Last year’s Proposition 22 allowed companies that dispatch app-based workers to continue considering them independent contractors, while adding some limited worker benefits. Veena Dubal, a professor of law at UC Hastings who conducts ethnographic and legal research on the gig economy, relays workers’ experiences and examines how it might lay the groundwork for other industries to shift toward gig work on “Civic.”
Category: “Civic” Podcast
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Coronavirus, Immigration
SF Fund for Undocumented Immigrants Has Disbursed Millions, but Thousands of Applicants Wait
Nearly a year into the pandemic, Undocufund has raised $3.7 million, and distributed $3.3 million, and since many recipients are families, those grants have benefitted more than 10,000 people, fund organizers estimated. But thousands of applications remain to be processed.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Coronavirus, Health, Vaccine Distribution
Mission Vaccination Site Opens to Serve ‘Those Closest to the Pain’
Neighborhood vaccination sites are part of an effort to bring resources to those who have been most affected by the pandemic. The Mission District, and the city’s Latino population, have seen disproportionate infection rates and deaths from the virus. Latino Task Force Health Committee Chair Jon Jacobo spoke with “Civic” about the launch.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Health, Homelessness, Vaccine Distribution
SF Nonprofit Reports Mixed Messages About Frontline Worker Vaccine Eligibility
Staff members at the nonprofit service provider Hospitality House have been on the job, in facilities like drop-in centers and working with the public in person, throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Executive Director Joe Wilson told “Civic” he encountered mixed and changing messages when he and his staff tried to determine which of them should get vaccinated, when and how.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Coronavirus, Economy & Business, Labor
As California Grapples With Unemployment Fraud, Jobless Claimants Struggle
CalMatters, a nonprofit newsroom, has been reporting that the unemployment department is grappling with fraud — and unemployed people are ending up locked out of their benefits. Lauren Hepler, the economy reporter at CalMatters, and Emily Hoeven, who writes CalMatters’ daily “What Matters” newsletter, joined “Civic” to explain how the situation has unfolded.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Arts & Culture, Government & Politics, Social Justice
SF Poet Laureate Tongo Eisen-Martin on Poetry as Revolution
San Francisco’s new poet laureate, Tongo Eisen-Martin, is a city native raised by local organizers, and his work is deeply political. On “Civic,” Eisen-Martin reflected on national politics in the wake of the summer uprisings against police brutality and racism, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and the presidential inauguration.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Media
Undeterred by Layoff, Journalist Launches Bilingual Newspaper
Portia Li had been covering San Francisco’s Chinese community for the World Journal, a large Chinese-language newspaper, since 1986. She was laid off in April. Li told “Civic” that readers who missed her byline encouraged her to start her own newspaper.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Coronavirus, Data Privacy
Exploring Privacy of Coronavirus Exposure Notification System
Millions of Californians have gotten a push notification on their phones asking them to opt in to CA Notify to get warnings from their phones if they have been in close proximity to someone who later tested positive for the coronavirus. Gennie Gebhart, the activism director with the digital civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation, explained to “Civic” how the system works and what information is exchanged.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Arts & Culture, Health, Parks & Open Space
Documentary on Importance of Play Features SF Skater, Dancer
A new documentary, “Playing for Keeps,” posits that humans benefit greatly from playing and suffer when we are deprived of play. Isabella Miller, who prior to the coronavirus pandemic would regularly go swing dancing, and David Miles Jr., the proprietor of San Francisco’s Church of 8 Wheels, are featured in the film and joined “Civic” to reflect on how they play and how that has shaped their lives.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Government & Politics, Health, Vaccine Distribution
SF Opens Mass Vaccination Site After Confusing Rollout
San Francisco health officials have set an ambitious goal of vaccinating all 900,000 people who live and work in the city by the end of June, and took a step toward that goal Friday by opening a mass vaccination center at City College of San Francisco. The site was announced this week, amid confusion and frustration with the city’s notification system and vaccine rollout.