iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 01/10/2026

ok surely now he'll drop out, right?

everyone pulled their endorsments except Fiona Ma, SFPOA, Dem party (special meeting called for Oct 11), and the deputy sheriffs assocation (hasn't responded)

Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 01/10/2026

yeah just absolutely clowncar stuff the whole way around. Looks like they can't walk back their endorsement without a special meeting, which the chair has now called for Oct 11 (stalling much?) www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/m... missionlocal.org/2026/08/san-...

To file a complaint, members of the public can go directly to a Democratic club or fill out an online form that goes directly to the ombudsperson. That’s how Chapin filed his report, twice: first in March and then again in April after weeks had gone by without a response.

But it wasn’t until June 30, after Chapin’s allegations were first published by the San Francisco Standard, that he received an email from the ombudsperson acknowledging receipt of his complaint.

He said he replied to the message on July 9 asking for more information about what the investigation would entail. He never received a response. On July 11, Chapin reached out to the ombudspersonman for the state Democratic Party, John Trasvina, in the hopes that state party officials could nudge the process forward or start an inquiry of their own.

Days later and nearly five months after filing his report, Chapin said he was finally contacted by investigators. He met with them for the first time on July 17, a meeting he described as a conversation about the broad contours of what he said had happened between him and Yekutiel at a house party more than six years ago. On Friday, he met with them again.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 30/09/2026

local defender of women's sports beclowns himself because he forgot women's sports exist

Schmitt said in an interview Wednesday that the mix-up was due to the fact that there were no other NBA games that same night with a 7:30 p.m. starting time.

“Well, we had text messages from [Smith’s] team that he was at a basketball game, and the only game at 7:30 tip-off in the NBA was in Atlanta,” Schmitt said, adding, “I didn’t know he was a Caitlin Clark fan. Now we know.”

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 30/09/2026

rather telling result in the SF city survey: the vibe shift is concentrated in certain neighborhoods and income groups that get all the attention www.sf.gov/reports--sep...

four neighborhoods approved ratings across most service areas, 2023 to 2026: fidi, outer richmond, pac heights, sunset/parkside (6/6 or 5/6 service areas). average all other neighborhoods: 2.4/6 service areas

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 29/09/2026

in honor of Trajal Harrell getting a McArthur Fellowship, please enjoy the most scathing performing arts review I've ever read www.nytimes.com/2008/10/17/a...

At one point in Trajal Harrell’s 80-minute “Quartet for the End of Time” each of the four performers comes to the front of the stage and says, more than once, “I hope there is someone that will take care of me when I die.” I am afraid that appearing in this production may not prove their best way to realize that hope.

For about the first 20 minutes the audience watches collages of film and photographs, projected now on a screen facing the audience, now on screens placed sideways so that the view is at best oblique. Most of the rest of the show punctuated by a few episodes during which there is nothing and nobody onstage involves the performers changing and removing their clothes, walking on and offstage, kneeling and lying down. Sections of Messiaen’s eponymous quartet are played, along with rock, choral music and recorded dialogue, none apparently relevant. There is a good deal of nudity.

Although Mr. Harrell calls his four performers dancers, the only passage that could sensibly be described as dancing occurs when one woman, wearing baggy pants and a loose top, gyrates her pelvis and upper body. It lasts a few seconds.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 26/09/2026

Happen to be passing by. Can’t imagine the sheer assault of an 8 story building across the street from this 4 story one

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 26/09/2026

Y’all. Shipwreck Cove looks absolutely amazing. And somehow it’s a construction project in San Francisco, on public land no less, that actually finished more-or-less on time?!

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 24/09/2026

I still have nightmares from having to look so closely at his hairline to cut it out with an xacto knife to make the Gavin mask

Man in a Gavin mask smashing a model Caltrain in the middle of Market and Octavia. The caption says "please fund the transit"

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 23/09/2026

what possible journalistic reason is there to jump on a conference call with the Vice President so he can tell obvious lies without having his name attached, particularly when publishing those lies will later be used to attack and discredit your outlet?

One of Politico’s six alleged offenses, according to the White House letter, is a June 2026 article that begins by quoting a “senior administration official” who details a push to end the war in Iran.
“In June 2026, Politico cited a ‘senior administration official … granted anonymity’ said the odds of a preliminary deal to end the conflict with Iran were between 80 and 85 percent,” the White House letter reads, alongside a message that unauthorized leaks can harm national security.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 20/09/2026

this is really a quite extraordinary piece of writing may you have a meaningful fast, whatever that means to you

On this Day of Atonement, if we are serious about reckoning with our collective transgressions, then we must not only honestly recite them.

