Today from Mission Local

Good afternoon!

The SFPD announced yesterday that it has six drones it’s been using across the city, and plans to acquire 22 more. Police call the technology a “game changer” and say they’ve been without “air support” too long. Privacy advocates say it violates a state law requiring advance notice to local governments before โ€œmilitary equipmentโ€ is deployed.

Meanwhile, in See How they run, we’re following Mayor Breed, who talks about her relationship with the SFPD growing up, and hails police reforms since then.

How did a city with strict limits on campaign contributions wind up with so much money sloshing around our elections? We’ve got an important story on Govern for California, a conservative donation-bundling group now under investigation by the state, that’s been injecting money into seven SF races while obscuring the identities of donors.

We’re continuing to follow the city’s sweeps of homeless encampments. Abigail Van Neely talks with a man who describes the “spectacle” of his encampment being dismantled in front of a crowd โ€” before it was rebuilt a few blocks away.

More soon,

Sara


The Latest News

A person is reflected in the side mirror of a vehicle, looking at themselves. They wear sunglasses and have their hair tied back in a neat sweep. The background shows miscellaneous items and a bicycle.

When a sweep becomes a spectacle

“I looked and it was, like, 10, 15 people all just staring at me, gawking at me with their phones out.”


Rectangular chart showing funding amounts for various California committees and regions, with the largest amounts for "Govern for California Action Committee" ($409,878) and "Govern for California Courage Committee" ($272,946).

Anti-union group bundling donations to SF candidates

“Thatโ€™s what weโ€™re trying to avoid โ€” hiding dark money.โ€

A man in a police uniform and Mayor London Breed in a blue blazer hold hands while the woman speaks into a microphone. A person in the background wearing a cap operates equipment.

See how they run: Mayor Breed on 1980s policing and changes

“When I was a kid, we didnโ€™t talk to the police. I mean, we just didnโ€™t.”


SNAP

A wall painted with yellow smiley faces, the phrases "BE WEIRD" and "HEY SHORTY," graffiti, and a colorful mural of balloons with the text "THE GOOD KIND OF WEIRD WORKS HERE.

Hey Shorty, be weird

By Angel Mayorga


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Volunteer and author of the daily newsletter. I'm a writer whoโ€™s covered wars, politics, and religion. Iโ€™ve lived in the Mission for over 30 years, and have appreciated the work of Mission Local since it began.