News

The Rise and Fall of Beya Alcaraz: Inside the 7-Day Term of SF’s Newest Supervisor

Published

5 hours ago

November 14, 2025

In San Francisco politics, that’s how long the historic term of Isabella “Beya” Alcaraz lasted. Appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie amid high hopes and historic significance, her tenure collapsed in a stunning public firestorm before she ever attended her first board meeting.

This isn’t just another political resignation; it’s a story of a political novice, a high-stakes appointment intended to heal a neighbourhood scarred by the Joel Engardio recall, and a controversial past that unravelled it all in record time. The Beya Alcaraz resignation is a political implosion that reveals more about the brutal nature of San Francisco politics than it does about the appointee herself.

This article details the full story: from her groundbreaking Beya Alcaraz appointment as the first Filipina-American supervisor to the explosive Beya Alcaraz controversy that forced her resignation just seven days later.

Table of Contents

Who is Beya Alcaraz? The “Political Novice” Tapped by Mayor Lurie

When Mayor Daniel Lurie announced the Beya Alcaraz appointment on November 6, it was framed as a breath of fresh air. District 4, which covers the city’s Sunset neighborhood, was still reeling from a divisive and bitter recall election that ousted its previous supervisor, Joel Engardio. The political atmosphere was toxic, and Lurie, himself new to the mayor’s office, needed a pick who could heal, unite, and, most importantly, lower the temperature.

Enter Isabella “Beya” Alcaraz.

At 29, she seemed to be the antithesis of a career politician. A lifelong Sunset resident, an art and music teacher, and a former small business owner, Alcaraz represented a new generation of Beya Alcaraz San Francisco leadership—one seemingly detached from the city’s entrenched and often dysfunctional political machine.

Her appointment was immediately celebrated as a historic milestone. Beya Alcaraz was set to become the first Filipina-American supervisor to ever serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In a city with a deep, vibrant, and long-standing Filipino community, this was a significant moment, and community leaders rallied in support.

For Lurie, the strategic logic seemed sound. He wasn’t just filling a seat; he was making a statement. He was signaling his administration’s commitment to community-first governance, to elevating new voices, and to moving past the ideological warfare that has come to define City Hall.

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That optimism, and the historic tenure of the District 4 Supervisor, would prove tragically short-lived.

The “Pet Store” Controversy That Sparked the Resignation

The celebrations barely lasted the weekend. The Beya Alcaraz controversy didn’t begin with a policy misstep or a political gaffe. It began with a whisper campaign that rapidly crescendoed into a full-blown media inferno, resurrected from her past as a small business owner.

Before her life as a teacher, Alcaraz had owned and operated a local pet store in the Sunset, The Animal Connection. What may have seemed like a benign and relatable line on a resume—a community-facing entrepreneur—quickly became the anchor that would sink her political career.

Local news outlets and social media began to surface damaging reports, allegedly from former employees and, most critically, the store’s new owner. The allegations were not just of a struggling business; they were specific, visceral, and politically lethal.

Reports painted a grim picture of “poor management”, “financial irregularities”, and a business left in a state of chaos. But the detail that dominated the headlines, the quote that proved impossible to spin or ignore, came from the person who took over the lease. They allegedly told reporters the Beya Alcaraz pet store “smelt like death” upon their first entry, a quote that, whether fairly contextualised or not, created an indelible and horrifying image.

The story exploded.

In the high-stakes, hyper-online world of San Francisco politics, the narrative was set within hours. Lurie’s “fresh face” had a past, and it was messy. The Beya Alcaraz controversy became the only story in town. The focus shifted overnight from her historic appointment to her basic fitness to manage a district budget, let alone a government office. The brutal speed of the unraveling was a spectacle even by San Francisco standards.

The Beya Alcaraz Resignation: A 7-Day Term Ends

The political pressure was immediate and incalculable. By Wednesday, November 13—just seven days after her appointment—the Beya Alcaraz resignation was confirmed. Her tenure as District 4 Supervisor was over.

