Dems divided on Prop 36
13
Tamara de Lempicka
ARTS
Openhouse ED quietly departs
ARTS
09
08
13
Queer horror
The
www.ebar.com
Serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities since 1971
Vol. 54 • No. 43 • October 24-30, 2024
Safaí makes closing pitch in the Castro by John Ferrannini
T Courtesy the candidate
Jennifer Kim-Anh Tran, Ph.D.
LPAC rescinds support for Tran by Matthew S. Bajko
A
political action committee focused on electing out women and gender-nonconforming candidates has rescinded its endorsement of a queer East Bay House candidate due to her stance against gender-affirming care for youth and spreading rumors about a gay Oakland mayoral staffer. She is also being called on to resign from the board of a local LGBTQ Democratic club. LPAC announced its decision October 18, a day after Jennifer Kim-Anh Tran, Ph.D., had posted the comments online via her X account. See page 10 >>
he decided underdog among the five major candidates in next month’s San Francisco mayoral race, outgoing District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safaí said he’s been getting a second look from some voters after strong showings in televised debates. He’s also been a beneficiary of ranked choice strategy from one of the other major candidates. “I can be in any corner of the city, people come up to me and say, ‘Hey, saw you in the debate, I didn’t know who you were, but I’m voting for you now, you’ve convinced me, you stand out.’” Safaí told the Bay Area Reporter. “There’s millions and millions of dollars being spent on this campaign, but with the support from organized labor and every day San Franciscans, I’ve been getting momentum. I know that we’re the dark horse in the race but I feel confident, at least, we still have a shot.” The B.A.R. caught up with Safaí when the candidate made a stop in the Castro LGBTQ neighborhood October 17 to go inside the Castro Theatre to see the ongoing renovation and restoration project at the movie palace, which remains closed for the work. The supervisors were closely divided on the matter before they decided they’d vote down an amendment that might have curtailed manager Another Planet Entertainment’s plans back in June 2023. As the B.A.R. reported at the time, Safaí said he spoke with about 50 people before making a decision on how he’d cast his vote. Safaí’s visit to the space only reaffirmed his decision to support APE’s plans, he said. “I feel like this demonstrates my commitment to the LGBTQ community, but it also encapsu-
B.A.R. election endorsements CALIFORNIA GENERAL ELECTION PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT
Kamala Harris and Tim Walz U.S. SENATE
Adam Schiff SF MAYOR
London Breed, first choice Aaron Peskin, second choice SF BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Dist. 1: Connie Chan Dist. 3: Sharon Lai, first choice; Danny Sauter, second choice Dist. 5: Dean Preston Dist. 7: Myrna Melgar Dist. 9: Roberto Hernandez, first choice Stephen Torres, second choice Dist. 11: Ernest “EJ” Jones, first choice Michael Lai, second choice SF DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Brooke Jenkins
SF BOARD OF EDUCATION
Matt Alexander Jaime Huling John Jersin Parag Gupta
CITY COLLEGE OF SF
Luis Zamora Alan Wong Aliya Chisti Heather McCarty
BART BOARD DIST. 9
Joe Sangirardi
OTHER RACES ALAMEDA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
Dist. 5: John Bauters
OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL
Dist. 3: Warren Logan Dist. 5: Erin Armstrong At-Large: Rowena Brown BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL
Dist. 2: Terry Taplin Dist. 6: Andy Katz EAST BAY MUD
Ward 5: Jim Oddie EL CERRITO CITY COUNCIL
William Ktsanes Rebecca Saltzman
MOUNTAIN VIEW CITY COUNCIL
Chris Clark Devon Conley Emily Ann Ramos Pat Showalter
PALO ALTO CITY COUNCIL
Katie Causey Anne Cribbs
PLEASANTON SCHOOL BOARD
Area 4: Charlie Jones PINOLE CITY COUNCIL
Devin T. Murphy Maureen Toms
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO CITY COUNCIL
Dist. 4: James Coleman
CONGRESS (BAY AREA)
Dist. 2: Jared Huffman Dist. 4: Mike Thompson Dist. 8: John Garamendi Dist. 9: Josh Harder Dist. 10: Mark DeSaulnier Dist. 11: Nancy Pelosi Dist. 12: Lateefah Simon Dist. 14: Eric Swalwell Dist. 15: Kevin Mullin Dist. 16: Evan Low Dist. 17: Ro Khanna Dist. 18: Zoe Lofgren CA ASSEMBLY
