This Week's Top Stories

housing

New Tenant Network Spreads to Nob Hill and Russian Hill as Eviction Pressure Mounts

More than 50 people gathered on September 8 to form the North Beach Tenant Support Network, a coalition that explicitly plans to back rent-controlled tenants in East Nob Hill and East Russian Hill — with the 1120 Jackson Tenants Association already a founding member.

On September 8, more than 50 people met to establish the North Beach Tenant Support Network, a new volunteer organization formed in response to what advocates describe as a wave of eviction and buyout threats across northern San Francisco. The SF Anti-Displacement Coalition announced the network the following day. Its founding member groups include the San Francisco Tenants Union, North Beach Now, the Community Tenants Association, the North Beach Tenants Committee, the 1120 Jackson Tenants Association, and the 2055 Powell Tenants Association.

Chinatown

Chinatown's Autumn Moon Festival Returns to Grant Avenue This Weekend for Its 35th Year

The free two-day celebration takes over Grant Avenue on September 19 and 20, with lion dancing, a K-pop contest, a dumpling competition, and a closing White Crane Dragon Parade on Sunday.

San Francisco's Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival returns for its 35th year this Saturday and Sunday, September 19 and 20, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Presented by the Chinatown Merchants Association, the free event closes Grant Avenue between California and Broadway to vehicles, filling the corridor with food vendors, mooncakes, arts and crafts, and cultural performances. Festivities open Saturday morning with a parade and ribbon-cutting ceremony at California and Grant, followed by lion dancing and martial arts from the Yau Kung Moon Association.

PG&E

PG&E Blackouts Have Repeatedly Cut Power to Russian Hill and Chinatown in 2026

An August 10 outage darkened more than 1,800 customers across Russian Hill, North Beach, and Chinatown — the fifth of at least seven major unplanned PG&E blackouts to hit San Francisco this year, all tracing back to a December 2025 substation fire.

An unplanned PG&E outage on August 10 cut electricity to more than 1,800 customers across Russian Hill, North Beach, and Chinatown for roughly an hour beginning at 7:45 p.m. The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management described the incident as large and unplanned. Traffic signals went dark at the intersection of Filbert Street and Columbus Avenue. Power was restored shortly before 9 p.m., according to a PG&E spokesperson quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Upcoming Events

Saturday–Sunday, September 19–20

Chinatown Autumn Moon Festival — 35th Anniversary

📍 Grant Avenue between California and Broadway, Chinatown · 11:00 AM–5:00 PM

Saturday, September 26

Nob Hill Association Movie Night: The Sound of Music

📍 Huntington Park, between Taylor and California Streets, Nob Hill · 7:00 PM

Thursday, October 1

Lower Polk / Trendyloin Art Walk (First Thursday)

📍 Lower Polk / Gulch Corridor, Polk Gulch · 6:00 PM–10:00 PM

Friday, October 9

Chinatown Night Market — Final Date of the 2026 Season

📍 Grant Avenue from California to Pacific, Chinatown · 5:00 PM–9:00 PM

More from the Neighborhood

Chinatown/Him Mark Lai Branch Library to Close This Fall for Long-Planned Renovation

The San Francisco Public Library's project page confirms that a construction notice to proceed was issued for the Chinatown/Him Mark Lai Branch at 1135 Powell Street in Summer 2026, with a branch…

Portsmouth Square Construction Continues Into Fall; Merchants Reported Up to 60% Business Drop in August

SF Recreation and Parks posted construction updates for the Portsmouth Square Improvement Project as recently as September 4, 2026, with crews working on lower-level grade beams and sewer infrastructure under Walter U.…