Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Environment, Exposed, Government & Politics, Health, History, Neighborhoods

A Community of Color Contends With the Navy’s Toxic Legacy

In the first of two podcast episodes of “Exposed: The Human Radiation Experiments at Hunters Point,” reporter Rebecca Bowe traces the soil contamination plaguing a Navy shipyard back to its origins — 20th century nuclear bomb tests in the Pacific.

Environmental justice advocates, scholars and military officials describe their experiences battling over land redevelopment, and reckoning with the legacy of a radiation laboratory that sometimes used human subjects.

Posted inEnvironment, Exposed, Government & Politics, Health, History, Neighborhoods

How a San Francisco Navy Lab Became a Hub for Human Radiation Experiments

Our investigative series, “Exposed: The Human Radiation Experiments at Hunters Point,” details how the U.S. Naval Radiological Defense Laboratory, based at a shipyard in San Francisco, exposed at least 1,073 dockworkers, military personnel, lab employees and others to radiation in technical exercises and medical experiments early in the Cold War.

Part 1, the series overview, was co-published by the Guardian. Listen to the two-episode “Exposed” podcast, which will be broadcast on KALW Public Radio. See also: Parts 2-6, laying out the origins, methodologies, ethics, documentation and public health legacy of the lab.

Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Environment, Exposed, Government & Politics, Health, History, Neighborhoods

Why the Navy Conducted Radiation Experiments on Humans

In the second of two podcast episodes of “Exposed: The Human Radiation Experiments at Hunters Point,” reporter Rebecca Bowe lays out what we know from scattered documents and a few remaining eyewitnesses about a Cold War research program that pushed ethical boundaries in the name of national defense.

Bowe speaks with veterans who describe their experiences as guinea pigs in field decontamination exercises that yielded little useful data, and talks with colleague Chris Roberts about what the surviving record say about tests involving injection and ingestion of radioactive substances.

Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Health, Overdose Crisis, Social Services

Overdose Prevention Centers — Nonstarter in SF, Despite Success in NYC

San Francisco officials appear to have abandoned efforts to open facilities where people can consume drugs under supervision — even as more cities adopt the model to prevent deadly overdoses.

Recent studies show that overdose prevention centers save lives, keep people from consuming drugs in public and do not lead to increased crime.

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

Proposition O — Protect Access to Reproductive Care

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

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.  […]

Posted inCity Hall, Elections, Public Safety, San Francisco November 2024 Voter Guide

Proposition N — Create Fund to Pay Off First Responders’ Student Loans

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 N could help pay off first responders’ student loans with the goal of attracting new hires amid staffing shortages. Listen to a summary of what […]

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

Proposition J — Increase Oversight of City Funding for Children and Youth Programs

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 J would create an oversight body to evaluate local government expenditures on programs benefiting children and youths. If the oversight team discovered inappropriate or unnecessary […]

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

Proposition L — Tax Ride-Hailing and Autonomous Vehicle Companies to Fund Public Transit

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 L would tax ride-hail companies, including those that operate self-driving cars, and devote the tax revenue to improving San Francisco’s public transit. Listen to a […]

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