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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

    Live Updates: San Francisco Primary Election 2026

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    Live Updates: San Francisco Primary Election 2026


    Welcome to our running tally of Election Night results. Or, as this is California, well beyond tonight, as results continue to trickle in.

    The first batch of results should arrive at 8:45 p.m., with three more to follow tonight. The Department of Elections has the breakdown.

    San Francisco is voting in three special elections, for District 2 and District 4 supervisors and for a Board of Education member. Both supervisor races are referendums on housing, especially District 2, while the main backdrop of the D4 race is all the hot feelings around the fate of the Sunset Dunes Park (nee Great Highway).

    The winners of all three special races will have to compete again in November for their seats.

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    Keeping it local, SF is also voting on four ballot measures. Prop A is for a bond to pay for an emergency water-system. B is for term limits. C and D are dueling measures related to the “overpaid CEO” tax. (Links go to our reporting on each race or issue; or click here for our Election 2026 page.)

    Vote local, think national: Which two candidates will advance to the November election to replace Nancy Pelosi?

    Statewide races include the primaries for governor, education superintendent, lieutenant governor, and much more.

    Polls close soon. If you haven’t voted yet, find your polling station here.

    Tuesday, June 2, 5:40 p.m.

    Two and a half hours until our polls close. Before we go down the local rabbit hole, a reminder that other states have primary action today: New Jersey, Iowa, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Montana.

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    Why does it take so long to get results in California? CalMatters has you covered on that story. We shouldn’t expect a call tonight on the governor’s race.

    The last big election was November 5, 2024. (Remember?) Ten days later, there were still races to call in San Francisco.


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    So if you’re waiting for the pundits (and maybe even us) to tell you What It All Means, you might have to wait a while.



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    San Francisco, CA

    San Francisco voters to decide on dueling measures on Top Executive Pay Tax changes

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    San Francisco voters to decide on dueling measures on Top Executive Pay Tax changes


    San Francisco voters weighed in Tuesday on two competing measures that seek to change the Top Executive Pay Tax, with one of the measures also including a change to the Gross Receipts Tax.

    Should both measures pass, the one with the most votes will take effect, according to the propositions’ legal text.

    Currently, the measures state that most businesses with San Francisco gross receipts up to $5 million are exempt from the Gross Receipts Tax. And businesses that use more than half of their city payroll for in-house administrative and management services pay an Administrative Office Tax instead of a Gross Receipts Tax.

    The Top Executive Pay Tax is a tax some large businesses pay if their highest-paid managerial employee earns more than 100 times the median pay of their San Francisco employees. Businesses that have city gross receipts up to $5 million and are not subject to the Administrative Office Tax are exempt.

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    Proposition C

    Proposition C states it would increase the number of businesses that could be exempt from the Gross Receipts Tax and would stop any further increases to the “Top Executive Pay Tax” after a final rate bump.

    The proposed measure says it would raise the Gross Receipts Tax exemption ceiling to $7.5 million. The $7.5 million ceiling would also apply to the Top Executive Pay Tax exemption.

    As for changes to the Top Executive Pay Tax, Proposition C states it would implement the 2028 tax rate increase in 2027, but then stop any future increases.

    Supporting Proposition C are Rodney Fong, CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and Chris Wright, senior vice president of Advance SF, an organization of companies, which includes Bank of America, OpenAI, Waymo, the SF Giants CEO and others.

    Fong and Wright, in their argument for the measure, say giving businesses more tax breaks would help keep more employees on payroll and would give companies the ability to “contribute to city services in a predictable and balanced way.”

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    Critics of Proposition C, such as the San Francisco Tenants Union, slam the measure as “billionaire-backed” and argue it would kill the Top Executive Pay Tax and would hand out more tax breaks to businesses at a time when the city is in a budget deficit and faces cuts to essential services.

    Proposition D

    Proposition D also seeks to change the Top Executive Pay Tax, which is collected from some large businesses where the highest-paid managerial employee earns more than 100 times the median compensation paid to other employees.

    If approved, the measure would change the calculation of the tax using the compensation of all employees, not just employees based in San Francisco. Top Executive Pay Tax rates would also be increased for San Francisco gross receipts and payroll.

    Supporters have billed the measure as a way to counteract federal cuts to Medicaid. A report by the City Controller’s Office said the measure could result in $250 million to $300 million in additional revenue.

    “Proposition D is the solution to our budget deficit. It asks large corporations — not small businesses, not working families — to contribute a little more,” supporters said in the city’s official voter guide.

