Astrid Kane

In an era when vibes often overpower facts, San Francisco is beginning to feel as if the vibes and the facts are on the same side.&nbsp;

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<p>In an era when vibes often overpower facts, San Francisco is beginning to feel as if the vibes and the facts are on the same side.&nbsp;</p>

Rainbow laser cannons illuminating Market Street, monthly festivals taking over downtown, impromptu raves on the waterfront, impromptu raves at Civic Center, beautiful light displays at Grace Cathedral — San Francisco is having its best summer of the 16 I’ve spent here. Something about the city’s mood has begun to shift for the better, and we have the pictures — and the data — to prove it.

<p>Rainbow laser cannons illuminating Market Street, monthly festivals taking over downtown, impromptu raves on the waterfront, impromptu raves at Civic Center, beautiful light displays at Grace Cathedral — San Francisco is having its best summer of the 16 I’ve spent here. Something about the city’s mood has begun to shift for the better, and we have the pictures — and the data — to prove it.</p>

Call it our “brat” summer (<a href="https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/brat-summer-is-dead-long-live-brat-summer/">assuming that cultural moment isn’t over already</a>). It’s starting to feel like that long, dark period when San Francisco-bashing reached a fever pitch is over. Collectively, we are waking up to the city’s inherent awesomeness, led by visual art and live music, along with <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/05/bayfront-park-chase-center/">plenty of new parks</a> and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/13/san-francisco-crime-rate-drops/?utm_campaign=SF%20Standard%20Daily&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=SF%20Standard&amp;utm_content=hero">way less bipping</a>.&nbsp;

SF has been opening new parks at a furious clip—and the next one is almost here

Not a typo: Crime in SF is now below pre-pandemic levels

<p>Call it our “brat” summer (<a href="https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/brat-summer-is-dead-long-live-brat-summer/">assuming that cultural moment isn’t over already</a>). It’s starting to feel like that long, dark period when San Francisco-bashing reached a fever pitch is over. Collectively, we are waking up to the city’s inherent awesomeness, led by visual art and live music, along with <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/05/bayfront-park-chase-center/">plenty of new parks</a> and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/13/san-francisco-crime-rate-drops/?utm_campaign=SF%20Standard%20Daily&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=SF%20Standard&amp;utm_content=hero">way less bipping</a>.&nbsp;</p>

Fred Again and Skrillex perform a show at San Francisco's Civic Center plaza on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Superstar electronic musicians Skrillex and Fred Again performed at outdoor concert at San Francisco’s Civic Center to roughly 25,000-person mega-show with only 96 hours’ warning. General admission tickets with a $80 service fee, went on sale at noon Tuesday, and the show sold out in about an hour as fans jockeyed for the chance to see two of the most high-energy DJs and producers working today.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="2500" width="2385" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined01_20240726_sfbestsummerever_2a333d.jpg?w=2385" alt="A DJ performs on stage, illuminated by red lights, in front of a massive crowd at night. The audience, packed tightly, raises their hands and phones, capturing the moment." class="wp-image-295554"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">DJ-producers Fred Again and Skrillex perform June 1 at Civic Center Plaza, effectively kicking off what has become San Francisco’s comeback summer.</figcaption></figure>


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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined01_20240726_sfbestsummerever_2a333d.jpg?w=2385" alt="A DJ performs on stage, illuminated by red lights, in front of a massive crowd at night. The audience, packed tightly, raises their hands and phones, capturing the moment." class="wp-image-295554"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">DJ-producers Fred Again and Skrillex perform June 1 at Civic Center Plaza, effectively kicking off what has become San Francisco’s comeback summer.</figcaption></figure>

People danced in the crowd at the Dirtybird showcase on Sunday, July 21, 2024. Another Planet Entertainment and Dirtybird threw an afternoon rave at Embarcadero Plaza opposite the Ferry Building for thousands of attendees.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="2289" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined02_20240726_sfbestsummerever_144875.jpg?w=2500" alt="A diverse crowd enjoys an energetic outdoor event. People are smiling, wearing sunglasses, and dancing, with one wearing headphones and another in a Lakers jersey." class="wp-image-295551"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Another Planet Entertainment partnered with SF’s Dirtybird Records to produce a rave Sunday on the Embarcadero, drawing thousands.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined02_20240726_sfbestsummerever_144875.jpg?w=2500" alt="A diverse crowd enjoys an energetic outdoor event. People are smiling, wearing sunglasses, and dancing, with one wearing headphones and another in a Lakers jersey." class="wp-image-295551"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Another Planet Entertainment partnered with SF’s Dirtybird Records to produce a rave Sunday on the Embarcadero, drawing thousands.</figcaption></figure>

Let’s start with the loudest part: all those outdoor shows. Virtually every week, thousands of people of all ages have headed out to shake their tail feathers together. In last weekend’s case, it was free of charge: For the first time in my San Francisco memory, Embarcadero Plaza was a desirable place to be Sunday, thanks to “Back to BAYsics,” a <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/21/free-rave-draws-thousands-sanfrancisco-embarcadero/">four-hour set with DJs from Dirtybird</a>, the local label that grew out of free barbecues in Golden Gate Park. Staged by SF concert powerhouse Another Planet Entertainment, the show was part of an agreement between the promoter and City Hall to produce three free outdoor events per year for three years in exchange for a <a href="https://apeconcerts.com/events/system-of-a-down-deftones-240817/">second festival in the park one week after Outside Lands</a>.

Photos: Free rave draws thousands to Embarcadero. ‘It’s getting everybody pumped’

<p>Let’s start with the loudest part: all those outdoor shows. Virtually every week, thousands of people of all ages have headed out to shake their tail feathers together. In last weekend’s case, it was free of charge: For the first time in my San Francisco memory, Embarcadero Plaza was a desirable place to be Sunday, thanks to “Back to BAYsics,” a <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/21/free-rave-draws-thousands-sanfrancisco-embarcadero/">four-hour set with DJs from Dirtybird</a>, the local label that grew out of free barbecues in Golden Gate Park. Staged by SF concert powerhouse Another Planet Entertainment, the show was part of an agreement between the promoter and City Hall to produce three free outdoor events per year for three years in exchange for a <a href="https://apeconcerts.com/events/system-of-a-down-deftones-240817/">second festival in the park one week after Outside Lands</a>.</p>

This program, called SF Live, is designed to breathe new life into beleaguered downtown spaces, something Mayor London Breed “has prioritized as a component of her broader economic strategy to revitalize and add vibrancy to pockets” of the city, according to a spokesperson.&nbsp;

<p>This program, called SF Live, is designed to breathe new life into beleaguered downtown spaces, something Mayor London Breed “has prioritized as a component of her broader economic strategy to revitalize and add vibrancy to pockets” of the city, according to a spokesperson.&nbsp;</p>

