Hey there, San Francisco. 

Happy Friday. And, can you believe this weather? 

I tried working in my backyard, but between my phone overheating and continuously squinting to see my computer screen, I couldn’t handle it. 

Any tips? Do any of you have good setups for working outside on days like today? If so, I’d love to hear about it (or see some pictures)! Feel free to reply here. 

Temperatures will cool off a bit this weekend, but still looks quite nice. Saturday expect a high of 76 and Sunday, a high of 69. 

With that… onto the news.. 

Quick bits: News to know 

🌃 On Friday, the Chronicle’s Noah Arroyo published an important story on our downtown’s dire, economic situation. 

Here are four stats that stood out: 

• Office space vacancy in SF has jumped 290% (4.8M square feet in Q1 2019 vs. 18.7M square feet in Q1 2022) 

• Convention attendees at Moscone Center are down 86% (221.5K in Q1 2019 vs. 30.3K in Q1 2022)

• Downtown BART exits are down 76% (9.8M Q1 in 2019 vs. 2.3M in Q1 2022) 

• Downtown sales tax revenue is down 40% ($55.6M in 2019 vs. $33.5M in 2021) 

“If the number of companies [in San Francisco] diminish and the number of people working in the tech industry diminishes, the network effect diminishes,” Wade Rose, president of Advance SF told the Chronicle. “And that is not a good thing.” (Chronicle) 

🍎 The San Francisco school board will hold a special meeting next Thursday to decide whether Lowell High’s admissions process will continue to be lottery-based for another year. 

• As the SF Standard’s Ida Mojadad points out, Thursday’s vote should be especially interesting to watch because all three of the newly appointed school board members have voiced support for a “special admissions policy” at Lowell. (SF Standard) 

🏀 Steph Curry said he’s “going to play” in tonight’s Game 4 against the Celtics, despite suffering an apparent foot injury in Wednesday’s 116-100 loss. Video clips from his shootaround this morning look promising. (ESPN) 

What else I’m reading: Links to browse 

• The AIDS Quilt is coming back to San Francisco this weekend. Here’s how it began (Chronicle) 

• London Breed’s brother seeks prison release in Golden Gate Bridge death, as mayor prepares to appoint new D.A. (Chronicle) 

• Supervisor Mar Faces Stiff Re-election Fight as Two High-Profile Challengers Step Up (SF Standard) 

• How Meticulously Stuffed Chicken Wings Became the Unlikely Stars of San Francisco Restaurant Menus (Eater) 

ICYMI: This week’s most popular stories 

Monday: San Francisco's "managed retreat" from rising sea levels (Axios) 

Tuesday: Police Clear Homeless Encampment Days After Mayor’s Tweet, Prompting Questions About Legality of Such Sweeps (SF Standard) 

Wednesday: How San Francisco became a failed city (Atlantic) 

Thursday: San Francisco pet parents, professionals face new frontier in COVID era (Examiner) 

And finally… Halibut fishing 

The Chronicle’s Tara Duggan reported on Friday that right now is a particularly good time to go fishing for halibut in the bay. 

One reason – halibut like warmer waters. Bay temperatures have been 59 to 61 degrees, local fisherman Ron Koyasako told the Chronicle, while ocean waters have been 49 to 53 degrees.

I’ve never really considered halibut fishing in the bay, so I gave Captain Koyasako, who runs the sportfishing company Nautilus Excursions, a quick call this afternoon. 

Koyasako said he offers half day tours, but his full day tours (which cost $300 per person and run from 6 am to 4 pm) are the “most bang for your buck.” 

Some of his favorite places to fish include just off Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the Berkeley flats. 

“I would say 90% of our passengers have no, or very, very little experience,” Koyasako said. “We provide everything. All they need to bring is a lunch and a fishing license.” 

That’s all for today! One quick clarification from yesterday’s newsletter – A resident (and SF Minute reader) who lives in the flooded, downtown apartment tower at 33 Tehama told me that the $300 a day is only for those who choose not to stay in one of the hotels offered by the building’s owners. Still, they said, the situation has been “really messy” and likely won’t be resolved for “months.”

On Friday, a spokesperson for the building called the situation “catastrophic.” 

And on that note, have a wonderful weekend y’all. Stay hydrated out there.

- Nick B. 😎