San Francisco, CA
The F1 sideshow that went sideways: Peeing, roof-climbing, and a mayor along for the ride
Last August, a Red Bull stunt in which a “skysurfer (opens in new tab)” rode down the suspension cables of the Bay Bridge led to 20 minutes of closures along the interstate as high school students flocked to downtown to take the SAT.
In response to complaints, Mayor Daniel Lurie told ABC7 (opens in new tab) that such disruptions were the cost of San Francisco’s comeback.
“I will look into it,” Lurie said, “but if we’re going to be a global city that is on top again, we’re going to have to make sure that we know what’s coming. We have to expect that they’ll be some inconveniences.”
“Inconveniences” is a mild way to describe what happened in the Marina District on Saturday, where neighbors reported people peeing in backyards, climbing fire escapes, trampling landscaping, and scrambling on roofs and balconies to get a view of the Red Bull F1 event.
“It was chaos,” said Patrick Souris, a 35-year-old tech worker who lives in the neighborhood. “It was terrible.”
Now the energy drink company known for its audacious stunts and the mayor, who suited up in a bright blue race Ford-branded suit, are under fire, this time for a lack of crowd control.
In the aftermath of the exhibition, which Lurie said drew 50,000 to the Marina, broken pots and branches were splayed out on the sidewalk, along with chipped tiles and cracked windows. Skid scarred the roadway.
The mayor’s office declined to take responsibility for how the event unfolded, deferring questions about event planning to Red Bull and about law enforcement presence to SFPD.
Red Bull did not respond to a request for comment.
SFPD said it received several calls about trespassing into private areas, but made no arrests. “Overall, the event was extremely safe, and there were no major public safety incidents,” police spokesperson Robert Rueca told The Standard on Monday.
The lone public statement from City Hall regarding the event was a video posted to social media of Lurie (opens in new tab) in the passenger seat of an F1 car, calling it “one of the most thrilling events” he’s partaken in since becoming mayor.
At least one public official has taken issue with the lack of preparation. District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, who represents the Marina, acknowledged in a statement to The Standard that the event should have been handled with more care.
“San Francisco must be able to host exciting, world-class events safely and efficiently,” Sherrill said. “In partnership with the Mayor’s Office, I will convene city departments to review what occurred, address any shortcomings, and ensure future events are managed safely and with stronger safeguards in place.”
On social media and on the streets of the Marina, much of the criticism has centered around the traffic gridlock in the neighborhood and frustration about the lack of organized bleacher areas for spectators.
The event and its aftermath has also become yet another culture war debate. Many noted the irony of the Lurie administration allowing the F1 event on public streets while vowing in December to crack down on illegal sideshows (opens in new tab) by doubling fines for street takeovers.
“This fuckin mayor man,” commented @rae_ruckus on Instagram. “We aren’t Monaco bro. If that’s what you want then make us a sovereign city-state too.”
Some touted the tourists and the thrill it brought to the neighborhood, while taking issue with its organization. Others said it was only right that the wealthy homeowners of the Marina saw what parts of the Mission or SoMa regularly experience.
“RIP the victims of The Marina,” commented @drawinmonsters on Instagram. “Hurricane Red Bull was absolutely devastating.”
After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.
The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.
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So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.
Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.
Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.
The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.
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They just didn’t get the job done.
Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.
With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.
San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.
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Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.
The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.
All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.
Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.
That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.
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Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.
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The 4,140-sq-km bay is the largest estuary on the west coast of the US. Before 2018, this species of whales wasn’t known to stop seasonally or consistently in the bay, bypassing it on their migration route down to Baja California and back up the Arctic, said Josephine Slaathaug, who led a recent study on gray whale mortality in the bay.
One of San Francisco’s busiest freeways remained shut down Saturday, creating major traffic delays and dampening business for some local restaurants and shops.
All eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 just before the Bay Bridge are closed as crews work around the clock to rehabilitate the roadway. The 55-hour shutdown, which began on Friday night, is scheduled to last until Monday morning in time for the commute.
The closure has forced drivers onto detour routes, leading to heavy congestion for those trying to reach the East Bay, including Oakland and Berkeley.
The impact is being felt beyond the roadways.
At MoMo’s, a restaurant across from Oracle Park, staff found business noticeably slower.
“A little bit more mellow than usual. We usually see a little bit more foot traffic, a little bit more people on Saturdays,” said Daniel Bermudez, executive chef at MoMo’s.
Bermudez believes the freeway closure may be discouraging visitors from coming into the city this weekend, despite favorable weather.
“The weather is beautiful today. It’s nice and sunny. So we have plenty of tables outside,” he said.
With the San Francisco Giants playing an away game, the restaurant had hoped fans would still gather to watch, but turnout during game time remained light.
“This is kind of like our off-season Saturday. A lot slower than our baseball weekend,” said Casandra Alarcon, general manager at MoMo’s.
Other small businesses in the Mission Bay and South of Market neighborhoods reported similar trends, saying most of their customers are regulars who live nearby rather than visitors.
“A little bit slower for sure. Before, we had tourists come and walk to the baseball park,” said Ajaree Safron, manager at Brickhouse Cafe & Bar.
Caltrans has shut down eastbound lanes between 17th and 4th streets to repave the 71-year-old roadway. The goal is to extend the life of the Bayshore Freeway by another decade.
City and transportation officials said the timing of the closure was intentional, noting fewer major events scheduled in San Francisco this weekend, aside from the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Westbound lanes remain open, and officials said traffic heading into San Francisco from the East Bay has not been significantly affected.
“Getting into the city, it wasn’t too bad. Regular [traffic], what we expect on a Saturday morning,” said visitor Andrea Inouye.
While the closure has posed challenges for businesses, some workers said they are taking it in stride.
“Hopefully, it’s not for too long and we get past it, and get back to our normal routine,” Bermudez said.
Despite early concerns about widespread gridlock, transportation officials said the region has avoided the worst-case scenario. Traffic remains heavy in areas near detours, but the anticipated “carmageddon” has not materialized, in part because many drivers chose to avoid the area or take public transit.
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