Mayor Daniel Lurie, who had championed her as a “bridge-builder” just days before, released a terse and visibly frustrated statement. He said that after speaking with Alcaraz, they both agreed the “issues that have arisen” would “become a distraction” from the critical work the city needed to do.

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“Beya is a dedicated member of her community,” Lurie’s statement read, “but we both agree that these distractions would prevent her from the important work of representing the residents of District 4. We wish her the best.”

Alcaraz’s own statement echoed the sentiment. She expressed deep regret, thanked the mayor for the historic opportunity, and stated she was stepping aside so the district could have a representative focused on the future, not her past.

The Beya Alcaraz San Francisco political chapter was closed. But the political fallout was just beginning. The decision left District 4 in political limbo once again—leaderless and facing yet another appointment process. For Mayor Daniel Lurie, it represented his administration’s first major crisis, a self-inflicted wound that raised immediate and sharp questions about his office’s vetting process.

What Beya Alcaraz’s Story Says About San Francisco Politics

Appointment. Controversy. Resignation. The entire political arc of Isabella “Beya” Alcaraz lasted one week. It’s a timeline that speaks volumes about the brutal velocity and unforgiving nature of modern San Francisco politics.

Was this a colossal failure of vetting by the Mayor’s office? Absolutely. How could allegations tied to The Animal Connection and the Beya Alcaraz pet store—details seemingly discoverable—not have been fully examined before an announcement of this magnitude?

Or is this a sign of how toxic the city’s political arena has become? An environment where any past flaw, no matter how unrelated to policy, is grounds for immediate disqualification? Where political opponents and a ravenous media cycle will seize on any vulnerability, however personal, to destroy a newcomer before they even begin?

The answer is likely all of the above.

The saga of Beya Alcaraz is a cautionary tale for political aspirants and the administrations that appoint them. In a city that demands perfection from its leaders but is itself rife with dysfunction, the story of Beya Alcaraz is a political tragedy in miniature. It’s the story of a historic “first” that ended in a historic “fastest” and a political system that seems to prefer burning its own down to building anyone up.

The saga of Beya Alcaraz is over. But the reverberations—for a new mayor’s credibility, for the leaderless residents of District 4, and for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors—are just beginning.

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Economy

📉 UK Economy Unexpectedly Contracted by 0.1% in September: A Canary in the Coal Mine?

Published

1 day ago

November 13, 2025

Abdul Rahman

The announcement that the UK economy unexpectedly contracted by 0.1% in September 2025 indicates more than just a minor statistical blip. It is a significant signal of underlying fragility within the nation’s economic landscape. While the overall third-quarter GDP growth of a modest 0.1% shielded the country from an immediate technical recession, the monthly September economic decline in the UK paints a much gloomier picture, raising serious questions about the sustainability of the recent, albeit sluggish, recovery.¹ For finance and economics readers, this figure demands a deep dive beyond the headline.

Table of Contents

The Significance of the Contraction

A monthly contraction has occurred. This follows a revised flat August and an unadvised fall in July. These are clear signs that the UK economic growth 2025 trajectory is losing steam.² This is particularly worrying as the UK had been one of the fastest-growing G7 economies earlier in the year.³

The significance lies in the momentum—or lack thereof. Liz McKeown, ONS Director of Economic Statistics, commented that growth slowed further in the third quarter of the year. Both services and construction were weaker than in the previous period.⁴ There is a fear that the economy is struggling to gain solid traction. This suggests that the recent modest expansion was built on shaky foundations. As we head into the traditionally busy end-of-year period, the nation is potentially vulnerable to further shocks.⁵

Analyzing the Causes Behind the Unexpected Decline

The primary culprit for the sharp monthly drop in September was unequivocally the production sector, which fell by a stark 2.0%.⁶ Within this, the manufacturing of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers experienced a monumental 28.6% decline.⁷

