San Francisco ninth graders will now be measured by a controversial ‘Wheel of Power’ — so how would the city’s leaders fare? We put them to the test.
The Voice was first to alert the public to controversial new ethnic studies programming with the San Francisco Unified School District’s (SFUSD) adoption of the “Voices: An Ethnic Studies Survey” curriculum. Friends of Lowell Foundation formally requested a meeting with Mayor Daniel Lurie and senior City Hall officials, citing alleged violations of the California…
Jack Davis, San Francisco’s ‘Election Knight,’ 1949-2026
Jack Davis, a controversial bare-knuckle political campaigner whose work was instrumental in the election of three San Francisco mayors —Frank Jordan, Willie Brown, and Gavin Newsom, and helped define an…
An audacious TV takedown of the tech sector
Depending on your perspective, the rise of computers, smartphones, and digital media can be seen as a boon or a threat, especially as AI becomes more pervasive and invasive. It’s…
Dr. Su goes to Washington
Much like a student being sent to the principal’s office, San Francisco Schools Superintendent Maria Su has been summoned to Washington, D.C. next month to testify before a Congressional committee. Joining her in the hot seat will be Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Macquline King and Loudoun County, Virginia Public Schools…
Doubts about OpenGov, bar-adjacent smoking, threats to Free City College, and Dog Court hit City Hall this week
This week is super busy at City Hall, with business ranging from the future of Free City College to a hearing on a dormant animal-safety program. And when it comes to smoking bans, don’t count out a last- minute change of mind. On Monday the Civil Service Commission reviews Mayor…
Political stars shone at Salvation Army’s ‘Lighting the Way’ Gala packed room for The Way Out fundraiser
On Thursday, May 14, a benefit for the Salvation Army’s The Way Out program drew a who’s who of San Francisco’s political leaders and key figures to The Conservatory at One Sansome. Demand for the Lighting the Way Gala was so high (as were ticket prices at $350) that organizers…
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…
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: A Modern Scandal places Matisse…
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 a recent lunch break with…
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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).…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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