March 10, 2022 Edition of the Bay Area Reporter, America's #LGBTQ newspaper by Bay Area Reporter

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Vol. 52 • No. 10 • March 10-16, 2022

Castro merchants decry ‘routine’ vandalism by Eric Burkett

fter a chilly weekend, it was a beautiful, warm Monday morning in the Castro. A promising start to the week, unless you happen to own Mudpuppy’s. The night before, March 6, someone smashed the large plate glass windows of the 10-year-old dog grooming shop, which hung over the holding pens where their canine clients await their turn with their groomers. By Monday morning, two workmen were busy installing new windows. Inside, co-owner Todd Ahlberg was feeling frustrated with what was only the latest in an ongoing stream of vandalism on Castro Street that have become seemingly routine. “If there had been a dog in the window, they’d have been killed,” said Ahlberg, a gay San Francisco native. He had heard the attack – and Ahlberg feels strongly it was an attack – from his apartment upstairs above the shop. Running downstairs, he saw who he said was a man he recognized throwing benches from a neighboring ice cream shop into his storefront. The suspect, said Ahlberg, was a guy he’d seen around the neighborhood for the past two months, a guy he’d seen allegedly smoking

Courtesy Ballotpedia

The Stanley Mosk Library and Courts Building in Sacramento is home of the 3rd District Court of Appeal.

Number of CA LGBTQ judges continues to climb by Matthew S. Bajko

nder Governor Gavin Newsom the number of LGBTQ judges continues to climb on the California bench. Since he took office in 2019, the number of out jurists on state courts has increased by at least 30%. Due to omissions and a lag time in the reporting of LGBTQ demographic data for California judges, the growth rate in seeing LGBTQ people become judges is likely even higher. After a lackluster start during his first year in office, when the ranks of LGBTQ jurists remained flat, Newsom has helped spur two years of growth through his appointments to judicial vacancies. According to the latest demographic data for the makeup of the state courts, annually released on March 1, there was an official tally of 76 LGBTQ judges as of December 31, 2021. But the number of LGBTQ people serving on the California bench is now at least 83, according to figures compiled by the Bay Area Reporter. That total includes the swearing-ins of gay Alameda County Superior Court Peter E. Borkon last month and lesbian Justice Laurie M. Earl to the 3rd District Court of Appeal in January; both were appointed by Newsom. There are now five LGBTQ appellate justices in the state, even though the data for 2021 shows there being only two. Borkon brings the number of out judges on the Alameda bench to 10, the most of any county in Northern California. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles County Superior Court continues to have the most out jurists of the state’s 58 county court districts, with at least 26 serving as of December 31 based on the latest data. Over the last 14 months the number of LGBTQ judges grew by at least 14%. It is a slight decrease from the nearly 16% increase in out jurists seen last March, as the B.A.R. reported at the time.

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Todd Ahlberg stands in front of his dog-grooming business, Mudpuppy’s, as a workman replaces the shop’s windows following a vandalism incident the night before.

meth, a guy who had been taken in by police recently after behaving erratically, naked and dragging a blanket at 18th and Castro, only to show up on the street again two days later. “He’s progressively getting more dangerous,” said Ahlberg.

See page 10 >>

Out South Bay judges tell their stories by Heather Cassell

ecoming a judge in California is not easy, as most jurists are appointed by the governor after applying and waiting a year or more. The number of LGBTQ judges in the state increased in 2021, according to data released by Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, and there are now at least 83 out members in the judicial branch, according to data from the state and the Bay Area Reporter. Three of Santa Clara County’s six out judges recently participated in a panel discussion and talked about their career paths and what it means to create welcoming courtrooms. Ken Yeager, a gay man and executive director of the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee Foundation, which sponsored the event, invited the trio as part of the organization’s focus on South Bay LGBTQ history. “If I had to take a test on ‘Jeopardy!’ on how many we had and who they were, I would have probably failed it,” said Yeager, a former county supervisor and San Jose City Councilmember. In the process of reaching out to the jurists, he discovered how “remarkable” they all are, he said. Judges Julie Emede, Charles F. Adams, and Jessica Delgado took part in the February 12 panel at San Jose’s History Park. The other three, Judges Jacqueline Arroyo, Beth McGowen, and Shawna Schwarz, who was the county’s first out jurist, were unable to participate. “It’s very important for the LGBTQ community to really know who these community

See page 11 >>

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Eric Burkett

City public safety officials said the problem is common not just in the LGBTQ San Francisco neighborhood but also up and down the state. “What you’re talking about is a larger social issue that is daunting to the state of California,” said David Burke, a civilian with the San Francisco Police Department who serves as District 8 public safety liaison. “These people should be in mental institutions that we don’t have. If we don’t have that, what do you think is going to happen? “The police are out there doing their job,” said Burke, a straight ally. “We do everything that we can. What we’re talking about is a much larger societal problem that we’re not going to arrest our way out of.” Ahlberg’s frustration is nothing new. Many of his neighbors feel much the same. Vandalism is a serious problem brought in, they say, by the large numbers of homeless and mentally ill folks who come to the Castro to hang out or to pitch their tents for shelter. At a meeting of the Castro Merchants Association only five days before Ahlberg’s shop was vandalized, Paul Perretta, co-owner of Hot Cookie, complained of vandalism at his store. Someone

Heather Cassell

Administrative Presiding Justice Mary Greenwood of the 6th District Court of Appeal, left, moderated a panel featuring out Santa Clara County Superior Court Judges Julie Emede, Charles F. Adams, and Jessica Delgado at History Park in San Jose, February 12.

leaders are,” Yeager said. An estimated 30 people came out to the park to listen to the judges speak. The event took place outside of the “Coming Out: Queer Silicon Valley” exhibit that the B.A.R. previously reported on. Speaking about their experiences and what they bring to the county’s courts and the people who enter their courtrooms, the judges were humble and thoughtful. The judges spoke about their unusual journeys to the bench, being out in the courtroom, and creating welcoming courtrooms that are inclusive.

Journey to the bench

None of the judges had traditional paths to the bench.

A Midwestern woman, Emede, 60, came to California to live her life freely. She started her career in the technology industry at HewlettPackard, managing products for Asia. While working there, she decided to go to law school and follow her teenage vision to be an attorney and a judge. “In the back of my head, I thought, ‘Well, if it doesn’t work out, I’ll just go back into business,’” she said about going to UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. “Fortunately, it did work out and it’s really what I wanted to do.” She came out in law school and didn’t look back, finding herself appointed to the Santa Clara County Superior Court by Republican former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009. She took her seat on the bench in 2010. Adams, a 43-year-old gay man born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, practiced civil litigation and family law before becoming a research attorney for Santa Clara County Superior Court. He then became a staff member for U.S. District Judge Edward John Davila in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. Assisting judges with legal research for cases, he realized that he wanted to become a judge himself. The opportunity came when former Governor Jerry Brown (D) appointed him to the bench in 2018. Adams spoke about hesitating when faced with the question to list his last nine courtroom cases. He hadn’t argued a case in court for about nine years at that point, he said. See page 10 >>

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<< Open Forum

4 • Bay Area Reporter • March 10-16, 2022

Volume 52, Number 10 March 10-16, 2022 www.ebar.com

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Storm clouds engulf Florida

t’s likely that Florida is about to portive environments at school to be become the first state in the U.S. themselves. Many youth come out at to have a Russian-style anti-LGBTQ an early age compared to even a few propaganda law. Republican Govyears ago. That is all threatened by ernor Ron DeSantis, who’s up for the Florida bill. reelection this year, has indicated Thankfully, the federal governhe will sign the so-called “Don’t Say ment is standing with LGBTQ+ Courtesy CNN Gay” bill, which passed in the Floristudents and their families. On Tuesda House and state Senate. While its Florida day, the U.S. Secretary of Education Russian counterpart signed by Presi- Governor Miguel Cardona issued a statement dent Vladimir Putin in 2013 is much Ron DeSantis that read, “Leaders in Florida are pribroader and prohibits distribution oritizing hateful bills that hurt some of any information about LGBTQs of the students most in need.” to minors, Florida House Bill 1557, the Pa“The Department of Education has made rental Rights in Education bill, would prevent clear that all schools receiving federal funding teachers from talking about LGBTQ+ issues or must follow federal civil rights law, includpeople in kindergarten through third grade. ing Title IX’s protections against discriminaIt would undermine existing protections for tion based on sexual orientation and gender LGBTQ+ students. Florida is dominated by identity,” Cardona wrote. “We stand with our Republican lawmakers and DeSantis is widely LGBTQ+ students in Florida and across the considered to be a 2024 presidential candidate. country, and urge Florida leaders to make sure In a craven display to incite their conservative all their students are protected and supported.” base, Florida Republicans are forcing teachers Florida politicians know that there are lots to pretend LGBTQ people don’t exist or are exof LGBTQ+ families in the Sunshine State. pendable by passing a law that prohibits menMany of them probably know LGBTQ people tioning them in school classrooms. themselves. HB 1557 is a cynical attempt to The Human Rights Campaign, along with pander to religious conservatives, even as the numerous other LGBTQ rights groups, Public Opinion Research Lab at the University has condemned the bill. “The Florida of North Florida released a poll showLegislature is playing a dangerous poing that 49% of Floridians oppose the litical game with the health and safety legislation while only 40% approve. of LGBTQ+ kids,” stated Cathryn M. What’s even more shameful is that Oakley, HRC’s state legislative director many of these same leaders mourned and senior counsel. “Discriminatory the loss of life at the June 12, 2016 pieces of legislation like the ‘Don’t Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando Say Gay or Trans’ bill don’t solve any when 49 mostly gay Latinos died. In critical issues in Florida. Instead, these fact, last year, on the fifth anniversary bills shamefully attack and endanger of the tragedy, DeSantis tweeted that LGBTQ+ students who are just trying the state “honors the memories of those to get a quality education, whom the state has an who were murdered on one of the darkest days obligation to treat fairly and protect.” in Florida’s history.” He even signed a resoluCaught in the middle are teachers, many of tion declaring “Pulse Remembrance Day.” Of whom just want to do their jobs and educate course, days before he signed the Pulse resotheir students, including on LGBTQ issues lution, DeSantis kicked off Pride Month last when relevant. These days most students aren’t year by signing an anti-trans bill. That resulted afraid to come out and often they have supin Florida being added to California’s banned

taxpayer-funded travel list for state employees and college athletic teams. DeSantis signed into law legislation requiring transgender youth to play on sports teams based on their sex assigned at birth. Texas isn’t any better. Governor Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, both Republicans up for reelection this year, are going after trans kids. Abbott issued a directive based on an opinion from Paxton, to have the state child welfare agency investigate trans health care as child abuse. Unlike the situation in Florida, however, Abbott’s decree isn’t a state law – yet, but it has resulted in uncertainty and confusion for trans kids and their families. For more than a year, various conservativeled states have targeted LGBTQ people, mostly trans youth. It’s part of a pattern to fear-monger and marginalize queer people. Right-wing groups like the Heritage Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom, Eagle Forum, and others “are at the helm of this effort,” Oakley stated, “seeking to use LGBTQ+ rights as a political wedge.” Last year, lawmakers in 34 states introduced 147 anti-transgender bills. And just introducing these bills has had a chilling effect in those states. Shortly before the 2020 presidential election, HRC and Hart Research Group conducted a poll of 10 swing states. It found that at least 60% of Donald Trump voters across each of the 10 swing states – Arizona, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas – said that trans people should be able to live freely and openly. (The survey was based on interviews with 400 likely voters in each state.) And 87% of respondents across each of the states said transgender people should have equal access to medical care. Yet despite these encouraging numbers, many Republican politicians, hoping to curry favor with their base or the former president, keep ramping up these discriminatory policies and laws. It’s past time to let students be students and to receive the support they need no matter how they identify.t

We cannot rest easy by Gwendolyn Ann Smith

haven’t been sleeping well lately, and it is largely Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s fault. For some time, Abbott and his cronies in the Legislature have been trying to pass laws against transgender people. He’s not had an easy time of it, even calling a total of three special sessions in 2021 to, among other things, bar transgender students from participating in sports programs with their peers and halt health care for trans youth. Without the support of lawmakers, Abbott, as well as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), took the matter into their own hands. Paxton, who is currently under FBI investigation for bribery and abuse of office (he has denied wrongdoing), issued a legal opinion declaring that some forms of trans health care, including puberty blockers, hormones, and surgery, should be listed as child abuse when presented to transgender youth. Before I go any further, I want to note that hormone treatments and surgery are not generally provided to transgender children, and I’m sure Paxton knows this, too. At any rate, Abbott went through the door Paxton opened, issuing a directive requesting that state agencies begin to investigate transgender health care as child abuse. I am sure it wasn’t entirely a coincidence that Abbott’s directive came out just as Bill Magness, the former chief of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, claimed Abbott told him to keep the cost of electricity “as high as possible” during a blackout in February 2021 that led to 246 deaths and billions in costs for energy companies and others – but I digress. Abbott’s directive, as well as Paxton’s letter, is not law, of course. They are in no way legally binding. They are still leading to investigations, however, with the first being an employee of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services who has a trans child. The DFPS placed the employee on leave after she asked how the directive may affect her family. An investigator also tried to get the family to sign a release, allowing DFPS to access their child’s medical records. Thankfully, a judge has made a preliminary ruling in this case, temporarily blocking the in-

