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Steve Hilton lays out his agenda for California and San Francisco

The Republican discusses income taxes, $3 gas and the housing crisis.

Election

It&#x27;s time to vote for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="governor in California" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2026/06/03/san-francisco-california-self-funded-candidates-chakrabarti-steyer-election-results" data-vars-content-id="93c77c2b-0e6b-4b42-b811-122b09e65109" data-vars-headline="Steve Hilton lays out his agenda for California and San Francisco" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2026/06/03/san-francisco-california-self-funded-candidates-chakrabarti-steyer-election-results" target="_self">governor in California</a>.The big picture: Democrat Xavier Becerra is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="squaring off against" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/06/10/california-governor-race-runoff-steve-hilton-xavier-becerra-election-2026" data-vars-content-id="93c77c2b-0e6b-4b42-b811-122b09e65109" data-vars-headline="Steve Hilton lays out his agenda for California and San Francisco" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-diego/2026/06/10/california-governor-race-runoff-steve-hilton-xavier-becerra-election-2026" target="_self">squaring off against</a> Republican Steve Hilton. Axios sent questions to both candidates and here are Hilton&#x27;s responses.

How Ben Davis became a symbol of San Francisco's identity

For nearly a century, the brand has crossed generations without chasing trends.

Culture

For nearly a century, San Francisco&#x27;s own <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Ben Davis" data-vars-click-url="https://bendavis.com/" data-vars-content-id="70c77473-945d-41e2-8d14-ed6c3bcf3b64" data-vars-headline="How Ben Davis became a symbol of San Francisco&#x27;s identity" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://bendavis.com/" target="_blank">Ben Davis</a> has kept making variations of the same tough, utilitarian clothes, even as the city has cycled through <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="various identities" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2025/08/13/san-francisco-ai-hiring-rent-spike-housing-shortage" data-vars-content-id="70c77473-945d-41e2-8d14-ed6c3bcf3b64" data-vars-headline="How Ben Davis became a symbol of San Francisco&#x27;s identity" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2025/08/13/san-francisco-ai-hiring-rent-spike-housing-shortage" target="_self">various identities</a>. Somehow, that refusal to keep up has become part of the brand&#x27;s appeal.Why it matters: In a city reshaped by tech booms, soaring housing costs and displacement, Ben Davis has endured as a wearable link to an older, more working-class San Francisco.

San Francisco Fleet Week is back. Here's what to know

Expect packed waterfronts, transit changes and plenty of jet noise.

News

Love it or hate it, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fleet Week" data-vars-click-url="https://fleetweeksf.org/air-show/" data-vars-content-id="6813eb34-c7f6-46c8-bdf4-26958942d2aa" data-vars-headline="San Francisco Fleet Week is back. Here&#x27;s what to know" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://fleetweeksf.org/air-show/" target="_blank">Fleet Week</a> has descended on San Francisco once again.Why it matters: The annual celebration, which began Sunday and runs until Oct. 12, brings thousands of spectators to the waterfront for one of the city&#x27;s loudest and busiest weekends of the year.<ul><li>For fans, this week means prime time for Blue Angels flyovers and ship tours. For everyone else, consider this your warning to expect plenty of noise and traffic. Here&#x27;s what to know.</li></ul>

Throwback Thursday: The San Francisco landmarks built over forgotten graves

As San Francisco expanded, cemeteries gave way to development — but not every grave was relocated.

San Francisco is famously short on cemetery space today, but that wasn&#x27;t always the case.The big picture: Before parks, homes, museums and college buildings filled much of the city, people were buried across San Francisco — sometimes beneath places we now visit without a second thought. And some of them might still be there.

Where to find a Spirit Halloween in the Bay Area this year

Rite Aid is the most common former tenant among this year's Spirit Halloween stores in the Bay Area.

