Proposition B would undo a charter amendment approved by voters in November 2020 to take responsibilities away from the Department of Public Works and form a Sanitation and Streets Department.
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 in“Civic” Podcast, California, Coercive Control, Law & Justice
When Judges Dismiss Claims of Domestic Abuse, Children Can Die
Lawmakers, experts and advocates across California are pushing for legislation that would make judges take regular training in recognizing domestic violence and child abuse. The crusade is an attempt to lessen the chances that a judge will place a child in the custody of a dangerous parent. Family court judges routinely decide that domestic abuse claims are not credible and grant custody to the allegedly abusive parent. But making the wrong call can end with children losing their lives.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Coercive Control, Health, Law & Justice
Coercive Control Victims Face Skeptical Judges, Court Transcripts Show
On average in the U.S., more than 1 in 3 women, and 1 in 4 men, will experience physical violence, rape or stalking by an intimate partner, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Nevertheless, when victims turn to family court for protection from their abusers, they often face skeptical judges. And that’s especially true when the abuse doesn’t leave a mark.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Aging, Health
Laguna Honda Hospital Has to Self-Destruct to Survive
Administrators are overhauling policies and procedures to regain federal funding that is set to expire following the issuance of multiple damning inspection reports at Laguna Honda Hospital. They have until Sept. 13 to implement changes, which include a requirement to transfer or discharge all patients, before they can apply for recertification from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Health
Laguna Honda Doctors Warned SF of Looming Crisis
Nearly 700 live-in patients at Laguna Honda Hospital were thrown into chaos this spring after a series of damning inspections led the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to pull funding and mandate a closure plan for the facility.
It’s a dire situation for residents of the skilled nursing facility who have specialized needs that make them hard to place elsewhere. Hospital administrators are scrambling to attain the recertification needed to continue to receive federal funding.
Two former Laguna Honda physicians say they have continued to warn city officials about this looming crisis after first flagging it 18 years ago. That’s when a Department of Public Health policy began admitting to Laguna Honda patients whose needs fell outside the scope of a typical nursing home for the elderly.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Coronavirus, Health, HIV & AIDS
While SF Fought COVID, HIV Prevention Stalled
Over the past several months, health care providers have been warning San Francisco officials that while the city was focused on fighting COVID-19, rates of HIV infection and related illnesses were creeping in the wrong direction.
From the very beginning, and throughout the HIV epidemic, which began in 1981, San Francisco led the way in prevention, care and treatment that came to be recognized around the world.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Economy & Business, History, Social Justice
Tax Cuts and Eroding Worker Protections Made Wealth Gap More Extreme
When we examine the massive wealth gap between the rich and poor in this country, what stands out most is how differently it affects the country’s white and Black populations.
According to data from the Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances, the typical Black family has $24,000 in wealth. That is less than 13% of the $190,000 in wealth held by the typical white family.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Economy & Business, History, Social Justice
America’s Wealth Gap Is Rooted in Racism. How Did We Get Here?
While the wealth gap continues to expand, much of it is grounded in discriminatory economic practices dating back to the early 20th century that made it difficult for members of racial minorities in the U.S. to accumulate wealth — or to keep what they were able to acquire.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Community
Ukrainians in SF Are Anxious and Angry, and Refugees Need Homes
Members of the Ukrainian diaspora in San Francisco are angry, anxious and desperate to connect with loved ones in their ancestral homeland. Meanwhile, a local aid agency is asking for help as refugees begin arriving in the Bay Area. On a sunny weekend afternoon in mid-March, hundreds gathered at the bandshell in Golden Gate Park music concourse for a show called Slava Ukraini — or Glory to Ukraine. It was a fundraiser for the World Central Kitchen, which is helping to feed Ukrainian refugees.
Posted inCity Hall, Elections, News, Politics, San Francisco February 2022 Election Guide
School Board Members Recalled in Special Election, Assembly Race Heads to Runoff
An overwhelming percentage of San Francisco voters decided to expel three San Francisco Unified School District board commissioners in the city’s first recall vote in nearly 40 years. Preliminary results for the Feb. 15 special election show that more than 70% of voters cast ballots to oust school board President Gabriela López and members Alison Collins and Faauuga Moliga.