It was all smiles last night as thousands packed into Chinatown to celebrate Lunar New Year. Politicians at all levels—from Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and Mayor London Breed to members of the Board of Supervisors—donned their finest regalia, waving to crowds and glad-handing attendees along the parade route. Mayoral candidates made the evening count as Mark Farrell passed out lucky red envelopes to children and Daniel Lurie hopped aboard the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs float. Under perfectly clear skies, the parade was one for the books. 

Remember the saga of rapper Chino Yang and Breed? In case you need a refresher: Yang’s diss track calling Breed a “clown” sparked a firestorm after NAACP leader Rev. Amos Brown urged Yang to apologize, only to later back down. Brown and Yang buried the hatchet earlier this year, and Breed has seemingly made peace with Yang as well. The two were seen clasping hands and chatting in the crowd, vowing to work together. 

Another surprising duo turned some heads. That was Supervisor Connie Chan and Rep. Adam Schiff, who rode along the parade route in a blue Ford convertible. Schiff—the frontrunner to become California’s next senator—reached out to Chan months ago, asking for an endorsement and to join her in the parade. Chan, currently the board’s only Chinese American supervisor, said yes. With a week to go until the March 5 primary, Schiff is leading in the polls with plenty of cash on hand. —Han Li

PROP. F FIGHT: Speaking of the March election, the campaign for Prop. F has a bone to pick with the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. The influential progressive club sent out mailers indicating a “hell no” endorsement of the ballot measure, which would subject some recipients of cash welfare to drug screening if they are suspected of being addicted to illegal substances. The mailer described Prop. F as “coercive drug testing of families in need.” 

The Prop. F campaign’s attorney hit the club’s president, Jeffrey Kwong, with a cease-and-desist letter. It accused the club of “knowingly misleading the voters in a desperate attempt to gin up opposition,” adding that the measure specifically does not affect seniors or families with children. Prop. F would only affect single adults age 65 and younger with no dependent children, the letter noted.  

In a phone call, Kwong defended the mailers and called the letter “homophobic and transphobic.” He argued that the campaign relied on a traditional definition of family that does not include multigenerational, blended or chosen families. “This is political advocacy. It’s protected by the First Amendment,” Kwong added. 

Prop. F appears popular with voters—in a recent poll, 61% of respondents said they would vote yes. If it passes, legal challenges may follow. The Service Employees International Union Local 1021 asked the city to strike it from the ballot, saying it failed to bargain over a policy that could affect working conditions. While it’s way too late to remove Prop. F from the ballot, the union “reserves the right to take both legal and collective workplace action” if it passes, according to a spokesperson. 

DEBATE ME, BRO: If there’s one wildcard on March 5, it may be Prop. B. Voters are mixed on the measure, which would establish staffing minimums for the San Francisco Police Department contingent on a future tax. This month alone, opponents have poured more than $600,000 into the anti-Prop. B campaign, labeling it a “cop tax.” 

Supervisor Matt Dorsey, one of Prop. B’s biggest opponents, asked Supervisor Ahsha Safaí to show up this Thursday at Manny’s to debate the measure. (Dorsey said that so far, no one from the Prop. B side had agreed to appear.) Safaí—who appears to be tacking left in his mayoral bid—said he’s busy with fundraisers but a labor leader may be trying to accommodate. “I told him before, bring the mayor and I’ll debate them both on B and E,” he wrote in a text.

It’s a full, five-day work week and the Board of Supervisors returns to a full docket. Here are a few legislative highlights:

• The board will vote on whether to extend a waiver that allows the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to contract with nonprofits without competitive bidding. The proposal sparked debate in committee, as Chan argued that no-bid contracts could lead to waste or fraud. A similar waiver for the Department of Public Health sailed through committee. 

• Legislation that would tweak density limits in a chunk of Board President Aaron Peskin’s district is due for a vote. In committee, Supervisor Myrna Melgar voted in dissent; San Francisco YIMBY has organized against what they see as a sneaky downzoning.
   
• A $835,000 settlement for Jeffrey Pailet, a former investigator with the District Attorney’s Office, hits the full board this week. In a lawsuit, Pailet said he was wrongfully fired and accused former District Attorney Chesa Boudin, Boudin’s former chief of staff David Campos and two attorneys of using misleading information to draft a search warrant of officers’ cell phones.

• Controller Ben Rosenfield, who’s moving on to greener pastures, is getting a fond farewell this week. Peskin sponsored legislation declaring Feb. 29 “Controller Ben Rosenfield Day” and praising his years of “outstanding service” helping to keep the city’s books. Greg Wagner will soon be filling his shoes.
  
  
• The board’s land use and finance committees are handling a few items related to the Potrero Yard project—the affordable housing site planned for SFMTA’s new Mission District bus yard. The Frisc reports that, due to a lack of financing, the project has scaled down to 465 homes and could shrink even more. According to a Budget and Legislative Analyst report, an alternative plan would include just 104 housing units. 

WAYMO EXPANSION: Waymo’s efforts to expand its robotaxi service statewide has hit a speed bump thanks to California regulators, who extended the approval timeline of its request to operate in Los Angeles and San Mateo counties until at least June.

HOMELESS LAWSUIT: A federal judge agreed to press pause on a lawsuit challenging San Francisco's homeless encampment sweeps until the U.S. Supreme Court weighs in on the issue later this year. A decision from the high court is expected in late June, according to the city.

POLICING POLL: A poll from the moderate group GrowSF found that San Francisco voters overwhelmingly support police cameras, vehicle chases and more cops on the streets. When it comes to facial recognition, however, respondents were less enthused.