Spirit Halloween is haunting the shells of former big-box stores around the Bay Area and across the U.S. again this fall, with 1,500 <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="locations" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/47661952.70/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yZXMuc3Bpcml0aGFsbG93ZWVuLmNvbS8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/673d6f07cfc5ece025011323Ba7572802" data-vars-content-id="6b2082f2-e13e-401b-86fd-65c75d8b9dd8" data-vars-headline="Where to find a Spirit Halloween in the Bay Area this year" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/47661952.70/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdG9yZXMuc3Bpcml0aGFsbG93ZWVuLmNvbS8_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/673d6f07cfc5ece025011323Ba7572802" target="_self">locations</a> nationwide.The big picture: The stores appear and vanish each fall, so finding this year&#x27;s Spirit often means relaying directions with neighbors in retail shorthand: &quot;Where the old Party City used to be.&quot;

Spooky season is arriving earlier in San Francisco

The region ranked among TaskRabbit's top markets as Americans hired help for elaborate displays.

As Halloween displays across San Francisco get more elaborate, more people are outsourcing the job of building them.The big picture: Halloween is becoming a bigger, longer affair, with Americans starting the festivities well before Oct. 31. And they&#x27;re going big.

What to do if your baby is coming before you reach the hospital

A roadside delivery in Golden Gate Park offers a lesson in what to do when labor moves fast.

By now, you may have heard about the San Francisco mom who unexpectedly gave birth in Golden Gate Park over the weekend after getting stuck in traffic.<ul><li>It got us wondering: What do you actually do if the baby is coming and there&#x27;s no time to make it to the hospital?</li></ul>

San Francisco Oktoberfest brings beer and lederhosen downtown

Get ready for polka, yodeling, stein-holding contests and live music.

Oktoberfest takes over downtown today, bringing giant beers, lederhosen and a little Bavarian revelry to Front Street. State of play: The free block party has become a major draw for a part of the city that&#x27;s still working to bring more foot traffic back after office hours.

San Francisco Opera faces its biggest labor dispute in decades

Opening weekend was canceled and the dispute over musicians' compensation remains unresolved.

The San Francisco Opera&#x27;s orchestra strike wiped out opening weekend and now the labor standoff threatens to stretch deeper into the company&#x27;s new season.Why it matters: The labor dispute is exposing a bigger fight over how one of San Francisco&#x27;s marquee cultural institutions can balance its financial pressures with the cost of paying musicians in one of the country&#x27;s most expensive cities.