That’s pure bureaucratic boilerplate, no doubt. But there’s no denying that it’s working, with the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/10/hibernia-bank-downtown-sf-edm-performan/">reinvigoration of the Hibernia Bank</a>, a Beaux Arts white elephant in the Tenderloin, well underway after an open-to-close Bonobo set this month. Noise Pop, another veteran of the live music scene, is the force behind this weekend’s SF Live performance, with <a href="https://www.kqed.org/arts/13961468/sudan-archives-sf-live-noise-pop-crane-cove">violinist and vocalist Sudan Archives</a> crowning an all-Black, all-queer lineup Saturday at Dogpatch’s Crane Cove Park. <a href="https://www.noisepop.com/">More free Noise Pop events will hit parks later this summer</a>.&nbsp;

The latest hot spot for art and dancing in downtown SF: A 132-year-old bank

<p>That’s pure bureaucratic boilerplate, no doubt. But there’s no denying that it’s working, with the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/10/hibernia-bank-downtown-sf-edm-performan/">reinvigoration of the Hibernia Bank</a>, a Beaux Arts white elephant in the Tenderloin, well underway after an open-to-close Bonobo set this month. Noise Pop, another veteran of the live music scene, is the force behind this weekend’s SF Live performance, with <a href="https://www.kqed.org/arts/13961468/sudan-archives-sf-live-noise-pop-crane-cove">violinist and vocalist Sudan Archives</a> crowning an all-Black, all-queer lineup Saturday at Dogpatch’s Crane Cove Park. <a href="https://www.noisepop.com/">More free Noise Pop events will hit parks later this summer</a>.&nbsp;</p>

A disco ball that measures 10 feet in diameter hangs above a DJ booth and dancing crowd during the second Downtown First Thursday event in San Francisco’s Financial District on Thursday, June 6, 2024. Downtown San Francisco’s first Thursday events are designed to enliven downtown through and encourage local business in the area. The street party includes live music, food, drag, DJs, free all-ages activities every first Thursday of the month.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined03_20240726_sfbestsummerever_c0f348.jpg?w=1315" alt="A large crowd gathers in a city street, observing a huge silver disco ball suspended from a crane. People are chatting, some are looking at the display, and there are lights and street signs visible." class="wp-image-295555"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Downtown First Thursdays have succeeded in bringing revelers to previously moribund corners of the Financial District.</figcaption></figure>


In the past year, the Hibernia has hosted two events with big-name electronic music artists: Honey Dijon and Bonobo. An EDM-specific residency is forthcoming.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="2500" width="2106" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined04_20240726_sfbestsummerever_7a8cf2.jpg?w=2106" alt="A DJ performs in a grand, ornate hall with high ceilings, columns, and elaborate decor. The crowd is energetic and diverse, filling the room with excitement." class="wp-image-295550"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">DJ Steve Fabus plays at Hibernia Bank, a venue in the Tenderloin that is seeing new life.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined04_20240726_sfbestsummerever_7a8cf2.jpg?w=2106" alt="A DJ performs in a grand, ornate hall with high ceilings, columns, and elaborate decor. The crowd is energetic and diverse, filling the room with excitement." class="wp-image-295550"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">DJ Steve Fabus plays at Hibernia Bank, a venue in the Tenderloin that is seeing new life.</figcaption></figure>

Previously quiet corners of the city pulsate with unprecedented nocturnal vigor. The Taiwanese-style <a href="https://www.windnewspaper.com/article/sunset-night-market-returns-in-2024-with-3-events-the-venue-to-be-expanded-to-7-blocks-along-irving-corridor">Sunset Night Market that debuted last year</a> will see its footprint swell to seven blocks of Irving Street when it returns for three nights in August and September. At Battery and Clay streets downtown, the <a href="https://www.bhangraandbeats.com/">Bhangra &amp; Beats Night Market</a> has two samosa- and henna-filled Fridays yet to go this season. And all this novelty hasn’t crowded out the established players, with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sffirstthursday/">the Tenderloin’s First Thursday art walks still going strong</a>. Contrast that vitality with Oakland’s vaunted First Fridays, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/oakland-s-popular-first-fridays-in-jeopardy-19554097.php">whose future is again in doubt</a>.

<p>Previously quiet corners of the city pulsate with unprecedented nocturnal vigor. The Taiwanese-style <a href="https://www.windnewspaper.com/article/sunset-night-market-returns-in-2024-with-3-events-the-venue-to-be-expanded-to-7-blocks-along-irving-corridor">Sunset Night Market that debuted last year</a> will see its footprint swell to seven blocks of Irving Street when it returns for three nights in August and September. At Battery and Clay streets downtown, the <a href="https://www.bhangraandbeats.com/">Bhangra &amp; Beats Night Market</a> has two samosa- and henna-filled Fridays yet to go this season. And all this novelty hasn’t crowded out the established players, with <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sffirstthursday/">the Tenderloin’s First Thursday art walks still going strong</a>. Contrast that vitality with Oakland’s vaunted First Fridays, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/oakland-s-popular-first-fridays-in-jeopardy-19554097.php">whose future is again in doubt</a>.</p>

In the realm of visual arts, Illuminate, the nonprofit responsible for the “Bay Lights” and “Golden Mile” on JFK Drive, has expanded on its previous “Summer of Awe” successes, shooting <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/25/illuminate-pride-rainbow-lasers/">20 rainbow lights</a> down the entire length of Market Street over Pride Weekend and, more recently, <a href="https://illuminate.org/2024/07/09/window-returns-as-third-summer-of-awe-installation/">projecting light through Grace Cathedral’s rose window</a>.&nbsp;

Remember those rainbow lasers over Market Street? They&#8217;re coming back, twice as big

<p>In the realm of visual arts, Illuminate, the nonprofit responsible for the “Bay Lights” and “Golden Mile” on JFK Drive, has expanded on its previous “Summer of Awe” successes, shooting <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/25/illuminate-pride-rainbow-lasers/">20 rainbow lights</a> down the entire length of Market Street over Pride Weekend and, more recently, <a href="https://illuminate.org/2024/07/09/window-returns-as-third-summer-of-awe-installation/">projecting light through Grace Cathedral’s rose window</a>.&nbsp;</p>

I can’t remember the last time I went to church at 10:30 p.m. on a weeknight and sat reverently in a pew, quieting my chatter-prone mind. But the Grace Cathedral display, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9Vk2sqSmM-/">titled “Window,” really was transcendent</a>.

<p>I can’t remember the last time I went to church at 10:30 p.m. on a weeknight and sat reverently in a pew, quieting my chatter-prone mind. But the Grace Cathedral display, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9Vk2sqSmM-/">titled “Window,” really was transcendent</a>.</p>

Meanwhile, at the Embarcadero, we have an addition to our overwhelmingly male civic statuary in “<a href="https://abc7news.com/post/sounds-turn-noise-san-francisco-embarcaderos-newest-art/15049106/">As Sounds Turn to Noise</a>,” Thomas J. Price’s nine-foot depiction of a Black woman in jogging clothes that has <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9jSMkOxFsr/">&nbsp;become a meeting point for running clubs</a>.