We must put Palestinian liberation at the center of our t’shuvah. Not only for the human rights and dignity of Palestinians. But also for our own possibility of redemption.

With that sincere intention for the new year 5787, we plead:

V’al kulam, Elohai selichot — for all these transgressions, God of forgiveness — selach lanu, mechal lanu, kaper lanu. Forgive us. Pardon us. Grant us atonement.

Brad

P.S. After wrestling again this year with Unetaneh Tokef (the wrenching High Holiday prayer that inspired Leonard Cohen’s song “Who By Fire?” and that I discussed with Lex Rofeberg and Rena Yehuda on their “Judaism Unbound” podcast), I’ve changed my Yom Kippur greeting.

Traditionally, I have wished people “G’mar tov” (short for “G’mar chatimah tova,” may you be inscribed for blessing in the book of life). But, as Unentaneh Tokef teaches, and as we all know too well, we don’t control our fates for the coming year.

So instead this year, I’m wishing people “Ha’aver heitev.” That comes from the final line of the prayer: “But t’shuvah, t’fillah, and t’zedekah (work for justice), deflect (or avert, or temper) the severity of the decree.” We don’t control our fates, but through honest reckoning with our transgressions, through standing in awe and reverence at what is sacred, and by working for justice, we can deflect the suffering that comes with being human.

Ha’aver heitev means something like: “Deflect it well.”

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 15/09/2026

Casper does enjoy a good tortilla chip though

a white cockatoo wearing an adorable cyan vest holding a tortilla chip

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 15/09/2026

this weekend's shenanigans: one very confused Casper the Cockatoo

a very confused living bird perched next to Snowy D Plover

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 12/09/2026

I believe this is the most recent time this vital question was addressed definitively x.com/Joshstrangeh...

Chris
@csammis
·
Dec 21, 2020
In Lisa The Vegetarian when Ralph says “Oh boy, sleep! That’s where I’m a Viking!”: I believed since the 90s that he was saying in a Ralphesque way that he’s really good at sleeping. Now I’m informed by ppl that he’s just saying he dreams about being a Viking. 🤷‍♂️ Thoughts??
Josh Weinstein
@Joshstrangehill
·
Dec 21, 2020
Yes, again, it's the simplest answer - Ralph dreams of being a Viking.
Mike Scully
@scullymike
·
Dec 21, 2020
I was in the room when it was pitched and laughed because I thought it meant he was great at sleeping
Josh Weinstein
@Joshstrangehill
Wow, ha, I guess that's also now canon! Do you remember who pitched it? Maybe they could say for sure. I think we may have been out of the room writing a script at the time so I have zero authority to weigh in on this, it's just my opinion. Maybe
@DavidMirkin
knows?
3:21 PM · Dec 21, 2020
Relevant

David Mirkin
@DaveMirkin
·
Dec 21, 2020
Simple: Ralph dreams he's a Viking. Ralph was never written with the ability to understand a complex & obscure metaphor like saying he is a Viking at something, meaning he is great at it. If I knew Scully had misunderstood a joke like that, I would have fired him instantly.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 09/09/2026

exclusive image of the new iphone duo

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 05/09/2026

can't wait for this future confusion

Starting next June, people in San Francisco and indeed all of California will not be able to buy compostable bioplastic bags anyway: Assembly Bill 1201 will require that bags with those labels meet federal standards set by the USDA for what goes into compost, and certified compostable products — whether they be bags or cups — don’t meet that standard.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 02/09/2026

I know Kaiser usually takes a bit longer to start offering vaccines and it doesn't look like they have a timeline published yet The federal guidelines are the same as last year, and last year Kaiser happily vaccinated anyone 6 months or older, so my guess is it will probably be the same this year

Can I still get the COVID-19 vaccine even if the FDA isn’t recommending it for me?

