Author Archives: Public Press staff

By Laura Wenus, Mission Local Residents of the so-called Pigeon Palace, who have been resisting its sale for fear of a massive rent increase or eviction and out of respect for what they say are the wishes of its owner, scored a huge victory this week when the Community Land Trust won the $3.28 million […]

By Viji Sundaram, New America Media Calling it one of the “best” budgets the state has ever had, California Gov. Jerry Brown said the $167.6 billion  budget the Legislature passed Tuesday would pump more money into child care and education, pay down the state’s debt by $1.9 billion and provide health care for its undocumented […]

By Laura Wenus, Mission Local Tooth decay paints a bleak picture of the Mission’s growing inequality. Even as incomes rise, the kindergartners at Mission Education Center claim the dubious distinction of having the worst teeth in the city – some 75 percent have had tooth decay, according to Department of Public Health statistics. In the […]

By Joe Rivano Barros, Mission Local San Francisco has no money for trees, according to the Department of Public Works. Property owners want that remedied and so does the department, but until that happens, Public Works will continue to transfer 24,000 city trees to make property owners liable for their care and any ensuing accidents. […]

By Bryan Goebel, KQED News Fix San Francisco city officials plan to put a measure on the November ballot asking voters to back a preservation fund supporting longtime small businesses and nonprofits facing rising commercial rents and gentrification. “They have a very important part in the character of these neighborhoods, and unless the city makes […]

By Guy Marzorati, KQED News Fix A majority of San Francisco supervisors voted to postpone action on two competing measures aimed at strengthening short-term rental regulation in the city — but an unhappy minority forced some debate before the continuance passed. “A vote for a continuance is a vote for Airbnb,” Supervisor John Avalos said […]

By Joan Hamilton, Bay Nature Writer, photographer and podcaster Joan Hamilton has been covering the recovery of Mount Diablo from the 2013 Morgan Fire with monthly dispatches from the mountain. This is her final entry before she wraps up the coverage in the October-December 2015 issue of Bay Nature.  Read the complete story at Bay […]

By Lisa Aliferis, KQED News Fix You may remember that San Francisco voters rejected a soda tax last fall. The tax failed to get the two-thirds majority vote it needed but did get a solid majority — 56 percent. Three San Francisco supervisors are taking that voter sentiment and moving ahead with proposed ordinances that […]

By John Myers, KQED News Fix/Faultlines In the post-recession era of California budgets, there is a wide consensus that the state needs to “live within its means,” a jab at the spending that paved the way for almost a decade of deficits. But it is also a talking point that seems almost obsolete, given how […]

By Sandy Close, New America Media This is one of an occasional series of New America Media interviews with UC President Janet Napolitano. New America Media: More students of color are graduating from California high schools than ever before who want to go to college. That’s good news. Is UC able to accommodate the demand? Janet […]