Much ink has been spilled in recent days on what went wrong at the Fourth of July celebration. Of course, Karl the Fog obscured the fireworks, but that was the least of the problems. Traffic was snarled by the Golden Gate Bridge, with buses choked and Waymos going haywire, sparking inquiries from Supervisors Stephen Sherrill and Bilal Mahmood.

Current and former City Hall sources pointed to one of a number of possible explanations for the chaos: The retirement last year of what one insider called San Francisco’s “event czar,” Martha Cohen, who began her tenure in the 1990s under Mayor Frank Jordan. Described by sources as “highly effective” and a “phenomenal events planner,” Cohen had deep relationships across the city, knowing what scenarios to plan for and whom to go to if something went wrong. “She knew all the pitfalls that could happen and was relentless in solving them,” said a source. 

Cohen, who departed last July, organized a long list of high-profile events, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s funeral, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference, the Outside Lands festival, and Warriors and Giants parades.