<p>Meanwhile, at the Embarcadero, we have an addition to our overwhelmingly male civic statuary in “<a href="https://abc7news.com/post/sounds-turn-noise-san-francisco-embarcaderos-newest-art/15049106/">As Sounds Turn to Noise</a>,” Thomas J. Price’s nine-foot depiction of a Black woman in jogging clothes that has <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C9jSMkOxFsr/">&nbsp;become a meeting point for running clubs</a>.</p>

People watch the Grace Cathedral laser light show in San Francisco on July 11, 2024. The laser lightshow comes courtesy of Illuminate, the organization that produced the Bay Lights on the Bay Bridge light display.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="2500" width="2326" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined05_20240726_sfbestsummerever_1219dc.jpg?w=2326" alt="Several people stand in a nighttime urban park, admiring vibrant rainbow-colored laser beams projected into the sky from nearby buildings." class="wp-image-295556"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Illuminate shot a series of rainbow laser cannons through the rose window of Nob Hill’s Grace Cathedral, the latest large-scale installation in the group’s “Summer of Awe.”</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined05_20240726_sfbestsummerever_1219dc.jpg?w=2326" alt="Several people stand in a nighttime urban park, admiring vibrant rainbow-colored laser beams projected into the sky from nearby buildings." class="wp-image-295556"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Illuminate shot a series of rainbow laser cannons through the rose window of Nob Hill’s Grace Cathedral, the latest large-scale installation in the group’s “Summer of Awe.”</figcaption></figure>

Of course, these are just the events that have gotten the green light from the city. San Francisco has a long tradition of tolerating (or tacitly championing) quasi-legal events and underground culture, from the first few Burning Man celebrations on Baker Beach to guerrilla street actions like Critical Mass. The spigot of dynamism and creativity doesn’t flow only on City Hall’s say-so, and sometimes the powers that be prove unable to turn it off, even when they desperately want to — as in the case of illegal stunt-car sideshows.&nbsp;

<p>Of course, these are just the events that have gotten the green light from the city. San Francisco has a long tradition of tolerating (or tacitly championing) quasi-legal events and underground culture, from the first few Burning Man celebrations on Baker Beach to guerrilla street actions like Critical Mass. The spigot of dynamism and creativity doesn’t flow only on City Hall’s say-so, and sometimes the powers that be prove unable to turn it off, even when they desperately want to — as in the case of illegal stunt-car sideshows.&nbsp;</p>

A skater takes a dollar bill as they bomb Church Street by at Dolores Park in San Francisco on Saturday, July 6, 2024. City official and Police dissuaded people a day earlier from participating and San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Chief Bill Scott said extra officers will be deployed to the area to manage traffic and crowd. Police clashed with skateboarders and others during the annual event last year resulting in more than 100 arrests and citations.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="2268" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined06_20240726_sfbestsummerever_0109dd.jpg?w=2500" alt="A skater in a yellow shirt and helmet rides down a street lined with spectators, reaching for a dollar bill held out by a kneeling person taking a photo." class="wp-image-295552"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A skater bombs down Church Street. The skaters moved there after SFPD  dissuaded them from riding on nearby Dolores Street.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined06_20240726_sfbestsummerever_0109dd.jpg?w=2500" alt="A skater in a yellow shirt and helmet rides down a street lined with spectators, reaching for a dollar bill held out by a kneeling person taking a photo." class="wp-image-295552"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A skater bombs down Church Street. The skaters moved there after SFPD  dissuaded them from riding on nearby Dolores Street.</figcaption></figure>

Deafening, dangerous and flamboyantly law-defying, sideshows have no shortage of haters, and with ample cause. But looked at another way, they’re an expression of youthful energy and a loud rebuttal to the notion that the exorbitantly priced city has been emptied of street culture. Venture out to witness<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7oD2ygZrc0"> one up close </a>— or, a safer bet, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/1dbqb9k/sideshow_on_embarcadero_at_2am/">watch it go off</a> from a balcony above — and you will witness a true primal scream, like live graffiti with pyrotechnics thrown in.&nbsp;

<p>Deafening, dangerous and flamboyantly law-defying, sideshows have no shortage of haters, and with ample cause. But looked at another way, they’re an expression of youthful energy and a loud rebuttal to the notion that the exorbitantly priced city has been emptied of street culture. Venture out to witness<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7oD2ygZrc0"> one up close </a>— or, a safer bet, <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/1dbqb9k/sideshow_on_embarcadero_at_2am/">watch it go off</a> from a balcony above — and you will witness a true primal scream, like live graffiti with pyrotechnics thrown in.&nbsp;</p>

Only slightly less polarizing is the Dolores Hill Bomb, with which the San Francisco Police Department seems to have made a tentative peace after botching 2023’s event with <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/12/20/dolores-park-hill-bomb-san-francisco-police-lawsuit/">mass arrests that led to a class-action lawsuit</a>. Prior to this year’s July 6 hill bomb, the cops warned everyone not to even think about it, so the skaters moved across Dolores Park to Church Street. A much-smaller deployment of officers turned a blind eye to the event, nobody got handcuffed, and the kids came off looking <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/06/dolorespark-hillbomb-proceeds-despite-police/">clever and defiant in the face of slow-footed authority</a>.

San Francisco sued over police crackdown on Dolores Park skating event

Dolores Park Hill Bomb rolls on despite police presence: ‘This is so San Francisco’

<p>Only slightly less polarizing is the Dolores Hill Bomb, with which the San Francisco Police Department seems to have made a tentative peace after botching 2023’s event with <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/12/20/dolores-park-hill-bomb-san-francisco-police-lawsuit/">mass arrests that led to a class-action lawsuit</a>. Prior to this year’s July 6 hill bomb, the cops warned everyone not to even think about it, so the skaters moved across Dolores Park to Church Street. A much-smaller deployment of officers turned a blind eye to the event, nobody got handcuffed, and the kids came off looking <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/06/dolorespark-hillbomb-proceeds-despite-police/">clever and defiant in the face of slow-footed authority</a>.</p>

It’s not all rosy, of course. Homicides <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/13/san-francisco-crime-rate-drops/">may be down</a>, but violence is a constant, lurking presence — most horrifically in the case of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/02/bart-homeless-man-killed-woman-police-say/">a hotel worker who died in July</a> after allegedly being pushed by a homeless man into the path of a BART train at the Powell Street station. Commercial vacancies <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/26/san-francisco-office-vacancy-rate-record-experts-change/">remain stubbornly high</a>, some <a href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/06/17/sf-demolish-central-freeway-mission-soma-hayes/">blighted areas remain blighted</a>, and the restaurant and nightlife industries’ <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/24/service-fee-restaurants-san-francisco/">post-pandemic recoveries remain uneven at best</a>. Yet for the first time in a long time, I find myself on my phone hope-scrolling instead of doom-scrolling.