Dist. 14: Buffy Wicks Dist. 16: Rebecca Bauer-Kahan Dist. 17: Matt Haney Dist. 18: Mia Bonta Dist. 19: Catherine Stefani Dist. 20: Liz Ortega Dist. 21: Diane Papan Dist. 24: Alex Lee Dist. 25: Ash Kalra Dist. 26: Patrick Ahrens CA SENATE
Dist. 3: Christopher Cabaldon Dist. 7: Jovanka Beckles Dist. 9: Marisol Rubio Dist. 11: Scott Wiener Dist. 13: Josh Becker Dist. 15: Dave Cortese Dist. 17: John Laird
TRACY MAYOR
SAN FRANCISCO PROPS Yes on: A, B, F, H, I, J, L, M, O No on: C, D, E, G, K, N
WALNUT CREEK CITY COUNCIL
CALIFORNIA PROPS Yes on: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 32, 33, 35 No on: 34, 36
Dan Tavares Arriola
Cindy Darling Laura Patch Kevin Wilk
REMEMBER TO VOTE BY NOV. 5!
John Ferrannini
Mayoral candidate Ahsha Safaí stood outside the Castro Theatre after a visit inside to view the renovation project.
lates what I’m about, why I’m running for mayor,” Safaí said. “I came down, I listened to members of the community, and given my background in planning, the work I have done on economic revitalization, I ultimately sided with the community that wanted to see evolution with this space, that wanted to preserve the iconic theater that is one of the defining characteristics of San Francisco but also to bring back energy, activity and life to this community. Almost every single small business owner you go to will say they’re struggling. “I’m happy to have been the swing vote, a key vote, on that when Supervisor [Aaron] Peskin
was doing everything he could to stop it, I came in and said, ‘No, I’m going to listen to the community’ and the mayor, quite frankly, was not inserting herself into the conversation,” he added. Peskin and Breed are also running for mayor. Safaí, 51, and his mother immigrated to the United States after the Iranian revolution in 1979. Safaí worked under then-mayors Willie L. Brown Jr. and Gavin Newsom at the San Francisco Housing Authority, the Mayor’s Office of Community Development, and in San Francisco Public Works. He went on to become political See page 6 >>
SF school closures halted by board as new leader named by John Ferrannini
T
here won’t be any public school closures next year, the San Francisco Board of Education announced, following the resignation of the superintendent who was to preside over them. The new superintendent is Maria Su, Ph.D., who formerly led the city’s Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families. Su had headed up a team of top city officials Mayor London Breed recently dispatched to the school district to help administrators with budget and other matters. The district’s leadership change saves the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in the Castro LGBTQ neighborhood, and the June Jordan School for Equity in the Excelsior, alongside nine other campuses – at least for now. Both Milk, a K-5 elementary school, and June Jordan, a high school, had been on the list of possible closures. Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He and then-mayor George Moscone were assassinated in November 1978. Jordan was a queer Black woman who was a poet, essayist, and activist. She died in 2002. Parents and community leaders have been incensed about the possible school closures or mergers since a list of affected campuses was released October 8. Breed last week criticized the district and Superintendent Matt Wayne. “Over the last week since the school closures/ merger list was released, I’ve spoken to parents, educators, and staff, and so many in our city who care deeply about our public schools. What I’ve heard over and over is confusion and concern around the proposed school closures/merger list and how it has
Courtesy DCYF
Maria Su, Ph.D., is the new superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District.
been communicated and managed,” Breed stated October 15. “This cannot continue.” Wayne submitted his resignation under pressure October 18, which was accepted by the Board of Education in a 6-1 vote. It happened just days after Breed expressed she now longer had faith in his leadership after the list of schools on the chopping block was announced. The lone dissenter, Commissioner Kevine Boggess, felt that Wayne should instead be fired. The school board approved a separation agreement that will pay Wayne his $325,000 salary and fund his health benefits for 12 months, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Breed praised the school board’s decision to hire Su to oversee the district and its myriad crises. See page 2 >>