San Francisco

San Francisco Metropolitan Complex

Population	10,000,000+ Human: 53% Elf: 8% Dwarf: 12% Ork: 21% Troll: 5% Other: 1%
Density	600 per sq. km
Income (per capita)	45,000¥
Corporate-Affiliated Population	62%
Hospitals	111
DocWagon Clinics	30
Education	Less than 12 years: 45% High School or Equivalent: 33% College Equivalent: 16% Advanced Degrees and Certificates: 6%
Felonious Crime Rate	19 per 1,000 (annual)

The San Francisco is a metropolitan complex in the Bay Area of the California Free State. Though not the capital of the CFS (that would be Sacramento), it is a highly important city, being the country's economic and cultural nexus since the loss of Los Angeles in 2046. Years of conflict have shaped the sprawl, and it has changed regimes several times through the wars it has seen over the last five decades. When it comes to understanding the balance of power in San Francisco today, think of this history.

History

The UCAS Abandons California (2036)

After the Ghost Dance War, the United States and Canada attempted to consolidate their remaining power by forming the United Canadian and American States in 2030. Much of North America was now under control of the Native American Nations, and the vast majority of UCAS territory was in the east, leaving its ability to protect California from the new regional powers tenuous at best. When the Confederate States of America seceded from the UCAS in 2034, this hold became even weaker, and the UCAS ultimately decided to abandon it.

The mysterious new Tir Tairngire was the first nation to recognize the CFS as an independent nation, though this appears to have been to avoid any conflict with the UCAS prior to its invasion of Redding, at which point it laid claim to territory in the north that remains contested today. The fighting has been at a standstill since 2053, when Hestaby appeared to the world at Mt. Shasta and demanded both sides put an end to the fighting. Aztlan simultaneously invaded from the south and captured San Diego, and the Japanese Imperial State occupied San Francisco to protect Japanese business interests, though it did not annex it.

During this time, the JIS occupying force of two regiments of imperial marines under the command of Colonel Keiji Saito enforced a no-metahumans policy in line with Japanese law. Non-corporate metahumans were deported to the East Bay, most typically Oakland, which became a barrens scarcely able to hold the flood of migrants.

The CFS Loses Los Angeles (2045-2046)

In 2045, an offshore nuclear reactor experienced a catastrophic meltdown, and a radioactive tidal wave struck Los Angeles. Despite the disaster killing thousands and rendering parts of the city uninhabitable, no help came from Sacramento. The next year, a hacker group deleted the results of the gubernatorial election, and Sacramento responded by sending the California Rangers and several thousand mercenaries to root out the hackers at gunpoint. A massacre ensued, and over 20,000 civilians were killed in only two days. After it became clear this operation was a colossal failure, Sacramento recalled the remaining units that didn't quit in disgust. Los Angeles requested help cleaning up the mess afterward, and Sacramento responded by disowning the city, declaring it independent. It would remain independent until the Pueblo Corporate Council annexed it in 2061 following the devastating earthquakes along the Pacific Rim.

The Protectorate Era (2061-2067)

Another consequence of the 2061 Pacific Rim earthquakes was the death of Japan's imperial family. Only one family member survived to claim the throne, a young boy who was promptly installed as emperor. He immediately began making reforms, notably including the end of Japan's metahuman internment policy in which all non-humans were shipped to a single island in the Pacific for containment. The new regime also recalled Saito's regiments to assist in evacuations and repairs in the homeland. Colonel Saito refused the order, instead choosing to invade the rest of the CFS and declare himself Protector-General of a new nation he called the California Protectorate. He doubled down on anti-metahuman fascism and ushered in an era of horrendous human rights abuses and war crimes. Whereas metahumans had previously been deported to Oakland, they now were being captured, tortured, mass-executed, and/or deported throughout California.

Saito's control of California was not total; he had avoided picking fights with megacorporations where possible such as refusing to invade Silicon Valley, an Ares Macrotechnology stronghold. His regiments were further stymied by civilian opposition, what remained of the California Rangers in Sacramento, and the threat of the PCC now in control of Los Angeles. To make matters worse, Crash 2.0 happened in 2064. He eventually reached a point where he needed to consolidate his hold before making further advances, which he did with the tacit support of the Japanese megacorps, who did not want to be publicly involved at this point since Saito's conquest was uncertain. San Francisco had been his unit's historical stronghold, and it was relatively unaffected by the earthquakes, so he began rebuilding much of the East Bay during this time. The disparate resistance factions attempted to form a united front, and the various militias, gangs, and crime syndicates that had been fighting the ground war eventually gained the support of Mothers of Metahumans, Ares Macrotechnology, the PCC, and more. Hestaby ensured Tir Tairngire would remain fully neutral. With military and financial support, the resistance launched an offensive that led to Saito's withdrawal in 2067.

