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We visited San Francisco's AI-run store so you don't have to

At Andon Market in the Marina, an AI named Luna runs pricing, hiring and sales.

News

Step inside <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Andon Market" data-vars-click-url="https://andonlabs.com/blog/andon-market-launch" data-vars-content-id="8ade8a4f-d35d-4666-97f3-9f82277f1ada" data-vars-headline="We visited San Francisco&#x27;s AI-run store so you don&#x27;t have to" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://andonlabs.com/blog/andon-market-launch" target="_blank">Andon Market</a> in the Marina and it looks like any other boutique with mediocre home decor. Look closer and the boss running the store isn&#x27;t in the room.The big picture: This Anthropic-backed, first-of-its-kind retail experiment is part store and part social experiment, designed to test whether an AI model can run a business.

Ohhh boy it's your Friday SF news quiz!

You get an imaginary gold medal if you go 3/3.

We took a break last week so Nadia could bring you all sorts of insight on the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="1906 earthquake anniversary" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-san-francisco-cefb2fd6-7b32-4dde-949b-95e1ee9d9100" data-vars-content-id="3b3abfe5-33d5-4978-b3e5-1a7c81c37693" data-vars-headline="Ohhh boy it&#x27;s your Friday SF news quiz!" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-san-francisco-cefb2fd6-7b32-4dde-949b-95e1ee9d9100" target="_self">1906 earthquake anniversary</a>, but we&#x27;re back this Friday with your weekly news quiz! <ul><li>Head on in and test your San Francisco smarts. Less than 28% of you got all three questions correct last time — consider this your redemption arc.</li></ul>

San Francisco approves Muni budget — but bigger crisis looms

Deficits could still force major Muni cuts without new funding.

Transit

Facing a massive deficit, San Francisco transportation leaders on Tuesday unanimously approved a two-year operating budget, but whether it holds depends on voters this November.The big picture: The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency&#x27;s budget for the next two fiscal years staves off immediate service cuts and bridges a major deficit, but long-term financial stability hinges on whether <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="two" data-vars-click-url="https://connectbayarea.com/" data-vars-content-id="8368bf75-816e-4f4e-9e0d-6bf9c47c839e" data-vars-headline="San Francisco approves Muni budget — but bigger crisis looms" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://connectbayarea.com/" target="_blank">two</a><a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" crucial funding proposals" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2026/03/03/sf-ballot-measure-muni-parcel-tax-renters-homeowners-bart-public-transit-november" data-vars-content-id="8368bf75-816e-4f4e-9e0d-6bf9c47c839e" data-vars-headline="San Francisco approves Muni budget — but bigger crisis looms" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2026/03/03/sf-ballot-measure-muni-parcel-tax-renters-homeowners-bart-public-transit-november" target="_self"> crucial funding proposals</a> pass in the fall.

California antitrust bill to rein in Big Tech stalls

Lawmakers failed to advance a bill aimed at limiting how dominant platforms favor their own services.

A closely watched attempt to rein in Big Tech&#x27;s influence over online marketplaces stalled in the California Legislature this week.Why it matters: The bill&#x27;s failure shows the difficulty of translating growing bipartisan concern over Big Tech&#x27;s power into clear guardrails — leaving startups, consumers and regulators navigating a market largely shaped by the platforms themselves.

San Francisco drivers respond: To tow or not to tow?

Many locals say they tow immediately, while others wait before escalating.

Neighborhoods

Few parking missteps trigger backlash in San Francisco faster than a car blocking someone&#x27;s driveway.We asked readers to weigh in: When someone&#x27;s blocking your driveway, do you tow or give the driver a chance to move? And street parkers, what&#x27;s fair game?<ul><li>Here&#x27;s what you said.</li></ul>

How to keep your dog safe during coyote pupping season

Pupping season brings more sightings and defensive behavior.

Environment

It&#x27;s peak pupping season in San Francisco, which means more visible and territorial coyotes guarding their baby-filled dens.Why it matters: Pupping season can lead to more sightings — especially in and around parks — and tense encounters with dogs, which coyotes see as potential threats.

Driver sentenced in West Portal crash that killed family of four

A judge issued probation and temporarily revoked the 80-year-old driver's license.

