School district risks a deficit in public trust
The aftermath of the historic teachers’ strike enables, or forces, the San Francisco Unified School District to return attention to its ever-present and looming challenge of public trust. From the start of negotiations, school district leaders maintained that they could not afford to fully fund family health care for educators. Critics and skeptics predicted…
91% of SFMTA transit operators work overtime, totaling $41M in 2024
A chilling video that surfaced in late 2025 captured the N-Judah Muni train traveling through San Francisco at speeds exceeding 50 mph, with footage showing the operator dozing at the…
Can California innovate its way out of its homegrown housing crisis?
Though opposition by entrenched interests is a leading cause of California’s — and the nation’s — housing shortage, another key player is cost, and it particularly hurts the production of…
Spring exhibitions at YBCA shine a light on community and storytelling
Through tapestry, archival media, and contemporary works, two new exhibitions explore themes of queer identity, migration, and collective resistance. Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) presents two new exhibitions this month: Diedrick Brackens: gather tender night and Conjuring Power: Roots & Futures of Queer & Trans Movements. Fifteen tapestries…
Has the oppressor-oppressed binary passed its freshness date?
Is this the beginning of the end for the oppressor-oppressed binary in K-12 education? Now that it’s being recognized as a form of knowledge poisoning, this question is finally gaining some traction. This isn’t about minimizing racialized injustices in our history. But over the last several decades, the oppressor-oppressed framework…
San Francisco’s secret AI
Last July, San Francisco rolled out Copilot to 30,000 city employees as part of the largest AI deployment by any local government in the country. The rollout marks a major shift as city departments adopt AI tools for everything from stroke detection to drone surveillance. Unfortunately, the city’s mandatory AI…
SFMTA board approves $612 million Potrero Yard overhaul with scaled-back housing
San Francisco transportation officials voted to approve a $612 million project to replace the city’s oldest bus yard in the Mission District, which will also…
Democratic County Central Committee shows no surprises in its latest endorsements
Part 1 of a multipart series District 2 Stephen Sherrill Supervisor Sherrill reiterated he is focused on results and exclaimed he will continue to be laser-focused on “delivering needs of [his] constituency every day.” He…
Out and about March 5–11, 2026
Seems like a safe bet we’re all looking forward to the next few days as we slide into the weekend. If you’re in need of some ideas for how to enjoy, read on. Thursday, March…
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“Spring Forward,” by Nomi Kane | @Nomikane
As transit taxes loom, voters should look to Waymos on S.F. streets for an alternative
To close the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s $307 million budget gap, the city’s political establishment is preparing to ask voters to approve two transit tax measures on the November 2026 ballot: a regional sales tax and a local parcel tax targeting property owners. Throwing more taxpayer money at an…
A suspect was sent to pretrial diversion — 36 days later he killed someone
A San Francisco judge granted pretrial diversion to a man arrested with a loaded pistol, ordering a gun safety course and a “reflective essay.” Thirty-six days later, he allegedly murdered someone with a shotgun. Two felony charges became misdemeanors. Misdemeanors became pretrial diversion. The court’s prescription for a man caught…
BART’s doomsday gambit: Pay up or lose your station
I grew up taking BART. As a working-class kid taking BART from my home in Fremont to U.C. Berkeley for my first computer science classes, or to San Francisco to work at my first coding job, I think fondly of it. I want BART not just preserved but expanded. More…
Group working to reform city charter proposes to cut funding for sports, libraries, arts, and music
A proposal to cut funding for sports, libraries, arts, and music in the San Francisco Unified School District is working its way through the city bureaucracy, and it must be stopped in its tracks. When I first read this proposal, I was astonished. Are you kidding me? You want to…
EXCLUSIVE: Voice of San Francisco report on parole agent’s failure to supervise Troy McAlister leads to legal action
In an Dec. 10, 2025 exclusive, The Voice of San Francisco revealed documents showing that the Dec. 31, 2020 crash that killed 60-year-old Elizabeth Platt…
Supes grill Waymo: Safety, congestion, and jobs
Safety, congestion, and jobs. No, it’s not the title of the latest New Order album. Rather, they were the issues at hand at a hearing…
Judge who says family of four killer shouldn’t get jail time set to retire this year
Nearly two years ago, a Mercedes SUV traveling at high speed careened into oncoming traffic near West Portal Muni Station, drove onto the sidewalk, and…
Muni rider satisfaction rating reaches new high
Muni service satisfaction reached a new record among riders surveyed last year, with 78 percent of riders rating the service as either excellent or good,…
Pop-culture potpourri
It may be a bit of a surprise when the most satisfying feature film to premiere in a given week is only available to stream…
Charter reform may spell big impacts for arts funding
Big changes are coming to San Francisco’s City Hall, including alterations to governance and leadership, and a sweeping charter review that could significantly affect the…
The Museum of Craft and Design bridges media and material in ‘Video Craft’
The Museum of Craft and Design (MCD) presents Video Craft, an exhibition exploring the unlikely partnership between the heavily embodied practices of craft and the…
From historic hostel to overcrowded, drug-saturated homeless shelter
Lower Nob Hill was once best known for its classic San Francisco architecture, relatively affordable residential properties, and thriving businesses. Travelers, especially those wanting easy,…
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