San Francisco’s Failed Homeless Strategy

Posted February 23, 2021 by Randy Shaw

Coordinated Entry Keeps People Unhoused From 1999 through 2018, San Francisco rapidly filled vacancies in its nonprofit master leased SROs providing permanent supportive housing. Since 2019, vacancies have exploded. What changed? At the end of 2018 San Francisco began an
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Jeff Adachi’s New Book Uncovers San Francisco’s Forgotten Past

Posted February 23, 2021 by Randy Shaw

SF’s First Public Defender Faced Murder Charges Jeff Adachi was a true Renaissance man. A fierce deputy public defender, Adachi won election to run the San Francisco Public Defender’s office and completely reshaped it. He made a film, “Defender,” on
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Amtrak Is Ready to Grow. Will it Finally Get the Subsidy It Deserves?

Posted February 23, 2021 by Kea Wilson

This piece first appeared in Streetsblog USA. Amtrak is aiming to de-prioritize profitability and focus on radically expanding its service with the help of the next infrastructure bill — and help intercity rail take its rightful place as an essential
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A Firefighter Election: Can Veteran of Wisconsin Uprising Rescue the IAFF?

Posted February 17, 2021 by Steve Early

Election Could Reshape Labor Movement A rare contested race for president of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) has given its members a clear choice between a union traditionalist from Boston and a progressive activist who backed massive labor
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Reviews From Slamdance 2021

Posted February 17, 2021 by Peter Wong

The 2021 edition of the Slamdance Film Festival, like many other film festivals in recent months, has gone mostly online. For the nominal cost of a Festival Pass, interested viewers can enjoy until February 25, 2021 a mix of feature-length
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Attack on SF Ferris Wheel Revives War on Fun

Posted February 16, 2021 by Randy Shaw

Opponents Misunderstand Golden Gate Park To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Golden Gate Park, the 150 foot high Skystar Observation Wheel was installed near the California Academy of Science and de Young Museum. While the pandemic closed the Ferris Wheel
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Will Cities Squander Federal Homeless Funds?

Posted February 9, 2021 by Randy Shaw

Millions of FEMA Dollars Could Go Unspent With thousands sleeping on streets, the Biden Administration’s plan to fund 100% of the cost of temporarily housing them is great news. But cities and counties must seize these federal dollars. And given
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Berkeley’s Progressive Revival

Posted February 9, 2021 by Randy Shaw

A Model For Other Cities? When I was speaking across the country promoting the housing policy changes urged in Generation Priced Out, I did not foresee my hometown of Berkeley, California ending exclusionary zoning before Seattle, Denver and other cities.
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