The driver responsible for killing a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="family of four" data-vars-click-url="https://sfstandard.com/2024/03/18/crowd-mourns-family-members-killed-west-portal-crash/" data-vars-content-id="8f089736-1e74-4422-83bc-ad43a856cb9c" data-vars-headline="Driver sentenced in West Portal crash that killed family of four" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://sfstandard.com/2024/03/18/crowd-mourns-family-members-killed-west-portal-crash/" target="_blank">family of four</a> at a bus stop in West Portal two years ago was sentenced Friday — closing a case that left a neighborhood and family shattered.State of play: 80-year-old driver Mary Fong Lau, who pleaded no contest to four counts of felony vehicular manslaughter, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="was sentenced" data-vars-click-url="https://sfstandard.com/2026/03/20/mary-lau-sentenced-probation-west-portal-crash/" data-vars-content-id="8f089736-1e74-4422-83bc-ad43a856cb9c" data-vars-headline="Driver sentenced in West Portal crash that killed family of four" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://sfstandard.com/2026/03/20/mary-lau-sentenced-probation-west-portal-crash/" target="_blank">was sentenced</a> to two years probation, 200 hours of community service and six days of jail time, per local news <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="reports" data-vars-click-url="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/mary-fong-lau-west-portal-family-crash-sentence-22080184.php" data-vars-content-id="8f089736-1e74-4422-83bc-ad43a856cb9c" data-vars-headline="Driver sentenced in West Portal crash that killed family of four" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/mary-fong-lau-west-portal-family-crash-sentence-22080184.php" target="_blank">reports</a>.

The trinket trade boom is taking over San Francisco

What began as an experiment in the Outer Sunset has now taken off across the city.

<figure><img alt="A trinket exchange box in San Francisco." height="450" id="76e69924-29ac-40e3-96d5-ee8a2f3d1948" src="https://images.axios.com/6xUpR04Sbar7FC_PJ7QXDMZU1VQ=/2026/03/05/1772746864702.gif" width="800"/><figcaption>The Keychange Exchange on Pine Street. Photo: Nadia Lopez/Axios</figcaption></figure>Across San Francisco, colorful, decorated boxes stuffed with trinkets are popping up on street corners and on sidewalks, turning ordinary blocks into miniature trading posts.The big picture: From the Outer and Inner Sunset to Noe Valley and the Castro, small trinket trade boxes stocked with everything from rings and rubber ducks, keychains, baseball cards, tiny ceramic animals, patches and custom pins are inviting strangers to take a tiny treasure and leave one behind.

North Beach gets custom pizza box trash cans

The new trash cans aim to reduce litter from oversized pizza boxes.

Pizza lovers in North Beach now have pizza box-shaped trash cans to dump their boxes in. State of play: Waste management provider Recology San Francisco and the city&#x27;s Department of Public Works installed two of the specialized receptacles last week to keep people from jamming empty pizza boxes into existing bins or leaving them in the street.

Nearly half of young adults in San Francisco think about leaving

45% of young childless adults in SF said they are "very likely" or "likely" to leave, per a recent survey.

Nearly half of San Francisco&#x27;s young, childless adults are thinking about packing up and leaving, a new survey finds.Why it matters: Lots of young people considering a move can signal bigger issues for a city, like a lack of perceived job opportunities or affordable housing, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios&#x27; Alex Fitzpatrick writes" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/42628428.14/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjUvMTEvMTgveW91bmctYWR1bHRzLWxpa2VseS1sZWF2ZS1jaXR5P3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZW5kdG9fbG9jYWxuZXdzbGV0dGVydGVzdCZzdHJlYW09dG9w/673d6f07cfc5ece025011323Bd9db8193" data-vars-content-id="07cda3e8-2789-4df6-afed-38c2ed9e0dfb" data-vars-headline="Nearly half of young adults in San Francisco think about leaving" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/42628428.14/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjUvMTEvMTgveW91bmctYWR1bHRzLWxpa2VseS1sZWF2ZS1jaXR5P3V0bV9zb3VyY2U9bmV3c2xldHRlciZ1dG1fbWVkaXVtPWVtYWlsJnV0bV9jYW1wYWlnbj1zZW5kdG9fbG9jYWxuZXdzbGV0dGVydGVzdCZzdHJlYW09dG9w/673d6f07cfc5ece025011323Bd9db8193" target="_self">Axios&#x27; Alex Fitzpatrick writes</a>.