The Cyber-Attack Shock: Experts attribute a substantial portion of this manufacturing collapse to the crippling cyber-attack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). This cyber-attack forced a prolonged shutdown of production lines.⁸ The ONS highlighted that this one event contributed a negative ⁹$0.17$ percentage point drag to the monthly GDP figure.¹⁰ This highlights a modern, non-traditional threat to economic stability.
Wider Manufacturing Weakness: While the JLR incident was the most dramatic factor, the production sector weakness was broader.¹¹ The ONS reported a fall in all production subsectors, indicating that broader global headwinds and subdued demand for manufactured products are also weighing heavily.¹²
Consumer Caution and Uncertainty: While the services sector managed a slight 0.2% growth in September, overall consumer-facing services fell in the third quarter. High inflation (at 3.8% in September 2025) coupled with political and fiscal uncertainty ahead of the Chancellor’s Autumn Budget likely led to increased caution, with households opting to save more rather than spend.¹³ This is a crucial factor holding back a broad-based recovery.

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Short-Term and Long-Term Impacts

The UK economy contraction in September will have immediate and lasting consequences for key economic players.

1. Businesses

Short-Term: Manufacturers, especially those in the automotive supply chain, face immediate revenue hits. They urgently need to bolster their digital resilience against cyber threats.14 Business confidence is likely to be fragile. Persistent rumours of potential tax hikes in the upcoming Budget could further complicate the situation. These rumours may stifle investment plans.15

Long-Term: The fall in business investment, down 0.3% in Q3, is a major concern. Without sustained private sector investment, the UK’s long-term productivity puzzle will remain unsolved. This puzzle is characterized by stubbornly low growth in output per hour. It will cap the potential for stronger, non-inflationary UK economic growth in 2025 and beyond.

2. Consumers

Short-Term: The simultaneous rise in the unemployment rate to 5% coupled with the weak growth figures confirms a softening labour market.17 This combination of anaemic growth and rising joblessness will undoubtedly dampen wage expectations and consumer confidence, leading to further saving rather than spending.

Long-Term: Stagnant growth and low productivity translate directly into a continuation of the living standards squeeze. This reinforces a trend of real GDP per head growth. The growth is far too weak to deliver meaningful improvements for the average household.

3. Government Policy

The weak data significantly increases the pressure on the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).¹⁸ Given the figures, and the narrow 5-4 vote to hold rates at 4.0% in November, expectations for a December rate cut have substantially increased. Markets are now pricing in a reduction to ¹⁹$3.75\%$. This is seen as a measure to stimulate activity.²⁰

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For the Chancellor, the figures pose a dilemma:

Fiscal Tightening: To meet fiscal targets, the Chancellor is expected to announce a large package. This will involve fiscal tightening such as tax rises or spending cuts.²¹
Growth Trade-Off: However, a significant fiscal contraction could “slam the brakes on the economy.” This makes the already difficult goal of achieving sustainable growth even harder. The UK financial outlook is precarious, and any policy misstep could easily tip the economy into a recession.

Conclusion and Call to Action

The 0.1% UK economy contraction in September is a stark reminder that the journey to robust economic health is far from over. Stripping away the single-event shock of the cyber-attack, the underlying picture remains one of a sluggish economy struggling with low productivity, cautious consumer spending, and the chilling effect of policy uncertainty.

The immediate focus must be on bolstering business confidence—not undermining it with unexpected tax burdens—and strategically targeting investment that addresses long-term structural issues. The upcoming Budget must be a pivotal moment, offering a clear and consistent long-term plan rather than short-sighted measures designed merely to balance the books. The UK financial outlook hinges on whether policymakers view this data as a temporary blip or a critical warning sign that requires a fundamental change in growth strategy.

Will the government seize this moment to outline a bold vision for the future, or will we continue to drift into an era of low growth and rising uncertainty? The answer will define the rest of UK economic growth 2025 and well beyond.

