Series Archives - Page 6 of 57 - San Francisco Public Press

City Hall, Education, Elections, San Francisco March 2024 Election Guide

Proposition G — Offering Algebra 1 to Eighth Graders

by Zhe Wu February 5, 2024February 5, 2024

Proposition G is a non-binding policy statement urging the San Francisco Unified School District to offer Algebra 1 courses to middle school students by the eighth grade and develop a coherent math curriculum for all grade levels, especially in elementary and middle school.

Several people stand in front of an evergreen tree covered in small white lights. They are holding vertical white banners displaying lists of people's names in colorful letters. Other banners are spread on the ground in front of them. A woman with shoulder-length gray hair wearing a black coat addresses the crowd speaking into a microphone on a stand.

City Hall, Health, Homelessness, Overdose Crisis

2023 Is San Francisco’s Deadliest Year on Record for Drug Overdoses

by Sylvie Sturm December 20, 2023December 21, 2023

Last Thursday San Francisco’s chief medical examiner released the city’s updated overdose death count — 752 so far — making 2023 the worst year on record for drug-related fatalities. One-third of those people were listed as having no fixed address. Later that day, a crowd gathered at Civic Center Plaza to remember more than 420 who died in the city while experiencing homelessness this year.

A young Latina with straight, long dark hair wears a lilac top and a jean jacket. She is smiling standing on a sidewalk near the intersection of a city street.

“Civic” Podcast, Health, Overdose Crisis

SF Students, SRO Residents Train to Reverse Drug Overdoses

by Sylvie Sturm December 5, 2023December 5, 2023

Experts in overdose prevention say many teen and adult lives could be saved if more people know how to identify and respond to overdoses. In San Francisco, an array of programs are providing overdose response training to teenagers, college and medical-school students, and residents in neighborhoods that have a high rate of overdose deaths.

Ink drawing of a stenotype machine with hands disappearing

Domestic Violence, Law & Justice

California’s Court Reporter Shortage Limits Access to Justice in Domestic Violence Cases

by Viji Sundaram November 14, 2023December 20, 2023

Advocates for women’s and children’s rights say providing free or low-cost access to transcripts in hearings is key to equal justice. Unlike many states, California has in recent years repeatedly failed to guarantee adequate documentations of court proceedings, putting victims of domestic violence at a distinct legal disadvantage.

Despite failing for years to make transcripts standard practice, the Legislature may be headed for a breakthrough.

At a news conference about the passage of Piqui's Law, three teenage girls and a middle school-aged boy stand behind a clear lectern holding microphones from news outlets and bearing the seal of the city of Pasadena. They and others in the crowd hold signs, some of which read "Governor Newsom: Please sign SB 331 (Rubio) Piqui's Law" and "Pass Piqui's Law (Senator Susan Rubio)." They are referring to a bill that was introduced by California State Sen. Susan Rubio.

California, Coercive Control, Domestic Violence, Government & Politics, Law & Justice

Children Violently Removed by Court Order Celebrate New California Bill Prohibiting Practice

by Sylvie Sturm November 10, 2023November 10, 2023

Two children who were violently removed from their grandmother’s Santa Cruz home in October 2022 and placed into a court-ordered program to recant parental abuse allegations celebrated a victory last month when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill prohibiting such programs.

On Oct. 13, Maya, 16, and Sebastian Laing, 12, and their allies celebrated the passage of Senate Bill 331, aka Piqui’s Law, which prohibits California family court judges from forcing kids into so-called reunification camps and ensures that judges and those serving as expert witnesses undergo critical training on domestic violence and child custody.

Two women are speaking to each other at a protest rally on a plaza outside of San Francisco City Hall. They are Supervisor Hillery Ronen, who holds a pink sign that reads "We Love Marginalized Communities," and Vitka Eisen, CEO of HealthRight 360, who holds a sign that reads "Harm Reduction Works." They are both wearing jeans and black T-shirts. Many of the people standing around them are similarly dressed.

“Civic” Podcast, City Hall, Health, Overdose Crisis

City Officials Lack Urgency to Prevent Overdose Deaths, Say Safe Consumption Proponents

by Sylvie Sturm November 3, 2023November 4, 2023

Several weeks after a crucial legal hurdle blocking safe consumption sites in San Francisco was seemingly resolved, proponents said they were dismayed that city leaders and public health officials were still not greenlighting centers that could reduce deaths related to drug use.

Overdose deaths have reached 620 this year — on track to have the highest annual tally since counting began, with fentanyl causing the vast majority of fatalities, according to the chief medical examiner’s latest report.

A man with a red hat and black shirt with his back towards the camera walks down the sidewalk. To his right, a woman in a white shirt strolls past a blue and white building with large glass windows.

Government & Politics, Housing, Public Housing in Private Hands

After Massive Renovations, Code Violations Rise Steeply in Subsidized Housing

by Madison Alvarado October 27, 2023October 27, 2023

San Francisco started privatizing 29 public housing buildings in the wake of city scandals years ago. Even after $800 million worth of repairs, residents complain about living conditions, combative private management companies and eviction threats.

A San Francisco Sheriff's Department prisoner transport bus arrives at the San Francisco County Jail in San Bruno. The cream-colored bus is driving through the entrance, which is flanked by two brown brick walls. A series of tall, narrow traffic cones appear on the left side of the frame. District Attorney Brooke Jenkins criticizes the use of pretrial diversion programs offering defendants accused of selling drugs rehabilitation, counseling and training rather than jail sentences. Many such suspects are held at the San Francisco County Jail in San Bruno.

“Civic” Podcast, Health, Law & Justice, Overdose Crisis

DA’s Opposition to Drug Diversion Programs Undermines Public Safety, Say Legal Advocates

by Sylvie Sturm October 5, 2023October 9, 2023

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has criticized and diminished the use of diversion programs that offer criminal defendants accused of selling drugs rehabilitation, counseling and training rather than jail sentences.

Since taking office 15 months ago, Jenkins has reduced the number of referrals to the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project by 70%, according to its CEO David Mauroff.

And as San Francisco’s rate of overdose fatalities reaches more than two deaths a day, Jenkins is pushing for defendants accused of selling drugs to remain in jail. But some legal experts say that’s a bad strategy both for the defendants and for public safety.

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