(OAKLAND, Calif.) – Officials in Oakland, California, despite a trademark lawsuit from the city of San Francisco, approved changing the name of the city's airport to include “San Francisco,” while also filing their own lawsuit against the neighboring city over the dispute over the name change.

The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to rename Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. The name change has now taken effect on the airport's website and social media accounts. The airport's three-letter code – OAK – and visual brand remain unchanged.

The board said the new name is part of the port's efforts to “strengthen and expand the airport.”

“Our board came to these conversations with a shared love of Oakland and a desire to see our city and airport thrive,” Port Commission President Barbara Leslie said in a statement after Thursday’s vote. “We move forward with a commitment to honoring our past while building a stronger, more inclusive future.”

After announcing the proposed name change in late March, the board voted unanimously to change the airport's name in a first reading vote on April 11. Leslie said the port subsequently met with “dozens of community leaders and stakeholders” to hear their concerns about the change .

The city of San Francisco filed a federal trademark lawsuit over the plan on April 18, arguing that the proposed name would cause confusion among travelers and infringe on the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) trademark. The city attorney's office said it filed its lawsuit after “several attempts” to work with the Port of Oakland on alternative names.

Two days before Thursday's vote that allowed the Port of Oakland to move forward with the renaming, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu “strongly” urged the Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners to reconsider their plans.

In a letter to the board, he urged commissioners to “instead engage in discussions with the city and others about an alternative name that would achieve the port's goals without violating the city's branding and causing confusion and harm to the port.” consumers.”

San Francisco's lawsuit seeks an injunction to immediately stop use of the name and orders declaring that Oakland has violated the SFO sign and requiring the city to return all materials to destroy files that contain the new name. The lawsuit also seeks unspecified damages and fees.

San Francisco holds the U.S. federal trademark registration for the “San Francisco International Airport” brand, the first commercial use of which occurred in 1954, the city’s lawsuit says.

In a countersuit filed Thursday, Port of Oakland asked the court to rule that SFO's trademark does not extend to the use of “San Francisco Bay,” arguing that there are multiple airports elsewhere with names that share the same geographic location identifier, for example London, Paris, Beijing, Chicago and Dallas.

“The San Francisco Attorney General’s decision to pursue litigation is an attempt to halt consumer education, prevent expanded air travel options for Bay Area residents and visitors, and is a misuse of San Francisco taxpayer dollars,” Port Attorney Mary Richardson said in an explanation. “OAK is committed to improving its flight routes and improving competition for the benefit of all visitors and residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, including those residing in the City and County of San Francisco. We stand ready and willing to work with SFO to expand choice for travelers and invite any productive dialogue to that end.”

The Port of Oakland's lawsuit does not seek monetary compensation or damages.

In a statement to ABC News, Jen Kwart, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, said it was “disappointing that Oakland chose this path and ignored our numerous offers to cooperate on alternative names and avoid litigation.”

“We have strong federal trademark infringement claims against Oakland, and they have left us no choice but to pursue the next steps in our lawsuit,” the statement continued.

In 2023, 11.2 million passengers came through Oakland airport, while San Francisco airport had 50 million passengers last year.

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Oakland has also filed a counterclaim to San Francisco's trademark lawsuit.

May 10, 2024, 1:58 p.m. ET

• 6 min read

Officials in Oakland, California, approved changing the name of the city's airport to “San Francisco” despite a trademark lawsuit from the city of San Francisco, while also filing their own lawsuit against the neighboring city over the name change dispute.

The Oakland Board of Port Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to rename Metropolitan Oakland International Airport to San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport. The name change has now taken effect on the airport's website and social media accounts. The airport's three-letter code – OAK – and visual brand remain unchanged.

Travelers walk towards Terminal 1 at Oakland International Airport on April 12, 2024 in Oakland, California.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The board said the new name is part of the port's efforts to “strengthen and expand the airport.”

“Our board came to these conversations with a shared love of Oakland and a desire to see our city and airport thrive,” Port Commission President Barbara Leslie said in a statement after Thursday’s vote. “We move forward with a commitment to honoring our past while building a stronger, more inclusive future.”

After announcing the proposed name change in late March, the board voted unanimously to change the airport's name in a first reading vote on April 11. Leslie said the port subsequently met with “dozens of community leaders and stakeholders” to hear their concerns about the change .

The city of San Francisco filed a federal trademark lawsuit over the plan on April 18, arguing that the proposed name would cause confusion among travelers and infringe on the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) trademark. The city attorney's office said it filed its lawsuit after “several attempts” to work with the Port of Oakland on alternative names.

