Category: City Hall
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, City Hall, Homelessness, Law & Justice, Public Safety, Social Services

Visible Progress or Political Theater? Factions Disagree on How to Clean Up Street Conditions

Avatar photo by Sylvie Sturm

In February, the San Francisco Police Department converted a Sixth Street parking lot in South of Market to what it called a triage center — a fenced-off area where police could connect people to social services or put them in a van bound for jail.

According to a city staff report, in the first month of the triage center’s operation, police made 350 arrests, three-quarters of them drug related. Triage personnel connected 275 people to shelter and 408 people to health care.

Advocates for people struggling with homelessness or substance use disorder say the city’s approach is unnecessarily punitive, but some business owners and community members say they approve of what the mayor and Police Department are doing.

Posted inCity Hall, Government & Politics, Neighborhoods

Complaint Alleges Ethics Violations by Campaign to Recall Engardio

Avatar photo by Zhe Wu

A complaint filed with the San Francisco Ethics Commission accuses the group campaigning to recall District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio of failing to properly report its spending and disclose funding sources of campaign materials. The commission has not yet indicated whether it is taking any action on the complaint, according to the attorney representing the filer. 

Under local ordinance, the Ethics Commission may not publicly disclose whether it has received a complaint or is conducting an investigation, though filers are notified if their complaint is dropped or sustained. Campaign finance experts said that without further investigation, it’s unclear whether the alleged reporting failures constitute violations.

Posted inCity Hall, Government & Politics

Democratic Club Splits From Engardio Over Great Highway

Avatar photo by Zhe Wu

The Chinese American Democratic Club, one of the city’s oldest political associations for Chinese Americans and a vocal opponent of closing the Upper Great Highway to cars, voted on Thursday to withdraw support of Supervisor Joel Engardio.

The supervisor faces a recall attempt brought by constituents angry over his co-sponsoring last fall’s successful ballot measure to close the highway, which runs along the Pacific shoreline in his district. 

Posted inBay Area, City Hall, Homelessness

Advocates Fear Fremont’s New Homelessness Ordinance Will Force Domestic Violence Victims to Stay With Abusers

by Viji Sundaram

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.

Posted inCity Hall, Government & Politics, Health

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

Avatar photo by Sylvie Sturm

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.

Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Health, San Francisco November 2024 Voter Guide

Proposition O — Protect Access to Reproductive Care

Avatar photo by Sylvie Sturm

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 […]

Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Government & Politics, San Francisco November 2024 Voter Guide

Proposition M — Overhaul SF Business Tax System

Avatar photo by Audrey Mei Yi Brown

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 M would fundamentally change how the city taxes businesses, in order to better align with post-pandemic work norms and strengthen the government’s long-term financial footing.  […]

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