This event delivered big when S.F. needed a win in 2023. Organizers canceled it for 2025
Organizers confirmed that the market will not be held this year and blamed it on delayed reimbursements from the city for events held last year.
Though one merchant contacted by the Chronicle said he supports the event, others reportedly have said they no longer support the market and have soured on Engardio, who faces a recall vote in September over the permanent closure of a portion of the Upper Great Highway.
Egardio acknowledged the market is 'gone … because the recall campaign poisoned local politics.'
The event will return in 2026, said organizer Lily Wong.
'Due to a series of circumstances beyond our control,' Wong said, organizers didn't receive reimbursements for two night markets last year until May of this year — eight months after the last market.
'With this delay in payment, we did not feel confident planning another night market until we were fully reimbursed for the previous markets,' Wong said in a separate statement. 'The Sunset Night Market Collaborative is committed to planning and producing night markets to ensure the continuity of its success.'
Wong said organizers are working with the mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development to create a night market 'more in scale with our community, and something the Sunset can be proud to have.'
The department told the Chronicle in a statement that reimbursements were delayed 'due to a staffing shortage' and the night market organizers' 'slow submission of required paperwork.' The organizers were paid in full for last year's program in May after some back-and-forth to get the necessary information, according to the agency.
'Conversations about a future activation are ongoing, and we're excited to support an event that champions local businesses and celebrates API culture,' said department director of external affairs Kate Patterson.
Last year the night market drew massive crowds of over 10,000, Engardio told the Chronicle, and a second one held in September drew more than 20,000 people after organizers expanded the night market. First launched in 2023, the event was seen by city leaders as a success at a time they desperately needed one, as San Francisco emerged sluggishly from the economic and social effects of the pandemic. A similar series, also popular, was launched in Chinatown.
Organizers had intended to host another market this summer, but after the reimbursement delay, they've decided not to. Instead, Wong said, they are working to 'learn from the previous events and improve and enhance any future night markets.'
'We want to create diversity and work to uplift our community,' Wong said.
The cancellation comes amid considerable turmoil for Engardio in his westside district. The first-term supervisor could be recalled in September over his championing of Proposition K to permanently close to cars part of the Upper Great Highway, to create a park. The measure passed by 54% of the citywide vote but residents on the west side were livid over the loss of a 2-mile stretch of the city's westernmost coastal boulevard.
A business owner in the Sunset, Albert Chow, a supporter of the recall campaign and owner of Great Wall Hardware, told the San Francisco Standard, which first reported the cancellation, that many in the business community in Sunset have soured on the night market and feel that 'Engardio lacks leadership.'
Chow did not return messages from the Chronicle.
Wong said such detractors aren't representative of the neighborhood because the Sunset night markets have been very popular among residents.
Engardio agreed, but also said the recall effort was tied to merchant opposition against him.
'The sunset night market brought joy and customers to Irving Street,' Engardio posted on social media Thursday. 'Now it's gone — not because of lack of interest, but because the recall campaign poisoned local politics. When small businesses lose, we all lose.'
Daniel Ramirez, who owns Smokin D's BBQ on Irving Street and 23rd Avenue, told the Chronicle the night market has been challenging to manage. But it's also been a highly successful community-driven event that most merchants are happy with.
'Make no mistake: the vast majority of merchants along the Irving corridor found the Sunset Night Market to be a fantastic event and are eager to see its return,' Ramirez said. 'We're currently working closely with fellow merchants, the community, and organizers to explore how we can bring back another amazing night market experience.'
Ramirez added that the night market is a 'true collaboration' between the Sunset, the city and merchants to create a 'fun, family-friendly event' to bring people to the neighborhood post-pandemic. Since then, it has become 'a resounding success,' both drawing enthusiasm for the west side and has been a catalyst for other neighborhoods to launch their own night markets.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
17 hours ago
- Axios
What to know about Supervisor Joel Engardio's recall election
Over 50,000 voters in District 4 are set to receive ballots for the Sept. 16 special election to recall Supervisor Joel Engardio. Why it matters: The moderate Democrat's support for closing the Great Highway ignited a wave of backlash from his constituents, a majority of whom opposed the initiative over concerns about traffic and longer commutes. How it works: The ballot will ask voters to vote "yes" or "no" on whether to remove Engardio from office. Once filled out, voters can return them via mail or drop them off at City Hall's elections department office. Three official ballot drop boxes will also be stationed at the Ortega Branch Library, Parkside Branch Library and City Hall. If voters oppose the measure, Engardio will remain in office and fight to retain his seat when he's up for reelection in November 2026. If they approve it, Mayor Daniel Lurie will appoint a replacement to serve until the June 2026 primary, which will ask voters to decide who should fill the remainder of the term. The big picture: Engardio was put on blast after he championed Proposition K, which would convert a 2-mile stretch of the Great Highway into a park, in the lead-up to the November 2024 election. Though the measure passed with 55% of voters' approval citywide, only 36% of voters in District 4 agreed with Engardio. A recall campaign was launched shortly after amid rebuke from voters in the Sunset and Richmond districts. The Department Elections called for a special election in May after certifying the 9,911 signatures — 20% of the district's registered voters — needed to put it on the ballot. What they're saying:"District 4 voted against Prop K — overwhelmingly. If Joel Engardio didn't know that was going to happen — he was out of touch, not listening, not talking to us or he deliberately defied our will," the recall campaign's website states. The other side: "Prop. K was decided by voters in the most open, transparent, and democratic process possible," Engardio said at a Wednesday San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee endorsement hearing for Prop. A.
