Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through San Francisco Saturday from Dolores Park to Civic Center Plaza for a No Kings protest organized to oppose the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement actions and crackdowns on protesters under the guise of restoring law and order.
Bay Area
Advocates Fear Fremont’s New Homelessness Ordinance Will Force Domestic Violence Victims to Stay With Abusers
With Fremont passing an ordinance that many say is one of the nation’s most stringent on homelessness, advocates for domestic violence survivors say the tough law criminalizes vulnerable community members — and advocates are concerned that they themselves could be punished for helping to those living in cars or encampments.
Bay Area
How Trump’s Attack on Environmental Programs Is Already Affecting Local Conservation Work
Since President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, one thing is clear: The raft of memos, executive orders and other Trump administration actions have left environmental work in the Bay Area and beyond in “confusion and chaos,” says Redgie Collins, the legal and policy director for California Trout.
Bay Area
Bay Area Protests to Fill Streets as Trump Takes Office
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.
Environment
Bay Area Group Reveals Worst Toxic Sites, Refocusing Environmental Activism
Environmental activists have designed a new tool to better understand toxic threats facing Bay Area residents.
The tool, which analyzes mountains of government data and records, is already revealing pollution that was previously hidden, organizers say. With this new knowledge, they are redirecting their focus to ameliorating the greatest dangers.
Environment
Bay Area Ferry Electrification Will Also Be Jobs Program for Local Latinos
On a recent morning on San Francisco’s Pier 9, New Zealand’s prime minister and other officials finalized plans to electrify Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry’s fleet.
The project, part of a statewide push to satisfy green-energy mandates, will create jobs for Latino San Rafael residents who might otherwise struggle to break into the green-energy field.
Bay Area
In the Name of Eelgrass
We bring you this story from Bay Nature, a newsroom covering the environment:
In the Richardson Bay, between Sausalito and Tiburon, anchors from the people who live on their boats are threatening vital eelgrass habitat. Even though an alternative anchor technology could prevent the damage, authorities are telling the residents to leave, potentially putting some at risk of homelessness.
Bay Area
As Bay Area Cities Adopt Real-Time AI Translation for Public Meetings, SF Abstains
Cities in Northern California are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence-powered translation tools in an effort to make public meetings more accessible to residents who are not proficient in English. The technology could address obstacles to access in San Francisco, where people can struggle to obtain city-provided interpreters.
Should San Francisco consider following San Jose, Modesto and others in adopting AI translation? City officials say no, and some community groups are wary but open to the possibility.
Bay Area
More Bay Area High Schools to Offer AP African American Studies This Fall
When enrolling for classes for the upcoming school year, some Bay Area students will find a new, unique course option that promises a deep dive into the history and contributions of African Americans across the globe.
A half dozen high schools will offer Advanced Placement African American Studies in 2024-2025. This is the first year the course will be available to all U.S. schools following a two-year pilot program.
Bay Area
State Animal Shelters, Rescue Groups Battling Overflow Crisis
It’s becoming commonplace in open-intake shelters and rescue facilities across the Bay Area: The number of unadopted pets is growing; animal caretakers and staff are stretched thin; and efforts by local municipalities to provide care and comfort to every animal surrendered is becoming increasingly difficult.
California animal shelters and rescue organizations – even those across the country – are experiencing an overflow crisis. The number of stray dogs taken into shelters rose 6% from 2022 statistics and 22% from 2021, according to Shelter Animals Count.
Bay Area
California Program Trains Undocumented Residents to Become Therapists and Serve Those in the Shadows
The future is uncertain for California Proposition 1, which looks like it might pass by a razor-thin margin and would expand the state’s mental health and substance abuse treatment infrastructure. As votes are still being tallied, we bring you this story from news outlet MindSite News about a San Francisco organization that is filling a glaring void in the health care system.