Axios San Francisco

February 23, 2026
🥶 Monday. It's been chilly lately.
🌧️ Today's weather: Rain, with highs in mid-60s, lows around 50.
🎂 Happy birthday to our member John Dobyns!
🎧 Sounds like: "Pure Comedy" by Father John Misty.
📝 Situational awareness: Supporters of reopening the Great Highway to cars on weekdays filed paperwork Friday to begin collecting signatures for a November ballot measure.
Today's newsletter is 1,008 words — a 4-minute read.
1 big thing: 🪖 Nisei soldiers' WWII story
A powerful new exhibit that opens today in the Presidio tells the story of a generation of Japanese Americans, known as Nisei, who fought wars both at home and overseas during World War II.
Why it matters: As America approaches its 250th anniversary, the soldiers' family members are intent on making sure their history is honored.
The big picture: Nearly 33,000 Nisei soldiers fought in the European and Pacific theaters despite the U.S. government's incarceration of roughly 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry between 1942 and 1945.

Zoom in: The exhibit — located in the Military Intelligence Service Historic Learning Center — takes viewers through the 20th century Japanese immigration wave, the attack on Pearl Harbor, life behind barbed wire and sacrifices on the battlefield.
- The 4,000 men who initially joined the 442nd Regimental Combat Team had to be replaced nearly 3.5 times due to the losses suffered. About 14,000 men served in the unit in total, which became the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in U.S. military history.
- Other Nisei worked as linguists in the U.S. Army's Military Intelligence Service, which set up training grounds in the Presidio — where the exhibit is now hosted.

San Francisco is the first stop for the traveling exhibit, which is named "I Am An American" in honor of the sign Tatsuro Matsuda placed in his family's Oakland store the day after the Pearl Harbor attacks.
- "Many of the Nisei soldiers, when you talk to them, say, 'Well, we wanted to just prove that we were ... Americans, just like anyone else,'" exhibit curator Christine Sato-Yamazaki told Axios.
Even so, the shame and trauma associated with the history meant a lot of it went unknown.
- "They never talked about it," said Millbrae-based Anne Okubo, whose father was a medic in the 442nd unit and mother graduated from high school in a camp.
- "Our parents just wanted to assimilate," Okubo added. "They wanted us to be as American as we could be because they were punished for being Japanese."
What's next: The exhibit is on display through Aug. 31. Tickets are $15.
2. Map du jour: 💸 California's tariff toll

California paid the most in tariffs — roughly $26 billion — before the Supreme Court struck down a swath of President Trump's trade levies last week.
Why it matters: The decision leaves $136 billion in tariff revenue in limbo and raises thorny questions about refunds.
- Those tariffs likely raised prices on everything from household goods to manufacturing materials as businesses passed costs down to consumers.
- The ruling could now trigger a messy fight over who gets the money back.
3. The Wiggle: 💰 A lifeline for BART, Muni
🚆 Gov. Newsom approved a $590 million loan to help save Bay Area transit agencies facing severe budgetary shortfalls from ridership declines stemming from the pandemic. (CBS News)
The group of backcountry skiers killed in last week's deadly Tahoe avalanche — the deadliest in California history — appears to have taken a more hazardous route rather than a longer, safer alternative. (SF Chronicle)
- One of the victims who died was a Bernal Heights resident. (SF Standard)
🦠 More than 200 latent tuberculosis cases have been identified in connection with an outbreak first reported at Archbishop Riordan High School in November. (SF Chronicle)
4. ⛸️ From Oakland ice to Olympic gold
Fans are calling for Oakland to host a parade for Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu upon her return from Milan.
The big picture: Liu, who grew up skating in Oakland and San Francisco, is bringing home gold as the first American Olympic champion since Sarah Hughes in 2002.
Catch up quick: The 20-year-old began skating at age 5 at the Oakland Ice Center, per the Mercury News.
- After becoming the youngest national champion in 2019 and adding a string of firsts to her name, she retired in 2022, saying she wanted to experience life outside of skating.
- Her triumphant comeback in 2024 came with a bold new look: striped hair and a frenulum piercing.
What she's saying: "What is up, Bay Area? I hope you're all as hyped as me right now!" Liu said in an interview with NBC Bay Area shortly after her win on Thursday.
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5. 💵 Your money-saving hacks
Living here isn't cheap and lately, it feels like every receipt comes with a jump scare.
- So we asked readers: How are you actually saving money right now?
Here are the tips you gave us:
🍽️ Eat out less. Cook at home and scour your pantry or freezer instead of opting for delivery, says Vivian G. Or go out to eat once a month as opposed to weekly like Katiti C.
🚗 Sell your car. Avoid parking or garage rental fees, tickets and other car-related costs. Use public transit instead like Jean W.
📚 Use your local library. Free kids' reading programs and book rentals save money, plus the Discover & Go program is a great way to get free museum passes, says Andrea C.
🛒 Grocery hack. Shop at discount stores like Grocery Outlet or Foods Co. as Michelle S. does, or buy the sale items at pricier places like Whole Foods, says Annie M.
🛍️ Donate & shop smart. Give to Goodwill, skip fast fashion and buy and sell at secondhand stores.
☕ Ditch fancy coffee. Brew coffee or start making your own matcha at home.
🤝 Join a Buy Nothing group. Trade clothes, food and pet supplies with neighbors.
✂️ Stretch salon or dog grooming visits. Space out haircuts for yourself or your furry companion. I've learned to start cutting my dog Mimi's poodle fur to avoid a trip to the groomer.
🎖️ Shawna got emotional experiencing "I Am An American."
😯 Nadia can't believe the Sam Smith residency at The Castro Theater is completely sold out!
❄️ Claire had a nice time while out of town.
This newsletter was edited by Hadley Malcolm.
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