Black Heart Tattoo leaves Valencia Street after 22 years

The storied tattoo parlor isn't closing — it's moving around the corner.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Black Heart Tattoo" data-vars-click-url="https://www.blackhearttattoosf.com/" data-vars-content-id="6f586784-8996-46cd-b51b-2541491e89a2" data-vars-headline="Black Heart Tattoo leaves Valencia Street after 22 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.blackhearttattoosf.com/" target="_blank">Black Heart Tattoo</a>, the storied San Francisco shop where nearly every inch of wall space is covered in decades of flash, oddball art and memorabilia, is packing up after 22 years.<ul><li>But don&#x27;t panic: It isn&#x27;t closing.</li></ul>Driving the news: The<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" shop&#x27;s last day" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbiw5ALg3yh/" data-vars-content-id="6f586784-8996-46cd-b51b-2541491e89a2" data-vars-headline="Black Heart Tattoo leaves Valencia Street after 22 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbiw5ALg3yh/" target="_blank"> shop&#x27;s last day</a> at its longtime Valencia Street home is Saturday. Owners <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Jeff Rassier" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/jeffrassier/" data-vars-content-id="6f586784-8996-46cd-b51b-2541491e89a2" data-vars-headline="Black Heart Tattoo leaves Valencia Street after 22 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/jeffrassier/" target="_blank">Jeff Rassier</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Scott Sylvia" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/scsylvia/" data-vars-content-id="6f586784-8996-46cd-b51b-2541491e89a2" data-vars-headline="Black Heart Tattoo leaves Valencia Street after 22 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/scsylvia/" target="_blank">Scott Sylvia</a> plan to reopen Sept. 1 at 49 Duboce Ave. — just around the corner.<ul><li>&quot;We would have never done this,&quot; Rassier told Axios. &quot;We loved our location.&quot;</li></ul><figure><img alt="Triptych: left shows a tattoo shop with &quot;BlackHeart Tattoo&quot; sign and art; middle strip of photos of two bearded men smiling; right wall filled with tattoo art, posters, and a flamingo statue." height="1080" id="42172af3-d4ef-4791-9fa9-e82b5eb5c933" src="https://images.axios.com/5o2V3o-gkhI4R3_sV-_CcGXZp58=/2026/08/14/1786741477219.jpeg" width="1920" srcset="https://images.axios.com/uzeU3VkLALqTdP2TRyV-jQI82Sg=/0x0:1920x1080/1920x1080/2026/08/14/1786741477219.jpeg?w=1920 1920w, https://images.axios.com/_SQLQzwYlcqdKa0Vt-qJZnAIHGg=/0x0:1920x1080/1600x900/2026/08/14/1786741477219.jpeg?w=1600 1600w, https://images.axios.com/MdKNJ86EKbL2hpnHJbs1sSH_vpM=/0x0:1920x1080/1366x768/2026/08/14/1786741477219.jpeg?w=1366 1366w, https://images.axios.com/P8CZ2bmOJrlplceMoX6NfLeBN-0=/0x0:1920x1080/1024x576/2026/08/14/1786741477219.jpeg?w=1024 1024w, https://images.axios.com/1dkBCQcgncRZerzBwxN5GEMdQdQ=/0x0:1920x1080/768x432/2026/08/14/1786741477219.jpeg?w=768 768w, https://images.axios.com/oyIBRyae5CqjLdS0yGJA9ryb_rA=/0x0:1920x1080/640x360/2026/08/14/1786741477219.jpeg?w=640 640w, https://images.axios.com/IzxbmOr_5rH9RAowfv9Q2TpjCy8=/0x0:1920x1080/320x180/2026/08/14/1786741477219.jpeg?w=320 320w"/><figcaption>Amid all the art you&#x27;ll find a photo booth pic of Jeff Rassier (left) and Scott Sylvia. Photos: Nadia Lopez/Axios</figcaption></figure>State of play: Rassier said they decided to move after the landlord sought retroactive rent increases after not having raised it in a decade. The owners then found a new storefront a few blocks away.<ul><li>Packing up has underscored just how much history they&#x27;re leaving behind.</li><li>&quot;Every corner has something,&quot; Sylvia said of finding old signs and other remnants from the shop&#x27;s past.</li></ul>Between the lines: Black Heart was founded by four established tattooers in 2004 as an artist-run alternative to more conventional shops of that time, with an emphasis on the art rather than profits, Rassier said.<ul><li>Over the years, its roster has included artists specializing in everything from Japanese work to traditional and black-and-gray. The shop itself is crowded and colorful, with walls of hand-painted flash and relics accumulated over decades.</li><li>&quot;The legacy is more important than the finances,&quot; Rassier said, adding that the goal was always to have great artists &quot;making art together.