In San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood, where espresso bars and old jazz clubs still echo the city’s bohemian past, new rules could soon change what types of businesses call the storied area home — stirring both hopes of renewal and fears about losing what has long made it special.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco’s North Beach divided over proposal to loosen zoning rules
Residents are worried that a change in zoning could mean that neighborhood staples like Molinari Delicatessen on Columbus Avenue could lose protections that have helped them survive.
“It’s a really unique ecosystem that allows there to be, on one block, a record store next to a flower shop, a candle shop, a souffle restaurant and a jewelry store,” said local business owner Stuart Watts, who is also the president of the North Beach Business Association. “That’s unheard of in most neighborhoods because … it can become really expensive for micro businesses like that to operate.”
In recent months, Watts joined the chorus of more than 50 small business owners who opposed legislation authored by the area’s supervisor, Danny Sauter, that stands to set aside longstanding zoning restrictions meant to protect the diverse mix of small, locally-owned businesses in North Beach and several surrounding neighborhoods, in favor of more permissive regulations.
Article continues below this ad
The legislation, called “District 3 Thrives,” would, among other things, expand the types of commercial uses allowed in North Beach and the neighboring Nob Hill and Jackson Square neighborhoods and permit the merging of small storefronts into larger storefronts.
Patricia Lanao sells flowers to Arielle Christian on Columbus Avenue in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood in 2023. Some residents worry that a change in zoning could threaten small businesses.
On Monday, Watts and other opponents were dealt a blow: A City Hall committee advanced the controversial legislation to the city’s Board of Supervisors, which is expected to hold a hearing on the legislation Tuesday.
District 7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, who chairs the Land Use and Transportation Committee, perhaps said it best: “As San Franciscans, it’s very rare that we all agree on something anytime.”
But in a city where recalling elected officials over land use decisions already has a precedent, crossing constituents means toeing a fine line. While a notable list of supporters on Monday welcomed Sauter targeting “archaic rules” that no longer make sense for the district, others said that the effort left them feeling blindsided and alienated.
Article continues below this ad
“Our supervisor doesn’t care,” said District 3 resident Romalyn Schmaltz during Monday’s hearing. “We know these changes will push a lot of us out in favor of larger, more corporate businesses, all while creating more vacancies. But he just stays the course.”
“My neighborhood’s morale is extremely low,” said another North Beach resident during the hearing, who gave his name as Apollo. “Here again is our new supervisor trying to fix something that isn’t broken.”
Not everyone agrees — neighborhood and business stakeholders including the North Beach Neighbors, the Jackson Square Merchants Association, the Golden Gate Restaurant Association and the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce have shared their support for the legislation.
Sauter said that his legislation will solve a problem that many commercial corridors throughout the city are experiencing: stubborn vacancies. Storefront mergers of up to 3,000 square feet would be permitted, allowing new businesses to enter North Beach, where such consolidations have long been banned. The legislation would also legalize new walk-up establishments and “flexible retail” — meaning a bookstore could now co-locate in the same space as a coffee shop.
Businesses like Knitz & Leather, on Grant Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, are central to the area’s character.
“District 3’s reputation as the hardest district in San Francisco to start or run a small business is not something I think anyone should be proud of, and I believe our legislation will go a long way towards changing that,” Sauter said.
Article continues below this ad
Sauter said he’s also honored requests from constituents who are worried that his effort will open the door to well-funded businesses that have the ability to outbid mom-and-pop retailers, like medical offices.
On Monday, Sauter amended his legislation to walk back a provision that would have allowed “health services” uses in ground floor spaces in North Beach.
But the change did little to appease constituents who do not believe that streamlining is an appropriate approach for revitalizing historic neighborhoods like North Beach and Jackson Square, where restaurants and bars dominate and retailers are bucking citywide trends.
