San Francisco Year Zero: Political Upheaval, Punk Rock and a Third-Place Baseball Team

1978 marked a turbulent time in the City of San Francisco. San Francisco was a focal point for social revolution and upheaval. The city’s government inaugurated the new class for the Board of Supervisors. Harvey Milk became the first openly gay man elected to the board. Dan White roused the interests of local conservatives with his law & order approach to government. White & Milk, at one point allied, would soon clash with deadly consequences. The long slumbering San Francisco Giants remained irrelevant, but 1978 witnessed a spark inside the team, composed of aging stars & promising rookies. The Giants serve as a backdrop to the chaos consuming the city by the bay. The People’s Temple had mostly relocated to Guyana with their firebrand leader Jim Jones. However, their headquarters remained in San Francisco, and seeds of discord and dissent were reaching local politicians. The city was being built up, history discarded in the name of urban renewal. The raucous chords of the local punk movement reach a crescendo as Jonestown and the assassinations of Harvey Milk & Mayor George Moscone occur.

San Francisco Year Zero promises no happy ending in its compelling tale. Four decades have passed since these events, but the ramifications linger. Lincoln A. Mitchell writes fluidly and skillfully about his old home with wistful nostalgia. A reconciliation of the good times with the worst times are difficult but nevertheless compelling. A+ narrative.