Yes, Kaiser Permanente is providing the vaccine to anyone 6 months and older who provides consent to receiving the vaccine. After carefully reviewing the FDA’s recent recommendations and other scientific evidence, our infectious disease physicians are continuing to encourage higher-risk groups to prioritize vaccination while also recommending the vaccine to everyone 6 months and older. This helps to ensure access for anyone who wants protection for themselves, their family, or because they feel their health could be at risk if they contracted COVID.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 24/08/2026

Just ridiculously photogenic

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 24/08/2026

Settlers of Catan-ass views on the East Coast Main Line

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 23/08/2026

46. 2ShoulderPads: Galaxy Train. Every fringe schedule needs a dose of Indescribable Japanese Nonsense (complimentary), and this certainly fit the bill. Please enjoy the train song

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 22/08/2026

“I take an empty street and fill it with people and help them have a great time”—wasn’t expecting wise words on urbanism from a street performer (When you’re walking by and a guy announces he’s doing his finale, you kind of have to stop)

Street performer juggling fire while balanced on a precarious contraption

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 21/08/2026

34. It’s @electrolemon.bsky.social in Demi Adejuyigbe Sells Out. Sponsored by Lockheed Martin and featuring jokes by their only product that doesn’t bomb.

Demi on stage playing guitar with a Santa on the screen behind him

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 21/08/2026

28. Man Sings the Same Song Over and Over Again for an Hour. To relax, I booked the exact opposite of Angels in America. This is exactly what it says on the tin. Fortunately, because this could be miserable, it’s extraordinarily well executed by a very talented Australian. Now it’s a sellout!

A microphone on a bare stage in front of a screen showing a 1 hour timer

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 20/08/2026

Something else that hits different in 2026: the whole idea of the Republican lawyer imagining the end of the Department of Justice as “shed your skin, every old skin, one by one and then walk away, unencumbered, into the morning.” Never thought of that as a Morning in America reference either

(Louis turns, looks at him. Joe searches for something to say.)
JOE: Yesterday was Sunday but I've been a little unfocused recently and I thought it was Monday. So I came here like I was going to work. And the whole place was empty. And at first I couldn't figure out why, and I had this moment of incredible... fear and also. ... It just flashed through my mind: The whole Hall of Justice, it's empty, it's de-serted, it's gone out of business. Forever. The people that make it run have up and abandoned it.
LOUIS
(Looking at the building/:
Creepy.
JOE: Well yes but. I felt that I was going to scream. Not because it was creepy, but because the emptiness felt so fast.
And... well, good. A... happy scream.
I just wondered what a thing it would be... if overnight everything you owe anything to, justice, or love, had really gone away. Free.
It would be... heartless terror. Yes. Terrible, and...
Very great. To shed your skin, every old skin, one
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MILLENNIUM APPROACHES
by one and then walk away, unencumbered, into the morning.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 20/08/2026

You can order a delightful little grazing box to have a snack during the 45 minute break between parts of Angels in America.

A box with crackers and cheese and olives and fruit

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 20/08/2026

The whole Louis/Belize race discussion hits rather oddly when performed in Dutch for a predominately British audience

LOUIS: Power is the object, not being tolerated. Fuck assimila-tion. But I mean in spite of all this the thing about America, I think, is that ultimately we're different from every other nation on earth, in that, with people here of every race, we can't.... Ultimately what defines us isn't race, but politics. Not like any European country where there's an insurmountable fact of a kind of racial, or ethnic, monopoly, or monolith, like all Dutchmen, I mean Dutch people, are well, Dutch, and the Jews of Europe were never Europeans, just a small problem.
Facing the monolith. But here there are so many small problems, it's really just a collection of small problems, the monolith is missing. Oh, I mean, of course I suppose there's the monolith of White America. White Straight Male America.
BELIZE: Which is not unimpressive, even among monoliths.
LOUIS: Well, no, but when the race thing gets taken care of, and I don't mean to minimalize how major it is, I mean I know it is, this is a really, really incredibly racist country but it's
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MILLENNIUM APPROACHES
like, well, the British. I mean, all these blue-eyed pink people. And it's just weird, you know, I mean I'm not all that Jewish-looking, or ... well, maybe I am but, you know, in New York, everyone is... well, not everyone, but so many are but so but in England, in London I walk into bars and I feel like Sid the Yid, you know I mean like Woody Allen in Annie Hall, with the payess and the gabardine coat, like never, never anywhere so much-I mean, not actively despised, not like they're Germans, who I think are still terribly anti-Semitic, and racist too, I mean black-racist, they pretend otherwise but, anyway, in London, there's just... and at one point I met this black gay guy from Jamaica who talked with a lilt but he said his family'd been living in London since before the Civil War-the American one-and how the English never let him forget for a minute that he wasn't blue-eyed and pink and I said yeah, me too, these p…

