Fourth of July problems put focus on retired San Francisco event planner
San Francisco's Fourth of July celebration brought traffic jams near the Golden Gate Bridge, packed buses and trouble with Waymo vehicles. The retirement of longtime City Hall events official Martha Cohen has become part of the discussion over what went wrong.
Cohen retired last July after decades at City Hall, where she helped coordinate major events under several administrations. Her past work included Dianne Feinstein's funeral, APEC, Outside Lands and championship parades for the Warriors and Giants.
The holiday problems have drawn questions from Supervisors Stephen Sherrill and Bilal Mahmood. For San Francisco residents, the issue is less about fog blocking fireworks than whether the city still has the staff knowledge needed to keep large crowds and transit moving during major events.