The Yang Thang is on a roll.

Democratic presidential candidate and businessman Andrew Yang’s call to give every American a $1,000-a-month “freedom dividend” may be getting short shrift from pundits, but it has struck a chord with voters, who feel they rarely see a dime of their tax dollars coming back to them.

Now, $1,000 a month would not even cover my clothes allowance. But it would be a big help to a college grad paying off school loans, or someone facing a rent hike or in need of health insurance.

And most of what the Democratic candidates are promising in health or educational or social service programs would add up to a lot more than $1,000 a month per person.

I keep running into regular people who ask how to contact Yang. He’s connecting on a level we rarely see in politics.

How else do you explain how he was one of the 10 remaining candidates on the Democratic debate stage Thursday night, while current and former governors and members of Congress running on more “substantive” issues like climate change failed to make the cut?

People know we’re already spending big money on social services that in many cases result in little if any improvement in people’s lives.

Yang is challenging all of that and doing it with a game show host’s passion and sense of humor.

Rookie ball: Sacramento insiders are giving Gavin Newsom mixed reviews for his first legislative session as governor.

Unlike former Gov. Jerry Brown, who rarely interacted with lawmakers on bills or signaled what changes he wanted, Newsom appeared to be much more open about it.

Sometimes, too much so.

The school vaccination mandate was a case in point. Newsom called for amendments on the bill giving the state more power to review medical exemptions, and the bill’s co-authors obliged.

Then, at the last minute, Newsom called for more changes.

And he made the call via Twitter, a favorite tactic of you know who in the White House.

Lawmakers were never happy with Brown’s elusiveness, but Newsom’s act may cost him a precious commodity in politics — the belief among others that when you reach a deal, you’ll stick to it.

It may just be the product of rookie mistakes, or it could be the product of having a staff that’s long on policy chops but short on practical legislative experience.

Be prepared: When she was San Francisco mayor, Dianne Feinstein was known for having a fire helmet in the trunk of her car at all times.

Mayor London Breed keeps emergency gear on hand as well. But she also has the good sense to keep a couple of bottles of Kathryn Hall Cabernet Sauvignon in the trunk that she can break out at dinner should the wine that night fall below par.

There was no need to pop the trunk the other night when she sat down with attorney Steven Kay and me at Ayesha Curry’s restaurant, International Smoke in the Millennium Tower.

Breed was dealing with an emergency of sorts. It was the first night that Chase Center was having a concert (the Dave Matthews Band) and the Giants were playing a home game, which kept her on the phone with the police and Muni to make sure there was no traffic meltdown.

As the phone buzzed and she talked, Kay and I kept ourselves entertained with the view of Stephen Curry, who was at the next table.

High note: Opening night of the San Francisco Opera season was a whirl of color and style, at least for women’s fashions.

For me, it signaled the end of a fashion era.

For as long as I can remember, the rule was “tux for the Symphony opening, tails for the Opera.”

But these days, formal wear has taken a back seat to comfort, and for once, my tails stayed in the closet.

The change opened me up to a steady stream of ribbing, but times change, and so must we.

One thing that did not change was the over-the-top fun of the dresses on display.

My date, Sonya Molodetskaya, had a dress with a 10-foot train, so I spent much of the evening 10 paces behind her to make sure no one stepped on the train and pulled the whole dress off.

Once again the belle of the night was Dede Wilsey, who did not appear to be suffering from being mocked by local Democratic operatives for her name showing up on a Trump fundraiser invite.

Wherever she moved, someone was ready to have a photo taken with her — and her diamonds.

The cat claws were out as well. I overheard one guest tell another, “What a lovely yellow dress. No wonder you wear it so often. I think five presidents have seen it.”

People were encouraged to wear masks this year, and many did.

Some got their masks at costume shops. Others picked them up at the plastic surgeon.

As usual, I was out the door after the first act. It’s one opening night tradition that will never go out of fashion.

Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com