Media
Kyra Kyles, left, and Erianna Jiles. Photos courtesy of YR Media.

In 2020, Youth Media Engaged With Election, Pandemic, Racial Reckoning

12.31.2020
|
By

Newsrooms across the country have been in overdrive most of this year, covering a global pandemic, a primary and a presidential election and protests against systemic racism and police brutality. Contributors with YR Media, a national network of young journalists and artists, many of them people of color, have been covering the events of 2020 with reporting and perspectives that are rarely afforded space and attention in national or corporate outlets.

City Hall
Joe Eskenazi, managing editor at Mission Local

Journalist: Money Poured Into S.F. Elections Failed to Shift Outcomes

11.23.2020
|
By

Every odd-numbered San Francisco supervisorial district had an election in November. One race was extremely close and several were targeted by big independent expenditure money. But Joe Eskenazi, managing editor at Mission Local, reports that money was apparently ineffective, failing to propel candidates to victory and failing to dissuade voters from passing new tax measures.

Elections

Mapping the S.F. Vote, Precinct by Precinct

11.04.2020
|
By

With the majority — but not all — of San Francisco’s votes tallied, a series of maps created by local designer Chris Arvin show how differently, or similarly, residents in different neighborhoods voted from one another by location. Arvin joined “Civic” to discuss the maps and what they show, and a new tool he developed that offers an analysis of the correlations between precinct demographics and contest outcomes.

Elections

Bay Area Organizers Prepare to Mobilize if Election Results Not Followed

11.03.2020
|
By

In the event that Donald Trump refuses to concede after the results of Tuesday’s election become clear, Bay Area organizers are ready to respond with street demonstrations and other civil disobedience. For weeks, groups like Bay Resistance have been hosting trainings and developing plans to mobilize residents, elected officials and business leaders to demand the results of the election be recognized.

“Civic” Podcast

Can the Ballot Be Used to Hold Local Government Accountable?

11.02.2020
|
By

San Francisco has faced many scandals in which public officials abused their power for personal, political or organizational gain. Most recently, the Department of Public Works was rocked by an FBI investigation into alleged kickbacks, slush funds and illicit permitting influence. On the November, 2020 ballot, Proposition B has been proposed as a way to limit the scope of alleged corruption in the sprawling Department of Public Works, but what other measures could voters use in the future to keep elected and appointed officials accountable in San Francisco?

Elections

Using the Ballot to Fight Corruption

11.02.2020
|
By

The Public Press hosted a panel discussion on Oct. 29 exploring how voters can use the ballot box to hold local and state government accountable. Veteran good-government experts provided a break down of the challenges in San Francisco and California, and answered questions from the audience. Our panelists were Carmen Balber, executive director, Consumer Watchdog, and Larry Bush, member, San Francisco Ethics Commission. The discussion was moderated by Bay Area radio journalist Max Pringle.

Elections
Former Department of Public Works head Mohammed Nuru was the subject of an FBI corruption probe that became public earlier this year. In response, local lawmakers have proposed Proposition B, which would split the department into two agencies.

With Corruption on the Ballot, San Francisco Could Learn Oversight From Other Scandal-Plagued Cities

10.29.2020
|
By

When it comes to good government, dysfunction and disgrace can occasionally inspire some of the brightest ideas for reform. And getting the whole community involved in the cleanup — through the ballot box — can be one way to make those changes happen faster. Though the parallels are not exact, the tiny scandal-ridden city of Bell, near Los Angeles, could hold keys to fixing a culture of corruption that has insinuated itself deep in the heart of San Francisco’s massive and opaque bureaucracy.