Two days before Thursday's vote that allowed the Port of Oakland to move forward with the renaming, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu “strongly” urged the Port of Oakland Board of Commissioners to reconsider their plans.

In a letter to the board, he urged commissioners to “instead begin discussions with the city and others about an alternative name that would achieve the port's goals without violating the city's trademark and causing confusion and harm to consumers.” .

San Francisco's lawsuit seeks an injunction to immediately stop use of the name and orders declaring that Oakland has violated the SFO sign and requiring the city to return all materials to destroy files that contain the new name. The lawsuit also seeks unspecified damages and fees.

A man checks flight information signs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California, on February 4, 2024. Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images

San Francisco holds the U.S. federal trademark registration for the “San Francisco International Airport” brand with the first date of commercial use in 1954, the city’s lawsuit says.

In a countersuit filed Thursday, Port of Oakland asked the court to rule that SFO's trademark does not extend to the use of “San Francisco Bay,” arguing that there are multiple airports elsewhere with names that share the same geographic location identifier, for example London, Paris, Beijing, Chicago and Dallas.

“The San Francisco Attorney General’s decision to pursue litigation is an attempt to halt consumer education, prevent expanded air travel options for Bay Area residents and visitors, and is a misdirected use of San Francisco taxpayer dollars,” Port Attorney Mary Richardson said in an explanation. “OAK is committed to improving its flight routes and increasing competition for the benefit of all visitors and residents of the San Francisco Bay Area, including those residing in the City and County of San Francisco. We are ready and willing to work with SFO to expand choice for travelers and invite any productive dialogue to do so.”

The Port of Oakland's lawsuit does not seek monetary compensation or damages.

In a statement to ABC News, Jen Kwart, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, said it was “disappointing that Oakland chose this path and ignored our numerous offers to cooperate on alternative names and avoid litigation.”

“We have strong federal trademark infringement claims against Oakland, and they have left us no choice but to take the next steps in our lawsuit,” the statement continued.

In 2023, 11.2 million passengers came through Oakland airport, while San Francisco airport had 50 million passengers last year.

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In the interest of all parking scofflaws and saints, we set out to find the official answer.

A street cleaning sign in San Francisco. (Penny Nelson/KQED)

Walking The Parking Enforcement Beat

I made my way to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, where I met up with traffic enforcement officer Denise Golden. She’s funny, smart and 100 percent no-nonsense.

She says that while people with her job may not be the most well-liked, “without us, it would be chaos. People would never move their vehicles. It would be definitely a problem.”

I asked her Ashley’s question and her answer surprised me.

“Once the street sweeper has gone by, we do permit the vehicle to park curbside,” she says.

So — it’s legal!

But, beware. There’s a hitch.

Signs Got You Stumped?

Is there another sign on the street you have a question about? Check out the SFMTA Parking Guide.

Golden went on to say that, in many cases, street cleaning is a four-step process. So, even if you think you’ve seen the street sweeper go by, you may have actually seen another vehicle.

The Street Sweeping Process

The first vehicle in the street cleaning parade is the broom support truck. A worker picks up large items off the street – things like big pieces of wood or an abandoned chair — and chucks them into this truck. They’re looking for anything that cannot be vacuumed up by the street sweeper.

The parking enforcement officer typically comes just before the street sweeper. (Penny Nelson/KQED)

Next comes the street flusher, which is used mostly on commercial streets like Market and Mission. The flusher has jets underneath the truck that shoot water on the roadway, loosening grime and grit.

Third in line is the parking ticket officer, citing cars that haven’t moved.

Finally, the street sweeper comes along with big brushes and a large tube that vacuums up all the remaining trash on the street.

After that final step, you can legally park.

You’re welcome.

Wait, Four Steps? Really?

I caught a ride one morning with John Sheehan, one of the city’s street sweepers, as he cleaned his route in Noe Valley. He was surprised to hear I’d been told street cleaning is a four-step process.

On his route, he said, it’s usually a two-step process: The parking enforcement person moves ahead of him and then he alone cleans the street.

What do you wonder about the Bay Area, its culture or people that you want KQED to investigate?
Ask Bay Curious.

Turns out the cleaning process changes based on a variety of factors, like which street is being cleaned, which district the street is in, time of year, if there are special events and what’s been requested.

But whether it’s a two-step or four-step process, the bottom line is: Wait for that ticket buggy and street sweeper to roll by and you’re in the clear.

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About two hours south of San Antonio lies the community of San Diego, Tex., a speck of a town with just under 4,000 residents. Its biggest claim to fame is the infamous “Plan of San Diego,” hatched in 1915 during the Mexican Revolution, which sought to reconquer from the U.S. government the portion of the Southwest that had been taken from Mexico in the Mexican-American War.