&quot;</li></ul><figure><img alt="Colorful tattoo studio filled with framed flash art on walls and front counter; hanging lanterns, a neon sign, a bicycle, and a large potted plant on the right as artists work in the back." height="3213" id="60fda61b-428e-4db4-b514-e4ba591ef030" src="https://images.axios.com/HWZ_TCdneysorEK7IAEgyEhSbkw=/2026/08/14/1786741414847.jpeg" width="5712" srcset="https://images.axios.com/gf_KCMc2q-_e-3Yi5BoaGfxrpv8=/0x0:5712x3213/1920x1080/2026/08/14/1786741414847.jpeg?w=1920 1920w, https://images.axios.com/IZFhq4ysh8tL__AebuM5g2wFQtk=/0x0:5712x3213/1600x900/2026/08/14/1786741414847.jpeg?w=1600 1600w, https://images.axios.com/6_iRFzz6iUgzrgRQz8Ydah5uiRM=/0x0:5712x3213/1366x768/2026/08/14/1786741414847.jpeg?w=1366 1366w, https://images.axios.com/7htXsR4T54Ea-IiESbJ6dU6BGNg=/0x0:5712x3213/1024x576/2026/08/14/1786741414847.jpeg?w=1024 1024w, https://images.axios.com/aAQ6MOZJ4kQefLp5ymL-3VF2rEY=/0x0:5712x3213/768x432/2026/08/14/1786741414847.jpeg?w=768 768w, https://images.axios.com/E1o32s7GTGoHkuBHstuUtspVRPE=/0x0:5712x3213/640x360/2026/08/14/1786741414847.jpeg?w=640 640w, https://images.axios.com/VsZQpccdLiLQyvz71neLCVs5F9c=/0x0:5712x3213/320x180/2026/08/14/1786741414847.jpeg?w=320 320w"/><figcaption>Flash for days. Photo: Nadia Lopez/Axios</figcaption></figure>Reality check: Preserving that legacy comes at a price.<ul><li>Rassier estimates the move and buildout will cost roughly $100,000, while Sylvia said rent will rise by about $2,600 a month.</li><li>And despite moving just 150 yards, the shop has had to navigate the city&#x27;s planning, zoning and health approval process again while racing to minimize downtime for the roughly 14 people who make their living there.</li></ul>The big picture: Tattooing has transformed from the outsider subculture Rassier and Sylvia entered decades ago into a mainstream profession, but the economics of running a tattoo shop have gotten tougher.<ul><li>Both owners said the industry is in a slowdown, with more tattooers competing for customers and younger clients gravitating toward smaller pieces instead of the elaborate large-scale work popular with previous generations.</li><li>At the same time, Sylvia said high rents, permitting costs, insurance and other expenses make storefront shops particularly expensive to operate, while some tattooers have shifted toward smaller private studios with less overhead.</li></ul><figure><img alt="Triptych scene inside a tattoo shop: left wall with colorful flash sheets, middle close-up of a black-and-gray floral forearm tattoo, right a tattoo artist works on a woman amid framed art in a red room and a yellow sign." height="1080" id="f23739a3-9d5a-4b33-8e84-fa7de05cde4e" src="https://images.axios.com/sYUtrWoqtLY5cjEfvmrl8rTd480=/2026/08/14/1786742036829.jpeg" width="1920" srcset="https://images.axios.com/zj_bUxG22KJXUDN704zrnLO9Q4I=/0x0:1920x1080/1920x1080/2026/08/14/1786742036829.jpeg?w=1920 1920w, https://images.axios.com/weP8ddFZFaHvFxwjF8wuEVXtiyE=/0x0:1920x1080/1600x900/2026/08/14/1786742036829.jpeg?w=1600 1600w, https://images.axios.com/ipKSblDPTy6SBxzrlCAY_vZxGnU=/0x0:1920x1080/1366x768/2026/08/14/1786742036829.jpeg?w=1366 1366w, https://images.axios.com/-KtjGAgBPh1LNbKdKlY4HvwY_qg=/0x0:1920x1080/1024x576/2026/08/14/1786742036829.jpeg?w=1024 1024w, https://images.axios.com/vSG_KqBdJre3h8yhGmLuIKabnKo=/0x0:1920x1080/768x432/2026/08/14/1786742036829.jpeg?w=768 768w, https://images.axios.com/Ke9ETHnz3--4x4M4kp5F1RdHQA0=/0x0:1920x1080/640x360/2026/08/14/1786742036829.jpeg?w=640 640w, https://images.axios.com/iCqBXtuE8lBxsCUSAVZ1Jv5qLnE=/0x0:1920x1080/320x180/2026/08/14/1786742036829.jpeg?w=320 320w"/><figcaption>More art, Nadia&#x27;s fresh tattoo and an artist figuring out placement on a client. Photos: Nadia Lopez/Axios</figcaption></figure>What&#x27;s next: The new shop will have more room for resident and guest artists, plus a facade that&#x27;s considerably harder to miss — <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="painted" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbvpl02lZ2y/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1" data-vars-content-id="6f586784-8996-46cd-b51b-2541491e89a2" data-vars-headline="Black Heart Tattoo leaves Valencia Street after 22 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbvpl02lZ2y/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1" target="_blank">painted</a> in a screaming hot pink, with the logo stretched across in enormous black letters.<ul><li>&quot;We just painted the shop like a fucking circus, so you can&#x27;t miss it,&quot; Sylvia joked.</li><li>&quot;Everyone&#x27;s pitching in and it&#x27;s kind of bringing us all together again,&quot; Rassier added. &quot;It&#x27;s exciting.&quot;</li></ul>💭 My thought bubble: I&#x27;ve been tattooed at Black Heart by artist <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Derick Montez" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/derickmontez/?hl=en" data-vars-content-id="6f586784-8996-46cd-b51b-2541491e89a2" data-vars-headline="Black Heart Tattoo leaves Valencia Street after 22 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/derickmontez/?hl=en" target="_blank">Derick Montez</a>, so it&#x27;s a bittersweet farewell for me as well. But in a city where beloved places too often close for good, staying in the neighborhood feels like a win.