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 20/08/2026

26-27.Angels in America. Counts as two since it’s both Millennium Approaches and Perestroika together as a 5-hour experience…in Dutch (w/ English supertitles) Totally stripped down bare-bones staging accompanied by David Bowie, it becomes such a textual experience where you’re hanging on every word

A bare stage in an ornate theater. A desk has a record player.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 19/08/2026

That was meant to have a picture

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 19/08/2026

22. Steve Burns: Alive. The former host of Blue’s Clues with a moving look at parasocial relationships, the two Steves, and what happens when people take insisting that you’re dead too far for years.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 19/08/2026

21. Aufguss x The Waves. Is the Sauna Theatre theatre? Unclear. Is it lovely? Yes. Featuring an extremely British FAQ

Do I have to be naked?
Please, we're British! We keep our swimwear on at all times. So have no fear... no nakedness in Sauna Theatre.
Just your best swimwear, a towel to sit on and a fetching sauna hat to accessorise.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 17/08/2026

Incredible bean club scenes www.coyotemedia.org/bean-club-di...

"We do get a lot of these emails regarding divorces.
Sometimes they provide too much information in trying to make their cases on who should keep it," a Rancho Gordo representative wrote in response to my inquiry.
But what about the spirit of it all? How could an aggrieved party prove that they were the one who deserved the food club membership? To that end, I asked a few fancy food club purveyors in the Bay to play King Solomon for a day and adjudicate the issue.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 17/08/2026

Side note: someone knew exactly what they were doing putting the “trans affirming congregation” sign directly across the street from “birthplace of Harry Potter”

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 15/08/2026

What possible journalistic reason is there to grant anonymity to an official spokesperson solely to: a. lie; and b. not provide any remotely useful information?

A spokeswoman for the White House denied that the email had anything to do with Ms.
Peters and declined to comment further on the record. She referred questions about the Colorado grants to the Office of Management and Budget, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 15/08/2026

Not a bad way to make an entrance in the morning

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 11/08/2026

lol at this guy calling $10M worth of highway infrastructure "pedestrian safety measures" just what are the pedestrians being kept safe from, huh?

Otto Pippenger, campaign manager of the Great Highway for Everyone campaign, disagreed. He said the “bulk of the cost is for pedestrian safety measures.”

“San Franciscans understand that our loved ones are irreplaceable,” he said. “These moderate costs are a small price to pay for the safety of our families.”

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 11/08/2026

ahahaha the Controller's report on wrecking Sunset Dunes came in at $9.8M in capital costs plus $500K-$1.9M every year to maintain the road would be an unhinged use of money

RE: Proposition G – Allowing Private Vehicles on the Great Highway in Sunset Dunes Park
Dear Mr. Arntz,
Should the proposed Ordinance be approved by the voters and the roadway is open to private
vehicles, in my opinion, it would significantly increase the cost of government by approximately
$9.8 million in one-time capital costs and by approximately $500,000 to $1.9 million annually. The
cost of the proposed Ordinance, should it be approved by the voters, is dependent on decisions
that the Mayor and Board of Supervisors make through the budget process and operational
decisions made by departments, as an ordinance cannot bind future Mayors and Boards of
Supervisors to provide funding for this or any other purpose.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 30/07/2026

the docs are amazing here. OpenAI actually produced an infographic to highlight how in their entire history, they've donated a whopping $800K to local civic causes the Mayor just out here trying to do reputation cleanup for OpenAI and they're just "nah we already gave 47% of a public toilet"

OpenAI in San Franciso: Investing in the city where we started

Dear Mayor Lurie:Thank you for the conversation at City Hall on June 18 with Ned and Kunal. I appreciated thecandid and constructive conversation about San Francisco’s opportunity to benefit from the nextera of artificial intelligence - and about the responsibility that comes with having OpenAIheadquartered here.Your emphasis on a large, visible initiative that delivers tangible value to residents wascompelling. The discussion of housing and education, as well as your example of the universalfree childcare you launched, underscored an important point: successful civic partnership mustbe felt in people’s daily lives and must earn public confidence through clear results.I was glad to share more about OpenAI’s existing contributions to San Francisco, including ourgrowing tax base, support for local civic efforts, and grants to community organizations. I heardyou when you said we should look beyond those toward an ambitious and visible partnership.We will continue exploring what OpenAI can do through our public benefit corporation and theOpenAI Foundation. As we do, we want to remain disciplined about what we can execute welland focus on approaches that complement our City’s priorities rather than create one-timeheadlines.Thank you again for your leadership and for the thoughtful way you are approaching both thepromise and the pressures created by San Francisco’s technology-led recovery. I look forwardto continuing the conversation with you and your team.Sincerely,Sarah FriarChief Financial OfficerOpenAI