How Día de los Muertos ofrendas celebrate life, death and memory

Candles, marigolds, food, and papel picado welcome the spirits back home. Here's what it all means.

Culture

Día de los Muertos — or Day of the Dead — celebrates the enduring ties between the living and the dead over two days that honor those who have passed away.The big picture: On Nov. 1–2, Mexican families mark the holiday with colorful &quot;ofrendas&quot; — altars filled with offerings — to welcome the spirits of loved ones back home.

SF proposes higher fines to deter illegal dirt bike riding

A new bill aims to curb reckless dirt-bike takeovers with steeper misdemeanor penalties.

District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter unveiled legislation Tuesday to double San Francisco&#x27;s maximum fine for misdemeanor sideshow offenses to $1,000 in an effort to curb illegal dirt bike and ATV riding.Why it matters: The effort is part of a citywide crackdown on sideshows, illegal stunt driving and unauthorized dirt-bike takeovers, where massive clusters of riders have swarmed city streets and endangered public safety, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="per San Francisco police" data-vars-click-url="https://x.com/SFPD/status/1970280265202442251" data-vars-content-id="aa71bd70-9210-4262-9c11-b642cd3899af" data-vars-headline="SF proposes higher fines to deter illegal dirt bike riding" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://x.com/SFPD/status/1970280265202442251" target="_blank">per San Francisco police</a>.

SF school closures: How empty buildings impact neighborhoods

SFUSD has acknowledged the potential for negative impacts on communities, and has a few ideas.

Education

When San Francisco&#x27;s public school district implements its <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="school closure plan" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2024/07/18/sf-school-district-sfusd-school-closure-plan" data-vars-content-id="30046dd6-4ebb-49f5-b7b8-a82a56d38a8e" data-vars-headline="SF school closures: How empty buildings impact neighborhoods" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2024/07/18/sf-school-district-sfusd-school-closure-plan" target="_self">school closure plan</a> next school year, some once-lively facilities will sit empty across various neighborhoods in the city.Why it matters: School closures have well-documented impacts on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="academic outcomes" data-vars-click-url="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-harm-of-school-closures-can-last-a-lifetime-new-research-shows/2024/06#:~:text=Students%20who%20attend%20a%20school,earnings%20tend%20to%20be%20lower." data-vars-content-id="30046dd6-4ebb-49f5-b7b8-a82a56d38a8e" data-vars-headline="SF school closures: How empty buildings impact neighborhoods" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.edweek.org/leadership/the-harm-of-school-closures-can-last-a-lifetime-new-research-shows/2024/06#:~:text=Students%20who%20attend%20a%20school,earnings%20tend%20to%20be%20lower." target="_blank">academic outcomes</a>, but more recent research shows they also can <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="lower housing values" data-vars-click-url="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26393439" data-vars-content-id="30046dd6-4ebb-49f5-b7b8-a82a56d38a8e" data-vars-headline="SF school closures: How empty buildings impact neighborhoods" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/26393439" target="_blank">lower housing values</a>, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="raise crime rates" data-vars-click-url="https://sociologicalscience.com/download/vol-7/april/SocSci_v7_128to151.pdf" data-vars-content-id="30046dd6-4ebb-49f5-b7b8-a82a56d38a8e" data-vars-headline="SF school closures: How empty buildings impact neighborhoods" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://sociologicalscience.com/download/vol-7/april/SocSci_v7_128to151.pdf" target="_blank">raise crime rates</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="diminish the social fabric" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2018/10/19/21105956/eve-ewing-explains-why-some-communities-just-can-t-get-over-school-closings/" data-vars-content-id="30046dd6-4ebb-49f5-b7b8-a82a56d38a8e" data-vars-headline="SF school closures: How empty buildings impact neighborhoods" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2018/10/19/21105956/eve-ewing-explains-why-some-communities-just-can-t-get-over-school-closings/" target="_blank">diminish the social fabric</a> of a community.

Neighborhoods

We visited San Francisco's AI-run store so you don't have to

Our golden hero fire hydrant

San Francisco drivers respond: To tow or not to tow?

How to keep your dog safe during coyote pupping season

Driver sentenced in West Portal crash that killed family of four