The Dissent

Bex Connolly, City HallMay 26, 2026

District 2 Candidates Split on Marina Toxin Cleanup, Dodge Question on Redevelopment Plan

The two leading candidates in San Francisco's District 2 supervisor race have declined to state whether they support a proposed park and harbor…

Casey Wong, NeighborhoodsMay 21, 2026

Still Standing: A Morning at the Palace of Fine Arts

At the edge of the lagoon on Baker Street, the swans were doing what they always do — moving slowly past the stone colonnade as if they had a…

The Palace of Fine Arts: SF's Most Underappreciated Free Attraction

In a city that charges you $18 for avocado toast and wants to tax you for breathing, the Palace of Fine Arts remains gloriously, beautifully free.

District 2 Candidates Face the Surveillance Question — And It's Not as Simple as 'Yes or No'

The District 2 supervisor race is forcing candidates to wrestle with one of the thorniest questions in modern urban governance: How much surveillance…

District 2's Appointment Drama: Corruption Claims Meet Collective Shrug

Stephen Sherrill's appointment to the District 2 supervisor seat has officially entered that peculiar phase of San Francisco politics where serious…

The Case for Late Night Run Clubs (And Against 11pm Work Calls)

Here's a question nobody asked but everybody needs answered: where do SF's overworked, overscheduled, chronically online professionals go to run at…

FBI Probe Throws District 2 Race Into Chaos — And Voters Deserve Answers

Just when you thought San Francisco politics couldn't get any messier, the FBI has entered the chat.

May 18, 2026

Food

Off the Grid Returns to Fort Mason With 110+ Vendors — Proof That SF Thrives When Government Gets Out of the Way

If you want a case study in what happens when you let entrepreneurs do their thing without drowning them in red tape, look no further than Off the…

May 18, 2026

America Innovates Expo Hits Fort Mason May 16–18, Free Admission

The America Innovates expo is taking over Fort Mason from May 16–18, and — here's the kicker — it's completely free.

May 18, 2026

A Free Innovation Expo at Fort Mason? We'll Take It

In a city that loves to talk about innovation while simultaneously regulating it into oblivion, here's something refreshing: a free three-day…

May 17, 2026

Got a Marina Mansion Worth of Fixtures? Here's How to Keep It Out of a Landfill

Here's a small story that says a lot about how San Francisco works — and occasionally doesn't.

May 16, 2026

Transit

A Toddler Gets Hit by a Truck in the Marina, and SFMTA's Big Plan Is... Signs

A two-year-old boy in a stroller and his nanny were struck by a pickup truck on April 16 at the intersection of Chestnut and Laguna Streets.

May 16, 2026

The Tower of Jewels: When San Francisco Built Things Worth Remembering

In 1915, San Francisco did something extraordinary.

May 14, 2026

District 2 Candidates Face the Bike Lane Question — And It's More Revealing Than You'd Think

If you want to understand a San Francisco politician's actual priorities, don't ask them about housing or homelessness — those answers are pre-loaded…

May 12, 2026

110 Years Ago, San Francisco Threw the World's Greatest 'We're Back' Party

Before the Marina was brunch spots and overpriced one-bedrooms, it was the site of the most audacious flex in San Francisco history.

May 12, 2026

When San Francisco Threw the Greatest Party on Earth — And Built a Whole Neighborhood Doing It

One hundred and ten years ago, San Francisco did something unthinkable by today's standards: it built an entire world's fair — from scratch — in…

May 10, 2026

Fort Mason's Vintage Fair Proves SF's Real Economy Runs on Thrifted Ceramics and Old Denim

If you've ever wondered where all those perfectly curated "found objects" on your friend's floating shelf came from, the answer is probably an event…

May 9, 2026

District 2's Supervisor Race: A Millionaire, a Comeback Kid, and the Obvious Outcome

San Francisco's District 2 supervisor race has shaped up to be one of the city's more entertaining political contests — and not necessarily because…

May 9, 2026

District 2 Candidates Face the Layoff Question — And SF's Budget Reality Check

San Francisco's District 2 race is heating up, and candidates are being forced to answer a question that most local politicians treat like…

May 5, 2026

District 2 Housing Debate Reveals SF's Eternal Dilemma: Everyone Wants More Housing, Nobody Agrees on How

The District 2 supervisor race is heating up, and last week's candidate debate made one thing abundantly clear: housing policy remains the fault line…

May 5, 2026

Fort Mason Is About to Smell Really, Really Good

File this under "things you didn't know San Francisco needed but actually kind of does." Scentfest SF is rolling into Fort Mason Center June 26-28…

May 4, 2026

The Cure for SF's Loneliness Epidemic Might Just Be Pizza

Here's something you don't see every day in a city where people routinely walk past their own neighbors without making eye contact: a newcomer to San…

April 29, 2026

District 2 Candidates Face the Question Every SF Politician Loves to Dodge: Where Does Housing Actually Go?