Christine Smith

vestigation of this particular family. By the time you read this, the judge is expected to rule on this directive in a broader fashion, potentially blocking these actions statewide – or not. The whole thing is needlessly cruel, labeling the parents of transgender people, as well as their caregivers, as child abusers, and feeding into popular right-wing tropes against trans health care. Worse than this, it could force the trans children themselves to be removed from their families and forced into a foster care system that will not take their needs into consideration. In short, this would likely severely harm the very children and teens it claims it would help. All of this is happening as study after study have shown that transgender youth who are affirmed, and who do receive appropriate treatment, are found to face less depression and less suicidal ideation. For example, a February 2022 study published via JAMA Network Open showed that such treatments led to 60% lower odds for depression and 73% lower odds for suicidality. So, pretty much the opposite of Paxton and Abbott’s claims. I alluded earlier to the convenience of the timing of this news to seek to criminalize transgender care by the governor and the attorney general, as they find themselves mired in scandal. I can’t even call this a conspiracy theory on my part, as Abbott’s reelection campaign to keep Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke out of the governorship made clear: campaign representative Dave Carney told re-

porters after Abbott’s primary win last week that the transgender directive was a “75% to 80% winner” for the governor. And yes, Paxton is facing a May runoff in the Republican primary, so I’m sure he’s enjoying similar percentages. The Lone Star State is not alone. While Abbott hasn’t managed to get such a thing through his own Legislature, such is not the case elsewhere. South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem (R) has signed Senate Bill 46, which bars transgender athletes from childhood to college from competing against their peers. Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill is still moving along, and Alabama is poised to make it a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for a doctor to provide appropriate care to trans youth. That’s just three of the scores of bills making it through statehouses right now. This is why I’m not getting much sleep lately. Really, I don’t think many transgender people are sleeping all that well right now as a result of all this. There is a small silver lining. In reaction to Abbott’s directive and other moves, President Joe Biden had this to say during his State of the Union address: “As I said last year, especially to our younger transgender Americans, I will always have your back as your president, so you can be yourself and reach your God-given potential.” I also have to add that this has become more than words, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled several steps to protect transgender youth and others, aimed squarely at Abbott’s directive as well as the actions of the Texas DFPS. But we cannot rest easy. A directive from the Biden administration can go far, but it is not a law. As we saw under former President Donald Trump, a lot of trans-positive precedent can be dismantled very quickly. We need transgender protections codified into federal law, whether via the Equality Act or some other bill. Given the makeup of Congress, I also don’t see that happening any time soon. Honestly, I fear it is already too late, and the rights of transgender people like me are all but lost for a generation.t Gwen Smith applauds the American Civil Liberties Union for its work against these bills, and against Abbott’s directive. You’ll find her at www.gwensmith.com

Politics >>

t Slew of LGBTQ candidates seek CA legislative seats

March 10-16, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 5

by Matthew S. Bajko

ith at least 18 out candidates seeking California legislative seats in 2022, LGBTQ leaders are on the cusp of reaching their goal to have 10% of state lawmakers be from the community. In order to do so, the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus needs to grow from its current eight members to 12. “I think there is a good chance of getting there,” said gay state Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz), now in his second year of a four-year term. All 80 Assembly seats are up for grabs as are the 20 even-numbered Senate seats. Ahead of Friday’s filing deadline to appear on the June 7 primary ballot, no known transgender person had decided to mount a bid in one of the races. Thus, it could be another two years before the first transgender legislator is elected in the Golden State. There is a good possibility of seeing the first queer person elected since the caucus added the Q to its name a few years back. Queer former San Diego City Council president Georgette Gómez is seen as the favored winner of the April 5 special election for the vacant Assembly District 80 seat. Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher left in January ahead of her leading the powerful California Labor Federation come the summer. She endorsed Gómez to serve out the remainder of her term through December. With wide support from San Diego leaders, Gómez could conceivably win the seat outright next month if she gets more than 50% of the vote. Her main opponent is fellow former San Diego city councilmember David Alvarez. Gómez also needs to run in June then on the November ballot for a full two-year term. Another queer candidate, Bulmaro “Boomer” Vicente, is running in the June primary for the 68th Assembly District seat covering his hometown of Santa Ana plus the cities of Anaheim and Orange. He is challenging Assemblymember Tom Daly (D-Anaheim), a former Anaheim mayor and councilperson who currently represents the 69th Assembly District. (Due to redistricting its number was changed.) Already backed by the California Democratic Party in the special election, Gómez secured its endorsement in the general election race over the weekend at the party’s statewide convention. Daly also won the endorsement of the party. There are three bisexual legislative candidates this year, with Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San Jose) running for reelection in the newly drawn 24th Assembly District. It continues to straddle Alameda and Santa Clara counties like his current 25th Assembly District does. Kansen Chu, whom Lee succeeded in the Legislature, is seeking the seat again after losing his bid two years ago for a Santa Clara County supervisor seat. Also running are Democrats Fremont City Councilmember Teresa Keng and Army veteran Brian Ross. Palm Springs City Councilmember Christy Holstege is running for the new Assembly District 47 seat, which former Republican Assemblymember Chad Mayes (I-Rancho Mirage) opted against seeking reelection to this year. She is expected to become the first bisexual female state legislator. Rounding out the trio is South San Francisco City Councilmember James Coleman, who is seeking the open 21st Assembly District seat on the Peninsula. Currently numbered AD 22, it is being vacated by

Courtesy the campaigns

Out legislative candidates endorsed by the California Democratic Party include, clockwise from top left, Georgette Gómez, Christy Holstege, Joseph Rocha, and Steve Padilla.

Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) due to his vying to succeed retiring Congressmember Jackie Speier (D-San Mateo/San Francisco). A rising young progressive leader in the state, Coleman is in a tough campaign against San Mateo City Councilmember Diane Papan, whose late father, Lou, had held the seat in the 1970s and 1980s. Also in the race are fellow Democrats Giselle Hale, Redwood City’s mayor, and county community college board member Maurice Goodman. The state Dems endorsed Lee and Holstege but did not take a position in Coleman’s race. In a news release issued Monday, Holstege thanked the party for its support and said she looks “forward to continuing to build our incredible grassroots coalition.” In the South Bay gay Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) appears headed to victory in the new 26th Assembly District that includes Cupertino, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and parts of San Jose. He is moving out of his current 28th Assembly District after it ended up in the newly drawn AD 23 seat, which Assemblymember Marc Berman (D-Palo Alto) is seeking reelection to this year. East Bay voters could elect their first out state legislator to the open 20th Assembly District seat. Gay nurse and union leader Jennifer Esteen, if elected, would also be the first out Black female to serve in the Legislature. Also running is gay Dublin City Councilmember Shawn Kumagai, who would be the first LGBTQ legislator of Japanese descent in Sacramento. Also vying to succeed Assemblymember Bill Quirk (DHayward), who opted against seeking reelection, is labor leader Liz Ortega-Toro, who is straight. Quirk has endorsed her in the Alameda County contest. South Los Angeles resident Jamaal Gulledge is aiming to be California’s first gay Black state senator. He is seeking the open 28th Senate District seat, as are fellow Democrats attorney Cheryl Turner and labor advocate Lola Smallwood-Cuevas. Low and Smallwood-Cuevas were both endorsed by the state Dems. The party did not endorse in the AD 20 race.

Other races

Los Angeles County is assured of once again having LGBTQ representation in the state Senate due to the contest for the newly drawn 20th Senate District seat. Either lesbian social worker Caroline Menjivar or gay hotel manager Daniel Hertzberg is set to become the first

out state legislator elected from the San Fernando Valley. They are vying to succeed Hertzberg’s father, state Senator Bob Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys), who is termed out this year from his 18th Senate District seat. The younger Hertzberg won the state Dems’ endorsement over the weekend. “It is incredibly humbling to have earned the support of the California Democratic Party,” he stated in a Monday release. “The grassroots activists that supported me over the weekend are the foundation of the Democratic movement, and their support is a testament to the fact that we’re running a policy focused campaign.” Expected to return leadership from Los Angeles to the Assembly is Rick Chavez Zbur, the gay former executive director of statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization Equality California. He is favored to win the open Assembly District 51 seat. It was newly drawn to run from Santa Monica east to Griffith Park and includes the LGBTQ enclave of West Hollywood. Lesbian Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes (D-Corona) is seeking reelection to the new 58th Assembly District seat, while gay Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) is running again in a slightly different 78th Assembly District seat. Gay Chula Vista City Councilmember Steve Padilla appears headed to being elected to the open Senate District 18 seat in San Diego County. Aiming to join him is gay veteran Joseph C. Rocha of Escondido. He is trying to oust state Senator Brian Jones (R-Santee) in the newly drawn 40th Senate District in San Diego County. Rocha won the endorsement of the state Democratic Party, as did Zbur and Padilla. Also endorsed by the state party were Ward and Cervantes. In a statement Rocha noted he “entered this race to fight for working families like mine and to make sure that all Californians have a path to the middle class and I’m grateful that the California Democratic Party endorsed my candidacy.” At least one gay Republican is on this year’s ballot, Anthony Macias of San Jose. He is running in the new 25th Assembly District, where Assemblymember Ash Kalra (DSan Jose) is all but assured of winning reelection in the fall.

Bilal Mahmood. housing groups plus a number of “I am confident that Matt will local Democratic clubs. champion progress over stagnation And after Haney refused to comand deliver on bold solutions to mit to a date for a candidate debate urgent challenges like our housing to be hosted by the Alice B. Toklas shortage and climate crisis,” stated LGBTQ Democratic this month, the Mahmood. political group announced March 2 The announcement followed that it was scrapping the event. Ala number of groups that had ice did not endorse anyone on the backed Mahmood switching their February ballot, and it remains to be endorsements to Haney. Among seen if it will revote on an endorsethose that Did haveYou are Overspend several pro- During ment in the runoff race.t

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Campos faces headwinds

The other known out legislative candidate is gay California Democratic Party Vice Chair David Campos, who is in the April 19 runoff race for San Francisco’s open 17th Assembly District seat. He is facing off against District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney, who was the top finisher in the February 15 special election. They are running to succeed David Chiu, who in November resigned to become San Francisco’s first Asian American city attorney. The state Dems are not taking a position in the race. Campos, a former city supervisor and police commissioner, had lost to Chiu in 2014. And he is again facing headwinds in his bid to represent the LGBTQ neighborhoods of the Castro, Tenderloin, and South of Market. Haney won his lawsuit last week to prevent Campos from calling himself a civil rights attorney on the ballot. Instead, he will be listed as a criminal justice administrator. Campos is currently on leave as chief of staff to embattled San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin. Polling of the race recently released gave a significant edge to Haney. Last week, he also secured the endorsement of the third-place finisher in last month’s election, former Obama administration staffer

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<< Election 2022

6 • Bay Area Reporter • March 10-16, 2022

Kaplan kicks off Alameda County supe bid O

akland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan, the body’s lone out member, formally kicked off March 3 her campaign for the District 3 seat on the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, telling virtual attendees that she will be “a fighter for equity for our county.” Kaplan, a lesbian and current vice mayor for the city, has represented the at-large seat on the council since being elected in 2008. After former supervisor Wilma Chan was killed by

a motorist while walking her dog in Alameda last November, speculation began as to who would run for the seat in June. Chan’s former aide, Dave Brown, was appointed by the board to serve out the remaining 14 months of Chan’s term through January 2022. He said he would not run for the seat. According to the Alameda County Registrar of Voters, other candidates in the race are David Kakishiba, a former Oakland school board member, and Lena Tam, a former Alameda city councilmember. The filing deadline is March 11.

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The supervisorial district includes the cities of Alameda, San Leandro, a portion of Oakland, and the unincorporated communities of San Lorenzo, Hayward Acres, and a portion of Ashland. Kaplan was upbeat on the Zoom call, telling supporters she is ready to work on regional solutions on homelessness, health care, and climate change. The Board of Supervisors oversees the county’s health care system and provides major funding for homeless services, she pointed out. “We need rapid-build affordable housing and to make sure the funding is there,” Kaplan said. The board also appoints members to regional bodies, something Kaplan has experience with as a member of the Alameda County Transportation Commission and the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum Authority Board. “Public facilities are there for us. The county oversees public health and the hospital system. It provides vaccinations and testing not just for COVID but other diseases,” she said, encouraging people to keep wearing “quality masks” like N-95s and KN-95s when indoors. Michael Colbruno, a gay man who is an Oakland Port commissioner, said that he started his career working for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the mayor’s office there. “I’ve seen good supervisors and bad supervisors,” he said. “She’s the only person fully qualified to fill the seat of Wilma Chan, who is and was an icon. The work the board does on health care, transportation, and homelessness – these are issues Rebecca understands.” In a phone interview March 4, Kaplan talked about the importance of serving on the Board of Supervisors, which oversees a nearly $8 billion county budget, though not all of the money is “flexible,” as Kaplan

2/28/22 9:05 AM

well as for the Bay Area regionally. Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said that Kaplan served as a mentor to her after she was elected. “I rely on you as a mentor and thought partner,” said Bas, who is seeking reelection to her District 2 council seat this year. “It shows your commitment to building leadership.” Kaplan said that she has proven experience for the job. “My history of being able to find resources when needed” will be important to the county, she said, pointing out she found $10 million in the Oakland budget to help keep firehouses open after some were threatened with closure. In addition to Colbruno, other LGBTQ leaders who have endorsed Kaplan include lesbian former state senator Carole Migden and gay former San Francisco supervisor David Campos, who’s now in a tight race for his city’s 17th Assembly District seat. The Bayard Rustin Coalition is also backing Kaplan, as is former National Nurses United policy director Michael Lighty, a gay man who served on Oakland’s planning and port commissions. If no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in the June 7 primary then the top two vote-getters will face each other in a November runoff. During the kickoff event several speakers said the campaign’s goal is to win outright in June, something Kaplan reiterated in the interview. Kaplan thanked her wife at the end of the kickoff. She told the B.A.R. that she and Kirthi Nath, a queer woman of color and social justice filmmaker who runs Brown Girls Doc Mafia, tied the knot last April during a Zoom ceremony. Kaplan and Nath live near Jack London Square. The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has not had an out LGBTQ person on it. Gay former Hayward city councilmember Kevin Dowling ran for the District 2 seat in 2010 but lost to Nadia Lockyer, who resigned in 2012 while undergoing treatment for chemical dependency. “I would be the first-ever openly LGBTQ supervisor,” Kaplan told the B.A.R., adding that it was “kind of astounding” that the Alameda board has not had an out member. “San Francisco first had one in 1978,” she noted, referring to slain gay supervisor Harvey Milk, who was also the first gay person elected to office in California. The campaign’s first precinct walking event will take place Saturday, March 12. For more information on Kaplan’s campaign, go to www.supervisorkaplan.org/t