San Francisco Chronicle
17 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Tariffs are slamming Bay Area Indian restaurants and grocers. It could get worse
During a recent lull between customers at Alameda's Shanvi Indian Kitchen & Grocery, owner Vikas Aggarwal took some time to update his prices on a point-of-sale tablet. Sacks of basmati rice, fragrant spices and packs of frozen naan will now cost customers 10%-20% more, and prices may rise further due to the Trump administration's 25% tariff on Indian imports, which took effect Aug. 7 — and which the president has threatened to increase to 50%. When Aggarwal buys his goods from distributors, 'Now even the invoices mention to 'please increase prices at the store,'' he said. Indian restaurants, grocery stores and food importers around the Bay Area are beginning to feel the shock of one of the highest tariff rates placed on a major U.S. trading partner. And unlike earlier rounds of tariffs, business operators told the Chronicle they must now pass on higher prices to customers — an example of the way that sometimes delayed tariff impacts are finally catching up to U.S. consumers. The Trump administration is justifying its tariffs on India as a sanction for purchasing Russian oil, with President Donald Trump vowing to increase tariffs further if U.S. and Indian leaders do not come to an agreement by Aug. 27. Last year, U.S. goods imports from India totaled $87.3 billion. San Francisco's oldest Indian grocer, New India Bazar, is preparing for that possibility. 'No deal could be signed before the deadline,' predicted owner Auro Bhatt. 'India has also got a very strong stance and the countries are not talking about a compromise.' At his Polk Street store, customers from across the city shop for lentils, dosa batter, spices and Hindu idols. Bhatt recently received an invoice for an $800 order, with an added-on $80 tariff fee clearly itemized. He has adjusted his prices accordingly, but still opts to take small hits to prevent total sticker shock. A bag of lentils may have to go by 50 cents, for example, but he may raise the price only 40 cents. Yet because customers often fill their baskets, the small increases add up quickly. 'It comes as a shock to them that they will be buying the same amount of items, but the total bill has gone up by a lot,' he said. Shanvi owner Aggarwal works with around 15 distributors, which has allowed him to shop around to offset tariff-related increases. Still, he said customers are quick to express dismay at checkout. 'They'll tell me, for example, 'last time a product was $2.99, why is it $3.50 now? '' Amod Chopra operates Berkeley's popular Vik's Chaat, as well as a wholesale distributor and market. He has been paying the extra duties to get to his shipments of saffron, beer, rice and other goods from the Port of Oakland. For some time, he did not pass on the new costs to customers, having built up an inventory brought in at a lower tariff rate. Now that these reserves have run out, he's been forced to finally raise prices. 'I don't have 10%, 25% or 50% in my margins to just eat that cost,' Chopra said. 'When the previous inventories deplete, you have no choice,' Chopra already had to contend with higher demand and increased freight prices during the peak buying season for Indian goods earlier this summer, when tariffs were just 10%. A shipment of lentils, rice, pantry goods plus the spices he will be using at Vik's Chaat for the next year were much higher than he's paid in past years, he said. To retrieve a $66,000 shipment, he had to pay $6,600 in tariffs. That price would have been $16,500 under the new rate. Escalating tariffs can often take several weeks to be felt, Chopra said, as the fastest sea freight route from India can take 40 days to arrive. The impact is more immediate for air freight. Shipments en route to the U.S before a tariff increase will have the lower levies, even if they land after a higher rate is in effect. Trump has justified his tariffs, considered a form of tax, by declaring a state of emergency to bypass Congress. In theory, his goal is to increase U.S. production of goods. But the U.S. does not have the appropriate tropical climate to grow in-demand spices such as cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. India is the world's largest exporter of spices, and spice imports from India into the U.S. in 2024 were valued at more than $410 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Diaspora Co., one nationally acclaimed Bay Area business that imports high-quality spices from India to the U.S., was on track to turn a profit for the first time in three years in 2025. Then came the new tariffs. If they stay in place, the company estimates it will pay $200,000 in tariffs this year, founder Sana Javeri Kadri said. Diaspora has already spent $25,000 in tariffs to date — essentially, the business' profit margin. If the 50% tariff takes effect, rather than implement a blanket price increase, the Diaspora Co. website will show customers how much tariff they're being charged per order. The 50% tariff would translate to an additional $1.50 per tin, Javeri Kadri said. This means single-origin black pepper, Diaspora's best seller, would cost $13.50, and saffron grown by a third generation farmer in Kashmir, almost $20. 