Mission Local is publishing campaign dispatches for each of the major contenders in the mayor’s race, alternating among candidates weekly until November. This week: Ahsha Safaí. Read earlier dispatches here.
In San Francisco, night markets tend to start when it’s not night yet. Friday’s Sunset Night Market was no exception.
Spanning across seven blocks on Irving Street, from 19th to 26th Avenue, the night market returned for the second year after its previous success and has doubled in size. Around 6 p.m., streets were already packed with people eager to line up for various food trucks and sit with friends around tables covered in green, plaid tablecloths.
At the 21st Avenue stage, belly dancers mingled with the audience: “We want to teach you some movements so we can all dance together!” But the crowd seemed a bit shy, with a few kids dancing in excitement and adults just slightly moving their hips.
After circling around the neighborhood to find parking for quite some time, Ahsha Safaí arrived at the Sunset Night Market around 7:15 p.m., joined by Jackie, a campaign volunteer who lives nearby.
“What have you done?” asked a curious woman, after learning that Safaí represents the Excelsior, Outer Mission and Ingleside.
In fact, it has been a rough day for Safaí’s district and the supervisor: Early that morning, Youth 1st, a non-profit organization in the Lakeview neighborhood, was defaced with racist, anti-Black graffiti targeted toward its executive director, Renard Monroe. Just before Safaí arrived, he had been told a 10-year-old girl was shot at the back of her ear when a group of kids were playing with an unlocked gun in a house.
“It’s one of the things about being a district supervisor that you can’t really prepare for,” Safaí said later.
But at the moment, Safaí didn’t bring any of this up. “We brought over $1 billion worth of investment. We built almost 600 units of housing. We repaved all the streets. We put in over 3,000 trees,” he said.
The night market was not strictly non-political. It was the brainchild of District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio, who set up a booth in the center of the festivities. Engardio himself was seen standing on top of a bench, taking photos, or speaking with a voter holding a “No on K” sign, opposing Engardio’s ballot measure to close Great Highway to cars.
On the streets, volunteers for mayoral candidate Mark Farrell held up signs. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins, in a pink suit, took photos with residents. Another mayoral contender, Aaron Peskin, strolled down the street, while his staffer carried a tote bag with window signs peeking out of it.
Safaí was asked to limit campaigning to the sidewalk, not in the middle of the street. But unlike smaller block parties, the volume of people made it almost impossible for anyone to stop — or be stopped, for that matter — when someone handed over a campaign flier.
When one of Farrell’s campaign volunteers greeted Safaí and asked how the night was going, Safaí was honest. “It’s tough, I mean, people want to go get food and hang out with their friends,” he said.
Volunteers of this competing campaign did not hesitate to share their secrets. “We find that just walking past them and putting it right in front of them, makes it really hard to say no,” one said. “Slightly obstructed,” one added. “Just guilting them into it,” another said. Then, the two campaigns wished each other luck and parted ways.
Between bursts of handing out fliers, this reporter noticed Safaí had gone quiet. It turned out he was staring at the “Hot Patties!” neon sign at one of the foot booths.
“I love Jamaican Patties,” he murmured. But he soon talked himself out of it, “Look how long the line is!” He was trying to campaign, after all. Just after a few minutes, “I’m still stuck on the Jamaican patties,” he said, telling this reporter about growing up on the east coast and loving Jamaican patties.
On the way back, without a word, Safaí stepped in line for the patties. “I feel like the patty line’s gonna go fast,” he defended himself like a dad would. The owners at the patty stand recognized the supervisor, and wished him luck running for mayor.
At the night market where almost no one stopped for a flier, there might be nothing more one could ask for than an everyday San Franciscan familiar with your mayoral bid. Plus a hot beef Jamaican patty.