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AI

AI Bubble: Understanding Economic Implications

Published

2 days ago

November 12, 2025

Abdul Rahman

The conversation around an AI bubble often conjures images of economic disaster—a sudden, catastrophic market collapse. However, framing it this way overlooks a more nuanced and ultimately more manageable reality. The AI boom isn’t an “all-or-nothing” bet; it’s a supply-and-demand mismatch fundamentally rooted in mismatched timelines.

Table of Contents

Understanding the Economic Bubble

In plain economic terms, a bubble isn’t necessarily a total fraud or a worthless idea. It’s simply a bet that got too big.

When investment pours into a sector, driving valuations to extreme highs, it’s based on an expectation of future demand. If the resulting supply (the products, services, or infrastructure built) eventually outstrips the actual, immediate demand at those elevated prices, the air comes out. That’s the bubble deflating.

The key takeaway is this: even good bets can turn sour if they’re made with too much capital, too quickly. The underlying technology or idea might still be valuable. However, the market’s expectation of when that value will be realized was simply too aggressive.

The AI Timeline Paradox

What makes the current AI situation so tricky is the extraordinary difference in speed between its two core components:

The Breakneck Pace of AI Software Development:
- AI models are improving at an exponential rate. New, more powerful foundation models, innovative applications, and software tools are emerging every few months. This is the software-driven supply of AI capabilities.
The Slow Crawl of Data Centre Construction:
- The hardware required to train and run these massive models—the specialised chips (GPUs), the enormous data centres, and the vast amounts of power needed to run them—takes years to plan, finance, permit, build, and bring online. This represents the physical infrastructure supply.

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The “bubble” risk here is that the rapid software advancement and resulting investor excitement (the demand for AI) are outpacing the physical infrastructure needed to deploy it at scale.

We may have already built an incredible amount of powerful software “supply.” However, if the energy and data centre “demand” to actually use that software widely and profitably takes years to catch up, there will be a temporary glut. This creates a classic supply/demand mismatch.

A Timing Correction, Not a Total Collapse

Therefore, instead of fearing an “AI apocalypse”, we should prepare for a timing correction.

This correction might mean:

Temporary Devaluations: Companies whose valuations are based purely on future potential without the current infrastructure or power to execute may see their stock prices deflate.
A Focus on Efficiency: The scarcity of data centre space and power will incentivise companies to develop smaller, more efficient models that can run on less hardware, driving the next wave of innovation.
Infrastructure Wins: Companies focused on the slow-moving infrastructure—power generation, specialised cooling, and data centre construction—might see their value hold steady or rise as the world scrambles to catch up to the software’s needs.

The AI revolution is happening, but our investment timelines need to align with our construction timelines. The “bubble” isn’t a sign the technology is worthless; it’s a flashing warning sign that the market’s eagerness has outrun physical reality.

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News

🚨 The Great Scramble: Where to Find the Viral Starbucks Bearista Bear Cups and Prep for Red Cup Day 2025!

Published

1 week ago

November 7, 2025

Abdul Rahman

The starbucks bearista bear cups have officially dropped, causing a frenzy! We have the full details on the starbucks red cup day 2025 date, the new starbucks holiday drinks (including the return of chestnut praline starbucks!), and tips to find that coveted glass bear cup starbucks near you.

Table of Contents

The Hype is Real: The Bearista Cup Broke the Internet (and the Stores)

If you tried to visit a Starbucks on the morning of November 6th, you know the struggle is real. The official launch of the 2025 holiday season brought back beloved seasonal drinks, but one item instantly stole the show: the incredibly viral Starbucks Bearista Bear Cups.

This isn’t just any piece of Starbucks merchandise—it’s a collector’s dream. The starbucks glass bear cup—shaped like an adorable, smiling bear and topped with a festive green beanie lid—flew off shelves faster than a sugar-crazed reindeer. Reports confirm that many locations were completely sold out within hours, turning the hunt for the teddy bear cup starbucks into a frantic holiday tradition all its own.

