This Week's Top Stories

SFSU

SFSU President Lynn Mahoney Announces She Will Retire Next Summer

Mahoney, the first woman to serve as SFSU's permanent president, will step down after nine years leading the university while the CSU Board of Trustees conducts a national search for her successor.

San Francisco State University President Lynn Mahoney announced on September 8 that she will retire next summer after nine years leading the university and 19 years of total service to the California State University system. Mahoney took office in July 2019 and is the 14th — and first permanent female — president of SFSU. Mahoney said she will remain in the role while the CSU Board of Trustees conducts a national search for her successor.

West Portal

West Portal Elementary Turns 100 — and the Neighborhood Is Throwing a Block Party on October 3

The school's centennial celebration will fill West Portal Avenue from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., starting at the branch library courtyard.

West Portal Elementary School is marking its 100th year with a community celebration on Saturday, October 3, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. along West Portal Avenue. The event begins at the West Portal Branch Library courtyard, according to a notice posted September 13 by the Greater West Portal Neighborhood Association. Organizers are encouraging families throughout the neighborhood to attend the all-ages, street-level event.

West Portal

SFMTA: Injury Crashes Near West Portal Station Are Down 60 Percent Since 2024 Safety Redesign

A June 2026 SFMTA evaluation report confirms that the quick-build overhaul triggered by a fatal 2024 crash has sharply reduced collisions, and decorative crosswalk installation was still underway as of the week of September 2.

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency has completed its formal evaluation of the West Portal Station Safety and Community Space Improvements project, concluding that the traffic redesign put in place in fall 2024 has made the streets around the station substantially safer. The final evaluation report was published in June 2026. Traffic collision rates in the half-square-mile area around the West Portal Muni station dropped 60 percent between October 2024 and March 2026, compared to the equivalent period before the project (October 2022 to March 2024).

Upcoming Events

Friday, September 26

SF Good Neighbor Week — Citywide Kickoff at Civic Center

📍 Civic Center Plaza, San Francisco · 12:00 PM

Saturday, October 3

West Portal Elementary School Centennial Celebration

📍 West Portal Avenue and West Portal Branch Library courtyard, West Portal · 11:00 AM–3:00 PM

Thursday, October 15

West Portal Neighborhood Speaker Series — Business & Finance

📍 West Portal Branch Library, West Portal · 6:00 PM

Friday, October 31

West Portal Halloween Stroll

📍 West Portal Avenue, West Portal · 4:00 PM–7:00 PM

Through Friday, November 20

GatorFest 2026 — Ongoing Campus Welcome Events at SFSU

📍 San Francisco State University campus, Lakeshore · Various times

More from the Neighborhood

Parkmerced Remains Under Receivership 18 Months After $1.8 Billion Default

Parkmerced, the 3,165-unit apartment complex near Lake Merced and SFSU, has been under court-appointed receivership since March 6, 2025, after owner Maximus Real Estate Partners defaulted on $1.8 billion in loans.

Fundraiser Underway for Memorial Statue at West Portal Library Honoring Family Killed at Bus Stop

The nonprofit Livable City is raising funds for a permanent memorial statue to be placed outside the West Portal Branch Library, honoring Matilde Ramos Pinto, Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, and their two…