Since 2008, Mission Local, an independent news site based in the Mission District, has been focused on high-impact, enterprise reporting on everything from police reform to corruption at City Hall, housing, and the gig economy. Core to our mission is training the next generation of journalists who reflect the diversity of San Francisco.

We aspire to be a model of local, self-sustaining, fiercely independent news.

Originally a project of U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, we struck out on our own in 2014. In the summer of 2018, we became a fiscally sponsored project. We kept growing and in October 2022, the IRS granted Mission Local SF (EIN: 88-3177547) status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.

If you prefer checks to online donations, you can make out checks to Mission Local SF and send them to 2489 Mission St. #22, San Francisco, CA, 94110.

Any questions? Call us at 415-275-4739 or contact me at lydia.chavez@missionlocal.com.

We want to hear from you! Send your tips, story ideas, and unique perspectives to tips@missionlocal.com.

The man above (a sweeper on our website footer) is an illustration done by Rini Templeton, an activist artist who did thousands of illustrations and allowed organizations and individuals to use them as open-sourced artwork.

She died in 1986 in Mexico City. Some of her illustrations are kept online here.

Masthead

Editors

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Joe Rivano Barros

Executive Editor

Joe is the executive editor at Mission Local. He is an award-winning journalist whose coverage focuses on politics, campaign finance, Silicon Valley, and criminal justice. He received a B.A. at Stanford University for political science in 2014. He was born in Sweden, grew up in Chile, and moved to Oakland when he was eight. You can reach him on Signal @jrivanob.99. More by Joe Rivano Barros

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Joe Eskenazi

Managing Editor/Columnist

Joe is a columnist and the managing editor of Mission Local. He was born in San Francisco, raised in the Bay Area, and attended U.C. Berkeley. He never left.

“Your humble narrator” was a writer and columnist for SF Weekly from 2007 to 2015, and a senior editor at San Francisco Magazine from 2015 to 2017. You may also have read his work in the Guardian (U.S. and U.K.); San Francisco Public Press; San Francisco Chronicle; San Francisco Examiner; Dallas Morning News; and elsewhere.

He resides in the Excelsior with his wife and three (!) kids, 4.3 miles from his birthplace and 5,474 from hers.

The Northern California branch of the Society of Professional Journalists named Eskenazi the 2019 Journalist of the Year. More by Joe Eskenazi

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Lydia Chávez

Founder/Editor

I’ve been a Mission resident since 1998 and a professor emeritus at Berkeley’s J-school since 2019. I got my start in newspapers at the Albuquerque Tribune in the city where I was born and raised. Like many local news outlets, The Tribune no longer exists. I left daily newspapers after working at The New York Times for the business, foreign and city desks. Lucky for all of us, it is still here.

As an old friend once pointed out, local has long been in my bones. My Master’s Project at Columbia, later published in New York Magazine, was on New York City’s experiment in community boards.

As founder and an editor at ML, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make my interest in local news sustainable. If Mission Local is a model, the answer might be that you – the readers – reward steady and smart content. As a thank you for that support we work every day to make our content even better. More by Lydia Chávez

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Meg Shutzer

Senior Editor

Meg Shutzer is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and investigative reporter. Their most recent investigation into a juvenile detention center in Louisiana was a Finalist for the Livingston and Dart Awards. Their documentaries include MOTHER (2024), 8 Days at Ware (2022, PBS) Knocking Down the Fences (2021, PBS) and New Generation Queens (2015, Amazon).
Meg has a BA from Harvard and a Master’s in Journalism from UC Berkeley. They are a co-founder of Family Pictures, a production company comprised of journalists and filmmakers who combine original reporting and cinematic vision to craft non-fiction stories. When they aren’t chasing down a story, you can find Meg teaching journalism classes at San Quentin State Prison or cycling classes at 17 Reasons Athletic Club in the Mission District. More by Meg Shutzer

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H.R. Smith

H.R. Smith has reported on tech and climate change for Grist, studied at MIT as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow, and is exceedingly fond of local politics. More by H.R. Smith

Reporters

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Eleni Balakrishnan

Staff Reporter

Eleni is a staff reporter at Mission Local with a focus on criminal justice and all things Tenderloin. She has won awards for her news coverage and public service journalism.

