Tech exec arrested in tech exec killing

Good morning! We have some breaking news:

Early this morning, Mission Local learned that the San Francisco Police Department travelled to Emeryville and made an arrest in the April 4 killing of tech executive Bob Lee. The alleged killer, Nima Momeni, also works in tech, and is a man Lee purportedly knew. Multiple police sources have described the fatal predawn knifing in a deserted section of downtown as neither a robbery attempt nor a random attack. Lee and the tech executive were portrayed by police as being familiar with one another; they were allegedly driving together in a car registered to Momeni when a confrontation began. Police allege that Momeni stabbed Lee multiple times with a knife that was recovered not far from the spot on Main Street where officers first responded.

Joe Eskenazi writes, “Today’s arrest would appear to undermine the premise that Lee’s violent death was due to street conditions in San Francisco. …Nevertheless, some of Lee’s fellow tech luminaries and a chorus of other influential voices portrayed this killing as part and parcel of a city awash in violent crime and on a descent into further chaos.” Mission Local will continue to update this story; follow us online and on Twitter, and please consider supporting the excellent, independent reporting that allowed us to break this news.

• If you’re an app-based delivery driver, you have until tomorrow to apply for one of the 30 e-bikes the city is offering as part of a pilot program to reduce traffic congestion and pollution. The city wants to study the use of e-bikes, hoping that getting delivery drivers out of cars could free workers from soaring gas prices, expensive traffic tickets, and the constant anxiety of circling the block for parking.

The pilot project, from the Department of Environment, will give workers bikes, helmets, locks, and training, and ask them to provide anonymous data on costs and routes that will be compared with data from delivery drivers. To apply, you must be a San Francisco resident 18 or older who can work at least 20 hours a week for a delivery app, have experience riding a bike in the city, and have access to a smartphone and health insurance. Deadline is Friday April 14.

• We’ll have a full look at stuff to do in the next newsletter, but for now take a look at our story about the Arhoolie label, and check out Friday’s 5th Annual Arhoolie Awards and Benefit Concert at the Chapel. The event will feature rockabilly, Tejano, and blues greats, and highlight the Arhoolie foundation’s work in documenting and archiving regional roots music.

More soon,

Sara