Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through San Francisco Saturday from Dolores Park to Civic Center Plaza for a No Kings protest organized to oppose the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement actions and crackdowns on protesters under the guise of restoring law and order.
Yearly Archives: 2025
Posted inCommunity, Health, Hepatitis B: A ‘Silent Killer’, Social Services
Researchers Seek Hepatitis B Cure as Trump Slashes Health Agency Funding
The Trump administration’s efforts to slash medical research funding threaten progress toward a cure for hepatitis B. Its proposed budget calls for $1.8 billion in cuts to the National Institutes of Health and the elimination of all federal funding for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, along with additional cuts to the Food and Drug Administration, which has final say on approving new drugs and treatments. The cuts are just the latest in a series of hurdles that researchers and clinicians face in managing hepatitis B infections in the United States.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Health, Homelessness
SF Has a Chance to Reinvent Its Mental Health Care System
Over the next year, San Francisco must examine and potentially redesign its system of behavioral health care, with input from the public. Some experts see this as an opportunity to improve services.
Posted inCommunity, Government & Politics, Immigration, Law & Justice, Social Justice
Protests Against ICE Continue for 2nd Day in San Francisco
In response to weekend demonstrations in Los Angeles following raids throughout L.A. County by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and President Trump ordering the deployment of 2,000 California National Guard troops against protesters there, Bay Area residents came together for a second day of protests largely focused on marching around San Francisco’s Mission District.
Posted inBay Area, Data Privacy, Economy & Business, Law & Justice
Patelco Credit Union Settles Class Action Cyberhack Suit for $7.25M
Nearly a year after a ransomware attack paralyzed Patelco Credit Union, a class action against the nonprofit financial cooperative has been settled for $7.25 million. More than 1 million accounts were affected by the breach.
Settlement terms include creating a $7.25 million fund to be shared by victims affected by the ransomware attack and system shutdown of Patelco that lasted for more than two weeks last summer.
Posted inCommunity, Health, Hepatitis B: A ‘Silent Killer’, Social Services
Stigma, Insufficient Screening Keep Hepatitis B in the Shadows
Commonly known as a “silent killer” because it can have few symptoms, chronic hepatitis B can lead to liver damage or cancer, is not well studied and as a research area remains underfunded. Many living with it face significant social stigma, which discourages getting tested and leaves patients isolated and unwilling to open up about their experiences.
The silence hits immigrant communities the hardest, a phenomenon advocates have spent decades trying to fix. Asian Americans are disproportionately affected by hepatitis B, especially by chronic infections. Years of community work have led to better outreach, and new efforts like universal screening are starting to build momentum.
Posted inCommunity, Environment, Health
‘Forever Chemicals’ Threaten Community of Bay Fishers
It’s long been risky to eat fish from San Francisco Bay because pollutants like mercury build up in their bodies, and new research shows they are also contaminated with harmful “forever chemicals,” including one never before detected in marine fish. High levels of these chemicals are found in 10 species of fish frequently caught in San Francisco Bay, according to a study that the San Francisco Estuary Institute published in May. The newly detected contamination threatens anglers’ health and what many of them consider a way of life.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are colloquially called “forever chemicals” because they are notoriously difficult to eliminate or break down. PFAS can cause cancers, thyroid and hormone disruption, and developmental delays, and can weaken the immune system, said study author Rebecca Sutton.
Posted inHealth, Hepatitis B: A ‘Silent Killer’, Immigration, Social Services
Poorly Tracked Virus Is a ‘Silent Killer’ Affecting Asian Americans Most
Hepatitis B is widely misunderstood, a problem worsened by insufficient screening and detection. Chronic hepatitis B isn’t as consistently detected as are acute cases, allowing the disease to frequently progress unchecked and do more damage. According to the World Health Organization, only 13% of those living with the virus know they have it, leaving many, especially in immigrant and marginalized communities, undiagnosed and without access to timely treatment.
Posted inCommunity, Elections, Politics
Suspicion of Tech, Big Money Grows Among Some Asian American Organizers
Some local groups broke with Supervisor Joel Engardio after he supported Proposition K, which set in motion the closure of a portion of the Great Highway to cars.
Other Asian American leaders who share these views suspect they are not being taken seriously by the city’s moderate coalition — political groups and influential individuals who, like them, generally support tough-on-crime policies and who backed the recall of three school board members in 2022.
These Asian American community leaders feel they cannot expect political or financial backing from local heavyweights on the issues that they care most passionately about. Their constituents’ views and priorities have diverged sharply from other moderates on the Great Highway closure, and this has cost them power.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Health, Homelessness
Homelessness Challenges Persist in SF Despite City Following Newsom Policy Lead
Gov. Newsom says repeatedly that the state is “flooding the zone” with mental health, substance use and homelessness resources. Amid a slew of press conferences and announcements last week on the release of new mental health funding and a push to make homeless encampments illegal statewide, Newsom repeatedly called on local governments to take charge. San Francisco is engaging in many of the initiatives Newsom cited, but still faces considerable challenges in addressing homelessness, behavioral health issues and substance abuse.