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    The measure has the backing of most of the Board of Supervisors, along with labor unions and Rep. Nancy Pelosi.

    Opponents, including Mayor Daniel Lurie and state Sen. Scott Wiener, have argued Proposition D would negatively impact the city’s recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    “San Francisco is already one of the most expensive cities in the country to live and do business. Adding extreme and unpredictable tax increases risks driving employers away just as we are trying to bring jobs, workers, and foot traffic back downtown,” said Supervisor Matt Dorsey in the city’s voter guide.



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    San Francisco ‘adult supremacy’ workshop brands teachers as oppressors — as fringe trend spreads in California schools

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    San Francisco ‘adult supremacy’ workshop brands teachers as oppressors — as fringe trend spreads in California schools


    A San Francisco public school reportedly hosted a workshop on “adult supremacy” — a new woke trend labeling teachers and adults “oppressors” that’s quietly gaining traction in California.

    The confab, held at John O’Connell High School during an “Ethnic Studies Everywhere” weekend seminar in April, was titled “Youth as Knowledge Producers: Challenging Adult Supremacy Through Ethnic Studies,” according to an attendee who spoke with The Post.

    “Due to systemic power dynamics inherently the relationship between students and educators is an oppressive one. Oppressor (educator) & oppressed (student),” a presentation slide explained.

    Maria Su, superintendent SFUSD, speaks at a press conference. San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

    The workshop was led by Jennifer Sanchez, a third-year ethnic studies educator in the Central Valley, and convened by Teachers 4 Social Justice, a nonprofit that aims to create “empowering learning environments, more equitable access to resources and power, and realizing a just and caring culture,” according to its website.

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    Teachers 4 Social Justice was founded by local teacher activist Jeremiah Jeffries, who led an unpopular push to rename public schools during the pandemic that was abandoned after sparking outrage from local parents.

    So-called adult supremacy “constructs adults as developed, mature, intelligent, and experienced, based solely on their age and ensures that adults control the resources and make the decisions in society,” the presentation further explained.

    Success “within the Western context” is “demanding, overwhelming, and dehumanizing,” the presentation claimed.

    Jackson Matos’ work is cited in “adultism.” Jackson Matos

    Friends of Lowell Foundation, which advocates for academic merit at San Francisco schools, compiled the “adult supremacy” slides.

    Another slide obtained by The Post cited the work of academic Jackson Matos, who is mentioned as connecting “adultism” to cultural imperialism, marginalization, exploitation, powerlessness and violence.

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    “We have knowledge and life experience, and it is our job as parents and teachers to impart information on the next generation, on our kids,” one flabbergasted San Francisco parent, who asked not to be named, told The Post.

    “Given that a large percentage of students in the district do not meet grade level standards in ELA and math, our focus as a school district is clearly way off track,” the parent said.

    A presentation slide titled “Adultism Continued” defining adult supremacy and discussing power dynamics between students and educators. SFUSD

    Friends of Lowell Foundation has taken legal action surrounding the school district’s controversial “ethnic studies” curriculum, which was made a one-year requirement for high school freshman this year.

    The San Francisco teachers’ group isn’t the only organization blaming “adultism” for society’s failures.

    Adam Fletcher is a consultant who counts California school boards and agencies among his clients. He’s made “adultism” a centerpiece of equity training aimed at teachers.

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    Adam Fletcher has made “adultism” a centerpiece of equity training aimed at teachers. Adam Fletcher

    “Adultism, as an idea, is bias towards adults,” Fletcher said in an online seminar held by TEACH Los Angeles, an educators’ network funded through grants from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office, per its YouTube page.

    A slide from a presentation on “Adultism” defines it as a bias towards adults. TEACH Los Angeles

    Likewise, the Oakland Youth Commission announced last year a training for city employees about adultism, which is blamed for taking power away from kids, according to slides published online.

    The Santa Clara Behavioral Health Services Department sponsored an “anti-oppression training series” that explores how “ageism and adultism” fuel discrimination.

    “Participants consider how the myth of independence, rooted in settler colonial capitalism, contributes to the marginalization of youth & elders by diminishing agency, excluding perspectives, & reinforcing stereotypes in behavioral health practice,” an invitation read.

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    Three children acting out a scene during a seminar on “adultism.” Instagram/oakyac

    San Francisco Unified School District didn’t respond to a request for comment.

    The district may be in hot water over its ethnic studies program, with Superintendent Maria Su due to appear at a June 10 congressional hearing about parents’ rights and “inappropriate content” in schools.



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