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F1 cars to roar down Marina Boulevard this Saturday

The demonstration will feature Oracle Red Bull Racing reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda.

News

Don&#x27;t be surprised if you see — or hear — some <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Formula 1 cars" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/23/axios-house-davos-2026-racing-regulation-formulaone-redbull-carlyle" data-vars-content-id="f4e26a41-14d1-48cf-b7cb-9eef17a28dcc" data-vars-headline="F1 cars to roar down Marina Boulevard this Saturday" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/23/axios-house-davos-2026-racing-regulation-formulaone-redbull-carlyle" target="_self">Formula 1 cars</a> racing across Marina Boulevard this weekend.Driving the news: Red Bull, the energy drink company known for its extreme sports series, is hosting a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Formula 1 demonstration" data-vars-click-url="https://www.redbull.com/us-en/events/red-bull-showrun-san-fran" data-vars-content-id="f4e26a41-14d1-48cf-b7cb-9eef17a28dcc" data-vars-headline="F1 cars to roar down Marina Boulevard this Saturday" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.redbull.com/us-en/events/red-bull-showrun-san-fran" target="_blank">Formula 1 demonstration</a> on Saturday that guarantees you&#x27;ll feel the adrenaline up close.

SF Zoo names Cassandra Costello CEO after turbulent stretch

The nearly 100-year-old zoo intends to boost animal care, conservation and public trust.

The San Francisco Zoo named Cassandra Costello as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a six-month interim period following the retirement of its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="embattled longtime director" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/zoo-ceo-tanya-peterson-20406340.php" data-vars-content-id="29f10f61-769c-4688-bf82-4b5af6376d69" data-vars-headline="SF Zoo names Cassandra Costello CEO after turbulent stretch" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/zoo-ceo-tanya-peterson-20406340.php" target="_blank">embattled longtime director</a>.Why it matters: Costello inherits an institution still working to repair its reputation and operations. The zoo has faced years of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="public scrutiny and turmoil" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/zoo-city-criticism-20354057.php" data-vars-content-id="29f10f61-769c-4688-bf82-4b5af6376d69" data-vars-headline="SF Zoo names Cassandra Costello CEO after turbulent stretch" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/zoo-city-criticism-20354057.php" target="_blank">public scrutiny and turmoil</a> over its management, making her appointment a pivotal moment for the nearly <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="100-year-old institution" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sfzoo.org/the-history-of-the-san-francisco-zoo/" data-vars-content-id="29f10f61-769c-4688-bf82-4b5af6376d69" data-vars-headline="SF Zoo names Cassandra Costello CEO after turbulent stretch" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sfzoo.org/the-history-of-the-san-francisco-zoo/" target="_blank">100-year-old institution</a>.

How much Californian families spend on health care

Premiums and deductibles now take a significant share of median family income.

Health insurance costs ate up 11% of median family income in California in 2024, according to a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="analysis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2026/is-employer-coverage-affordable-how-states-stack-up" data-vars-content-id="428c78af-8894-4176-9ca9-bba4c3d7548b" data-vars-headline="How much Californian families spend on health care" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2026/is-employer-coverage-affordable-how-states-stack-up" target="_blank">analysis</a>. Why it matters: The findings show how tough it can be to afford health care, even with insurance, for many of the estimated 167 million Americans who get coverage through an employer.

Alysa Liu's journey from Oakland ice to Olympic gold

Fans are calling for the Bay Area to host a parade for the 20-year-old skater after her gold medal win in Milan.

Sports

The Bay Area erupted in raucous cheers this week after hometown hero Alysa Liu ended a 24-year U.S. drought in women&#x27;s figure skating at the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Milan Olympics" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/04/olympic-village-2026-milan-cortina" data-vars-content-id="9538a457-a674-4ff7-b1fd-8882e4b52fde" data-vars-headline="Alysa Liu&#x27;s journey from Oakland ice to Olympic gold" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/04/olympic-village-2026-milan-cortina" target="_self">Milan Olympics</a>.Why it matters: Liu, a Richmond native who grew up skating in Oakland and San Francisco, is bringing home gold as the first American Olympic champion since Sarah Hughes in 2002.

California's COVID-19 wastewater levels are high, per CDC

Wastewater analysis is one of the best methods for tracking the spread of COVID-19 these days.

California has high levels of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="COVID-19" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/21/covid-omicron-variant-coronavirus-cases" data-vars-content-id="d0b1b077-8158-400f-929b-840b2776f93c" data-vars-headline="California&#x27;s COVID-19 wastewater levels are high, per CDC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/21/covid-omicron-variant-coronavirus-cases" target="_self">COVID-19</a> heading into the holiday travel season, according to recent data by the CDC.Why it matters: While many Americans by this point have some combination of natural and vaccine-induced immunity, COVID can still make people plenty sick and force them to miss school, work (<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="if they can" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/06/sick-days-benefits-workers-income-statistics-chart" data-vars-content-id="d0b1b077-8158-400f-929b-840b2776f93c" data-vars-headline="California&#x27;s COVID-19 wastewater levels are high, per CDC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/11/06/sick-days-benefits-workers-income-statistics-chart" target="_self">if they can</a>) and holiday activities.

Downtown San Francisco continues to struggle as more businesses leave

Downtown activity is just 32% of what it was before the pandemic.

San Francisco&#x27;s downtown is still struggling to recover from the pandemic as the impending closure of retail behemoth Nordstrom looms.What&#x27;s happening: Downtown activity is just 32% of what it was before the pandemic.

