John McDonnell is a business and tax attorney born and raised in San Francisco. He’s running to challenge State Assemblyman Phil Ting for the seat for District 19, which covers western San Francisco.
Category: Series
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, City Hall, Government & Politics, Homelessness, Housing, San Francisco March 2020 Nonpartisan Election Guide, Transportation
Housing, Homelessness Crises Are ‘Of Our Own Making,’ Says David Chiu
David Chiu, the state assembly member representing California’s District 17, the Eastern side of San Francisco, is running unopposed for re-election this year. He spoke with “Civic” about his recent legislative work.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Elections, Government & Politics, News, San Francisco March 2020 Nonpartisan Election Guide
State Sen. Scott Wiener: “I Push the Envelope” on Housing, Criminal Justice, LGBT Rights
In the final episode in our series of interviews with the candidates running for state senate, current State Senator Scott Wiener discusses his legislative record.
Posted inData Privacy, Data Privacy, News
Consumer Reporting Firms Fought for a Year to Exempt Data From California Privacy Law
Even though federally regulated consumer reports were already exempted from California’s ambitious new privacy law, the companies that sell them spent much of the last year engaged in an as yet unsuccessful lobbying effort to prevent individuals from opting out of sharing their own data from the firms’ databases. That’s in part because they have diversified beyond consumer reports and credit scores and into the creation of personal profiles based on online information that is less well regulated and critics of the industry call intrusive.
Posted inLaw & Justice, Public Safety, Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data, Transportation, Utilities
CPUC Proposes Repealing Secrecy of Uber, Lyft Accident Data
In a dramatic reversal, the agency that regulates the state’s massive ride-hailing industry has proposed that annual safety reports filed by Uber and Lyft should be presumed public. A San Francisco Public Press investigation published Jan. 7 found that the California Public Utilities Commission, the primary regulator of the state’s ride-hailing industry, has permitted the firms to file the reports confidentially on the basis of a single sentence inserted into the regulations as footnote 42, without prior public notice amid heavy industry lobbying.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Elections, San Francisco March 2020 Nonpartisan Election Guide
What You Need to Know About the S.F. Democratic County Central Committee
If you are a registered democrat living in San Francisco, your ballot for the March election is likely to be long because there are more than 50 candidates running to fill 24 seats on the Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC), the governing body of the local Democratic Party.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Elections, Government & Politics, San Francisco March 2020 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Indigenous Public Bank Organizer Runs for State Senate
As part of a “Civic” series of interviews with candidates for the state Senate seat currently held by Scott Wiener, Jackie Fielder describes her platform and shares insight into her background.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Elections, San Francisco March 2020 Nonpartisan Election Guide
Republican Runs for State Senate to Keep Establishment on its Toes
As part of Civic’s series of interviews with candidates for the state Senate seat currently held by Scott Wiener, Erin Smith tells her story and lays out where she stands on policy issues.
Posted inBack Issues
Issue 30: Winter 2020
Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data: Secrecy cloaks rising accident reports.
Posted inLaw & Justice, Public Safety, Ride-Hailing’s Dark Data, Transportation, Utilities
Commission Says Ride-Hailing Secrecy Footnote to Be Addressed Soon
The California Public Utilities Commission says it expects to decide by the end of March whether to revise or throw out an obscure footnote that it has used to justify keeping data about thousands of ride-hailing accidents across the state under wraps. “We anticipate issuing a decision on the matter in the first quarter of 2020,” commission President Marybel Batjer said in a letter dated Jan. 27 to Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. The agency also “has established a team dedicated to investigating potential TNC misconduct.”