After graduating from Rice University, Eleni began her journalism career at City College of San Francisco, where she was formerly editor-in-chief of The Guardsman newspaper.

Message her securely on Signal at eleni.47 More by Eleni Balakrishnan

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Clara-Sophia Daly

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 More by Clara-Sophia Daly

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Xueer Lu

Data Reporter

Xueer works on data and covers the Excelsior. She joined Mission Local as part the inaugural cohort of the California Local News Fellowship in 2023.

Xueer is a bilingual journalist fluent in Mandarin. She graduated from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism with a Master’s Degree. In her downtime, she enjoys cooking and scuba diving.

You can reach her securely on Signal @xueerlu.77. More by Xueer Lu

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Marina Newman

Staff Reporter

Marina Newman is a staff reporter at Mission Local covering Bayview-Hunters Point and education. Marina began at Mission Local as an intern in 2025 and previously reported on national and international news for the Pacifica Evening News.

Marina was born and raised in San Jose and graduated from UC Berkeley where she studied American Studies and Digital Journalism. You can reach her securely on Signal @marinanewman.12. More by Marina Newman

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Oscar Palma

Staff Reporter

Reporting from the Mission District and other District 9 neighborhoods. Some of his personal interests are bicycles, film, and both Latin American literature and punk. Oscar’s work has previously appeared in KQED, The Frisc, El Tecolote, and Golden Gate Xpress. More by Oscar Palma

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Abigail Vân Neely

Staff reporter

Abigail is a staff reporter at Mission Local covering criminal justice and public health. She got her bachelor’s and master’s from Stanford University and has received awards for investigative reporting and public service journalism.

Abigail now lives in San Francisco with her cat, Sally Carrera, but she’ll always be a New Yorker. (Yes, the shelter named the cat after the Porsche from the animated movie Cars.)

Message her securely via Signal at abi.725 More by Abigail Vân Neely

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Kelly Waldron

Data Reporter

Kelly Waldron is a data reporter at Mission Local. She studied Geography at McGill University and worked at a remote sensing company in Montreal, analyzing methane data, before turning to journalism and earning a master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School. You can reach her on Signal @kwaldron.60. More by Kelly Waldron

Junyao Yang

Staff Reporter

Junyao covers San Francisco’s Westside, from the Richmond to the Sunset. She joined Mission Local in 2023 as a California Local News Fellow, after receiving her Master’s degree from UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Junyao lives in the Inner Sunset. You can find her skating at Golden Gate Park or getting a scoop at Hometown Creamery. More by Junyao Yang

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Io Yeh Gilman

Staff Reporter

Io is a staff reporter at Mission Local covering city hall and S.F. politics. She is a part of Report for America, which supports journalists in local newsrooms.

Io was born and raised in San Francisco and previously reported on the city while working for her high school newspaper, The Lowell. She studied the history of science at Harvard and wrote for The Harvard Crimson.

You can reach Io securely on Signal at ioyg.10 More by Io Yeh Gilman

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Yujie Zhou

Staff reporter

Yujie is a staff reporter covering city hall with a focus on the Asian community. She came on as an intern after graduating from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and became a full-time staff reporter as a Report for America corps member and has stayed on. Before falling in love with San Francisco, Yujie covered New York City, studied politics through the “street clashes” in Hong Kong, and earned a wine-tasting certificate in two days. She’s proud to be a bilingual journalist. Find her on Signal @Yujie_ZZ.01 More by Yujie Zhou

Copy editor

Beth Winegarner

I’m a copy editor and a Bay Area native who’s lived in San Francisco since 2004. I’ve written for local publications like the SF Weekly, San Francisco Examiner, San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco magazine, as well as the New Yorker, the Guardian, Wired, Mother Jones and others. My favorite tacos and alambres come from El Farolito. More by Beth Winegarner

Interns

Nicholas David

Nicholas was born and raised in San Francisco, and has been tracking the city’s changes and idiosyncrasies ever since. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature, and has written for local outlets since 2024.

