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SF neighbors divided over proposed Polo Field concert series at Golden Gate Park

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SF neighbors divided over proposed Polo Field concert series at Golden Gate Park


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Nearly every summer for the past 15 years, the Outside Lands music festival has taken over Golden Gate Park for a weekend in August, with seven stages worth of performers drawing in music lovers from across the state.

And next year, the producer of Outside Lands wants to piggy back off of that infrastructure to create a second, smaller concert series the weekend after, on the nearby Polo Field.

MORE: Kendrick Lamar, Foo Fighters, ODESZA to headline 2023 Outside Lands in San Francisco

“It’s a big deal for the city, for the workers, for the restaurants who come out, it’s an additional kind of a bonus after Outside Lands and we’re taking a smaller footprint,” Allen Scott, President of Concerts and Festivals at Another Planet Entertainment said.

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But San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan put the approval process on hold, until folks who live and work in the area could have a say.

“I’m totally against this,” Cora Joseph, a neighbor said during a community meeting. “It’s the noise, it’s the traffic, it’s the trash, it’s the people peeing on my garage door. You don’t need to do this.”

“The traffic is just not fair to the public or to the residents,” Richard Rothman, a neighbor said at the same community meeting.

MORE: San Francisco launches multimillion-dollar campaign to boost tourism

For Steve Schneider, who has lived within blocks of Golden Gate Park for three decades, he worries about losing access to the park.

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“If this were a free concert, I wouldn’t care at all, I think it would be fine,” Schneider said. “But it’s access to the park that really troubles me, losing that and I think, okay they’re going to get new concerts, they’re going to do more and more and more, when does it stop?”

But other neighbors believe the good outweighs the bad.

“I know a lot of people come into town for this concert and for the festival,” Richard Lowden, a neighbor said. “They stay at hotels that are staffed by union members, right, we need those dollars spent here in San Francisco. People are having a good time.”

MORE: SF Pride festivities help boost economy; city on target to see tourism increase this year

Concert promoter, Another Planet Entertainment, says based on Outside Lands numbers, they expect these concerts to generate $30 million dollars in economic impact for San Francisco.

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“Plus all of the workers, the unions, security, food vendors and all of the artists themselves,” Scott said.

And at a time when the city is experiencing serious budget constraints, this concert series would pay the city $1.4 million for the additional event over two days.

“And to get a bonus weekend, I mean bring it on!” Lowden said. “Right, bring it on! Let’s go San Francisco, let’s start having more fun! And this is exactly what that’s going to do.”

Before this moves forward to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for approval, there will be another community meeting on Aug. 9 at the Golden Gate Park Senior Center.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco homicide: Person shot in Mission District alley

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San Francisco homicide: Person shot in Mission District alley


A person was fatally shot Saturday in an alley in San Francisco’s Mission District, the police said.

The shooting was reported around 4 a.m. on Wiese Street, a blocklong alley near Mission and 16th streets.

The victim was pronounced dead at a hospital, police said. No identification has been released.



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Long-time SF coffee shop owners weigh in on ‘selling out’

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Long-time SF coffee shop owners weigh in on ‘selling out’


Andrew Barnett, a self-described “coffee freak” and the founder of Linea, which runs its roastery in Potrero Hill, believes both customers and employees care about a company’s impact on the planet these days. 

If someone’s buying a cup of specialty coffee—versus swinging by Starbucks—they want to feel good about who they’re supporting. “It’s important that our coffee is really great, but also that we have purpose,” he said. “If you don’t have a real mission, you’re a dead-end street.” 

Grand’s Silmi also believes that workers and customers care about being grounded in values and community: “It’s very intimate, the relationship that cafes build with their customer base and their community,” he said. You can’t scale that authenticity, he added: “It’s called, ‘selling out.’ And the question, at the end of the day, is who’s willing to sell out and for how much?”

What’s next in SF coffee 

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Although local cafe owners shared similar reasons for embracing slower growth and avoiding outside funding, they all insisted that they don’t begrudge anyone who takes the opposite tack. Frankly, San Francisco is a damn hard place to run a coffee company. 

Costs for rent and adequate wages—as well as inflation’s effect on everything from milk to cups—have continued to balloon.

“It’s just such an expensive place to have a small business,” Rinaldi said. “It’s an expensive place to live.” Juggling costs and profitability while trying to avoid selling “outrageously priced” drinks is a constant struggle, she said. 



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San Francisco park renamed after grandmother who was fatally beaten: 'Hope and resilience'

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San Francisco park renamed after grandmother who was fatally beaten: 'Hope and resilience'


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — There was a celebration of triumph over tragedy in San Francisco where a city park officially got a new name Saturday.

The Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park is named after the grandmother who was beaten there in 2019. She later died from her injuries. Relatives and community advocates want the new name to promote community healing.

It’s a new name and a new beginning for this city park in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley.

Sasanna Yee talked about her grandmother, Yik Oi Huang, for whom this park is named. The official dedication taking place on Saturday.

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“It’s been a very hard journey, very painful but also very beautiful,” Yee said.

88-year old woman brutally beaten in San Francisco park, granddaughters seek change

Yee said her 88-year-old grandmother came to this park, formally Visitacion Valley Playground, almost every day but in January of 2019, she was found badly beaten here and died months later from her injuries. The crime rocked the Asian Community. A 24-year-old suspect was arrested and is awaiting trial.

“She is survived by great-grandchildren and grandchildren, so having everyone come together as a family is really important,” Yee said.

Many hope the Yik Oi Huang Peace and Friendship Park will be a place of healing.

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“I know it wasn’t easy. You turned a devastating loss into a win,” said Hermione Colthirst.

Relatives say renaming the park was originally the idea of community advocate Ronald Colthirst, who died last year.

89-year-old grandma, who was brutally attacked on San Francisco playground, dies 1 year later

“He would bring the African Americans and the Asians together as one. One of his legacies was to make sure we renamed this park,” said sister Brejea Colthirst.

“This is a true story of turning tragedy into triumph and making people understand we are better together,” said San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton.

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San Francisco Mayor London Breed hopes generations to come will know Grandma Huang’s name.

“It’s symbol of hope, resilience for communities come together in times of challenge,” said Mayor London Breed.

Grandma Huang’s family hopes all will know peace and friendship when visiting here.

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