When sheriff’s deputies pulled over a driver in a bullet-riddled car speeding down Highway 101 in Marin, he claimed he’d been in a road rage incident near Novato and refused to get out of the car — then he fled across the Golden Gate Bridge.

According to a social media post from the Marin County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began Tuesday around 1:43 am when a deputy spotted a driver traveling roughly 100 mph southbound on Highway 101 near the Richardson Bay Bridge.

After pulling over, the driver, later identified as 26-year-old Martin Zuniga Jr., reportedly told the deputy he had been involved in a road rage incident near Novato. Deputies then noticed roughly 14 bullet holes in the vehicle's exterior.

Authorities say the driver refused orders to exit the vehicle and suddenly sped away, leading deputies southbound toward San Francisco. The pursuit was called off after Zuniga allegedly crossed the Golden Gate Bridge at unsafe speeds. The vehicle was later found abandoned in San Francisco.

Sheriff’s officials said Zuniga was located and arrested in downtown Novato later that evening. At the time of his arrest, authorities say he was carrying a loaded .40-caliber handgun with a high-capacity magazine and suspected cocaine. He was booked into Marin County Jail on multiple charges, including reckless evasion, resisting law enforcement, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The case remains under investigation, and the Marin County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information about a shooting or road rage incident that may have occurred late June 15 or early June 16 to come forward.

Related: Suspect 'Late for Work' Takes CHP on High-Speed Chase, Crashes on Active Railroad Track

Image: Marin County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook

• Tolls for the Golden Gate Bridge are increasing by 50 cents beginning July 1, and Golden Gate Transit fares will go up by 25 cents. [Chronicle]
• While the San Francisco Unified School District hasn’t banned phones in classrooms yet — as other districts have done in recent years, it’s required to devise a new policy by January 2027. [Chronicle]
• Through July 6, state park lovers can download a free copy of California State Parks’ “Historian Passport,” which normally costs $50 — featuring unlimited access for up to four people to 30+ parks through the end of the year. [Secret San Francisco]
• Outgoing Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that prices on the company’s products are about to go up, emphasizing that “price increases are unavoidable,” without specifying how much or when. [Engadget]

National:

• The 20-acre Obama Presidential Center officially opens to the public Friday in Chicago's Jackson Park, a monumental project that’s been over 10 years in the making. [CBS News]
• A Mississippi police officer has been put on administrative leave after allegedly fatally shooting a one-year-old baby in a car outside Walmart while pursuing his mother who was accused of stealing diapers — but later showed police her receipt. [Guardian]
• Hundreds of West Texas landowners say they’re being pressured to allow surveys and access for planned border-wall construction or risk losing portions of their property through eminent domain. [Reason]

Video:

• Oakland artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who was fired from his role as vice president and artistic director of the Kennedy Center’s Social Impact initiative in March 2025, talks about the tarp that still hangs over the center following a judge’s order that President Donald Trump remove his name from the building. [Democracy Now]

Image: California State Parks/Facebook

San Francisco voters will decide in November whether to approve a new parcel tax on property owners aimed at helping close Muni's budget deficit and avoid service cuts.

The Stronger Muni For All campaign announced Tuesday that it had submitted enough valid signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot, as KQED reports. If approved, most single-family homeowners would pay roughly $129 annually, while larger residential and commercial properties would pay higher amounts based on size and use.

According to Bay City News, supporters estimate the tax would generate about $160 million a year over 15 years, with the vast majority of the money going toward closing Muni's growing budget shortfall and a smaller portion earmarked for service improvements. The tax would begin in the 2027-28 fiscal year and would increase annually with inflation.

The measure follows a series of efforts to close Muni's looming $300 million budget gap, and it's reportedly drawn support from Mayor Daniel Lurie, eight members of the Board of Supervisors, labor unions, transit advocates, and state lawmakers including Catherine Stefani, Matt Haney, and Scott Wiener. Campaign finance filings also show major contributions from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Ripple Labs.

Though backed by many of the city's political leaders, the proposal is being advanced as a citizen-led initiative rather than a government-sponsored measure, as Bay City News reports. This allows the measure to pass with a simple majority under current state law instead of the two-thirds threshold required for special taxes placed on the ballot by local governments.