About the author
Vea cómo se postulan: Los demócratas de SF acusan a Mark Farrell de utilizar indebidamente el logotipo de apoyo del partido
Read in EnglishMission Local está publicando artículos de campaña para cada una/uno de los principales contendientes en la carrera por la alcaldía, alternando entre los candidatos semanalmente hasta noviembre. Esta semana: Mark Farrell. Lea los artículos anteriores aquí.El Partido Demócrata de San Francisco ha acusado al candidato a la alcaldía, Mark Farrell, de utilizar indebidamente su logotipo en un folleto sobre la Propuesta D enviado a los votantes la semana pasada. El correo en cuestión, de 20 por 30 centímetros, muestra de forma destacada una foto de Farrell y una cita de su apoyo a la Propuesta D, la medida para limitar las comisiones municipales, junto al logotipo del SF Dems en un círculo azul oscuro, muy similar al sello de apoyo del partido.Aunque el partido ha respaldado la Proposición D, no ha respaldado a Farrell – ese honor fue para […]
Absentee in-person voting starts in early October in Ottawa County
Oct. 7 is the closing date for new voter registrations and changes of address and names for the Nov. 5 general election.Regular office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The Board of Elections will be open Oct. 7 until 9 p.m. The Ottawa County office is located at 8444 West Ohio 163, Oak Harbor.More: Ohio Secretary of State highlights election securityNew registrations and changes of address and name may also be made at any public library; any Bureau of Motor Vehicles office; the Ottawa County Health Department; and at the Ottawa County Courthouse at the Clerk of Courts Title Department or the Treasurer’s office. Change of address may be completed at www.VoteOhio.gov.Ohio Issue 1 2024: What is it? Would it stop gerrymandering?Absentee in-person voting starts Oct. 8 at 8 a.m. and ends Nov. 3 at 5 […]
Mayor Breed is deleting texts. Legal experts say that’s a problem.
On June 29, Mayor London Breed texted Carla Short, the director of San Francisco Public Works, asking her to send out a crew to pick up trash in the Tenderloin.“I’m at Azalina’s. Are you around? You should stop by,” read the text from Breed, sent at 5:54 p.m. while the mayor was at a Malaysian restaurant near Ellis and Leavenworth streets. “Can you send someone to clean up across the street please. It [sic] a pile of trash on the south west corner.”Short said she was at a Giants game but promised to “send someone now.” “That would be great,” Breed wrote in response. “I want her to succeed but the tents and trash are a problem,” she added, seemingly referencing a homeless woman on the corner. “We will deal with the tents. Thank you and enjoy the game.” That simple […]
Final messages revealed from the Titan sub before tragic implosion
“All good here.”Those were some of the final words that the doomed Titan submersible crew communicated before the submersible imploded on its mission to the Titanic wreckage site in June 2023.The message, revealed as part of the Coast Guard’s Monday hearing into the circumstances of the failed mission, was sent to support vessel Polar Prince on June 18, 2023, shortly before the submersible imploded, killing all five of its crew members. It was an incident that captivated both sides of the Atlantic as crews made a mad dash to save the crew after the sub lost contact with the surface - with the world unaware that the lives had been lost.The Coast Guard played an animated re-enactment of the Titan’s voyage that captured the submersible’s final, spotty exchange with the Polar Prince, during the Monday hearing that shed new light […]
Wells Fargo sign blows loose; firefighters on scene
Sign up below to get Mission Local’s free newsletter, a daily digest of news you won’t find elsewhere. The corner of Mission and 22nd has been sealed off and firefighters have ascended a ladder to remove a Wells Fargo sign overlooking the intersection, which came loose during a gusty day. Earlier in the evening, pedestrians were asked to avoid the vicinity in the event the large red-and-yellow bank sign fell. Building representatives were also on scene, and the fire department said it was opening to securing or removing the sign. They chose the latter, with the property owner’s permission. “This is an isolated hazard and we ask that you avoid the area,” the fire department added in a statement, advising travelers to plan alternative routes. Want the latest on the Mission and San Francisco? Sign up for our free daily […]
More than half of women fleeing domestic abuse turned away from safe refuge due to chronic shortages
More than half of domestic abuse survivors face homelessness after being turned away from refuges due to a chronic national shortage of spaces.The latest figures show around six in 10 women fleeing domestic violence who sought a space in a refuge in England over a year were denied a place.Data from the Office for National Statistics shows 27,754 women were referred to a refuge between April 2022 and March 2023 but only 10,824 were accepted, with 16,930 women left with nowhere to go. This is the equivalent of one woman being turned away every two hours.The shocking statistics come as The Independent launches its Brick by Brick campaign in partnership with charity Refuge to raise £300,000 and build a house for women escaping abusive partners.Be a brick, buy a brick and donate here or text BRICK to 70560 to donate […]
Related
Vea cómo se postulan: Los demócratas de SF acusan a Mark Farrell de utilizar indebidamente el logotipo de apoyo del partido
Read in EnglishMission Local está publicando artículos de campaña para cada una/uno de los principales contendientes en la carrera por la alcaldía, alternando entre los candidatos semanalmente hasta noviembre. Esta semana: Mark Farrell. Lea los artículos anteriores aquí.El Partido Demócrata de San Francisco ha acusado al candidato a la alcaldía, Mark Farrell, de utilizar indebidamente su logotipo en un folleto sobre la Propuesta D enviado a los votantes la semana pasada. El correo en cuestión, de 20 por 30 centímetros, muestra de forma destacada una foto de Farrell y una cita de su apoyo a la Propuesta D, la medida para limitar las comisiones municipales, junto al logotipo del SF Dems en un círculo azul oscuro, muy similar al sello de apoyo del partido.Aunque el partido ha respaldado la Proposición D, no ha respaldado a Farrell – ese honor fue para […]
Mayor Breed is deleting texts. Legal experts say that’s a problem.
