SFUSD summoned to Congress amid firestorm over ethnic studies and ‘attacks on parental rights’
In a development reflecting escalating national tensions between major school districts, Congress, parents, and communities over parental rights, curriculum content, and local governance, San Francisco Schools Superintendent Maria Su informed parents in an email this morning that she received a request to appear before the House of Representatives Committee on Education and Workforce at…
SFMOMA’s ‘Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal’ revisits an old controversy
A return to 1905 and the birth of the Fauves SFMOMA shines a light on a now iconic painting that changed the direction of art history. Matisse’s Femme au chapeau:…
What happened to the heart of the Rose Garden?
May is the peak month for the Rose Garden blooms in Golden Gate Park. For more than 20 years, I have gone there to enjoy the magnificent roses, yet on…
Out and about May 14–20, 2026
Spring has sprung, and so has a host of events in the next several days. Here are my picks from cultural celebrations, neighborhood festivities, outdoor music and dance, and more, including our iconic Bay to Breakers. Thursday, May 14 Valencia Live! is an all-ages monthly street neighborhood celebration every second…
Lurie upholds positive homeless count to defend policies
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced preliminary results from San Francisco’s 2026 Point-in-Time homelessness count, presenting it as proof that the city’s homelessness and drug use policies are making measurable progress. In his speech at Hope House, a sober homeless shelter and recovery-focused transitional housing program run by the Salvation…
Deputies call for resignation of Oversight Board president
The San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association (SFDSA) is calling for the resignation of Sheriff’s Oversight Board president William Palmer, after recent reports of criminal charges for sexual assault and abuse, his social media accounts revealed posts that repeated antisemitic conspiracy theories, and a possible attempt to leverage his status as…
S.F. school closure discussion off to a rough start
Six months after the school board officially appointed her Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Maria Su finds her frayed relationships with commissioners boiling over into public…
SFMTA launches new parking apps, online reservations for easier payments
The next time diners make dinner reservations at their favorite restaurant, they may also want to consider reserving a parking spot online at a nearby city-owned garage. It’s all part of several new parking payment…
Sheepish crime-solvers in a woolly yarn
It’s almost a cheat to point out that the various wooly creatures sharing the screen with some familiar and well-regarded live actors in the whimsical mystery movie The Sheep Detectives are largely computer-generated, despite how…
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by Nomi Kane | @Nomikane
Legal challenge to SFUSD ‘Voices’ hits Mayor Lurie
Friends of Lowell Foundation (FOLF) formally requested a meeting with Mayor Daniel Lurie and senior City Hall officials, citing alleged violations of the California Brown Act in the San Francisco Unified School District’s (SFUSD) adoption of the controversial “Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey” curriculum. The legal letter, which included 53…
The shot that gave me seven days
There is a clinic in San Francisco called the Maria X. Martinez Health Resource Center. You might walk past it and not think much of it. But for me, it was the first place I had ever walked into where nobody looked at me like I was a problem to…
Why justice keeps failing Asian hate victims
History repeats itself. As Garry Tan concluded in his most recent op-ed about why Asian hate so often goes unpunished, it is a cumulative effect of the loudest voices that influence a courtroom, from policy briefs and op-eds to grant-funded studies and legacy media. That voice has been dominated by…
What it means to have a dog when you’re homeless, and what San Francisco’s potential new law gets right (and wrong)
This Thursday, April 9, the public safety committee (made up of supervisors Matt Dorsey, Alan Wong, and Bilal Mahmood) will hear a proposed ordinance amending the Health Code to require that every dog in San Francisco, with certain exceptions, be sterilized (along with licensed, vaccinated, microchipped, and leashed in public areas).…
Supes begin budget process, revisit drug-free housing, review Drug Court this week
This week San Francisco City Hall hosts a busy week with an ample docket of policy challenges as the Board of Supervisors begin their formal…
Muni targets fare dodgers by hiring more inspectors
Muni riders could start seeing more transit fare inspectors on vehicles and subway station fare gate exits as the city’s transportation agency plans to hire…
Californians find it easier to buy homes outside California
“A new life awaits you in the off-world colonies. The chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure.” That was the…
Enjoy Off the Grid on Treasure Island and more
There is something for everyone on Treasure Island, whether you are a history buff, managing little ones, or seeking craft cocktails and live music. Cityside…
‘The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy’ presents a cultural legacy at the Legion of Honor
The Legion of Honor museum presents the first major U.S. exhibition on the Etruscans in two decades. The exhibition is the culmination of 10 years…
Swiping at the subtitle stigma
With the ongoing expansion and sophistication of global cinema and television, it’s hard to imagine anyone in the English-speaking audience would blanch at watching something…
Biopics in contrast: Michael Jackson and John Davidson
Biographical motion pictures are inescapable in a business that leans on the familiar or easily identified to exploit a built-in audience. Widely known these days…
San Francisco Art Fair 2026 pushes back on the doom loop
The San Francisco Art Fair returned last week amid a cataclysm of news ranging from dastardly to jubilant concerning the state of the arts in…
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