“North Beach is not a struggling corridor. … Our commercial vacancy rate is 6%, among the very lowest in the city,” said Nick Ferris, who is the president of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers association. “These policies that have created that stability are the very policies that this legislation would undo.”
A cable car heads down Columbus Avenue in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, in 2023
According to Ferris, larger storefronts equal higher rents, which would make it difficult for a range of small businesses to compete.
Article continues below this ad
“For nearly 40 years, storefronts have been capped at 2,000 square feet, with conditional use allowed up to 4,000 square feet — this has preserved small, independent businesses and prevented large format retail from dominating,” Ferris said.
The concern is that the legislation, coupled with a current effort by Mayor Daniel Lurie to upzone commercial corridors citywide and a stalled effort to declare much of the North Beach neighborhood as a historic district, would incentivize the replacement of the neighborhood’s quaint commercial buildings with large box retailers.
Opponents have also taken issue with a provision in Sauter’s legislation that would remove restrictions on new restaurants in North Beach and Jackson Square, by allowing limited restaurants — such as cafes — to open in spaces that were previously occupied by non-restaurant businesses.
“If any business was able to turn into a restaurant, that would cost more per square foot. And as soon as that kitchen is put in, a candle shop is not going to pay to take out that kitchen — it doesn’t have the budget for that,” said Watts, adding that of the eight vacancies that his organization is tracking in North Beach, five are abandoned restaurant spaces.
Watts said he is not opposed to more flexible zoning and incentives for new businesses to set up shop in the stretch of North Beach that he said is currently struggling with multiple vacant storefronts. The North Beach Business Association is pushing for an amendment to the legislation that maintains stricter restaurant density controls in the neighborhood’s core, he said.
Article continues below this ad
But if the committee’s vote on Monday is any indication, the future of North Beach may already be decided. Melgar described Sauter’s legislation as a “modest proposal.”
Alejandra Prieto spends time with her 2 1/2 months old baby, Gonzalo, at Washington Square Park in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, in 2023.
“I think it is wise to look ahead and plan ahead into changes that are going on around us, and adapt and give a little bit more flexibility. I don’t think these changes are all that earthshaking,” Melgar said.
District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen acknowledged that preventing an “over saturation of specific kinds of establishments” is crucial in protecting a neighborhood’s small business ecosystem.
“I would like to see data that actually shows how the existing controls are working or not working, and I haven’t seen much of the data that could really help justify the changes that are being proposed,” she said, before voting to advance the legislation.
Sauter agreed that the city “collectively” should do more to gather such data, and made a promise to the legislation’s detractors: “They have my commitment to monitor concerns, like the balance of restaurants and retail, to explore the idea of an inner and outer North Beach Neighborhood Commercial District, and to explore ground floor use reforms,” he said.
Regardless of whether or not the legislation will win approval in its current form Tuesday, views on it are likely to remain divided.
“No one wants to lose (North Beach’s) loved and iconic businesses,” said North Beach resident Barry Schiller on Monday. “This legislation isn’t about that. It’s about removing archaic rules that do more harm than good.”
Bay Area High School baseball fans are treated to a rare opportunity Saturday (April 18) with three games at Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants, including the famed Bruce-Mahoney clash between West Catholic Athletic League rivals St. Ignatius and Sacred Heart Cathedral.
The first pitch of the 20th annual Dante Benedetti Baseball Classic starts at 11 a.m. and pits two more San Francisco private schools as University (9-7), winners of four straight, taking on Riordan (5-11).
That will be followed by the Bruce-Mahoney game at 2:30 between St. Ignatius (12-5, 4-2 WCAL) and the Irish (7-10, 1-5) and finished off with a North Coast Section clash between North Bay’s Marin Catholic (9-7) against Acalanes (7-6-1).
The Benedetti Classic, founded by Dante’s Boys Foundation board member Tom Lounibos and Giants president Larry Baer, benefits the DBF which honors the spirit of Benedetti who for nearly 40 years owned San Francisco’s Mr. Baseball nickname for his kindness and generosity to baseball-playing youth in the area.
