San Francisco Public Press (https://www.sfpublicpress.org/2021/01/page/2/)
When 2020 began, Oziel had two jobs and health insurance. Weekdays, he worked as an account manager for a wine distributor. Weekends, he worked as a server and sommelier.
But in March, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Oziel lost both of his jobs. » Read more
Despite repeated arrests and stints in jail, Dennis Peron persisted in running cannabis clubs in San Francisco in the late 1990s. Peron, a gay man and veteran, ran the clubs to provide a place for HIV patients and other chronically ill people to relieve their symptoms. » Read more
Organizers with the Anti Police-Terror Project every year mark Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with demonstrations that underscore King’s revolutionary teachings — the ones that made him a target of political criticism and law enforcement.
“While King’s legacy has been whitewashed, while he has been watered down to an image and a character that people can feel comfortable with, we take this weekend to remember that he was a revolutionary, he was a scholar, he was willing to put his body on the line for the liberation of Black bodies.” » Read more
In late March 2020, the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California, along with the First Amendment Coalition and other freedom of information groups, issued a rebuke of state agencies for indicating that they would stop responding to requests for records under the California Public Records Act until the COVID-19 crisis passes. » Read more
San Francisco plans to launch three high-volume sites to manage the rollout of two COVID-19 vaccines, with the goal of reaching 10,000 people a day, Mayor London Breed announced Friday. The sites will operate in addition to existing medical facilities and smaller, pop-up sites to create a citywide vaccination network. » Read more
San Francisco plans to expand access to drinking water for people living on the streets by adding permanent taps in three neighborhoods and leaving in place — for now — the temporary taps it installed after COVID-19 hit.
This month, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission plans to begin installing the permanent taps in the Tenderloin, Mission and Bayview-Hunters Point. » Read more
After a mob of pro-Trump agitators stormed the U.S. Capitol last week, forcing a delay in the certification of the electoral vote for president, Twitter blocked President Trump from posting, and other platforms soon followed suit, citing concerns that his posts might incite further violence. » Read more
Schools in San Francisco shut in March of 2020, and at the time, officials announced a three-week closure. Nearly 10 months later, the city has not set an official date for reopening them. As of December, the school district and unions couldn’t come to an agreement about what safety measures would be sufficient for reopening. » Read more
This article is part of a project examining ways to use the ballot to hold local government accountable. It was supported by the Solutions Journalism Network’s Renewing Democracy program.
Last May, not long after a scandal at the Department of Public Works rocked San Francisco City Hall, Supervisor Gordon Mar revisited an idea first floated here in 2016: Create a local anti-corruption agency modeled on high-profile efforts such as one New York City launched decades ago. » Read more
As San Francisco health organizations move to increase the number of available COVID-19 vaccinations, the city is dealing with a holiday surge that came on top of a huge Thanksgiving increase.
The second surge is not as big as the first, said Dr. » Read more