Union Square Rink Opens as Voters Pass Lurie Props & Valkyries Parade

Union Square Holiday Ice Rink Opens for 19th Season Through Jan. 18

The Safeway Holiday Ice Rink at San Francisco's Union Square opened Wednesday evening for its 19th season and will operate daily through January 18 with advance tickets available online and a weekend lottery for free beginner skating lessons, according to NBC Bay Area. Olympic Gold medalist figure skater Brian Boitano praised the professional-grade ice surface at Wednesday night's opening ceremony, while rink spokesperson Julie Richter announced that "Mid-week Merriment" themed nights—featuring Dolly Parton and KPop themes—will take place every Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. Union Square Alliance CEO Marisa Rodriguez noted the opening caps a busy year for downtown San Francisco following Super Bowl, World Cup, and WNBA championship events.

San Francisco Voters Approve Mayor Lurie's Props D, E, F, and Prop H Muni Tax

San Francisco voters approved Mayor Daniel Lurie's "Clean Up City Hall" ballot package—Propositions D, E, and F, which attracted $13.8 million in campaign funding—alongside Proposition H and the Regional Transit Measure, KALW reported. Speaking at an election night gathering at Anina in Hayes Valley, Lurie celebrated the results. Proposition D quadruples the number of petition signatures required to place future initiatives on the ballot, Propositions E and F expand the authority of the mayor and city administrator, and Proposition H—celebrated by canvasser Albert Lam—establishes an annual parcel tax to fund Muni for the next 15 years.

SF-Marin Food Bank and Amazon Extend Delivery Partnership Through 2028; Phelan Building Defaults

The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank—founded in 1987 and led by Executive Director Tanis Crosby—and Amazon announced their home grocery delivery partnership will continue through 2028 to deliver 2.6 million meals over the next two years across San Francisco and Marin, where nearly 1 in 3 San Francisco households and 1 in 4 Marin households do not earn enough to meet basic needs, according to The San Francisco Standard. Senior Associate Director Jillian Tse and Amazon Regional Policy Lead Kathy Duong noted that two volunteer shifts pack grocery bags five days a week—comprising over 70% fresh produce alongside protein and grain items—allowing Amazon vehicles to deliver directly to more than 8,000 of the 46,000 total households the Food Bank serves (nearly 40%, up from a couple hundred families weekly before the 2020 pandemic), building on 156,000 bags of groceries already delivered.

In downtown commercial real estate, Phelan Building LLC—linked to Patrick and Ellen Hotung, who purchased the 11-story, 1908 cream terra-cotta landmark at 780 Market St. from Thor Equities for $374 million in 2016—received a notice of default at the end of October on a $215 million mortgage, with $192 million still owed to lender AIG as it seeks foreclosure, The San Francisco Standard reported. Designed by architect William Curlett for former Mayor James D. Phelan (who served from 1896 to 1902) after the original six-story 1881 building burned following the 1906 earthquake, the property includes 52,000 square feet of retail space—where Marshalls vacated its anchor space in 2021, leaving Verizon and Little Sweet—while design platform Figma has leased several office floors since spring 2024.

Bay Area Sports: Valkyries Parade on the Embarcadero, 6-1 49ers Add Buckner, and Warriors Withhold Porzingis Pay

Across the Bay Area's professional sports franchises:

• Golden State Valkyries WNBA Championship Parade: The Golden State Valkyries celebrated their first-ever WNBA championship on Wednesday, November 4, with a waterfront parade from the Jack London Square Ferry Lawn in Oakland to the Embarcadero in San Francisco, according to The San Francisco Standard. Owner Joe Lacob and his wife Nicole rode in a lowrider while guard Veronica Burton hoisted the WNBA trophy, forward Kayla Thornton greeted fans onstage, guard Kaitlyn Chen and forward Cecilia Zandalasini celebrated with champagne, 14th-year veteran guard Tiffany Hayes wore a "Valks in 7!!!" shirt, and center Kiah Stokes wore a shirt displaying ESPN's July 26 Basketball Power Index odds—when the Valkyries held the league's second-best record at 19-8 behind the 22-6 Minnesota Lynx yet were omitted from ESPN's top five title contenders. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and State Sen. Scott Wiener also waved along the route.
• San Francisco 49ers Trade Deadline Push: Off a bye week with a 6-1 record (compared with 6-3 at last year's trade deadline), 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch acquired defensive tackle DeForest Buckner—who previously starred for San Francisco before being traded in 2020—and are seeking wide receiver depth before the November 10 trade deadline after a tentative agreement with the Minnesota Vikings to reacquire Jauan Jennings fell through, The San Francisco Standard reported. Left tackle Trent Williams compared acquiring Buckner to the 2022 Christian McCaffrey trade, while defensive end Nick Bosa returns Sunday at Levi's Stadium against the Raiders after missing five games with a calf injury alongside rookie Romello Height and Mykel Williams, and Brandon Aiyuk remains on the reserve/left-squad list.
• Golden State Warriors Withhold Kristaps Porzingis Payments: Having won five straight games, the Golden State Warriors are withholding roughly $215,000 per game from center Kristaps Porzingis, who remains away from the team and has considered retiring after meeting in October with general manager Mike Dunleavy and sports medicine director Rick Celebrini, according to The San Francisco Standard. Porzingis's $20 million salary this season (plus $3 million owed next year) remains on the Warriors' salary cap sheet as the team evaluates how rookie Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski will pair with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler (acquired in February 2025).