Community

Suspicion of Tech, Big Money Grows Among Some Asian American Organizers

05.29.2025
|
By

Some local groups broke with Supervisor Joel Engardio after he supported Proposition K, which set in motion the closure of a portion of the Great Highway to cars.

Other Asian American leaders who share these views suspect they are not being taken seriously by the city’s moderate coalition — political groups and influential individuals who, like them, generally support tough-on-crime policies and who backed the recall of three school board members in 2022.

These Asian American community leaders feel they cannot expect political or financial backing from local heavyweights on the issues that they care most passionately about. Their constituents’ views and priorities have diverged sharply from other moderates on the Great Highway closure, and this has cost them power.

Community

More Tenderloin Tenants Face Eviction Amid Rent Strike

03.18.2025
|
By

Tenants at 781 O’Farrell St. who have been on a rent strike for more than a year face eviction by Veritas Investments, the owner of their building and once the city’s largest residential landlord.

The four tenants have vowed not to settle unless Veritas fulfills their collective demands for quality-of-life improvements in the building. 

Veritas acknowledged but did not respond to a request for comment. 

“Civic” Podcast
Two young women facing forward wear bright colored headdresses of artificial flowers and white blouses with red and burgundy embroidery. They are standing in a park and one carries a yellow and bright blue flag.

Revisiting Conversations With Shaken Ukrainian Diaspora in SF

02.28.2025
|
By

This week marks three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the conflict shows no signs of ending. On the eve of this grim anniversary, Russia launched its largest drone attack yet, causing widespread destruction and civilian casualties. Days later, the U.S. voted against a U.N. resolution calling for Russia’s withdrawal. In this episode of “Civic,” we revisit conversations first aired on April 7, 2022 — just six weeks after the invasion began — as San Francisco residents with deep ties to Ukraine were fearing for loved ones and desperately trying to help by sending vital medical supplies and welcoming refugees into the Bay Area.

Government & Politics
A blue Tesla drives past a crowd of protesters carrying signs in front of a light gray building with large plate glass windows and the word TESLA in stylized letters on its facade.

Tesla Becomes Lightning Rod for Political Protests

02.18.2025
|
By

Hundreds of people descended on San Francisco’s Tesla dealership Monday to peacefully protest recent actions by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk to downsize the federal workforce under the auspices of the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk’s extra-governmental organization, aka DOGE.

Protesters expressed outrage on Presidents’ Day over recent mass layoffs of federal workers and Musk’s ongoing efforts to gain access to sensitive taxpayer data. They carried homemade signs bearing slogans such as “government for people not billionaires,” “no one voted for Elon Musk,” “resist the oligarchy,” “I lost my job serving your public lands,” “defund Musk,” “no kings, no tyranny,” and “boycott Tesla.”

Immigration
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

01.22.2025
|
By

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.”

Community
A crowd of people watch a music show, their faces lit, at Mayor Daniel Lurie’s inaugural party in Chinatown.

Some Hope Mayor Lurie’s Inaugural Party a Turning Point for Chinatown

01.15.2025
|
By

For years, Chinatown organizations have worked to draw large numbers of visitors to the area to revitalize it in the pandemic’s aftermath. They finally pulled it off for Mayor Daniel Lurie’s inaugural banquet.

Some key figures in the community hope this marks a turning point for the area. Meanwhile, some merchants are skeptical and question whether the energy will last.