What was, by all appearances, shaping up to be a circus of a Police Commission meeting quickly became a snoozy policy discussion that concluded with a 6-1 vote by the commission to adopt SFPD’s Taser policy. “I had a nice speech, but this went on so long, you don’t even need Tasers no more,” said Darnell Boyd, a community member,...
Mission Supervisor Hillary Ronen sat down with Mission Local to talk about issues relating to her district. This is a monthly series – this interview has been edited and shortened for print. ML: Calle 24 recently blocked GoBike and other bike share companies from operating in the cultural district/SUD. Do you see these companies as the gentrifiers? Ronen: I...
Mission Supervisor Hillary Ronen was not granted a fourth aide in her office to help tackle pressing issues in her district, but her plea for more resources in the coming budget cycle may not go entirely unanswered. The San Francisco Chronicle reported last week that after her request for an additional aide was blocked by fellow supervisors, Ronen has returned...
Four months ago, Mission District Supervisor Hillary Ronen took office with the promise of tackling some of the district’s most pressing issues, including housing and homelessness. Ronen sat down with Mission Local for the first in a series of conversations to discuss strategies and evaluate the progress on some of her key goals. This interview has been edited and shortened for print. ML:...
The San Francisco Civil Grand Jury, a civilian watchdog body that investigates and reports on various aspects of city government, needs its next crop of jurors. Applications are due by May 31. Recent Civil Grand Jury reports have scrutinized the efficacy of the Department of Building Inspections and investigated the internal procedures that are triggered when a police officer shoots...
Some 40 people gathered on a sliver of sidewalk outside of the Immigrant Worker Power Center at 3358 Cesar Chavez St. to celebrate the center’s reopening following heavy renovations Thursday morning. The center has served as a hub for organizing work in the workers and immigrant rights movements and as a vocational training facility, and houses the 25-year-old collective of immigrant workers known...
A small group of homeless residents and their advocates went to City Hall on Tuesday to propose a “transitional village” in San Francisco where the homeless would be allowed to camp legally. From the so-called village, they would be connected to case management and health services while awaiting placement in city shelters, other Navigation Centers or in supportive housing. The...
A group of some 40 community members, activists, friends and family of police shooting victim Alex Nieto on Tuesday gathered around a makeshift memorial on a slope leading up Bernal Hill – a tarp strewn over a pile of rocks. A photo of Nieto smiling was imprinted on the tarp. That memorial will soon be replaced with a bench marking...
When Amos Howard left the hospital after an overnight stay, a taxi dropped him off at the corner of 18th and Shotwell streets. Howard remembers heavy rains on that day – his forearms were locked in fresh casts and, already homeless for a year and a half, the 59-year-old U.S. Army veteran had nowhere to go. “They didn’t give me...
At a rally held Tuesday at noon on City Hall steps, Supervisor David Campos joined non-profit organizations and the Public Defender’s Office for the second time in a week to push the mayor to find $5 million for immigrant legal defense within next year’s budget. The money would be divided almost equally among community non-profits and the Public Defender’s Office...
San Francisco’s homeless population can vote, even without a fixed address, announced advocates for the homeless who on Thursday gathered at the intersection of Division Street and Trainor – a narrow alleyway behind Rainbow Grocery that is lined with tents. “Our goal is to tell folks, if you want to vote, look at that street corner right there; that’s your...
From approving policy on body cameras to firing police officers found guilty of misconduct, Wednesday nights are reserved for scrutiny of police practices at the San Francisco Police Commission. The seven-member civilian panel acts as the police department’s disciplinary body and officially meets once a week for a public hearing, usually at City Hall, to receive updates from department heads,...
San Francisco supervisors challenged Acting Police Chief Toney Chaplin on his commitment to reform at a Tuesday hearing at the Board of Supervisors. Supervisors asked pointed questions about everything from Chaplin’s ability to push back against the influential police union to working towards changing department culture. “We are getting all this talk about things happening and implementation, but I...
Community groups demanding reform of the San Francisco Police Department and city government declined on Thursday to accept their awards from the San Francisco Human Rights Commission. At least half of the 16 the coalitions slated to receive the award – those recognized for organizing against police brutality – walked out of the City Hall chamber mid-ceremony. Many called the award “insulting.”...
San Francisco supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved three proposals aimed at protecting renters from the repercussions of structure fires by prioritizing them for affordable housing and requiring landlords to provide more information to tenants and to the city. All three pieces of legislation were passed on first reading unanimously and will become law after another Board of Supervisors vote and...