Woman, 74, killed after being pushed into BART train by homeless man, police say

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<p>It’s not all rosy, of course. Homicides <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/13/san-francisco-crime-rate-drops/">may be down</a>, but violence is a constant, lurking presence — most horrifically in the case of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/02/bart-homeless-man-killed-woman-police-say/">a hotel worker who died in July</a> after allegedly being pushed by a homeless man into the path of a BART train at the Powell Street station. Commercial vacancies <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/26/san-francisco-office-vacancy-rate-record-experts-change/">remain stubbornly high</a>, some <a href="https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/06/17/sf-demolish-central-freeway-mission-soma-hayes/">blighted areas remain blighted</a>, and the restaurant and nightlife industries’ <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/24/service-fee-restaurants-san-francisco/">post-pandemic recoveries remain uneven at best</a>. Yet for the first time in a long time, I find myself on my phone hope-scrolling instead of doom-scrolling.</p>

Rally attendees hold up signs in support of Kamala Harris outside of City Hall on Monday July 22, 2024. Local Democrats attend a rally outside City Hall on Monday to support Kamala Harris as the party's new presidential nominee.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="2253" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined07_20240726_sfbestsummerever_224fc3.jpg?w=2500" alt="Two men hold signs reading &quot;Kamala!&quot; and &quot;Harris 2024.&quot; One wears a tan hat and shirt, the other a fedora and leather jacket. A large speaker and other people are in the background." class="wp-image-295553"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">San Franciscans rally in support of Kamala Harris’ presidential run. </figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/inlined07_20240726_sfbestsummerever_224fc3.jpg?w=2500" alt="Two men hold signs reading &quot;Kamala!&quot; and &quot;Harris 2024.&quot; One wears a tan hat and shirt, the other a fedora and leather jacket. A large speaker and other people are in the background." class="wp-image-295553"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">San Franciscans rally in support of Kamala Harris’ presidential run. </figcaption></figure>

To some extent, we can predict what’s coming. Now that Bay Area-born Vice President Kamala Harris is likely to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, San Francisco is in for another round of sustained bashing at the national level. And if Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November, we will be his administration’s political foil once again.&nbsp;We know that right-wing commentators will seize on anything they can to tarnish our reputation, even when — as in the case of this month’s <a href="https://sfist.com/2024/07/10/missing-australian-businessman-turns-up-in-sf-hospital-in-coma-after-apparent-violent-robbery/">supposed attack on a visiting Australian executive</a> — it turns out to be false.&nbsp;

<p>To some extent, we can predict what’s coming. Now that Bay Area-born Vice President Kamala Harris is likely to be the Democratic Party’s nominee for president, San Francisco is in for another round of sustained bashing at the national level. And if Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November, we will be his administration’s political foil once again.&nbsp;We know that right-wing commentators will seize on anything they can to tarnish our reputation, even when — as in the case of this month’s <a href="https://sfist.com/2024/07/10/missing-australian-businessman-turns-up-in-sf-hospital-in-coma-after-apparent-violent-robbery/">supposed attack on a visiting Australian executive</a> — it turns out to be false.&nbsp;</p>

But it almost doesn’t matter. The <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-05/san-francisco-is-growing-again-fueled-by-ai-corporate-investment">trend lines are palpable</a>, and, if you’re out on the streets, so is the energy. Even the woebegone Tenderloin is getting in on the action. As Rene Colorado, executive director of the Tenderloin Merchants said, “You measure the city by its weakest link, and that’s us in the Tenderloin.”&nbsp;

<p>But it almost doesn’t matter. The <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-05/san-francisco-is-growing-again-fueled-by-ai-corporate-investment">trend lines are palpable</a>, and, if you’re out on the streets, so is the energy. Even the woebegone Tenderloin is getting in on the action. As Rene Colorado, executive director of the Tenderloin Merchants said, “You measure the city by its weakest link, and that’s us in the Tenderloin.”&nbsp;</p>

Colorado recently partnered with Adam Swig, executive director of nonprofit Value Culture, to produce <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/love-fest-sf-free-block-party-music-x-art-x-culture-x-love-tickets-953101751997?aff=oddtdtcreator">LoveFest SF, a free, all-day block party</a> Aug. 3 where the vendors will be hyperlocal and the performers will include more than a dozen artists who’ve been on the San Francisco party scene for years.

<p>Colorado recently partnered with Adam Swig, executive director of nonprofit Value Culture, to produce <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/love-fest-sf-free-block-party-music-x-art-x-culture-x-love-tickets-953101751997?aff=oddtdtcreator">LoveFest SF, a free, all-day block party</a> Aug. 3 where the vendors will be hyperlocal and the performers will include more than a dozen artists who’ve been on the San Francisco party scene for years.</p>

LoveFest is where the pernicious narrative about San Francisco’s decline will be broken for good, its creators say. “We’re ending the doom loop, on Larkin Street on Aug. 3,” Swig said. “We’re having a ceremony.”

<p>LoveFest is where the pernicious narrative about San Francisco’s decline will be broken for good, its creators say. “We’re ending the doom loop, on Larkin Street on Aug. 3,” Swig said. “We’re having a ceremony.”</p>

<em>Correction: A photo caption incorrectly misidentified DJ Steve Fabus.</em>

<p><em>Correction: A photo caption incorrectly misidentified DJ Steve Fabus.</em></p>

San Francisco’s revenge summer: An explosion of art and music stirs a comeback

Josh Koehn

Mark Farrell came out swinging in his campaign kickoff Tuesday to regain the title of San Francisco mayor, taking shots at <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/06/20/london-breed-mayor-san-francisco-drugs-homelessness-crime-economy-election/">Mayor London Breed</a> and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/02/13/mark-farrell-san-francisco-mayor-police-homeless/">pledging to fire the police chief</a>.

London Breed saved herself. Can she save San Francisco?

Mark Farrell vows to fire police chief, clear homeless camps as mayor

<p>Mark Farrell came out swinging in his campaign kickoff Tuesday to regain the title of San Francisco mayor, taking shots at <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/06/20/london-breed-mayor-san-francisco-drugs-homelessness-crime-economy-election/">Mayor London Breed</a> and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/02/13/mark-farrell-san-francisco-mayor-police-homeless/">pledging to fire the police chief</a>.</p>

But one of the most passionate calls to action by the former supervisor and 44th mayor of the city came when Farrell addressed the Grim Reaper of narratives plaguing San Francisco: the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/search/?query=doom%20loop">doom loop</a>.&nbsp;

<p>But one of the most passionate calls to action by the former supervisor and 44th mayor of the city came when Farrell addressed the Grim Reaper of narratives plaguing San Francisco: the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/search/?query=doom%20loop">doom loop</a>.&nbsp;</p>

City officials and business leaders have fretted over whether San Francisco’s budget crisis, an exodus of residents, and a cratering commercial real estate market will tip San Francisco over a fiscal cliff that will fuel an irrevocable downward spiral.

<p>City officials and business leaders have fretted over whether San Francisco’s budget crisis, an exodus of residents, and a cratering commercial real estate market will tip San Francisco over a fiscal cliff that will fuel an irrevocable downward spiral.</p>

Farrell suggested those fears have already been realized.

<p>Farrell suggested those fears have already been realized.</p>

“We have a doom loop, and we are losing our mantle as a world-class city,” Farrell said. “We are literally now being compared to Detroit and Oakland. That is not the conversation where San Francisco belongs. We know we can’t increase the vibrancy of our local economy without first tackling public safety and the conditions of our streets.”