While the Plan of San Diego was never acted upon, the rebellious spirit of this town’s inhabitants resulted in one of the most fascinating tales in South Texas history — one that involves buried treasure, an empty Folgers coffee can and a plate of enchiladas.

The tale begins around the time the notorious rebel plan was hatched. Its protagonist was a well-educated country doctor named Jose Garcia. Garcia, who got his medical education in Mexico, came from a prominent colonial family who obtained 18th-century Spanish land grants on what would become both sides of the Texas-Mexico border.

Beginning in the 1890s, Garcia began collecting gold coins, according to family archives that would become important evidence in a Texas courtroom more than a century later. He had accrued more than 500 gold coins and built a thriving medical practice when the Great Depression broke out following the 1929 stock market crash.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt suddenly saw gold hoarding as a national security. In response, in 1933, Roosevelt issued Executive Order 6102, “forbidding the hoarding of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates within the continental United States.” Americans were ordered to give up their gold coins to the Federal Reserve at an exchange rate of roughly $20 per ounce.

That was unacceptable for Garcia, who would have been paid about $10,000 (more than $230,000 in today’s money) if he had given up his gold. Instead he quietly began burying the coins in a crawl space beneath his home on St. Joseph Street in San Diego.

His treasure was a well-kept secret; he shared its existence only with his daughter, Gloria, and her husband, Hector Lopez, both of whom earned degrees from the University of Texas at Austin in the 1940s — a rarity for Hispanics at the time. After serving in the military during World War II, Hector earned a law degree from Baylor Law School.

After Garcia died in 1964, his son-in-law made several forays into the crawl space but never found the gold coins. In 1976, Gloria and Hector Lopez sold the home to a distant cousin named Alejandro Lopez. For a while, at least, the gold stash was forgotten.

Twenty-six years later, the home developed plumbing issues, and Alejandro Lopez called on the town plumber, Serafin Trevino, to fix a leak. Trevino went to the house and brought his girlfriend, Connie Mosely. Trevino entered the crawl space beneath the kitchen to get to the source of the leak, while Mosely waited for him in the kitchen.

As he dug around wet earth to expose a leaking sewer line, Trevino found the gold coins. But instead of telling the home’s owner, Trevino called up to his girlfriend, who found an empty Folgers coffee can and handed it to the plumber.

Trevino filled the can with an estimated 422 gold coins, worth about $500,000 at the time. Trevino quietly left with the treasure and began a spending spree that, according to one witness, included paying for a plate of enchiladas with a $20 gold coin. What Trevino didn’t know was that the gold piece was worth about $1,100.

But nothing stays secret for long in a small town, and soon the homeowner, Alejandro Lopez, heard about Trevino’s discovery. Lopez confronted Trevino and demanded the return of the gold coins, saying they had been given to him by Lopez’s father. Trevino responded with the classic third-grade legal argument: finders keepers.

The dispute ended up in a Duval County court, and word quickly got to Gloria Garcia-Lopez, who was then living in nearby Alice, Tex. Gloria and her husband entered the legal fray as intervenors — a third party with a stake in the case.

During the ensuing trial, Dr. Garcia’s sister, Braulia de la Garza Garcia, shared a ledger that documented her brother’s accrual of the gold coins. It became a key piece of evidence and contributed to the judge’s decision to award the treasure to Gloria Garcia-Lopez and her husband.

In the end, Gloria and her husband didn’t need the money that the gold coins would have generated for them. That’s because the Garcia family had a habit of legally documenting not only its coin collection, but also extensive land holdings.

When Dr. Garcia’s daughter and her husband died, they owned tens of thousands of acres on as many as 14 different ranches in South Texas. They amassed this real estate fortune even though their family had lost the bulk of its real estate south of the border to the Mexican government following that country’s revolution and land reforms, and in an era in which unscrupulous developers routinely stole land from Mexican American landowners.

In that great Texas tradition, oil and gas were found on many of their ranches. Gloria and Hector had no children, and when they died, their wills created the Hector and Gloria Lopez Foundation, which awards scholarships to first-generation Hispanic college students in several Texas cities. That foundation is now worth more than $200 million and is one of the country’s largest scholarship funds for Hispanic students.

They found Viking coins worth millions using metal detectors — but their discovery led to prison

And as for the gold? The family executor, a nephew of Gloria and Hector, was tasked with locating a Texas museum to donate the 400 remaining gold coins. After searching throughout the state, he chose the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg, Tex., about an hour south of where the gold had been buried. He selected it because of the diversity of the museum’s board of trustees. Currently, the museum is showing an exhibit called Dr. Garcia’s Gold.