Among their philanthropic efforts are glove and baseball equipment drives, field renovations and contributions to scholarships and sponsorships.
After starting the season 0-4 — three of those losses were by one run — University, under head coach Andrew Suvunnachuen, has found its way, winning the last four, all in Bay Counties League play, by a combined 51-6 count over Lick-Wilmerding (16-1 and 11-3) and San Domenico (13-2 and 11-0).
Senior catcher and pitcher Jett Messenger leads the way with a .447 average, while getting on base at a .638 rate. He also leads the team with 20 stolen bases. Junior third baseman Tate Gebhart is hitting .419, while Leo Felder and Behbart share the RBI lead with 15 each.
Junior Matthew Foley is 3-2 on the mound with a 2.38 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 17.2 innings.
Riordan, under second-year head coach Craig Sargent, was 5-5 in nonleague games but lost six straight in the rugged WCAL, losing two tough games this week to Mitty (3-2 and 7-4). Junior third baseman and pitcher Santiono Williams leads the team in batting average (.371), on-base percentage (.488) and stolen bases (nine). He’s also been the team’s top pitcher at 4-2 with a 2.84 ERA.
The teams have split two previous games in their history, with Riordan winning 2-0 in 2023 and University prevailing 5-0 in 2021.
St. Ignatius, led by ninth-year head coach Brian Pollzzie, has already secured the Bruce-Mahoney trophy with four straight wins — one each in football, girls volleyball, boys basketball and girls basketball — but this rivalry is always spirited.
The Wildcats, who are ranked fourth in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle, are coming off a tough 3-0 home loss to No. 2 St. Francis on Friday after beating the host Lancers 10-6 on Tuesday.
The team is led by Stanford-bound Archer Horn, who is hitting .486 with four home runs and a .604 on-base percentage. The shortstop and pitcher also has not allowed an earned run in three pitching appearances while registering one save.
Pitching is a team’s strength with a 2.59 ERA, led by a brigade of strong arms including Leo Rhein (2-0, 2.38), Tycco Giometti (2-1, 2.62), Charlie Stecher 1-1, 0.72) and Chase Gordon (1-0, 2.80). The team is missing standout Finn Demuth, out of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, led by fourth-year head coach Gregg Franceschi, has scored 60 runs on the season and given up 61. The Irish are coming off two losses to eighth-ranked Valley Christian (5-2 and 10-1).
They are led offensively by junior outfielder Brody O’Sullivan (.381) and senior infielder Jacob Vines (.378). Johnny Nepomuceno and Max Nylander are other run-producers. Zach Stallworth (37 strikeouts, 29.2 innings) and Cooper Rogers Lewis (0.25 ERA) have been the team’s top pitchers.
The series has been remarkably close since 2005 with Sacred Heart Cathedral holding a 27-20 edge, though St. Ignatius won both games last season (5-0 and 6-3) after the Irish won 9-7 and 1-0 in 2024.
Marin Catholic hopes to get back to winning after starting the season 9-1, but have since lost six straight, four in Marin County Athletic League play, including 4-2 to Novato on Thursday. Senior outfield Luke Martin is the team’s leading hitter at .478 while senior infielder and pitcher Cooper Mitchell is at .455. Senior infielder Walker Untermann leads the team with 15 RBIs.
Acalanes is at the other end of the spectrum, winners of five of six after a 2-5-1 start. Junior infielder Tyler Winkles, also a highly recruited quarterback in football, leads the team with a .383 average and nine stolen bases. Riley Gates (2-3, 2.49 ERA, 30 strikeouts) is the team’s top pitcher.
The teams have played three times, all since 2022, with Marin Catholic owning a 2-1 lead. Acalanes won last year’s game 8-7.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Chinatown fatal crash victim ID’d, safety measures proposed
The victim killed in Friday’s Chinatown crash was identified Monday by the medical examiner as Cutberto Zamora-Martinez, 49, of San Joaquin County. At a meeting on Monday, city officials said the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
SAN FRANCISCO – A 76-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and speeding following a crash in San Francisco’s Chinatown that killed a man working in the area.