Muni's future also hinges in part on the proposed Connect Bay Area Act, a separate regional sales tax measure appearing on November's ballot, which would generate an estimated $1 billion annually for BART, Muni, Caltrain, AC Transit, and other transit agencies across the Bay Area.

As SFist previously reported, the agency received a portion of a $590 million state loan package for Bay Area transit agencies earlier this year, while the recently approved SFMTA budget also included modest Muni fare increases and higher parking fines to help boost revenue.

Transit officials have reportedly warned that if new funding sources fail to materialize, the agency could be forced to eliminate up to 20 routes, cut evening service by as much as 60%, reduce or eliminate cable car service, and significantly increase wait times on some lines.

Related: $590M In State Loan Funds Come Through For Struggling BART and Muni Systems

Image: Jasperdo/Flickr

Vallejo-born rapper LaRussell brought the Oakland Collab Choir with him to perform on the "Auditions" episode of America's Got Talent Tuesday night.

This has been a big year so far for LaRussell, coming off a main stage appearance at Outside Lands last summer, and an invitation to perform as the NFL's house band at Levi's Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday in February.

While he's rapped as a solo act and was known for putting on his own backyard shows in Vallejo, he's also made a habit of collaborating with East Bay youth musicians, including the Pittsburg High School Marching Band, and the Oakland Collab Choir, who came with him to the Super Bowl gig.

LaRussell brought a number of those kids along with him to the America's Got Talent Stage for Tuesday's Auditions performance, along with some even younger dancers, to perform his song "I'm From the Bay."

"He just wants to showcase all these Bay Area kids' talents," says one of the group's members in the clip below.

And, just so you know, they got yeses from all four judges, and will be moving on further in the ATG competition.

Previously: Vallejo Rapper LaRussell to Perform at Official NFL Tailgate on Super Bowl Sunday

After a two-decade push from an SF homeowner — one of the winners of Supervisor Wong’s “Dumb Law” contest — the city is moving to align its ceiling height requirement with state standards, paving the way for residents to legalize rental units in their homes.

At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Alan Wong honored local residents Katherine Roberts and Mike Nohr as winners of his recent "Dumb Law" contest out of more than 200 submissions, as the Chronicle reports.

Roberts's and Nohr's entries both focused on San Francisco’s residential ceiling height rules, which are six inches higher than state standards, making it difficult to legalize existing living spaces. Wong described the proposal on social media as a practical fix with citywide impact.  

As SFist reported in March, the proposal would bring San Francisco’s requirements in line with California Residential Code, which sets a 7-foot minimum for habitable spaces like bedrooms. San Francisco’s current standard requires at least 7 feet, 6 inches.

Wong said at a briefing last month that although seemingly minor, the change will benefit many homeowners who were previously prevented from legalizing their rental units, as KRON4 reported at the time.

“That 6-inch difference may sound small,” Wong said. “But in practice, it can create a major barrier for homeowners trying to legalize existing in-law units, basement units and ADUs.”

Roberts, who bought her three-story home in Cole Valley about 23 years ago, has spent years trying to legalize a lower-level unit that was converted by the previous owner without permits.

“I’ve gone through every city agency that you can imagine, including all the way up to the board of supervisors, trying to get some kind of abeyance on this issue,” she told KRON4. “It’s just been absolutely impossible.”

Bringing it up to current city standards would reportedly require extensive excavation and foundation work on a structure dating back to the early 1900s — a fix that could cost well over $1 million.

Nohr, a Sunset resident, submitted a similar complaint tied to his own in-law unit, saying the cost of compliance has kept him from renting it out. He and others said the rules limit housing supply by making it too expensive for homeowners to legally rent out existing space, often due to costly structural upgrades.

Supervisor Wong said he selected Roberts and Nohr because their submissions reflected practical, community-driven fixes to outdated rules, per the Chronicle, adding that the change could help unlock existing housing stock without new construction.

Roberts said at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday that she hoped the city would finally move the issue forward after years of delay.

Previously: District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong Launches Contest to Call Out 'Dumb' SF Laws

Image: Alan Wong/Facebook

The Upper Haight's Club DeLuxe will be reborn Thursday night under the name The DeLuxe, and under the new ownership of Mr. Tipple’s Jazz Club owner Jay Bordeleau and former Club Deluxe bartender and musician Christian Beaulieu.

