sarah Sze’s public sculpture in the Yerba Buena Gardens.
Advertisement
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts’ latest workship is inspired by “Double Horizon,” Sarah Sze’s public sculpture in the Yerba Buena Gardens.
Courtesy Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Advertisement
Participants can register online, and they will get to take their creations home. All materials will be provided for the session, which runs from 2 to 4 p.m.
‘Nintendo in Concert’ (Wednesday)
The Sixth Station Trio, a group of local San Francisco musicians, will perform musical scores from some of the Japanese game publisher’s famous franchises including “Animal Crossing,” “The Legend of Zelda” and “Super Smash Bros.” Held at Grace Cathedral, the pieces have been arranged for cello, piano and violin, with the performers sharing personal anecdotes about gaming in between songs.
‘Flourish: Art of Abundance’ (Thursday)
Root Division’s annual fundraiser will bring ready-to-buy artworks, panel discussions and other conversations to the arts organization’s Mission Street headquarters. An after party features music by DJ Umami, drinks by the Stud Bar and light bites from the Pawn Shop.
Advertisement
“It’s so rare to have such a long-standing, unique partnership,” ballet director Tamara Rojo said. “It deserves to be celebrated”
Advertisement
Mayor and Board of Supervisors president want voters to reform City Charter to centralize authority, make it harder to qualify ballot measures
The nets were installed in 2024 as a suicide prevention measure after advocacy from survivors like Kevin Hines, who is producing a new documentary about them
Advertisement
Advertisement
‘The MIX Indie Games Gallery’ (Thursday-Friday)
SFMOMA is teaming up with the Media Indie Exchange to turn the museum’s Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box into a pop-up featuring game developers who focus on innovative gameplay and diverse representation with their content. The event is free with museum admission.
SFMOMA’s pop-up games gallery is located inside the Gina and Stuart Peterson White Box on the museum’s fourth floor.
Advertisement
Courtesy Myleen Hollero
SFMOMA’s pop-up is located on the museum’s fourth floor. It is open on Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Luther S. Allison’s residency (Thursday-Sunday)
The singer-songwriter and guitarist will play a four-day residency at the Black Cat Jazz Supper Club. The North Carolina musician is known for blending blues and gospel music with the bebop and soul genres.
Advertisement
Tickets are available online, ranging in price from $20 to $50. The supper club is located at 400 Eddy St., with early and late shows taking place.
‘Pearls of Sorrow’ (Friday)
Members of the San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale return to Herbst Theatre for a performance that pairs 17th- and 18th-century African American and European spiritual hymns. The program features conductor Christine Brandes and countertenor Reginald Mobley.
‘Rogue Gestures/Foreign Bodies’ (Friday)
Based in San Francisco, members of the Nava Dance Theatre will perform a piece inspired by the oral histories of Indian nurses who came to the United States as a result of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act. The performance combines live music and experimental movement with bharatanatyam, a classical Indian dance.
Advertisement
Tickets are available online, ranging from $27.45 to $40. The 90-minute show, which starts at 8 p.m., takes place at Dance Mission Theater.
‘A View from the Throne: Gina Schock — Inside The Go-Go’s’ (Saturday)
The Haight Street Art Center will examine one of rock music’s most famous all-female bands by highlighting archival materials, posters, photography and other rare ephemera from Gina Schock, the group’s drummer and a songwriter. Displayed items incude costumes, personal letters, Schock’s drum kit and band memorabilia.
The exhibition’s opening party runs from 5 to 9 p.m. The art center is located at 215 Haight St.
San Francisco Giants Fan Fest Tour (Saturday)
Advertisement
Oracle Park’s doors will open to baseball fans for an afternoon of autographs, player meet-and-greets, stadium tours and photo opportunities with the team’s three World Series trophies. The team’s spring-training game taking place that day in Arizona will also be broadcast at the stadium.
San Francisco Greek Film Festival opening night (Saturday)
The 23rd edition of the showcase will come to the Delancey Street Foundation’s Embarcadero screening room for eight days of in-person events. More than 30 films will be screened, with presentations spanning documentaries, narrative features and short narrative films.