<p>“We have a doom loop, and we are losing our mantle as a world-class city,” Farrell said. “We are literally now being compared to Detroit and Oakland. That is not the conversation where San Francisco belongs. We know we can’t increase the vibrancy of our local economy without first tackling public safety and the conditions of our streets.”</p>

Part of Farrell’s plan to reinvigorate the local economy includes slashing local business taxes for companies that make less than $5 million in annual revenue, but a more buzzy plan would involve rescinding a 2019 decision to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/12/05/san-francisco-market-street-pandemic-big-plans-collapsed/">ban private vehicles from Market Street</a>, the city’s main downtown corridor.

Did car-free Market Street kill San Francisco’s most important boulevard?

<p>Part of Farrell’s plan to reinvigorate the local economy includes slashing local business taxes for companies that make less than $5 million in annual revenue, but a more buzzy plan would involve rescinding a 2019 decision to <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/12/05/san-francisco-market-street-pandemic-big-plans-collapsed/">ban private vehicles from Market Street</a>, the city’s main downtown corridor.</p>

“It’s actually scary how empty downtown is,” Farrell said. “We need to do everything possible to create throughput and commerce and bring people back and welcome people back to the downtown core. It’s a small step, but it’s a meaningful step.”

<p>“It’s actually scary how empty downtown is,” Farrell said. “We need to do everything possible to create throughput and commerce and bring people back and welcome people back to the downtown core. It’s a small step, but it’s a meaningful step.”</p>

A night view of Ferry Building and Market Street during rainy weather on December 30, 2022 in San Francisco.  The region was hit by a storm that included heavy rain, flooding and an atmospheric river.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="1667" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/inlined02_downtownborders_011923.jpg?w=2500" alt="A long view of a commercial corridor at night. The streets are empty and lit with streetlights. " class="wp-image-247480"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Critics of the Market Street car ban say it&#8217;s contributed to a desolate feeling in downtown San Francisco.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/inlined02_downtownborders_011923.jpg?w=2500" alt="A long view of a commercial corridor at night. The streets are empty and lit with streetlights. " class="wp-image-247480"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Critics of the Market Street car ban say it's contributed to a desolate feeling in downtown San Francisco.</figcaption></figure>

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/inlined02_downtownborders_011923.jpg?w=2500" alt="A long view of a commercial corridor at night. The streets are empty and lit with streetlights. " class="wp-image-247480"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Critics of the Market Street car ban say it&#8217;s contributed to a desolate feeling in downtown San Francisco.</figcaption></figure>

Arpit Gupta, an associate professor of finance at the New York University Stern School of Business, was among the first to bring the term “doom loop” back into the lexicon in a study looking at the shift to remote work during the pandemic and the harm it could cause when coupled with an “office real estate apocalypse.”

<p>Arpit Gupta, an associate professor of finance at the New York University Stern School of Business, was among the first to bring the term “doom loop” back into the lexicon in a study looking at the shift to remote work during the pandemic and the harm it could cause when coupled with an “office real estate apocalypse.”</p>

Many workers have not returned to San Francisco’s downtown offices since the start of the pandemic, and the city’s commercial real estate vacancy rate climbed to <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/article/s-f-office-vacancy-record-high-could-change-2024-18561543.php">nearly 36% in December</a>, an alarming increase of three percentage points since the fall.&nbsp;

<p>Many workers have not returned to San Francisco’s downtown offices since the start of the pandemic, and the city’s commercial real estate vacancy rate climbed to <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/article/s-f-office-vacancy-record-high-could-change-2024-18561543.php">nearly 36% in December</a>, an alarming increase of three percentage points since the fall.&nbsp;</p>

Gupta told The Standard on Tuesday afternoon that he doesn’t believe San Francisco has entered a doom loop.

<p>Gupta told The Standard on Tuesday afternoon that he doesn’t believe San Francisco has entered a doom loop.</p>

“The loss of work from remote work provides the early triggers for a destabilizing event. I think the initial stress is there,” Gupta said. “The question is how policymakers ultimately respond to that and the next steps.”

<p>“The loss of work from remote work provides the early triggers for a destabilizing event. I think the initial stress is there,” Gupta said. “The question is how policymakers ultimately respond to that and the next steps.”</p>

While the warning signs are real, Gupta noted the “booming” <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/01/23/san-franciscos-next-gold-rush-is-already-here-and-youve-been-using-it-for-years/">AI industry in San Francisco</a> and the vibrant venture capital community, which includes Farrell’s firm, Thayer Ventures. (He promised Wednesday to put his assets in a blind trust if elected mayor).

San Francisco’s next gold rush is already here, and you’ve been using it for years

<p>While the warning signs are real, Gupta noted the “booming” <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/01/23/san-franciscos-next-gold-rush-is-already-here-and-youve-been-using-it-for-years/">AI industry in San Francisco</a> and the vibrant venture capital community, which includes Farrell’s firm, Thayer Ventures. (He promised Wednesday to put his assets in a blind trust if elected mayor).</p>

“San Francisco is going to remain a hub for innovation, I imagine,” Gupta said. “The questions pertain to whether the city is going to fill some of that office space and retain residents and attract new residents to be a vibrant destination.”

<p>“San Francisco is going to remain a hub for innovation, I imagine,” Gupta said. “The questions pertain to whether the city is going to fill some of that office space and retain residents and attract new residents to be a vibrant destination.”</p>

He added, “You could see a world where San Francisco doesn’t disappear but remains diminished.”

<p>He added, “You could see a world where San Francisco doesn’t disappear but remains diminished.”</p>

Mark Farrell, a former San Francisco mayor and supervisor, formally announce his candidacy at the San Francisco Baseball Academy at 3010 Geary Boulevard in San Francisco on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024. Mark Farrell will challenge London Breed and other candidates in the November 2024 mayoral election.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img height="1668" width="2500" src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240205farrellmayor009.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man stands at a podium as a crowd stands in the background holding &quot;Mark Farrell for mayor&quot; signs. " class="wp-image-249201"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mark Farrell compared the state of San Francisco to cities like Detroit and Oakland at a press conference announcing his run for mayor.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/20240205farrellmayor009.jpg?w=2500" alt="A man stands at a podium as a crowd stands in the background holding &quot;Mark Farrell for mayor&quot; signs. " class="wp-image-249201"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mark Farrell compared the state of San Francisco to cities like Detroit and Oakland at a press conference announcing his run for mayor.</figcaption></figure>

Farrell told supporters Wednesday that he has heard from people who avoid downtown due to the lack of Ubers, Lyfts and taxis to get to and from Market Street, requiring a “scary” walk to pickup points in the Tenderloin neighborhood.

<p>Farrell told supporters Wednesday that he has heard from people who avoid downtown due to the lack of Ubers, Lyfts and taxis to get to and from Market Street, requiring a “scary” walk to pickup points in the Tenderloin neighborhood.</p>

“Why don&#8217;t we have [cars] on Market Street? Just because it’s the ideology of no cars?” asked Farrell. “No more in San Francisco.”

<p>“Why don't we have [cars] on Market Street? Just because it’s the ideology of no cars?” asked Farrell. “No more in San Francisco.”</p>

<p>“Why don&#8217;t we have [cars] on Market Street? Just because it’s the ideology of no cars?” asked Farrell. “No more in San Francisco.”</p>

Robin Pam, the founder of Kid Safe SF, an organization focused on protecting open spaces and creating safer streets, called Farrell’s Market Street proposal a dangerous “political ploy” that would also lead to slowdowns in Muni bus operations.