San Francisco singles are betting real life beats the swipe

Swipe-weary singles are trading apps for real-world meetups

If you&#x27;ve<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" soured on swiping" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/13/singles-events-dating-app-fatigue" data-vars-content-id="bd7452fc-1d49-4a8a-b112-d8388860fb3f" data-vars-headline="San Francisco singles are betting real life beats the swipe" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/05/13/singles-events-dating-app-fatigue" target="_self"> soured on swiping</a>, there have never been more options to make connections IRL.The big picture: Game-show style matchmaking events are selling out. Newsletter authors are setting their readers up for intimate group dinners.

Why Harris' Restaurant remains one of San Francisco's best steakhouses

The pepper steak is everything you want in a hearty dinner.

Food and Drink

About once a month, I dine somewhere that feels frozen in time, where the food is only part of the draw and the experience is rooted in the charm of a bygone era.State of play: I recently landed at <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Harris&#x27; Restaurant" data-vars-click-url="https://www.harrisrestaurant.com/about" data-vars-content-id="cd39e6d8-7e19-4e37-a717-af490cba319a" data-vars-headline="Why Harris&#x27; Restaurant remains one of San Francisco&#x27;s best steakhouses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.harrisrestaurant.com/about" target="_blank">Harris&#x27; Restaurant</a>, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="longtime steakhouse" data-vars-click-url="https://sf.eater.com/dining-report/212259/harris-restaurant-review" data-vars-content-id="cd39e6d8-7e19-4e37-a717-af490cba319a" data-vars-headline="Why Harris&#x27; Restaurant remains one of San Francisco&#x27;s best steakhouses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://sf.eater.com/dining-report/212259/harris-restaurant-review" target="_blank">longtime steakhouse</a> that&#x27;s been serving the city since 1984 (and before that, famously so as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Grison&#x27;s Steakhouse" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bob-Grison-Legendary-S-F-Restaurateur-2976855.php" data-vars-content-id="cd39e6d8-7e19-4e37-a717-af490cba319a" data-vars-headline="Why Harris&#x27; Restaurant remains one of San Francisco&#x27;s best steakhouses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Bob-Grison-Legendary-S-F-Restaurateur-2976855.php" target="_blank">Grison&#x27;s Steakhouse</a>).

A bar chart showing the most common previous tenants in retail spaces that now host Spirit Halloween stores. The chart shows the 10 most common former tenants nationally, led by Joann (153 stores), Big Lots (103) and Party City (100). Local stores are also included. 

Spirit Halloween stores: What they used to be

Data: Axios analysis of Spirit Halloween store locator; Chart: Brad Jennings/Axios