Zhuo Ming Lu, 76, is accused in the March 27 crash that left 49-year-old Cutberto Zamora-Martinez, of San Joaquin County, dead.
Suspect was trying to park
What we know:
Authorities said Lu was attempting to park near Grant Avenue and Jackson Street when his vehicle jumped the sidewalk and crashed into the landmark New Lung Ting Café, also known as the Pork Chop House. The vehicle also struck two pedestrians, including Zamora-Martinez.
Zamora-Martinez died from his injuries.
He had been working in the area, according to a GoFundMe page. A San Francisco Police Department source close to the investigation told KTVU the victims were carpet installers arriving for work.
The fundraising page described Zamora-Martinez as a husband and father who was the sole provider for his family and “a humble man who wanted the best for his family.”
Before his arrest, Lu had been cooperating with investigators. Authorities have not confirmed what caused the crash.
Some residents questioned whether the driver’s age or a possible confusion between the brake and gas pedals may have been factors.
“Maybe if people hit a certain age, you got to get retested for your driver’s license is something I was thinking about,” said Keith Hong, who works next door to the crash site.
Another case involving an elderly driver
Big picture view:
In an unrelated case, Mary Fong Lau, 80, was sentenced to probation after killing a family of four, two parents and their young children. in March 2024. Authorities said Lau struck the victims as they waited at a Muni stop on their way to the zoo.
Lau pleaded no contest to four felony counts of vehicular manslaughter, and a judge accepted the plea. A Superior Court judge cited her age, remorse and lack of criminal history in the sentencing decision.
She was placed on probation for two years, banned from driving for three years and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.
The Source: San Francisco Police Department, prior reporting
San Francisco first came to know chefs Laura and Sayat Ozyilmaz through their pop-up Istanbul Modern, and later through their breakthrough Presidio restaurant Dalida. The duo’s success is grounded in their take on Eastern Mediterranean food, which they made a conscious decision to champion 10 years ago.
Fast-forward to 2026, and now Laura is taking on a personal project of her own, with Sayat by her side, placing foods from Mexico’s Guerrero and Sinaloa center stage at Maria Isabel. It’s a refreshing menu that combines both Mexican and local ingredients, through the lens of the Ozyilmazes cooking backgrounds.
Reservations are released on OpenTable 30 days in advance, but Laura confirmed that they do take walk-ins depending on space. Smaller parties or solo diners might have better luck sliding in, thanks to the counter in the brighter, “Maria” portion of the restaurant.
The cocktails from consulting bar director Evan Williams are always worth a glimpse, whether at Dalida or at Maria Isabel. They’re well-balanced and have incredible depth and technique behind them. That being said, the team sourced wines from woman-led wine brands such as LOTIS Wines and Amevive Wine, if you’re looking to explore past the usual selections you’ll see elsewhere.
-
Delaware1 minute agoState Police Arrest Dover Man for Assault and Aggravated Menacing in Dover – Delaware State Police – State of Delaware
-
Florida7 minutes agoSNAP benefits will be changing in Florida starting Monday
-
Georgia13 minutes agoGeorgia on nobody’s mind: The Dawgs are under the radar, and that’s a compliment
-
Hawaii19 minutes agoLarge section of Aloha Stadium demolished as project proceeds – West Hawaii Today
-
Idaho25 minutes ago
Idaho Lottery results: See winning numbers for Powerball, Pick 3 on April 18, 2026
-
Illinois31 minutes ago5 tornadoes confirmed in Illinois from Friday’s storms
-
Indiana37 minutes agoAn Indiana district turned to voters to fund more preschool seats. Here’s what happened next.
-
Iowa43 minutes agoVote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)