Closed for the past three years, the once renowned and beloved Haight Street watering hole and retro music venue Club DeLuxe has had new life breathed into it. We learned in September that new owners Jay Bordeleau and Christian Beaulieu had secured approval for live music until 2 am, seven nights per week (though the venue hours now have them closing by 1 am on weekends and midnight on weekdays).

34 years ago, Club DeLuxe opened in the Haight just as the retro jazz and swing trend began to crest in cities across the country. It had previously been known as The DeLuxe Bar from 1979 to 1989. The place closed in 2023, over a year after the previous owners had initially announced it would close, and then last spring we learned about the new ownership and plans to reopen.

Following a thorough but careful renovation, The DeLuxe reopens Thursday with its original Streamline Moderne look intact. New additions include windows that open onto Haight Street so that music will drift out onto the sidewalk most evenings, and some new, hand-crafted bar shelves with an Art Deco look.

Also, new murals by artist Jon Weiss show the history of the venue over time.

Bordeleau and Beaulieu decided early on that they wanted to celebrate the venue's intimacy and authenticity and respect its history in the neighborhood. As Beaulieu said last year, "It can’t be Club Deluxe without restoring its legacy of music and community. If you look at the 30 years that Deluxe booked bands, the styles and genres ranged widely. This approach will continue and expand."

Much like Oakland's Cafe Van Kleef, the DeLuxe was known for its Greyhounds, with freshly squeezed-to-order grapefruit juice, and those will be returning, naturally. The new bar program will include some thoughtfully created mocktails using house tinctures and teas, as well as spins on classic drinks including a Cosmo Spritz, a Mezcal Louisiane (mezcal, vermouths, absinthe, bitters), and an Espresso Martini with liquor, Nola coffee liqueur, cold brew, and chipotle cacao.

"San Francisco's arts and culture give our city life. And from our largest venues to neighborhood gems like The DeLuxe, they're driving our comeback," said Mayor Daniel Lurie in a statement. "This club has been part of the Haight Ashbury community for decades, and its reopening gives residents and visitors alike more reasons to get out and explore everything this neighborhood has to offer."

Hours for The DeLuxe will be Mon-Thur 5pm to midnight, Friday 5pm to 1am, Saturday 2pm to 1am, and Sunday 2pm to 10pm.

The DeLuxe - 1511 Haight Street - Reopening Thursday, June 18

Over a decade since plans first began being drawn up for the redevelopment of the former Candlestick Park property and its parking lots, and 11 years after the stadium itself was demolished, we're finally seeing some movement down there.

I first wrote about the redevelopment plans for Candlestick Point in March 2016, with the headline, "Check Out The Huge Retail, Performance, And Residential Project Coming To Candlestick Point." The original plan, which dated back to 2014, included a 500,000- to 600,ooo-square-foot shopping center, a 4,400-seat performance venue, and around 10,500 housing units, around 3,300 of which were to be designated affordable.

Those plans were later revised as the retail market faltered, and a new plan emerged in 2019, which was then revisited by the SF Board of Supervisors in 2024 — after several years of the site being used as an RV park — and the board on Tuesday voted to approve a final map for the project, dividing the site into 50 lots, 12 of which will be developed.

As the Chronicle reports back on the megaproject this week, construction is now set to begin this summer on the infrastructure that the site will need before building construction can begin, including streets, sidewalks, and utilities.

The current version of the development plan includes 7,200 residential units, and 3 million square foot of commercial space, with a mix of office, retail, restaurants, and potentially a hotel. 100 acres of open space are also part of the plan.

The developer, originally Lennar, is a now a Lennar spinoff called FivePoint, and the company's senior VP Suheil Totah tells the paper, "This is about activating a prime piece of San Francisco land that has been underutilized for far too long and putting it to work for the city."

Originally planned as a Phase 2 of the Hunters Point Shipyard redevelopment project, Candlestick Point is now jumping ahead in line as Lennar deals with ongoing environmental troubles with the Shipyard site. (As we learned last month, the developer is pushing forward with Phase 1 of the Shipyard development, which includes no housing contruction, and is primarily focused on parks and public gathering spaces."

Regarding the beginning of the infrastructure work, Totah tells the Chronicle, "We’re proud to have reached this milestone, which is the culmination of years of work."

It's not yet clear when construction on the residential and commercial portions of the project will begin, but it will be at least two years down the line before that gets going. Totah tells the paper that timing for the groundbreaking will depend on "permitting and market conditions."

