with us tonight is alex bastian, the president of the hotel council of san francisco, who just wrote open letter to charles barkley defending the city. alex, nice to have you on this friday night. we know this is shtick, but is it gone too far? you know, raj, thank you so much for having me today. and let me wish all your viewers a happy valentine's day. we all like chuck's hot takes and smack talk, but we all know he's a hater. of course it's gone toooo far, but it's all in good humor and jest. and you know, if he's objective about his visit here in san francisco, he's going to leave his heart here as well. what can the what would you tell chuck if he called you or texted you, or if you gave him a tour of the city? well, i would tell him, look, chuck, we have some of the best views, some of the best sights, incredible food, some of the best hotels in the world, the cable car, the golden gate bridge, championship winning teams that are in our blood. whether it's the warriors, the giants, the 49ers. you know, chuck, don't be scared. if you really want to see the city for what it is, le

. >> alex bastian from the hotel council of san francisco said chinese new year traditionally brings a bump in overnight guests this year, with the all star game the same weekend, you can expect a lot of out of town visitors. >> 350 million. that's how many dollars of economic activity the region is going to experience during the nba all-star weekend. >> bastian is a vocal defender of san francisco. he even took to the op ed page calling out charles barkley, who is known for running down san francisco, urging the former all star to see the city and change his mind. >> come experience all of it. and i feel if he's objective about it, he's going to leave his heart here as well. >> with the all star game and chinese new year falling on the same weekend, some fans say they'll try to do both. >> yeah, i'm going to try. i'm going to try. i got a free weekend, so sounds fun. >> with both chinese new year and all star festivities planned, it is the proverbial all hands on deck for san francisco police. the sfpd said it will work with other first responders to ensure that the events all go as

. >> alex bastian from the hotel council of san francisco said chinese new year traditionally brings a bump in overnight guests this year, with the all star game the same weekend, you can expect a lot of out of town visitors. >> 350 million. that's how many dollars of economic activity the region is going to experience during the nba all-star weekend. >> bastian is a vocal defender of san francisco. he even took to the op ed page calling out charles barkley, who is known for running down san francisco, urging the former all star to see the city and change his mind. >> come experience all of it. and i feel if he's objective about it, he's going to leave his heart here as well. >> with the all star game and chinese new year falling on the same weekend, some fans say they'll try to do both. >> yeah, i'm going to try. i'm going to try. i got a free weekend, so sounds fun. >> and with both chinese new year and all star festivities planned, it is the proverbial all hands on deck for san francisco police. the sfpd has said it will work with other first responders, including the department o

the hospitality sector as well as jeff travel, alex bastian. i want to thank tyler florence for being here. i want to thank our seiu local 87 janitors for being here. really appreciate that. ufc w local five is also here and the building trades. i appreciate labor being in the house. thank you all very much. so good morning everyone and thank you. today we're gathered downtown a place that we can all admit is not what it used to be. anyone who grew up in san francisco remembers going to union square for holiday shopping or seeing the tourists lining up for the cable car. this was the face of our city and we are all still so proud of it. but i want our kids to feel that same sense of pride that we had growing up. downtown's public safety challenges have hurt our economy, our businesses and our workers. it has also hurt the morale of our city. historically our core hospitality area has been split between three police districts . >> this has been divided. this is already divided limited police resources across an area with unique public safety nee

the hospitality sector as well as jeff travel, alex bastian. i want to thank tyler florence for being here. i want to thank our seiu local 87 janitors for being here. really appreciate that. ufc w local five is also here and the building trades. i appreciate labor being in the house. thank you all very much. so good morning everyone and thank you. today we're gathered downtown a place that we can all admit is not what it used to be. anyone who grew up in san francisco remembers going to union square for holiday shopping or seeing the tourists lining up for the cable car. this was the face of our city and we are all still so proud of it. but i want our kids to feel that same sense of pride that we had growing up. downtown's public safety challenges have hurt our economy, our businesses and our workers. it has also hurt the morale of our city. historically our core hospitality area has been split between three police districts . >> this has been divided. this is already divided limited police resources across an area with unique public safety nee

that did get preceded by that op ed from alex bastian that had a wonderful outline clarifying what the issues were for mr. barkley. but i think they go hand in hand and it would open the door to the conversation and the follow up. >> commissioner thank you very much, mr. president. >> sincerely. i just want to echo what commissioner clay said and you report it. i want to thank the police officers and your team the command staff putting together a concise and i guess precise, you know, safety plan out there. you know, you had the chinese new year parade i guess there's probably over 250 to 250,000 people in attendance let alone to stretch that across to san francisco and also the nba all star events that happen around the city. >> wow. i'm just saying it's just a grand affair and he really hit it off. i also want to also thank the other first responder. i saw the sheriff's out there too as well and i want to thank them too also. >> there was a shooting on the post triangle i think about a day a day ago i can. if there's are any updates i guess you reported next time around. yes, sir. we

the hospitality sector as well as jeff travel, alex bastian. to thank tyler florence for being here. i want to thank our seiu local 87 janitors for being here. really appreciate that. ufc w local five is also here and the building trades. i appreciate labor being in the house. thank you all very much. so good morning everyone and thank you. today we're gathered downtown a place that we can all admit is not what it used to be. anyone who grew up in san francisco remembers going to union square for holiday shopping or seeing the tourists lining up for the cable car. this was the face of our city and we are all still so proud of it. but i want our kids to feel that same sense of pride that we had growing up. downtown's public safety challenges have hurt our economy, our businesses and our workers. it has also hurt the morale of our city. historically our core hospitality area has been split between three police districts . >> this has been divided. this is already divided limited police resources across an area with unique public safety needs. but

the hospitality sector as well as jeff travel, alex bastian. i want to thank tyler florence for being here. i want to thank our seiu local 87 janitors for being here. really appreciate that. ufc w local five is also here and the building trades. i appreciate labor being in the house. thank you all very much. so good morning everyone and thank you. today we're gathered downtown a place that we can all admit is not what it used to be. anyone who grew up in san francisco remembers going to union square for holiday shopping or seeing the tourists lining up for the cable car. this was the face of our city and we are all still so proud of it. but i want our kids to feel that same sense of pride that we had growing up. downtown's public safety challenges have hurt our economy, our businesses and our workers. it has also hurt the morale of our city. historically our core hospitality area has been split between three police districts . >> this has been divided. this is already divided limited police resources across an area with unique public safety nee