Welcome to the SF Dispatch, a daily newsletter round-up to save you some time catching up on the latest headlines from billionaire funded to independent news.
🌁 Featured News
🚨 California’s AI Safety Law - SB 53
Elected leaders in California weakened key provisions, which critics said left loopholes in the state’s ability to police the safety of current and emerging AI technologies. New York lawmakers largely preserved stiff fines and demanded more transparency, while widening the net to cover not just the cutting-edge chatbots but also derived spin-offs that can be just as risky." SF Public Press
Jason Winshell
In a Sept. 17 interview, Wiener said he could not recall many of the details in the wake of the end-of-session frenzy. The San Francisco Public Press asked his staff about the reasons for the amendments and who was involved in making individual line edits of the bill. A spokesperson replied by email: “Unfortunately we are unable to answer these questions.”
📎 After SF Weaponized Parking Rules Against RV Dwellers
The San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Innovation is crafting a new tool designed to answer pressing questions from RV dwellers about the city’s upcoming ban on long-term street parking: an AI chatbot." - Mission Local
Marina Newman
It’s unclear whether the tool aimed at RV dwellers will be conversational — like “Sgt Ken” or ChatGPT. For stressed RV dwellers worried that their homes will be taken away from them, turning to a chatbot instead of a human could carry risks.
🚩 "Most of the news media have played the story as a normal item: Mayor makes appointment."
None of the stories focused on the role that Tung could play on a commission that oversees a city agency that is, and will be, directly in the path of Donald Trump’s attacks on immigrants." - 48 Hills
Tim Redmond
Tung is part of the effort to move the Democratic Party to the right, and to support the agenda of the billionaires. That doesn’t seem to be working, on a national or local level. Now, she’s in a position to set policy on an agency that will be on the front lines of the Trump agenda. That doesn’t seem to be news in San Francisco.
🚐 SFPD RV @ 16th & Mission Evicted
(Don't worry, they have access to an AI chatbot)
🔕 According to Sasha Gaona, chief of staff to District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, their office learned about van leaving through concerned emails from constituents. - Mission Local
Io Yeh Gilman
The San Francisco Police Department’s mobile command unit, which has parked at 16th and Mission streets for the better part of the last 200 days, has been moved off the plaza for good because of “budget constraints,” Mission Station Captain Sean Perdomo wrote in an email Monday. In an official statement, however, the SFPD said that the removal of the van was not due to budgetary concerns.
📰 Local Headlines
City Hall
SFMTA Continues K-Ingleside Boarding Island Upgrades On Ocean Avenue
via www.inglesidelight.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Lurie appointee to Airport Commission opposed measure to block ICE in California
via 48hills.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
San Francisco’s latest answer for RV dwellers? An AI chatbot.
via missionlocal.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Tenderloin Rec Center gets new nature-inspired play space
via www.ktvu.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Politics
It started as a Larry David joke. Now the era of EVs in the carpool lane is ending
via www.sfchronicle.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Newsom signs AI safety law opposed by Meta, Google, OpenAI
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Newsom Signs California AI Transparency Bill Tailored to Meet Tech Industry Tastes
via ww2.kqed.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
What a government shutdown will mean for Californians, from Social Security to national parks
via www.sfchronicle.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Lesbian CA gov candidate Atkins suspends campaign
via www.ebar.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs landmark bill creating AI safety measures
via www.nbcbayarea.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Toni Atkins Drops Out of California Governor’s Race Ahead of 2026 Primary
via ww2.kqed.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
After Release of Memoir, Kamala Harris Sets Up Tense Days Ahead Between Her and Gavin Newsom
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Heads Up, Tipped Employees: ‘No Taxes on Tips’ Still Means Some Taxes on Your Tips
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
California’s AI Safety Law Beats New York’s to Finish Line, but Trades Away Safety and Liability Provisions
via www.sfpublicpress.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Toni Atkins ends bid to become California’s first woman and LGBTQ governor
via www.sfchronicle.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Criminal Justice
‘Gay grifter’ Bustamante sues prosecution witness
via www.ebar.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Troy McAlister case: Lawyers for man charged in deadly S.F. DUI crash seek court diversion
via www.sfchronicle.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
S.F. jury convicts man after years of domestic abuse, DA says
via www.sfchronicle.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Public Safety
Bay Area police officers pull over Waymo robotaxi during DUI operation
via www.cbsnews.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Monday Morning Headlines: Two Beach Rescues In Sonoma
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Why another giant chicken was crossing the road in S.F.’s Richmond District
via www.sfchronicle.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
An alarming lack of fire safety on SF's West Side
via newsletters.48hills.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Woman dies in custody at Redwood City jail
via www.cbsnews.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
SFPD nixes 24/7 bus at 16th and Mission, offers varying rationales
via missionlocal.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Muni operator was ‘slumped over’ before terrifying ride and evacuation, witness says
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
SF Bay Area Mormons call for peace after Grand Blanc church shooting
via www.ktvu.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
SFPD’s longest-serving detective is watching his special victims unit plummet
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Business
Bay Area-Based EA to Sell for $52.5 Billion in Largest-Ever Private Equity Buyout
via ww2.kqed.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Jared Kushner Partners With Saudis to Buy Bay Area-Based Game-Maker Electronic Arts
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Ongoing Wine Country Real Estate Scandal Draws Scrutiny of Lender Who Financed Accused Fraudster
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Culture
Best of the Bay voting extended through October 3!