The gold coins are safely stored in a bank lockbox. In perfect condition, the value of the coins, some minted as early as 1836, could be as high as $12 million. But, alas, the coins are not in mint condition. Most of them have a mark believed to be a toothmark. Francisco Guajardo, the Museum of South Texas’s CEO, theorizes that during the brief time he was a rich man, the plumber Serafin Trevino bit into each of the coins to ensure they were real.

Carlos Sanchez, a longtime journalist, is director of public affairs for Hidalgo County, Tex.

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• Gilbert Nicholls stands outside his residence at the San Rafael RV Park in San Rafael on Thursday, August 11, 2022. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

• Residential homes of the San Rafael RV Park line the street near the community entrance in San Rafael on Wednesday, August 11, 2021. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

• Residents of the San Rafael RV Park spend some time outside their homes in San Rafael on Thursday, August 11, 2022. (Alan Dep/Marin Independent Journal)

Almost all residents of the San Rafael RV park received eviction notices this week after the property owner lost a rental dispute in the US 9th Circuit Circuit.

In the Feb. 10 decision, the three-judge panel confirmed that the district court dismissed property owner Donna Chessen’s contention that the city ordinance stabilizing RV rentals constituted illegal “earnings.”

The ruling was the latest development in the saga that followed when the city sued Chessen and Harmony Communities, the Stockton-based property management group, in December 2021 for seeking rent increases allowed above the ordinance.

In the Court of Appeals ruling, the judges wrote that the Rent Control Ordinance had been in effect for 15 years before Chessen and her husband bought the property in 2006. Additionally, the ruling states that there was a “final ruling by a state court that found the property is subject to the ordinance.” This refers to a 2004 ruling.

On Monday, eviction notices were delivered to approximately 40 addresses at the RV park at 742 Francisco Blvd. west, according to local residents. The notice says tenants have until October 31 to vacate their homes and remove them from the property, otherwise they could face legal consequences.

“Where can I go? How can I afford to move?” said Alexander Vernimmen, a 70-year-old resident who has lived at the park for 18 years. Vernimmen said he lives with his 96-year-old mother, and her only income are social security payments.

Vernimmen said he was served with a separate eviction notice from the court on Dec. 30, which gave him just two business days to respond due to the bank holiday weekend.

“They prey on old disabled people and poor families with children,” he said.

The dispute began in August 2021 when tenants were notified of the rent increases, which Harmony said would bring the average monthly rent to $650. City officials and residents pushed back, saying the increase violates the city’s RV rental stabilization ordinance, which is designed to protect the park’s affordability.

The argument depends on what type of houses there are. Harmony says they are recreational vehicles and are therefore exempt from a city rental control ordinance that covers mobile or manufactured homes. The city and local residents say otherwise.

Chessen argued in court that there were only mobile homes on the site. If a mobile home is used as a place of residence for nine months or more continuously in the same place, it is considered a mobile home under the country’s civil code.

Marin County Superior Court Judge James Chou in July granted a request for an injunction barring the defendants from charging rents in excess of the city’s rent stabilization ordinance for mobile homes. The regulation caps rent increases for RV sites at 75% of consumer price index adjustments.

In July, the property management gave the tenants letters of intent to close the RV park, but did not give a date. The closure of an affordable housing mobile home park requires the owner to complete a tenant impact report and take steps to move tenants or pay fair market value for eviction.

In the July letters to residents, Harmony staff wrote that “the park has been operating at a loss for several years and is struggling to keep this park open so that no resident has to relocate. The reality is the land is worth a lot more than running an RV park for affordable housing.”

According to the property tax report, the 1.26 hectare property was built in 1952. The property is owned by the K&M Family 1997 Trust, a company controlled by Chessen. The property has an estimated value of $2.92 million recorded in 2022. Property taxes last year totaled $74,006.

Assistant City Attorney Genevieve Coyle said in an email that the city agrees with the 9th Circuit’s ruling and that the city is still pursuing its separate litigation in Marin County Superior Court to enforce the city’s ordinance. A trial is scheduled for May.

“We are aware of the eviction notices and are reviewing them,” Coyle said.

Fabian Quezadas is one of a group of newer residents renting the mobile homes provided by Harmony. He lives in one unit, his brother and family live in a separate one. They both have leaks and plumbing issues, he said. Quezadas said they pay $1,295 a month in rent for each house.

“These units are uninhabitable,” he said. “In the first rainy week we had leaks, plumbing issues, I found black mold in the bathrooms and around the windows. When I told Harmony they said I never informed them of any mistakes and now they are trying to evict me.”

