This Week's Top Stories

arts

New Nonprofit Cinema 'The Portal' Coming to Bernal Heights This Fall

A 49-seat arthouse cinema is under construction on Mission Street, poised to become San Francisco's first new movie theater in over a decade.

A new chapter in San Francisco cinema is taking shape at 3293 Mission Street, where The Portal Cinema — a nonprofit, single-screen, 49-seat theater — is under construction and scheduled to open this fall. <cite index="26-2,26-3">The theater will be located in the Mission District neighborhood and will showcase new global releases, repertory works, special programs, and more, equipped to screen archive-only 35mm and 16mm prints, along with digital formats.</cite> <cite index="26-4">The Portal Cinema marks the first new movie theater built in San Francisco in more than a decade, according to…

public safety

Mission Street Vendor Crackdown Yields 396 Warnings, Zero Arrests After Two Months

New state law SB 276, targeting unpermitted sellers of suspected stolen goods, is showing early results on Mission Street sidewalks — though enforcement gaps remain after dark.

<cite index="35-3">City officials, vendors, and businesses in San Francisco's Mission District are reporting cleaner sidewalks and fewer unpermitted sellers offering suspected stolen merchandise since the implementation of a new state bill in June.</cite> <cite index="35-7">The new bill, SB 276, authored by state Senator Scott Wiener and San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie specifically for San Francisco last year, allows enforcement against people selling commonly stolen goods without a permit or proof of purchase.</cite> <cite index="38-15,38-16">According to city data, in the two months since the law's implementation, the San Francisco Police Department…

immigration

Mission District Organizations Rally to Support Immigrant Families as School Year Begins

As students return to classrooms, a network of nonprofits along the Mission corridor is providing legal aid, housing resources, and school-readiness support to immigrant families navigating an uncertain climate.

<cite index="71-1,71-2">As immigrant students return to school after summer break, a network of organizations is helping support the families with legal aid, housing resources, and more.</cite> The Mission District's dense concentration of immigrant-serving nonprofits has made the neighborhood a hub for this kind of multi-pronged back-to-school outreach. <cite index="72-4,72-5,72-6">Organizations like Mission Action, located at 938 Valencia Street, connect Latinx, low-income immigrants, and mixed-status families to vital resources like legal aid and housing support, with a mission to build a more informed and empowered society through education and mobilization.</cite> <cite index="72-15,72-16,72-17">La…

Upcoming Events

Through August 24

SF Queer Film Festival (SFQFF26) at the Roxie

📍 Roxie Theater, 3117 16th St, Mission District · Various times

Sunday, August 23

Bernal Village Marketplace Pop-Up

📍 434 Cortland Ave, Bernal Heights · 11:00 AM

Sunday, August 23

Heights Mercantile Farmers Market

📍 Heights Mercantile, Bernal Heights · 9:00 AM

Sunday, August 30

Bernal Village Marketplace Pop-Up

📍 434 Cortland Ave, Bernal Heights · 11:00 AM

Sunday, August 30

CMC Jazz Night at The Halfway Club

📍 The Halfway Club, 1166 Geneva Ave, Outer Mission · 3:00 PM

More from the Neighborhood

Nightlife Venue 'Downtime' to Transform Former Bissap Baobab Space on Mission Street

<cite index="7-3,7-4">The Mission District is set to welcome a major new nightlife concept, with Downtime scheduled to open in 2026 at 2243 Mission Street, envisioning a 6,000-square-foot venue that blends dining, cocktails…

Bernal Heights Playground Reopens After Accessible Renovation

<cite index="9-1">The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department celebrated the reopening of the Bernal Heights Playground, unveiling a refreshed and fully accessible play space in a project where construction began in August…