Hey there, San Francisco. 

Spring is in the air! 

My bougainvillea bush is flowering and my new kumquat tree is growing! Now, if only my poppies would bloom like they are across the city, I would be a fully content backyard gardener. 

But with new life, comes goodbyes. 

On Thursday, patrons lined up outside of Japantown’s Benkyodo Company starting around 2 am to bid farewell to the 115-year old mochi shop, which officially closes today. 

“All good things must come to an end I guess,” one person in line told CBS Bay Area. 

Benkyodo’s third generation owners Ricky and Bobby Okamura say they’re ready to retire and no one else in the family wants to take over. 

“I think I’m gonna watch my grandkids,” Ricky told CBS. “And then maybe take up golf or something.” 

And with that… onto the news… 

Top Story: SF’s Woman of the Year 

State senator Scott Wiener recently named Jupiter Peraza, a transgender woman who works as the director of social justice and empowerment initiatives at the city’s Transgender District, as Woman of the Year for Senate District 11, which encompasses all of San Francisco. 

• A ceremony to recognize Peraza took place on Sunday at Manny’s, where she previously worked as the civic cafe’s events manager. 

“It felt very affirming that people are noticing the fact that not just myself, but trans people in general are trailblazing in their own communities and taking active leadership roles,” Peraza told me on Thursday. “That to me means the most above anything else.” 

• In 2020, Peraza spearheaded phone banking efforts for the national election, which involved over 1,000 San Francisco volunteers. The group sent out over 1 million text messages and 25,000 hand-written letters to voters in battleground states like Florida, Michigan, and Wisconsin, Peraza said. 

• Currently, her advocacy work is focused on the city’s redistricting plans, which, under the most recent proposal, would split the Transgender District into two separate supervisor districts. That, Peraza said, could spread the group’s efforts thin and ultimately, diminish their influence in City Hall. 

  • “Aligning with two different supervisors is much more challenging than aligning with one,” Peraza told me. 

As for how Senator Wiener's office chose Peraza as its Woman of the Year, spokesperson Caite Stewart told me: “We look for people who are really committed to San Francisco and deeply involved in their communities… We also wanted to show that we stand with the trans community.” 

• To note, today is International Transgender Day of Visibility, which the Human Rights Campaign described as “a time to celebrate transgender and non-binary people around the globe and acknowledge the courage it takes to live openly and authentically.” 

Congrats Jupiter! 

Quick bits: News to know 

💼 Despite recent buy-in from some of the city’s largest companies to encourage their employees back, as of last week, the number of San Francisco workers going into their offices was still just 31% compared to pre-pandemic levels.

• Austin, Texas, for comparison, saw 53% of its workers in offices last week.

• “I don’t think we’re going to be up there with the leading metros for some time,” San Francisco’s chief economist Ted Egan told the San Francisco Business Times. “We’d be lucky to get there this year.” (SF Business Times) 

🎮 Electronics retailer B8ta, which opened its flagship Hayes Valley store in 2017 and raised over $88.5 million from investors, is officially out-of-business, its former CEO Vibhu Norby confirmed with the Chronicle on Wednesday. (Chronicle) 

🍔 Noe Valley burger shop Hi-Way has opened a second location in North Beach at 411 Columbus Ave. IMHO, it’s a good burger! And the variety of fries and sides is nice as well. (Eater) 

What else I’m reading: Links to browse 

• What Makes a Street 'Private'? And Why Does San Francisco Have So Many? (KQED) 

• The genesis of the Golden Gate Bridge was a carnival ride (Chronicle) 

• 'We might crash Coachella': San Francisco metal band Hemorage descends on tourist traps, Metallica shows in custom bus (SFGATE) 

Weekend guide: Events, ideas, and more

⛪️ Tour Grace Cathedral. If you’ve never been inside Grace Cathedral, it’s worth a visit. And earlier this month, the church added a brand new, self-guided tour, its director of visitor experience Julie Knight told me on Thursday. 

“You used to be able to come in and wander around Grace, but there was no interpretive material at all to tell you what you’re looking at,” Knight said. “Now we have 12 stops throughout the cathedral… where you can delve in and explore some of the space’s treasures.” 

There is no cost to enter Grace Cathedral for church services and prayer. But if you’re a “sightseeing visitor,” general admission is $12. And if you’d like to check-out the newly added tour, hours are Monday through Saturday from 10am - 5pm. Tickets here. 

🌯 Head to Fort Mason. For the first time in two years, Off the Grid Fort Mason returns on Friday from 5pm to 10pm. Billed as “California’s largest weekly food truck night market,” the event will feature 25 trucks, including longtime favorites, like Señor Sisig and Bacon Bacon, along with newcomers, like Vegan Mob and Media Noche. 

🎶 Listen to Boyz II Men…at the symphony! That’s right. Legendary R&B group Boyz II Men is performing on stage with the San Francisco Symphony this Friday and Saturday at 7:30pm. You can check out tickets here. 

That’s all for today! Thanks so much for reading, and I’m here for gardening tips if you have them! See you tomorrow. - Nick B.