Randy Shaw

Randy Shaw is the Editor of Beyond Chron and the Director of San Francisco’s Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which publishes Beyond Chron. Shaw's latest book is Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in the New Urban America. He is the author of four prior books on activism, including The Activist's Handbook: Winning Social Change in the 21st Century, and Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century. He is also the author of The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco

Articles by Randy Shaw

Housing Wins Big in California

Posted September 18, 2023 by Randy Shaw

A Legislative Breakthrough for Housing California is the national leader in failing to build housing to meet population growth. But 2023 saw over a dozen major housing production bills pass the state legislature. How did this happen? Five major reasons.
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New Film Highlights the Power of Organizing

Posted September 18, 2023 by Randy Shaw

Between the Sun and Sidewalk is Inspiring How does a film capture what it means to build community power via organizing? We see a great example of this in an inspiring new film, Between the Sun and the Sidewalk. After
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Ramanbhai Patel, Champion of Supportive Housing, Dies Peacefully

Posted September 18, 2023 by Randy Shaw

He Always Believed in SRO Hotels Ramanbhai Patel, who pushed the Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC) to start leasing supportive housing SROs and who was honored in India for his charitable work, died Saturday night. Patel’s willingness to lease hotels to
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Photo shows Tents on Mason across from IKEA

Action Plan for Removing San Francisco’s Tents

Posted September 11, 2023 by Randy Shaw

90% of Campers Refuse Shelter San Francisco is now free to remove campers who refuse shelter or housing. Can the city get it done? It better. The injunction creating a right to camp damaged the entire San Francisco economy. Drug
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New Book Exposes Dark Side of College Football

Posted September 11, 2023 by Randy Shaw

Fans Favor Denial Over Demanding Health Reforms When we think about the dangers of college and pro football, brain injuries caused by collisions come to mind. The NFL and NCAA have convinced fans to ignore how playing football reduces life
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photo shows rally against SF's federal homeless injunction

Can We Be Honest About Homelessness?

Posted September 5, 2023 by Randy Shaw

Recovery Must Be Top Priority The debate about America’s homeless crisis has gone off the rails. Consider: Mayor London Breed and California Governor Gavin Newsom publicly condemned a misguided federal injunction imposed on San Francisco. Political leaders rarely weigh in
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New Developments in SF Supervisor Races

Posted September 5, 2023 by Randy Shaw

Will Board’s Politics Shift in 2024 Elections? Labor Day typically starts the November election season. But San Francisco’s supervisor elections are taking shape a year early. Here are some key updates and a defense of Ranked Choice Voting. A Do-Over
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Photo shows open drug market at Leavenworth and McAllister

Drug Markets Still Plague San Francisco

Posted August 28, 2023 by Randy Shaw

Drug Dealers Spawn Shoplifting, Break-Ins and More Most of San Francisco’ problems have a common source: Open air drug markets. Easy access to drugs brought thousands of drug tourists to the city. The number of unhoused tent dwellers skyrocketed, as
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