Phil Ting – District 19 State Assembly Member Candidate Response

The Public Press invited candidates to share audio responses to questions that we formed using survey responses from the San Francisco community. Candidates for District 19 State Assembly were given the following question:We asked San Francisco residents to tell us about the most pressing issues in their districts. According to survey responses we received, homelessness and housing affordability are the top concerns citywide. If you are elected to the State Assembly, what do you plan to do about these issues?

Joe Alioto Veronese – District Attorney Candidate Response

The Public Press invited candidates to share audio responses to questions that we formed based on survey responses from the San Francisco community. Candidates for District Attorney were given the following question:

We asked San Francisco residents to tell us about the most pressing issues in their districts. According to survey responses we received, crime is a top concern. What are your priorities when it comes to addressing crime? Where would you focus your efforts in combating crime?

Brooke Jenkins – District Attorney Candidate Response

The Public Press invited candidates to share audio responses to questions that we formed based on survey responses from the San Francisco community. Candidates for District Attorney were given the following question:

We asked San Francisco residents to tell us about the most pressing issues in their districts. According to survey responses we received, crime is a top concern. What are your priorities when it comes to addressing crime? Where would you focus your efforts in combating crime?

Lesley Hu with her son Pierce O’Loughlin. Pierce’s father murdered the nine-year-old in January 2021 after a San Francisco family court judge rejected his mother’s appeal for sole custody.

When Judges Dismiss Claims of Domestic Abuse, Children Can Die

Lawmakers, experts and advocates across California are pushing for legislation that would make judges take regular training in recognizing domestic violence and child abuse. The crusade is an attempt to lessen the chances that a judge will place a child in the custody of a dangerous parent. Family court judges routinely decide that domestic abuse claims are not credible and grant custody to the allegedly abusive parent. But making the wrong call can end with children losing their lives.

A view looking up toward both low and high-rise resdential buildings in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood.

Would Tax on Vacant Homes Be Enough to Push Owners to Lease Empty SF Units?

Designed to combat San Francisco’s long-standing housing shortage, an empty homes tax on the November ballot, Proposition M, would apply to multi-unit residential buildings with prolonged vacancies. Voters will decide the fate of the measure that has garnered support and criticism for its exemptions and low tax amount.   

While revenue from the empty homes tax would go toward rent subsidies and affordable housing, its architect, Supervisor Dean Preston, stressed that its primary purpose is returning vacant units to the market. 

State Sen. Susan Rubio, who introduced a senate bill to expand the California Family Code to include coercive control in family court hearings and criminal trials, speaks about the need to keep children of domestic violence survivors safe in front of Los Angeles City Hall on June 27, 2022.

Coercive Control Victims Face Skeptical Judges, Court Transcripts Show

On average in the U.S., more than 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 4 men, will experience physical violence, rape or stalking by an intimate partner, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Nevertheless, when victims turn to family court for protection from their abusers, they often face skeptical judges. And that’s especially true when the abuse doesn’t leave a mark.