California Democrats are clamoring to tax the rich. Why their proposals could backfire
This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Progressive California Democrats, who have long fought and failed to raise taxes on the rich, are renewing their push this year in light of a specific threat: The seismic federal cuts to Medi-Cal, the state’s health care program for the poor. President…
Legacies, scams, and pitfalls
An ailing artist tries to thwart the plans of his assistant in ‘The Christophers’; a clan and empire are torn apart by murder and betrayal in a modern version of…
Budget, planning, law enforcement headaches drive this week at City Hall
San Francisco leaders devote much of their energy to navigating the city’s budget problems as Mayor Daniel Lurie addresses the Board of Supervisors this week. Supervisors will also begin the…
Swalwell suspends campaign as S.F. Democratic Party chair, police chiefs latest to urge withdrawal
San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung released a statement on Sunday urging support for victims of sexual assault and harassment, and calling for Representative Eric Swalwell to drop out of the race for governor. The statement was made in light of explosive allegations made against Swalwell by a former…
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…
‘Our democracy’s too important’: An interview with Dr. Larry Gerston, Part 2
In Part I, Dr. Larry Gerston discussed the rise of Trumpism and its threat to democracy. Here, he talks tech, political balance, and what’s next. You always tend to be positive. But are you angry about the state of the union and what Americans have let it become? I’m a…
SFMTA board OKs curbside EV charging permit program
As Climate Week approaches next week in San Francisco, it was fitting for the city’s transportation agency’s board of directors to approve a permit program…
Out and about April 9–15, 2026
Events are springing up appropriately for the season — from the Cherry Blossom Festival to lunchtime concerts, and even spring training. Inside, there’s jazz, dance, a film festival, and more. Thursday, April 9 The legendary…
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,…
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“We’ll be back,” by Nomi Kane | @Nomikane
What we miss when the Board of Education skips its progress monitoring report discussions
Introduction At the last Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, March 24, Board President Phil Kim proposed — and received permission — to merge the eighth-grade algebra discussion and vote with the Progress Monitoring Report for Goal 2 (math). Predictably, the eighth-grade algebra discussion swallowed up the entire allotted time,…
I had clean needles. I still almost died twice.
I was standing on a street corner in San Francisco, unable to carry a large bottle of laundry detergent. My boyfriend was screaming at me to run, and I couldn’t move. I was swaying. I didn’t know it yet, but I had an infection eating my heart valve alive. I…
Dolores Huerta and the Cesar Chavez shadow
“I am nearly 96 years old, and for the last 60 years have kept a secret because I believed that exposing the truth would hurt the farmworker movement I have spent my entire life fighting for.” Thus began a written statement on medium.com by legendary civil rights and labor activist…
City College needs to downsize further rather than bleed taxpayers
City College of San Francisco recently announced plans to close its Downtown Center at Fourth and Market streets in July, marking a rare acknowledgment that the institution operates at a scale far beyond local demand. Driven by state funding formulas that penalize chronically low attendance, the campus could no longer…
District Attorney Jenkins slams local judges as biased against her office
An intense and growing battle between District Attorney Brooke Jenkins and judges of the San Francisco Superior Court erupted Friday night before an in-person crowd…
‘What have you done about it?’: An interview with Dr. Larry Gerston, Part I
Political scientist and educator Larry Gerston’s latest book is Overcoming Trumpism: How to Save American Democracy, which will be released April 16. In it, he…
SFMOMA to unveil complete transformation of the Doris and Donald Fisher Collection
The Fisher Collection galleries feature nearly 250 works by 35 artists, and beginning later this month, SFMOMA is unveiling its first updated presentation since the…
This week at City Hall, it’s about the money, and dogs
Another million-dollar tax settlement, a hearing on medical insurance denials and spaying and neutering of dogs are among the highlights this week at the Board…
The art and architecture of San Francisco Maritime Museum
A Balcony on the World, a KQED documentary, uncovers the long-overlooked story of the Aquatic Park Bathhouse building. Now home to the San Francisco Maritime…
Not a ham fan? Roast a fresh pork shoulder instead
I hate ham. You know the one — studded with cloves and topped with pineapple rings from a can, served at the table in many…
Tech gone wild
Artificial intelligence is becoming all-pervasive in our lives, and The AI Docexamines whether it’s a triumph of convenience or a potential trap.
‘Monet and Venice’ currently on display at the de Young
Monet and Venice is the first major international loan exhibition devoted to Claude Monet’s luminous paintings of Venice, traditionally known as La Serenissima. The artist…
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