District Attorney Brooke Jenkins received $100,000 from a nonprofit that was working to oust Chesa Boudin.

Good morning, Bay Area. It’s Thursday, Aug. 11, and Bay Bridge traffic has rebounded to nearly 2019 levels. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

Questions are being raised after city records show San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins was paid more than $100,000 by a nonprofit organization formed by a Silicon Valley billionaire who helped bankroll the recall of her predecessor, Chesa Boudin. The disclosure provoked controversy because Jenkins said she worked on the recall in a volunteer capacity.

While experts say it doesn’t appear Jenkins broke any law, the San Francisco Ethics Commission could initiate an investigation. So far, none of her political allies say this has changed their decisions to endorse her candidacy for the November election. Before the disclosure, Jenkins secured top endorsements from San Francisco Democrats who hadn’t supported the recall.

The billionaire behind the nonprofit and a top donor to the Boudin recall is Bill Oberndorf, who co-founded the investment company SPO Partners and often donates to more moderate, right-of-center candidates. He donated $1.5 million to boost Jeb Bush’s nomination in 2016, and bucked the Republican party that year when he backed Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.

In a “Fifth & Mission” podcast interview recorded the day before the disclosure, D.A. Jenkins laid out her plans for how she would run the office.

Tourism is recovering in New York City despite being the onetime epicenter of COVID deaths.

San Francisco and New York have much in common, including many of the same problems. But San Francisco is still behind in its pandemic recovery, while New York has come roaring back.

Early in the pandemic, New York was the country’s coronavirus epicenter with five times the death rate of San Francisco. Both cities saw large numbers of residents flee: Manhattan lost 6.9% of its population from April 2020 to June 2021, while San Francisco lost 6.7%.

But in 2022, more people are moving into Manhattan than even before the pandemic. Rents in San Francisco have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels, while median rents in Manhattan reached a record high of $4,000 a month in May.

So why has New York recovered stronger and faster? Roland Li shares what San Francisco can learn from New York’s rebound success.

Rad Radish is a new vegan fast-casual restaurant from the owners of the popular Wildseed in San Francisco.

Fans of popular San Francisco vegan spot Wildseed will be happy to know that the owners are opening a faster, more casual restaurant called Rad Radish on Aug. 15 in Hayes Valley. Customers can order from the meat-free menu that includes grain bowls, a “carbonara” flatbread, Wildseed’s popular veggie burger and vegan soft serve.

Meat eaters will be sad to learn that Golden Gate Meat Co., one of the longest-tenured tenants at the prominent Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco, is closing after nearly two decades. The offshoot of the Bay Area wholesale business opened in 2003, serving high-quality organic meats, charcuterie and prepared foods.

If you’re looking for a weekend escape, wine critic Esther Mobley has updated her top Sonoma County wineries list. It features several new additions including Hanzell, which is known for top notch Chardonnays, and A. Rafanelli, whose Zinfandels have a cult-like following.

More than two years since the start of the pandemic, traffic on the Bay Bridge has nearly rebounded to 2019 levels with slight changes to its busiest days and peak congestion times

• Bay Area traffic: These charts show how Bay Area bridge traffic has changed during the pandemic.

• Monkeypox outbreak: U.S. officials approved a new injection method to stretch out doses, but that does not mean the pressure for shots in S.F. will ease right away.

• A “15-year failure”: Walgreens can be held responsible for its role in San Francisco’s opioid crisis, a federal judge rules after landmark trial.

• Federal lawsuit filed: Protester dragged out of Chase Center during Warriors Finals game sues S.F., claiming she was injected with a sedative in custody.

• Not enough water: Amid drought, some California communities are forced to rely on hauled or bottled water. This map shows where. Also: This energy source doesn't exist in California. But it could account for 25% of the state's electric power in the future.

• Housing wars: Why California’s attorney general waded into an East Bay affordable housing fight. Also: Deluged with complaints about “a living hell,” major Bay Area city caps certain vacation rentals.

• Kiely Rodni disappearance: FBI adds teen to missing persons list as officials say they have “no viable leads.”

• “A life sentence”: California lawmakers seek to seal felony records for past offenders.

Librarian Sharon McKellar hangs items found in books in a display case. The collection includes notes, recipes, ticket stubs, photos and more.

Sharon McKellar, a librarian at Oakland Public Library, has collected and digitally archived items found in between the pages of returned books for a decade.

She found everything from love letters to family photos, to-do lists to birthday cards, and documented her discoveries on a blog for years. Last November after the agency launched a new website, McKellar was able to categorize the collection for people to browse online.

“It's just really intriguing to think about how each of those things landed here in one of our libraries in some way or another,” McKellar said. “It feels like you're really getting a glimpse of the community of Oakland.”

Now the public can see some of these items in person in a display box on the first floor of the main library at 125 14th St. in Oakland.

Read more about the collection from Jessica Flores.

Bay Briefing is written by Kellie Hwang and Anna Buchmann and sent to readers’ email inboxes on weekday mornings. Sign up for the newsletter here, and contact the writers at kellie.hwang@sfchronicle.com and anna.buchmann@sfchronicle.com.

Kellie Hwang is the engagement reporter for The San Francisco Chronicle. Before returning to the Bay Area, she held roles as transportation reporter and trending news reporter at the IndyStar in Indianapolis. Previously, Kellie covered dining news and trends, visual arts, events and nightlife for the Arizona Republic, and freelanced for the former Contra Costa Times. Kellie also serves as co-director of the Asian American Journalists Association Features Forum. She is a University of Washington graduate.