Forty-two-year-old Francisco Sanchez spends his days walking around San Francisco selling ice cream cones, popsicles, chips and a friendly smile to children and adults alike. Francisco came to the United States 11 years ago out of necessity and now lives in Oakland with his partner, who also sells paletas, and their two children, ages 10 and 12.
A big lover of chocolate, his favorite ice cream is called the Big Dipper — a classic ice cream cone with vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate and peanuts.
“My business has gone down a lot,” he said. With the coronavirus, his clientele are scarce. “In the parks, there aren’t children anymore. In the schools, leaving the schools, there aren’t children.”
Nevertheless, he continues to walk from Dolores Park to and then on Mission Street all the way downtown, looking for an adult or child who wants a bubble gum flavored paleta or a strawberry shortcake bar.
Clara-Sophia Daly is an award-winning journalist who covers immigration for Mission Local. Previously, she reported for the Miami Herald, where she covered education and worked on the investigative team. She graduated with honors from Skidmore College, where she studied International Affairs and Media/Film, and later earned a master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School.
Her reporting portfolio includes investigations into a gymnastics coach who abused his students for more than a decade — work that led to his arrest.
She also covered the privatization of Florida’s public education system, state-funded anti-abortion pregnancy centers, and the deputization of university police officers under federal immigration programs.
A Northern California native, she first joined Mission Local as an intern for a year during the pandemic — and is excited to be back writing stories about immigration.
Got a tip? Email her at clarasophia@missionlocal.com. Her signal is clarasophia.13
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