48 Hills | Independent daily San Francisco news + culture

Up against Palantir: A community forum confronts threats to privacy

Activists from around the country converged in Oakland, strategizing efforts to fight back against the corporate surveillance state

Protest Ian Firstenberg - September 15, 2026

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Golden Thread Productions

In the shadow of war, the company devoted to staging complex MENA stories once again finds its work all too relevant.

Best of the Bay Charles Lewis III - September 15, 2026

Drama Masks: The curtain falls at SF Opera

Plus: A giant cucumber enchants in 'Manning' and 'African Stew' captures Black American and Black African divide.

Onstage Charles Lewis III - September 16, 2026

Lurie’s tenant protection plan won’t really protect many tenants

But hey: At least he admit there's a crisis—caused to a great degree by his embrace of the AI industry

Housing Tim Redmond - September 15, 2026

Best of the Bay

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: SCRAP SF

Lou Fancher - September 15, 2026

Beloved 50-year-old "Scroungers’ Center for Reusable Art Parts" has found a giant new home—and remains a bonanza for crafters and artists.

Culture

San Mateo’s Brass Wrists Arm Wrestling is one for the underdogs

Caitlin Donohue - September 14, 2026

Despite venue challenges and Meta censorship, biceps continue to bulge at gender-inclusive club.

Movies

Screen Grabs: Who doesn’t love a bear in a hot tub?

Dennis Harvey - September 14, 2026

Critter Fest's got claws. Plus: Ethan Hawke's 'Weight,' 'Body Heat' steams again, Barbara Hammer and Larry Reed fêted, more movies

Music

These Mexican brothers want to bring rock en español to the Bay’s forefront

Alan Chazaro - September 14, 2026

On new album 'Danza de Soles,' family act The Cires combine surf-meets-Spanish indie vibes with a fond look southward.

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Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Destiny Muhammad

Best of the Bay John-Paul Shiver - September 14, 2026

From Celtic to Coltrane, the 'harpist from the hood' wields her instrument from genre to genre like a Swiss Army knife.

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Ina Coolbrith Park

Best of the Bay Dorothy O'Donnell - September 14, 2026

Tranquil Russian Hill oasis boasts a literary pedigree, gorgeous panoramic views, and flocks of brightly feathered squawkers.

At SF Bay Popfest, The Aislers Set and Kids on a Crime Spree celebrated love, loss, local tunes

Music John-Paul Shiver - September 14, 2026

Musicians bopped to each other's beats at Bottom of the Hill, concert history hung on the walls—and a expiration date loomed.

Fall Books Preview: Leaf through these 10 terrific tomes

Lit Lou Fancher - September 13, 2026

Hot new reads from the likes of Chloe Benjamin, Frederick Nolan, Natalie Baszile—and Dolly in her own words, published right here in the Bay.

Want to slow down AI before it kills us? Maybe just cancel all the IPOs

The Agenda Tim Redmond - September 13, 2026

Plus: How Lurie wants more control (and what it will mean) ... and can we please have a functional Sunshine Task Force? That's The Agenda for Sept. 13-20.

Review: The Breeders—and Castro Theatre—head into a new era

Music Review John-Paul Shiver - September 11, 2026

'90s indie heroes the Deal Sisters & co. rocked the 104-year-old venue—and the Gen X/Z mosh pit sparked some thoughts.

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Kevin Blake

Best of the Bay Jon Bauer and Patty Riek - September 11, 2026

The master illusionist has performed his wry sleight-of-hand show 500-plus times at The Palace Theater, and always delights.

The world, and my life, changed on Sept. 11, 25 years ago

Opinion Joshua Rotter - September 10, 2026

I was a few blocks away from Ground Zero. I didn't even know what happened until I went out for a coffee I will never forget

Jim Balderston, reporter. 1955-2026

Remembrance Tim Redmond - September 10, 2026

Award-winning Bay Guardian journalist, he was the life of the party—and a very good friend.

Fall Festivals Preview: 10 fab fairs and fests to light up the season

Culture Tamara Palmer - September 9, 2026

Diwali jams, food raves, science celebrations, and the last of this year’s county fairs. Oh, and Godzilla.

Fall Food Preview: Fresh openings, classic comebacks, big mall glow-ups

Food & Drink Tamara Palmer - September 9, 2026

Reasons to Rize Up, Meat Packers with buns, My Friend Fernando sets down roots, more steaming news and rumors

Fall Film Preview: Flicks you can’t miss, from starry fests to hot local docs

Movies Dennis Harvey - September 9, 2026

Revived werewolves, Golden Gate Park trauma, a bitter Christmas, a social reckoning—and, of course, 'Bears in Hot Tubs'

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Movies

Screen Grabs: Who doesn’t love a bear in a hot tub?

Critter Fest's got claws. Plus: Ethan Hawke's 'Weight,' 'Body Heat' steams again, Barbara Hammer and Larry Reed fêted, more movies

Movies Dennis Harvey - September 14, 2026

Screen Grabs: Has the cinematic fantastical become banal?

Ficks’ Picks guide to CROSSROADS fest’s eerie experiments, fresh local voices

Screen Grabs: The making of a spectacular Hollywood horror disaster

Music

Drama Masks: The curtain falls at SF Opera

Plus: A giant cucumber enchants in 'Manning' and 'African Stew' captures Black American and Black African divide.

Onstage Charles Lewis III - September 16, 2026

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Destiny Muhammad

At SF Bay Popfest, The Aislers Set and Kids on a Crime Spree celebrated love, loss, local tunes

Review: The Breeders—and Castro Theatre—head into a new era

Art

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: SCRAP SF

Beloved 50-year-old "Scroungers’ Center for Reusable Art Parts" has found a giant new home—and remains a bonanza for crafters and artists.

Best of the Bay Lou Fancher - September 15, 2026

Luis E. Garcia’s paintings weave a vital connection to his Pipil roots

Free jams and ‘Forever Grateful’ with Grahame Lesh & Friends

Viz Valley DIY joint Bric-A-Brac blends peculiar creations with punk attitude

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Housing

Lurie’s tenant protection plan won’t really protect many tenants

But hey: At least he admit there's a crisis—caused to a great degree by his embrace of the AI industry

Housing Tim Redmond - September 15, 2026

How cities are going to lose all control over housing development, soon

The Chron discovers, sort of, that Wiener’s housing bills are a con

Planning Commission sides with mayor on cutting fees for affordable housing

Politics

Drama Masks: The curtain falls at SF Opera

Plus: A giant cucumber enchants in 'Manning' and 'African Stew' captures Black American and Black African divide.

Onstage Charles Lewis III - September 16, 2026

A search for the corrupt insiders in Lurie’s City Hall

AI, sexual harassment, and a drag queen at a nurse’s convention

Lurie and Mamdani could not be more different

Opinion

The world, and my life, changed on Sept. 11, 25 years ago

I was a few blocks away from Ground Zero. I didn't even know what happened until I went out for a coffee I will never forget

Opinion Joshua Rotter - September 10, 2026

AI, sexual harassment, and a drag queen at a nurse’s convention

Why is SF encouraging a notorious landlord to build luxury housing in Lower Haight?

OPINION: These police sex-worker stings have got to stop

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Performance

Drama Masks: The curtain falls at SF Opera

Plus: A giant cucumber enchants in 'Manning' and 'African Stew' captures Black American and Black African divide.

Onstage Charles Lewis III - September 16, 2026

48 hillsIndependent San Francisco News + Culture

48 hillsIndependent San Francisco News + Culture

48 Hills is community-supported journalism

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