Quezadas said the situation had gotten so bad that he was temporarily staying at a hotel. He said he complained to a Harmony Communities president, Matthew Davies. “He said to me, ‘If I don’t like it, you can move out. We can terminate your lease.’”

Attempts to reach Chessen were unsuccessful. Her attorneys, Dan Rudderow and Chris Chapman, did not respond to a request for comment.

Davies also did not respond to a request for comment, but Heywood Jablóm, a company spokesman, emailed a statement.

“This property consists entirely of RVs, which are legally exempt from city ordinance,” Jablóm wrote.

“The park is losing money because rents aren’t covering expenses. The city has been told that the park will have to close because it is losing money, but the city has refused to compromise,” Jablóm wrote. “The city wants a private landowner to single-handedly subsidize affordable housing in San Rafael, but the park is cash-strapped and losing money every month. Since the city has refused to comply with its own ordinance, the only option is to close the park. We expect all residents to be moving out by October and look forward to remodeling the property for higher and better use.”

Resident Gilbert Nicholls, who has lived there in his home since 2004, said he remains optimistic after hearing the federal ruling.

“You’re picking at straws,” he said. “You won’t win. They won’t beat us.”

Harmony Communities was also involved in a controversial 2018 rent increase for RV sites in San Leandro, which has no rent control. In a case in Fresno County, residents of the Shady Lakes mobile home park filed a lawsuit two years ago, alleging the company unfairly hiked rents and harassed renters. They are reportedly still facing rent increases.

Company representatives rejected the claims in both cases. The company continues to buy affordable housing communities in low-income areas in cities like Gilroy and last year Golden, Colorado.

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A small storefront on Grant Avenue is bringing a taste of Amsterdam — and ancient Egypt — to San Francisco. Professor Seagull’s Smartshop, which opened in North Beach this April, is a cross between an art gallery, a witchy herb shop and a modern cannabis dispensary (except you can touch the products).

Psychedelic art covers the walls and sleek Scandinavian-inspired shelves hold a tightly curated selection of loosely controlled herbs. But instead of the typical variations of cannabis, the shop is devoted to lesser known psychoactive and psychedelic sacred plants from all over the world. 

While the first of its kind in San Francisco — and according to the owners, the entire country — “smart shops” are ubiquitous in Europe, especially Amsterdam, and refer to stores that sell herbal remedies, hangover cures, botanical samples and “nootropics,” or brain-enhancing substances. Although there are other stores selling herbal supplements such as kratom, owner Benjamin Manton says his store is different since the focus is solely on the use of plants and products with psychoactive properties.

The chalkboard sign in the shop window advertises items such as San Pedro and Peruvian torch cacti, which you might be familiar with if you’ve ever embarked on a vision quest in the desert. But the first product to catch my eye is a bag of brilliant blue and yellow petals, which I’d soon try myself, in addition to experimenting with damiana, wild dagga and Mexican dream herb tea.

The exterior of Professor Seagull?•s Smartshop in San Francisco, Calif. on May 19, 2022. The shop specializes in obscure and legal psychedelics.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Benjamin Manton is the owner of Professor Seagull?•s Smartshop, works on a display inside his store in San Francisco, Calif. on May 19, 2022. The shop specializes in obscure and legal psychedelics.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Professor Seagull’s Smartshop. Credit: Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Manton, who owns the shop with his wife and looks a tad like a younger version of the store’s namesake/logo (if you squint and are on psychedelics), tells me the petals are from an Egyptian blue lotus. 

“The ancient Egyptians would steep it in wine and drink it during religious ceremonies and parties,” Manton says. “But you can also make it into a relaxing tea.” 

The flower, which some call the sacred blue lily of the Nile, is depicted in countless ancient temples and writings throughout Egypt, Greece and parts of Asia. Its ubiquitous depictions suggest that the lotus helped the ancients connect with the divine through its hallucinatory effects and was an important part of ceremonies around sexuality. Given that it increases circulation, the petals are thought to be powerful aphrodisiacs. It also has reported health and psychological benefits, thanks primarily to the apomorphine compound found in the plant that stimulates the body’s dopamine receptors. Historians believe the ancient Egyptians used the flower as traditional medicine, and in more modern times, its active compounds have been utilized to treat anxiety and even Parkinson’s disease. 

