The city says new safeguards will prevent misuse of license-plate data. But some laws have been on the books for a decade and failed to prevent hundreds of questionable searches.
Author Archives: Sylvie Sturm
Sylvie Sturm is an award-winning journalist with 25 years of experience in print, primarily writing and editing for community newspapers in Canada. Since relocating to the Bay Area in 2014, she has focused on audio journalism and currently contributes to the “Civic” podcast from the San Francisco Public Press. She also mentors science writers at University of California, San Francisco in print and podcasting, and has taught media at San Francisco State University.
Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Government & Politics
Proposition B Would Lay Groundwork for a San Francisco Public Bank
Under Proposition B, voters will decide in November whether to authorize a city-owned financial institution that could eventually become a public bank, potentially giving the city a new way to finance affordable housing, small businesses and environmental projects.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Health, Social Services
Lifeline for Youth in Crisis Faces Uncertain Future
San Francisco’s Department of Public Health plans to close the medical clinics in specialized youth centers, and shift patients and staff to larger primary care sites as it responds to deep cuts to federal and state Medi-Cal funding.
Posted inCity Hall, Government & Politics, News, Open Government
Vacant Sunshine Task Force Leaves Lurie Transparency Case in Limbo
Delayed reappointments leave city’s transparency watchdog unable to act on directive to determine whether mayor’s office willfully withheld Trump call records.
Posted inNews
After Months of Budget Protests, Advocates Learned Clinic Closures Were Never Up for Debate
Patients, clinicians and union members spent months urging the mayor and Board of Supervisors to restore funding, only to discover clinic consolidations were a Department of Public Health operational decision.
Posted inHealth, Law & Justice
Anti-Abortion Activist Avoids Second Jury Trial
The court might dismiss a case against Anastasia Rogers stemming from a social media image depicting a reproductive healthcare volunteer beneath the words “unalive them,” if she meets diversion agreement conditions.
Posted inCity Hall, Community, Economy & Business, Elections, Government & Politics, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Immigration, Neighborhoods, Public Safety, Social Justice, Social Services, Transportation
San Franciscans Speak Out on the Top Issues Facing Their Neighborhoods
In this street interview series taken during the “No Kings” protest in March, people across the city spoke candidly about what matters most where they live, and what they want local leaders to pay attention to.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Health, Law & Justice, Public Safety
Trauma Inside San Francisco’s Women’s Jail
Women held in San Francisco’s county jail said they were forced to strip naked while deputies filmed them and male officers watched and laughed — allegations that have triggered lawsuits, multiple investigations and renewed scrutiny of how the jail system treats women with histories of trauma, mental illness and abuse.
Posted inHealth, Law & Justice
SF Anti-Abortion Activist Faces Jury Trial Over ‘Unalive Them’ Video
A San Francisco anti-abortion activist is scheduled to go to trial next week in a case testing where protest ends and intimidation begins outside clinics.
Posted inCity Hall, Economy & Business, Elections
San Francisco’s ‘Overpaid CEO Tax’ Heads to Voters
As California heads toward a fight over a proposed state tax on billionaires, San Francisco has become an early battleground, with voters weighing whether to increase taxes on corporations with wide gaps between executive and worker pay.