Scott Wiener, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Trans community, allies condemn Wiener for exploiting a march he was asked to leave:

State Sen. Scott Wiener was not invited to the Trans March. He was really, really not invited: In fact, Gabriel Haaland, one of the founders of the march, told me, he had been asked specifically not to attend.

In 2016, then-Sup. Wiener, then-state-Sen. Mark Leno, and then-Mayor Ed Lee were booed off the stage at the march. (That was when Leno and Wiener were close, before Wiener stabbed his mentor in the back and endorsed London Breed for mayor.)

"We told them very clearly that we didn't want politicians in our space," Haaland explained to me. "We changed our policy because of Wiener, and his anti-tenant policies, and asked them not to come back." [...]

But Wiener didn't just show up; after he left, he used video of the event to raise national money, $127,000 in national money, for his Congressional campaign. (According to the Standard, even Netanyahu sided with Wiener, saying he was treated unfairly.)

"It's about as craven as I've ever seen," Haaland told me. "To use our community in this way to raise money is disgraceful. ... He never even picked up the phone and reached out to the Trans March folks." [...]

"The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club condemns these self-serving actions by State Senator Wiener and urges politicians to stop using vulnerable communities as a fundraising tool. Trans people already face immense danger in this country. We need real allies, not people who will sell us out for a fundraising opportunity."

Guy behind the viral 'Saikat lives in Maryland' van has money ties to a pro-Wiener PAC:

As of Tuesday, the van is back in action with a slightly different message: "I live in this van b/c Connie Chan hates housing."

Gazetteer SF learned that the registered owner of the van is being paid by a super PAC that supports Scott Wiener.

In April, the San Francisco Chronicle used California Department of Motor Vehicles data to identify Conor Johnston as the owner of the van. Johnston is a longtime Wiener supporter who served as chief of staff to London Breed when she was supervisor, and later advised her mayoral reelection campaign in 2024. He is also owner of the cannabis company Otter Brands, and has a history of political pranks and provocations.

Johnston and his business have been paid nearly $30,000 by the Families for an Affordable San Francisco super PAC this year, according to financial disclosures to the Federal Election Commission. Families is a super PAC founded by Wiener's active campaign director, Todd David, who remains the PAC's treasurer.

On April 28, the PAC paid Otter Brands, Johnston's cannabis company, $28,611.37 for "office consulting." One week later, the PAC paid $1,000 to Johnston directly for "office refurbishment." [...]

The Wiener campaign declined to comment through spokesperson Joe Arellano.

The Families PAC itself is a dark-money mess, as it leverages a 2024 FEC rule change in order for the PAC and Wiener's official campaign to share staff and coordinate canvassing operations together. In May, campaign finance experts told Gazetteer that the rule change represents a massive breach of a foundational policy to ban communication between a super PAC and a federal campaign on materials that advocate for voter action.

Previously, previously, previously.