Courtesy Kaplan for Supervisor campaign

Oakland City Councilmember and Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan kicked off her campaign for Alameda County supervisor March 3.

put it, meaning it must be spent on specific items as opposed to being part of the general fund. “Particularly with how funds for the homeless flow from the state to the county, we’re not seeing sufficient coordination because a lot of money goes through the county to cities,” she said. Kaplan noted that in Oakland, she and the City Council have had some success using hotels and dorms to house the homeless. “But the county has a lot of land not being used,” she explained. Sheng Thao, who used to be an aide for Kaplan and is now on the Oakland City Council, praised her former boss during the kickoff. “Her ability is to be so thoughtful on every single issue that comes before her,” said Thao, who last year announced she’s running to replace termed out Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf in November. “She is one of the smartest people I know.” Thao said that Kaplan would be effective in helping small businesses as they recover from the COVID pandemic and housing, to name just two issues. “She’s a problem solver and will hit the ground running and she cares – she lives and breathes this work,” Thao added. Bobbi Lopez, a lesbian who also used to work for Kaplan, emceed the kickoff. She pointed out Kaplan is effective when it comes to finding resources. “Having worked with Rebecca Kaplan on the [city] budget, she knows where every pool of money is in the budget,” Lopez said. “She’ll do that for the county.” Former Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who opted not to seek reelection in 2020, also spoke. “Rebecca called me about a month ago and asked if I’d endorse her. There was no hesitation,” he said, adding that Kaplan would not only represent her district but also advocate for the entire county, as

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SF nonprofit to be AIDS quilt steward by Cynthia Laird and John Ferrannini

Jane Philomen Cleland

Dr. Alisson Sombredero, left, the new chief medical officer for the Community Health Center, was joined by Executive Director Lance Toma at a news conference Tuesday.

he AIDS quilt – all 50,000 panels – will return to the Bay Area, under a new agreement that transfers stewardship of the mammoth AIDS memorial to the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco. Additionally, the Library of Congress will preserve the quilt’s vast archival collections in Washington, D.C. Details of the arrangement were announced during a news conference at the Library of Congress in Washington Wednesday morning. The quilt will be moved to a warehouse near the Oakland International Airport from its current location in Atlanta, John Cunningham, executive director of the AIDS grove, told the Bay Area Reporter in an exclusive interview Monday. Speaking by phone before leaving for Washington, Cunningham told the B.A.R. that the Names Project Foundation, current keepers of the quilt, had for some time been looking for a long-term permanent home for the AIDS memorial.

SF health center names medical officer by John Ferrannini

he San Francisco Community Health Center has named an HIV specialist as its new chief medical officer. Dr. Alisson Sombredero, who was introduced at a news conference Tuesday, November 19, said she remembers the moment she decided to go into HIV care. She was a 20-yearold medical student in Colombia. “I had a patient who was my age and he was dying from an opportunistic infection, and he was a gay man and had a partner,” Sombredero, a straight ally, said. “I needed to test the partner and when I came back to the patient’s room to give the news that the partner was positive, I thought to myself that I would not be able to forgive somebody for infecting me. “But what I saw was two beautiful men, in love, promising to be together and taking care of their disease together – and that made me realize that I always wanted to be surrounded with people like them,” she added. Sombredero, 38, headlined a meet-and-greet at the health center’s main office on Polk Street. Formerly known as the Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center, which was founded in 1987, SFCHC has grown from focusing on API clients to the LGBT community more generally, particularly transgender and HIV-positive people. SFCHC also has a clinic on the fourth floor of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center on Market Street. District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney was at the event, and highlighted the importance of the health center for the community. “This is a place where people can feel at home, be seen and understood and that’s critically important for health and wellness,” Haney said. “Dr. Sombredero has exactly the kind of background, knowledge, and commitment that the (health center) has long had.” After graduating in Colombia, Sombredero completed an internship in HIV and infectious diseases in Spain and worked at both Highland Hospital in Oakland and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. She was most recently the chief of the HIV division of the Alameda Health System. Sombredero said she hopes to use her Oakland background to strengthen connections be-

50 years in 50 weeks: 2019:

AIDS quilt comes home

he November 21, 2019 issue contained big news: the National AIDS Memorial Grove announced that the M San Francisco-based nonprofit would become the steward of the massive AIDS Memorial Quilt, which started in San Francisco in 1987 when Cleve Jones, Mike Smith, and Gert McMullin opened a Castro storefront. (Jones had initially urged people to write the names of peoNEED CASH? Courtesy B.A.R. Archive ple who had died of AIDS on placards during 2.99 a march to the federal building in 1985). The resulting organization, the Names Project, had for many years housed the thousands of quilt panels in its new location in Atlanta. But by 2019, the project was looking for a permanent home for the quilt as the organization was in the process of winding down operations. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) and the late Congressmember John Lewis (D-Georgia), as well as Congressmember Barbara Lee (D-Oakland), were all involved in the negotiations to bring the quilt back to the Bay Area. In February 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the quilt panels were moved to a warehouse renovated for that purpose near the Oakland International Airport. While the pandemic has meant that the AIDS grove has not been able to fully utilize the quilt panels in public settings, some have been featured at various events over the past two years. To read the issue, visit https://issuu.com/bayareareporter/docs/november_21__2019 See page 12 >>

The AIDS quilt was last fully displayed in October 1996 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

Rick Gerharter

by Matthew S. Bajko

onday night the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency held a meeting in Noe Valley to present to the public its proposal for speeding up service on Muni’s notoriously slow J-Church subway line. The presentation kicked off at 5:30 p.m. Yet those downtown trying to make it to the meeting, held at a recreation center a short walk from a J-Church stop, left work that night to discover the next J-Church trains wouldn’t arrive for 28 to 30 minutes. They expressed their frustrations in text messages to District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, a gay man who represents most of the neighborhoods that the subway line traverses through on its route. “It is not functioning anywhere near close to how it could be functioning,” Mandelman told the Bay Area Reporter. J-Church trains, which carry 17,000 riders on weekdays, should arrive every nine to 10 minutes on weekdays and less frequently on weeknights – every 15-20 minutes – and every 12 minutes on weekends. But J trains are adhering to the schedule only 75% of the time. Since being elected in June 2018, Mandelman has been meeting with SFMTA staff to discuss ways to address the lackluster performance of the J-Church, which leaves the underground subway tunnel behind the Safeway shopping center on upper Market Street to turn left onto Church

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Street. It then runs along the surface street through the Castro and Noe Valley before heading to Glen Park and its terminus at the Balboa Park BART and Muni station. “When we started down this process, I was hoping to see some game-changing solutions that would make the J work,” said Mandelman. “These may be good improvements – I think many or all of them are – but we are still looking for the game-changer.” As part of its J-Church Improvement Project,

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SFMTA plans to approve a slew of quick fixes next year. It has proposed timing several traffic signals along Church Street to benefit the trains and turning a four-way stop at Cesar Chavez and Church Street into a traffic light stop. It is looking to remove the inbound stop at 30th and Church streets – which is roundly opposed by residents in the area – since there are several other stops a short walk away. And it is reviewing if J-Church trains can travel faster than See page 12 >>

Community News>>

March 10-16, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 7

Lesbians Who Tech gears up for fall conference by Eric Burkett

he last time Lesbians Who Tech & Allies held an in-person conference in San Francisco’s LGBTQ Castro neighborhood back in 2019 life was, arguably, a little easier to navigate. Organizers didn’t have to worry about the danger of COVID-19, which made packing attendees into event spaces a veritable non-issue. Oh, how times have changed. Lesbians Who Tech & Allies was founded in 2012 as an organization for queer women and their allies in the male-dominated tech field. The organization claims to be the largest queer tech organization in the world with 50,000 members in 42 cities around the globe. This year, the planned October 12-15 event, which has drawn upward of 6,000 people over its threeday span in the past, suddenly finds itself having to figure out how to safely contain and entertain at least 2,000 people without exposing anyone to the threat of COVID. To do so, organizers are planning on spreading the event out in tents in parking spaces around the block of Castro Street between Market and 18th streets in addition to its location at the Castro Theatre. Audrey Joseph, Lesbians Who Tech & Allies’ event producer and a lesbian with a storied history in San Francisco event production going back three decades, attended the March 3 virtual monthly meeting of the Castro Merchants Association to present her plan to its members. That plan, which is still in its formative stages, raised a few concerns. None more so than that perennial source of anxiety in spacecrunched San Francisco – parking. The prospect of bringing a couple of thousand people into a neighborhood over three days with even less

Courtesy Audrey Joseph

Audrey Joseph is producing the in-person Lesbians Who Tech & Allies conference slated for the Castro neighborhood in October.

parking than it had three years ago caught everyone’s attention, particularly when many of the event’s tents will be placed in otherwise heavily used parking spaces. Castro merchants are still smarting after what many now regard as the infamous U.S. premiere of the film “The Matrix: Resurrections” at the Castro Theatre last December. That event gobbled up key parking spaces just as the final days of the Christmas shopping rush were in full swing. After the dreary sales of the previous two years due to the pandemic, they had been frustrated by yet another impediment to drawing in customers. Joseph, who has produced numerous LGBTQ events in San Francisco, including work with Folsom Street, producing the San Francisco Pride main stage for years, and serving on the San Francisco Entertainment Commission, laid out her plan

for reserving parking on the street and in the parking lots behind the Castro Theatre and Walgreens, with its entries at 18th and Collingwood streets. She identified areas where unloading and reloading the trucks for setting up and tearing down the event would take place, as well as described the plans for a closure of 18th street at the Castro intersection. In addition, “We are considering 17th Street to Hartford,” Joseph told merchants, citing the need for more space. In fact, Lesbians Who Tech & Allies is scrambling for space throughout the LGBTQ district. Joseph said they were also searching for a place to set up their headquarters for the event. The last place they used in 2019, the then-empty Wild Card shop at 3989 17th Street, is now home to Eureka Sky, a cannabis dispensary.

Other concerns

Besides parking concerns in general, it was the matter of unloading the trucks that caught the attention of Terry Asten Bennett, a straight ally and the manager of Cliff’s Variety store. A yellow zone in front of her store is where her deliveries are unloaded, and she was very concerned about losing that critical space. Joseph assured her the conference organizers would be able to accommodate her concerns and noted they had done so in the past, as well. Later, in a phone conversation with the Bay Area Reporter, Bennett said she had faith in Joseph’s ability to make sure it wouldn’t be a problem to her business. They’ve always been “super responsive” to her concerns, she said. “I’ve always found them to be 100% responsive.” Still, the conference producer has her work cut out for her. She probably won’t win over Patrick Batt, the gay owner of Auto Erotica, upstairs

at 4077A 18th Street, where he sells vintage gay porn and collectibles. The idea of closing down 18th Street frustrates him, particularly after what he described as the “mistake” of closing down the street over the weekends last year for Shared Spaces in an effort to draw more foot traffic into the Castro during the pandemic. “When they closed the street for the last weekend of the month, it was a disaster,” said Batt in a phone interview with the B.A.R. Many of his customers drive in from out of town, he said, and they’re far less inclined to come if they can’t find a place to park. Joseph is confident there are alternatives that will help the merchants of Castro. In the meeting, various ways around the parking issue were

discussed, including valet parking, renting parking garages, and possibly even tapping the parking available at McKinley Elementary School over the weekend when its parking lot might be open. Despite those possibilities and his own admiration for the event’s success over the years, Batt thinks it’s that very achievement has made it too large for the neighborhood. The event “has grown and grown and grown,” he said. Leanne Pittsford, the founder of the now decade-old Lesbians Who Tech & Allies, rejects the idea that the conference should be moved. The Castro, she insisted in a phone interview with the B.A.R., is exactly where the event should be. See page 9 >>

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<< Community News

t 4 Bay Area college students among Zamora scholars 8 • Bay Area Reporter • March 10-16, 2022

compiled by Cynthia Laird

our Bay Area college students are among the latest group awarded Pedro Zamora Young Leaders scholarships from the National AIDS Memorial Grove. The $5,000 scholarships provide financial support for the academic aspirations of young activists working to advance health and social justice in their communities, according to a news release from the AIDS grove, which is located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The scholarship is named in the honor of Zamora, the late AIDS educator, activist, and reality television pioneer who died in 1994 from AIDS-related illness. Two students are from UC Berkeley – Olivia Freidenreich and Peter Pham. Freidenreich is a first year student at Cal and is exploring the intersection between literature, art, and social justice in the College of Letters and Science, according to a news release. She’s been a Planned Parenthood peer advocate and spoke to fellow high school students at state Senator Anthony Portantino’s (D-Pasadena) annual HIV/ AIDS summit. She also worked as an intern for the law enforcement accountability unit at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s office tracking officer-involved shootings and in-custody deaths. Freudenreich plans to continue her work at the convergence of criminal justice, reproductive health, and art. “As I bonded with fellow advocates and artists, I realized that my motivation to do this type of work was more than a hobby,” she stated. “It is a fierce passion that I will take with me into the future.” Pham is a community college

Courtesy National AIDS Memorial Grove

Bay Area college students Olivia Freidenreich, left, Peter Pham, Leo Parrott, and Jashui Zarate Torres are each receiving a Pedro Zamora scholarship from the National AIDS Memorial Grove.

transfer student to Cal, where he studies public health and molecular environmental biology. His goal is to become a public health physician. His work has been rooted using community organizing and advocacy to address the discrimination and shame that LGBTQ+ and HIVpositive people face. He served as a COVID pediatric vaccine researcher for Pfizer. “I hope to continue the fight against HIV/AIDS on the scientific front in addition to the legislative front,” he stated. Leo Parrott is a scholarship recipient who attends the University of San Francisco. They are a sophomore and enrolled in USF’s nursing program. Parrott has worked in the health care field as a medical assistant providing services including sexually transmitted infection testing, PrEP management, and hormone replacement therapy. Outside of work, they have participated in peer support groups centering transgender and

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gender-nonconforming people at the Pacific Center for Human Growth in Berkeley and the Transgender District in San Francisco. “As both a patient and a provider, my experiences within the health care system have affirmed the present need for LGBTQ+ competent care,” they stated. Jashui Zarate Torres is a freshman at Dominican University in San Rafael. She plans to become a psychiatrist focusing on research and advocacy for immigrant rights. She was an intern for the Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project and community health worker during the COVID-19 pandemic to help distribute quality resources and translation services for those in need. “My involvement in activism comes from a place of passion ingrained within my heart and desire to see true liberation of all people,” she stated. The other scholarship recipients are: Liggera Edmonds-Allen, a junior at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh; Evan Gates, a sophomore at Miami University in Ohio; Treasure Joiner, a freshman at Tulane University in New Orleans; Espoir Ledieu, a senior at W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University; Craig McFarland, a sophomore at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Aisha Tipnis, a junior at Brown University in Rhode Island; and Andrea Volcan, a senior at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The scholarships are provided through Gilead Sciences, Inc. and other partners, the AIDS grove stated. Since 2009 there has been more than $410,000 in scholarships awarded to 112 students. High school seniors and college students can apply for the next Zamora scholarships at https://bit. ly/3vNGNbo. The deadline is July 15.

