{"id":47996,"date":"2026-05-02T12:39:32","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T19:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=47996"},"modified":"2026-05-02T12:40:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T19:40:44","slug":"s-f-supervisors-state-senator-arrested-as-may-day-protest-closes-sfo-roadway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2026\/05\/02\/s-f-supervisors-state-senator-arrested-as-may-day-protest-closes-sfo-roadway\/","title":{"rendered":"S.F. supervisors, state senator arrested as May Day protest closes SFO roadway"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Aidin Vaziri<\/a>, Lucy Hodgman<\/a>, Kate Talerico<\/a>, Staff Writers May 1, 2026 (SFChronicle.com)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gift Article<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Protesters march at the May Day Sin Fronteras: International Workers\u2019 Day March and Resource Fair at Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, May. 1, 2026.Adahlia Cole\/For the S.F. Chronicle<\/em><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A May Day protest<\/a> by airport service workers briefly shut down the departure-level roadway<\/a> at San Francisco International Airport\u2019s international terminal Friday, diverting traffic as demonstrators rallied over a wage dispute and broader labor concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several San Francisco elected officials were arrested after demonstrators blocked the roadway to the international terminal, including Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Connie Chan<\/a> and former Supervisor Jane Kim. State Sen. Josh Becker, who represents San Mateo County and part of Santa Clara County, was also arrested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSan Francisco airport is the people\u2019s airport,\u201d Chan told supporters before her arrest. \u201cWe know our workers deserve fair pay, a fair contract, health care and benefits. We\u2019re demanding that the workers get that benefits and fair pay right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Before making arrests, police warned protesters to clear the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have been arrested before,\u201d Mandelman said. \u201cI\u2019ve been arrested with the hotel workers, for marriage equality, and I\u2019ve been arrested for the airport workers. These folks have been trying to get a fair contract for a year, and I wanted to be supportive on this May Day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lawmakers were among approximately 25 people cited and released for their actions while protesting President Donald Trump and Immigration and\u00a0Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The demonstration, led by SEIU<\/a>, was part of a wave of May Day actions across the Bay Area focused on labor and immigrant rights. Hundreds of airport workers rallied Friday morning at the international terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

SFO officials said the airport had issued a free speech permit for the demonstration. In a statement, the airport said the permit process is intended to give demonstrators a place to share their message while designating areas that allow passengers to keep moving through the airport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a safety precaution, the upper-level roadway at the International Terminal was temporarily closed,\u201d SFO said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the closure, vehicles headed to the international terminal were routed to the lower arrivals level. Airport officials also advised travelers to use the Kiss & Fly area at the Rental Car Center for international terminal pickups and drop-offs. Domestic terminals were not affected, SFO said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demonstrators block roadway to SFO<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demonstrators march into San Francisco International Airport\u2019s international terminal during May Day protests Friday.  Lea Suzuki S F Chronicle<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The airport later said all lanes on the international terminal roadway had reopened Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May Day, also known as International Workers\u2019 Day, has long been associated with labor organizing and, in the United States, immigrant rights demonstrations. Bay Area protests were held Friday in San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, Palo Alto, Santa Rosa, Alameda and other cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In San Francisco, demonstrators marched from Civic Center and down Market Street, passing City Hall, the Speaker Nancy Pelosi Federal Building and Salesforce Tower as unions and immigrant rights groups joined actions around the region. Dozens of unions were represented, including SEIU, National Nurses United, the Teamsters and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Marchers shook tambourines and chanted, with one pushing a baby in a stroller affixed with a “future union member” sign.\u00a0Some\u00a0carried signs proclaiming \u201cStand up to Trump\u201d and \u201cStop the war on Iran,\u201d as well as a banner embroidered with the \u201cEnough\u201d in more than a dozen languages.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is really a day to say \u2018enough,\u2019\u201d said Anne Wolf, who created the banner with others at the Richmond Art Center. \u201cToday is also about ICE and the attacks on working people in California whose immigration status shouldn\u2019t matter. We\u2019re all a working community, and I think the banner expresses that as well.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francisco Herrera, the co-executive director of San Francisco’s Nuevo Sol Day Labor and Domestic Worker Center, said the protest was an occasion for all workers to unite, whether they\u2019re employed by a restaurant or a bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you have a W2, if you can\u2019t take a year off without work, you are working class,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google employee Emma Jackson said speaking out against billionaires is especially important to her as a worker in the tech industry, which has been rocked by waves of mass layoffs in the past year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s our work that generates their billions,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cIt\u2019s great to be in solidarity with so many tech workers coming out against tech billionaires.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

