Yearly Archives: 2020
Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Health, News

How to Celebrate New Year’s Eve? For Some, by Earning Enough to Eat.

by Brian Howey

No fireworks, no parties on the beach, no Golden Gate Park light displays. How is a San Franciscan wanting to celebrate the end of this murderous, soul-sucking pandemic year supposed to have any fun?
You could attend any one of numerous live-streamed events, from comedy shows to live music to bell-ringing ceremonies to vaudeville cabaret shows.
Or, for a brief period, there was the opportunity to drop $100 for an in-person, three-course meal complete with burlesque and drag queen show in the Tenderloin. Except that event was canceled …

Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Community, Elections, Media, Politics, Social Justice

In 2020, Youth Media Engaged With Election, Pandemic, Racial Reckoning

by Laura Wenus

Newsrooms across the country have been in overdrive most of this year, covering a global pandemic, a primary and a presidential election and protests against systemic racism and police brutality. Contributors with YR Media, a national network of young journalists and artists, many of them people of color, have been covering the events of 2020 with reporting and perspectives that are rarely afforded space and attention in national or corporate outlets.

Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Government & Politics, Housing, Labor

81% of Residents Receiving Housing Help From S.F. Are Black or Latino

by Noah Arroyo

More than four of every five San Franciscans receiving rental assistance from the city have been Latino or African American residents, the groups hit hardest by COVID-19 infections, public records show. Philanthropic donors have poured $31.4 million into the Give2SF Fund, $6.3 million of which is targeted at helping people cover housing costs, according to the fund’s most recent progress report. To date, 1,443 households have been allocated as much as $5.8 million in housing assistance, with the average grant being $4,000.

Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, California, Coronavirus, Essential Workers

Doctors Work Through Coronavirus Surge, Stress, Patient Isolation as Vaccines Arrive

by Laura Wenus

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that hospitals need to get ready for what he described as a potential “surge on top of a surge, arguably on top of another surge” of COVID-19 cases stemming from the holidays. In the Bay Area, hospitals still have some ICU capacity left, but health care practitioners are working hard to care for the influx of COVID-19 patients. The surge is leaving workers stretched thin and patients isolated.

Posted in“Civic” Podcast, City Hall, Government & Politics, Law & Justice

Retired FBI Agent Explains How Probes Like Those Into S.F. Corruption Work

by Laura Wenus

The FBI arrest of former San Francisco Department of Public Works head Mohammed Nuru on fraud charges in January kicked off a cascade of raids, charges and investigations that have spurred the departure of several other city department heads. Such investigations can take years, and are relatively difficult to complete. James Wedick, who retired from the FBI in 2004 after nearly 35 years with the bureau, spent years investigating corruption and was responsible for the bureau’s corruption squad in Sacramento.

Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Government & Politics, Politics

After a Political Year Defined by a Pandemic and Presidential Appointments, What’s Next?

by Laura Wenus

The election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the presidency and vice-presidency left several roles for Gov. Gavin Newsom to fill, and politicians from around the state, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed, have weighed in on Newsom’s choice of Secretary of State Alex Padilla to fill Harris’ seat in the U.S. Senate. San Francisco State University politics professor Jason McDaniel joined “Civic” to analyze Newsom’s choice, and the decision he has yet to make about filling state Attorney General Xavier Becerra’s position.

Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Aging, Coronavirus, Health

Nursing Homes to Get Vaccines Soon Through Major Pharmacy Chains

by Laura Wenus

Vaccines are arriving in California and doses will be administered at nursing homes soon through a government partnership with pharmacy giants CVS and Walgreens, whose staffs will deliver vaccines to long term care facilities. Eric Dowdy, chief government affairs officer at Leading Age California, an organization representing mostly nonprofit senior care facilities, said the top priority for those planning the vaccine rollout is combating misinformation that fuels mistrust in the vaccine.

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