Nicholas writes the “Richmond Buzz” neighborhood column, and covers culture and news across town. More by Nicholas David

Iryna Humenyuk

Graphics Intern

Mission Local

I immigrated to greater Toronto as a child, where I was raised by Soviet immigrants. I speak Ukrainian and French. After completing my architecture degree at the University of Waterloo in Canada, I trained as a reporter at the Columbia Journalism School. More by Iryna Humenyuk

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Zoe Malen

Visual Intern

With a bachelor’s degree in journalism, centering on film and media production alongside visual storytelling, Zoe Malen has a well-rounded focus when it comes to digital media.

New to San Francisco, she is excited to unpack new opportunities to get to know the area and emphasize the strength in community stories. More by Zoe Malen

Development

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Victoria Anibarro

Donor Engagement Director

Vicky was Mission Local’s first business hire in 2024 and became the donor engagement director in January 2026. She has helped Mission Local significantly expand it’s donor base and grow revenue streams. She is always eager to meet with our readers to learn more about what inspires them to support our publication. Please don’t hesitate to reach out! More by Victoria Anibarro

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Neil G. Ballard

Donor Engagement Associate & Illustrator

Neil G. Ballard is Mission Local’s Donor Engagement Associate and is an award-winning illustrator and cartoonist. Neil has painted murals and has drawn commercial illustrations for a variety of clients including global brands and local businesses. More by Neil G. Ballard

Advertising

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Isaac Cannon

Advertising and Sales

Isaac is the advertising and sales lead for Mission Local. He earned a B.A. in Business Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill, where he pursued his desire to “reinvent the idea of a crooked businessman” through sustainable, relational, and impact-centered sales and marketing. He is passionate about serving his neighbors, and excited to develop Mission Local’s advertising in a manner that brings value to businesses and readers alike! More by Isaac Cannon

Volunteers

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Mimi Chakarova

Multimedia Advisor

I’m a documentary filmmaker who taught with Lydia at Mission Local when it was a Berkeley Project. Now, I’m called in to advise on projects and delight in doing so. Otherwise, I’m making films. Most recently, In the Red and The Apology as well as short films, The Neighbors and The Block. Other full-length documentaries: The Price of Sex and Men: A Love Story. Find my projects at Still I Rise. More by Mimi Chakarova

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George Lipp

George Lipp has long lived in the Mission. He’s our volunteer extraordinaire – always out taking photos or running across crimes in progress. More by George Lipp

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Craig Mautner

Craig has been a Mission/Bernal resident since 2011 when he and his wife followed their kids to the Bay Area from SoCal. After a 40-year career in tech he is proud to support Mission Local behind the scenes and as an occasional reporter. When not working on ML Craig spends his time taking his granddaughter around the City, biking, rooting for the Warriors, and fixing pinball machines. More by Craig Mautner

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Sara Miles

Newsletter Author

Volunteer and author of the daily newsletter. I’m a writer who’s covered wars, politics, and religion. I’ve lived in the Mission for over 30 years, and have appreciated the work of Mission Local since it began. More by Sara Miles

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Mark Rabine

Mark Rabine has lived in the Mission for over 40 years. “What a long strange trip it’s been.” He has maintained our Covid tracker through most of the pandemic, taking some breaks with his search for the Mission’s best fried-chicken sandwich and now its best noodles. When the Warriors make the playoffs, he writes up his take on the games. More by Mark Rabine

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Sandra Salmans

I provide editing support for Mission Local from New York, about 2500 miles away from SFO. (I just looked it up.) This allows me to retain my journalistic objectivity and fussy adherence to East Coast standards of punctuation. I got involved with Mission Local a few years ago through Lydia, whom I met in the early 1980s at The New York Times, where I was a business reporter. Since then I’ve been in and out of journalism and nonprofits, and have also tried my hand at fiction. A couple of years ago I contributed Mission Local’s first fiction series, a comic novel called Love in the Middle Ages. More by Sandra Salmans

Timeline

2025

  • May: Mission Local wins 12 prizes from the California News Publishers Association, including two first-place wins for in-depth reporting and informational graphics stemming from last year’s election coverage. We practically swept the informational graphics category, thanks to our outstanding team of data reporters, winning first, third, and fourth-place prizes.
  • June: LION Publishers, a nonprofit focused on sustainability with nearly 600 member sites, named Mission Local a finalist in two categories: Business of the Year in the medium/large revenue tier and Public Service in the large revenue tier.