May Day demonstrators march along Fruitvale Ave. in Oakland<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demonstrators march along Fruitvale Ave. during the Oakland Sin Fronteras: International Workers\u2019 Day March & Resource Fair in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, May 1, 2026.Yalonda M. James\/S.F. Chronicle<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the “No Kings” protests typically held on weekends, the May Day demonstration required many to leave work and school to participate. Sasha Wright, an organizer with Jobs for Justice San Francisco, was heartened to see workers’ willingness to join the protest on a weekday afternoon. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What we’ve seen in other countries where there’s been an authoritarian takeover of the government is that it’s going to take more than marches,” Wright said. “It’s going to take other tactics, like strikes and boycotts. So it’s really exciting to see people taking that next step.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicholas Weininger said he carved the time out of his day as an engineering-management consultant to join the throngs of people in San Francisco. His homemade sign featured a quote from P\u00e9ter Magyar, the Hungarian Prime Minister-elect: “Never again a country without consequences.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joss Pearlman, 15, left class at Lick-Wilmerding High School with three friends to march with other demonstrators toward the Embarcadero. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

“As teenage girls, it’s just patriarchy in general that we don’t think should exist anymore,” she said. “We’re standing up for things that affect us and affect our community.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protesters also briefly blocked the roadway outside Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport on Friday morning. Demonstrators gathered at the ILWU Local 6 union hall on Hegenberger Road before marching to the terminals. The union has called on the Port of Oakland to protect port jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later on Friday, protesters filled Oakland’s Fruitvale Plaza, chanting “we want justice for our people,” playing traditional Korean drums and waving signs that read “immigrant labor built this country” and “ICE out.” Demonstrators marched up 35th Avenue, before returning to Fruitvale Plaza. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

In downtown Berkeley, a crowd of more than 100 sporting union T-shirts and safety vests marched to Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on Friday morning. Many held signs that denounced Trump and his administrative priorities, which many felt had prioritized corporations over working people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIncome and wealth inequality have reached levels that are untenable,\u201d Ida Martinac, a member of SEIU Local 1000 who also serves on the Berkeley Rent Board. \u201cSomething has to give. That\u2019s why building labor power is so important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aldo Toledo contributed to this report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 1, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Aidin Vaziri<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff Writer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aidin Vaziri is a staff writer at The San Francisco Chronicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Lucy Hodgman<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staff writer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lucy Hodgman is a Hearst Fellow on the Climate Team at the San Francisco Chronicle, covering seismic building issues, homeowners insurance and breaking energy and environment news. She previously covered politics for the Times Union, in Albany, New York, and breaking news for Politico and the Sacramento Bee. 

Originally from Brooklyn, Lucy graduated from Yale University with a degree in English. Reach her at lucy.hodgman@hearst.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Kate Talerico<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

East Bay Reporter<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kate Talerico is a reporter covering the East Bay, with a focus on Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda County. Before joining the Chronicle, she covered housing at the Mercury News, reporting on changes to the real estate industry and tracking how housing policy is shaped and implemented. Her first journalism job was at the Idaho Statesman, where she covered Boise’s growth leading up to the pandemic. She also lived in France for two years, teaching English to high school students. Kate graduated from Brown University with a degree in urban studies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Aidin Vaziri, Lucy Hodgman, Kate Talerico, Staff Writers May 1, 2026 (SFChronicle.com) Gift Article Protesters march at the May Day Sin Fronteras: International Workers\u2019 Day March and Resource Fair at Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland, Calif. on Friday, May. 1, 2026.Adahlia Cole\/For the S.F. Chronicle A May Day protest by airport service workers briefly shut down… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47996"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47996"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47999,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47996\/revisions\/47999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}