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1800 Market Street. All are welcome in-person, stated Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club co-chair Gary McCoy, and the program will be livestreamed on the club’s Facebook page. Ms. Damiani, 65, died February 25. As the Bay Area Reporter noted in its obituary, she worked for 14 years as a district staffer for gay former state lawmaker Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), first in the Assembly then the Senate. She also served as board president for the Golden Gate Business Association, an LGBTQ chamber of commerce. Ms. Damiani was known for

SF masking updates

Beginning March 18, San Francisco city officials will strongly recommend, but won’t require, people to wear masks in city facilities, while face coverings are still required in courthouses, two news releases stated. In alignment with state guidance, indoor masking will no longer be required in City Hall and city facilities starting next Friday. Those include libraries, recreation centers, offices, and other service sites operated by the city, according to a news release from the city administrator’s office. However, as the San Francisco Department of Public Health has indicated, it is strongly recommended that especially unvaccinated individuals continue to wear masks indoors. Masks are still required in health care settings, congregate settings like correctional facilities and homeless shelters, and long-term care facilities. Federal and state law continues to require masks on public transit. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Superior Court announced that face coverings will remain mandatory in all courthouses. “The health and safety of the public remains our top priority,” stated Presiding Judge Samuel K. Feng. “We will continue to monitor health and safety guidelines, but at this point we will proceed with caution and continue our policy of requiring masks for everyone who comes into our courts.” The court will reschedule or postpone court dates, if necessary, to accommodate those who are ill due to COVID-19, the release stated.

SF launches ‘Be the Jury’ pilot program

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her trademark purple and lavender attire. To read the B.A.R.’s obituary, go to https://bit.ly/3CzHfvr The Alice club is raising funds to cover the costs of the memorial. People can donate at https://bit. ly/3Cm5Qn3

Memorial set for Bruce Pettit

The memorial for retired Bay Area Reporter journalist Bruce Pettit will be held Saturday, March 19, at 2 p.m. at Bethany United Methodist Church – A Reconciling Congregation, 1270 Sanchez Street (at Clipper) in San Francisco. Mr. Pettit died January 20 just 11 days shy of his 77th birthday. He was a political reporter for the B.A.R. from 19771979 and covered City Hall. For more, see the B.A.R.’s obituary at https://bit. ly/3Mv3NSA

program in San Francisco Superior Court, which will compensate low-to-moderate-income jurors $100 a day for their jury service. The program was created with the goal of establishing juries that are more reflective of San Francisco’s diverse communities, according to a joint news release from the public defender’s office, district attorney’s office, and the SF Financial Justice Project. Prospective jurors will now receive information about the pilot program with their jury summons. Judges will also brief prospective jurors when they arrive for jury service, the release noted. To learn more about the program, call 311 or visit https://www. sfsuperiorcourt.org/ (click on “jury reporting instructions”).

Fluid to hold queer coffee confab

Fluid Cooperative Cafe, a transowned coffeehouse in the Tenderloin, will hold its Queer Coffee Conference March 25-27, at the shop at 332 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco. The conference, which is free, will feature keynote remarks from coffee’s biggest queer icons, according to an email announcement. A three-track workshop curriculum based on coffee, entrepreneurship and event management, and two “coffee throwdowns” curated in collaboration with Glitter Cat will also be offered. In the announcement, organizers stated that “the conference was born after Fluid members noticed the lack of safe and inclusive coffee industry events for queer and trans individuals.” For more information and to sign up, go to https://bit.ly/35yLxHk

Alameda supe launches foster youth project

Alameda County Supervisor Dave Brown has announced that his office is looking for 10 former foster youth who can design and pitch a guaranteed income program for former foster youth in the county. The youth leaders will conduct a needs assessment, research guaranteed income programs, and develop a proposal that would help foster youth thrive. Brown, who was appointed to the District 3 seat on the board following the death last year of former supervisor Wilma Chan, stated in an email announcement that he has long advocated for foster and transition age youth. Interested people should complete a simple application at https://bit. ly/3pHqhFR by Tuesday, March 15.t

Memorial set for Robert Scot Webster

A memorial will be held Saturday, March 12, at 11 a.m. for Robert Scot Webster, who died March 13, 2020 right before the COVID lockdown. The service will be held at Mission Dolores Basilica, 3321 16th Street in San Francisco. There will be a brief reception following the Mass. Scot, as he was known, was proud of his volunteer work for St. Anthony, Martin de Porres, and Coming Home Hospice. He was also a grateful member of Alcoholics Anonymous with 40 years of continuous sobriety. He took great joy in his many grandnieces and nephews, who affectionately called him “Uncle Bob.” Donations are suggested for Coming Home Hospice (bit.ly/3HCNZJz). To read his obituary in the Bay Area Reporter that was published after his death, go to bit.ly/3HPhAQh

Business News>>

March 10-16, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 9

Couple revives downtown Livermore taproom by Matthew S. Bajko

ears ago Kristen Iosco had tended the bar at Tap 25, a taproom in downtown Livermore showcasing more than two-dozen beers on tap. She then was hired as the general manager at Almanac Beer Co., a taproom and brewery in Alameda. She stayed in touch, though, with her former bosses during the COVID-19 pandemic and inquired in November 2020 if they would be interested in selling the business. Deciding to move permanently to Vermont, their old bosses worked out a deal to transfer ownership to Iosco and her wife, Briana, whom she met nine years ago through friends in the beer industry. “I think they were just ready to fully leave California. It became difficult traveling during the pandemic,” said Kristen Iosco. “It is amazing to be back as a co-owner. It is a full circle dream come true.” Once she finishes training her replacement in the coming weeks, Kristen Iosco will be leaving Almanac to focus full time on Tap 25. Briana Iosco already left her position as an assistant GM at Almanac to oversee the couple’s taproom since it soft opened in February. “This opportunity sort of just evolved and came about during some really trying times for people,” said Briana Iosco. “We are thankful we were able to keep our jobs and pursue a dream. Now, here we are.” The women had announced last August that they, along with their dog Bentley, a black lab/ Great Pyrenees mix, had purchased the taproom and hoped to have it reopened by the fall. But it wasn’t until October that they were able to begin the demolition work, which they did themselves, to prep the space for a complete remodel. They switched the bar from the left end of the taproom to the right end and installed all-new taps that connect to the cold storage area for the kegs of beer they carry. The women left the exposed wood beam

@chelseayoungphotography

Kristen Iosco, left, and her wife, Briana, recently reopened Tap 25, a taproom in downtown Livermore.

ceiling but had a brand new wood floor put in with a grayish-blue hue. “We gave it a nice little facelift,” said Kristen Iosco. The couple decided to keep the name of the taproom, located at 25 South Livermore Avenue, but had designer and illustrator Jenni Curtice, the wife of a longtime employee, create a new logo. It features an elongated tulip-style beer glass in front of a hop. The reaction from former regulars of Tap 25 and new patrons alike has been immensely positive, said Briana Iosco, joking that there was “nothing soft” about their soft opening a few weeks prior to their official grand opening on February 24. “Livermore came in hot,” she said. Added Kristen Iosco, “I feel great that Livermore is so happy and excited that we are open again. I couldn’t be more thrilled that my wife and I just started something so beautiful, and that the town and community are accepting so well.” Kristen Iosco, 35, had moved from Wadsworth, Ohio to the Bay

Matthew S. Bajko

Blacksmith Square in downtown Livermore has been revitalized with businesses like Tap 25.

Lesbians who tech

From page 7

Pittsford, a lesbian, said she considers the Castro her home (although marriage, as it often does, has taken her away from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. where her wife works in politics). She spent many years in San Francisco, not only as a resident but as an activist.

The Castro, she said, “is the queer epicenter of the country, of the world. Why would it be anywhere else if we can make it work?” Besides, Pittsford added, the Folsom and Castro street fairs bring in hundreds of thousands of people, far more than the tech conference, even over an extended three-day period. This conference helps women reclaim their space in what is a cul-

Area at age 19 to be with her biological father, who was in the Air Force. Briana Iosco, 32, grew up in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and moved to the Bay Area in 2014 from South Florida. They live in Pleasant Hill, a short drive from Tap 25, which is situated in Livermore’s historic Blacksmith Square. The brick building housing the taproom used to be an auto repair business, with people driving their cars into the space where customers now pull up a seat to enjoy a craft beer, noted Briana Iosco. Behind it is Livermore’s newly renovated Stockmen’s Park, dedicated to U.S. military veterans and named in honor of the Stockmen’s Rodeo Association that donated the land for it. New housing is going up nearby and a boutique hotel is to be built across the street from the taproom. “Blacksmith Square has really come together. It is more connected to downtown so it won’t be too isolated and there is plenty of free parking,” said Briana Iosco. The taproom can seat 42 people inside while accommodating upward of 100 people in the outdoor patio it shares with several stores and an eatery serving focaccia sandwiches, flatbread pizza, and wines by the glass. On weekends, bands will perform in the courtyard starting at 2 p.m. The Iosco’s are self-professed fans of lagers, with Kristen also partial to hazy IPAs while Briana gravitates to stouts. They always have 25 beers on tap, but the selection can change throughout the day as each keg is kicked. In early March the rotating menu included a “Reality Czech” pilsner ($6) from Moonlight Brewing Company of Santa Rosa and “The Harlot” Belgian blonde light beer ($7) by Pizza Port Brewing Co. of Southern California. One hazy IPA selection was “Groundhog Day” ($8) by Great Notion Brewing in Portland, Oregon. They carry beer from several Livermore breweries, such as Altamont Beer Work’s “Nutty Operator” peanut butter oatmeal stout ($6) and Pennyweight Craft Brewing’s “Looking for Grains” ($7), a

turally vital site for LGBTQ people. Of course, the greater challenge might be the impact of the arrival of 2,000 conference goers, plus support staff, on the Castro’s coffee shops. “We had to figure out our coffee situation,” said Cliff ’s Variety’s Bennett, commenting on the rush on coffee shops during the last conference. “You don’t want to deal with uncaffeinated retail workers.”t

West Coast pale ale. Showing off their love for Almanac’s beers, the couple was also pouring its “Plum Sournova” barrel aged sour beer ($9) with notes of plums and vanilla. Another local offering was the “East Bay Nights” black lager ($9) from Oakland United Beerworks. At this time the Ioscos have no plans to brew their own beers, though it could be a possibility in the future, and they do not offer food other than bags of chips. They partner with food trucks to set up adjacent to their patio and welcome patrons to bring their own food with them. “We wanted to solely focus on beer,” said Kristen Iosco, adding that they also carry several ciders and sell cans of both to go. “We are making sure we have something to appease

everyone. We are making sure to have a variety of IPAs, lagers, and pilsners, especially for Livermore’s summer days.” They are also excited to partner with the local LGBTQ community on events and have already reached out to the organizers of Livermore’s Pride festival on ways to collaborate. The Tri-Valley has a growing LGBTQ population that has received strong support from the larger community over the last several years. “We are very excited, especially, to help bring more diversity to the Tri-Valley and to Livermore,” said Kristen Iosco. Most days the women bring Bentley with them to work, and their customers are also welcome to bring their own canine companions. Visitors from outside the area can plan an entire day around a stop at Tap 25 and several of the nearby wineries. Many are also dog-friendly like the taproom, such as Page Mill Winery a short drive away in Livermore, or Ruby Hill Winery in Pleasanton. (Reservations can be made for both, though Ruby Hill does have tables set aside for walk-ins.) Tap 25, for now, is currently closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Eventually, the Iosco’s expect to be open seven days a week. They are open from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays; noon to 9 p.m. Thursdays; noon to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. To learn more about the taproom, visit https://www.tap-25.com/t Got a tip on LGBTQ business news? Call Matthew S. Bajko at (415) 829-8836 or e-mail m.bajko@ ebar.com.

In Memoriam:

JIM PAINTER Jim Painter passed away peacefully on February 5, 2022, at his home in Palm Springs. Jim was born on April 16, 1943 in Warren, Ohio. He graduated from Youngstown University with a bachelor’s degree in public accounting and a master’s degree in management from Wayne State University. He worked in the defense industry for many years and retired from Lockheed Martin. Jim spent many years living part time in San Francisco and part time in Palm Springs, and had many friends in both cities. He is survived by his cousin Rodica in Ohio and her daughter Alina in Los Angeles. Jim was always a man of good cheer and especially enjoyed Broadway musicals, the Motown sounds, and good sushi. He will be sorely missed but always remembered by his friends and family.

