Economy & Business
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Krugman: California represents the worst of current U.S. economic crisis

07.13.2012
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The budget pain facing California this year is not California’s fault, said Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist who has been among the most outspoken writers critiquing the government’s response to what he calls an economic “depression.” “Gov. Brown faces political constraints that, if anything, are even worse than those faced by President Obama, because of the craziness of California’s constitutional setup,” Krugman said at a recent appearance at the Commonwealth Club of California. He said Proposition 13, the state’s requirement of a legislative supermajority to pass tax increases, was the main culprit.

Media
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Union leader says jobs will not return, urges media workers to reinvent selves

05.24.2011
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LABOR: Organized labor needs to do more to help freelancers, says Guild officer
This article appeared as part of the Public Press’ Spring print edition media package of stories. 
Former San Francisco Chronicle science writer and union activist Carl Hall took a buyout from the newspaper in 2009. He is now executive officer of the Pacific Media Workers Guild, which represents union newsroom workers at Bay Area newspapers. He talked about changes in the Bay Area’s print news landscape and the future of unionized journalism.

Economy & Business
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Of course banks resist reform, MIT professor says

07.20.2010
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As the financial crisis drags on, Congress and the Obama administration are taking up regulatory reform of the banks at the center of the crisis. The San Francisco Public Press spoke with Simon Johnson, MIT professor of economics and former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund. Johnson, author of “13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown,” shared his views May 13 before the World Affairs Council.

Economy & Business
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A look at life along 6th St.

06.15.2010
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This piece was produced as part of a project sponsored by The Bold Italic. Sixth Street at Market is one of San Francisco’s most well known intersections, yet one of the least understood. People from all walks of life cross paths there, but most don’t intermingle. The neighborhood is well known for its gritty liquor stores, strip clubs, and SROs, yet the landscape is changing dramatically with pioneering restaurants, cutting edge galleries, and revitilization efforts taking hold. To get a better sense of what the intersection is really like, The Bold Italic decided to stay a while — for 24 hours in fact, and got their experiences on video as well. Have a look at a day in the life on Sixth Street.

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City Hall
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Supervisors consider sidewalk policing as public debate heats up

05.11.2010
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The simmering debate on Mayor Gavin Newsom’s proposed restrictions on sitting and lying on the streets, the so-called “sit-lie” legislation, lined up advocates on both sides in what one city supervisor termed a culture war on San Francisco’s streets. Regardless of what the Board of Supervisors does with the plan — and they are likely to pan it — it could find new life on the ballot if the mayor presses forward.

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Immigration
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‘Sanctuary city’ policy threatened by federal database

05.10.2010
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A new federal program that will take information about people arrested in San Francisco and feed it into an immigration database has some worried about the future of the sanctuary city policy. Previously only information on people involved in felony cases was shared with the federal government.

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News
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Protests set stage for Arizona boycott, immigration reform

05.03.2010
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The large march and rally in San Francisco this weekend has set the stage for Tuesday’s vote by the Board of Supervisors on a resolution calling for a boycott of the state of Arizona and Arizona-based companies over its new immigration law. The rally and resolution are in response to a new law that makes it a state crime to be in America illegally and gives police the power to question people about their citizenship status.

Arts & Culture
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Banksy street art pops up around town

04.26.2010
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International graffiti artist Banksy has been leaving his mark around San Francisco on several buildings. The mysterious street artist is now also a filmmaker and his new film, “Exit Through the Gift Shop” is playing in several Bay Area cinemas. Although he does not personally sell his artwork, collectors have been paying big bucks for his work at auction.

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