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SF businesses say Mission St. is 'safer,' but vendors are struggling during 90-day vending ban

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SF businesses say Mission St. is 'safer,' but vendors are struggling during 90-day vending ban


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — It’s been 62 days since San Francisco implemented a 90-day street vending ban on Mission Street and business owners in the area are reporting the first signs of improvement.

“The streets look cleaner and more safe for the kids that go to school for my place,” said Carmen Elias, La Mejor Bakery owner.

That feeling is backed up by a survey from the city’s Office of Economic Workforce Development that found:

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  • 56% of businesses feel the Mission Street Corridor is safer
  • 67% of businesses have seen a positive change on Mission Street
  • 73% of businesses have noticed a significant improvement in walking in or around the BART plazas
  • 40% of businesses reported an increase in foot traffic
  • “More people coming in and hopefully it will get better,” said Roberto Chicas, worker at Frisco Flavor Restaurant.

    We noticed 24th street Bart Plaza was clean. Patrolling the area were Public Works inspectors and San Francisco Police officers.

    SF Mission St. vendors blame 90-day ban for contributing to them ending up homeless, living in van

    The 90-day street vending ban is still in effect in San Francisco and now multiple street vendors are reporting housing insecurity.

    Despite the change, some workers in the area say after inspectors leave illegal activity comes back.

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    “I saw in the night mostly. They are doing vending the same place mostly on the Bart area,” said Radha Rai Shrestha, Hollywood Beauty Threading.

    Supervisor Hillary Ronen represents the Mission District. She is aware of the illegal activity when inspectors are not around but said the scope of the issue has changed.

    “Right before the enforcer start work and after they stop work you see stragglers you see people who are vending stolen goods. Less people than before and the size of the area they are taking up on the street is much less,” said Supervisor Ronen.

    San Francisco Mission vendors making ‘$10 a day’ due to 90-day street vending ban

    Some San Francisco Mission Street vendors say they’re making $10 a day due to city’s 90-day street vending ban.

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    Despite illegal activity at night or in early mornings, Supervisor Ronen said public safety has improved on Mission Street.

    “We had extortion of legitimate vendors who were doing nothing wrong. It was disaster. We worked for about a year to try to fix this situation by creating a whole permitting system that we tried to enforce and it was so overwhelming and chaotic that it didn’t work,” said Supervisor Ronen.

    More than 100 permitted street vendors can’t wait for the ban to end. One of them is Reina Portillo. We found her outside a restaurant with her stand. Turns out she is paying the restaurant to be here.

    “I used to sale more when I was on the sidewalk. I’m hoping to go back to that,” said Portillo.

    VIDEO: Unpermitted street vending still happening in SF’s Mission District despite 90-day ban

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    Unpermitted street vending is still happening in San Francisco’s Mission District despite the city’s 90-day ban.

    The city also leased two properties to give permitted vendors a space to sell during the ban. We went to both of them. One of them is “La Placita” they are closed on Mondays.

    The second one is “El Tiangue” a storefront with enough space for 40 vendors.

    Manuel Soltero was one of two vendors there. He said he makes around $30 – $40 a day and is two months behind in rent.

    “They tell me when do you pay? I don’t know. Well next month if you don’t pay you are going out. Oh well, I don’t know. That is why I’m here waiting for the 90 days. After 90 days I don’t know what the city will do,” said Soltero.

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    SF’s Mission St. vendors urge officials to postpone 90-day selling ban until after holidays

    Supervisor Ronen said the city Department of Economic and Workforce Development is helping permitted street vendors with resources and offering opportunities to find new careers paths.

    “To train workers, to try to find new professions and stipend them in the meantime while they are getting that training so that they have some income coming in,” said Supervisor Ronen.

    We asked Supervisor Ronen if the ban will continue past February 27.

    “I’m just speaking for me this is not my decision alone. It’s likely we are probably going to continue, but that is a decision that has to be made by the Mayor’s office and the city’s department with input from our office. That is what we are talking about and looking at the evidence,” said Supervisor Ronen.

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    San Francisco, CA

    Man convicted in the deadly 2021 assault of a Thai grandfather in San Francisco avoids prison

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    Man convicted in the deadly 2021 assault of a Thai grandfather in San Francisco avoids prison


    SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man convicted in the fatal 2021 attack of an older Thai man in San Francisco, which galvanized a movement against anti-Asian hate, will be able to avoid prison time, a judge ruled Thursday.

