San Francisco city attorney David Chiu, a longtime friend of Vice President Kamala Harris, launched the first Asians for Harris when she was running for district attorney. Now, he's leading a call to action focused on Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) men for her presidential campaign.

Why it matters: AANHPI voters have historically backed Democrats, but there's been a slight shift in recent years. They're often the margin of victory in battleground states and have become a sought-after voting bloc ahead of November.

Driving the news: Chiu is one of several elected officials behind AANHPI Men for Harris, an online event that will serve as a call to action.

• Plans for the free livestream event, set for 5pm Wednesday, sprung up in the days after President Biden handed the torch to Harris. Several other groups have activated similar events, like Black Women for Harris, South Asian Women for Harris and more.
• "We thought it was important for Asian men to stand up and very publicly support and defend Vice President Harris," said Chiu, who met Harris while working in the DA's office over 20 years ago and started Asians for Harris as a member of the kitchen cabinet for her DA campaign.

Context: Former President Trump caught flak last week for falsely claiming that Harris "happened to turn Black."

• Harris, who is of Indian and Jamaican heritage, would be the nation's first Asian American president, as well as the first woman president.
• "We've seen how Trump and his allies have launched vicious racist and sexist attacks against our vice president, and we want to make sure that our diverse communities ... join us in helping her fight back," Chiu told Axios.

What to expect: Several elected officials will make appearances at AANHPI Men for Harris, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco).

• Other guests range from actor Ken Jeong and venture capitalist Jeremy Liew to retired Olympic diver Greg Louganis and content creator Ryan Alexander Holmes.
• Though it caters to AANHPI men, anyone interested can RSVP to attend.

The full story

The Golden State Warriors are reportedly still looking to acquire 7-footer Lauri Markkanen from the Utah Jazz and more clarity around the situation is expected this week.

Why it matters: If the Warriors can acquire Markkanen, the team would land a go-to second-scoring option as the team tries to compete for an NBA championship in the final years of Steph Curry's career.

Driving the news: Markkanen is eligible to renegotiate and extend his contract with the Jazz today, The Athletic's Tim Kawakami reports.

• If he re-signs with the Jazz, the team would be prohibited from trading him until Feb. 6, 2025, the day of the NBA trade deadline.
• If Markkanen waits at least until tomorrow to re-sign, he won't be able to be traded at all next season due to collective bargaining rules.
• The best-case scenario for the Warriors is that Markkanen doesn't renegotiate his current contract, Kawakami reports.

Here are some other notable happenings in Bay Area sports:

🏈 49ers preseason kickoff

The Niners are gearing up for their first preseason game against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday, but there are still looming questions about wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk's future with the team.

• Aiyuk reported to training camp but has yet to practice with the team, NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The latest on Bay FC, the Valkyries and Giants

⚾️ The Oakland A's plan to sell their 50% ownership stake in the Oakland Coliseum to the African American Sports & Entertainment Group (AASEG) for $125 million.

• Last week, AASEG made a deal with the city of Oakland to buy 50% of its stake in the complex. (SF Chronicle)

🚍 Muni's latest rider survey shows 72% of respondents rated its service "good" or "excellent," up from a 66% satisfaction rate in 2022 and 57% in 2021. (SF Chronicle)

🚲 SF's transit agency has scratched a plan to install bike lanes in Chinatown after pushback from community members and Mayor London Breed. (SF Standard)

🤝 The city reached a labor agreement with janitors union SEIU Local 87 and the San Francisco Maintenance Contractors Association, averting a potential strike. (Mayor's Office)

The Bay Area's June unemployment rate was slightly down compared to May, but higher than the year prior, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By the numbers: The San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward metro area's unemployment rate was 4.1% in June, up from 3.5% from June 2023.

The big picture: The national unemployment rate is above 4% for the first time since 2021 as it takes workers longer to find jobs.

• That bears watching for signs of economic weakness. For now, though, policymakers still see it as a solid labor market.

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If you weren't at Pacifica over the weekend, you missed the world's cutest day at the beach.

Driving the news: The 2024 World Dog Surfing Championships took place at Pacifica State Beach on Saturday, with dogs of all sizes (kitted out in their little wetsuits) riding the waves in front of a huge cheering crowd.

How it happened: The dogs got an assist from their humans, who helped to guide the boards out into the water, positioning the dogs on the waves. But from there, it was all up to the puppers.

• They balanced themselves on the boards and jumped off at the end to doggy paddle into the waiting arms of helpers on the sand.
• The dogs clearly loved it! And there were plenty of canine friends watching from the beach with their owners.

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