Carl Nolte

Siblings Elena and John Duggan, shown with the sign from the 1937 Original Joe's, provide a California twist on Italian cuisine. (Carl Nolte/S.F. Chronicle)

By Contributor Sweet James spent $44.7 million on TV ads in 2024, ranking James Bergener fourth in the nation for expenditures on commercials.

Sweet James spent $44.7 million on TV ads in 2024, ranking James Bergener fourth in the nation for expenditures on commercials. (Carl Nolte/S.F. Chronicle)

NATIVE SON: May in the Bay Area marks the shift to summer with wildflowers, browning hills and the pageantry of graduation season, columnist Carl Nolte writes.

NATIVE SON: A new gateway to the city could emerge as San Francisco removes the Vaillancourt Fountain as part of a $40 million Embarcadero Plaza makeover, Carl Nolte writes.

NATIVE SON: Artificial intelligence can mimic a writer’s style with ease, but it can’t capture the author’s soul, Carl Nolte says.

CARL NOLTE: Artificial intelligence ads along Van Ness Avenue capture San Francisco’s tension between embracing the future and holding on to the city’s old character.

Contributor Paul Reck is a master at building detailed boat and ship models from scratch in his Mill Valley garage, which is packed with tools and ship plans.

NATIVE SON: San Francisco is replacing key cable car equipment and planning a $31.2 million power upgrade to keep the historic system running, columnist Carl Nolte writes.

CARL NOLTE: The San Francisco Chronicle’s longtime columnist signs off after a lifetime of newspapering in which he served as reporter, editor, war correspondent and sometime photographer.