48 Hills | Independent daily San Francisco news + culture

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Culture Marke B. - September 18, 2026

Kate Razo’s portraits are anything but by the book

From bookstores and breeding grounds to vaginacore acapella rap, the painter pours life experience into her work.

Art Mary Corbin - September 17, 2026

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: San Francisco Trans March

Despite opportunistic politicos and police violence this year, the steadfast protest has proved that trans folks can win the fight.

Best of the Bay Charles Lewis III - September 18, 2026

SF is about to run out of affordable housing money—unless Props. I and C pass

Ten years of bond money is spent. The next bond isn't until 2034. Thousands of units will stall if the voters don't approve annual funding

Housing Tim Redmond - September 17, 2026

Food & Drink

Good Taste: Mexican favorite Al Pastor Papi ousted by triple rent increase

Tamara Palmer - September 17, 2026

Miguel Escobedo's Union Square brick-and-mortar was part of the Vacant to Vibrant program—then the building was sold.

Big Week

Big Week: Lowrider Parade, Open Studios, Haight Ashbury Street Fair, Dark Dolly…

Marke B. - September 17, 2026

Charlie Horse, Smuin Ballet, Greek Food Fest, Armenian Food Fest, Cut Chemist, Hot Laundry, more incredible things to do!

Music

An extraordinary pianist plays her way through immigration limbo

Caitlin Donohue - September 16, 2026

Effectively exiled from Hong Kong after voicing dissent, and facing visa uncertainty here, Tin Yi Chelsea Wong still shares her art

Best of the Bay

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Artists’ Television Access

Charles Lewis III - September 16, 2026

Find the most experimental, personal, and weirdest art in the city in this passionately incendiary Valencia Street storefront.

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Under the Stars: Dig Erykah Badu and The Alchemist’s frequency directive

Music John-Paul Shiver - September 16, 2026

Plus: Train's Haight Street bar tribute, Thao is back with anthem and imperative, Gryph and Dave Aju vibe, more music

Drama Masks: The curtain falls at SF Opera

Onstage Charles Lewis III - September 16, 2026

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

Up against Palantir: A community forum confronts threats to privacy

Protest Ian Firstenberg - September 15, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

Housing Tim Redmond - September 15, 2026

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

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: SCRAP SF

Best of the Bay 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.

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

Culture Caitlin Donohue - September 14, 2026

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

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

Movies 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

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

Music 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.

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.

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Movies

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Artists’ Television Access

Find the most experimental, personal, and weirdest art in the city in this passionately incendiary Valencia Street storefront.

Best of the Bay Charles Lewis III - September 16, 2026

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

Screen Grabs: Has the cinematic fantastical become banal?

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

Music

An extraordinary pianist plays her way through immigration limbo

Effectively exiled from Hong Kong after voicing dissent, and facing visa uncertainty here, Tin Yi Chelsea Wong still shares her art

Music Caitlin Donohue - September 16, 2026

Drama Masks: The curtain falls at SF Opera

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

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Destiny Muhammad

Art

Kate Razo’s portraits are anything but by the book

From bookstores and breeding grounds to vaginacore acapella rap, the painter pours life experience into her work.

Art Mary Corbin - September 17, 2026

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: Artists’ Television Access

Best of the Bay 2026 Editors’ Pick: SCRAP SF

Fall Art Preview: 8 gallery and museum shows you simply must see

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Housing

SF is about to run out of affordable housing money—unless Props. I and C pass

Ten years of bond money is spent. The next bond isn't until 2034. Thousands of units will stall if the voters don't approve annual funding

Housing Tim Redmond - September 17, 2026

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

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

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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