San Francisco, CA
U.S. Senate candidates face off again in San Francisco as voting begins
![U.S. Senate candidates face off again in San Francisco as voting begins U.S. Senate candidates face off again in San Francisco as voting begins](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/SJM-L-SENATE-1103-100-02.jpg?w=1024&h=576)
With voting already underway, the leading candidates for California’s U.S. Senate seat will face off for a second time Monday night in San Francisco for what may well be the last chance to shake up the race before the March 5 primary election.
The leading candidates — Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff of Burbank, Katie Porter of Irvine and Barbara Lee of Oakland, and Republican former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres first baseman Steve Garvey of Palm Desert — debated once before on Jan. 22 at the University of Southern California.
Recent polls, including one following the last debate, have consistently put Schiff in the lead, with Porter and Garvey neck and neck for second place and Lee not far behind. The two candidates with the most voters March 5, regardless of party, will compete for the seat in the November election.
How California U.S. Senate candidates would differ from Feinstein and each other
“This is the first debate taking place in Northern California,” said political analyst Dan Schnur, who teaches at the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley. “Three of the four candidates on the stage are from Southern California and this is their first chance to be directly exposed to a Bay Area audience. Especially for Katie Porter and Barbara Lee, who are fighting to get into the runoff, this is an opportunity to appeal to a heavily Democratic audience.”
The 7 p.m. debate will be hosted by Nexstar Media Group‘s “Inside California Politics” and held in the KRON 4 News studio, moderated by program hosts Frank Buckley and Nikki Laurenzo. It will be broadcast statewide including on KRON 4 TV in the Bay Area. It also will be streamed live on kron4.com and on the KRON 4 app. It is expected to be the last debate before the primary.
The four candidates were chosen for the debate out of a crowded field, in part based on polling and fundraising indicating they are clearly in the lead as serious contenders.
The four are competing for the seat long held by late Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a former San Francisco mayor who died in September at age 90 after more than 30 years in the Senate. Her seat is presently occupied by Sen. Laphonza Butler, a Democrat appointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom after Feinstein’s death. Butler has declined to run for a full term.
California’s other U.S. Senator is Democrat Alex Padilla, the former secretary of state Newsom appointed after Sen. Kamala Harris became vice president. Padilla was elected to a full term in 2022 over Republican challenger Mark Meuser.
The Jan. 22 debate included some colorful lines, but polling indicates it did little to shake up the dynamics of the race.
Schiff “did what he needed to do to maintain his frontrunner status” with a “steady” performance that “hit all the right notes,” while Porter evidently “didn’t do enough” to move up and secure the runner-up spot, said Sonoma State University Political Science Professor David McCuan. Lee delivered a solid performance, but she hasn’t gained on her rivals in polls and fundraising and remains in jeopardy of a fourth-place finish.
Garvey, making his first bid for public office, looked very much like the rookie politician against the three more seasoned candidates who repeatedly piled onto him, McCuan said. But that doesn’t necessarily hurt his chances at a second-place primary finish if the Democrats split the vote while Garvey consolidates Republican voters.
With 47% of voters registered Democratic, 24% Republican and 22% with no political party, Schnur said while there aren’t nearly enough Republicans in California to elect a Senator without pulling in other voters, “there are just enough of them to get a candidate into second place.”
“That’s a problem for Porter and Lee and an opportunity for Schiff,” Schnur said. “They need to tear Garvey down” to keep him from finishing second, while Schiff would face an easier November opponent in Garvey.
For Monday’s debate, the candidates “each have different set requirements,” McCuan said. For Schiff, “his goal is to elevate and remain the leader.”
Porter “has to muscle in, and has to not only go after Schiff, but move Garvey out,” McCuan said. “She needs more than a Schiff misstep, and more than a Garvey whiff.”
“Barbara Lee has to make a case to remain on stage, to remain in the race,” McCuan said.
And Garvey, he said, “will have to provide more steak and sizzle.”
“A mediocre performance by Steve Garvey can keep him over the Mendoza line” — baseball’s .200 batting average futility threshold — if Republicans continue to rally around the former slugger up to the primary, McCuan said. But he’ll need a bit more than that to put Porter away and clinch second place.
“He’s got to smack the ball hard,” McCuan said.
How to watch the debate:
The debate will air Monday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. on Nexstar California stations statewide and their digital platforms. In the Bay Area, it will be telecast on KRON 4 TV and also livestreamed on kron4.com and on the KRON 4 app.
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San Francisco, CA
San Francisco shooting leaves young girl injured, per witness
![San Francisco shooting leaves young girl injured, per witness San Francisco shooting leaves young girl injured, per witness](https://media.nbcbayarea.com/2024/08/34059865556-1080pnbcstations.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&resize=1200%2C675)
A shooting in San Francisco left an 8-year-old girl injured on Friday, according to her father.
The San Francisco Police Department said officers were called to the unit block of Chicago Way at approximately 5:24 p.m. for reports of a shooting. Upon the officers’ arrival, they found a young girl suffering from injuries, although police did not confirm she was shot. Police only said she was transported to a nearby hospital with “life-threatening injuries.”
Police did not provide other information.
