San Francisco is moving ahead with a long-awaited redesign of Powell Street, securing $14.5 million in private funding to help transform one of the city's busiest tourist corridors.

Why it matters: The project is part of the city's broader effort to bring more visitors, workers and residents back to downtown.

Driving the news: Mayor Daniel Lurie signed legislation last week allowing San Francisco to accept $14.5 million from the San Francisco Downtown Development Corporation, a nonprofit leading downtown's economic recovery.

• The funding adds to roughly $26 million in public dollars already committed to the project.

State of play: The major overhaul of Powell Street will focus on the three-block stretch between Market and Geary streets that connects the cable car turnaround and Union Square.

• The redesign includes wider sidewalks, new landscaping, upgraded cable car stops and additional space for outdoor dining, SFist reports.
• Plans also call for decorative hanging lanterns and a large chandelier installation above the cable car turnaround.

What's next: Construction is expected to start as soon as this fall, with the revamped corridor expected to open in sometime next year.

🕊️ Aldon Smith, a former first-team All-Pro linebacker for the 49ers, died at 36 over the weekend. The cause and manner of death has not been released. (SF Chronicle)

💰 Supervisor Connie Chan froze $9 million in city funding earmarked for the California Academy of Sciences over concerns about the museum's finances and continued layoffs. (SF Standard)

🔍 Gov. Newsom in a video announcement yesterday said President Trump has directed the Justice Department to investigate him and his wife, calling the probe a politically motivated effort tied to his potential presidential ambitions. (NYT)

💔 Musician Oliver Tree, a Santa Cruz native and former SFSU student, died at 32 in a catastrophic midair helicopter collision in Rio de Janeiro over the weekend. (SF Chronicle)

🚨 A SFPD officer was trapped beneath a vehicle and another was injured after a suspected shoplifting incident at Trader Joe's escalated into a chaotic street collision in Nob Hill that also left the suspect dead. (SF Standard)

Dear readers, we want to see San Francisco through your camera roll.

Do you have a recent photo of a place, event or moment that felt quintessentially SF?

• Maybe it's a Giants game at Oracle Park, a neighborhood festival, a packed park on a sunny day, Karl the Fog rolling over Twin Peaks or something else that feels uniquely of the city.

☀️ I'll start with this photo of Baker Beach, where last week's 80-degree weather drew crowds to one of the city's favorite rituals: treating a rare warm day like a civic holiday.

📸 Reply or email us at [email protected] with your photo and a sentence or two about it for a chance to be featured in a new upcoming series.

San Francisco will launch fireworks from the Golden Gate Bridge on July 4 this year — a rare spectacle that's only happened twice before in the landmark's 90 year history.

• The free show starts around 9:30pm. Find the best views at Crissy Field, Marina Green, Pier 39 and parts of Fisherman's Wharf.

Pro tip: Take public transit if you're going. Heavy crowds and traffic are expected and the bridge will close to cars during the show.