<p>Robin Pam, the founder of Kid Safe SF, an organization focused on protecting open spaces and creating safer streets, called Farrell’s Market Street proposal a dangerous “political ploy” that would also lead to slowdowns in Muni bus operations.</p>

“Apparently, Mark Farrell believes that the safety of transit riders, walkers and bikers is worth trading for cheap political gain,” Pam said. “He claims to support our city’s transit-first policy, yet his plan would reintroduce congestion, exhaust, noise pollution and collisions to Market Street.”

<p>“Apparently, Mark Farrell believes that the safety of transit riders, walkers and bikers is worth trading for cheap political gain,” Pam said. “He claims to support our city’s transit-first policy, yet his plan would reintroduce congestion, exhaust, noise pollution and collisions to Market Street.”</p>

Mayoral candidate calls for bringing cars back to Market Street

The <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/radical-left-trashed-san-francisco-city-leaders-fix">Fox News-driven narrative</a> that San Francisco was a grim, joyless place from which everybody was fleeing was always inaccurate. All you had to do to disprove the thesis that we were a failed city was <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/04/21/best-day-ever-420-stud-swift/">go to Dolores Park on a warm afternoon</a> any weekend during the last two years and try to find space to spread out a blanket. Or walk <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/24/san-francisco-fleetwood-richmond-district-small-business-saturday/">down Clement Street in the Inner Richmond</a>. Or visit one of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/22/san-francisco-opens-two-new-waterfront-parks/">our many new green spaces</a>.

Photos: From 420 to a naked bike ride, this was the most San Francisco day ever

This might be the coolest shop in San Francisco&#8217;s coolest neighborhood

SF unveils 2 new parks in 3 days. Here’s where to find them

<p>The <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/radical-left-trashed-san-francisco-city-leaders-fix">Fox News-driven narrative</a> that San Francisco was a grim, joyless place from which everybody was fleeing was always inaccurate. All you had to do to disprove the thesis that we were a failed city was <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/04/21/best-day-ever-420-stud-swift/">go to Dolores Park on a warm afternoon</a> any weekend during the last two years and try to find space to spread out a blanket. Or walk <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/11/24/san-francisco-fleetwood-richmond-district-small-business-saturday/">down Clement Street in the Inner Richmond</a>. Or visit one of <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/22/san-francisco-opens-two-new-waterfront-parks/">our many new green spaces</a>.</p>

But downtown? Downtown really has been struggling since Covid. That’s why City Hall, partnering with music promoters, arts nonprofits, and local bars and restaurants, started investing heavily in entertainment and public art to draw people back to the area. Live music was key: To win the right to throw a second, post-Outside Lands festival in Golden Gate Park every August, concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment was obliged to generate extra programming <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/08/21/portugal-the-man-free-show-civic-center/">in and around downtown for three years</a>, and it rose to the challenge.&nbsp;

Hot on the heels of Outside Lands, promoter announces SF&#8217;s next free show

<p>But downtown? Downtown really has been struggling since Covid. That’s why City Hall, partnering with music promoters, arts nonprofits, and local bars and restaurants, started investing heavily in entertainment and public art to draw people back to the area. Live music was key: To win the right to throw a second, post-Outside Lands festival in Golden Gate Park every August, concert promoter Another Planet Entertainment was obliged to generate extra programming <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/08/21/portugal-the-man-free-show-civic-center/">in and around downtown for three years</a>, and it rose to the challenge.&nbsp;</p>


<aside class="wp-block-group alignright sushi-week-group"><div class="wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained">
<div class="wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/tbs.jpg?w=2500" alt="A yellow logo with the words &quot;The Big Shift&quot; in black type." class="wp-image-347698 size-full"/></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-votes-to-vibes-how-san-francisco-moved-the-needle-this-year">From votes to vibes, how San Francisco moved the needle this year</h4>
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<h4 class="wp-block-heading sushi-week-read-more-heading" id="h-read-the-stories">Read the stories</h4>



<ul class="wp-block-list sushi-week-stories-list has-inter-font-family has-m-font-size">
<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/26/the-year-bay-area-sports-went-mid/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/26/the-year-bay-area-sports-went-mid/">The year Bay Area sports went mid</a></li>



<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/27/no-more-doom-loop-this-year-san-francisco-proved-were-ready-to-party/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/27/no-more-doom-loop-this-year-san-francisco-proved-were-ready-to-party/">Doom loop, shmoom loop. This year, SF proved it was ready to party</a></li>



<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/28/waymo-robotaxis-stole-hearts/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/28/waymo-robotaxis-stole-hearts/">The year I learned to stop hating the robotaxis</a></li>



<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/29/san-franciscos-new-political-motto-is-throw-the-bums-out/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/29/san-franciscos-new-political-motto-is-throw-the-bums-out/">San Francisco’s new political motto is ‘throw the bums out’</a></li>



<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/30/san-francisco-homeless-sweeps-came-back/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/30/san-francisco-homeless-sweeps-came-back/">Homeless sweeps came back with a vengeance in 2024</a></li>
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<div class="wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/tbs.jpg?w=2500" alt="A yellow logo with the words &quot;The Big Shift&quot; in black type." class="wp-image-347698 size-full"/></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content">
<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-votes-to-vibes-how-san-francisco-moved-the-needle-this-year">From votes to vibes, how San Francisco moved the needle this year</h4>
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<div class="wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/tbs.jpg?w=2500" alt="A yellow logo with the words &quot;The Big Shift&quot; in black type." class="wp-image-347698 size-full"/></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content"><h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-votes-to-vibes-how-san-francisco-moved-the-needle-this-year">From votes to vibes, how San Francisco moved the needle this year</h4></div></div>

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<h4 class="wp-block-heading sushi-week-read-more-heading" id="h-read-the-stories">Read the stories</h4>


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<h4 class="wp-block-heading sushi-week-read-more-heading" id="h-read-the-stories">Read the stories</h4>


<ul class="wp-block-list sushi-week-stories-list has-inter-font-family has-m-font-size">
<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/26/the-year-bay-area-sports-went-mid/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/26/the-year-bay-area-sports-went-mid/">The year Bay Area sports went mid</a></li>



<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/27/no-more-doom-loop-this-year-san-francisco-proved-were-ready-to-party/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/27/no-more-doom-loop-this-year-san-francisco-proved-were-ready-to-party/">Doom loop, shmoom loop. This year, SF proved it was ready to party</a></li>



<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/28/waymo-robotaxis-stole-hearts/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/28/waymo-robotaxis-stole-hearts/">The year I learned to stop hating the robotaxis</a></li>



<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/29/san-franciscos-new-political-motto-is-throw-the-bums-out/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/29/san-franciscos-new-political-motto-is-throw-the-bums-out/">San Francisco’s new political motto is ‘throw the bums out’</a></li>



