Welcome to strike school
There was a huge mob massing outside of the California Teachers Association headquarters in Burlingame when I arrived for CTA Strike School on Saturday. It was the usual sea of Amazon keffiyehs, an ocean of performative activism and please-notice-me antisemitism in the courtyard, in all of the fashion colors that Amazon offers. I noticed…
Some California high-speed rail records could remain secret under proposed law
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. The auditor of California’s High-Speed Rail Authority wants the power to keep certain records confidential, drawing concerns from…
Art Week S.F.: The glitz, the glitches, and the tax deductions
Art Week in San Francisco was a 10-day onslaught of fairs, galleries, and museums kneeling at the altar of what makes us most human: tax write-offs. Game as I was…
A magnificent multitude of mostly British movies
Proudly flying the Union Jack again, the Mostly British Film Festival (MBFF) returns to San Francisco’s Vogue Theater (3290 Sacramento Street) from Feb. 5 through 12 for its 18th season of prestige movies from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India. The MBFF’s geographical breadth acknowledges…
New center for homeless youth in Tendernob opens
According to the City’s most recent Point-in-Time report, youth and young adults accounted for 21% of HSH services in 2024 (the most recent count for which data is available). 1,137 people ages 18 to 24 experienced homelessness in one night, 65% of whom were male. Of all the unhoused single…
My top five picks for San Francisco Super Bowl LX activities
Super Bowl events and activities will soon be popping up all over San Francisco, and you don’t need to be a football fan to enjoy them. Here are my top five picks for what’s to come in our fair city, and why each stood out to me as a special…
Diversion graduates gone wrong: Five cases
San Francisco had five attempted murders last July; four of them are in mental health diversion
Out and about Jan. 29–Feb. 4, 2026
There’s a variety of ways to occupy your free time this week from theater to a cultural festival, a large-scale mural unveiling, chamber music, and more. Read on. Thursday, Jan. 29 The nine-time Tony Award-winning,…
‘Peskin Ban’ edges closer to ballot, but not without grousing
This week, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors moved forward with a charter amendment to modify existing term limits for the mayor or members of the Board of Supervisors to a lifetime total of two…
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“Heavy is the head,” By Nomi Kane | @Nomikane
California Department of Education strikes back against antisemitic discrimination in K-12 schools; part 3 of a three-part series
Every competent Jewish adult in America put down their space laser and started rubbing their temples as soon as they read that, while being interviewed as a potential vice president running mate for Kamala Harris, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was asked if he had ever been a double agent for…
Going nowhere on housing
Recently, I moderated a Commonwealth Club World Affairs panel, and when I asked several journalists if they thought the city would meet the state mandate of adding about 82,000 units by the deadline, the reaction was, essentially, that no sane person believes it will, and that the mandate is that…
The Venezuela case, told by a Venezuelan
In April 2002, I marched toward the presidential palace in Caracas with hundreds of thousands of other Venezuelans. We were not radicals. We were ordinary citizens who had realized that Hugo Chávez was not interested in governing democratically. He was intent on turning Venezuela into a dictatorship where dissent was…
Let’s talk about Scott Wiener
Scott Wiener wants me to talk to him. The email his campaign sent to me says so. The email, received this past weekend, calls for people to suggest topics of importance that the congressional candidate should address, noting “It’s easy to get pulled into every flashpoint, every headline, every viral…
Central Subway extension to North Beach, Fisherman’s Wharf uncertain as SFMTA faces budget crunch
The future of what happens next with Muni’s Central Subway is up in the air despite a push from a San Francisco supervisor to city…
San Francisco had five attempted murders last July; four of them are in mental health diversion
Part 1: How the District Attorney’s Office still fails to track recidivism or termination data for defendants in mental health diversion programs, including those charged…
Lowell journalism teacher wins reinstatement
A San Francisco Superior Court judge has ordered the San Francisco Unified School District to reinstate Eric Gustafson as the journalism teacher and faculty advisor…
San Francisco promises safe, clean streets for Super Bowl
Mayor Daniel Lurie held a press conference with other city public safety leaders on Monday, unveiling a “comprehensive plan” to ensure a safe environment during…
The Mendocino coast during off season is a relaxing getaway
Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1 here. We had a leisurely trip down the coast from our stay at Noyo Harbor Inn,…
Junko Mizuno: ‘Ink, Paper, Plastic’ at the Haight Street Art Center
The Haight Street Art Center is pleased to present Junko Mizuno: Ink, Paper, Plastic at the Print Studio Gallery. Her work first appeared at the…
Fall and winter in Mendocino are underrated
Scenic seascapes, fabulous food, wine, accommodations, and, of course, dog friendliness, make Mendocino one of my favorite places in California. While Carmel by the Sea…
Those January movie doldrums
As tradition dictates, a gaggle of prestige movies made it into theaters for official awards consideration by critics’ groups and industry guild members before the…
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