<< From the Cover

10 • Bay Area Reporter • March 10-16, 2022

Castro vandalism

From page 1

had smashed a window then stolen his shop’s delivery app tablets. Gavin McEachern, captain of SFPD’s Mission Station, suggested adding additional safety protective measures, such as roll-down gates, but acknowledged “they’re unsightly and that may not be an option for you.” The captain offered to send a security expert to Perretta’s store to discuss other options, as well. It was important, too, McEachern said, to report these sorts of incidents. If it doesn’t get reported, he said, “I don’t know about it.” Gay Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who represents District 8 that includes the LGBTQ Castro neighborhood, is frustrated, too, he said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. “Vandalism is not new,” he said. “The neighborhood has been struggling with this since, at least, I came to office.” Suspicions by some of the Castro’s merchants that much of what they’re seeing is a result of the recent emergency declaration in the Tenderloin put in place by Mayor London Breed and the Board of Supervisors last December don´t play out, said Mandelman. The perception is that potential troublemakers have been forced out of that troubled neighborhood and have moved to the Castro. “I have not heard the police say that’s the case,” Mandelman said. He instead points to a litany of issues that have, unfortunately, come together turning the Castro into what he described as “ground zero.” While numerous neighborhoods in San Francisco are dealing with similar issues, and leaving merchants with the costs, “it’s really at its absolute worst in the Castro. And that really has to do with the acuity of the folks there, the degree of their addictions and their mental health issues.” At the merchants meeting, Mandelman told attendees, “The experi-

South Bay judges

From page 1

Fortunately, he had support from the very judges he worked under, especially Davila, who coached him through the vetting process, he said. “I have a lot to thank from family court. My job. My partner,” of 13 years, who also works in family court, Adams said. He said that he wouldn’t be on the bench without Davila, who told him, “You could do this actually. You could become a judge,” Adams recalled. The path to becoming a lawyer, much less a judge, wasn’t something that seemed like it was on the horizon for Delgado, 53, when she was outed in high school and kicked out of her central Texas home at the age of 16. Homeless and searching for a place to be out and safe, she and her girlfriend at the time made their way to Santa Cruz. A group of queer attorneys, including her future wife, a public defender, took her in and encouraged her to become a lawyer. She worked her way through Cabrillo College then attended UC Berkeley School of Law. She started her career working in the public defender’s offices in Monterey and Santa Clara counties. She said she is very proud Newsom (D) appointed her to the court in 2021. His decision to order city officials to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in 2004, when he was mayor of San Francisco, was a profound moment for her family, she said. (While those marriages were vacated by the state Supreme Court, it ruled in May 2008 that same-sex couples could marry after it overturned Proposition 22. Later that year, voters passed state Proposition 8, which then put an end to the nuptials, though the ones that occurred during the brief window

ment of not [prosecuting] property crime is not working for San Francisco. We need to come up with some kinds of accountability. Many folks are being sent out repeatedly with ankle monitors but it’s not working. We’ll be figuring this out for years to come. It’s important to prosecute people when they’re caught.” Part of the Castro’s problem is its very desirability, he later told the B.A.R. “It’s a neighborhood where if you’re queer, it feels safer. If you’re not queer, it feels safer,” he said. Castro Street is easy to get to, convenient to other neighborhoods, and it’s an easy place to obtain drugs, he explained. Mandelman acknowledged that, over the past month, there does seem to have been more vandalism and troubles than usual. On the whole, rates of violent and property crimes are up all over California. The San Francisco Bay Area is seeing, for property crimes, the highest rates of all. “In 2020, property crime in California reached the lowest level since 1960 (as far back as consistent crime statistics go), but in 2021 property crime in these four cities trended upward,¨ according to a report last December from the Public Policy Institute of California. Property crime rose nearly 7% (ranging from about 3% in Los Angeles to 13% in Oakland), when comparing the first 10 months of 2021 and 2020. After hovering around 20,000 reported property crimes per month in early 2021, the numbers have increased, reaching 25,000 in October, the highest monthly total since the beginning of the pandemic – and roughly the same number as before the pandemic. COVID-19 lay behind many of those low 2020 figures; lockdowns and curfews kept potential criminals at home. But that was then. Wander Castro Street now, and it’s easy to find people who are in-

Broken windowpanes at the Castro Theatre’s ticket booth are a common occurrence, according to Another Planet Entertainment, which has taken over programming at the movie palace.

creasingly alarmed by what they see as an increase in property crime. Just down the block from Mudpuppy’s, at Harvey’s on the corner of 18th and Castro streets, bartender Erik Leve has seen plenty of things that leave him, a 15-year Castro resident, feeling overwhelmed. “The amount of craziness on this corner has really increased,” he said from behind the bar, “it’s wearing down on all of us.” Up at the Castro Theatre, the ornately tiled ticket booth has been vandalized, a fact noticed by Ahlberg on his way to the gym earlier that day. One of the panels in the leaded windows has been smashed. That’s nothing new, said Margaret Casey, a straight ally who’s project manager for Another Planet Entertainment, which has just taken over management of the historic movie palace. She pointed to another missing panel at the back of the booth, next to the door and its lock. It’s been broken numerous times over the years by people attempting to break into the enclosure hoping, perhaps, they´ll find something of value. They don´t, of course, and the cost of replacing the panel is too much, as it would mean replacing several more panels, all lined with lead, above it, she said. There’s a list of annoyances she

Frustrations grow

Next door, at Castro Coffee Company, owner Ken Khoury has become more frustrated with increasing rates of crime on the street. Standing behind the counter of his fragrant, tightly packed little shop, he offers a list of petty – and not so petty – incidents he’s witnessed personally. There´s the guy who attempted recently to steal the store’s tip jar, he said, and the guy who tried reaching into the purse of a woman in his shop who was waiting for service. And then there’s the time a few months ago one of his employees was attacked with a metal bar by a guy on a bike. “There’s a lot of mental illness,” he said. “Sometimes it’s violent.” Khoury has been running his store for 35 years. “This neighborhood means a lot to me,” he said, but “people don’t come here because it isn´t safe.” Outside Khoury´s shop, James King sits at one of a handful of tables as he frequently does, drinking coffee with friends. A native of the neighborhood, he’s watched it evolve over the years from a vibrant district with full sidewalks to a place with increasing numbers of empty storefronts. He, too, can reel off a list of things

he’s seen on the street, from the tent that’s been in place at the corner of Market and Castro streets for the past month to the time he saw a man break into a rented scooter, remove the helmet, and then use it to smash storefront windows as he made his way down the street, all in broad daylight. Recently, he said, he suggested a number of neighborhood sites to visit to a family of tourists. Ten minutes after they left him, he saw them again, he said, hurriedly leaving after being traumatized by some of the street’s unrulier denizens. Of course, there are other problems, he pointed out. Even doubleincome couples can no longer afford to live in the neighborhood, and numerous empty storefronts only decrease foot traffic. “The bottom line is, it’s not inviting,” he said. Mandelman probably wouldn’t disagree with some of King’s takes on what’s happening in the Castro. “There’s a retail problem citywide, and a retail problem nationwide,” said Mandelman. “It’s more intense in an area like the Castro.” The single biggest problem, he stated, is the lack of beds and facilities for homeless people. “We have a large number of people living unsheltered in the street, using substances and exhibiting behaviors that are bad for the community,” Mandelman said. Mandelman is hopeful that the city’s efforts to address the crisis in the Tenderloin will lead to some answers for the rest of the city. “My hope would be that they’re able to solve the problem in the Tenderloin, or improve it, and that will inform how we deal with the problem in the Castro,” he said. “In San Francisco, these kinds of petty crimes don’t get any jail time at all,” Mandelman said. “We don’t have a robust public health response … so the front lines, the people who deal with this everyday, those are the merchants and they’re being asked to do things they shouldn’t have to.”t

were legal. After a trial in 2010, federal Judge Vaughn Walker, who came out as gay afterward, ruled Prop 8 unconstitutional. His decision was upheld on appeal and, in 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court let the ruling stand, ushering in marriage equality in the state. Two years later, in Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court legalized samesex marriage nationwide.)

frenzy “a big celebration of queerness up in San Francisco.” She said she will never forget the excitement and joy and “how much it meant to have a government official stand up for us in the way that Gavin Newsom did that day.” At the same time, the couple worried about the daily legal pitfalls that could affect their young family, Delgado said, referring to their adopting a son who is now 16. “Every single day of life was plagued by this uncertainty that we had,” she said. “We were really demoralized and nervous and scared.” Emede and Garcia got married in 2008 before the passage of Prop 8. “I felt different in the world the day after the decision came down saying that we could get married,” said Emede, stating for the first time she felt like she had the same rights as everyone else on the street she was walking on in downtown San Jose. “I know it’s not for everybody, but for us, it mattered. “Not everybody wants to get married and that’s fine,” she added. “The key is that we have the ability to do it.” Adams and his partner, whom he did not name, chose not to get married now that it is legal, he said, but that freedom to choose did change him. “The day after that you could get married, you did feel different,” he said.

changes – rainbow flags flying over government buildings and government officials standing up for LGBTQ rights – during the decades that allowed her to be bolder about authentically being herself as a lawyer and at court. “There were little things that I think started to happen that, maybe, I felt made it more possible for me to be explicitly out,” said Delgado, who describes herself as a Latinx femme with an “inner drag queen.” Delgado, who designated herself as the “junior judge,” and the “senior queer” in the court said, “I’m pretty gay, gay, gay, queer, queer, queer everywhere I go.” Her biggest step coming out professionally was when she brought officials from the National Equity Project to the county’s justice community to provide staff with LGBTQ and ethnic cultural sensitivity training. “I trained law enforcement. I trained prosecutors. I trained defense attorneys,” Delgado said. “That was probably, I think, the first time that I was really markedly out.” Emede had a similar experience during her career as a family attorney. Her law partners stood by her not taking clients if they had issues with her being openly lesbian. She was able to work on family and partnership cases strengthening same-sex couples’ and family rights before marriage equality, she said. Delgado said from day one in her courtroom, she announced her pronouns. “I remember coming out and announcing my pronouns on the bench as part of my announcements along with, ‘Wear your mask,’” she said. Emede said she hadn’t thought about stating her pronouns along with the other announcements she makes at the beginning of each session. “I think I’m going to [do that],” she said, looking at Delgado.

She explained her years of being closeted at Hewlett-Packard taught her how to use gender-neutral pronouns that she’s carried with her to the bench. She added that people entering her courtroom can choose their preferred name and pronoun on a form outside her courtroom. People can hand the form to her deputy to give to her. “What we want to do is be able to have people be addressed, however they want to be addressed when they come into our courtroom,” Emede said. “I want all those humans in front of me to feel like they can say whatever it is they’re there to say to me regardless of all of the things in their life.” Adams, on the other hand, has been more private about his sexuality throughout his career, he said, appearing to struggle with the issue as he spoke. “It was never something I wanted to necessarily keep secret,” he said about being out as a family law attorney and now as a judge in family court. “It was definitely something that I kept in the background just because I didn’t want it to be an issue. “I never wanted people to think that I was giving them advice that was something less than because I don’t have my own children, or I wasn’t a parent, or if I was a parent, [but] a different kind of parent,” he said. “It did bother me a little bit.” Profiles of Emede, Delgado, Adams, and Schwarz are on the Queer Silicon Valley website, a project of the BAYMEC Foundation, Yeager said. Profiles about the other out judges will be posted soon. Administrative Presiding Justice Mary Greenwood, an ally, moderated the discussion. Brown appointed Greenwood, a former Santa Clara County judge, to the state’s 6th District Court of Appeal in 2017.t

Desirable neighborhood

The queer legal eye

The judges said that being LGBTQ lawyers and later judges gave them keen insight into how the law affects the community, especially when their partnerships and families were excluded from being protected under the law. “While we couldn’t get married and have the rights of marriage, at least we could help people get recognition for their children,” said Emede about working with couples on family and relationship rights before the advent of same-sex marriage. “That was very important work.” However, she and her partner of 31 years, Marci Garcia, did not rush to San Francisco City Hall to get hitched during 2004’s “Winter of Love.” They waited, knowing the high chance the marriages would be invalidated. Emede also had to consider her future appointment to the court. Up to that moment, she was very involved in BAYMEC, but she had to not be as politically outspoken as a judge, she said. “Judges are unable to take a stand on a political issue that might come before them,” Emede said about having to remain silent publicly and patient privately. Delgado and Diana, her partner of 24 years, took a different approach in 2004. “We were so excited to be married just for the sake of being able to do it,” she said, calling the monthlong

Eric Burkett

Out on the bench

Delgado and Emede said they found power in being out during their careers. They are keenly aware of how being openly lesbian shaped their careers and their courtrooms. During her career, Delgado found herself routinely assigned cases involving LGBTQ victims and Indigenous people. She also began to see small but significant

and the theater staff face on a regular basis. About once a week, she can count on someone attempting to jimmy open a poster display, and three times a week, the theater pays to have the entryway and sidewalk power-washed, to clean away all the food, urine, and feces that are left there. The GLBT Historical Society tweeted March 8 that last weekend someone attempted to break a large street-facing window at its museum on 18th Street in the Castro. The incident was reported to police. No staff or visitors were hurt, but a passerby who intervened was injured, society officials wrote. The society stated that the museum staff is reviewing safety protocols.

t <<

From the Cover>>

LGBTQ judges climb

From page 1

According to additional data released last week by Newsom’s office, he has appointed 169 people to the state’s courts as governor, including 91 in 2021, from a pool of 1,082 applicants. Last year, 19 LGBTQ people applied, and seven received judicial appointments from the governor. The Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation 2021 Statewide Demographics Report also released March 1 revealed it had reviewed 138 candidates’ qualifications for judicial office last year, and 10 of those were known to be from the LGBTQ community. One lesbian applicant and a female transgender applicant were both found to be exceptionally well qualified, while another lesbian ap-

