Well, 2025 is winding down. In this very long year, our reporters broke news, dug into tech execs (and tech excess), and tracked the influence of big-time influencers. We got insiders’ takes on political newcomers and the most ubiquitous group on Facebook. We found internet communities on the up and in crisis.
One of us got pepper-sprayed by ICE.
These are the ten stories that Gazetteer readers gravitated to this year. But whether you’ve clicked on one story or 100 we’ve written, we’re glad you’re here all the same. Thanks for reading, and please come back in 2026.
10. ‘You can’t outsource taste’ (June 4)
By Joshua Bote
Inside the subreddit where 12,000 of the city’s most tasteful bitches and counting gather
9. The fight to save Buy Nothing (Nov. 7)
By Olivia Peluso
In the midst of a resources crunch, Facebook shut down Buy Nothing mutual aid groups over an alleged trademark infringement
8. College student’s job interview goes TikTok-viral as ‘creepy’ AI interviewer goes haywire (May 5)
By Joshua Bote
The AI interviewer, named 'Alex,' is made by San Francisco startup Apriora (now just called Alex)
7. Growing up on Alcatraz (Aug. 22)
By Richard Faulk
As the president shouts about reopening the Rock, contributor Richard Faulk prefers to remember his father’s childhood on the Island.
6. Condor Club general manager shot and killed (Oct. 6)
By Joshua Bote
Mark Calcagni was killed outside of his home in Santa Rosa By Joshua Bote
5. I reported from an ICE action on Sansome and all I got was a face full of pepper spray (Aug. 20)
By Eddie Kim
Federal agents are stepping up their actions against protesters and, apparently, the press
4. Everything’s coming up Becca Bloom (July 30)
By Joshua Bote
A brief rundown of the things you never thought you’d need to know about our city’s #RichTok superstar
3. What makes Saikat run? (Oct. 20)
By Eddie Kim
In his race to beat Nancy Pelosi in 2026, Saikat Chakrabarti’s friends and allies are calling him San Francisco’s Zohran Mamdani. Progressives are a bit more moderate on him
2. A former tech CEO is on a crusade to get the record of his arrest removed from the internet (Jan. 23)
By Joel Rosenblatt
Maury Blackman is suing a journalist who publicized his domestic violence arrest for $25 million
1. The Hazie’s bartender attacked by a customer is just happy it was caught on video (Dec. 15)
By Olivia Peluso
Inside the hectic, viral incident at a Hayes Valley restaurant