The Star of the Show: Why Everyone Needs the Glass Bear Cup

The 2025 edition of the starbucks bearista collection is a masterpiece of seasonal design and viral marketing.

Nostalgia Factor: The design pays homage to the classic Bearista plush mascot from the 90s, giving long-time fans a huge dose of nostalgia.
The Design: The 20-ounce glass bear cup is perfect for cold drinks. It features a charming knitted green hat (or ‘beanie’) on the lid and a matching straw, making it the ultimate festive accessory for your Peppermint Mocha.
The Collab Buzz: While everyone is focused on the bear cup, let’s not forget the fun Hello Kitty Starbucks Collab merchandise that also dropped, featuring playful tumblers and mugs for fans of the iconic cat. If you missed the bear cup starbucks 2025, the hello kitty starbucks cup might be your next best bet!

Insider Tip: Because demand exceeded even Starbucks’ expectations, resellers have been listing the starbucks bear cup for sale online for triple the retail price! Don’t pay those prices—keep reading for tips on finding them at retail.

Mark Your Calendar! When is Red Cup Day 2025?

The merchandise launch is only the start of the holiday mayhem. The next major date in every fan’s calendar is Red Cup Day 2025.

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Red Cup Day: The Official Start to the Season

The Date: Red Cup Day Starbucks 2025 is officially Thursday, November 13, 2025.
The Deal: On this day, when you buy any handcrafted holiday beverage—hot, iced, or blended—you will receive a free reusable red cup (typically Grande size), while supplies last.
The Drinks: This is your perfect chance to try one of the returning starbucks holiday drinks! The line-up includes classics like the Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Latte, and the fan-favorite Chestnut Praline Starbucks.

If you’re wondering, “when is starbucks red cup day?“ November 13th is the day to set multiple alarms and plan your route. Lines will be long, and the reusable cups are a limited-edition collectible!

Holiday Drink Forecast: What’s on the Starbucks Menu?

The holiday menu is officially here, meaning when does starbucks release holiday drinks is a question for next year! The 2025 menu is loaded with festive flavors:

Holiday Drink Favorite	Status	Why We Love It
Chestnut Praline Latte	Confirmed Return (Welcome back, starbucks chestnut praline 2025!)	Its caramelized chestnut flavor is the quintessential taste of Christmas.
Peppermint Mocha	Confirmed Return	The classic chocolate and peppermint duo.
Caramel Brulée Latte	Confirmed Return	A rich caramel sauce with the crunch of brulée topping.
Iced Gingerbread Chai	Confirmed Return	A new twist on a cozy classic for those who prefer iced beverages.

The Final Scramble: How to Find the Starbuck Bear Cup Near Me

The bad news: the initial drop of the starbucks bearista cup 2025 has passed, and most stores are sold out. The good news: you still have a few proactive ways to track down this elusive starbucks bear mug!

Check Licensed Stores: While corporate stores were cleaned out quickly, Starbucks locations inside larger retailers often receive separate, smaller shipments and can be overlooked. Try calling or visiting the Starbucks at your local Target, grocery store, or airport. Use the search term “starbucks bear cup near me” on your map app and filter for those specific types of locations.
Ask Nicely for Restock Dates: Baristas are usually the first to know about restock schedules. When you go for your red cup day starbucks purchase, politely ask a barista if they anticipate another shipment of the starbucks glass bear or any other starbucks cups 2025.
Watch Social Media for Spikes: Sometimes, a small regional restock creates a sudden spike of photos online. Set up alerts for hashtags like #bearcupstarbucks and #starbucksmerchandise to catch the news the second it drops.

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The starbucks christmas cups 2025 collection is truly one of the most exciting in years. Whether you successfully snag the viral glass bear cup, or you simply enjoy your chestnut praline in a free reusable red cup day vessel, the holiday season has officially arrived!

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