<li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/30/san-francisco-homeless-sweeps-came-back/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/30/san-francisco-homeless-sweeps-came-back/">Homeless sweeps came back with a vengeance in 2024</a></li>
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<ul class="wp-block-list sushi-week-stories-list has-inter-font-family has-m-font-size"><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/26/the-year-bay-area-sports-went-mid/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/26/the-year-bay-area-sports-went-mid/">The year Bay Area sports went mid</a></li><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/27/no-more-doom-loop-this-year-san-francisco-proved-were-ready-to-party/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/27/no-more-doom-loop-this-year-san-francisco-proved-were-ready-to-party/">Doom loop, shmoom loop. This year, SF proved it was ready to party</a></li><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/28/waymo-robotaxis-stole-hearts/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/28/waymo-robotaxis-stole-hearts/">The year I learned to stop hating the robotaxis</a></li><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/29/san-franciscos-new-political-motto-is-throw-the-bums-out/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/29/san-franciscos-new-political-motto-is-throw-the-bums-out/">San Francisco’s new political motto is ‘throw the bums out’</a></li><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/30/san-francisco-homeless-sweeps-came-back/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/30/san-francisco-homeless-sweeps-came-back/">Homeless sweeps came back with a vengeance in 2024</a></li></ul>

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<aside class="wp-block-group alignright sushi-week-group"><div class="wp-block-media-text is-stacked-on-mobile"><figure class="wp-block-media-text__media"><img src="https://content.sfstandard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/tbs.jpg?w=2500" alt="A yellow logo with the words &quot;The Big Shift&quot; in black type." class="wp-image-347698 size-full"/></figure><div class="wp-block-media-text__content"><h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-from-votes-to-vibes-how-san-francisco-moved-the-needle-this-year">From votes to vibes, how San Francisco moved the needle this year</h4></div></div><div style="height:15px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div><h4 class="wp-block-heading sushi-week-read-more-heading" id="h-read-the-stories">Read the stories</h4><ul class="wp-block-list sushi-week-stories-list has-inter-font-family has-m-font-size"><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/26/the-year-bay-area-sports-went-mid/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/26/the-year-bay-area-sports-went-mid/">The year Bay Area sports went mid</a></li><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/27/no-more-doom-loop-this-year-san-francisco-proved-were-ready-to-party/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/27/no-more-doom-loop-this-year-san-francisco-proved-were-ready-to-party/">Doom loop, shmoom loop. This year, SF proved it was ready to party</a></li><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/28/waymo-robotaxis-stole-hearts/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/28/waymo-robotaxis-stole-hearts/">The year I learned to stop hating the robotaxis</a></li><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/29/san-franciscos-new-political-motto-is-throw-the-bums-out/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/29/san-franciscos-new-political-motto-is-throw-the-bums-out/">San Francisco’s new political motto is ‘throw the bums out’</a></li><li><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/30/san-francisco-homeless-sweeps-came-back/" data-type="link" data-id="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/30/san-francisco-homeless-sweeps-came-back/">Homeless sweeps came back with a vengeance in 2024</a></li></ul><style>
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All summer long and into the fall, Union Square, Civic Center, and the Embarcadero were home to giant outdoor events. Some of the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/21/free-rave-draws-thousands-sanfrancisco-embarcadero/">raves were free</a>, while <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/02/skrillex-rave-civic-center/">tickets to the Fred Again x Skrillex show cost $80</a>. Still, these shows managed to do what Sunday Streets, Let’s Glow SF light shows, and other well-intentioned efforts could not: lure people in droves.

SF seemingly did the impossible: A Fred Again x Skrillex rave for 25,000 in Civic Center

<p>All summer long and into the fall, Union Square, Civic Center, and the Embarcadero were home to giant outdoor events. Some of the <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/21/free-rave-draws-thousands-sanfrancisco-embarcadero/">raves were free</a>, while <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/06/02/skrillex-rave-civic-center/">tickets to the Fred Again x Skrillex show cost $80</a>. Still, these shows managed to do what Sunday Streets, Let’s Glow SF light shows, and other well-intentioned efforts could not: lure people in droves.</p>

Suddenly, some of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods got their swagger back. Market Street got <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/27/san-francisco-best-summer-ever/">rainbow lasers</a> and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/08/15/youre-not-crazy-roads-and-sidewalks-are-under-construction-all-over-sf-right-now/">miles of fresh asphalt</a>, while the renovated Transamerica Pyramid now has the city’s <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/11/madlab-new-ice-cream-shave-ice-san-francisco/">most gold-flecked ice cream</a>. There were <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/20/sf-oktoberfest-street-party-dispatch/">outdoor drinking zones</a>, where lederhosen-clad hordes threw back $23 steins of beer for Oktoberfest, as well as the <a href="https://www.bhangraandbeats.com/">Bhangra &amp; Beats Night Market</a> at the previously moribund intersection of Battery and Clay streets — to say nothing of Obama-era internet star Rebecca Black <a href="https://apeconcerts.com/events/rebecca-black-241205/">using December’s First Thursday party as part of her comeback</a>. What’s next, Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes and a gay bathhouse or two? <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/06/an-francisco-vibe-shift-is-permanent/">Actually, yeah, maybe</a>.

San Francisco&#8217;s revenge summer: An explosion of art and music stirs a comeback

You’re not crazy. Roads and sidewalks are under construction all over SF right now

A mad new ice cream shop just opened under SF&#8217;s most famous building

I downed steins in the streets at California&#8217;s first legal outdoor booze zone

SF’s comeback summer could be permanent

<p>Suddenly, some of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods got their swagger back. Market Street got <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/07/27/san-francisco-best-summer-ever/">rainbow lasers</a> and <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/08/15/youre-not-crazy-roads-and-sidewalks-are-under-construction-all-over-sf-right-now/">miles of fresh asphalt</a>, while the renovated Transamerica Pyramid now has the city’s <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/11/madlab-new-ice-cream-shave-ice-san-francisco/">most gold-flecked ice cream</a>. There were <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/09/20/sf-oktoberfest-street-party-dispatch/">outdoor drinking zones</a>, where lederhosen-clad hordes threw back $23 steins of beer for Oktoberfest, as well as the <a href="https://www.bhangraandbeats.com/">Bhangra &amp; Beats Night Market</a> at the previously moribund intersection of Battery and Clay streets — to say nothing of Obama-era internet star Rebecca Black <a href="https://apeconcerts.com/events/rebecca-black-241205/">using December’s First Thursday party as part of her comeback</a>. What’s next, Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes and a gay bathhouse or two? <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/06/an-francisco-vibe-shift-is-permanent/">Actually, yeah, maybe</a>.</p>

Love ’em or hate ’em, even the techies who’d fled for Austin and Aspen agreed that <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/30/techcrunch-disrupt-afterparty-line/">we are so back</a>.

‘SF is so back’: Overheard in the hour-long line to get into a tech conference after-party

<p>Love ’em or hate ’em, even the techies who’d fled for Austin and Aspen agreed that <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/30/techcrunch-disrupt-afterparty-line/">we are so back</a>.</p>

The resurgence isn’t limited to downtown, of course. Established neighborhoods like Japantown, which were economically precarious during lockdown, came roaring back amid <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/05/sf-japantown-small-businesses-are-thriving/">Godzillafest and the K-pop craze</a>, while Stonestown <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/14/round-1-arcade-stonestown-galleria/">may be among America’s few flourishing malls</a>.&nbsp;

Japantown is a rare post-pandemic success story. Can it last?

