An orange traffic cone marks the edge of a flooded roadway, which fills most of the frame. There is a fence on the right hand side and leafy trees and a low grassy hill in the background.

Intense Weather Stress-Tested SF’s Emergency Response

This article is adapted from an episode of our podcast “Civic.” Click the audio player below to hear the full story. 

Rains this winter and early spring ended the drought in the Bay Area and brought a kind of weather whiplash that put San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management to the test.  » Read more

The image on the left shows a two-story Victorian building. The top floor has bay windows and is painted beige. The ground floor is painted red and displays commercial signage for Lee's Liquor Store. The photo on the right shows the sidewalk along a nondescript one-story building with gray walls and flat windows.

Without Dropping Cash Reparations Idea, SF Investigates New Housing Reforms

Ideas for reparations in San Francisco go far beyond a proposed $5 million payment to each qualifying Black resident — the option that captured national media attention and inspired a handwringing frenzy. The Board of Supervisors will review and discuss dozens of policy recommendations when it meets March 14 to weigh in on the city’s draft reparations plan. » Read more

In this split image, the left side shows a black and white photo of Victorian Era buildings with neon signs installed in the mid-20th century advertising a jazz club, restaurant and other businesses. On the right side is a color photo showing a modern beige bank building with a flat facade and a blue awning.

Housing Program to Redress Urban Renewal Could Get Boost From SF Reparations Plan

Majeid Crawford’s great uncle “Cowboy” was a jazz musician who played on Fillmore Street during its heyday in the 1940s and ’50s, prompting Crawford’s father, Leslie, a saxophone player, to follow in his uncle’s footsteps. But when Leslie Crawford returned to the Fillmore after serving in the army, the “Harlem of the West” and its many jazz clubs had been razed under urban renewal, a controversial initiative to reshape core neighborhoods that San Francisco’s Planning Department later acknowledged was part of a plan to reduce the city’s Black population. » Read more

A black-and-white profile photo of a man facing left in front of leafy trees.

Research on Climate Change and Health Reveals Risks for Older Adults: A Q&A With Dr. Andrew Chang

The series of deadly storms that inundated California in recent weeks, causing widespread flooding and displacing elderly residents in various counties across the state, have underscored the need to protect older adults. The number of Californians over 60 is expected to climb by 166% between 2010 and 2060, according to data from the California Department of Aging. » Read more