via 48hills.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
SF LGBT center names deputy director Valles as new ED
via www.ebar.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Spirit of Compton’s Cafeteria Riot soars again in new Flyaway work
via 48hills.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
We’ve reached the end of Labubus
via sf.gazetteer.co | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Semen, sleep, and syringes: The tech bro’s manual to living forever
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Now you can make Keanu Reeves’ favorite noodles from a Chinatown landmark
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Misty Copeland broke ballet’s color barrier. These songs carried her through
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Housing
San Rafael RV Park Residents Fight To Keep Rent Affordable
via ww2.kqed.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Sonoma County Homeless Population Falls 23% Amid Housing Gains, Funding Threats
via ww2.kqed.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Former Noe Valley firehouse immortalized by Ruth Asawa sells for $5.8M
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Environment
Marin Headlands' scenic Hawk Hill to reopen to public next week
via www.nbcbayarea.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
In Lake Tahoe, a Mother Bear’s Break-ins Have Her at Risk of Being Killed
via ww2.kqed.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Human Rights
The new head of the SF LGBT Center is calling for more parties as a form of protest
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Health
The Silent Killer: Hepatitis B Disproportionately Impacts Asian Americans
via www.sfpublicpress.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Opinion
MAGA Hissy Fit Over Bad Bunny Super Bowl Halftime Show Should Further Alienate Young and Latino Voters
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
City Hall: Connie Chan
via richmondsunsetnews.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Newsom and Trump are closer on crime, homelessness than either might admit
via www.sfchronicle.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Arts and Events
Live Shots: Folsom Street Fair 2025 was big, slutty, and beautiful
via 48hills.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Sam Smith, Who Was Just Shooting a Music Video Around the Castro, Teases Possible Castro Theatre Announcement
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
San Francisco Fleet Week makes contingency plans in case of federal shutdown
via www.nbcbayarea.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Exclusive: Huge nude sculpture to loom over the Embarcadero for six more months
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Sports
Giants fire Bob Melvin after 2 seasons
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Giants Fire Veteran Manager Bob Melvin After 2 Years
via ww2.kqed.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
San Francisco Giants dismiss manager Bob Melvin after two seasons
via www.cbsnews.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
49ers Fumble, Bumble, Stumble Their Way to 26-21 Loss to Jacksonville Jaguars
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Giants Fire Manager Bob Melvin, After Two Seasons of Mediocre At-Best Baseball
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
After firing Bob Melvin, Buster Posey says he wants a manager ‘obsessive about work’
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Warriors stars set clear expectations for absent Jonathan Kuminga on Media Day
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49ers grades: Purdy, Pearsall back on the injury report before heading to L.A.
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Kawakami: Buster Posey’s ticking clock doomed Bob Melvin
via sfstandard.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Miscellaneous
Bay Area Storm Season Sneaks In With Sprinkles and a Chance of Thunder
via ww2.kqed.org | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Bay Area Woman Spends Untold Thousands on Billboard Campaign Seeking Husband
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Sara Jane Moore, who tried to assassinate President Ford, dies
via www.ebar.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link
Day Around the Bay: BART Adds More Cars to Accommodate Crowds
via sfist.com | Push to Kindle | Source Link