— William Boucher

“I grew up in South County, in Morgan Hill to be precise. I attended high school in San Jose and spent my first career there. After a while, it just got too much—too much traffic, too fast a pace, too many plastic people, too much division between haves and haves, the old ethnic neighborhoods were shrinking… When my wife had the opportunity to move to Sonoma County, we jumped at it the opportunity. Sonoma County reminded me a lot of Santa Clara County growing up. More than thirty years later we’ve built a network of friends and really feel a sense of community rather than a speed-dating group of superficial acquaintances. I’m really glad you found the kind of environment where you can thrive. From my very biased point of view, the city is great to visit, but I don’t want to live there. Thank you for sharing so much about yourself in the article, it took strength and courage, and I commend you for it.”

– Lee Cretin

“While I’m proud to live in Santa Rosa and proud to have the SRJC and the Schultz Museum, Ms. Torres is right. As a non-foodie and non-wine drinker, there isn’t much to do here. I remember watching the Crushers baseball team in high school. And I miss the convenience of the robust public transport in big cities. What I like to see in Sonoma County is an improvement in the public education system. Not only from a safety point of view (in view of the recent violence in schools), but also in terms of content. I would like to see more hands-on courses and skills development courses. Maybe there could be a project with the SRJC. A semester/year course that gives a general overview of the different types of jobs and explains the basic skills in each individual job. Maybe speakers from local industry with demonstrations. Also Growing Up 101: how banking and homeownership work, what it takes for a car to work, how city, state, and local government works, how to sew on a button. Real World, Practical Preparation; Not everyone goes to college. Given the cost of living, I probably won’t be moving to San Francisco or any other major city, so I’m finding things to do. And Santa Rosa, like most cities, has a lot to deal with in terms of homelessness, public roads/construction, and crime/recidivism. I think that working on improving education – after several years – can help with that.”

– Anne Lee

“I absolutely agree. Apparently more than half of my high school seniors had moved to LA. I answered before reading the whole question, so I plan on leaving. It’s very difficult to start a new life here to create new events and things to do. It was beautiful to look at but too quiet.”

– Ben Lash

“Wow, are you driving around with your eyes closed? Take a look at the Union Square and VanNess Ave areas. City hall. Tourism has declined in SF for good reason. If SR is too boring, maybe you should try Petaluma, it’s closer to your beloved San Francisco.”

– Gary Doolittle

“Born and raised in Santa Rosa and will never leave Sonoma County. And yes, San Francisco has become a gross place. I couldn’t imagine starting a family there. In fact, our family stopped going to San Francisco altogether because of how bad things got there. I never thought an entire city could smell like urine. Sonoma County strong!”

– Joy Roybal

“Santa Rosa and Sonoma County are communities of community. Each of them has a special connection to the residents. No reason to go unless you are looking for a different community. For fanboys like me, no city ever “needs” Batman. The whole parable of the cloaked crusader says that the city has lost its way. Furthermore, the extreme state of hopelessness produces a necessary agent of change outside of failed systems. SF has hope. Sonoma County has hope. Because people have hope. That’s why I live here.”

– Jim Leddy

Sevastopol

“Having not grown up in San Francisco 50 years ago, she has no real understanding of how the city has changed. As for her assessment of Santa Rosa, playing up the trauma we’ve all experienced from the fires while implying that it’s boring is lazy. Chappelle made a couple of brief visits to Santa Rosa and Sonoma County, but since she probably wasn’t at the show and it wasn’t making the news, she may have mistakenly assumed he hadn’t said anything negative or critical about the area. It’s nice to be here, it’s a slower pace but if I want some action I can go to the city. If I want to see a Broadway show, musical, comedy or concert, it’s an hour away.”

– Matt Schweifler

“I agree with her – San Francisco is magical! I like Santa Rosa – for all the fun happenings and curiosities, the amazing views, the great food and the wineries, breweries etc and it’s quieter – which I appreciate now but maybe didn’t when I was young. I couldn’t bear to live in a full throttle place like SF right now, but that’s not SF’s fault. It’s just a stage of life thing – maybe I would feel different if I was loaded down and could live anywhere in the city I wanted. Unfortunately, SF isn’t all that affordable for young people – or for people of any age without quadrupling, but I appreciate their defense of SF to all its naysayers. It’s not perfect – but it’s magical – no question about it!”

– Lori

“I definitely agree. i love the city The energy was amazing in my twenties, but after getting married and having kids, Sonoma is my home. We go into town and yes there are homeless people and it’s very sad but it doesn’t stop me. I wish there was an answer. We took the train and the ferry and spent a few days walking around, and when you walk out of a Giants game and hear Tony Bennett singing, my heart is gone and tears come to my eyes.”

– Candice Mick

san francisco

“Born in San Francisco in 1957, moved to Santa Rosa when he was three months old. I grew up in Santa Rosa, but my parents worked and played in the city. I did my residency at Community Hospital in Chanate and worked there part-time for 18 years before becoming Sutter and then Sutter Mark West Springs. Moved back to San Francisco after Tubbs fire, retired from Sutter Santa Rosa three years ago. I miss Santa Rosa every day, but the city is also my home. I will defend both; They are two sides of a beautiful coin.”

