Well, I can understand phobias. All spiders are obligate predators. They eat primarily insects which makes spiders highly beneficial. By the way, although spiders are arthropods (have an exoskeleton and jointed appendages), they are not insects. They are arachnids. There are only 2 potentially dangerous spiders in the continental US: the black widow and the brown recluse. The black widow's bite is reasonably mild. I understand that it is similar to a wasp sting in severity. The brown recluse's bite is down right scary. It causes necrosis (dying and rotting of the tissue) around the area of the bite. It is not a pretty picture. I do not think you have the brown recluse in San Francisco, so you can relax.

Any spiders you run across in your neck of the woods should be harmless or nearly so. Of course, your phobia gives them a major creep factor over you. Just try to avoid them and not think about them too much (easier said then done).

It is possible for spiders to take refuge in gloves. But I have never ever seen one do it. So just washing the glove or turning it inside out and brushing it off should be an adequate precaution.