In the ethnically and racially diverse Bay Area, local politicians have long been disproportionately white. Research shows that while more people of color have been running for and winning seats, they make up only slightly more than a third of the region’s elected officials. Some city councils are entirely white.
Author Archives: Laura Wenus
I host and report for “Civic,” a San Francisco public affairs radio show and podcast from the Public Press. I've been a multimedia reporter and producer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've reported on housing, health, immigration and homelessness for local news site Mission Local and produced conversations about local, regional and national current affairs for “Your Call,” a live call-in program on KALW-FM public radio.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Coronavirus, Housing
California Eviction Moratorium to Expire; Advocates Urge Renters, Cities to Act
Landlords may proceed with evictions against tenants for unpaid rent beginning Oct. 1 as a statewide moratorium on such evictions expires. Tenant, legal and public health advocates are urging tenants to apply for rent relief money, and want municipalities to approve additional protections, citing loss of housing as a public health concern.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Transportation
Transit Advocates Celebrate Muni, Flaws and All
As public transportation advocates and officials mark Transit Month in San Francisco and encourage riders to return to buses and trains, they are grappling with the reality that Muni needs, and has long needed, additional robust and long-term funding to meet the city’s transit demands.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Community, Immigration, Social Services
Local Veterans Reflect on ‘Moral Obligation’ to Afghans
After the Taliban took over the Afghan government, a massive evacuation effort began, but thousands are still waiting at the airport in Kabul. Tyler Solorio, an Army veteran deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 and a policy analyst for the veterans nonprofit Swords to Plowshares, said the U.S. government has made it dangerously complicated for Afghans to get out.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, California, Community, Immigration, Social Services
Organizers Rush to Help Afghan Refugees in Bay Area
Thousands are fleeing Afghanistan in fear of violent reprisals from the Taliban, which captured the nation in a matter of days after the U.S. began withdrawing its troops. Farhad Yousafzai said refugees are arriving in the Bay Area from Afghanistan in dire need of everything — a place to stay, a shower, health care, a change of clothes for the first time in 10 days.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Back to School, Coronavirus, Education
Educators Excited, Exhausted, as School Resumes in Person
Distance learning and hybrid schedules were taking their toll on students, teachers and parents. Now, nearly everyone is back, though school looks a little different with pandemic precautions like universal indoor masking in place. School social worker Yajaira Cuapio and kindergarten teacher Cathy Sullivan shared their experiences with the return to classrooms.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Labor, Transportation
Soaring Uber, Lyft Prices Send Passengers to Taxis, but Drivers Still Struggle
Marg Gruberg, a San Francisco taxi driver since 1983 and a board member of the San Francisco Taxi Workers Alliance, talked with “Civic” about what this has meant for cab drivers and how he and others have stayed busy with advocacy even if they haven’t been driving in the pandemic.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Community, Environment, Parks & Open Space
Most Litter Hauled from Beaches in 2020 Was Plastic, Foundation Reports
A report on the waste picked up by cleanup crews working along the nation’s beaches and shorelines from the Surfrider Foundation showed almost 90% of the more than 80,000 pounds of trash collected in 2020 was plastic.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Public Safety
New Tsunami Maps Show More Widespread Potential Flooding Than Previous Ones
Rick Wilson, a senior engineering geologist with the California Geological Survey and manager of its tsunami program, joined “Civic” to outline some tsunami basics and explained how and why these maps are made and updated.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Elections
How SF Voters Can Participate in Gubernatorial Recall Election
In an interview with “Civic,” Evangelina Peña, co-manager of the outreach division at the San Francisco Department of Elections, walked voters through the steps, from ensuring they receive a ballot to filling it out to tracking its processing status online.