March 10-16, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 11

plicant was declared well qualified. An LGBTQ female candidate was found to be not qualified. Two gay male applicants were deemed exceptionally well qualified, and three were declared well qualified. Another gay applicant was found to be qualified. The Judicial Council of California first began reporting on the LGBTQ makeup of the Golden State’s judges in 2012 due to a change in state law and found there were at least 37 out jurists serving in 2011. The annual reports are published at the start of March each year and cover the previous year. The annual demographic information is often inaccurate and does not include every known LGBTQ jurist, as the forms are not always filled out by the judges or they will not answer all of the demographic categories they’re asked about. Of the

1,706 respondents to the 2021 report, 370 justices did not provide their sexual orientation or gender identity; the bulk of those, 353 judges, serve on trial courts at the county level. There continues to be one out member on the California Supreme Court due to Newsom’s appointment in 2020 of Martin Jenkins, a gay Black man who had been the governor’s judicial appointment secretary. All five of his colleagues on the state’s highest court last year identified as heterosexual per the latest report. Newsom last month nominated 4th District Court of Appeal Justice Patricia Guerrero to the seventh seat on the court. The first-generation Californian is expected to be confirmed March 22 and become the first Latina to serve on the California Supreme Court. In the nine-county Bay Area, the superior courts in Marin, Napa,

names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/18/22.

as SONJA CHENG DESIGN PRACTICE, 1463 19TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SONJA CHENG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/21/22.

and Solano counties continue to have no LGBTQ judges on the bench per the judicial demographic data. Sonoma County now joins the list, as it went from having one in 2020 to none in 2021 according to the new report. The 2021 data reports there are four LGBTQ judges in Santa Clara County. Yet there are at least six out members of the South Bay bench, according to a recent panel discussion with three of them. Contra Costa and San Mateo counties continue to have two each, based on the 2021 data. San Diego County currently has the third most LGBTQ jurists of any of the state’s 58 county courts, with seven as of the end of last year. San Francisco had been tied with it, but the local superior court is now down to four gay and two lesbian judges due to the retirement

last month of lesbian judge Angela Bradstreet. Newsom has yet to name her successor to the bench. There continue to be five LGBTQ jurists serving in San Bernardino County, and three remain on the Orange County Superior Court. The local benches in El Dorado, Fresno, Imperial, Riverside, Sacramento, and San Joaquin continue to each have one out judge. New to the official list in 2021 are Kings and Santa Cruz counties, with each now having one lesbian judge. In Santa Cruz it is due to the 2020 election of Judge Nancy de la Peña, who was sworn in last year to become the first out judge on her local superior court. As of the end of 2021, the official data showed the California judiciary included 31 lesbian jurists, 40 who identified as gay, four bisexuals, and one transgender member.t

Legals >> ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-556924

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039627200

In the matter of the application of VANYA RENEE MORALES AKA VANYA RENEE COLE, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner VANYA RENEE MORALES AKA VANYA RENEE COLE is requesting that the names VANYA RENEE MORALES AKA VANYA RENEE COLE be changed to VANYA RENEE COLE. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 29th of MARCH 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as TRISHINE, 676 GEARY ST #105, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JOMELYN CAOILE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/08/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039603600

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CORDON BLEU RESTAURANT, 1574 CALIFORNIA ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KATIE YU. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/15/95. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/18/22.

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-556920

In the matter of the application of MARVIN MCNEALY, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner MARVIN MCNEALY is requesting that the name MARVIN MCNEALY be changed to MARLEY MARVIN ALOFATASI MCNEALY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 24th of MARCH 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039629700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ORTHODONTIC CENTER OF SAN FRANCISCO; JANICE C. TAM, DDS, MSD, 2411 OCEAN AVE #102, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JANICE CAROL TAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 05/01/01. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/11/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039625000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SUZ BAX ART, 305 STEINER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SUZANNE BAXTER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039628100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as FINITE FACTORY, 339 COLLINGWOOD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JESSE KRISS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039626400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ARL RELIANCE LIMOUSINE SERVICE, 1801 39TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed WEIBIN LEI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039629900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as KATHARTIC STUDIO, 11 OAKWOOD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KATHLEEN DONAHUE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/02/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/11/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039602900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PRISM GROUP, C/O COMPASS, 891 BEACH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DAVID PAUL BROWN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or C

I T Y

A N D

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039606200 The following person(s) is/are doing business

O U N T Y

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039627500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as GIANTPIXELS STUDIO, 775 POST ST #511, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CHAD DEMOSS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039630700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as STUDIO RHYE, 3579 MISSION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed MICHELLE LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039631400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALCHEMY ART HEALING ACADEMY, 2014 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed GEORGIA BUIE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039623600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LUCKY CAT STICKER, 158 FARALLONES ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KA YI LI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/07/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039608900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ANGELIC TEAS, 58 WEST PORTAL AVE #524, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANGELICA JUANITA GROVER. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/21/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 01/24/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

O F

SAN FRANCISCO

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039631100

Prepar ed by The Office of the Clerk of the Board Pursuant to Admin. Code 2 .81

Community Outreach Public Notice MARCH 2022

Department Announcements Redistric�ng Task Force (RDTF) The RDTF needs your input� �isit the Redistric�ng website for direc�ons on how to a�end their mee�ngs and tell them where to draw the Supervisorial District lines. Website: www.sf.gov/publicbody/2020-census-redistric�ng-task-force. Contact the Clerk, �ohn Carroll, at rd��sfgov.org for more informa�on. Child Support Services Child support ma�ers can be complicated, stressful, and confusing. The Department of Child Support Services helps parents understand the process so they know their rights and op�ons for making and receiving support payments. The Department of Child Support Services are available to assist you in person or by phone. Call today at (866) 901-3212 or visit online at www.sfgov.org/dcss to learn how we can help you. Schedule an appointment to open your case at h�ps://sfgov.org/dcss/opening-case. San Francisco �nterna�onal Airport REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR OPPORTUNITY AT SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT The Airport Commission is commencing a Request for Proposals (RFP) process for the Terminal 3 West Casual Dining & Bar Lease, a Small Business Enterprise Set-Aside. The proposed business terms for this opportunity are as follows: Casual dining & bar Term is 3 years, plus three 1-year op�ons Rent is the higher of the Minimum Annual Guarantee of $100,000 or 8% of gross revenues Proposers must be a Small Business Concern defined as an en�ty with annual gross receipts of not more than $8,000,000 per year Proposer may not currently hold, or have previously held, a lease or permit at SFO or at any other airport A �irtual �nforma�onal Conference and RFP Submi�al Workshop will be held on February 23, 2022, via WebEx at 10 am Pacific �me. For informa�on, please visit h�p://www.flysfo.com/business-at-sfo/current-opportuni�es or contact Tomasi Toki at (650) 821-4500. Current or Upcoming Board or Commission Vacancies: Sunshine Ordinance Task Force (SOTF) The SOTF advises the Board of Supervisors and provides informa�on to City departments on appropriate ways to implement the Sunshine Ordinance; to ensure that delibera�ons of commissions, boards, councils and other agencies of the City and County are conducted before the people and that City opera�ons are open to the people’s review. �isit h�ps://s�os.org/sunshine-ordinance-task-force for upcoming term expira�ons or vacancies. The Assessment Appeals Board (AAB) The AAB resolves legal and value assessment issues between the Assessor’s office and property owners. Board vacancies are as follows: Board 1 – two; Board 2 - three; and Board 3 – five. Hearings are quasi-judicial, conducted in a manner similar to a court se�ng, with evidence and tes�mony presented by the par�es. The Board then evaluates the evidence and tes�mony and renders its decision. To be eligible for seat appointment, you must have a minimum of five years professional experience in California as either a: (1) public accountant; (2) real estate broker; (3) a�orney; or (4) property appraiser accredited by a na�onally recogni�ed organi�a�on, or cer�fied by either the Office of Real Estate Appraiser or the State Board of Equali�a�on. The City and County of San Francisco encourages public outreach. �r�cles are translated into several languages to provide be�er public access. The newspaper makes every effort to translate the ar�cles of general interest correctly. No liability is assumed by the City and County of San Francisco or the newspapers for errors and omissions. CNSB# 3560513

SF.GOV/ES

The following person(s) is/are doing business as AFRICAN OUTLET, THE, 4942 3RD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JUDAH DWYERDAHLSTROM & HORGAN EDET. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/03/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/14/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039627600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NOT LATTE, 2142 IRVING ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed HA TEA INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039628600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ALCHEMY ARTS & HEALING ACADEMY, 2014 TARAVAL ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94116. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ABC SF HOUSING INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/11/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/10/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039629000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CLAY OVEN INDIAN CUISINE, 1689 CHURCH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed APPAM SF CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/10/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE A-039629100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CLAY OVEN INDIAN RESTAURANT, 385 WEST PORTAL AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94127. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed N MALHI SF CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/29/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/10/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039629200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as INDIA CLAY OVEN RESTAURANT AND BAR, 2436 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed COURTYARD SF CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/30/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/10/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039629300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as INDIAN OVEN, 233 FILLMORE ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed J MALHI (SF) CORPORATION (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/29/15. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/10/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039626700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as VALENTI DIGITAL, 1072 14TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed APPLIED PERFORMANCE SOLUTIONS, INC. (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039628500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PACIFIC COCKTAIL HAVEN, 550 SUTTER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed 580 SUTTER STREET MGMT, LLC (ON BEHALF OF 580 SUTTER STREET LP) (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 06/02/16. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/10/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039628700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SF EXPEDITIONS, LLC, 1700 VAN NESS AVE #1038, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SF EXPEDITIONS, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/02/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/10/22.

FEB 17, 24, MAR 03, 10, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-556923

In the matter of the application of FNU NOMAN, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner FNU NOMAN is requesting that the name FNU NOMAN be changed to ARYAN SOLOMON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 29th of MARCH 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 24, MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-556935

In the matter of the application of MAURA DILLEY, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner OSCAR GOLDEN DILLEY is requesting that the name OSCAR GOLDEN DILLEY be changed to RHYS GOLDEN DILLEY. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 5th of APRIL 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

FEB 24, MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039632500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as LAHORE DE KHUSHBOO, 4445 3RD ST #310, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94124. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SHUMAILA ALI. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/15/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/15/22.

FEB 24, MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT

FILE A-039628300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as RISING, 612 C WISCONSIN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JENNIFER BRYCE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/26/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/10/22.

FEB 24, MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039635600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as INSURANCE AGENCY J&E AND REGISTRATION SERVICES, 2390 MISSION ST #101, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RAMON ERNESTO LOPEZ OCHOA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/18/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/18/22.

FEB 24, MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039627800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as CAFÉ ZITOUNA, 430 TURK ST #909, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed NAJIB REBIA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/09/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/09/22.

FEB 24, MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039635100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as ARGAO DESIGNS, 837 PERALTA AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LINDA M. ARGAO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/86. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/18/22.

FEB 24, MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039633200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as 4 STAR THEATER, 2200 CLEMENT ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed CINEMASF INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/22.

FEB 24, MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039625400 The following person(s) is/are doing business as ON BEYOND, 1311 22ND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94107. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed FIRST LAST AND ALWAYS (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/08/22.

FEB 24, MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

AMENDED NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF MOIRA HASTINGS SCHERE IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-22-305097

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of MOIRA HASTINGS SCHERE. A Petition for Probate has been filed by MEGAM HASTINGS in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that MEGAN HASTINGS be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests the decedent’s will and codicils, if any, be admitted to probate. The will and any codicils are available for examination in the file kept by the court. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: MARCH 30, 2022, 9:00 am, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal

<< Section

12 • Bay Area Reporter • March 10-16, 2022

of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: SUTTER C. SELLECK (SBN 290247), 649 MAIN ST #102, NUMBER 107, MARTINEZ, CA 94553; Ph. (925) 899-9130.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF FRANCINE MARIE DOUGLASS IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES-22-305147

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of FRANCINE MARIE DOUGLASS. A Petition for Probate has been filed by MARCEL R. DUBONNET in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that MARCEL R. DUBONNET be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: MARCH 21, 2022, 9:00 am, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA RAPID TRANSIT DISTRICT NOTICE TO PROPOSERS – GENERAL INFORMATION EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM SERVICES FOR BART RFP NO. 6M4782 The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (“BART” or “District”) intends to engage the services of a consulting firm or joint venture (“CONSULTANT”) to provide Employee Assistance Program Services for BART. Accordingly, BART will be accepting proposals (“Proposals”) from proposers (“Proposers”) for consideration for the selection of a CONSULTANT to perform the scope of services specified in this Request for Proposals (“RFP”). Proposals must be received by BART by 2:00 PM local time on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. Proposals shall be submitted to the following address: District Secretary’s Office San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District 2150 Webster Street, 10th Floor Oakland, CA 94612 REQUIRED REGISTRATION ON THE BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL In order for prospective Proposers to be eligible for award of an Agreement being solicited on the BART Procurement Portal, such Proposers are required to be currently registered to do business with BART on the BART Procurement Portal online at https://suppliers.bart.gov and have obtained Solicitation Documents, updates, and any Addenda issued online so as to be added to the Online Planholders List for this solicitation. If a prospective Proposer is a joint venture or partnership, such entity may register on the BART Procurement Portal with the entity’s tax identification number (TIN) and download the Solicitation Documents so as to be listed as an online planholder under the entity’s name prior to submitting its Proposal. If such entity has not registered on BART Procurement Portal in the name of the joint venture or partnership prior to submitting its Proposal, provided that at least one of the joint venturers or partners registered online on the BART Procurement Portal and downloaded the Solicitation Documents so as to be added to the Online Planholders List for this solicitation, such entity will be required to register with the entity’s TIN as an online planholder following the submittal of Proposals, in order for the entity to be eligible for award of this Agreement. PROPOSERS WHO HAVE NOT REGISTERED ON THE BART PROCUREMENT PORTAL PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A PROPOSAL, (OR FOR A JOINT VENTURE OR PARTNERSHIP AS DESCRIBED ABOVE PRIOR TO AWARD) AND DID NOT DOWNLOAD THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS FOR THIS SOLICITATION ONLINE SO AS TO BE LISTED AS AN ONLINE PLANHOLDER FOR THIS SOLICITATION, WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARD OF THIS AGREEMENT. PRE-PROPOSAL MEETING A Pre-Proposal Meeting will be held on Thursday, March 17, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. local time via Zoom presentation. All interested parties must RSVP via registering with the Zoom link included within the RFP in order to participate in this Pre-Proposal Meeting. Should there be difficulties in registering, please contact veronica.zamani@bart.gov. Instructions on attending the Zoom Presentation are included within the RFP. At the Pre-Proposal Meeting, the District’s Equity Program(s) will be explained. Prospective Proposers are requested to make every effort to participate in this only scheduled Pre-Proposal Meeting. At the conclusion of the Pre-Proposal Meeting, participants will be given the opportunity to share their contact information to facilitate networking offline. /s/ John Mazza John Mazza, Director of Procurement 3/10/22 CNS-3562778# BAY AREA REPORTER

