San Francisco Public Press

Government & Politics

Protesters in bright clothing hold up colorful signs that say "HEALTHCARE FOR ALL," "HOUSING FOR ALL," AND "STOP THE BILLIONAIRE TAKEOVER."

Protesters Denounce DOGE, Health Care Cuts, Call Out Local Representatives

Facing looming threats to healthcare programs, the implementation of anti-immigrant policies, and the outsized role of billionaires in Trump’s administration, protesters gathered at Airbnb’s headquarters in San Francisco with message for state and local elected officials: “Get a f—ing backbone,” said demonstrator Fred Sherburn-Zimmer, organizing and policy director at the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco.

Around 200 people gathered outside of Airbnb’s headquarters in the South of Market neighborhood on March 28 to denounce the dismantling of government programs and call on members of Congress to push back on cuts.

One in a profusion of recent local protests against the Trump administration’s actions, the rally, dubbed “Hands Off Our Healthcare” drew a diverse crowd that denounced the slashing of healthcare services and government jobs by the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, the extra-governmental organization known as DOGE.

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Pacifica Artist Ties Indigenous Themes to Lives of Immigrants and Farmworkers

Oscar Lopez has a reputation for building community and using his art to tie contemporary experiences to Indigenous history.
More Tenderloin Tenants Face Eviction Amid Rent Strike

Tenants at 781 O’Farrell St. who have been on a rent strike for more than a year face eviction by Veritas Investments, the owner of their building and once the city’s largest residential landlord. The four tenants have vowed not to settle unless Veritas fulfills their collective demands for quality-of-life improvements in the building. Veritas acknowledged but did not respond to a request for comment.
Democratic Club Splits From Engardio Over Great Highway

The Chinese American Democratic Club, one of the city’s oldest political associations for Chinese Americans and a vocal opponent of closing the Upper Great Highway to cars, voted on Thursday to withdraw support of Supervisor Joel Engardio. The supervisor faces a recall attempt brought by constituents angry over his co-sponsoring last fall’s successful ballot measure to close the highway, which runs along the Pacific shoreline in his district.
San Francisco’s Sanctuary City Legacy

San Francisco has a long history of providing refuge to people in marginalized communities.
Thousands Across Bay Area Mobilize Against Mass Deportation

Ever since President Donald Trump’s inauguration this year, thousands of residents and officials across the Bay Area have been showing support for municipal and state policies that protect undocumented immigrants. Communities from San Mateo to Dublin have held protests each week in response to the Trump administration’s promises of mass deportation and threats to cut federal funding to sanctuary cities.
Toxic Waste Cleanups Take Longer in Marginalized Communities

Toxic site cleanups take longer in marginalized communities, according to a new Public Press analysis of more than 20,000 sites of varying size across the nine-county Bay Area. In areas that scored high on a national index of socioeconomic vulnerability, the median cleanup took more than 450 days longer than in the least vulnerable areas. Many factors, including the type of toxin, the nature of the site and the complexity of the cleanup, could affect how long a remediation takes and explain some of the differences. But in a subset of more than 12,000 cleanups of comparable complexity, the disparities were even more pronounced. Experts warn that prolonged exposure to contamination as a result of slow cleanups can increase the risk of illness for nearby residents.
Advocates Fear Fremont’s New Homelessness Ordinance Will Force Domestic Violence Victims to Stay With Abusers

With Fremont passing an ordinance that many say is one of the nation’s most stringent on homelessness, advocates for domestic violence survivors say the tough law criminalizes vulnerable community members — and advocates are concerned that they themselves could be punished for helping to those living in cars or encampments.
Landlord-Tenant Spat Persists in Tenderloin Building Where Resolution Seemed Possible

San Francisco's largest residential landlord has withdrawn an offer of rent reductions for tenants of a Tenderloin building who have been on rent strike and negotiating with the property owner for more than a year, tenant organizers say. The landlord is moving to evict six of the seven remaining striking tenants.

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