Previously: City Hall Unveils Latest Plans to Redevelop Candlestick Point, 11 Years After 49ers Left

Several websites surfaced last week tied to a little-known Southern California group, appearing to run coordinated smear-style campaigns targeting Bay Area officials — including Jackie Fielder — as well as a slate of local ballot measures.

At least 10 new websites have appeared in recent weeks tied to a little-known San Diego County PAC called “Americans for Opportunity,” which appear to be part of a coordinated attack-style campaign against Bay Area progressives and several local ballot measures, as Mission Local reports.

One of the most visible targets is San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder, where a newly launched site calling for her recall surfaced last Wednesday alongside an Xitter account boasting claims that Fielder left her district without representation during her current medical leave and accusing her of undermining public safety policy.

A post on the X account targeting Fielder accuses the supervisor of leaking a confidential City Attorney memo related to the city’s RESET sobering center, alleging it interfered with a public safety initiative and calling for her resignation.

As SFist reported previously, the City Attorney is conducting an ongoing investigation into the leak of the same memo, which previously prompted scrutiny of Fielder’s office and staff turnover, though her office has vehemently denied involvement in the leak, and no formal findings or charges have been made.

The Fielder-focused site encourages supporters to “Recall Jackie Fielder” and funnels users toward an online petition that the associated X account says gathered 3,400 signatures within a day. Mission Local notes the goal of the effort appears to mainly be for list-building, as no formal recall process has been filed.

The same PAC is reportedly linked through site footers, donate pages, or source code to at least five other similarly styled pages targeting Bay Area officials, including Barbara Lee, Carroll Fife, former Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao, former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The sites follow a near-identical, slick AI-generated format, developed using software by SF-based company Vercel.

Beyond individual officials, four additional sites tied to the same network are targeting Bay Area ballot measures, including efforts opposing San Jose’s hotel tax proposal, Sonoma County’s SMART train sales tax extension, and an upcoming Oakland minimum wage measure, as well as a site supporting an Oakland small-business tax break that recently passed.

Mission Local reports that the PAC itself was registered with the Federal Election Commission in March and is tied in filings to Preston Public Affairs, a little-known lobbying firm that offers “strategic government relations” in the Bay Area.

Neither the PAC nor its listed representatives have responded to requests for comment, and the underlying source of funding or coordination remains unclear.

Related: Supervisor Jackie Fielder's Absence From Board of Supervisors Follows Investigation Into Leaked Memo

Image: Jackie Fielder/X

The San Francisco Giants, as plenty of people have already said, have more to worry about this season than whether or not a few homophobic pitchers feel put-upon for having to wear rainbow-themed caps on the annual Pride Night. But here we are.

"Trump won, we don't have to do this anymore."

That's what our vice president, JD Vance, had to say on Xitter about the Giants' Pride Night hat controversy, exemplifying the emboldened, bigoted attitude that gave Giants starter Landen Roupp the fuel to ignite a debate over whether a Bay Area baseball team should be showing inclusivity for their many LGBTQ fans.

After Roupp and several other pitchers either defaced their annually issued Pride Night Giants caps with a Bible verse or refused to wear the caps altogether last Friday, a dustup began over whether these self-described Christian players should be made to participate in the team's annual Pride Night celebration.

Roupp defended his act of protest not as an act of hate but one of "moral" resistance, and he went on to encourage LGBTQ people to read the Bible, implying that they might be able to convert back to his more righteous way of living — stay tuned for the digging into Roupp's morally unsullied past.

Now Republican Senator Josh Hawley, eager to weigh in on a culture-war battle against the homos, has jumped in the fray, scolding Major League Baseball for their perfunctory warning to Roupp and the other players about violating the rule against putting personal messages on uniforms.

"What does MLB think it’s doing penalizing players for their Christian faith?" Hawley writes on Xitter, posting a letter he sent to MLB Commissioner Robert Manfred in which he expresses his "grave concern" about the formal warning to the players, saying the MLB "must answer for what appears to be a pattern of discrimination" against Christians.

The MLB issued a clarifying statement saying, "To be clear, this routine verbal warning not to wear the hat in future games is not disciplinary and had absolutely nothing to do with the content of the message... We have given the same warning numerous times in the past to players for messages such as ‘Dad,’ ‘Happy Mother’s Day, I Love Mom’ and names of family members."