– Peace the crown

“What do you say about the approximately 240 deaths from fentanyl OD? It is sad that some progressives either overlook the crisis entirely or simply refuse to acknowledge it and continue to point to crime statistics to distract from the problems we face. PS-SFPD data shows that the number of homicides has increased by 26% this year. The money Breed invests goes to corrupt non-profit organizations that benefit from the status quo (if they fix the problem, their source of money disappears). So please, if you really love SF (as you do), it’s tough love time. We must acknowledge and accept the situation and work together to resolve it. Getting on the defensive, getting involved in politics, and blaming Republicans (I’m a left-leaning independent) and that’s bad for our city.”

– Smile

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Dave Chappelle, left, invited Elon Musk onto the stage during his comedy show in San Francisco Sunday night. (Associated Press)

Before welcoming Elon Musk onto the stage in San Francisco on Sunday, Dave Chappelle encouraged his fans to “make some noise for the richest man in the world.”

And they did – by loudly booing the billionaire tech mogul for nearly five minutes.

Chappelle invited Musk to his stand-up show with Chris Rock at the Chase Center in San Francisco, where the comedian told sneering viewers to “shut up,” to no avail. The new Twitter owner, who wore an “I Love Twitter” shirt to the event, also drew some cheers from the crowd at the end of the show.

“Cheers and boos I see,” Chappelle heard in a video posted to Twitter by @SteveGoffman.

“Didn’t expect that, did you?” Musk said.

“It sounds like some of the people you fired are in the audience,” Chappelle joked – referring to the broad contingent of Twitter employees who supported Musk shortly after buying the social media platform had dismissed.

“Hey, wait a minute, those of you guys are booing,” Chappelle continued in a failed attempt to calm the crowd while Musk stood silently on stage in San Francisco, where Twitter’s headquarters are located.

“Hard way ahead as it sounds,” the comedian conceded. “But do you know one thing? All these people who are booing – and I’m just pointing out the obvious – have terrible seats, and I get it.

“Boooo! listen, whatever. Look, Motherf— this N— isn’t even trying to die on Earth. His whole business model is: —F— Earth. Boo anything you want, take me with you [Musk] … I fly to Mars. Whatever P—they got up there, we’ll do that.”

Musk could only muster a quick “Thanks for having me on stage” as the boos continued as Chappelle boasted about riding jetpacks and going “baller s—” with the Tesla exec.

“Dave, what should I say?” Musk said about three and a half minutes into the Boo Fest.

“Don’t say anything,” Chappelle advised. “It will only spoil the moment. Do you hear that sound Elon? This is the sound of impending civil unrest. … Booing is not the best thing you can do.”

The story goes on

On Monday, Musk claimed on Twitter that the crowd reaction was “90% cheers and 10% boos (except during quiet times)”.

“But that’s still a lot of boos, which is a first for me in real life (frequently on Twitter),” he added. “It’s almost like I insulted SF’s crazy leftists…but nahhh.”

Both Musk and Chappelle have recently come under scrutiny for their divisive behavior. The SpaceX founder has been heavily criticized for his turbulent Twitter takeover, while the insurgent has been slammed for making transphobic remarks in his 2021 Netflix special.

“I’m your ally,” Chappelle told the crowd in San Francisco after standing by Musk. “I wish everyone in this hall peace and the joy of feeling free. May your pursuit of happiness make you happy. Amen. Thank you, San Francisco. No city on earth has ever been friendlier… Good night.”

This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.

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Dave Chappelle certainly rocked the audience at the conclusion of his San Francisco performance on Sunday night, but perhaps not in the way he intended when his audience reportedly booed loudly and at length at the controversial guest he brought onto the stage: Elon Musk.

Chappelle urged his audience at the Chase Center to “make some noise for the richest man in the world.” They definitely did, and the footage captured of the comedian’s stunt casting makes for odd, even uncomfortable viewing, even for people who don’t like Musk, as Gizmodo reported.

The crowd initially erupted in a mixture of cheers and boos at the sight of Twitter’s polarizing new CEO. But as the shock of Musk’s performance wore off, boos began to win out, according to footage from the set and some people in the audience.

“Cheers and boos, I see. Elon…” Chappelle said.

“Hey Dave,” Musk replied, triggering another wave of boos from the crowd.

Footage showed the booing rising as Musk paced the stage, microphone in hand. Musk tried to wave and continued pacing, obviously unsure how to react to such a negative reaction.

Chappelle tried to salvage the moment by cracking a few jokes: “It sounds like some of the people you fired are in the audience.”

“All these people booing, and I’m just pointing out the obvious, you have terrible seats,” Chappelle also said.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Musk offered a different account of the extent to which he was booed, tweeting Monday morning, “Technically it was 90% cheers and 10% boos (except during quiet times), but that’s still a lot.” Boos, which for me is a first in real life (frequently on Twitter). It’s almost like I insulted SF’s crazy leftists…but no.”

