A woman in a red coat at a podium speaks into a microphone with several people standing around her.

Public Defender Alleges Local-Federal Law Enforcement Partnership Defies SF Sanctuary Laws

San Francisco’s top prosecutor, police chief and public defender gathered on the steps outside City Hall’s main entrance in a rare display of unity as they committed to uphold sanctuary laws that protect undocumented immigrants from the Trump administration’s threatened mass deportation. But the agencies diverge on whom to shield from federal action.

Throngs of people carrying signs and flags walk down an urban street behind four people holding a large blue banner reading "Somos La Resistencia" in Spanish in large pink letters, with a smaller English translation reading "We are the resistance."

Immigrant Advocates Trying to Dispel Rumors of ICE Operation in SF

Rumors of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement  detention operation alarmed residents of San Francisco’s Mission District earlier this month following a threat by Donald Trump before his inauguration to launch mass deportations of undocumented residents.

However, these murmurs about local ICE raids are baseless, said Milli Atkinson, director of the Immigrant Legal Defense Program of the San Francisco Bar Association.

“It was one individual that was arrested by ICE,” Atkinson said. “They had his name and information. We responded, and they met with an attorney, and they’re going to be represented. It wasn’t a raid or mass arrest.”

A woman wearing a dark top and white pants stands next to a table displayng informational pages at a community festival.

San Francisco Tries to Mitigate Harm of Out-of-State Abortion Bans

Anti-abortion groups have initiated increasingly aggressive activities in San Francisco since the fall of Roe v. Wade, with some ignoring protective zones around clinics and even threatening violence.

In response, community groups, nonprofits and local government have stepped up efforts to ensure access to abortions and reproductive health support in San Francisco — both for people who live in the city and for those who travel here seeking help.

Two oxycodone medicine bottles, with one on its side with pills spilling out

SF Criticized for Lack of Community Input on Opioid Settlement Funds Use

A coalition of addiction experts and treatment advocates is commending the San Francisco Department of Public Health for committing some of the $352 million opioid lawsuit settlement funds the city expects to receive over the next 18 years to expanding methadone treatment and addressing racial disparity in fatal overdoses.

“These efforts are instrumental in reaching underserved individuals,” the San Francisco Treatment on Demand Coalition wrote in a November letter to the department.

But the coalition criticized the department over its lack of transparency and community input.

Los Residentes Latinx de SF Lucharon con la Salud Mental Durante el COVID. Ahora Hay una Aplicación Para Eso

Este artículo está adaptado de un episodio de nuestro pódcast, “Civic.” Haz clic en el reproductor de audio a continuación para escuchar la historia completa. Read this story in English. Durante el punto álgido de la pandemia de COVID-19, los residentes Latinx de San Francisco experimentaron tasas más altas de infección y muertes, así como mayores pérdidas de ingresos y vivienda en comparación con otros grupos étnicos. “Perdimos nuestros trabajos. Mucha gente perdió a sus familias, amigos,” dijo Connie Rivera, quien tiene y opera junto a su esposo dos tiendas en el Distrito de la Misión.

A political demonstrator holds up a sign that reads, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. -God”

As Anti-Abortion Protests Ramp Up, SF Lawmaker Moves to Protect Clinics

Demonstrations against Planned Parenthood’s San Franciso facility have escalated and at times been threatening, sources say.

Supervisor Catherine Stefani said she would propose new regulations Tuesday to increase safety at reproductive care clinics, including by extending the buffer zone between the properties and protesters’ amplified sound.

A man wearing dark clothing stands behind a table with syringes and trays of other medical supplies. The words "THIS SITE SAVES LIVES" above "ESTE SITIO SALVA VIDAS" are painted in blue in large letters high on the wall behind him.

Overdose Prevention Centers — Nonstarter in SF, Despite Success in NYC

San Francisco officials appear to have abandoned efforts to open facilities where people can consume drugs under supervision — even as more cities adopt the model to prevent deadly overdoses.

Recent studies show that overdose prevention centers save lives, keep people from consuming drugs in public and do not lead to increased crime.

Women's March, 2017, in San Francisco.

Proposition O — Protect Access to Reproductive Care

See our November 2024 SF Voter Guide for a nonpartisan analysis of measures on the San Francisco ballot, for the election occurring Nov. 5, 2024. The following measure is on that ballot. Proposition O would strengthen access to abortion and reproductive care in San Francisco and protect the privacy of patients and health care providers. Listen to a summary of what this ballot measure would do.