The Quarterly Report: A brief synopsis of the news in San Francisco over the last three months. You are now reading “Slow News That Doesn’t Break” – the exotic internet. I’m not kidding. No one reads these reports.
Weather
In mid-October in San Francisco the bird population changed. We are now seeing the arrival of house finches, song sparrows, white-crowned sparrows, gold finches and robins. With their arrival the crows have moved on out of some of the larger cypress trees. I am not sure the dynamic there but I prefer the new arrivals. I work as their janitor keeping the baths clean and fresh.
In early September we had a week of gorgeous weather only to be fogged-in and cold for weeks on end. Much of October was fine indeed with warm days and sunny skies. The ocean swell was mild for many weeks. Recently the swell is coming in strong and powerful as there must be something brewing up in Alaska. Everyone is bracing for a strong “el niño” this year. The water is above sixty degrees at Ocean Beach in San Francisco. That is warm for this time of year.
25-30ft waves are very big waves. Rain is in the forecast.
Politics
On the national level the Democrats gained a majority in both the Senate and the House. The war with Iran, the high gas prices, the corruption, the broken politics, the list goes on. In the end it came down to what James Talarico said in his victory speech.
“The real fight in this country is not left versus right. It is top versus bottom. The people at the top work so hard to keep us angry and divided, because our unity is a threat to their wealth and their power.”
– James Talarico victory speech. November 4, 2026
And also in Texas, where billionaires, some from California have ventured, elected a new governor, Gina Hinojosa, a politician who does not mince her words. You do not hear many Californian elected officials with this type of hutzpah.
“The days of treating our public schools like they’re for sale are over. The days of treating our tax dollars like your personal piggy bank are over. The days of writing one set of rules for working people and another for the wealthy and well-connected are over. And the days of telling Texans to settle for less, while only billionaires in boardrooms profit from a state we have all built — those days are over, too.”
– Gina Hinojosa victory speech. November 4, 2026
Locally in San Francisco the corporate Democrats won. Javier Becerra will be governor. Scott Weiner won in District 11 for congress. Proposition 40 to tax the billionaires lost. The silver lining is that Proposition G, to close the Great Highway, lost which means it will stay a bike and kid-friendly spot seven days a week.
And so it goes.
Sporting News
The Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA title defeating the Atlanta Dream in seven games. In the Bay Area people were extremely enthusiastic about the team, selling out all the matches. The MVP was a local San Francisco player, Gabby Williams who grew up playing hoops in a local Mission District gym. How cool is that!
In baseball, the San Francisco Giants had a poor season where they ended up losing 97 games and near the cellar of their division.
The Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series in convincing manner in five games over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In their playoff run they swept the San Francisco Giants’ nemesis Los Angles Dodgers in four games. The Brewers have one of the lowest payrolls in Major League Baseball and are a small market team. They are aggressive at the plate but at the same time force pitchers to throw a lot of pitches. When they get on base they often steal bases. It is an exciting style of play. On the team are three Venezuelans who were critical to their wins. William Contreras, the catcher won the MVP.
That is The Quarterly Report – November 2026
Photo Gallery of SF
The Quarterly Report – November 2026