Candidate for Congress and state Senator Scott Wiener has seized on the moment to clap back at Vance and Hawley, saying to Vance's comment about "we don't need to this anymore," "Yes we do since in San Francisco, unlike in the White House, we treat LGBTQ people as full human beings & we think bigotry is bad. Perhaps go back into your cave for a minute to chill out."

To Hawley, Wiener responds in more legal terms, saying, "People have a right to whatever religious beliefs they want — even if those beliefs dehumanize other people — but they don’t have a right to hijack their employer to promote those hateful beliefs at a job-related event. MLB didn’t penalize them for their faith. It penalized them for violating the rules of their employment."

The Giants organization has said, "We understand the choice by individual players has caused pain and anger to many in the LGBTQ+ community and we are sorry for that." And, the team says they "are proud to support Pride Night and the LGBTQ+ community. Baseball should be a place where everyone feels welcome, respected, and valued."

But this is another in a series of culture-war moments where the shift in cultural mandates around inclusion and non-discrimination that was commanded by Trump the moment he stepped back into office, which only some Republicans even support, has been weaponized to make an example of a baseball team, and of baseball itself, in an effort to turn the clock back on LGBTQ acceptance by three or four decades.

It's likely a futile effort, and over the smallest and dumbest of gestures, but it's a scary one nonetheless for all LGBTQ+ people who can feel the larger effort to try to erase them, and to pretend that the last three decades of momentum toward broader acceptance didn't happen.

On Tuesday, OutSports published an open letter from gay Giants fan and SF firefighter (and Hoodline reporter) Steven Bracco, saying he organized a group to attend Pride Night on Friday and was "unbelievably disappointed" by the message sent by Roupp and the other pitchers. Bracco also refers to the Giants' response as "milquetoast" and writes, "You’re making an excuse for the players’ homophobia. It’s unacceptable... Would you allow similar statements to be spoken, written or posted for your upcoming Jewish Heritage, Black Heritage or Mexican Heritage Nights?"

Wiener echoed this, writing in a statement, "MLB must hold firm in enforcing its rules. And the Giants must do better. There cannot be a homophobia exemption to the MLB uniform defacement ban."

Bracco also says that manger Tony Vitello — who, as the Chronicle noted in a Tuesday piece, seemed genuinely or willfully ignorant of this whole controversy and didn't seem to know about the MLB's warning to the players — ought to face consequences along with the players, because he surely knew that they were taking the field with those messages on their caps.

On Monday, McCovey Chronicles noted that president of baseball operations Buster Posey has, himself, been attending Sunday services with other Christian players, sitting "shoulder to shoulder" with them in prayer, and this was something Roupp himself called "pretty awesome." So, perhaps the implied approval of the players' religious stance has been baked in this season.

Be prepared for this all not to blow over just yet.

Previously: Self-Described 'Christian' Homophobes In Giants' Bullpen Deface Pride Night Hats

Top image:  JT Brubaker #34 of the San Francisco Giants pitches at Oracle Park on June 12, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Andy Kuno/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images)

The company that runs the Oakland Arena and Coliseum has submitted an offer to purchase the arena — as part of the larger sale of the complex, following news that a group owned by a music executive had also placed a bid last month.

Legends Global submitted an offer Tuesday to purchase the arena as part of the broader 112-acre sale of the East Oakland complex, adding a new layer to an already complex redevelopment process involving multiple competing interests and overlapping deals, as the Chronicle reports.

The proposal comes as Alameda County and the city of Oakland move forward on a larger plan to sell the Coliseum property to the African American Sports and Entertainment Group, which also goes by the name Oakland Acquisition Co, while carving out the arena for a separate future buyer, as SFist reported last month. The spinoff sale of the arena is part of the financing plan for Oakland Acquisition Co's purchase of the larger property.

Legends Global, which has been operating the Oakland Arena and Coliseum for 12 years, reportedly wrote in a letter to officials that it would invest $102 million to acquire the arena, covering both the purchase price and necessary repairs, and proposed sharing billboard advertising revenue with the city and county.

According to Oaklandside, President Josh Kritzler wrote that the company is best positioned to operate and steward the venue, pointing to its financial performance since taking over management, including 2.44 million attendees since 2019 and a 97% reduction in the operating deficit between 2019 and 2023.

