The Facts

Cinderella Bakery will finally open its second San Francisco location at 2937 24th Street on Friday, August 28, after being blocked for nearly eight years by neighborhood activists who didn't like that Cinderella was not a Latino business, reports Oscar Palma at Mission Local.

The Jewish-owned Russian bakery has operated in the Richmond since 1953 and joined the city’s Legacy Business Registry in 2017.

The Context

The former space was vacated by La Victoria’s after its owners forced the bakery out after years of financial trouble and internal disputes; a former employee later reopened it nearby.

Calle 24 pressured City Hall to enact special cultural conditions for businesses in the corridor.

The GrowSF Take

Calle 24 targeted a Jewish-owned legacy business because its roots were Russian rather than Latino.

This was a shakedown dressed up as activism. Cinderella doesn't owe anyone proof that they belong, and City Hall should stop tolerating this kind of behavior from neighborhood groups.

City Hall should repeal Calle 24’s special conditions and let independent businesses open without a self-appointed neighborhood dictator's approval.