San Francisco Mayor London Breed launched a pilot program this week to boost SFUSD teacher salaries with a $10 million stipend, aiming to reduce turnover at under-resourced schools in the city's school district. Over 1,000 teachers at schools in the San Francisco Unified School District serving disadvantaged students primarily in the city's Bayview, Mission and southeastern neighborhoods will receive stipends of up to $3,000.

The Mayor’s office argued that this stipend was key to resolving recruitment and retention issues in these schools, pointing out that one-third of teachers at those schools are first- or second-year teachers, and educator turnover is at 27 percent compared to a district-wide rate of 21 percent.

One of the reasons these stipends are such a big issue in SFUSD is the challenge of affording median market rent for SF teachers; Curbed SF looks into a recent Council of Community Housing Organizations study showing that teachers in SF and San Mateo Counties cannot afford median market rent for a one bedroom apartment within the counties.

Rose Pak, a legendary figure in San Francisco’s Chinese political circles, continues to stir controversy from beyond the grave. Tuesday night, San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Authority Board voted four to three to name the upcoming Central Subway Station after her, following five hours of contentious public comment. Supporters of Pak stated that she had been a strong voice for the Chinese community and women of color, arguing that without Pak’s advocacy, the Central Subway itself was unlikely to have received the $500 million in federal funding it needed to exist in the first place.

A free speech group filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Mayor London Breed and SFPD, alleging that they are blocking the release of records involving the death of Public Defender Jeff Adachi and the controversial raid on the home of the journalist who leaked a police report about Adachi’s death. The First Amendment Coalition alleges the raid was an attempt to force freelance journalist Bryan Carmody to reveal the source of the leak, violating California’s shield law. 

Despite San Francisco’s declaration of a Vision Zero policy for street policies five years ago, recent trends show the City is moving in the wrong direction. SF Weekly investigates potential reasons for the uptick in traffic deaths, and potential solutions to reverse course.

San Francisco State Senator Scott Wiener’s legislation to eliminate the discrepancy in how gay and straight young adults are punished for having sex with a minor has become a flashpoint in a Central Valley State Senate race.

Equality California, the state’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group, has pushed Democratic groups, including the Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus chaired by SF Assemblymember David Chiu, to revoke their endorsements of Modesto City Councilman Mani Grewal for “engaging in a blatantly homophobic campaign” against his openly lesbian opponent, Stockton Democratic Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman.

Grewal inaccurately claimed that the bill would allow adults who abuse preteens avoid registering as sex offenders.

Multiple downtown businesses, including Salesforce Tower and Ross Dress for Less, are hiring off-duty police officers as private security guards to counter property crime and safety issues. Merchants argue that they have to take security issues into their own hands as the City has failed to address them systematically.

Former San Francisco Mayor and current California Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation placing stricter oversight on police shootings of civilians this week, spurring Mission Local to analyze San Francisco’s attempt to grapple with these issues via a working group tasked to address SFPD’s issues with biased policing. Given that the working group struggled for an hour simply to define “biased policing,” it seems we still have a long way to go.

Maureen Singleton was appointed chief operating officer of the San Francisco Public Library by City Librarian Michael Lambert. She is a San Francisco native, and has worked for the city in different roles over 17 years, including the Public Library, the Board of Supervisors Budget Analyst Office, and more.

Mayor Breed walked along Irving Street to assuage fears of violence in the Chinese community. When asked why this issue has gone unaddressed, Mayor Breed pinned the blame on the Board of Supervisors. Citing her efforts to increase foot patrols, she says she’s trying to help..

Vape products were recently banned in SF, but Prop C, a ballot measure for this November, would seek to overturn that. With this last shred of hope, JUUL is spending millions trying to get the ban overturned according to filings at the San Francisco Ethics Commission. 

The Chronicle provides an update on Paneez Kosarian, who was attacked by Austin James Vincent outside her residence last week. Vincent, a homeless man, was released on bail, but is now back in jail due to a possible earlier assault.

Mission Local profiles the way Kosarian is using her new platform to speak out against the Embarcadero Center and homeless people in the city at large.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB392 into law, which dictates that police can only use deadly force when it is necessary to defend a human life. The law will take effect January 1, 2020.

Last summer, the haphazard demolition of a house on Florida Street took neighbors by surprise. The workers had no safety gear on, no permit, and were allowing debris to drift down the block. A public hearing will be held today to figure out why the demolition happened in the first place and what the penalties will be.

The standard green public restrooms and newsstands are being replaced with a sleek, futuristic design. The toilets will be part of the Pit Stop program which provides paid attendants.

Stephanie Shriock, president of Emily’s List, spoke at an event in San Francisco where she told Democrats that Trump can be beaten and to “stop wringing their hands.” Schriock stated that “part of Trump’s magic is his ability to drive fear and anxiety into the culture. And if we allow that to take us over, he wins.”

Billionaire and 2020 presidential candidate Tom Steyer edges closer and closer to qualifying for the debate stage; however, some accuse Steyer of “buying” his way into the debate. Steyer vehemently denies this, saying that “I think there’s a very simple challenge for everybody who wants to be the Democratic nominee — and that’s to have something to say that people want to hear.” Steyer is still polling around 1%.

The first National Trans Visibility March in Washington D.C. has been moved to Saturday, September 28. The march is meant to raise awareness on visibility, the full rights of citizenship, and the ongoing unchecked murder of black trans women. The theme will be “The Ties that Bind Us” and will include other weekend events as well.

Now that school is officially back in session, several George Washington High School students were interviewed about the mural. Out of 17 students the reporter asked, 10 said it should stay. Some students said that the mural is history and shouldn’t be forgotten, while others said it was dehumanizing/discouraging.

An attack on a woman by an individual experiencing homelessness is being used by opponents of the Embarcadero Navigation Center to call for the City to reconsider building the Center in its current location. Mayor Breed indicated that the construction of the navigation center will continue as planned.

San Francisco and other Bay Area cities could follow Berkeley’s lead in banning natural gas lines in new residential construction. The bans come as cities are increasingly looking at how to reduce their carbon footprint. In San Francisco, Supervisor Vallie Brown plans to introduce legislation to ban natural gas in new city buildings, with broader ban to be proposed in the coming years.

Local philanthropist Janet Reilly was appointed by Governor Newsom to the University of California Board of Regents. Well known in San Francisco for co-founding Clinic by the Bay, a free volunteer health clinic in the Excelsior district, and running for District 2 Supervisor in 2010 and State Assembly in 2006. Her term on the Board of Regents expires in 2028.