The bid reportedly follows an offer of at least $100 million from Oak View Group, founded by Irving Azoff, which has recently been speaking with Oakland officials and community members. Both firms have deep venue portfolios. Legends is backed by Sixth Street Partners along with affiliates of the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees, while Oak View operates major arenas including Co-op Live in Manchester and Acrisure Arena in California.

Under the current term sheet advanced by Alameda County, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group would acquire the Coliseum site for $115 million after the county first buys back its share from the A’s, as previously reported. That structure would allow AASEG to later sell the arena to a third party and repay the county in installments with interest.

The Chronicle notes that it remains unclear whether Legends’ bid is a serious acquisition attempt or a strategic move to secure its long-term role as operator of the venue. The company also said it would remain in place as manager if a sale is not timed appropriately.

Previously: Oakland Arena May Be Bought By Group Run By Music Exec As Part of Larger Sale

Image: Leela K/Google Maps

Top image: Photo via Aisha Wahab for Congress

• Richard Tillman, 45, of San Jose, brother of NFL star Pat Tillman who died in Afghanistan, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for setting a fire that caused major damage to a San Jose post office last year. Tillman, who said he intentionally set the fire to "make a point to the United States government," was also given a three-year period of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,371,682 in restitution to the US Postal Service. [NBC Bay Area]
• Mayor Daniel Lurie shared new images of the final design concepts for the soon-to-be redesigned Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park, adding that the new park will serve as “a true front door to our city.” [KRON4]

• Peter Acworth, the founder of Kink.com, sold three local properties amid an ongoing legal dispute, including the former AsiaSF space, as well as mixed-use buildings in SoMa and the Mission. [Real Deal]

National:

• The level of sea ice in West Antarctica is about 50% lower than average this year, as temperatures this week are up to 18 degrees Fahrenheit above average. A large portion of sea ice measuring approximately 150,000 square miles has yet to refreeze, which is not typical for this time of year. [ABC News]
• The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is now dealing with an algae problem that’s plagued the pool for decades, following President Donald Trump’s recently completed $14 million renovation. [CNN]
• Delaware authorities are working to identify and locate the suspect who fatally shot one person and injured another inside a hospital before escaping the building Tuesday. [Associated Press]

Video:

• Thrasher Magazine has released a new, thrilling 35-minute video, “San Francisco Burning,” packed with jaw-dropping tricks filmed across the city’s hills, stair sets, and handrails, with skaters tearing through countless neighborhoods including Potrero Hill, the Waterfront, Chinatown, and Civic Center.

Image: Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Office/X

A double shooting during a teen "beach takeover" event in Alameda last week has sparked renewed debate about the trend, with some demanding more police enforcement while others are calling for more spaces for teens to congregate peacefully.

Alameda police are still investigating Thursday night's shooting near Crown Memorial State Beach, where two people were wounded after gunfire erupted during one of the unsanctioned teen "beach takeovers," as KTVU reports. Officers responded around 9 pm to reports of shots fired near Park Street and Shoreline Drive and found two victims who were taken to local hospitals.

While police have not released details about the victims' injuries, Redditors say one of them was shot in the head with a high-caliber rifle, though those reports have not been independently confirmed by authorities.

Both Alameda police and East Bay Regional Park District police responded to the scene, and authorities have said few details will be released while the investigation remains active.

Witnesses told KTVU they heard multiple rounds of gunfire before a large police response converged on the area. Crowds were still gathered at the beach at the time, and officers used loudspeakers to declare an unlawful assembly, ordering people to disperse.

Previous beach takeover gatherings events have reportedly led to fights, underage drinking, pepper-spray and Taser incidents. As SFist reported in March, disturbances at nearby shopping centers have prompted some businesses to close early.

The incident has renewed debate over how the city should respond. Mayor Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft said those responsible should be held accountable, including juveniles and potentially their parents, per KTVU. Some residents have called for a larger police presence, with the East Bay Insiders Newsletter noting that Alameda has budgeted fewer officers than the department's authorized staffing level for the second consecutive budget cycle.

Others on Reddit argue the city should also focus on creating more structured activities and gathering spaces for teenagers.