San Francisco has reached "benign" state of COVID

But a local expert says people shouldn't get complacent.

COVID

Cases of COVID-19 are on the decline in San Francisco, but as the country enters its fourth year of living with the virus, a local health expert says people shouldn&#x27;t get complacent.<ul><li>Bob Wachter, chair of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, told Axios that federal discussions on annual COVID-19 vaccinations could help with increasing vaccination rates here and elsewhere.</li></ul>

UCSF sees increase of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases

Positive test rates for asymptomatic COVID-19 cases have more than doubled at UCSF in the past month.

Positive test rates for asymptomatic COVID-19 cases have more than doubled at University of California, San Francisco in the past month, hitting 5%, the hospital&#x27;s chair of medicine, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Bob Wachter, tweeted Friday" data-vars-click-url="https://twitter.com/Bob_Wachter/status/1598710589236580353" data-vars-content-id="067bfeb4-2df9-417a-89d5-902c9122c873" data-vars-headline="UCSF sees increase of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://twitter.com/Bob_Wachter/status/1598710589236580353" target="_blank">Bob Wachter, tweeted Friday</a>.Why it matters: The implication, according to Wachter, is that about 1 in 20 people in SF who feel well would currently test positive for COVID.

"Modest surge" of COVID-19 expected this winter, UCSF expert says

While the emergence of new variants could bring an uptick in cases this winter, local experts don’t expect a massive spike.

Rates of COVID-19 in San Francisco have been low recently, and while the emergence of new variants could bring an uptick in cases this winter, local experts don&#x27;t expect a massive spike. Flashback: Last winter, the city, like the rest of the country, was rocked by the BA.5 Omicron variant, causing cases and hospitalizations to skyrocket in December and January.

Dreamforce boosted San Francisco tourism

Lodging data shows hotel occupancy in downtown San Francisco was 95.1% during the first two days of the conference.

Business

Dreamforce, Salesforce&#x27;s takeover of downtown San Francisco, did its part in bringing tourists to the city. Driving the news: Hotel occupancy in downtown San Francisco was 95.1% for the first two days of the tech conference, according to a report from <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data analytics firm STR" data-vars-click-url="https://str.com/data-insights-blog/market-recovery-monitor-week-ending-24-september" data-vars-content-id="4d58fe1b-23ac-4dbe-8267-624209227872" data-vars-headline="Dreamforce boosted San Francisco tourism" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://str.com/data-insights-blog/market-recovery-monitor-week-ending-24-september" target="_blank">data analytics firm STR</a>.

Census data confirms San Francisco's WFH shift

Nearly 46% of people in San Francisco primarily worked from home in 2021 — up from 7% from 2019.

Nearly 46% of people in San Francisco primarily worked from home in 2021 — up from 7% in 2019, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="data released" data-vars-click-url="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/people-working-from-home.html" data-vars-content-id="781253f4-b3da-4004-9ff2-456eac125bb7" data-vars-headline="Census data confirms San Francisco&#x27;s WFH shift" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/people-working-from-home.html" target="_blank">data released</a> Wednesday by the U.S. Census Bureau. By the numbers: San Francisco had the third-highest percentage of residents working from home among major U.S. cities.

OpenTable reservations have yet to rebound in SF

Restaurant reservations made in San Francisco via OpenTable are down 34% this month compared to July 2019.

Restaurant reservations made in San Francisco via OpenTable are down 34% this month compared to July 2019, recent data shows.The big picture: A variety of data points indicate San Francisco has yet to rebound from the pandemic, despite the city lifting many of its COVID-19-related restrictions.

Push for a 4am "last call" defeated

Advocates say that longer hours would have helped bars recover financially from the pandemic.

An effort to keep bars open later in San Francisco, and other cities, was defeated in the state Assembly on Wednesday. Context: The bill, written by state Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Matt Haney, would have allowed watering holes in San Francisco, Palm Springs and West Hollywood to serve drinks until 4am on weekends and 3am on weekdays.

71% of California kids have had COVID-19

As the public school year starts for the SFUSD, there's potential for COVID hotspots to emerge.

About 71% of kids in California between the ages of 6 months and 17 years have been infected with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, compared to about 80% of kids nationwide, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="recent estimates" data-vars-click-url="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#pediatric-seroprevalence" data-vars-content-id="13a32813-a0ee-4062-8f70-d66023838e68" data-vars-headline="71% of California kids have had COVID-19" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#pediatric-seroprevalence" target="_blank">recent estimates</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Why it matters: The latest BA.5 subvariant of Omicron is now the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the U.S., and it&#x27;s the most transmissible we&#x27;ve seen since the start of the pandemic, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Tina Reed writes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/08/ba5-become-this-summers-subvariant?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" data-vars-content-id="13a32813-a0ee-4062-8f70-d66023838e68" data-vars-headline="71% of California kids have had COVID-19" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2022/07/08/ba5-become-this-summers-subvariant?utm_source=newsletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=sendto_localnewslettertest&amp;stream=top" target="_self">Axios&#x27; Tina Reed writes</a>.

COVID 🦠

California's COVID-19 wastewater levels are high, per CDC

Downtown San Francisco continues to struggle as more businesses leave

San Francisco has reached "benign" state of COVID

UCSF sees increase of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases

"Modest surge" of COVID-19 expected this winter, UCSF expert says