Environment

‘Forever Chemicals’ Threaten Community of Bay Fishers

06.05.2025
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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.

A series of gas station pumps stand unused in the foreground of a dark, dusky sky.

Racial Disparities in Toxic Cleanup Times Especially Pronounced in SF, Data Shows

05.06.2025
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Toxic site cleanups take longer in parts of San Francisco where fewer residents are white, a new data analysis from the San Francisco Public Press shows. The analysis also shows that a higher proportion of residents who are Black, Indigenous and other people of color in an area correlates directly with longer cleanup durations.

Across all sites in San Francisco, cleanups took more than four years longer in areas with high proportions of BIPOC residents than in majority white areas. The size, complexity and nature of toxic sites varies and could account for some differences but further analysis shows that these disparities hold when comparing sites of similar complexity and size.

Bay Area

New Environmental Justice Coalition Protests EPA Cuts 

03.26.2025
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About 150 Bay Area residents and advocates for environmental justice gathered on the steps of an Environmental Protection Agency office in downtown San Francisco on Tuesday to protest the Trump administration’s rollbacks of environmental protections. 

The coalition enables member organizations to share ideas and learn from one another, said Sarah Ranney, director of the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Sierra Club. 

“Historically, things have been done through movements just like this,” said Arieann Harrison, the founder and executive director of the Marie Harrison Community Foundation, an  organization advocating for full remediation of the toxic Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.

Environment

Toxic Waste Cleanups Take Longer in Marginalized Communities

03.10.2025
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Toxic site cleanups take longer in marginalized communities, according to a new Public Press analysis of more than 20,000 sites of varying size across the nine-county Bay Area.

In areas that scored high on a national index of socioeconomic vulnerability, the median cleanup took more than 450 days longer than in the least vulnerable areas.

Many factors, including the type of toxin, the nature of the site and the complexity of the cleanup, could affect how long a remediation takes and explain some of the differences. But in a subset of more than 12,000 cleanups of comparable complexity, the disparities were even more pronounced.

Experts warn that prolonged exposure to contamination as a result of slow cleanups can increase the risk of illness for nearby residents.

Elections
An employee at a local business in San Francisco gives change during a transaction.

Proposition M — Overhaul SF Business Tax System

10.07.2024
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See our November 2024 SF Voter Guide for a nonpartisan analysis of measures on the San Francisco ballot, for the election occurring Nov. 5, 2024. The following measure is on that ballot. Proposition M would fundamentally change how the city taxes businesses, in order to better align with post-pandemic work norms and strengthen the government’s long-term financial footing. 

The measure would exempt more small businesses from taxes and fees, while reducing taxes on some of the city’s largest companies. 

Listen to a summary of what this ballot measure would do. What it would do

Proposition M would shift how San Francisco calculates its gross receipts tax paid by businesses.

Elections
Passengers disembark a Waymo vehicle.

Proposition L — Tax Ride-Hailing and Autonomous Vehicle Companies to Fund Public Transit

10.07.2024
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See our November 2024 SF Voter Guide for a nonpartisan analysis of measures on the San Francisco ballot, for the election occurring Nov. 5, 2024. The following measure is on that ballot. Proposition L would tax ride-hail companies, including those that operate self-driving cars, and devote the tax revenue to improving San Francisco’s public transit. Listen to a summary of what this ballot measure would do.