CNSBI_3562778.indd 1

3/3/22 2:33 PM

Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: BENJAMIN H. EAGLETON, ESQ (SBN 316167), EAGLETON|POTTIER, P.C., 915 HIGHLAND POINTE DR #250, ROSEVILLE, CA 95678; Ph. (916) 936-1973.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

NOTICE OF PETITION TO ADMINISTER ESTATE OF ALAN CHARLES VIRAMONTES IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO: FILE PES22-305159

To all heirs, beneficiaries, creditors, contingent creditors, and persons who may otherwise be interested in the will or estate, or both, of ALAN CHARLES VIRAMONTES AKA ALAN CHARLES BEAR AKA ALAN C. VIRAMONTES AKA ALAN C. BEAR. A Petition for Probate has been filed by ALICE VIRAMONTES in the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco. The Petition for Probate requests that ALICE VIRAMONTES be appointed as personal representative to administer the estate of the decedent. The petition requests authority to administer the estate under the Independent Administration of Estates Act. (This authority will allow the personal representative to take many actions without obtaining court approval. Before taking certain very important actions, however, the personal representative will be required to give notice to interested persons unless they have waived notice or consented to the proposed action.) The independent administration authority will be granted unless an interested person files an objection to the petition and shows good cause why the court should not grant the authority. A hearing on the petition will be held in this court as follows: MARCH 28, 2022, 9:00 am, Rm. 204, Superior Court of California, 400 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA 94102. If you object to the granting of the petition, you should appear at the hearing and state your objections or file written objections with the court before the hearing. Your appearance may be in person or by your attorney. If you are a creditor or contingent creditor of the decedent, you must file your claim with the court and mail a copy to the personal representative appointed by the court within the latter of either (1) four months from the date of first issuance of letters to a general personal representative, as defined by section 58(b) of the California Probate Code, or (2) 60 days from the date of mailing or personal delivery to you of a notice under section 9052 of the California Probate Code. Other California statutes and legal authority may affect your rights as a creditor. You may want to consult with an attorney knowledgeable in California law. You may examine the file kept by the court. If you are a person interested in the estate, you may file with the court a Request for Special Notice (form DE-154) of the filing of an inventory and appraisal of estate assets or of any petition or account as provided in Probate Code section 1250. A Request for Special Notice form is available from the court clerk. Attorney for petitioner: KATIE LESTER (SBN 323579), KATIE LESTER ATTORNEY AT LAW, 770 L ST #950, SACRAMENTO, CA 95814; Ph. (916) 246-8331.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039637700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SANDY’S FAMILY DAY CARE, 793 O’FARRELL ST #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SANDRA GUTIERREZ FLORES. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/22/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039634500

The following person(s) is/are doing business as KONA LINEN AND DECORS, 429 BUSH ST #21, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed SAFIAH BINTI BOYONG. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/16/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/17/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039639600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BIG CITY SOFTWASH, 1263 16TH AVE #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DANIEL THOMAS CAREY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039639900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as RALEY’S INTERIORS, 1339 10TH AVE #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed PATRICIA LOUISE RALEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/22/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039636600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as NURTURED BEING MENTAL HEALTH, 2211 POST ST #300, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed DENNICE IBARRA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/28/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039641000

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BRIGHT SERVICES, 349 SAN CARLOS ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed EDGAR S. MOSQUEDA CRESPO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/24/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039630300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HOOD TABLE TALK, 128 BLYTHDALE AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed COMELIA JOHNSON. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 07/12/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/11/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039640900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE SCENT LIBRARY; VENICESA, 671 38TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed VANESSA TAM. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039641800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as AEG7, 90 NIDO AVE #1, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94115. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed ANDREA GAFFNEY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/25/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/25/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039643200 The following person(s) is/are doing business as EASY ACCOUNTING, 240 2ND AVE #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed KA KIT LEE. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/25/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039630600 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SUGAR BY JENNIFER, 1618 UNION ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed JENNIFER SANCHEZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/10/17. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/11/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039643300 The following person(s) is/are doing business as INKSPRITE DESIGN, 30 MARGARET AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94112. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed CESAR RAMIREZ. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 12/01/08. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039624100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as SPLENDIFEROUS BUSINESS SERVICES, 2865 24TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94110. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed TIA MARIE PAQUIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/07/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039640300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BLACK GOLD GRIPTAPE, 801 BURNETT AVE #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed GARY ROGERS & JOHN GRIFFIN. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/22/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039642800

The following person(s) is/are doing business as EVERYDAY, 801 BURNETT #5, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94131. This business is conducted by a general partnership, and is signed JOHN A. GRIFFIN & JENNIFER CURIEL. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/22/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039643100 The following person(s) is/are doing business as IZAKAYA DASH, 294 9TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed H24 SUSHI LOUNGE INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039643900

94122. This business was conducted by an individual and signed by GERALDINE LECUYER LOUVEL. The fictitious name was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 07/22/21.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-556954

In the matter of the application of JIM BRICK, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner JASON SANT is requesting that the name JIM BRICK be changed to JASON SCOTT SANT. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 14th of APRIL 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-556963

In the matter of the application of STEPHANIE ASHLEY NEVINS, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner STEPHANIE ASHLEY NEVINS is requesting that the name STEPHANIE ASHLEY NEVINS be changed to STEPHANIE ASHLEY NEVINS CLIFFTON. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Rm. 103N on the 19th of APRIL 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-556962

In the matter of the application of ABIGAIL TRINIDAD FUENTES, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ABIGAIL TRINIDAD FUENTES is requesting that the name ABIGAIL TRINIDAD FUENTES be changed to ABIGAIL TRINIDAD BADILLO. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 19th of APRIL 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

ORDER TO SHOW CAUSE FOR CHANGE OF NAME IN SUPERIOR COURT OF CALIFORNIA, COUNTY OF SAN FRANCISCO FILE CNC-22-556960

The following person(s) is/are doing business as PIE PUNKS, 145 2ND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94105. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed ASCLEPIUS BEVERAGE CO. LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039636700

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE GEEZ FREEZE, 3750 18TH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed THE 3 G’S INVESTMENTS LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/02/19. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/24/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039634200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as SAN FRANCISCO DASH, 737 DIAMOND ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94114. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed SUSHI NOE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/16/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039639300

The following person(s) is/are doing business as GROSVENOR COURT, 2055 SACRAMENTO ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed MII, LLC, A CALIFORNIA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, GENERAL PARTNER (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/10/80. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039639400

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CARILLON TOWER, 1100 GOUGH ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94109. This business is conducted by a limited partnership, and is signed CARILLON GP, LLC, A CALIFORNIA LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, GENERAL PARTNER (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 04/10/80. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/23/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039645200

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BLUE SPA, 2809 SAN BRUNO AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FIRST IMPRESSIONS BEAUTY SERVICES (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as BERGSSEN, 775 47TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed PROJECT SKYLINE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 11/08/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/22.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as HIWOT, 740 BUCHANAN ST #3, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed HIWOT KASSA GEBREGIORGIS. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/23/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039644900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as REV. LILI HIBARINO, 355 SERRANO DR #11H, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94132. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed LIANA YUMI HIBARINO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/11/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039636900

The following person(s) is/are doing business as METAVENT, 2932 BAKER ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed ANNA MARIE EVENTS, INC. (DE). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/01/21. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/25/22.

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039645100

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039637300

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039642100

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039643400

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039643600

The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE COFFEE BERRY, 1410 LOMBARD ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed THREE BEANS COFFEE LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on N/A. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/22/22.

is conducted by a corporation, and is signed RED INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 10/12/02. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/22.

In the matter of the application of ASTRID CHRISTIANE BECKER-CELIK & CAN SABRI CELIK, for change of name having been filed in Superior Court, and it appearing from said application that petitioner ASTRID CHRISTIANE BECKER-CELIK & CAN SABRI CELIK is requesting that the name CHIARA FRANCESCA CELIK be changed to CHIARA FRANCESCA BECKER. Now therefore, it is hereby ordered, that all persons interested in said matter do appear before this Court in Dept. 103N, Rm. 103N on the 19th of APRIL 2022 at 9:00am of said day to show cause why the application for change of name should not be granted.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as APRIL REALTOR; APRIL DISTRIBUTOR, 204 VALENCIA ST #6, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed APRIL FINANCIAL, INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/01/22.

MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MCGEARY PRODUCTIONS, 665 GEARY ST #304, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed RYAN MCGEARY. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/22.

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FLENOID JANITORIAL SERVICES, 38 MOSS ST #B301, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed FS&L REAL ESTATE GROUP, LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 02/28/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/28/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039646100

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039648100

The following person(s) is/are doing business as FLUENT READERS SF, 469 FREDERICK ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed MADRID FAMILY LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/02/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039648800 The following person(s) is/are doing business as THE LAUNDRY CORNER, 700 7TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94118. This business is conducted by a limited liability company, and is signed NGO LAU LLC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039648700 The following person(s) is/are doing business as MOON AND SUN, 780 24TH AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94121. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed YOSHIKO MAEKAWA. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/04/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/04/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039647900 The following person(s) is/are doing business as BREE CHEESE MEDIA, 134 DUBOCE AVE #11, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103. This business is conducted by an individual, and is signed AUBRIANNE DEMASCO. The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/03/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/03/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039633500 The following person(s) is/are doing business as DYNA ELECTRIC, 401 CRESCENT CT #4308, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94134. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed DYNA MAIDS INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 01/01/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 02/16/22.

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039645600

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MAR 03, 10, 17, 24, 2022

The following person(s) is/are doing business as MONA LISA MARE E MONTI RESTAURANT AND BAR, 414 COLUMBUS AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94133. This business is conducted by a corporation, and is signed BUONVICINO INC (CA). The registrant(s) commenced to transact business under the above listed fictitious business name or names on 03/02/22. The statement was filed with the City and County of San Francisco, CA on 03/02/22.

STATEMENT OF ABANDONMENT OF USE OF FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME FILE A-039419200

MAR 10, 17, 24, 31, 2022

30 YEARS EXPERIENCE

FICTITIOUS BUSINESS NAME STATEMENT FILE A-039633400

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The following persons have abandoned the use of the fictitious business name known as PALM AND MILK, 350 JUDAH ST #503, SAN FRANCISCO, CA

The following person(s) is/are doing business as CAMERA ZONE AND ART GALLERY, 662 GRANT AVE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94108. This business

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MACINTOSH HELP

RICK

415.821.1792

by Christopher J. Beale

n describing Grammy-winning recording artist and activist Melissa Etheridge as a “Lesbian Rock Goddess,” it’s a title she likes. “That’s perfect!” she replied. “But, I think people would be surprised to know I am just a girl from the Midwest.” Growing up in Kansas, her earliest musical influences were Heartland rockers like Bob Seger and REO Speedwagon, as well as Country and R&B. By the 1980s, she was adapting those sounds into her own signature style, and getting good at it. Her first album came out in 1988, and the slow crawl to success began. Mainstream audiences first became aware of Etheridge in 1993 when her fourth album. Yes I Am, spawned her biggest hits, “Come to my Window” and “I’m The Only One.” Months before the album’s release, Etheridge officially came out of the closet. She says it was necessary because, “Mainstream papers weren’t outing people at the time.” If you come out publicly, publications would talk about your sexuality openly, so that’s what she did, “But (coming out) wasn’t a surprise to anyone who knew me.” Ellen DeGeneres wouldn’t come out publicly for another year. Etheridge, whose earliest gigs were in lesbian bars, says her sexuality was no big secret. “Everybody who came to see me in the bars knew I was gay.” Coming out changed the makeup of the crowds, Etheridge says, “the noisy lesbians in the front we’re always there, but then it got so much bigger, and they were straight and gay.” Her album’s title Yes I Am was also a nod to the world that she was coming out, and it’s success established Etheridge as rock royalty.

Melissa Etheridge is ready to rock again

“Before I came out, I was selling about a million records. After I came out, I sold six million.” In the years that followed, Etheridge continued to write and record music, and tour the world. She also began a family. Now a mother of four, Etheridge says, “Before I had kids, I could sit around and write music all day long,” but adds that familial responsibilities became equally important to her, and her process adjusted.“Having children changes everything.” In 2020, COVID-19 all but ended the touring entertainment business. Any place where thousands gather –from concert venues to Broadway theaters– shut down indefinitely. “When my shows started getting canceled, I realized this was going to be a long thing,” she says. At home, Etheridge focused on caring for her family during a pandemic. “I learned how to order groceries, I cooked a lot

Sam Keeley and John Cameron Mitchell in Joe v. Carole

Marching into TV Land

The Lavender Tube on war coverage, Kate, Andy, and Pam

of meals, and we just hunkered in here and did it.” In the absence of live shows to play, Etheridge moved her act online. Etheridge would go live from her garage, perform a few songs, and interact with the chat. Soon, she says her fans began to respond, “Thousands of people were watching because everybody was on lockdown, and it just started growing.”

