Angela Alioto on the 25th anniversary of the smoking ban

When you ask politicians if they’re running for office, you expect coy deflection or a flat-out no, even if that no really means yes, but that’s not how Angela Alioto rolls. �... Read More

Political Animal

Tweet storm with Marlon Wayans about Michael Vick shows people still don’t get it; Annual Bay Area Pet Fair Sept. 16-17

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

It started with random channel surfing where I stumbled upon the show TMZ on TV as they interviewed comedian Marlon Wayans about Michael Vick, the former NFL quarterback who went t... Read More

La Deliziosa Vita

Heading into fall, it’s time for comforting pasta favorites

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

When the fall chill hit the air and the days grew shorter, my mom would often make one of my favorite comfort pastas: Romano — cream, butter, and cheese — or burro — with but... Read More

Reynolds Rap

White supremacists might not be as white as they think they are

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

When my Irish and Ukrainian father married my mother, it didn’t go over well with my Sicilian grandfather, but when he decided to move her across the country from Rhode Island to... Read More

Reynolds Rap

Why some San Francisco landlords don’t want to rent

(And no, it’s not always about Airbnb)

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

“So your Airbnb tenant now has Airbnb tenants?” — Erlich Bachman to Jared Dunn upon learning an Airbnb tenant is squatting in Jared’s San Francisco condo on HBO’s Silico... Read More

Reynolds Rap

The Amazon in the room

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

Bezos: “Alexa, buy me something from Whole Foods”

Alexa: “Buying Whole Foods”

Bezos: S**t

— Jeff Lewis (@ChicagoPhotoSho) on Twitter

When local small-business success story Pet Food Express wanted to open in a blighted, long-vacant building on Lombard Street, pet stores as far away as Pacifica formed a coalition to stop them. At community meetings, owner after owner talked about the adverse effect a “chain” would have on their livelihood, but what struck me was that not one of them mentioned the elephant in the room — online sales — and in particular the biggest elephant of them all, Amazon.com.... Read More

Political Animal

End of Chinese dog meat festival; SFPD shoots another dog; pit bulls join K-9 ranks; fosters needed for kitten season

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

At its height, the yulin dog Meat Festival in China, held annually to mark summer solstice, was said to be responsible for the barbaric deaths of 15,000 dogs. The dogs and some cat... Read More

Reynolds Rap

It’s time to tax foreign homebuyers

In one of the most unaffordable cities on earth, overseas cash drives prices higher

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

On April 24, 2017, a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house located at 1531 25th Avenue in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset district sold for $1.55 million — a half-million over the... Read More

The Adventures of Skylar Grey

Of wirehaired vizlas, TPLOs, and that certain je ne sais quoi

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

je ne sais quoi noun, French. An indefinable, elusive quality, especially a pleasing one: She has a certain je ne sais quoi that charms everybody. Just weeks before k... Read More

Neighborhood Gem

Seasonal, local Bistro Aix

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

This month we’re introducing a new column dedicated to neighborhood gems: those rare spots that have not only survived but thrived in a restaurant scene rife with high costs,... Read More

Reynolds Rap

Living in la-la land

San Francisco keeps spending while pension disaster looms

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

Last month, the San Francisco school board voted unanimously to offer Vincent Matthews a three-year contract paying $310,000 per year, $60,000 more than the $250,000 he made at his... Read More

The Adventures of Skylar Grey

Chapter 33: My dear old friend

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

How the birds sang in the morning, how the dog barked in the yard, I guess that’s nothing much, but everything to us, and that’s what seems so hard How will we smile ev... Read More

Dining

Sushi spots that won’t break the bank

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

“After placing the fish on rice and seasoning each one for maximum effect, he places the three pieces on a square slate slab around a small bowl of cherrywood chips. Using a ... Read More

Reynolds Rap

The peculiar priorities of Mayor Ed Lee

Highest paid mayor in America more out of touch than ever

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

According to recent data compiled by American City Business Journals, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee is the highest paid mayor in America with an annual salary of $289,000. I guess wit... Read More

Political Animal

Supervisor Katy Tang helps ban pet stores from selling puppy mill purebreds

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. — Mahatma Gandhi Kudos to District 4 Supervisor Katy Tang, San Francisco’s animal angel, for her... Read More

Susan Dyer Reynolds