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Thursday, November 5, 2026

SF Daily Brief

10 stories · 7 sections · 4 outlets
Podcast · Nov 5 · 3:47
SF Daily Brief for November 5, 2026
0:00 / 3:47
City HallLead

Scott Wiener wins Nancy Pelosi’s seat after Connie Chan concedes

Scott Wiener won his bid to become San Francisco's next member of Congress, and Supervisor Connie Chan conceded on Wednesday. He will fill the seat held by Nancy Pelosi.

Mission Local ↗
Read at source ↗

City Hall4

San Francisco’s first-ever public-bank measure in tight race, but trending up

Proposition B, the measure to create San Francisco's first public bank, was in a tight race and trending up in the count. A municipal bank has been official city policy for several years and has been a goal of the city's progressives.

Mission Local ↗

SF Has More Billionaires Than Any City in California. Here’s How Residents Voted on Proposition 40

Out of 198,536 ballots counted in San Francisco so far, 53% of city voters backed Proposition 40, the one-time 5% tax on California billionaires, while the measure trailed statewide. A precinct map showed support on the east side, including the Mission, Bayview-Hunters Point and the Tenderloin, and opposition in the Marina, Pacific Heights and other wealthy neighborhoods. Thirty-three of the 166 billionaires registered to vote in California live in San Francisco, according to Politico.

KQED News ↗

Scott Wiener’s campaign saw his landslide win coming before Election Day. Here’s how

Scott Wiener's campaign saw his landslide victory coming before Election Day. Mayor Daniel Lurie opposes a historic designation, has a new mayoral budget team, and the city has held conversations with Howard University.

The San Francisco Standard ↗

Housing & Land Use1

Sanctum Baths, the First Gay Bathhouse In SoMa In 40 Years, Headed for Approval

City planners have recommended approval of Sanctum Baths, a two-story bathhouse planned at 40 12th Street in SoMa, according to the Bay Area Reporter. The Planning Commission is expected to vote Thursday. Owner Kevin Born, a co-owner of The Midway nightclub, would open the first new gay bathhouse in the neighborhood since the AIDS crisis closed the city's bathhouses.

SoMaSFist ↗

Education1

SF Teachers Union at Risk of Shutout Loss in School Board Election

San Francisco’s teachers union is at risk of losing all three open school board seats. Incumbent Phil Kim and first-time candidates Tim Tung and Autumn Brown Garibay, all backed by moderate group GrowSF, lead the race. Union-endorsed candidates trail in fourth through sixth place. If results hold, it would mark a major setback for the union’s longstanding influence over school board elections.

KQED News ↗

Business & Tech1

A historic flatiron building on Market slips into default

San Francisco’s historic Phelan Building has defaulted on its mortgage after its owners stopped paying a $215 million loan. AIG is seeking foreclosure on the $192 million remaining balance. The building, purchased for $374 million in 2016, has struggled with vacant retail space since the pandemic. It could be sold at auction, adding to downtown SF’s real estate turmoil.

Union SquareThe San Francisco Standard ↗

Around Town1

Valkyries Parade Draws Thousands to San Francisco’s Embarcadero for WNBA Championship Celebration

Thousands of fans lined the Embarcadero on Wednesday to celebrate the Golden State Valkyries' WNBA championship. The team beat the Atlanta Dream 68-63 to win the title in its second season, the fastest an expansion team has done it. Players rode violet buses, danced and threw merchandise to the crowd.

KQED News ↗

Public Safety1

More than 100 S.F. firefighters subdue Twin Peaks apartment-building blaze

More than 100 San Francisco firefighters battled a two-alarm fire at an apartment building at 10 Argent Alley near Market Street on Tuesday morning. The blaze was in a building in the Twin Peaks neighborhood.

The CastroNoe ValleyMission Local ↗

Transportation1

Death Spiral Averted: Bay Area Transit Taxes RTM and Proposition H Declare Victory

Measure RTM, a 14-year regional sales tax, was passing with 62% of the vote across five Bay Area counties, and San Francisco's Proposition H was passing with 73%, according to early results. RTM imposes a 0.5% sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Transit supporters said the money heads off drastic cuts to bus and train service.

Bay AreaKQED News ↗

Public records1

Filed with the City and County of San Francisco: new housing projects of 10 or more units and building permits over $1 million. Written automatically from city open data; each item links to the city record.

An application for a $5,000,000 building permit for alterations was filed on November 3, 2026 for 333 Ofarrell St (Tenderloin).City record ↗