LAST CALL FIRST: You’re invited to Manny’s on Thursday for a trivia night with the Power Play team, featuring drinks, fun … and some pretty sweet prizes. Grab tickets, and we’ll see you there.

Now, onto the news. After last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the hammer is dropping on San Francisco’s homeless encampments. Not everyone was comfortable with the nature of the crackdown at one SoMa site, which The Standard documented Tuesday.

Photos and videos show San Francisco Police Department and Department of Public Works employees ripping a tent away from a man near the Central Freeway. “No more encampments,” said one police officer, citing recent announcements by Mayor London Breed and Gov. Gavin Newsom. According to a city memo, officials will try to stop encampments from repopulating once they are cleared — and people who do not accept shelter will face consequences, such as citation or arrest.

Supervisor Connie Chan on Wednesday sent a memo to Mary Ellen Carroll, head of the Department of Emergency Management, requesting information on encampment sweeps, citations and arrests and other data. “The requested information will be critical to understand the budgetary cost as well as the human cost of this change in policy,” Chan said in a statement. 

Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who’s challenging Breed for mayor, painted the sweeps as an election ploy. “Mayor Breed and [candidate Mark Farrell] are advocating for failed policies from the past that simply sweep our homeless problem from one neighborhood to another,” Peskin said. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who’s often supportive of encampment crackdowns, said he hasn’t been briefed on the mayor’s enforcement plan. 

Leaders in the Tenderloin were divided over the stepped-up encampment response. Gina Fromer, CEO of Glide, argued that the enforcement operations will have little effect: "The real issue is, how do we stop people from falling into homelessness?" she said. Del Seymour, founder of Code Tenderloin, struck a different tone, saying the city must force people off the street for their own good.

"That’s nowhere for a human to live,” Seymour said. 

MARK'S NOT-SO-BRAT SUMMER: This week, Farrell did his part to kill the “Kamala is brat” meme by posting an Instagram video in which he quizzed his daughter about the Gen Z slang that has infiltrated the presidential race. “So, you’re telling me Alcatraz is not brat?” Farrell asked before flipping his hat backward and flashing a “hang loose” sign.

The cringey video was part of Farrell’s very public embrace of Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for president. The former interim mayor added a coconut emoji — another pro-Kamala meme — to his X account. On Tuesday, Farrell again donned a backward hat and championed the “white dudes for Harris” movement. 

The posts may not be a coincidence. Farrell’s family-oriented, pro-police messaging has made him a go-to for many conservative-leaning voters. What’s more, rumor has it his campaign is concerned that Harris’ buzzy presidential bid is helping Breed. But his embrace of “white dudes for Harris” seemed to have had the opposite of the intended effect.  

“HOLY CRAP. Delete this post, remove any mention. Disavow. Fire your social media person,” Richie Greenberg, a conservative political operative and activist journalist, wrote on X. 

Likewise, San Francisco Republican Party Chair John Dennis blasted Democrats for focusing on race and skewered Farrell’s taste in hats: “Mark, how old are you? 19?” he said.

Farrell’s campaign said the “brat” video with daughter was an “earnest way to connect and poke some fun.” 

“With the shift that happened with Kamala on the ticket, it’s important to continue to associate with values and themes that the broader zeitgeist is participating in,” said a spokesperson. 

MYSTERY POLL ON PESKIN'S PATH: There's a new poll making the rounds that shows Farrell and Breed tied in first-place votes, with Farrell eking out a win. A memo notes that Peskin, who commanded just 11% of first-choice votes, may still have a path to victory in the city’s ranked-choice system. No information was immediately available about who commissioned the poll, but the wording of the memo suggests whoever's behind it isn't a Peskin fan.

Conducted by Lieberman Data & Insights with 600 voters during the week of July 9, the survey shows Peskin winning a plurality (35%) of self-described progressives — a position that could become “dangerous” as other candidates attack one another, according to pollster Drew Lieberman. The memo further noted that Peskin’s populist message was received warmly in focus groups, but he is vulnerable to attacks that cast him as “a self-interested bully.”

PESKIN’S NEW COMMITTEE: Speaking of Peskin, the board president has set up a campaign committee called "Real Reform, a Coalition of Small Businesses, Neighbors and Aaron Peskin" to oppose Together SF Action’s ballot measure to cut city commissions. The committee supports Peskin’s version, along with a charter amendment to create a nonelected inspector general position.

Notably, the committee’s principal officer is Ed Harrington, former city controller and manager of the Public Utilities Commission. Last year, Breed appointed Harrington to serve on the Port Commission, and now he’s supporting Peskin for mayor. He said he’s opposing the Together SF measure because “I value public participation, and Together SF’s model would wipe out half of the [commissions].” 

RECALL EFFORT SHELVED: Opponents of the Great Highway closure have been circulating an attempt to recall Supervisor Joel Engardio, who’s leading the effort to pass a ballot measure to transform the coastal road into a car-free park. But after weeks of internal disagreements, the group has decided to not move forward. 

Vin Budhai, founder of the Open the Great Highway organization, said the group will pause the recall effort to focus fully on fighting the November ballot measure. The group will continue to closely “monitor Engardio’s actions,” he said.

Behind the scenes, the group had purchased a website and prepared paperwork to kick off the recall. But sources reveal a split within its ranks: Many merchants were passionately in favor of the recall, while others — including leaders in the Chinese American Democratic Club — were opposed. Some of the infighting spilled into public view after outspoken tech leader Garry Tan slammed the recall organizers on X as “deranged Chesa Boudin supporters,” sparking heated debate in the replies. 

NONPROFIT DIRECTOR CHARGED: Kyra Worthy, the fired former executive director of SF SAFE, has been arrested and charged with 34 felonies related to the misuse of more than $700,000 in public funds, authorities said Tuesday.

ONE YEAR, 14,000 TICKETS: Locals have long bemoaned commercial drivers’ habit of parking wherever they want, clogging streets and blocking bike lanes. An analysis by The Standard showed that three dozen companies received a total of more than 14,260 parking citations in 2023, adding up to nearly $1.6 million in fines. 

PRESTON LAWSUIT TOSSED: A lawsuit accusing Supervisor Dean Preston of inflating his housing record on a voter pamphlet was rejected after a judge said it failed to make a clear and convincing case that any deception occurred.