Benjamin Manton is the owner of Professor Seagull’s Smartshop in San Francisco on May 19, 2022. The shop specializes in obscure and legal psychedelics.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Plant medicine for the psychedelic-curious

In the U.S., blue lotus has not received FDA approval, but it’s also not a controlled substance, so it is legal to grow and sell. The same goes for the rest of Professor Seagull’s inventory: Everything is legal in California and most other states — at least in the form it’s displayed and sold in the store and online shop. 

The mescaline that can be extracted from San Pedro and Peruvian torch cacti is illegal, but in their cactus form, they’re just attractive house plants. There’s also Mimosa Hostilis root bark, a major ingredient of ayahuasca, which doubles as a popular natural dye for soaps and fabric. 

“We are providing these products in the form they are legally allowed to be presented,” Manton tells me over email. “Some items we can talk openly about in terms of historical use and dosage. And some things are sold explicitly for growth as a houseplant or for arts and crafts supply.”

Of course, what you choose to do with your house plants and art supplies is your own business.

“It is our hope that the city or the state will decriminalize psychedelic plants soon so that we can begin to have more open and honest discussions with our clients about the history and potentials of these plants,” Manton writes. 

Benjamin Manton, the owner of Professor Seagull’s Smartshop, shows off some recent cuttings of San Pedro cactus in San Francisco on May 19, 2022. The shop specializes in obscure and legal psychedelics.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Manton sees potential in the store to serve as part of the solution to San Francisco’s (and the country’s) mental health and addiction crises. 

“In the future we hope to be a place where therapists can send their clients for information and access, and where practitioners can come for local access to sustainably sourced plant medicine.”

For now, the Mantons are focused on providing transformational experience through plant medicine and art, as well as being a resource for harm reduction. In addition to providing safer alternatives to party drugs, such as Kanna, which Manton says is being used in place of cocaine and MDMA, the shop offers test kits from DanceSafe to test recreational drugs for adulterants, such as fentanyl. 

Manton gave me a tour of the shop with a matter-of-fact, professorial air that is so knowledgeable and nonjudgmental, and I end up leaving with four bags (and more than 100 grams) of various teas and smokeables that promise to ease anxiety, aid sleep and dream recall and invoke euphoria. At just $40, a similar haul at a cannabis dispensary would cost at least three times that, yet many of the items I purchased boast similar effects and benefits. 

Some of the herbs that can be consumed in a tea or smoked at Professor Seagull?•s Smartshop in San Francisco, Calif. on May 19, 2022. The shop specializes in obscure and legal psychedelics.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Mimosa Hostilis Root Bark available at Professor Seagull?•s Smartshop in San Francisco, Calif. on May 19, 2022. The shop specializes in obscure and legal psychedelics.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Several different Yerba Matte products available at Professor Seagull?•s Smartshop in San Francisco, Calif. on May 19, 2022. The shop specializes in obscure and legal psychedelics.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Some mushroom infused coffee available at Professor Seagull?•s Smartshop in San Francisco, Calif. on May 19, 2022. The shop specializes in obscure and legal psychedelics.
Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

A selection of products at Professor Seagull’s Smartshop. Credit: Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

My week of plant discovery

Back at home, I begin a week of plant- and self-discovery. The first order of business is making blue lotus wine, which just requires adding 15 to 20 grams of petals to a bottle of wine (after you pour a little out or have a glass to make room), setting it in the refrigerator and giving it a shake every day until you’re ready to drink it (anywhere between two days and two weeks). I used half a bottle of grocery store cabernet that I had lying around, but any kind will work. Manton suggests not using anything special, since the lotus will alter the taste.  

Then I roll up joints of damiana, which is native to parts of the U.S., Mexico and Central America, and wild dagga, which grows abundantly in southern Africa. Both are said to produce a light, cannabis-like high. Wild dagga can enhance color perception, so tonight I turn to these while I paint instead of my usual sativa. 

As I prep the canvas and the light floral-smelling smoke fills the space, I feel a familiar buoyancy, like I’ve taken a baby hit of weed. The taste is reminiscent of black tea and the psychoactive effects are decidedly subtle. It’s really all I need though — just a slight nudge into flow state. It’s nice to avoid some of the side effects of cannabis, such as misplacing the paintbrush I’m holding or randomly obsessing over something embarrassing that happened seven years ago. 

Next I light up the wild dagga. The bright orange dried petals don’t grind that well, so it makes for a looser joint. The spicy smoke burns the back of my throat slightly, but I’m too lost in mixing satisfying globs of paint to care much. I’m a little bit more excited by the way the paint drips down the canvas and my strokes seem a bit bolder and more confident. The day’s worries wash off my brush in vibrant swirls.

