Civic

First, what’s new? A proposed ordinance would require the city to provide a safe place to sleep for every unhoused person. Supervisors decide to put a new Amazon warehouse on hold. Supervisor Preston wants a hearing on police propaganda, aka copaganda. San Francisco’s outmigration is the second largest in the country. What’s next? The Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit finally starts rolling. And the plan...

San Francisco saw more people die from drug overdoses than from COVID-19 over the last two years. We take a deep dive into the complex factors contributing to the crisis and possible ways to mitigate the problem in this first of a two part series.

First, what’s new? Former Supervisor Jane Kim is being investigated for ethics violations after failing to register as a lobbyist while on the payroll of a man campaigning to block a new apartment complex. Teachers hold a sit-in to force an agreement on proper payment procedures. A new poll shows DA Chesa Boudin may be on thin ice over his recall campaign. What’s next? Supervisors consider a new l...

Read the Public Press and Mission Local stories: Track fires in the Mission, day-by-day Little fires everywhere: Fires rose by 26 percent in San Francisco last year SF Fires Linked to Homeless Surged as Pandemic Set In Grassroots Nonprofits and Homeless Communities Create Their Own Fire Prevention Solutions

First, what’s new? Three new school board members were sworn in by the Mayor London Breed after three elected members were recalled. Vaccine mandates are lifted for most indoor public settings. The District Attorney will not re-file a case against a police officer charged with excessive use of force. after a jury acquitted him. Mayor Breed said the police department is making progress on reform, b...

The last remaining tenant protections against eviction for pandemic-related rent debt that were granted by the state are expiring at the end of the month. They were based on tenants having applied to the state’s rent relief program, which according to a new study is slow to make decisions. The report indicates applicants are waiting months for the state program to make decisions on their cases, an...

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: Mayor withdraws request for more police funding; Mayor withdraws surveillance ballot measure, and a supervisor removes his competing proposal; voters to consider reassigning responsibility for garbage rate hike proposals; Coming up: 100 households to recei...

Read the story: " In San Francisco, Hundreds of Homes for the Homeless Sit Vacant "

Americans, Ukrainians, and Russians gathered in San Francisco to protest the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. San Francisco Police promise they will no longer use DNA collected from rape kits to match suspects to crimes. Mayor Breed’s office said they will go forward with plans to arrest some drug users who refuse to engage with support services. Later this week the Board of Supervisors will conside...

Find more resources at sfanimalcare.org.

The San Francisco School Board has decided to delay the application process for picking a new superintendent until the end of March, following the recall of three board members, who will be out of office before then. The board of Supervisors voted to place a recall reform measure before voters this June and passed an ordinance allowing renters to set-up tenant unions with the same negotiating powe...

San Rafael-based nonprofit Roots of Peace stayed in Afghanistan after the Taliban reclaimed power, working to clear minefields for farmland, while also helping Afghans who wanted to leave get their families out of the country. Siawash Safi, director of technology at Roots of Peace, says relatives still in Afghanistan say they don’t have enough food and are worried about the future — and hope that...

The end of indoor mask mandates in San Francisco. The San Francisco Police Commission orders the Police Chief to work out his differences with the District Attorney, the Mayor outlines her new budget and we look at important votes this week by the Board of Supervisors.

When you get bombarded with polarizing political ads during elections season, you might go looking for a neutral, straightforward explanation of a ballot measure or race. Often, the search will lead to Ballotpedia. This elections encyclopedia is written and edited by humans — it’s not automated. To get a better sense of where the material comes from and how staff try to earn voters’ trust, we talk...

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 new: New calls for San Francisco to take over the PG&E power grid in the city. An investigation into fires affecting unhoused people. The SFPD abruptly ends an agreement allowing the District Attorney to investigate the use of violence by police. Coming up: Supe...

Four people with varying political and activist backgrounds are competing to serve out the rest of former Assemblyman David Chiu's term representing District 17 in the state Assembly. On Feb. 15, voters will make their choice in a primary election for this seat. Hear highlights from conversations with David Campos, Matt Haney, Bilal Mahmood and Thea Selby about how they think the state should addr...

Editor's note: On Monday afternoon we removed an upcoming item from the "next" section of this roundup. It was related to city supervisors requesting a report from the budget and legislative analyst about residential vacancies, and we removed it because the meeting has now occurred and the requested report has already been issued. 

Measures A, B and C on the February 15 ballot ask if school board members Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga, respectively, should be removed from their positions. Recall proponents say the board should have been more focused on reopening schools during the pandemic. Since voters will be making their choices based not only on the board members’ records but also on their policy stan...

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the Omicron surge has peaked in the city. The California Public Utilities Commission failed in its mission to oversee ride hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. Thousands of tenants could be evicted as programs to help them pay back rent fall short. San Francisco Supervisors will consider legislation to help tenants impacted by COVID-19 and more.

You can find information about how to register to vote as a noncitizen here . The registration form is here . The registration deadline for the Feb. 15 recall election is Jan. 31.

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: SFUSD and unions reach agreement on masks, testing and sick leave; pandemic depletes certain tax revenues but SF projects budget surplus; point-in-time count of homeless people delayed. Coming up: School board to discuss COVID safety and get an update on e...

Editor's note: A reference to negotiations between the school district and unions representing SFUSD employees has been updated to reflect that the parties reached an agreement on mask supplies, testing and sick leave. 

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: Massive coronavirus case spike; schools scramble to find substitute teachers; hospitals strained by COVID-related staff absences; homeless shelters see outbreaks. Also: Money pours in to February election campaigns. Coming up: Q&A session between superviso...

See more about "Division Street" here. 

Editor's note: The wrong audio file was uploaded to this episode. Apologies to our listeners for the confusion! As of 2:47 p.m. on 12/30, the audio file should be correct. Read Julia Flynn Siler's additional reporting on allegations against a later director of the Cameron House here .