SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — Coyote warning signs are now up in several parks across San Francisco as there have been a number of coyote/dog incidents.
This comes less than three weeks after a 5-year-old girl was bitten in the butt by a coyote in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Fortunately, her injuries were minor.
ABC7 News reporter J.R. Stone was in a park in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights Monday and got quite the surprise.
The above video you’re looking at shows the first coyote pup we came across on Monday night as we put together – yes, a coyote warning story at Saint Mary’s Recreation Center Field in San Francisco. Who would have thought? Anyway, recently the summer kids camp here was moved elsewhere and the field closed due to the high number of coyote sightings.
Advertisement
MORE: Belvedere considering use of federal snipers to kill all coyotes in city
“It’s really important to follow leash laws and try to pay attention to where you’re taking your dogs, pay attention to signage,” says Christine Wilkinson who is a wildlife ecologist at UC Berkeley and the California Academy of Sciences.
But where there is one pup, there are often two pups or more; there is sometimes a mom coyote, and a dad coyote. Yes, it seems that it was a family event and five coyotes began playing on the ball field for our camera here in Bernal Heights.
From what we’ve heard it’s a similar scene in the Presidio’s Mountain Lake Park dog area. One that is now closed to dogs due to at least three dog/coyote incidents in recent weeks. No dogs or humans were injured at this location but the concern over these animals is there. It seems that most we talked with here have had positive experiences.
“The coyote and him were approaching each other in a friendly manor and we both yelled and Stu ran and got Obi to come away from the coyote,” said a woman named Terri referring to her dog Obi.
Advertisement
“They were really playing. They were going down the way dogs do with each other and nosing back and forth,” said Stu.
VIDEO: Coyote spotted visiting Pink Triangle at San Francisco’s Twin Peaks
The Pink Triangle founder captured video of a coyote getting ready for pride on San Francisco’s Twin Peaks Tuesday.
The beautiful sight of a coyote is not always welcome though. Less than three weeks ago, a 5-year-old girl was attacked by a coyote in San Francisco’s Botanical Garden at Golden Gate Park. Officials later killed three coyotes and linked one of them through DNA to the bite.
“The kids were relatively close to the tree lines and also relatively close to the den which are two things that should not happen near coyotes, and from all accounts it seems as though this coyote was very stimulated from all the screaming and yelling and playfulness of kids as young kids are,” said Wilkinson.
Advertisement
We kept our distance from the coyote family at the Saint Mary’s field though – if this was playtime before dinner, we wanted no part of that, nor did those in the neighborhood who say they’ve seen even more coyotes than this in recent days here. As for the coyote warning – the video here speaks for itself. Be careful out there.
In recent years, Wilkinson put together a study on coyotes and their pups. She found that coyotes often give birth to pups in late February or March, they then raise those pups before they disperse from their den in August and September.
Wilkinson and others say that if you see a coyote in San Francisco you should report it online, even when seemingly nothing happens. It helps management and life planning for the future in tracking the number of coyotes in the city. You can report a coyote sighting here.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Malik Thomas had 19 points in San Francisco’s 81-72 win against Portland on Thursday.
Thomas shot 5 of 12 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 7 for 7 from the line for the Dons (14-4, 4-1 West Coast Conference). Marcus Williams scored 17 points while shooting 8 for 12, including 1 for 4 from beyond the arc and added three steals. Carlton Linguard and Junjie Wang both added 14 points.
Advertisement
The Pilots (5-13, 0-5) were led by Max Mackinnon, who recorded 28 points and two steals. Austin Rapp added 19 points and eight rebounds for Portland. Chris Austin also had 12 points and six rebounds.
NEXT UP
San Francisco’s next game is Saturday against Santa Clara on the road, and Portland hosts Pacific on Thursday.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Newly inaugurated Mayor Daniel Lurie said Thursday he wants to freeze city hiring and new programs — though there are major exemptions and scant details on exactly what departments will be affected.
In light of a historic budget deficit reaching nearly $900 million, Lurie said the city would pause hiring for new positions, except those that are “historically challenging to staff and that directly support public safety and health.”
Additionally, Lurie told department heads to “realign programming and spending” with core priorities, according to a press release, including freezing new contracts and programs.
The mayor’s office did not respond to a list of questions from The Standard about which departments would be exempted from the hiring freeze or the criteria for halting programs and contracts.
“As we speak, the San Francisco Police Department and sheriff’s department are rapidly shifting resources and personnel to bring drug dealers to justice and clean up our streets,” Lurie said in his inaugural address Wednesday.
Chinese Americans have long played a critical role in San Francisco politics and the city’s identity as a bastion of progress and compassion, advocating for integrated schools, affordable housing and public safety, especially after the pandemic when anti-Asian hate crimes spiked.
A banner hangs over Grant Avenue welcoming Mayor Lurie at the Chinatown Night Market on Inauguration Day in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
It’s also a fast-growing electorate. The Asian population had the highest growth rate of any ethnicity in San Francisco from 2010 to 2020, according to U.S. Census data. Chinese residents account for nearly 22% of the city’s population.
Lurie has already hired several staffers to help him bridge cultural divides, including Han Zhao, a political strategist for Lurie’s campaign who will be the director of public affairs; Paul Yep, a former San Francisco police commander who will be the director of public safety; and Kit Lam, who was the Asian American and Pacific Islander political director for Lurie’s campaign and who was previously an organizer of the school board recall in 2022. He will serve as a press liaison between the mayor’s office and AAPI communities.
Advertisement
Lurie, founder of the nonprofit Tipping Point and heir to the Levis Strauss clothing fortune, campaigned as a political outsider fed up with dysfunction and corruption in City Hall.
He has never held elected office before, but convinced voters that his background in nonprofit work would position him well to bring new ideas to City Hall. Campaign contributions soared past $62 million, topped by Lurie who raised roughly $16 million — about half of which was self-funded — making his run the most expensive in the city’s history.
Mayor Daniel Lurie addresses supporters inside Far East Cafe, a Cantonese restaurant, during a visit to Chinatown’s Night Market on his Inauguration Day in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (Gina Castro/KQED)
At Wednesday’s night market, hundreds of residents packed the streets of Chinatown to eat and dance to electronic music by San Francisco-born electronic music producer, Zhu.
“I just got off of work over at Equinox and came because Zhu was performing, but I also came here to support our new Mayor Daniel Lurie,” said Mason Maes, who lives in Noe Valley. “It’s great to see all these residents get together.”
Elizabeth Wang, a Marina resident, came because she was hoping to learn more about Lurie and to have fun with friends.
“I’m just here for the vibes. I can’t say I know much about [Lurie] since he’s new to government,” Wang said. “But having a party here in Chinatown means a lot.”
Advertisement
Crowds fill Grant Avenue for the Chinatown Night Market on Inauguration Day in San Francisco on Jan. 8, 2025. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
Others at the event, who didn’t vote for Lurie and had skepticism about his wealthy background, said they’re waiting to see what type of change his administration will bring.
“We weren’t Daniel Lurie fans, but we love this city and hope it gets better,” said Tiny Harris, who was chasing her toddler around the market.
She said she voted for Aaron Peskin partly because he opposed sweeps of homeless encampments and supported housing and behavioral health solutions over law enforcement to address street homelessness.
“But out of all the mayoral candidates, we could have done worse, so I’m thankful for that,” Harris said.
