September 2022 - San Francisco Public Press

Would Tax on Vacant Homes Be Enough to Push Owners to Lease Empty SF Units?

09.27.2022

Designed to combat San Francisco’s long-standing housing shortage, an empty homes tax on the November ballot, Proposition M, would apply to multi-unit residential buildings with prolonged vacancies. Voters will decide the fate of the measure that has garnered support and criticism for its exemptions and low tax amount. » Read more

Coercive Control

Ariana Riley, Ally Cable and Jill Michelle Montes speak about their reunification camp experiences at an Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma conference in San Diego. Kathleen Russell, executive director of the Center for Judicial Excellence, describes reunification therapy programs as “harmful and traumatic.”

California Judges’ Group Helped Block Bill to Address Family Violence, Calling Training Mandate ‘Advocacy’

09.14.2022

By Viji Sundaram, Reporter

A state senator said she withdrew a proposal to reform the family court system in August after harsh criticism from the California Judicial Council, which called requiring extra training on family violence law burdensome and reflective of an “advocacy agenda.”

The council, which represents judges and other judiciary branch staff, sent a letter to the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Aug. » Read more

Courts & Legal Issues

State Sen. Susan Rubio, who introduced a senate bill to expand the California Family Code to include coercive control in family court hearings and criminal trials, speaks about the need to keep children of domestic violence survivors safe in front of Los Angeles City Hall on June 27, 2022.

Coercive Control Victims Face Skeptical Judges, Court Transcripts Show

09.12.2022

By Sylvie Sturm, Reporter / audio host

This article is adapted from an episode of our podcast “Civic.” It is the first in a series about the way family courts adjudicate cases that involve a form of domestic abuse known as coercive control, and the advocates and lawmakers who are trying to help victims and their children. » Read more