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Protesters Surround the San Francisco Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office After Immigration Arrests

02.28.2018
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By Farida Jhabvala Romero, KQED New Fix
More than 200 protesters surrounded the offices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in downtown San Francisco Wednesday and closed the area to traffic, after the federal agency arrested more than 150 people in Northern and Central California this week. About half of the immigrants arrested since Sunday have criminal backgrounds, according to an agency statement, which said the agency is targeting people it considers a threat to public safety. But protesters denounced the operation as a move that terrorizes communities and separates families. Read the complete story at KQED New Fix.

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Unions Prepare to Lose in the Courthouse and Strike Back in the Statehouse

02.27.2018
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By Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters
The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to weigh in on a high-profile case that could slash the power of public-employee unions. But California labor leaders are already planning to push for new state laws to blunt the impact of an unfavorable ruling. The case argued before the court Monday, Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, challenges whether public-employee unions can collect fees from workers who choose not to join the union. California is one of several states that allow unions to collect so-called fair share fees from workers who benefit from services such as contract negotiations but don’t want to pay for their union’s political activity. Read the complete story at CALmatters.

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Push to Arm Teachers in California Would Face Major Hurdles

02.26.2018
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By Louis Freedberg, EdSource
Were California to try to implement anything remotely along the lines of what President Trump has proposed for arming teachers to prevent firearm massacres in schools, the state would have a massive and expensive undertaking on its hands. It would also almost certainly require significant legislative changes, because if anything California has been moving in just the opposite direction in its attempts to keep dangerous firearms off school campuses and out of the hands of school personnel. Read the complete story at EdSource.

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Public Press Weekly: Cops and Robbers and Other Stuff

02.26.2018
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President Donald Trump and his minions sure like sticking it to California, threatening to pull ICE agents from the state, muscling in on sanctuary cities, ad nauseam, ad infinitum. (CALmatters). And forget about the feds chipping in to improve relations between the cops here in San Francisco and the community. » Read more

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Teacher Shortages Persist in California and Getting Worse in Many Communities

02.22.2018
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By Louis Freedberg, EdSource
Despite an improving economy and new efforts to recruit teachers, California’s teacher shortage is showing no signs of easing up. In fact, shortages are becoming more severe in many communities. That’s the conclusion of a new report from the Learning Policy Institute, based on a survey of 25 school districts of different sizes and in diverse locations in the state. Read the complete story at EdSource.

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The Human Cost of Uber and Lyft: Life in the Dying Taxi Industry

02.21.2018
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By Sam Harnett, KQED News Fix/The California Report
Carl Ditlefsen vacuums out his car as the sun sets on the Green Cab taxi lot. He’s the only cab driver here. Next to the lot is a cluttered two-person office and a tarp lean-to. It covers a portable toilet with a sign that reads “Taxi Driver Parking Only.”
Ditlefsen just finished a slow 11-hour shift, and he’s had only one good ride all day. His pay will be less than minimum wage, and these days, that’s normal.

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The Big Sort: What to Do With 2 Million Tons of Fire Debris

02.21.2018
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By Molly Peterson, KQED News Fix/KQED Science
California’s biggest disaster cleanup in a century is now three-quarters complete, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. And like the North Bay fires that caused it, this massive response is one for the record books. “It is a very complicated debris removal operation,” California Office of Emergency Services director Mark Ghilarducci told a Santa Rosa town hall in January. “The largest debris clearance operation we’ve seen since the 1906 earthquake.” 
Read the complete story at KQED News Fix/KQED Science.

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Public Press Weekly: The Golden State, Tarnished

02.17.2018
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Doom and gloom, extreme weather, the apocalypse and the end of humanity as we know it are some of the ideas floated when talk turns to climate change and global warming. (San Francisco Chronicle). The culprits are many, and so are proposed solutions. » Read more

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S.F. Police Dept. Use of Force Plummets From Last Year

02.15.2018
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By Julian Mark, Mission Local
Use of force by S.F. Police Department officers continues on a sharp downward trend, according to recently released use-of-force data. Citywide, the department continues to disproportionately use force on people of color, specifically African Americans, the numbers show. And, despite the overall downturn in use-of-force incidents, there were four deaths at the hands or under the watch of San Francisco officers in 2017, compared to three in 2016. For its part, Mission Station has seen a decline in its officers’ use of force, although not as sharp a decline as other districts with similar call volumes, such as Central, Southern and Tenderloin stations. Read the complete story at Mission Local.