However, according to the girl’s father, the family was setting things up for dinner when a bullet came into the house and hit his daughter.
Officers are still at the scene conducting their investigation.
San Francisco, CA
Racist graffiti, noose at San Francisco park tied to dog dispute
![Racist graffiti, noose at San Francisco park tied to dog dispute Racist graffiti, noose at San Francisco park tied to dog dispute](https://images.foxtv.com/static.ktvu.com/www.ktvu.com/content/uploads/2024/08/1280/720/graf2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Noose, racist graffiti at San Francisco park tied to dog dispute
Someone spray-painted racist graffiti and left a noose at a San Francisco playground, days after a dog owner was told her pet wasn’t allowed there.
SAN FRANCISCO – Racist graffiti and a noose found at a San Francisco park happened days after a woman was told she could not have her dog in the playground by the head of a youth organization.
The woman vowed to do everything possible to shut down this group, officials said on Friday during a news conference at the park hours after the vile messages had been painted over.
“That disgusting racial slur that was written all over this building does not define who we are as a city,” said Maria Su, director of the city’s Department of Children, Youth and their Families.
SEE ALSO: Alameda County firefighter accused of racist rant on paid leave
The vandalism at Merced Heights Playground on Shields Street is being investigated as a hate crime and a direct attack on the nonprofit called Youth First.
“This is not tolerated. And it will not be tolerated. We will continue to celebrate Youth First,” Su said.
Renard Monroe, Youth First’s founder and executive director, said that someone had spray-painted “N- First” on the building.
“It was destroyed by hate,” Monroe said. “The N-word. It said, ‘N-word First’ because we’re called Youth First, so they were kind of aiming that word toward our program.”
Officials believe the vandalism is a direct response to an incident at the park last week when a woman with her toddler daughter and their dog were near the playground, in the upper terrace area, where dogs are not allowed.
When Monroe told the woman to take her dog to the lower terrace of the park, where dogs are allowed, she told him, “No (N-word) is going to tell me where to go,” he recounted.
Supervisor Ahsha Safai said, “Then it turned into the N-word. It turned into threats. And the woman said, ‘I am going to make it my job to shut down your organization.’”
Following the threat, state licensing officials visited the park based on an anonymous tip, questioning whether Monroe’s operation was a childcare facility when it is actually an after-school program.
“People show up saying the music’s too loud. And then today he (Monroe) shows up and there’s spray paint and a noose hanging on the door,” Safai said.
Officials said the incident is a grim reminder that there is still division and hatred, even in a city as diverse as San Francisco.
“Everyone that doesn’t believe that racism is still alive – and still alive in San Francisco – it absolutely is. But guess what? We’re not going to be broken by it,” the supervisor said.
While no suspects have been publicly identified, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins assured that once the case reaches her office, “We will do everything to make sure the person or persons responsible for this are held accountable.”
Jenkins said, although the messages were abhorrent, the hate beneath the vandalism can’t be ignored.
“We have to bring attention to it, as much as we don’t want to give what this person did attention, San Francisco has to recognize how much work it still needs to do,” Jenkins said.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan.
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Giants Star Infielder Discusses Outlook on Rest of the Season
![San Francisco Giants Star Infielder Discusses Outlook on Rest of the Season San Francisco Giants Star Infielder Discusses Outlook on Rest of the Season](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5885,h_3310,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/giants_baseball_insider/01j6gwr6ab812s7j8c4v.jpg)
The San Francisco Giants once again fell to under .500 after a loss on Thursday and they now sit 6.5 games out of the Wild Card. After bringing in a new manager in Bob Melvin and giving out a lot of money in free agency, as well as a big trade, there was a lot of optimism surrounding San Francisco heading into the season.
Although there have been bright spots, such as the emergence of young players like Heliot Ramos and Tyler Fitzgerald, the season as a whole has been a disappointment. One of their big free agent acquisitions, Matt Chapman, expressed that.
“It’s not fun. We know how precious each win is and how important these games are, so this one stings. We get back to San Fran and we’ve got another important series coming up — obviously, you look at the standings, and you know, it’s not looking great for us right now, just because we need to climb back into this thing. But we do play the teams ahead of us still coming up. And I think we can still control our own destiny,” the third baseman said.
It will definitely be an uphill battle if the Giants want to have a shot at playing in the postseason. After games wrapped on Thursday, there are currently three teams ahead of them for the third Wild Card spot. The New York Mets, who are the first on the outside, have a 3.5 game lead.
“There are still 27 games left, so a lot can happen. In September, everybody’s tired. Sometimes, you’ve just got to dig deep. We do play the Padres and the Diamondbacks quite a bit. … Everybody else is playing tough games too. There’s no reason why we can’t make a run. I think we know we have the talent in this room, we just have to get things going. We’ve had bad road trips before, and it seems like when we go home, we get hot again,” the 31-year-old continued.
While he is correct in that they play two teams in their division who are ahead of them in the Wild Card, it’s still going to take a lot of work. San Francisco will have to play their best baseball over the last month of the season to make a dent.
In 2024, the team’s longest winning streak is just four games, something they will likely need to surpass if they want to make a run. The Giants will have to dig deep, to say the least, and they will need to stay healthy and rely on their pitching.
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