Hey there, San Francisco.
Happy Tuesday. 🌿
This week, SFGATE Editor-in-Chief Grant Marek put out a simple ask on Twitter: “What are the best plant shops in the city?”
And one thing we learned: “SF plant twitter does NOT f*ck around,” as Marek put it. “101 suggestions for places to get plants is not what I was expecting.”
The full thread is here. And, a few places that stood out include:
Little Trees in the Richmond
The Plant Lady in Ingleside
The Mellow in the Haight and Mission
Utsuwa in Lower Nob Hill
As for Marek, he went with Plant Therapy on Market Street since it’s right next to public transportation and, of course, Verve Coffee.
And with that…onto the news…
Top story: SF native wins gold for China
Eighteen-year-old, San Francisco native Eileen Gu captured the gold medal in the woman’s freeski big air competition on Tuesday after landing a “double cork 1620” on her final run, a trick she had never tried in competition.
"I was guaranteed a podium spot," she said. "[So] I was thinking, 'Should I improve on my previous one and go for the silver or should I whip out this random trick I'd never done before and go for gold?” You can watch a video of it here.
Interestingly, Gu’s gold won’t count towards the USA’s medal count because, since 2019, the San Francisco University High School grad has skied for China, where her mother grew up. Gu has said her goal is to inspire girls, especially girls in China, to take up winter sports.
Still, Gu’s decision to compete under the Chinese flag has raised questions, including whether she has given up her US citizenship (since China does not allow dual citizenship).
"I’ve always been super outspoken about my gratitude to the US, especially the US team," Gu said on Tuesday. "And same with the Chinese team. They've always been super supportive and they've helped me so much. And so in that sense, I think that that speaks volumes to the ability of sport to bridge the gap and to be a force for unity."
Quick bits: Bite-sized news stories
🏘 After a report last week revealed that roughly 10% of the city’s housing stock is sitting vacant, Supervisor Dean Preston announced a proposal for an “Empty Home Tax” on Tuesday that he hopes to get on this November’s ballot. It’ll take 9,000 valid signatures from registered voters to do so. (SFist)
👀 Since Mayor London Breed’s emergency declaration at the end of December, the city has hired 100 new public health workers and plans to bring on 100 more by the end of the 90-day order. Previously, the Chronicle reports, hiring for such positions took up to six months. (Chronicle)
🍦 Pushback from nearby brick-and-mortar businesses has prompted Rec and Parks to end its food truck pilot program on the Great Highway on weekends. “Every sale matters right now,” Kathryn Grantham, the owner of Black Bird Bookstore on Judah Street, said. “And putting food trucks up on the Great Highway park is not supporting small business.” (Chronicle)
What else I’m reading: Links to browse
You haven't seen this SF Civil War-era fort until you've visited at nighttime (SFGATE)
A century before Rosa Parks, a Black woman fought for her rights on an S.F. streetcar—and won (Examiner)
Bay Area yards are filled with mysterious avocado varieties. This man is on a mission to find them all (Chronicle)
And finally…Sunset vibes on Bernal Hill

Hat tip to The Bold Italic, who noticed that the rock atop Bernal Hill (known as the Bernal Hill Rock) has a new paint job. And just in time for all this warm weather, it’s sporting sunset vibes.
The rock’s design has seen many iterations, and as The Bold Italic notes, you can watch for its changes on its unofficial Instagram account here.
Still, it’s worth going to the rock in-person, especially to check out the view of the city behind it. Bonus points for going at sunset.
That’s all for today! Thanks so much for reading y’all and see you back here tomorrow. - Nick B.
Dual citizenship. Not duel. No guns or swords involved.