'We so deeply don't want to pass on prices to consumers,' Javeri Kadri said from Mumbai, where she was on business. 'It really is a lose-lose.' Higher tariffs are also expected to squeeze Indian restaurants. Chef Srijith Gopinathan is perhaps the best known Indian chef in the Bay Area. At his celebrated Cal-Indian restaurant Copra, he taps into his memories to highlight the flavors of his native Kerala. He uses fresh produce and meats from Bay Area purveyors across the Bay Area, offering a break from tariffs. Still, his kitchen is filled with irreplaceable Indian ingredients and equipment like grinders and special biryani pots. 'To make a biryani, you would need cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. Indian cooking is all about blends,' he said. 'You cannot get Basmati rice from a different country,' he went on. Versions of the crop can be produced elsewhere, but like Champagne, it's a geographically indicated product grown on the Indian subcontinent. 'It has to be from India,' he said.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Contrary to Trump's claims about crime in Oakland, the city saw a drop in violent crime
Even as President Donald Trump portrays Oakland as a crime-plagued city, Oakland recorded a significant drop in violent crime during the first half of the year, according to recently released police data. The decline includes a 21% drop in homicides in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2024. Both violent crime and property crime decreased — by more than 25% combined — although the exact percentage changes for most crime categories was not yet known because of a lag in reporting, especially for property crime. The drop in homicides aligned with a national trend: Homicides declined 19% among 68 large cities, including Oakland, during the first half of the year, according to data compiled by the Major Cities Chiefs Association. Oakland's decline in homicides also builds on a drop in 2024, when the city recorded 86 homicides, marking a 5-year low that put the city on track with pre-pandemic levels. Violent crime increased 6% overall in 2024, while property crime decreased 27%, according to a Chronicle analysis. The data offers a different picture than what Trump alluded to Monday when he announced that he will deploy National Guard troops to the streets of Washington, D.C. to combat crime. Trump indicated he might take similar action in other cities. 'We have other cities also that are bad. Very bad,' Trump said, singling out Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore and Oakland. 'President Trump's characterization of Oakland is wrong and not grounded in facts, but in fear-mongering,' Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said. 'This is not leadership — it's an attempt to score cheap political points by tearing down communities he doesn't understand.' Lee and other city leaders attributed the declines to both law enforcement and violence prevention efforts, including the city's Ceasefire strategy, which targets individuals who are most likely to get caught up in shootings, a significant driver of homicides. The strategy involves violence interrupters who try to medicate conflicts among gangs and other groups, life coaches who attempt to steer participants away from a life of violence and police officers who make arrests if participants commit crimes. The strategy, which fell apart in recent years, especially during the pandemic, was revived in January 2024 under former mayor Sheng Thao. 'When we address violence from multiple angles, we get the kind of results we're seeing today,' said Lee, who was sworn in May 20. The mayor also reinforced her commitment to boost the police force's staffing to 700 officers over several years under Measure NN, a parcel tax voters approved in November to fund police, fire and violence prevention services. Currently, the city budgets for 678 officers — and about 650 of the positions are filled. Lee also said she plans to crack down on sideshows and tow away abandoned cars from city streets. 'These results show that we're on the right track, but our work is far from done,' Lee said. Police Chief Floyd Mitchell said that in recent weeks, some residents told him they feel safer, a reflection of the positive trends. But the chief also acknowledged that not everyone reports crimes, particularly property crimes. He urged the public to report all crimes so the department can better identify crime patterns and deploy officers to curb the trends. He added: 'I understand that if you have been a victim of a crime it may not feel like crime is going down, but please know that our officers remain deeply committed to investigating and solving every case, including yours.'