Then it’s time for a cup of Mexican dream herb tea and bed. The mixture is unpleasantly bitter on the back of my tongue, so I add honey. A few minutes later I feel deeply relaxed, like I’m hovering at the doorway of sleep with none of my usual effort to get there. Soon I easily drift off into a land of chaotic dreams. 

A display shows some of the obscure and legal psychedelics available at Professor Seagull’s Smartshop in San Francisco on May 19, 2022.

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

I drank the tea before bed a few more nights this week, and each time my sleep was filled with cinematic dreams, some of which took on the quality of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”. Dreaming of surfing atop trash cans and other oddities was an interesting journey, but I was ready for a vibe change. And a glass of wine. So on the sixth day, I decide the blue lotus wine is ready. Internet searches tell me two weeks produce the most potent effects, but I figure one week is the correct level for a Thursday evening of horoscope writing (and my personal emotional state). 

I’ve done enough plant medicine to know that set and setting are major components. So as I run the seductive purple liquid through a strainer, I regret not making plans to take the concoction to a party, or at least share it with a close friend. 

But Mercury is retrograding hard, I’m riding a grief wave, and deadlines are looming, so the best I can do is spend a night in with a blank Google doc and my feelings. 

Taking cues from the ancient Egyptians, I say a meditative prayer to the blue flower, asking it to lift my spirits enough to let me write what I need to, or at least just enjoy my own company, achy heart and all. 

The wine tastes extra floral, but I don’t mind it. With a few summer fruits added in, it’d make a good sangria.

Half a glass and 20 minutes later, I’m crying over nothing and everything. The ancient Egyptians used this concoction for sex rituals, and crying is its own kind of release, so maybe it’s working. Then for a reason I can’t pinpoint, my tears just as quickly turn to belly laughs. 

Maybe it’s the moon, the wine or the lotus, but suddenly I’m buzzy with phrases and so many nonlinear thoughts that I write rough drafts for two separate articles almost simultaneously. Something like euphoria, or just momentary relief from heartache, moves me to dance. Alone in my home studio, I’m filled with love for myself and the plants that are there for us through all of life’s chapters. 

Amy Copperman is a writer and artist based in Oakland, Calif. Find her on Instagram.

More psychedelic San Francisco

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This comes more than a year after the Senate narrowly passed a bill establishing them.

The Associated Press reports that the full Assembly will now decide on establishing test programs at sites in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles.

State Senator Scott Weiner says the proposal comes amidst a local surge in drug overdoses, many preventable. He says the injection sites will keep people safe and help them get into treatment.

But not everyone supports the legislation.

The California Narcotics Officers Association’s John Lovell warns the injection sites could act like a magnet – drawing more people into neighborhoods where drug use is government-sanctioned.

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Mendocino County Superior Court Executive Officer Kim Turner believes people of color, women and other citizens who happen to fall within a category on a diversity wheel should be represented in her house.

Court CEOs essentially run court operations like company CEOs do.

“This is a very diverse branch (of the state courts system), with a workforce very reflective of the California population,” she said.

Turner, who has worked as a Northern California court CEO for almost a half century, has noticed a growing list of county courts with diverse workers and management. Out of 11 counties in the greater Bay Area from as far south as Santa Clara to the middle of the Emerald Triangle, only one courthouse is managed by a white, heterosexual man.

“Kinda remarkable, isn’t it?” Turner asked.

And California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye is a woman of Filipino with Portuguese descent.

For a long time, people who walked up to the counters of courthouses would see women as clerks. Now, more women run are running the legal show.

“The dynamics have changed in public administration. In the last 25 years, there are more women in leadership in court executive positions,” Turner said.

The Mendocino County court manager said she’s made a concerted effort to urge her workers to learn other languages ​​and cultural differences surrounding various populations. For instance, 10 Native American tribes exist in Mendocino County.

To Turner, it’s difficult enough for anyone to understand completely legal language.

This “legalese” is what Turner refers to as “$28 words” lawyers use to get a point across. Sometimes these legal eagles aren’t even around to explain what is meant by the terminology. For example, no longer are attorneys needed to conduct a divorce or the dissolution of a domestic partnership unless it’s complicated. Still, the process requires a general understanding of how the legal system works.

Turner said her staff — which consists of Black, Asian, Hispanic, gay and transgender workers in the small county — is on hand to provide factual information, not advice. But she thinks having this diverse staff explain complicated legal issues provides a level of comfort.

“There’s a lot of sensitivity around our cultural services. We try very hard to connect with people,” she said, further emphasizing the need is exacerbated by court users feeling stressed out or even in mental anguish. “Very few happy things happen at our courts. I think it’s very important for people to go to court and see people who look like them.”

