San Francisco will close much of the Embarcadero and South Beach on Wednesday for the Golden State Valkyries’ championship parade, and the city has not said what the event will cost or who will pay for it.
The Golden State Valkyries, who play their home games at Chase Center in Mission Bay, will celebrate their WNBA championship with a parade that runs for two hours on Wednesday. The street closures around it will last as long as 16, and the limits on driverless cars as long as 18.
The route, announced Sunday by Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office, starts at noon on the Embarcadero near Mission Street, by the Ferry Building, and heads south along the waterfront to Second and King Streets. It is scheduled to end about 2 p.m. Fans may begin lining the bay side of the route at 9 a.m., according to the city’s event page. The parade is co-hosted by the team and the city and is presented by Kaiser Permanente, the Valkyries said. Gabby Williams, the most valuable player of the WNBA Finals, and Mr. Lurie are scheduled to bang a ceremonial drum, and Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee is expected to attend.
What closes, and when
The city’s traffic plan comes in two waves. Starting at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday and lasting until 4 p.m., the eastbound lanes of King Street and the northbound Embarcadero will close from Third and King to Broadway, along with Market Street between Drumm and Steuart and the stretches of Steuart and Spear south of Market.
At 8 a.m. a second set of closures takes effect, also until 4 p.m.: the southbound Embarcadero and westbound King Street; Washington Street between Drumm and the Embarcadero; Mission, Howard, Folsom, Harrison and Bryant Streets between Main and the Embarcadero; Brannan from Second Street to the Embarcadero, with local access to Delancey; Townsend from Third to the Embarcadero; and Second Street between Brannan and King.
Muni, BART and the ferries
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency says the N Judah will end at Embarcadero Station from about 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.. The agency is pointing riders toward the T Third line, the 30 Stockton and 45 Union/Stockton buses and a rerouted 15 line. The F Market & Wharves line will be served by buses all day, with stop changes until 3 p.m. The 2 Sutter and the 9 and 9R San Bruno lines will also be rerouted, and the agency says it will station Muni ambassadors along the route to direct riders.
BART says it will add trains, station staff and security and has posted parade guidance at bart.gov/valkyries. San Francisco Bay Ferry plans extra service from Vallejo and Oakland. BART did not respond to a request for comment on Monday about how many additional trains it would run.
Where robotaxis can’t go
The plan also spells out limits for autonomous vehicles. From 12:01 a.m. to 6 p.m., driverless cars are barred from the Embarcadero south of Battery Street; from the Financial District south of Washington Street and east of Battery; from South of Market east of First Street; and from a list of South Beach streets that includes Bryant between Second and the Embarcadero, Brannan and Townsend between Third and the Embarcadero, King between Fifth and the Embarcadero, Berry between Fifth and Third, and Third and Fourth Streets down to Mission Creek.
Outside that zone, autonomous vehicles may still drive but may not pick up or drop off riders on Battery Street from the Embarcadero to Market, First Street from Market to Harrison, Third Street from Folsom to Brannan and Fourth Street from Harrison to Townsend.
A Waymo representative, speaking on background, said the company had been informed of the parade route and would adjust its operations accordingly. The city’s announcement does not say how the restrictions will be enforced.
Who pays
The city’s announcement says the San Francisco Police Department and Fire Department will have an elevated presence, and lists the Department of Emergency Management and the transportation agency as partners. It does not include a cost estimate, a staffing figure or any terms for how expenses will be divided among the city, the team and the presenting sponsor.
The Mayor’s Office of Communications, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the Police Department’s media relations unit did not respond to requests for comment sent Monday asking for a cost estimate, the number of officers assigned and whether the team or its sponsor would reimburse the city.
The mayor’s office has cast the parade as part of a larger argument about big events. Its announcement cites more than $1 billion in economic impact from major events the city has hosted and notes that San Francisco will host the WNBA All-Star Game in 2027. It does not break out a figure for the parade.
Past Bay Area championship parades offer a rough guide to the cost. After the Warriors’ 2017 parade in Oakland, the team refunded the city $786,998, The Associated Press reported. Two years earlier, Oakland’s 2015 parade cost the city about $137,000 in police overtime and $106,000 in public works expenses, the East Bay Express reported at the time, noting that the team had yet to pay the bill. For Super Bowl 50 in 2016, San Francisco’s budget and legislative analyst estimated a cost to the General Fund of about $4.88 million for the fan village and related services, Deadspin reported.
The Warriors’ 2022 parade on Market Street, the last championship parade in San Francisco, was also co-hosted by the team and the city and had a corporate presenting sponsor. The Inquirer could not find a public accounting of what that event cost the city.
If you’re going
The city recommends transit over driving, given the closures and the limits on ride-hail pickups near the route. The Valkyries say the event will include a viewing area with the team’s mascot, OLLY, and a merchandise truck. Closures lift at 4 p.m., and the driverless-car restrictions at 6 p.m.
Celia Marroquín covers San Francisco City Hall, the Board of Supervisors, city departments and the neighborhoods where their decisions land, for the Inquirer’s City Desk. More from Celia Marroquín