On June 29, Mayor London Breed texted Carla Short, the director of San Francisco Public Works, asking her to send out a crew to pick up trash in the Tenderloin.“I’m at Azalina’s. Are you around? You should stop by,” read the text from Breed, sent at 5:54 p.m. while the mayor was at a Malaysian restaurant near Ellis and Leavenworth streets. “Can you send someone to clean up across the street please. It [sic] a pile of trash on the south west corner.”Short said she was at a Giants game but promised to “send someone now.” “That would be great,” Breed wrote in response. “I want her to succeed but the tents and trash are a problem,” she added, seemingly referencing a homeless woman on the corner. “We will deal with the tents. Thank you and enjoy the game.” That simple […]
Wells Fargo sign blows loose; firefighters on scene
Sign up below to get Mission Local’s free newsletter, a daily digest of news you won’t find elsewhere. The corner of Mission and 22nd has been sealed off and firefighters have ascended a ladder to remove a Wells Fargo sign overlooking the intersection, which came loose during a gusty day. Earlier in the evening, pedestrians were asked to avoid the vicinity in the event the large red-and-yellow bank sign fell. Building representatives were also on scene, and the fire department said it was opening to securing or removing the sign. They chose the latter, with the property owner’s permission. “This is an isolated hazard and we ask that you avoid the area,” the fire department added in a statement, advising travelers to plan alternative routes. Want the latest on the Mission and San Francisco? Sign up for our free daily […]
United Dumplings: A Bernal Heights delight
The original United Dumplings has been on Cortland in Bernal since late 2020, but my first time trying their food was just last year at their Oakland location. Women-owned, United Dumplings offers a mix of tradition and innovation, and it all tastes authentically great. I was blown away by the quality of the dumplings and the variety of offerings — of not just dumplings but the myriad noodles, rice, veggie, and tofu options. I was overjoyed to learn (very belatedly) that we had one so close to the Mission. The original is a bit more casual and spare than its East Bay cousin, but the menus seem to be identical. (There’s also another outpost in the Marina.)Pea shoots I tried in Oakland were a favorite, so I had to have them here.Pea ShootsThey were so abundantly garlicky, and so lusciously creamy, they almost seemed […]
Controller assumes de facto control of Human Rights Commission
In a Friday afternoon letter to San Francisco officials, city controller Greg Wagner announced his office would essentially assume control of the scandal-plagued Human Rights Commission, with his “accounting staff immediately to oversee accounting operations at HRC, including approvals of payments and other financial transactions.”The Human Rights Commission’s director, Sheryl Davis, resigned at Mayor London Breed’s behest yesterday and hired a defense attorney after a slew of news articles alleging cavalier or even potentially illegal spending.The San Francisco Chronicle on Thursday revealed that Davis spent some $10,000 renting a home for city interns on Martha’s Vineyard, allegedly splitting the invoice to evade city reporting requirements for purchases of $10,000 or more. On the same day, the San Francisco Standard noted that Davis had directed some $1.5 million in funding to the nonprofit Collective Impact, which is overseen by James Spignola. […]
San Francisco District 3 debate filled by conservative voices
Residents who listened to Friday night’s District 3 forum witnessed a supervisor race speeding toward a conservative endpoint, with five candidates poised to replace Supervisor Aaron Peskin often collectively supporting tough-on-crime measures and police commission reforms while opposing reparations for Black Americans. The sixth candidate, Wendy Ha Chau, didn’t attend the forum.The direction was led by candidate Matt Susk, who previously worked in private real estate and who is endorsed by organizations like the big-money groups Neighbors for a Better San Francisco and ConnectedSF, which is largely funded by Neighbors; San Francisco Association of Realtors; and the San Francisco Police Officers Association. Among the three leading candidates, Sen. Scott Wiener’s pick, Danny Sauter, occasionally emerged as the more progressive voice on stage, surpassing his two Peskin-endorsed competitors. He was the strongest pro-reparations voice, for example, among the candidates. The latter includes Moe […]
Be the first to leave a comment