It's the question that makes San Francisco politicians break out in hives: where, specifically, should we build more housing?

April 28, 2026

SF's $310/Month Gyms Can't Even Keep the Bathrooms Clean

Here's a question that perfectly encapsulates the San Francisco consumer experience: Where can you spend a small fortune and actually get what you're…

April 28, 2026

General

Marina Goes Dark: Multiple Blocks Lose Power, PG&E Offers a Shrug and a 3 AM ETA

Multiple blocks across the Marina District went dark last night, knocking out power for residents and sending fire trucks and police cars racing…

April 27, 2026

Food

The Marina's Greatest Mystery: How Does Ristobar Stay Open?

Every neighborhood has one — that restaurant you walk past constantly, peer into through the windows, and wonder: who is eating here?

Welcome to SF: A Survival Guide for New Arrivals Who Actually Want to Thrive

Every week, another bright-eyed transplant lands in San Francisco and asks the internet for advice.

A Dirty Martini, a Sidewalk Nap, and the Marina's Unlikely Good Samaritan

Look, we're not here to judge. The Balboa Cafe has been turning responsible adults into sidewalk sleepers since 1913. It's practically a neighborhood…

A Rare W: SF Approves 5-Acre Waterfront Park at Gashouse Cove

Mark your calendars, folks — the city that usually takes a decade to approve a bus stop bench just gave the green light to a brand new 5-acre…

The Real Crisis Isn't New Buildings — It's the Power to Say No to Them

There's a familiar script that plays out every time someone proposes building new housing in San Francisco.

April 23, 2026

The Marina Has a Networking Event Surplus

There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and someone in the Marina launching a networking event that promises to "create space" for…

April 22, 2026

A Drone, Two No-Fly Zones, and One Perfect Sunset

San Francisco is one of the most photographed cities on Earth, and yet somehow the bureaucratic obstacle course required to capture it from the air…

April 19, 2026

Fort Mason Hosts SF Waldorf Art Show — A Reminder That Not Everything in This City Requires a Committee Vote

Sometimes it's worth stepping back from the budget fights and Board of Supervisors drama to highlight something genuinely good happening in San…

April 18, 2026

Marina Waterfront Park Inches Forward — Despite NIMBYs Weaponizing Environmental Law

San Francisco voters passed Prop K. The city started planning a gorgeous new waterfront park along the Marina. And now, predictably, a small group of…

April 17, 2026

The Palace of Fine Arts Is Still SF's Best Free Attraction

There's something deeply satisfying about a piece of San Francisco that just works.

April 12, 2026

Fort Mason: The Free Therapy San Francisco Doesn't Want You to Know About

In a city where the Board of Supervisors seems determined to make your blood pressure spike on a weekly basis, it's worth remembering that San…

April 8, 2026

District 2's Big Question: Should Relapsing Addicts Lose Their Housing?

If you want to understand the philosophical fault lines running through San Francisco politics right now, look no further than District 2's…

April 7, 2026

A 25-Story Tower Over the Marina? Blame Sacramento, Not Safeway

If you told someone five years ago that a 25-story high-rise was coming to the Marina Safeway site, they'd have laughed you out of the room.

April 6, 2026

How Does That Store Stay Open? SF's Most Gloriously Inexplicable Small Businesses

Every San Franciscan has one. That store you walk past three times a week, never see a single customer inside, and think: there is absolutely no way…

April 4, 2026

District 2's Supervisor Race: Will the Marina Finally Get a Fiscal Grown-Up?

April 3, 2026

District 2 Candidates Face the Age-Old SF Dilemma: Your Views vs. New Housing

Here's a question that perfectly encapsulates San Francisco's housing dysfunction: Should politicians block new housing because it might obstruct…

March 31, 2026