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 30/07/2026

I think about the 2018 Valencia intercept study a lot, which seemingly was intended to gather data on shoppers specifically. Would be amazing to get more of this kind of data, though there's a much bigger "believing/caring about the data" problem that maybe makes it not worth the resources

Intercept Survey
A third party intercept survey was also conducted in spring 2018 that collected 238 responses on the
Valencia corridor at the intersections of 14th, 16th, 19th, and 21st streets. The survey was administered
during a one week period on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday from 10am to 6 pm. Survey responses
Valencia Bikeway Implementation Project 8
were used to gain a better understanding of travel patterns and shopping behaviors near the project
area. Some key findings from this survey include the following;
• 70% of the shopper survey respondents get to Valencia by walking, biking or riding transit
• 39% of respondents visited the corridor for eating/drinking, entertainment and shopping
• 71% of survey respondents live in San Francisco
• Based off of the shopper survey, on average, people who bike spend $2,943/year on Valencia;
more than double those who drive or ride-hail to the corridor

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 29/07/2026

San Francisco is already piloting this scheme: we perpetually debate Sunset Dunes with a formal ceremonial vote every two years and even already have a fancy outfit that we dance in

Snowy D. Plover next to Mayor Barbara Lee

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 25/07/2026

I am being literal here.

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 20/07/2026

At the only good football match to be played today

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 17/07/2026

and the summer of fun continues at Friends of Sunset Dunes! love this ridiculously talented group of designers working to make a basically impossible construction project happen quickly in San Francisco construction already started this morning. check out the video: www.instagram.com/p/Da3qmLwywSM/

Hi friends,

We have big news:

We’re very excited to announce that work is starting today on a new pilot playground and dune education area at Sunset Dunes called Shipwreck Cove!

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 15/07/2026

we must retrvn to the old ways when the San Francisco County Fair included a parking competition

THE GOLDEN GATOR

September 9, 1986

A County Fair San Francisco Style
goldengator86.jpg (92746 bytes)
April Dozier (L) and Liz Bachert of the Skatch Skate Patrol warm-up for a roller skating demonstration at the San Francisco Fair Sunday at Fort Mason. By Rachel Menzi
Pigs and cows. Lots of food. Silly contests. Hordes of sightseers from far away. Sounds like your basic county fair in Dogpatch, Tenn. right partner? Well, almost.

This county fair was the fifth annual San Francisco County Fair. That explains why this here county fair was just a little different. The cows at the Fort Mason event that took place over the weekend were cardboard - all but two anyway. The pigs were only exotic visitors from out-of-town. The contests weren't bronco bustin' or horseshoe pitchin', they were competing in parking races, fog calling and wine tasting.

That wasn't Buck Owens singing his country boy heart out either at the Biggest Singles Dance Ever. It was Heartbeat.

Outside, in the typically late summer San Francisco weather of wind and fog, there were such cosmopolitan country fair booths as psychics, crafts and clothing alongside displays for AT&T, PacTel, Greenpeace and the San Francisco Conservation Corps.
The most famous event, the Impossible Parking Space Race, was won by Roger LaRue, a theatrical producer in San Francisco. His winning time was 35 minutes - eight minutes slower than last year's winner, John Colman. Colman, who won the race three years in a row, did not participate this year.

This year's race contestants had to find spaces in each of four neighborhoods: North Beach, Chinatown, Union Square and the Inner Richmond. Unlike previous years, colored zones, Saturday and fifteen-minute-only spaces did not count. These changes and the distance of the Inner Richmond area from the downtown areas helped increase the completion times 'of the contestants.

Another famous contest, the Fog Calling Contest, was won by Michael Hicks of San Francisco. Wearing a lampsh…

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Zach Lipton @zachlipton.com · 12/07/2026

huh I’ve seen that guy around

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