    Antoine Watson, 25, was sentenced to eight years for manslaughter in the death of Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84. But, having already spent five years in jail awaiting trial, Watson received credit for time served, and San Francisco Superior Court Judge Linda Colfax said he could have the remaining three years suspended if he follows the rules of his probation.

    Ratanapakdee’s daughter, Monthanus, expressed her family’s disappointment in a statement shared by Justice For Vicha, the foundation named for her father.

    “We respect the court process. However, this is not about revenge — it is about accountability,” she said. “When consequences do not reflect the seriousness of the harm, it raises concerns about how we protect our seniors and public safety.”

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    Vicha Ratanapakdee was out for his usual morning walk in the quiet neighborhood he lived in with his wife, daughter and her family when Watson charged at him and knocked him to the ground. Ratanapakdee never regained consciousness and died two days later.

    Watson testified on the stand that he was in a haze of confusion and anger at the time of the unprovoked attack, according to KRON-TV. He said he lashed out and didn’t know that Ratanapakdee was Asian or older.

    San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office defended Watson, also said at his trial that the defendant is “fully remorseful for his mistake.”

    The Office of the San Francisco Public Defender did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on Watson’s sentencing.

    Footage of the attack was captured on a neighbor’s security camera and spread across social media, prompting a surge in activism over a rise in anti-Asian crimes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of people across several U.S. cities commemorated the anniversary of Ratanapakdee’s death in 2022, seeking justice for Asian Americans who have been harassed, assaulted and even killed in alarming numbers.

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    Asians in America have long been subject to prejudice and discrimination, but the attacks escalated sharply after COVID-19 first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. More than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition from March 2020 through September 2021.

    While the Ratanapakdee family asserts he was attacked because of his race, hate crime charges were not filed and the argument was not raised in trial. Prosecutors have said hate crimes are difficult to prove absent statements by the suspect.



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    San Francisco, CA

    Authors gathering in San Francisco to raise awareness and money for the National Kidney Foundation

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    Authors gathering in San Francisco to raise awareness and money for the National Kidney Foundation


    A number of notable authors are set to take part in a special event in San Francisco this Sunday, celebrating a shared love of reading while shining a light on an often overlooked health issue. The National Kidney Foundation Authors Luncheon brings together writers and community members to support kidney health awareness and raise funds for critical programs.



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    San Francisco, CA

    Yankees top Giants 7-0 as robot umpire debuts

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    Yankees top Giants 7-0 as robot umpire debuts



    Aaron Judge went hitless on opening day for the first time and struck out four times for the first time since September 2024, but the New York Yankees still produced plenty of offense and beat San Francisco 7-0 Wednesday night in the debut of Giants manager Tony Vitello as the major league season began.

    José Caballero drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in a five-run second and also lost the first challenge taken to Major League Baseball’s so-called robot umpire, unsuccessfully appealing a strike by Logan Webb in the fourth.

    Max Fried (1-0) allowed two hits in 6 1/3 innings to became just the fifth Yankees pitcher since 1969 with at least 6 1/3 shutout innings on opening day, joining Catfish Hunter (1977), Ron Guidry (1980), Rick Rhoden (1988) and David Cone (1996). New York won an opener with a shutout on the road for the first time since 1967.

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    Webb (0-1) started the fourth inning with a 90.7 mph sinker on the upper, inner corner that was called a strike by Bill Miller, a major league umpire since 1997. Caballero tapped his helmet, and the 12 Hawk-Eye cameras of the Automated Ball-Strike System upheld Miller’s decision in a graphic shown on the Oracle Park scoreboard.

    Caballero singled in the second and Ryan McMahon followed with a two-run single before Austin Wells’ single prompted a mound visit for Webb. Trent Grisham hit a two-run triple and was checked by medical staff after a hard slide into third.

    Judge was booed before the game and during each at-bat as he began his 11th big league season. The California native had been pursued by the Giants during free agency in 2022 but he ultimately chose the Yankees’ $360 million, nine-year contract offer.

    Webb, a 15-game winner last season making his fifth start on opening day, was tagged for six earned runs — seven in all — and nine hits over five innings.

    The 47-year-old Vitello made the big jump from coaching the University of Tennessee.

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    The teams resum3 the series Friday afternoon, with RHP Cam Schlittler starting for New York opposite lefty Robbie Ray.

    ___

    AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb



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