Mayor London Breed was shouted down by residents opposing the opening of a navigation center for homeless people on the Embarcadero, but the San Francisco Port Commission prevailed and approved the center in April. A beloved coach retired. A champion team lost and moved back home to San Francisco. A car-free plan for one of The City’s main thoroughfares was finally approved as Vision Zero has not yet met its promise to significantly reduce the number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed by automobiles. Breed easily won re-election. A progressive voice was chosen to head the District Attorney’s Office, while months earlier, The City’s outspoken public defender died suddenly. A movie about this ever-changing city made by one of its own sons debuted at one of San Francisco’s most-celebrated theaters. A beloved skateboarder lost his life.
These are just some of the snapshots that shaped The City in 2019. As we prepare to enter a new decade, the Examiner looks back in photographs on the final year of the 2010s. — Kevin N. Hume