The Board of Appeals voted in favor of removing 33 ficus trees on 24th St. at a public hearing on July 15, concluding a two-year saga between the Mission District and the Bureau of Urban Forestry (BUF). Commissioner Rachael Tanner proposed the motion, ensuring that 50 red maple and ginkgo trees would replace the designated […]
Posted inVoices
Latino community still the most impacted, as number of all new COVID-19 confirmed cases more than doubled from prior month
San Franciscans who trace their ethnic origin in Latin America (“Ola” people) are still the most impacted group by race and ethnicity in the city, as the number of new COVID-19 confirmed cases more than doubled from the prior month. From the first month of testing it was clear to City officials that the Ola […]
Posted inVoices
Talking About Abolition
The senseless killings around the nation of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Andres Guardado, Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal and countless other Black people and people of color have sparked conversations beyond police brutality. These acts of state violence have made our communities more conscious of the underlying condition on which our economic, social, and political systems are founded […]
Posted inVoices
Hamilton: Riff Off or Rip Off?
A cacophony of celebratory praise and criticisms have surrounded Hamilton upon its broadway debut in 2015, and now its premiere on Disney Plus. The billion dollar franchise, directed and starred in by Nuyorican, Lin Manuel Miranda, employs hip-hop and a diverse cast to tell the story of the founding fathers through the perspective of Alexander […]
Posted inObituaries
Maria X Martinez: August 9, 1954 – July 15, 2020
The Mission community mourns the passing of Maria X Martinez. She joined the ancestors on July 15, 2020 in her Bernal Heights home, surrounded by her daughter Paloma and family. Maria was director of the Whole Person Program and highest ranking Latina in the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH). She had a highly […]
Posted inVoices
Local museums responses to racial injustice and the road ahead
Like many other affected businesses, San Francisco museums have remained closed since the shelter-in-place order went into effect mid-March. During this time, museums have had to quickly adapt to the fast-moving and competitive digital world; transforming their on-site collections and programs into engagement experiences. Recognizing the value of staying connected, many local museums have used […]
Posted inNews
Immigrants Fight for Their Right to Permanent Residency
On June 24, immigrants with temporary protected status (TPS) participated in a nationwide caravan that was organized by The National TPS Alliance. After the caravan the protesters presented themselves in front of the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco demanding permanent residency and that TPS not be terminated. The Secretary of the Department of […]
Posted inNews
Supreme court saves DACA, but essential workers still struggle amid pandemic
Editor’s note: Due to concerns for the safety of the undocumented community, last names will be omitted from this story unless otherwise authorized to protect our sources’ anonymity. In the midst of a pandemic, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on June 18 to block the attempted removal of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) by […]
Posted inVoices
Heroes Have a Choice: The Privilege in Closing SF and Re-opening it Again
Currently the Bay Area is three and a half months into some version of a shelter order that has been extended multiple times from its original two week duration. With COVID-19 cases spiking once again, it’s incumbent to remember the missteps of the beginning. March 16, 2020, the Dow Jones Industrial Average experiences its largest […]
Posted inVoices
A Summer awakening
I remember the feeling of uncertainty at the beginning of the shelter in place order. I am a musician, a San Francisco native, “a twenty something” recent graduate of SFSU, father of two. A week before the COVID-19 quarantine, while I was on a plane coming back from a gig, I worried that I had the […]