Latest news with #Mission-based
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Former Lucca Ravioli site in San Francisco's Mission to become Square business hub
Square is taking over the long-vacant site of the beloved Lucca Ravioli Co. in San Francisco's Mission District — at least for now. The Jack Dorsey-led financial technology company, which operates under parent company Block, plans to open the Corner Store, a temporary community and business hub, next week inside the historic building at the corner of 22nd and Valencia streets. The space, once home to the 94-year-old Italian deli that closed in 2019, will be transformed into a resource center for local entrepreneurs. Where clerks once served salami sandwiches in paper hats and fresh pasta was made in the back, visitors will now find Square's sleek payment devices and in-house consultants — more tech boutique than traditional deli. First reported by the San Francisco Business Times, the new venture will operate as a daytime storefront for small business support and product sales. A curated selection of products from Mission-based Square sellers will be available, alongside Square hardware — including the newly announced Square Handheld — for purchase on-site. In the evenings, the space will host a series of community events — from panels on launching a local business to neighborhood mixers and industry talks. 'As a corner store owner myself, I know how important these establishments are to creating connection and fostering community,' Ramzi Budayr, owner of Dolores Deluxe and host of the 'Forever Neighborhood' podcast, said in a statement. 'Square is continuing to show up as a meaningful partner to local businesses, and setting up shop in the heart of the Mission really drives that accessibility and deep connection home.' The calendar includes a launch party on Tuesday, May 27, a restaurant-themed night and invite-only sessions with partners such as Sysco and OpenTable. Events run through June, with topics ranging from AI for small business to the immigrant stories that helped shape the Mission. The building, damaged in a 2023 police chase and left in disrepair for years, was recently restored. It remains available for long-term lease. The property, consisting of three buildings, was sold by Lucca Ravioli's owners in 2019 for approximately $7 million. A planned artist studio at the site never materialized.
San Francisco Chronicle
02-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
‘It's our time to stand up': May Day rallies draw thousands to Oakland, S.F.
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in San Francisco and Oakland on Thursday in defense of worker and immigrant rights and opposition to the Trump administration. In San Francisco, thousands of demonstrators gathered at Civic Center Plaza to celebrate unions and worker activism. Kim Evon, executive vice president of Service Employees International Union Local 2015, said that the labor-supported rally offered an opportunity for people frustrated with the current state of politics to join in productive action. 'You don't have to stand for what is happening,' Evon said. 'This has always been the secret recipe. When we're united — across our differences and our journeys — with a vision of what this country should look like and how it should treat its people, we can fend off any attack.' The demonstration was part of countless nationwide May Day labor rallies, which drew large crowds in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C. The rallies focused on immigrant and workers' rights and condemned actions of the Trump administration, including large-scale cuts to the federal workforce and mass deportations. Theresa Rutherford, a nurse at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco and president of SEIU Local 1021, said that cuts to Medicaid and Medicare could hit home for healthcare workers represented by the union. Rutherford said Laguna Honda and San Francisco General both serve populations that rely on government programs for their healthcare. Rutherford said that unions, which have long had actions and celebrations for May Day, are once again the 'bastions' of protection for people's rights. 'We have no choice,' Rutherford said. 'It's our time to stand up.' A representative from Mujeres Unidas y Activas, a Mission-based immigrant organization, linked the fight for immigrant rights with that of worker rights. The woman, identified as Veronica, said that immigrants are working across every sector in San Francisco and contributing taxes, but lack the social protections that citizens have, including unemployment benefits. 'We're workers. We're neighbors. We're community,' Veronica said in Spanish. 'We're human beings.' The State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder both attended the rally and spoke about fighting back against attacks on workers rights by the Trump administration. Around 5 p.m., demonstrators marched down Market Street toward Embarcadero, chanting support for unions and workers as they walked by cross streets of stopped traffic. 'What's disgusting?' one speaker asked the crowd. 'Union busting!' Many demonstrators came with other messages pushing back against Trump, calling for action against climate change and supporting Palestine. Ramsey Robinson, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and a mental health worker in the Bayview neighborhood, said billionaires are to blame for people working 40 hours per week still not being able to afford daily expenses. Robinson also emphasized that many Black workers face additional hurdles, including job instability and discrimination in the hiring process. 'All that we see is built and run by workers,' Robinson said. Cassondra Curiel, a teacher and the president of the United Educators of San Francisco, said that from the start of his presidency, Trump has attacked labor by firing federal workers and trying to revoke their rights to unionize. 'We're all suffering from the chaos,' Curiel said. 'Our schools are sanctuaries for learning, sanctuaries for growing, sanctuaries for food, for resources.' Curiel said California's public education system is underfunded largely because of the billionaires surrounding Trump, including Elon Musk, who she said are not paying their fair share in taxes. In Oakland, a group of about 1,000 demonstrators marched along International Boulevard, from the Fruitvale Village to San Antonio Park. 'Defend workers rights, defend the working class,' the group chanted during the 1.5-mile trek. In Spanish, they added: 'El pueblo unido, jamas sera vencido.' The rally in Oakland kicked off with an Aztec dance and featured a slate of speakers who called attention to various causes, including the war in Gaza anda police brutality. 'We are here to be recognized as the workers we are — who support the U.S. economy with our labor,' said Silvia, a migrant who declined to share her last name to protect her identity. Dressed as Lady Liberty, Morgan Lynn, of Richmond, held a sign that read, 'Give me your tired, your poor… Yearning to breathe.' 'It's really a call to remind all of us to unite in defense of the best values of this country,' she said of her costume. 'The Statue of Liberty to me stands for these principles of welcoming people and giving all people the opportunity to achieve their dreams.' Among the crowd was Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunado Bas, who described the Trump administration as authoritarian. 'This administration is trying to strip away… our constitutional rights and our rights to due process, especially for migrants,' Fortunado Bas said. Holding a large Mexican flag at the intersection of International Boulevard and 22nd Avenue, Juan Alberto Silva, 46, a member of Oakland Workers' Collective, said most migrants want a better life. 'We didn't come to this country to steal or commit crimes. We came to work and get ahead,' he said.