Previously: Beachgoers May Want to Steer Clear of Teen ‘Beach Takeover’ Parties Happening in Alameda

Arab American actor and comedian Ahmed Ahmed has filed a lawsuit alleging deputies at a jail in San Mateo County caused serious injuries and attempted to pull down his pants while laughing at him, following an arrest at SFO last year for which he was never charged.

Ahmed Ahmed, a 55-year-old Arab American actor and comedian known for films including Iron Man, Swingers, and You Don't Mess With the Zohan, filed a lawsuit in San Mateo County Superior Court against San Mateo County, the Sheriff's Office, former Sheriff Christina Corpus, and several unnamed deputies, as the Chronicle reports. The suit stems from Ahmed's September 2025 arrest at SFO following a dispute with a United Airlines employee after a missed connection and an unsuccessful attempt to secure a hotel room during an overnight travel delay.

According to KRON4, Ahmed was arrested by San Francisco International Airport police after airline staff claimed he was being disruptive. He was transported to the Maguire Correctional Facility in Redwood City and booked on suspicion of public intoxication.

Ahmed alleges he did not resist arrest and was later subjected to excessive force inside the jail.

The lawsuit claims multiple deputies caused serious injuries, including multiple broken bones, head trauma, and lacerations. Per the Chronicle, Ahmed says deputies attempted to pull down his pants while he was restrained with his head covered, and at least one deputy is accused of touching his groin during the encounter.

Ahmed was reportedly released the following day and was never charged with a crime.

Attorneys representing Ahmed contend he was racially profiled and discriminated against because he is Arab and Muslim.

“What happened to Ahmed is one of the most disturbing abuses of power I have ever seen,” said Nick Rowley, one of Ahmed’s attorneys, per KRON4.

In a statement, Ahmed said the incident left lasting physical and psychological trauma.

“I have spent my life trying to bring people together through laughter, but what those officers did broke something in me,” said Ahmed, per the Chronicle. “I was scared for my life.”

The Sheriff's Office responded to the allegations saying an internal review from 2025 found evidence contradicting the lawsuit's claims.

Related: San Mateo County Sheriff Accused By Civil Grand Jury on Counts of Retaliation and Conflict of Interest

Three Castro neighborhood bars serving a primarily queer clientele are using facial-recognition cameras to help "verify guests" and check for fake IDs, but the company providing these cameras also can flag known criminals and sex offenders, and help track neighborhood ne'er-do-wells who have been 86'd elsewhere.

Some may find it reassuring, from a safety perspective, while others will surely find it perturbing that several Castro bars are deploying facial-recognition cameras and recording biometric data on patrons as they walk in the door.

The story, which has since been picked up by the Advocate, was first reported by Gazetteer SF, and it seems that the first Castro bar to use the cameras was Badlands, starting sometime last year. Toad Hall across the street, which has long been owned by the same owner as Badlands, Les Natali — but Badlands is now under a different ownership structure — is also now using the cameras, as is The Mix down the street.

Badlands and Toad Hall are among the largest bar/clubs in the neighborhood, both offering dance floors and DJs, and both regularly have lines outside on weekends.

Patrons mostly aren't told they're being photographed, though small placards alert the to the surveillance, if they care to read them. As Gazetteer reported, the technology comes from a company calls Patronscan, which provides these TSA-like kiosks that guarantee "99.9% age verification accuracy."

Among the businesses that Patronscan claims as clients are Caesar's, the casino chain, and Taco Bell Cantina.

The Patronscan website refers to the fact that the kiosks can also alert bouncers to patrons who appear on so-called "flag networks," meaning that they've been flagged by other businesses in the area as problem guests. Gazeteer reports that a flag network in the Castro has at least nine bars connected to it, not just the three with these cameras.

The management of Badlands, Toad Hall, and The Mix haven't offered any comment, and likely just want this to be a nonstory.

For a doorperson at Midnight Sun, across the street from The Mix, such a camera might have helped in a recent alleged assault situation involving a patron who may have been on that "flag network." That suspect has been identified and arrested, however that arrest likely took longer as a result of their not being surveillance of the incident, or a Patronscan flag at the door.

Patronscan, for their part, has reportedly been the subject of a class-action lawsuit in Illinois, where state law prohibits the collection of biometric data without consent. San Francisco prohibits the collection of such data by city agencies, but not by private businesses.

Related: Daly City Man Accused In at Least Two Violent Incidents Arrested for Alleged Battery of Castro Bar Doorperson