Many middle-income homeowners who lost their jobs during the coronavirus shutdown faced a giant tax bill on April 10 they couldn’t pay. They begged for relief and the deadline was eventually extended to May 4. But it wasn’t easy getting politicians to take up the cause of struggling homeowners.
Read MoreTranscript: San Francisco Board of Supervisors on property tax relief, March 31, 2020.
Read MoreIt’s hard enough to get through a day in San Francisco unscathed by smashed car windows and Muni meltdowns. But what can you do when city planners threaten to destroy your entire neighborhood? We should all care about what’s happening on Kensington Way.
Read MoreFrom Emperor Norton to Willie Brown, big personalities and unique characters have defined San Francisco politics since the Gold Rush. Is Conor Johnston the next mythical figure in the making? Meet the muscled man in Styrofoam costumes and short shorts who will troll to the ends of social media for Mayor London Breed.
Read MoreVideo of San Francisco District Attorney debate sponsored by Stop Crime SF and moderated by Joel Engardio. Featuring candidates Chesa Boudin, Leif Dautch, Suzy Loftus and Nancy Tung. Be an informed voter and learn where they stand. The stakes are high. San Francisco ranks #1 in property crime among large U.S. cities. The district attorney sets the agenda for what crimes will and won't be prosecuted.
Read MoreHere are a few things San Francisco politicians don’t like to talk about: Billions in unfunded pension liabilities, police no longer part of the FBI’s terrorism task force, and not enough water to fight fires after an earthquake (the Westside could be left to burn). The civil grand jury is speaking out — but will anyone listen?
Read MoreWhy should San Francisco allow local press to report the inconvenient truths of Public Defender Jeff Adachi’s death? Because eroding the First Amendment, even slightly or righteously, only makes life more difficult for journalists when we need them to reveal the truths that really matter.
Read MoreThe uglier national politics get, some seek solace in local matters. But what happens when local concerns end up feeling as divisive as the national ones? Two women trying to beautify San Francisco’s West Portal neighborhood offer some inspiration and cautionary tales.
Read MoreAmending legislation is a messy process of horse-trading words. One of the amendments in San Francisco’s new video surveillance law is still missing a vital word. Police can receive private security video, but will they be able to use it to solve crimes? Words matter when we have the highest rate of property crime among the nation's largest cities.
Read MoreIf presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg can pick a running mate as well as a husband, America will be in good hands. It’s just one of many impressions from my lucky dinner with Pete and Chasten Buttigieg.
Read MoreFighting Big Brother and Big Tech might feel good when privacy is a concern. But a proposed law to ban facial recognition and severely impede San Francisco’s use of security cameras is full of unintended consequences that won’t keep us safe or free.
Read MoreRiding a bike in San Francisco can be perilous. There are speeding cars and potholes. Then there is the politics of cycling, which can be as unforgiving as the road. Consider what Brian Wiedenmeier faces as director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition.
Read MoreTwo generations of Iranian-Americans never gave up on the American dream even when they weren’t always welcome. Nima’s parents accepted discrimination as a cost for being here. But in the age of Trump, Nima isn’t buying it. How the young lawyer keeps fighting despite defeat.
Read MoreExactly 42 years after the San Francisco Police Officers Association declared gay people unfit to serve, Tony Montoya became the police union’s first openly gay president. Yet Montoya’s temperament is just as groundbreaking — when compared to the take-no-prisoners approach his predecessors took in local politics. “Our bombastic style doesn’t work anymore. It turns people off,” Montoya said. “I’ll be more thoughtful.”
Read MoreThe Westside has good reason to fight an overreaching state law that aims to put apartment buildings next to single-family homes. But what about train corridors like West Portal Avenue and the empty parking lot behind Stonestown Mall? It’s time to build middle-income housing there — if we want to keep families in San Francisco.
Read MoreHeroin needles and broken glass from car break-ins litter San Francisco streets. Property crimes and housing prices continue to soar. Perhaps our city should turn its lonely eyes to Assessor Carmen Chu: "Think of me as your neighborhood assessor."
Read MoreRiding a tech bus to Silicon Valley has nothing to do with hepatitis B, but there's a good chance some of the passengers have the virus and don't know it. Why? Major risk factors include being millennial and Asian & Pacific Islander (APIs comprise nearly half of tech jobs and a quarter of the population in the Bay Area). Inaction can lead to death by liver cancer. That's why Arcadi Kolchak and Richard So are fighting to save their generation — and yours.
Read MoreSeptember 17 doesn’t get much love. Yet it’s a day that should be as celebrated as Christmas or the 4th of July. Learn about Constitution Day, the most important holiday no one knows about.
Read MoreSan Francisco feels way beyond capacity with a population of 870,000. Yet we’re headed to a million. Not enough housing, too much traffic and our kids can't afford to live here. We need a plan because the future of middle-income families is at stake.
Read MoreSan Francisco Democrats come in many different shades of blue, which is what makes San Francisco politics so confusing. Every month, I try to unravel the confusion with a presentation called “SF Politics 101.” It’s an intro course on politics sponsored by the United Democratic Club. I’m part of a team of speakers who explain local, state and federal basics.
Read More