2024

2023

2022

  • August: Mission Local announces an inaugural board of directors to oversee its new nonprofit.
  • September: Mission Local wins the Insight Award from the Institute of Nonprofit News for “Garbage Odyssey” by Lydia Chávez, edited by Joe Eskenazi and Sandra Salmans. We also win the Online News Association award for general excellence for micro newsrooms.
  • November: Mission Local‘s data reporter Will Jarrett wins the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California award for data journalism. Andrew Gilbert who contributes culture coverage wins for culture reporting.
  • December: Mission Local picks up four prizes from the San Francisco Press Club, including two for Managing Editor Joe Eskenazi, one for police reporter Eleni Balakrishnan and one for a project produced by Molly Oleson, Sindya Bhanoo and Hélène Goupil.

2021

2020

  • March: Mission Local begins a texting service for monolingual Spanish speakers during the pandemic to send real-time news in Spanish.
  • October: Mission Local wins Best of the Bay award for best website.

2019

2018

  • Summer: We’re in the process of becoming a fiscally sponsored, non-profit project. Joe Eskenazi, formerly with SF Weekly and San Francisco Magazine, becomes managing editor
  • Fall: Mission Local celebrates 10 years!
  • October: Mission Local wins three top awards from the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California.

2017

2016

  • November: In the race for District 9 supervisor, our civic engagement project “43 Questions” runs for 43 weeks and ends in a public forum.

2015

  • All year: The community helps photograph every block in the Mission for our “Good Morning Mission” project.
  • January: The 108-year-old building where Mission Local’s offices are located is damaged in a fire that leaves one dead and dozens of tenants and businesses homeless. Mission Local produces numerous articles covering the fire including two in-depth investigative pieces on the owner. The staff finds temporary refuge with neighbors Mission Bicycle and the data analysis team Wagon.
  • March: Mission Local moves into a new space at 19th and Mission.
  • October: Daniel Hirsch, Andrea Valencia, Laura Wenus and Lydia Chavez of Mission Local win the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California award for Community Journalism for “their broad, in-depth coverage of San Francisco’s Mission District, with a strong focus on how housing issues affect residents.”

2014

  • February: Ed Wasserman, a new dean at Berkeley’s J-school decides that “The curricular value [of Mission Local] to our students is limited or even, at times, non-existent.” He stops funding for the hyperlocals during school breaks or vacations. We disagree about the value, and spin Mission Local off as its own independent, media enterprise.
  • June: We’re officially Mission Local, Inc. We publish a print edition of historical pieces.
  • September: The local CBS affiliate names Mission Local as one of the best local blogs in the Bay Area. We’re pleased, but we’re not a blog!
  • October: We redesign and add new features. We also start selling business and reader memberships.

2013

  • March: Rent increases mean Mission Local moves to 2588 Mission St.

2011

2010

  • May: Mission Local wins first place from the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California for “How Clean Are San Francisco Restaurants?” The series changes the citywide restaurant inspection policy.
  • Fall: Mission Local is a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalists’ National Mark of Excellence Award.

2009

  • January: We get our first office in the Mission on 20th Street, sharing 600 square feet with some enormous concrete garden sculptures.
  • March: Mission Local begins translating all of its content into Spanish.
  • June: Mission Local wins a Webby Award for the best student news site in the country.
  • August: KQED notices our on-the-ground reporting of the changes on Mission Street.
  • Fall: We begin a collaboration with SFGate, posting our stories on their local blogs with link backs to Mission Local. The concrete sculptures on 20th Street won’t budge from their space so we find new offices on Treat and 17th streets.

2008

  • October: Mission Local launches as a project of U.C. Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism. Great stories, but no one is reading us.