Tickets will go on sale soon, with opening night featuring “Broken Vein” by director Yannis Economides and “Nikh or the Impossible Hope of Trying” by Savvas Stavrou. Screenings start at 6 p.m., followed by a reception.
Oscars viewing party (Sunday)
Advertisement
Small Car, Big Time Tours founder Reed Kirk-Rahlmann will host the Balboa Theater’s official viewing party for this year’s Academy Awards. Guests can expect prizes and trivia throughout the broadcast, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s annual gala (Sunday)
The 17th Street nonprofit will bring its 32nd annual gala to the San Francisco Design Center Galleria. Attendees will enjoy silent and live auctions, a seated dinner, a cocktail reception and a performance by ballet performers.
Advertisement
The Smuin company in the world premiere of Jennifer Archibald’s “ByCHANCE” in October 2024.
Courtesy Chris Hardy
Tickets are available online. Guests are encouraged to dress in festive cocktail attire. The event starts at 5 p.m. takes place at 101 Henry Adams St.
People came out to speak out and speak up in San Francisco on International Women’s Day.
In San Francisco, demonstrators rallied and marched through Union Square, calling for not only the protection of women’s rights, but opposition to federal actions.
“I’m out here today for women’s rights, for all human rights,” Lacey, from the East Bay, said.
For over 100 years, people have recognized March 8 as International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women.
Advertisement
The day also marks a call to action for gender equality. This year’s message varied, with some carrying signs calling for reproductive justice, women for peace not war and no war on Iran.
“We’re here today because the Trump regime’s attack on women and women’s rights is unacceptable and we have to rise of our millions we have to encourage that rising in our millions to defeat this,” Sully with Refuse Fascism said.
Sully was one of the speakers at the rally.
“We are going to be vehemently opposing the Trump regimes attack on Iran,” she said.
Meantime, Deborah and Paige who had their own take on the day.
Advertisement
“We had the idea of dressing up like suffragettes to pay homage to our foremothers who led this very brave protest movement,” Deborah said.
They came with a reminder of their own.
“We want to remind people that protest movements do work,” Deborah said.
“Particularly, now that voting is really coming under attack with the Save Act,” Paige added.
After rallying, many in the group marched, vowing to keep speaking up.
San Francisco rang in the Year of the Fire Horse with its annual Chinese New Year parade Saturday evening, with thousands of revelers cheering on hometown hero and Olympic champion Eileen Gu as its grand marshal.
The procession featured drums, dancing and floats celebrating the vibrancy of the Chinese American community in the oldest celebration of its kind outside Asia and one of the largest.
Civic leaders and performers paraded from downtown to Chinatown through popping firecrackers. Children marched wearing inflatable horses while lion dancers and martial artists waved to the crowd.
The parade was first organized in the 1860s by Chinese immigrants who came to work during the California Gold Rush and wanted to share their culture through a “favorite American tradition,” the parade, according to the event website.
Advertisement
While the celebration always draws massive crowds, attendees were especially excited for Gu, who drew loud cheers.
Vanessa Chan of neighboring South San Francisco said she represents “cultural infusion.”
“She’s really wonderful. … She’s funny, sunny, and she represents positivity,” Chan said.
Gu appeared partway through the parade in a red dress, sitting in a red convertible adorned with flowers. The color is a symbol of good fortune and prosperity for the Chinese holiday.
Parade organizer Wiliam Gee said Gu was picked for the role by the middle of last year — before she competed in the 2025 Milan-Cortino Winter Games, where she won two silver medals and one gold, making her the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history.
Advertisement
“The year of the horse brings a lot of new life and energy,” Gee said. “She definitely represents Chinese heritage and definitely is an icon.”
Gu has come under scrutiny for her decision to represent China in competition, and Megan Chin, also of South San Francisco, said she felt the Olympian was attacked unfairly.
“When you’re multicultural and you want to celebrate both heritages, it’s great to be happy for someone if they want to celebrate their other heritage as well,” Chin said. “I am proud of her.”
Calvin Lui, who attended with his young son, said he loved Gu’s representation of the city where she was born and raised as well as her Chinese heritage.
“That’s her identity, both countries — so she gets the best of both worlds,” Lui said.