Someone fired back at Musk in reply, “We’ve got the tapes.”

Phones weren’t allowed at the Chase Center during the show, but at least one person snuck into their phone, captured the exchange, and posted it on Twitter, Gizmodo reported. It was subsequently removed from Musk’s platform, with a note that read, “This tweet is from an account that no longer exists.” However, people who were online “in the interest of free speech” saved the footage and made it through to post it on YouTube and Twitter.

The footage showed Chappelle cracking more jokes, this time about Musk’s business practices, his SpaceX company, and his ambition to colonize Mars. “His whole business model is (expletive) earth, I’m going anyway,” said Chappelle, pondering what kind of women or topless bars you might find in space.

For a moment, the crowd seemed to get back into the rhythm of laughter, along with Chappelle, until Musk spoke.

“Thanks for bringing me up on stage,” Musk said awkwardly as the boos started up again. After the comedian said Musk got him a jetpack last Christmas and the boos continued, Musk became visibly frustrated and said, “Dave, what can I say?”

“Don’t say anything. It’ll just spoil the moment,” Chappelle said. “Do you hear that sound, Elon? This is the sound of impending civil unrest. I can’t wait to see which store you decimate next… you shut up with your boos.”

According to Gizmodo and the footage, the mood in the stadium began to change when Chappelle got aggressive in his defense of Musk.

“I wish everyone in this auditorium peace and the joy of feeling free,” Chappelle said. “And your pursuit of happiness. Amen.”

While it looked like Chappelle was ready to wrap up the night, a third video showed comedian Chris Rock taking the stage with a few other people, Gizmodo reported. The video shows Chappelle asking someone on stage to do a version of the catchphrase from his 2000s sketch show: “I’m rich, biatch.”

The man tried and yelled the catchphrase into the microphone. Chappelle then handed the mic to Musk and begged him to do the same. Musk complied and offered a very awkward version, causing the crowd to erupt in more boos.

People on social media estimated that the vast majority of people in the 18,000-seat stadium booed during Musk’s performance, Gizmodo said. According to Indiewire, James Yu, founder of Sudowrite, shared on Twitter:

Went to the Dave Chapelle Show on SF tonight and who’s there but Elon Musk!

A good 80% of stadium boos. 18,000 people. and he withers. Like absolutely turning into a corn cob.

“What can I say??” He says

Dave tries to salvage the situation but to no avail

— James Yu (@jamesjyu) December 12, 2022

The crowd’s angry reaction came amid Musk’s recent provocations on Twitter, including his recent apparent efforts to question both transgender identities and the US response to the coronavirus pandemic. He tweeted Sunday that his pronouns on Twitter are “Prosecute/Fauci.”

Musk defended the tweet against criticism from former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly, who wrote: “Elon, please do not taunt or incite already marginalized members of the #LGBTQ+ community who are at risk of violence. They are real people with real feelings. In addition, dr. Fauci was a dedicated officer whose sole motivation was to save lives.”

I strongly disagree. Forcing your pronouns on others when they haven’t asked, and implicitly ostracizing those who don’t, is neither good nor kind to anyone.

As for Fauci, he lied to Congress and funded the gain-of-function research that has killed millions. Not great imo.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 12, 2022

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May 26, 2022

Dave Chappelle is returning to San Francisco for a show at the Punch Line on Thursday, May 26.

Fred Watkins/Contributor via Getty

Few comics have generated as much controversy in the past few years — or ever — as Dave Chappelle.

After years of walking on the comedic edge between insightful and offensive, his last streaming comedy special, “The Closer,” was widely condemned by LGBTQ groups for its offensive and harmful comments towards transgender people.

Despite the backlash, Chappelle’s career has seemed largely unaffected by the outcry, aside from adding a new thread of victimhood to his sets. His previous performance in the Bay Area, which kicked off his first tour after the special aired, was a sold-out affair at the Chase Center featuring an all-star cast of local guests, ranging from Too Short to E-40.

Tonight he returns to San Francisco for a late-night performance at the Punch Line following the Golden State Warriors playoff game. At time of publication, tickets are still available, but they don’t come cheap. General admission tickets through Live Nation cost $150 each plus fees.

Chappelle has a long history with San Francisco and the Punch Line specifically. In the period after leaving his Comedy Central show in the mid-aughts, he came to SF to sharpen his stand-up chops. Chappelle has also frequently referenced his friendship with late San Francisco comedian Daphne Dorman to contradict accusations that he is prejudiced against the transgender community.

For more, see SFGATE’s full timeline of Dave Chappelle’s controversial past few years.

Dan Gentile is the culture editor at SFGATE. He moved to San Francisco from Austin, TX where he worked as a vinyl DJ and freelance writer covering food and music. His writing has been featured in Texas Monthly, American Way, Rolling Stone, Roads & Kingdoms, VICE, Thrillist and more. Email: Dan.Gentile@sfgate.com.

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