Turner cited a 2006 study titled “Trust & Confidence in California Courts” that evaluated the need for diversity in courthouses to better comprehend the plight of those in minority groups as making “a huge difference” at getting through to people navigating the legal system without regret .

“We have found that people walk away from court remembering not whether they won or lost, but whether they were heard,” she said.

The study discovered that trust and confidence in the courts varies widely among the state’s ethnic groups.

“Blacks and Latinos exhibited lower levels of confidence,” the report reads, with undocumented immigrants tending to avoid the legal system because they fear being deported.

Among the survey respondents, 31% were born outside the United States. The stat coincides with the US Census in 2000 showing over half of the state’s population belonging to an ethnic minority group — with the three largest groups being Latinos, Black, and Chinese Americans.

Court users in the focus groups indicated that many of these minorities and recent immigrants try to avoid the legal system altogether.

“Some fear that having a record of any sort will make them more likely to encounter problems legal with the system in the future,” the study adds.

Susan Wood covers law, cannabis, production, biotech, energy, transportation, agriculture as well as banking and finance. For 25 years, Susan has worked for a variety of publications including the North County Times, now a part of the Union Tribune in San Diego County, along with the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Lake Tahoe News. She graduated from Fullerton College. Reach her at 530-545-8662 or susan.wood@busjrnl.com

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San Francisco announced vaccination requirements for some indoor gatherings Thursday, asking the question, is this legal?

From August 20th, you must first show proof of vaccination when entering a bar, restaurant, gym, or indoor area where food and drink are served. San Francisco was the first major city to require a full vaccination against such activities. The order does not apply to anyone ordering takeaway food or drinks, or to children under 12 who are unsuitable for the vaccines.

Dorit Rubinstein Reiss, a law professor at UC Hastings who sits on the Vaccine Working Group on Ethics and Policy, said San Francisco’s latest health ordinance appears to meet legal requirements.

Jurisdictions can mandate vaccines for as long as can be reasonably expected. This is a finding from Jacobson v Massachusetts, a 1905 Supreme Court case that upheld states’ powers to enforce vaccine mandates. The San Francisco rule, formulated in the context of increasing cases, does not apply to children under the age of 12, maintains personal school attendance, and allows religious and medical exemptions.

The mandate is similar to that in New York City, which issued requirements last week to prove that customers had at least one dose of a vaccine.

But despite the nationwide history of vaccine needs, that type of mandate is new to experts like Rubinstein Reiss. Many companies may have been afraid to enforce vaccination restrictions without placing responsibility on the city, she said. However, some businesses and customers may wish to bring legal actions based on undue encumbrances or civil liberties.

“I think we’ve never seen that before,” said Rubinstein Reiss. “Before COVID-19, I was not aware of any such mandate. I assume that we will see litigation. “

Some companies started asking for proof of vaccination in July to prevent further closures and give customers a sense of security. The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce welcomed the idea, as did the San Francisco Independent Fitness Studio Coalition on the Thursday following Breed’s enactment.

“It gives our customers an added reassurance that they can experience the mental and physical benefits of fitness in a safe and healthy environment,” said Dave Karraker, board member of the coalition that represents small gyms. “We believe that whatever can be done to avoid the capacity limits or the complete shutdown of indoor fitness that we have seen over the past year is in the best interests of all, especially the small businesses in the neighborhood who have suffered so badly since the beginning of the pandemic. “

San Francisco requires that all city workers be vaccinated once the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gives full approval. The San Francisco Unified School District, urged by its unions, will also require that staff be vaccinated or regularly tested. The City College of San Francisco will require proof of vaccination starting October 1st.

“Vaccines are our way out of the pandemic and our way back to a life where we can be safe together,” Mayor London Breed told Thursday. “Many companies in San Francisco are already pioneering the need to provide proof of vaccination for their customers because they care about the health of their employees, their customers, and this city. This mandate builds on their leadership role and will help us meet the challenges ahead and keep our business open. “

However, students in K-12 schools are different. The federal government isn’t allowed to enforce vaccination regulations, but since the 1970s all 50 states have largely implemented school vaccination regulations for polio, measles, and other diseases.

But today at least nine states, including Arizona and Arkansas, have already passed or enacted laws banning coronavirus vaccine mandates. There’s also the fact that vaccines are currently approved under an emergency license and not all children are eligible. While emergency mandates prove viable, school institutions and jurisdictions may not want to fight the same battle over and over again.

“It was always a fight,” said Rubenstein Reiss. But today: “We have a problem with people who have different political views and different sources of information. [Some] People don’t like vaccination regulations. “

imojadad@sfexaminer.com

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