SF Daily Brief for October 20, 2026

This is SF Daily Brief for Tuesday, October 20, 2026. A Maryland company asked the Department of Building Inspection in June about permits for an AI data center in the former Bloomingdale's space at 845 Market Street, the Chronicle reports. No application has been filed for the 350,000-square-foot site. KG Growth Partners CEO Jared Krieger told the paper the plan would keep the ground floor open to the public and put technical operations upstairs and in back-of-house space.

In SoMa, security footage from an apartment shows a man telling immigration agents he is a U.S. citizen, then appearing handcuffed on the ground minutes later, according to the Standard. An ICE agent drew his gun during the encounter. At Chase Center on Monday, Atlanta beat Golden State 79-65, leaving the WNBA Finals tied at one game apiece, KQED reports. Angel Reese had 30 points and 16 rebounds for the Dream and became the youngest player in WNBA history with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in a Finals game.

A San Francisco civil rights group has sued for records explaining why dozens of immigrants are being grouped into "mega master" immigration hearings, according to Mission Local. The lawsuit says the immigration courts have released no records on the practice. San Francisco prosecutors announced Monday that they charged D'Arcy & Harty Construction and three employees with involuntary manslaughter over a 2023 trench collapse that killed 24-year-old Javier Romero. Romero was working on a sewer project for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission near Oak and Divisadero streets when a passing heavy vehicle caused the unsupported trench to give way, the district attorney's office said.

John Finbarr Darcy, John William Tobin and Filiberto Poblano Perez also face charges of violating a safety standard resulting in death. Mayor Daniel Lurie's committee backing Propositions D, E and F has raised $12.8 million, more than the other seven measures on the November ballot combined, the Examiner reports. A Board of Supervisors analysis estimates that Prop D, which would raise the signature threshold for citizen initiatives from 2% to 8% of registered voters, would lift signature-gathering costs from $320,000 to $1.5 million. In the Mission, merchants told Telemundo 48 that 24-hour parking bans for deep street cleaning every Thursday and Friday are driving customers away.

Rosalía Castro, owner of Rosalía Variedades, said she used to take in $2,500 on Fridays and now makes $200 to $300. Public Works said the signs support a 24-hour cleaning operation to keep streets and sidewalks clean. Federal prosecutors say the OpenAI engineer accused of hiding a recorder in an executive conference room has ties to a Saudi royal and that his family has left the country, the Standard reports. His defense says he has a pending citizenship interview and every reason to stay.

Mayor Daniel Lurie told Sing Tao's editorial board he supports Propositions C, D, E, F and H, plus the regional transit measure, among the 10 local measures on the November ballot. He said the city's permitting process should change so small businesses spend less time and money on signs, awnings, outdoor seating and opening permits. He also said both Prop H and the regional transit measure are needed to fund Muni. As other Bay Area cities tighten rules or end contracts with Flock Safety, San Francisco officials including Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Matt Dorsey are defending the license plate cameras, KQED reports.

The city is due to reconsider its contract with the company next February. Automated speed cameras cut dangerous speeding by 84% at the 33 San Francisco locations where they operate during the program's first 18 months, Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Thursday, according to Telemundo 48. The city estimates that equals about 42,000 fewer cases a day of drivers going at least 10 mph over the limit, and says speeding near schools fell by as much as 94%. District 8 supervisor candidate Darshini Patel says GrowSF listed her as an endorsed candidate without her permission, Mission Local reports.

I said no in so many different ways," she said. Census data from 2020 to 2024 show Chinese residents make up about 27% of Bayview-Hunters Point, one of San Francisco's fastest-growing Chinese communities, World Journal reports. In neighboring Portola, the share is nearly 46%. The 49ers led 20-3 at halftime and finished with a narrow win to reach 6-0, according to the Standard.

Receiver Mike Evans left with an Achilles injury, leaving Brock Purdy's offense without its top target. A parody punk band called Civic Joy Fucks and the collective Upcycled Brigade put up hand-painted posters mocking San Francisco's AI billboard campaigns, SFist reports. One poster tells workers they should expect to end up on the street once an AI employee replaces them. Thanks for listening.

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