A new documentary, “Homeroom,” shows how Oakland High School’s Class of 2020 faced a year of pandemic uncertainty with resilience and perseverance, amplifying calls to end policing in schools even as those schools shut down and their personal milestones were relegated to virtual spaces.
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, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Housing, Social Services
How SF Will Allocate $1 Billion in Homelessness Funding
Emily Cohen, interim director for strategy and external affairs at the department, talked with “Civic” about where these investments are being focused — more than half of the funds are earmarked for housing — and why. A count of people visibly unsheltered on the street that takes place on one night every two years tallied about 8,000 people in 2019. Cohen said city programs have helped some 25,000 people exit homelessness since 2005.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Economy & Business, Government & Politics
Group of Experts Devising Business Plan for SF Public Bank
A group of experts in relevant fields, from finance to affordable housing, has been selected to start to devise a business plan for a public bank. Fernando Martí, co-director of the Council of Community Housing Organizations, and Sylvia Chi, principal co-author of AB 857, California’s Public Banking Act and a member of the California Public Banking Alliance, talked with “Civic” about how a public bank would work.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Government & Politics, Housing, Social Justice
In Remembering Traumatic Eviction, Community Seeks Inspiration
The International Hotel on the corner of Jackson and Kearny in San Francisco is the second of its name. The original was a residential hotel, with small rooms affordable to low-income workers. On Aug. 4, 1977, more than 100 residents were evicted all at once, despite thousands of protesters outside.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Coronavirus, Health, Law & Justice
Vaccine Mandates Likely to Pass Legal Muster, Law Professor Says
There have already been attempts to challenge vaccine mandates around the nation in court. Dorit Reiss, a law professor at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law who researches legal considerations around vaccines and vaccine mandates, talked with “Civic” about what employers and governments must weigh when it comes to requiring immunization.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Community, Law & Justice, Social Justice
Peer-Run Center Empowers Young People Affected by Poverty, Violence, Incarceration
In the streets, in jails and other detention facilities and at its program sites around the Bay Area, the Young Women’s Freedom Center provides resources and support to girls, women and transgender and gender non-conforming people. It also provides training, internships, fellowships and jobs that pay to help people affected by poverty, exploitation and violence develop their voices.
Posted inNews
Facing 60% Unemployment, Restaurant Workers Struggled During Pandemic
Unemployment in the restaurant industry shot up to more than 40% nationwide in April 2020, and to 60% in the Bay Area according to the State of Restaurant Workers report from the advocacy group Restaurant Opportunities Centers United.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Homelessness, Housing
Advocates Sue Mountain View, Calling its RV Parking Ban ‘Inhumane’
A group of civil rights organizations filed suit against the city of Mountain View over an ordinance that restricts oversize vehicle parking on most city streets, describing it as unconstitutional and inhumane.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Coronavirus, Health, Homelessness
Outreach Effort Brings Vaccines Directly to Tenderloin Streets
During the pandemic, Code Tenderloin has distributed everything from water to masks to food. With the arrival of the vaccine, they have collaborated with health care providers from the University of California, San Francisco and the nonprofit service provider Glide to try to overcome barriers to vaccination by walking the streets, offering immunizations on the spot.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Health
UPDATED: How SF Is Handling Masking as Delta Variant Circulates
The highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has arrived in the Bay Area. Case numbers are surging in parts of the country with low vaccination rates, and, while San Francisco’s case numbers are slightly on the rise, most residents are vaccinated. Dr. Susan Philip, San Francisco’s Health Officer, talked with “Civic” about the details of the current mask rules, the delta variant and the importance of vaccines.