Family loss

In May 2020, her 21-year-old son Beckett died of an opioid overdose. Etheridge spoke with Rolling Stone about her struggles parenting a child with an addiction. “You want to help your child,” she told writer Brian Hiatt. “You want to make them all better. He was a young adult … and there came a time when I needed to really sit down with myself and say, ‘I can’t save him. I can’t give up my life

by Victoria A. Brownworth

hile the world is focused on the rise of totalitarianism in Russia and the assault on Ukraine, the GOP continues to attack LGBTQ people here at home. In Florida, GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis has been pushing “Don’t Say Gay” legislation. On the March 6 Saturday Night Live, Emmy-winning cast member Kate McKinnon, an out lesbian, popped into the show’s Weekend Update segment with a long riff exposing just how dangerous the legislation is, at one point noting, “I am deeply gay.” McKinnon is also the star, with John Cameron Mitchell, also openly gay and a Radical Faerie, of the new Peacock series Joe v. Carole. Based on the story of Joe Exotic: Tiger King, the new series was developed after the success of Netflix’s 2020 series Tiger King. In Joe v. Carole, McKinnon plays Carole Baskin, a big cat rescuer. The story opens as Carole learns that roadside zoo owner Joe Exotic has hired a hit man to murder her. Seven years earlier, their rivalry began when Carole built a coalition to shut down Joe Exotic’s animal show and cub-petting operation. The series traverses their separate paths and how they converge. This makes for a sometimes confused narrative as Mitchell is absolute chef ’s kiss perfection in his role and McKinnon is...not.

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and go try to live his life for him.’ I just needed to be at peace with a troubled son who did the best he could, who believed what he believed and then his life ended way, way too soon.” In July 2020, Etheridge went live online again –from her newly renovated garage studio, and it was then that she began to heal from her son’s death. “It gave me a reason to sing, to think about music, to play, to build something. It kept my mind busy, and I don’t know what I would’ve done without it.” The live operation has grown into a paid subscription service, where fans can access live content from Etheridge five nights a week. Etheridge has always prided herself on being an activist, and gleaned knowledge from the past years’ turmoil. “We as a people are aware now that people have great differences in thoughts,” adding that when society tries to change to become more equitable, “(that) change is frightening to people. Especially people who believe that things are going good for them, and it’s somebody else’s fault if it doesn’t go right.” As for what’s next, Etheridge is getting ready to go on tour, and writing another book. “I wrote (an autobiography) 20 years ago, but a lot has changed since then,” she says, “and this next book is more focused on spirit and life and stuff.”

One Way Out Tour

Melissa Etheridge and her band are headed out on the road this summer, with stops in the US, Canada and Europe. This new show features the hits, but also puts the focus on specific albums from Etheridge’s discography. “I have so many songs that I can’t do all of them.” But she says this show will feel fresh to audiences; “I think you might be surprised at how much guitar I play.” Etheridge is giddy at the thought of being back in front of fans again, “I will never take an audience for granted,” she says, “I love touching people, I love that exchange of energy, to see people rising up and loving live music. It’s just amazing!”t Melissa performs in Santa Rosa on March 18, followed by stops in the Central Valley, and finally Napa on March 23. Tickets and information” www.MelissaEtheridge.com

Read the full interview on www.ebar.com

One problem with Joe v. Carole, which is still definitely worth watching, is that Tiger King was so fabulous that it overshadows this series. Another problem is that McKinnon, while very good in her own way here, is simply not the Carole Baskin we know. The fresh-faced McKinnon, who looks much younger than her 38 years, is supposed to be portraying a 50something worse-forwear Baskin and that remains a disconnect throughout in the segments devoted to Carole. This is exacerbated by her husband Howard being played by Kyle MacLachlan, who’s in his mid-60s. That said, Mitchell is just mesmerizingly good and you can’t get enough of his unique and playful and demonic turns in his segments. Mitchell is so good at portraying Joe as a really driven, menacing and sexually obsessed character that we are pulled into the story and kept there. See page 15 >>

Kate McKinnon and Kyle MacLachlan in Joe v. Carole

<< Books

14 • Bay Area Reporter • March 10-16, 2022

Vision lost and found

by Brian Bromberger

“I Monday 8am

went to bed seeing the world one way. I woke up seeing it another,” writes gay journalist Frank Bruni in his new memoir about that fateful morning in 2017 when he awoke with blurred vision resembling a thick fog. As he later discovered, he had suffered a stroke while asleep and the drop in blood pressure damaged his optic nerve, a condition with the acronym NAION, for which there’s neither a cure or treatment. He went blind in his right eye and was told by his ophthalmologist that his left eye had a 40% chance of also losing sight. The book is the medical and emotional odyssey of his drastically changed life with the wisdom he gained navigating this visual impairment, particularly deleterious for one who writes for a living. Bruni was a White House correspondent and a restaurant critic, but is best known as a political and cultural Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times. He’s currently a media professor at Duke University. This book focuses as much about aging and mortality, as it does about vision lost and found. “These bodies of ours are time bombs, but each detonates in a different way,” he writes, or in using the poetic metaphor of dusk, “It’s about those first real inklings that the day isn’t forever and that light inexorably fades.” Bruni warns his readers to “brace yourself for a boatload of clichés and jump ship if they’re going to bother you.” And yes, the book is suffused with self-help bordering-on-NewAge jargon, which can become cloying and sentimental (i.e. When one eye closes, another opens). Bruni never wallows in self-pity or defeatism. His primary coping mechanism is to profile how other people who have successfully en-

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Author Frank Bruni

gineered their sight problems, but also other conditions, such as Parkinson’s or multiple sclerosis. When the book stays on topic about Bruni’s own personal resilient journey in facing a potential, attimes-harrowing (i.e. having a needle injected directly into his eyeball) tragedy, it mostly hits the bull’s eye. When he veers into stories about how others have managed diminished vision, he begins to sound like motivational guru Tony Robbins. Are these tales supposed to persuade the reader or Bruni himself? Bruni does not discussed the breakup of his long-term relationship more in-depth and how it impacted his recovery. There is no context provided about how the couple met or their struggles through the years. Bruni spends two chapters on his rescue dog Regan, clearly now the love of his life, giving her far more coverage than his ex Tom, even though as a doctor he was instrumental in the early days of Bruni’s diagnosis. More expansive commentary on how being gay impacts one’s disability might have enhanced the book. Bruni seems oblivious on how having wealth and fame can make a huge difference when one is con-

fronting a serious illness. So, we encounter top medical specialists, experimental drug trials, state-of-the art treatments, swanky vacations to reboot oneself, and famous successful friends as advice mavens, that most people cannot draw upon as resources. Still, despite a few missteps, Bruni’s memoir is a tribute to how people adapt to life’s inevitable challenges, discovering inner strengths they never suspected they had. Something bad can wind up being good for us in the long run. We can concentrate on the roadblocks or be grateful for all the things we can still do, without denying the accompanying pain, limitations, and loss. Dusk is a bit clichéd, yet a powerful reminder that the capacity for change, in spite of our tribulations, always remains with us.t The Beauty of Dusk: On Vision Lost and Found by Frank Bruni. Avid Reader Press, $28.00 avidreaderpress.com A ticketed online meeting with Bruni, sponsored by Book Passage, will take place on Tuesday, March 15 at 5:30pm. bookpassage.com

Read the full review on www.ebar.com

The scent of murder by Jim Piechota

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ffering a stand-alone fiction next to her well-received three-book collective, the Amberlough Dossier series, Lara Elena Donnelly’s latest novel, Base Notes, offers further proof of the author’s wide-ranging talent and creativity. This book is a unique, complicated thriller rooted in everything olfactory, including sensory “base notes” on the book as a whole as well as the scent structures of each chapter. The novel’s introduction is described, for example, as incorporating “Notes de Tete: Ozone. Notes de Coeur: Burnt Bacon. Notes de Fond: Wet Earth, Gasoline.” The opening chapter is a heady hierarchy of whiskey, jasmine, oakmoss, old cigarettes, stale coffee, mildew, charcoal, and Barbicide, as it announces the death of Jonathan Bright, gay founder of distinctive Manhattan perfume company, Bright House. This untimely event puts the narrator, Vic Fowler, not only Bright’s love interest but also his protégé, in charge of a company that has unfortunately seen better days. Vic’s personal life could use an upgrade as well; he lives in Harlem in a basement apartment sublet where he is required to wait for his landlady to light the boiler each day for heat. Making a desperate move to rescue the floundering company from certain failure and move out of relative squalor, Vic has developed a perfume line that evokes memories from a wearer’s past and is certain it

Author Lara Elena Donnelly

will become a marketing cash cow. Vic has a nemesis, however, in the form of Joseph Eisner, an asset management bigwig who had previously commissioned him to craft a scent that could kill off three of his corporate partners. One of his former murders was Caroline Yates, wife of another of Eisner’s partners who was an angry husband who’d conspired to kill off his own spouse. Enter Pippin Miles, private investigator on the case to sleuth out the homicides, but Vic needs a better plan to escape indictment as Pippin begins breathing down his neck for answers. He enlists the help of a trio of cohorts –a tailor, a barber, and a bartender– who each become entangled in the stinky business of perfume killer for hire. The narrative structure oscillates between the messy present and the distant past where Vic’s desperate acceptance of Eisner’s offer, and its

ensuing destruction of his mental stability, morphs into a complex (and often overly confusing) psychological game of chess. Drenched in pheromones and the smells of the big bad city, Donnelly’s Manhattan is of the maskless, fearless pre-Covid variety and her descriptions of the people and places, the grit and the excess, all vibrating in unison are richly realized and evocative. Inspired by Donnelly’s father, who was endlessly fascinated by the perfumery world, this bulky, perhaps overly expository novel takes its sweet time pondering the details and the nuances of scent culture, wealth, privilege, and murder, and how the stench of desperation and success can both linger on the same scent spectrum.t Base Notes by Lara Elena Donnelly; Thomas & Mercer, $15.95

TV>>

The Andy Warhol Diaries

Lavender Tube

From page 13

So yeah; don’t miss this. It’s so rare that we get such stellar gay characterizations by out gay actors and Mitchell is one of the best. This series, and especially the role of Joe Exotic, could have veered easily into the parodic. But in Mitchell’s deft hands we get all the nuance and the slow creepiness of the story arc. This is also a highly charged, thoroughly gay series and that matters, too. With a stellar supporting cast that includes the always fabulous Dean Winters, William Fitchner, Nat Wolff as Travis Maldonado and Sam Keeley as the object of Joe’s erotic obsession, John Finlay. Joe vs. Carole’s streaming on Peacock and available on YouTube.

The Andy Warhol Diaries

Directed by Andrew Rossi and produced by Ryan Murphy, The Andy Warhol Diaries Netflix docuseries is powerful, moving and utterly unique. The six-part series follows Warhol from his childhood to the 1960s Factory days to the ’70s Studio 54 bustle to his friendship with Basquiat in the ’80s. It has pathos, mundanity, introspection, glamour and layer-upon-layer of art. It also has Andy Warhol himself, who appears via artificial intelligence to narrate some of his own story. This is very much a gay story and one of gender-bending revelations. Early on, the series explores what happens to Warhol after he is shot in 1968 by S.C.U.M. Manifesto author Valerie Solanas. As Warhol recovers from his injuries, he falls deeply in love with Jed Johnson, an interior designer who moved in with him to help him navigate his recovery. Their domesticity is an almost shocking reveal and pulls the viewer into the story to see a Warhol that was not the Warhol of the headlines or even the movies he made. Warhol’s renowned introspection and circumspection gets another look here–and in his own words. An extraordinary tour de force of a series that could have been yet another flat, repetitive simulation, The Andy Warhol Diaries is a must-see for its verve and drama and slow burn as the pages of Warhol’s diaries turn to give us surprising insights into the man and iconic gay artist and filmmaker we thought we knew.

March 10-16, 2022 • Bay Area Reporter • 15 tive narcissists, be they world leaders like Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, or the lady next door, like Pam Hupp, the title character in NBC’s new true crime drama series The Thing About Pam. Pam Hupp is the neighbor and friend of Betsy Faria, who was murdered in 2011. Faria’s husband Russ was convicted of that murder. The Thing About Pam is based on coverage from Dateline NBC and is titled after a Dateline podcast of the same name. When Russ’s conviction is overturned, a chain of events “exposes a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp.” This series, which is Oscarwinner Renée Zellweger’s TV debut, is wild. It has everything, but especially it has Zellwegger as the soda swilling, Midwestern-accenttwanging, menacing neighbor who seems like such a nice, normal person as she crashes into cancer-stricken Betsy Faria’s life and frames Russ Faria for her murder. The addition of the iconic voice of longtime Dateline host and investigator Keith Morrison is the perfect flourish in this remarkably compelling series, with Josh Duhamel, Judy Greer, Katy Mixon, Gideon Adlon and Sean Bridges. It’s on NBC and streaming on Peacock.

VOICES RISING

Queer Eye: Germany

Netflix’s original series heads to Germany. Five experts in lifestyle, fashion, beauty, health and design “dazzle a nation and transform lives” in this makeover series. The first international spin-off of the Queer Eye franchise will see “five local experts steering the lives of their protégés in a positive direction with their knowledge, empathy and, above all, confident queer energy.” Life Coach and former Club Kid Leni Bolt will be the queer eye with “Life” Expertise and is described as “an expert for time management & mindfulness in all aspects of everyday life, a work/life coach, podcast host and hippie at heart with one mission: to change negative perspectives and help people become happy.” Jan-Henrik, David, Ayan, Leni and Aljosha take the baton in an international spinoff of the Emmywinning U.S. show.t

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Read the full column, including Paralympics, Killing Eve and more, on www.ebar.com

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Renée Zellweger in The Thing About Pam

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