Stonestown just opened SF&#8217;s largest arcade — and it&#8217;s already packed

<p>The resurgence isn’t limited to downtown, of course. Established neighborhoods like Japantown, which were economically precarious during lockdown, came roaring back amid <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/10/05/sf-japantown-small-businesses-are-thriving/">Godzillafest and the K-pop craze</a>, while Stonestown <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/14/round-1-arcade-stonestown-galleria/">may be among America’s few flourishing malls</a>.&nbsp;</p>

The craving for exhilarating experiences, from over-stimulating arcades to Chappell Roan’s infectious bangers, has been inescapable, and 2025 <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/04/zach-bryan-kings-of-leon-golden-gate-park/">looks to bring more of the same</a>. This city is ready to party.

Zach Bryan, Kings of Leon to play Golden Gate Park&#8217;s biggest one-day show

<p>The craving for exhilarating experiences, from over-stimulating arcades to Chappell Roan’s infectious bangers, has been inescapable, and 2025 <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/12/04/zach-bryan-kings-of-leon-golden-gate-park/">looks to bring more of the same</a>. This city is ready to party.</p>

Doom loop, shmoom loop. This year, SF proved it was ready to party

Kevin Truong

There’s plenty of doom to go around in San Francisco, but a doom loop remains a distant possibility. Instead, the near term may be a kind of purgatory as the city deals with the ramifications of a mass work culture shift and realigns its economy.

<p>There’s plenty of doom to go around in San Francisco, but a doom loop remains a distant possibility. Instead, the near term may be a kind of purgatory as the city deals with the ramifications of a mass work culture shift and realigns its economy.</p>

A major theme of the University of California Berkeley event “From Doom to Boom in San Francisco” was the relationship between upheaval in the commercial real estate industry and the potential economic downward spiral for the city.

<p>A major theme of the University of California Berkeley event “From Doom to Boom in San Francisco” was the relationship between upheaval in the commercial real estate industry and the potential economic downward spiral for the city.</p>

During the peak of the tech boom, job growth rates were among the highest in the nation and office vacancies were at an all-time low as companies fiercely competed for limited space.

<p>During the peak of the tech boom, job growth rates were among the highest in the nation and office vacancies were at an all-time low as companies fiercely competed for limited space.</p>

<strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/22/san-francisco-mayor-optimistic-says-downtown-is-primed-for-comeback/">San Francisco Doom Loop Reversal Ideas Include a Soccer Stadium, a UC Campus and a Carnival</a>

San Francisco doom loop reversal ideas include a soccer stadium, a UC campus and a carnival

<p><strong>READ MORE: </strong><a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/08/22/san-francisco-mayor-optimistic-says-downtown-is-primed-for-comeback/">San Francisco Doom Loop Reversal Ideas Include a Soccer Stadium, a UC Campus and a Carnival</a></p>

Now, vacancy rates have reached a record 34% and continue to trend higher, according to real estate firm CBRE. The lack of tenants in the market has combined with an interest rate environment that has made it difficult to build or sell properties.

<p>Now, vacancy rates have reached a record 34% and continue to trend higher, according to real estate firm CBRE. The lack of tenants in the market has combined with an interest rate environment that has made it difficult to build or sell properties.</p>

“I think the doom per se is sort of a given, but the loop question is an interesting one,” said Ted Egan, San Francisco’s chief economist.

<p>“I think the doom per se is sort of a given, but the loop question is an interesting one,” said Ted Egan, San Francisco’s chief economist.</p>

Egan said while there are plenty of factors weighing down the city’s economy, issues that have plagued other “doom loop&#8221; cities, along with population outflows and skyrocketing unemployment, have not materialized in San Francisco.

<p>Egan said while there are plenty of factors weighing down the city’s economy, issues that have plagued other “doom loop" cities, along with population outflows and skyrocketing unemployment, have not materialized in San Francisco.</p>

<p>Egan said while there are plenty of factors weighing down the city’s economy, issues that have plagued other “doom loop&#8221; cities, along with population outflows and skyrocketing unemployment, have not materialized in San Francisco.</p>

However, what will materialize are <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/10/11/san-francisco-mayor-orders-budget-cuts/">painful budget cuts</a>.&nbsp;

San Francisco mayor says budget cuts &#8216;cannot wait&#8217; as $500M deficit looms

<p>However, what will materialize are <a href="https://sfstandard.com/2023/10/11/san-francisco-mayor-orders-budget-cuts/">painful budget cuts</a>.&nbsp;</p>

By fiscal year 2027-28, the city estimates a $1.2 billion-plus budget deficit due in large part to a decline in tax revenue from commercial real estate.

<p>By fiscal year 2027-28, the city estimates a $1.2 billion-plus budget deficit due in large part to a decline in tax revenue from commercial real estate.</p>

“It’s not the kind of thing we haven’t faced before,” Egan said, adding that per-capita tax revenue has doubled in the last 20 years. “It certainly doesn’t seem inevitable to me that the city is going to have to cut the kinds of services that are going to make people say I just don’t like San Francisco anymore.”

<p>“It’s not the kind of thing we haven’t faced before,” Egan said, adding that per-capita tax revenue has doubled in the last 20 years. “It certainly doesn’t seem inevitable to me that the city is going to have to cut the kinds of services that are going to make people say I just don’t like San Francisco anymore.”</p>

Egan also pointed out countervailing forces like lower rents and housing costs, which could attract new businesses and residents. He added that while drug use and homelessness are often raised as evidence of the doom loop spiral, he’s skeptical.

<p>Egan also pointed out countervailing forces like lower rents and housing costs, which could attract new businesses and residents. He added that while drug use and homelessness are often raised as evidence of the doom loop spiral, he’s skeptical.</p>

“These are long-standing problems in San Francisco, and it hasn’t in the past affected people commuting to Downtown office buildings,” Egan said. “It’s a great conversation to have. It’s just not a great explanation for San Francisco&#8217;s economic problems.”

<p>“These are long-standing problems in San Francisco, and it hasn’t in the past affected people commuting to Downtown office buildings,” Egan said. “It’s a great conversation to have. It’s just not a great explanation for San Francisco's economic problems.”</p>

<p>“These are long-standing problems in San Francisco, and it hasn’t in the past affected people commuting to Downtown office buildings,” Egan said. “It’s a great conversation to have. It’s just not a great explanation for San Francisco&#8217;s economic problems.”</p>

San Francisco’s revenge summer: An explosion of art and music stirs a comeback

Mayoral candidate calls for bringing cars back to Market Street

Doom loop, shmoom loop. This year, SF proved it was ready to party

Downtown San Francisco’s future? More innovation and fun, fewer offices

The San Francisco Standard’s most-read stories of 2023

Search Results for: doom loop

San Francisco’s revenge summer: An explosion of art and music stirs a comeback

Mayoral candidate calls for bringing cars back to Market Street

Doom loop, shmoom loop. This year, SF proved it was ready to party

Downtown San Francisco’s future? More innovation and fun, fewer offices

The San Francisco Standard’s most-read stories of 2023