Civic

As San Francisco improves its ability to mitigate the spread and treat the effects of the novel coronavirus, the city is also grappling with the fallout of its economic shutdown. Dr. Grant Colfax, director of the city’s Department of Public Health, said at a virtual press conference on Tuesday that the city has rapidly expanded its testing and contact tracing capacity and improved its supplies of...

Hi listeners — we just wanted to let you know why you won't be seeing many new episodes this week. But keep an eye out for one special interview with the producers of Out in the Bay!

A few days after a new city-approved tent encampment, known as a “safe sleeping village,” opened at Everett Middle School, "Civic" talked with District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and some people at nearby encampments to get their perspectives on the site, which will be in operation for just six weeks.

The uprising sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer has turned a national spotlight on the idea of defunding police, and locally, Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Shamann Walton have announced they are developing a proposal for something in that vein. “Civic” spoke with people demonstrating about whether the idea of defunding the police department appealed to them,...

Omorede “Rico” Hamilton, a street violence intervention program coordinator and community organizer, has been addressing crowds of hundreds at recent protests against police brutality and racism at San Francisco’s City Hall. In this interview, Hamilton expands on some of his remarks made at one demonstration and makes a case for addressing some of the damage done by racism with reparations.

Read Lydia's story here . The full Board of Supervisors is slated to vote on whether or not to reject the appointees Tuesday, June 9. The meeting begins at 2 p.m. and this is item 13.

This is part of a series of shows that collect perspectives from demonstrators. Listen to a previous episode here .

After George Floyd was killed by police officers in Minneapolis, protestors have been taking to the streets to demand justice and end police violence against black people and other people of color. We collected some demonstrators' thoughts on what moved them to participate. This is part of a series that includes voices from protests early in the week. Hear more perspectives soon.

San Francisco remains under an 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew in the wake of a nationwide civil uprising over the death of George Floyd, an African-American man killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis. During a Monday morning press conference, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said he is cautioning Mayor London Breed not to end the curfew too soon. Hear the press briefing with this and other...

Read more at sfpublicpress.org.

Muni is running only a core system of buses with no rail lines in service. But around 100,000 people still ride every day. Cat Carter, interim executive director of the San Francisco Transit Riders, hasn’t been on Muni in months, but she and others in the organization have kept busy, distributing masks and thinking about the future of Muni as budget cuts and the return of traffic congestion loom.

The San Francisco Unified School District has announced that fall classes will begin on Aug. 17, and administrators are in the process of planning how campuses will function as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. We heard directly from students about what life has been like for them under the shelter-in-place order. Abigail Ault, a junior at Lincoln High School, and La’Jaya Smith, a senior at Life Le...

The shelter-in-place order that has directed San Francisco residents to stay home except to conduct essential business will be in effect indefinitely, though with significant modifications to allow certain previously restricted businesses to re-open. Meanwhile, the city’s mask order will be expanded, now requiring everyone to cover their noses and mouths within 30 feet of another person. Hear thes...

Every year, San Francisco Pride events bring hundreds of thousands of people to the city during the last week of June to commemorate the Stonewall Riots in New York City, which kicked-off the modern LGBTQ movement. This year was expected to be larger than ever, marking the 50th anniversary of San Francisco’s first march, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced its abrupt cancellation on April 14, 2020. P...

The Camp Fire grew to disastrous proportions faster than some fire experts thought possible, and ultimately destroyed the town of Paradise and devastated several nearby communities. At least 85 people were killed, and tens of thousands were displaced. In the new book “Fire in Paradise: An American Tragedy,” two journalists with the Guardian US, Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano, tell the stories of t...

In What's New & What's Next, the Civic team offers a roundup of San Francisco news and a look at what's ahead on the city's calendar. The news: City departments told to cut budgets, transportation agency braces for gridlock, some hygiene stations found to be missing essentials. Coming up: Transit directors to meet, library will conduct summer learning online, collect COVID-19 time capsule material...

The coronavirus pandemic has cost millions their jobs, and that means many tenants haven’t been able to pay rent, landlords have had trouble making mortgage payments and other bills are also stacking up. Sarah “Fred” Sherburn-Zimmer, director of the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, and Katrina Logan, director of the economic advancement program at Community Legal Services in East Palo Al...

Read Joe's story here .

Read Chris Roberts' story here .

Some two weeks after a universal coronavirus testing mandate for nursing facilities was announced, 40% of the city’s nursing patients and staff have been tested, according to San Francisco health director Dr. Grant Colfax. Hear this and other updates from today's press briefing on the city's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

In What's New & What's Next, the Civic team offers a roundup of San Francisco news and a look at what's ahead on the city's calendar. The news: CA faces deep budget cuts, shelter-in-place restrictions on retail ease slightly, needs for rental assistance exceed available funds, drive-through food bank opens. Coming up: Planning Commission to weigh plans for The Hub, Muni slightly increases service...

Youth aged 16 and 17 could gain the right to vote in municipal elections if existing voters approve a charter amendment in November. City supervisors have introduced that amendment, and if it continues to see widespread support from the board, the measure will go to the ballot. This will be San Francisco’s second time voting on such an expansion of voting rights — a similar 2016 measure failed wit...

Read Gosia Wozniacka's reporting at Civil Eats .

Mayor London Breed announced Wednesday that up to 95% of retail businesses should be able to reopen for limited curbside service starting on Monday, May 18th. Many warehouses and factories should also be able to resume operations. Hear this and other coronavirus update from today's city press briefing.

How to best support the thousands of people who are homeless in San Francisco, and prevent the spread of the new coronavirus among them, during this pandemic has been a point of contention for months. San Francisco Public Press reporter Brian Howey has been covering everything from a scuttled initiative to test everyone in the shelter system to how the city would use RVs it had secured for people...