By Joel P. Engardio -- “Sometimes when you put people together the sum is worse than the parts, which is the best way to describe the old board of trustees,” said Rafael Mandelman, president of City College's new board. “We can’t afford to have factions pitted against each other like before. My role is to keep folks working together and focused on saving the college.”
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- At first glance, this is another sad eviction story in the ongoing saga of San Francisco’s overheated housing market: An elderly Latino couple living in the Mission for 50 years versus millennial newcomers seeking a hip neighborhood. Yet what kind of story is it if the Spanish-speaking grandparents are the ones doing the evicting?
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- Now that I have both a column and a voting record as a new member of the Democratic County Central Committee, everyone wants to know if I’ll adjust my views for maximum votes. If only it were that simple.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- Even in San Francisco, a city synonymous with social justice and LGBT pride, the intersection of race and sexual orientation/identity can be complicated.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- Everything I know about women’s prisons I learned watching the Netflix hit “Orange is the New Black.” So it was tempting to ask Vicki Hennessy – a candidate for sheriff who began her career in 1975 guarding the women’s jail in San Bruno – how real the show is.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- As we celebrate marriage equality, it is worth remembering the setbacks and lessons learned on the way to the Supreme Court's historic ruling. How we persevered will help us in the work that remains to ensure a perfect union for everyone.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- A flood of previously unengaged residents easily connecting with City Hall through technology could transform San Francisco into a place of true progress. Yet change of that magnitude is scary for everyone invested in the current balance of power.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- It’s easy to forget that hippies and gays were originally despised as invaders and displacers when they first arrived in San Francisco. Does this mean a time will come when tech workers are celebrated in The City’s folklore?
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- If Netflix wants to produce a “House of Cards” based on San Francisco politics, the race to win Chinatown has plenty of plot points.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- For a nation that prides itself on democracy, we sure make voting inconvenient and confusing. But what if there was a promise of voting nirvana on the other side of the madness?
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- My mom wouldn't go to my recent wedding, but the Supreme Court is hearing a big case this week that could make same-sex marriage legal nationwide by July. A personal take on what this means for families still divided.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- If San Francisco is able to solve its housing crisis and become a city where middle-income families can survive, we might celebrate the day Eugene Lew, 78, learned how to use a MacBook computer in the Apple store at Stonestown Mall.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- Are show tunes the best way to reach Americans on the fence about gay marriage? One San Francisco family – a gay couple, their adopted daughter and a goldendoodle – hopes their story will win over the remaining hearts and minds.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- San Franciscans don’t fear social media because it merely wastes time or reduces privacy. They’re scared of being pushed out by highly paid tech workers who move in, drive up prices and alter the community’s character. As long as these fears persist, there will be voters in San Francisco to fight against market forces and politicians to cater to them.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- In an effort to save San Francisco from itself, the Emmy-award winning director behind the PBS hit "Saving the Bay" is producing a new series called "Saving the City." It will highlight successful cities that know what to preserve and what to let go: "Cities change, and if they don't, they die."
Read MoreJoel Engardio speaks to the wedding guests after marrying Lionel Hsu on February 21, 2015.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- Monsters are becoming as ubiquitous as Democrats in San Francisco. Like the million shades of blue that define our Democratic spectrum, multiple monster images now illustrate our housing crisis.
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- Critics driven by nostalgia versus a need to plan for the future want to keep Supervisor Christensen from getting elected in November. "Change is frightening for people who cannot imagine things another way," Christensen said. "But life is not a tableau. It is a parade. We can't stand frozen and expect everything to stay frozen around us."
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- “There is no humane way to eat a dog because the dog is our best friend – and that is not just a western slogan,” animal rights activist Andrea Gung said to counter the claim she is imposing her value system on people who live in China. “The dog has always been associated with the word ‘loyal’ in Chinese culture.”
Read MoreBy Joel P. Engardio -- Life got better for gay firefighters in San Francisco last year. The fact it took until 2014 for this gay awakening shows how long the journey to diversity has been for the San Francisco fire department.
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