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Without long-term support, human trafficking survivors at risk of re-exploitation

Some who flee captive labor conditions end up with low-wage jobs, insecure housing
When Lili Samad was hired to work as a nanny for an Egyptian government official in the Bay Area, she thought it was an ideal job. Instead, she said, she was forced to work long hours doing domestic chores and forbidden from contacting her family in Indonesia and was often locked inside the house. » Read more

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Dolores Park rehabilitation project behind schedule

By Lisette Mejia, Mission Local
It could be a while longer before Dolores Park visitors get the renovated park they’ve been dreaming about. The Dolores Park Rehabilitation Project, which includes plans for new bathrooms, pathways and a multi-use building, is behind schedule and may not even go forward as agreed upon by the community. Delays have popped up in the time line presented last spring, in part because an environmental review study has taken longer than expected. In March, project architects from the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced at a community meeting that a draft environmental review would be released in May, with the final version due in August. The purpose of the review, which is required under the California Environmental Quality Act before renovations can move forward, is to identify the project’s potential environmental impacts and evaluate the site’s historic resources.

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Were California counties prepared for flood of inmates under realignment?

By Michael Montgomery, KQED’s California Report
Last October, California embarked on an unprecedented overhaul of its criminal justice system, known as realignment. Under court order to ease prison overcrowding, the state shifted responsibility for thousands of felons to local counties. The state also gave money to the counties and broad discretion over how to spend it handling the felons. Inmates convicted of low-level offenses are now serving time in county jails or on probation. Since then, the state inmate population has dropped dramatically.

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Under new management: China Camp volunteers take charge

By Christine Sculati, Bay Nature
After six months of fundraising, the nonprofit Friends of China Camp raised $250,000, enough money to take over operations of the cultural and historical landmark along the northwest shores of the San Francisco Bay. Just one day after assuming the state’s responsibilities, the news broke that the California Department of Parks and Recreation had stashed away $54 million for 12 years at a time when state parks have suffered from severe budget cuts. China Camp State Park was among 70 parks statewide threatened with closure by July 1, 2012. “We were shocked. We had worked so hard, not just us, but the whole community,” said Steve Deering, a Friends of China Camp leader.

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S.F. archdiocese denies crackdown on drag queens at church events

By Laird Harrison, KQED News Fix
When Salvatore Cordileone took over as the Catholic archbishop of San Francisco, academics I interviewed said he might pressure churches that welcome lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people. They noted that he has campaigned actively against same-sex marriage. That was July 27. Now, reports are surfacing that Most Holy Redeemer, a Catholic church in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, is falling in line with Cordileone’s views — reports that the archdiocese denies. According to a report on by the Bay Area Reporter, the church has told the Castro Country Club it can’t hold fundraisers on the premises if it continues inviting drag queens as entertainment.

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Muni train switchbacks insult San Francisco riders, says watchdog panel

You get on a Muni train headed for work in the morning, with five minutes to spare before your employer starts to dock your pay. You squeeze onto a crowded N-Judah and all seems to be going well until … the operator tells everyone to get off just before entering the Market Street tunnel so he can “switch back” on the outbound track to avoid vehicle bunching. » Read more