The SF Metroplex (2068-present)

In the years following the war, the cities of the Bay Area began the slow process of reconstruction. First, they consolidated into a united metropolitan complex that included all of the cities in the Bay Area, divided into several districts. Next, they began hiring corporate contracts for city services. Naturally, Ares was given considerable favor despite the sprawl's long history of preference for Japanese businesses. Despite this, the undisputed biggest power in town was Mitsuhama, which would later go on to attain the #1 ranking in the corporate court. The newly formed Evo Corporation leveraged its reputation as a metahuman-friendly, technically non-Japanese corporation to claim construction contracts, which it still enjoys quite a bit of. Wuxing, Incorporated bought up all the shipping and international travel it could, though Mitsuhama notably has a monopoly on rail systems still.

While the megacorporations claimed their shares of the new market, non-corporate factions of the resistance coalition felt betrayed by the terms of the peace. Saito had escaped with his life, and many war criminals remained in power in the city, hiding behind corporate extraterritoriality and the wall of silence that had been maintained by the Japanese megas. Ares had no interest in picking a fight with them, having expanded its local power; neither did the Pacific Prosperity Group (Wuxing, Evo, Aztechnology, and a bunch of non-Japanese Pacific Rim corporations). The PCC had annexed the Ute Nation and some territory that had previously belonged to the CFS, and it was satisfied with its gains. Some groups such as Mothers of Metahumans and the Metahuman People's Army continue fighting to expose, harass, and eliminate war criminals and corporate authority in the SF sprawl today, but they do not have the support they once did. Nevertheless, they have money, weapons, experience, ambition, and no qualms hiring shadowrunners.

Geography

The San Francisco Metroplex is divided into five districts, as follow.

Downtown

The Downtown district is made of San Francisco proper, AKA the borders of San Francisco in real life today. It is where Mitsuhama, Shiawase, Renraku, Aztechnology, and Wuxing have their corporate HQs, and it is a fairly affluent high-security zone in general. There are pockets of exceptions to this, but it is generally pretty well-off. If you're a tourist, this is probably where you're gonna go. Come see Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, Ghirardelli Square, and more!

South City

Beginning in South San Francisco (a separate city) and stretching southward through Palo Alto, the South City district is notably home to freight companies, the San Francisco Airport, and Stanford University. Though not as opulent as Downtown, many middle-class and relatively high-class residents live here, especially up in the hills. There is a class contrast between the freight workers and the academics associated with Stanford, but it's not a barrens by any stretch of the imagination.

Silicon Valley

The Silicon Valley district is made of the Bay Area cities like Cupertino and San Jose that were historically home to the tech startups that later became industry giants, such as Apple and Google. Today, it is firmly under the control of Ares Macrotechnology, which continues this tradition in its own way. This district is largely made of manufacturing plants, and there is a wide contrast of security ratings for individual neighborhoods, from standard wageslave housing to the extravagant high-rises of Ares elites.

Fremont

It's kind of tough to say what Fremont is. The district has been working to establish an identity for itself since 2068, and it's sort of just "the part between Silicon Valley and Oakland." It's something of an oddity in that it's a suburb, but it's known for ethnic diversity. This is most likely due to its position between the heavily corporate Silicon Valley and the Oakland barrens. Expect to see a little of everything here, from low-end freight business to artists to plastic surgery clinics. Rumor has it Saeder-Krupp has been quietly buying up some docks here, for some reason.

Oakland

The Oakland district is made of the cities of Oakland and Berkeley as well as the surrounding areas. Oakland is a true barrens, having been devastated by decades of systemic oppression and active warfare from which it has never been given the infrastructure to recover. Some of the worst fighting in the SF sprawl during the war happened here, and major portions of the district are still in disrepair. It should also come as no surprise this district has the highest metahuman population.

City Services

Service	Provider
Fire Safety	Ares Fire and Safety
GridGuide	NeoNET (gonna have to revisit this one, guys)
Healthcare	Bay Area Healthcare
Matrix Services	Ares Macrotechnology
Police	San Francisco Police Department
Power	Evo Electrical
Prisons	Knight-Errant Security Services
Public Works	Evo Utilities
Sanitation	Dragon Sanitation