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Author Archives: Madison Alvarado

Madison Alvarado is a reporter based in San Francisco who is interested in California's housing crisis, environmental justice and structural inequities. In addition to her reporting on public housing and rent relief at the Public Press, she has covered issues related to the coronavirus pandemic, housing and city government for San Francisco news site Mission Local.
Posted inHealth, Homelessness, Labor

Arrested UC Workers Released, Charged with Disrupting Public Meetings with Labor Protest 

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More than 20 labor leaders and University of California workers were arrested May 15 as they protested at a UC Board of Regents meeting at UC San Francisco’s Mission Bay campus. They were charged with willfully disturbing a meeting. 

Demonstrators, who were protesting working conditions and calling for the university to engage in fair contract negotiations, were released after a few hours, said Liz Perlman, executive director of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees 3299 , which represents 35,000 employees across several UC campuses, medical centers, clinics and research labs. Perlman, who was arrested, said she was given a citation with a follow-up court date.

Posted inAging, Government & Politics, Immigration

Esta cuidadora es una defensora inmigrante con discapacidades. Bajo el mandato de Trump, su futuro es incierto.

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Cuando Elisa se levantó de su silla en la sede de Mujeres Unidas y Activas, un grupo activista de mujeres latinas e indígenas, buscó un bastón para apoyarse. Hace unos años, de camino al trabajo, Elisa se resbaló en unas escaleras y sufrió una fuerte caída. El accidente le dejó lesiones permanentes y agravó las deformidades con las que había nacido en ambos pies. Las secuelas han tenido una grave consecuencia toda su vida. De repente, ya no podía trabajar. Sus ingresos desaparecieron, lo que la obligó a abandonar su hogar.

Posted inAging, Government & Politics, Immigration

This Caregiver Is an Immigrant and Disabled Advocate. Under Trump, Her Future Is Uncertain.

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Elisa is a longtime caregiver for older adults and people with disabilities. Like many caregivers, she was born abroad, and her story is one of many examples of how the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant attacks are on a collision course with a nationwide staffing crisis in the care economy. Programs that support older adults and those with disabilities face cuts, and those populations increasingly rely on people like Elisa — who, as a disabled immigrant worker, is more and more vulnerable to exploitation by employers.

Posted inGovernment & Politics, Health, Politics

Protesters Denounce DOGE, Health Care Cuts, Call Out Local Representatives

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Facing looming threats to healthcare programs, the implementation of anti-immigrant policies, and the outsized role of billionaires in Trump’s administration, protesters gathered at Airbnb’s headquarters in San Francisco with message for state and local elected officials: “Get a f—ing backbone,” said demonstrator Fred Sherburn-Zimmer, organizing and policy director at the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco.

Around 200 people gathered outside of Airbnb’s headquarters in the South of Market neighborhood on March 28 to denounce the dismantling of government programs and call on members of Congress to push back on cuts.

Posted inBay Area, Elections, Politics

Bay Area Protests to Fill Streets as Trump Takes Office

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Bay Area groups are staging protests this weekend to denounce President-elect Donald Trump’s right-wing policies and what organizers identify as rising fascism.

The demonstrations aim to highlight a range of issues, including Trump’s plans to implement mass deportations and other anti-immigrant policies.

Read the story for event times and locations.

Posted inGovernment & Politics, Homelessness

SF Fails to Produce Evidence It Follows Encampment Clearing Policy

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San Francisco cannot prove it follows an aspect of its encampment clearing policy intended to help people retain essential belongings. Despite 588 clearings from January to mid-November, the city lacks evidence of a single signed declaration that staff advised unhoused people to separate essentials from property it was confiscating.

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