Hey there, San Francisco. 

How we doing? Happy Thursday. 

Our city’s busy election year kicks off in just over a month, and I thought the SF Standard’s Mike Ege put together a good “explainer” this week that breaks down the upcoming ballot. 

As a refresher, the February 15 election includes the board of education recalls, a decision to keep the mayor’s appointment for Assessor-Recorder (in his piece, Ege explains what an Assessor-Recorder actually does), and a vote to fill the vacated State Assembly seat for the eastern section of our city. 

On Wednesday, the Frisc also released a helpful “Everything You Need to Know” piece on the school board recalls. And if you want to get to know the candidates better for the State Assembly race, here are the links to my recent interviews with Bilal Mahmood, Matt Haney, and David Campos. 

I’ll be speaking with the fourth State Assembly candidate, Thea Selby, next week. More details on that soon. 

With up to four local elections in 2022, it’s going to be a lot. But hopefully, we can help.

And with that…onto some news… 

Top story: One thing you should know

On Wednesday, the Board of Supervisors’ budget and finance committee voted to delay a decision to open a new, 250-bed homeless shelter in a vacated hotel just north of the Tenderloin. 

As the Chronicle writes, “Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who represents the area,...said the city’s community engagement efforts had so far been ‘abysmal’ and he wanted the neighborhood to have more time to evaluate the plans.” Peskin asked the committee to revisit the two-year, $18.7 million plan next month. 

On Twitter, Mayor London Breed condemned the postponement, saying: “Every day we delay this shelter is one where 250 people sleep on the street…We all agree that the conditions in the Tenderloin are an emergency. We need to act like it.” 

Quick bits: Bite-sized news stories from across the city

• 📝 Some 20% of SFUSD educators were absent on Thursday. As the Chronicle’s Jill Tucker writes, “it was unclear how many were participating in the sickout and how many were actually ill or caring for sick family members.” Still, Tucker writes that 616 teachers were out today, which was up from 414 on Wednesday. (Chronicle) 

• 👀 Former Public Works director Mohammed Nuru pleaded guilty on Thursday to fraud “in a deal with federal prosecutors that could land him in prison for years,” the SF Standard’s Michael Barba writes. The Chronicle’s Megan Cassidy called the news “perhaps the most definitive development to date in the City Hall corruption scandal that has ensnared department heads and city contractors.” Nuru’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for May 26. (SF Standard / Chronicle) 

• 🏦 I did not realize our city had a pair of bank robbers on its hands, but on Wednesday, the SFPD announced that it had arrested two men believed to be involved in a series of seven local heists between October and November of last year. Apparently, according to the press release, “the robberies followed a similar modus operandi (M.O) in which the suspect would enter a bank, hand a teller a threatening note, and demand money. In some of the incidents, the suspect would brandish a firearm at the tellers. In all instances, the tellers complied.” (KRON4) 

• 💞 Local drag queen Lady Camden will be among the 14 contestants on this season’s hit VH1 show “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which premiers this Friday, January 7. Lady Camden, a longtime ballet dancer who once waited tables at Little Star Pizza in the Mission, is just the third San Francisco drag queen to compete on the show since it started back in 2009. (Datebook / SFist) 

What else I’m reading: Links to browse at your leisure

‘Something from hell’: Nancy Pelosi and Jackie Speier reflect on Jan. 6 (Examiner) 

SF Crabbers Struggle Amid ‘One-Two Punch’ of Covid and Season Delays (SF Standard) 

2022 will be the year of splashy tableside dining carts, S.F. restaurateurs predict (Chronicle) 

Did you know The SF Minute now has memberships? Plans start at $5 per month and give you full access to everything we produce. They also go a long way in making The SF Minute happen. Learn more about becoming a member here. 🙏

Weekend Guide: Some things to consider for your weekend ahead

🎨 Check out a pop-up art gallery. Ingleside Gallery, located at 1507 Ocean Avenue, is hosting an event dubbed “Art: Ingleside’s Pride” this Friday-Sunday from noon to 6 pm. “The weekend-long pop-up gallery…will feature 50 works from 19 artists,” the Ingleside Light’s Alex Mullaney writes. “Some are trained, others are self taught. All either live or work in Ingleside.” 

🍻 Pick up trash, drink beer. Local brewery and distillery Seven Stills is hosting its “Beers for the Bayview” community cleanup this Saturday from 9:30 am to 11:30 am inside Candlestick State Park. Afterward, Seven Stills is providing volunteers with a “light boxed lunch with beer,” though as the event page notes, “volunteers cannot continue cleaning the park after beer has been served.” Noted. 

🚶‍♀️And finally… Go on a walking tour. San Francisco City Guides offers free tours (with a $15 suggested donation) every weekend, but if you’re not wanting to do anything inside (with Omicron, and such) maybe this is the weekend to check one out. Tours typically last 90 to 120 minutes and range from the Corona Heights Stairways to Telegraph Hill to the Palace of Fine Arts. Here’s a link to this weekend’s schedule. 

That’s all for today! 

And real quick before you go, a clarification from yesterday when I said Lake Street could become the city’s first permanent Slow Street. It’s more accurate to say Lake Street could become “one of the first” to receive permanent Slow Street status since the SFMTA also has plans for corridors along Golden Gate Avenue, Sanchez Street, Shotwell Street, and Page Street to be Slow Streets post-pandemic. Thanks to one of our readers for pointing that out! 

Alright, have a great night y’all. And see you back here tomorrow! - Nick B.