-
Recruiting African Americans to the GOP: Bay Area woman says she can do it
Recruiting African Americans to the GOP: Bay Area woman says she can do it
By Joe Garofoli
A new California political action committee called Legacy Republican Alliance is trying to recruit African Americans to the Republican Party. That will be a challenge, since polls indicate that 75% of ...
Deal clears path for California vaccine-exemption crackdown
The lawmaker behind a push to tighten exemptions for mandatory childhood vaccines in California will make further changes to his proposal after Gov. Gavin Newsom backtracked this week on his commitment to ...
Trump administration threatens California over gas-mileage deal with carmakers
The U.S. Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency say California improperly preempted federal authority to set fuel economy requirements for new motor vehicles. If California does ...
Backyard granny flats: California sees them as a solution to housing crisis
Legislators are juggling several bills to remove some of the biggest obstacles to building secondary housing units, including expensive fees that kill projects in the planning stage.
California’s likely voters: They’re older, richer and whiter
More than 8 of 10 likely voters in California have attended college. Two-thirds own their own home. Almost half have annual family incomes of more than $80,000. In none of those areas are they typical of ...
This pro-choice, Mexico-embracing mayor could be California GOP’s future
Kevin Faulconer is the pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage, climate-change acknowledging, Mexico-embracing, Spanish-speaking mayor of San Diego who didn’t vote for President Trump. Is he the best hope for ...
Tolls, reservations for SF’s Lombard Street approved by California lawmakers
San Francisco could require drivers who want to navigate the world-famous crooked portion of Lombard Street to book their slot ahead of time and pay a toll, if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill the ...
Confusion, delays as videos replace interpreters at immigrants’ hearings
The Trump administration has been slow to implement its new policy replacing in-person interpreters with informational videos at immigrants’ initial hearings, but the switch is causing delays and ...
Ray Dalio, hedge fund founder and CT's richest resident, parties at Burning Man
They are both megamillionaires from Greenwich, leaders in their respective fields and hailing from buttoned-down Connecticut. Bottoned down? Hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio and Gov. Ned Lamont were ...
California vaccine-exemption crackdown heads to governor
Amid outbursts from protesters opposed to mandatory vaccinations, the state Senate gave final approval Wednesday to a bill tightening rules for medical exemptions for children attending schools and sent it ...
SF’s DCCC endorses Brown, Breed, Loftus — one campaign manager not happy
The Democratic County Central Committee’s endorsement of Supervisor Vallie Brown over Dean Preston drew a pointed response from Preston’s campaign manager.
Climate activists struggle to convince Dems that green isn’t just for whites
Environmental activists haven’t always done a good job showing how climate change affects low-income communities of color that vote reliably Democratic and bear a disproportionate share of the impacts.
Two SF homes for elderly and formerly homeless plan to close amid rising costs
Two residential care facilities — also known as board-and-care homes — plan to close within the next few months due to unsustainable costs. Now the city needs to help find other places for the homes’ ...
Tom Steyer didn’t make the cut for CNN climate debate, so he held his own — in Oakland
Presidential candidate Tom Steyer promises to declare a “climate emergency” on his first day as president and to focus money on environmental justice and helping displaced former fossil fuel workers. ...
Crackdown on vaccine exemptions moves toward passage in California
The state Assembly voted on short notice Tuesday to tighten rules for children to obtain medical exemptions from vaccinations required to attend school. The bill now heads back to the Senate, which ...
California’s AB5 gig-work bill gets key backing from Gov. Gavin Newsom
Gov. Gavin Newsom jumped directly into one of California’s hardest-fought legislative battles of the year, calling on lawmakers to pass a gig-work bill that would reclassify hundreds of thousands of ...
Dianne Feinstein harbors a secret talent
The senator’s colored-pencil drawings depict flowers and birds. The California Democrat drew them in the 1990s, but she still recalls what inspired each one.
Can Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders skip fundraisers and still win California?
Neither Sen. Elizabeth Warren nor Sen. Bernie Sanders is holding big-money fundraisers. Will they have enough money to compete in a pricey state like California?
How California’s voters may have saved Trump from releasing his taxes
An “open primary” ballot measure passed by voters 47 years ago could scuttle the new state law requiring President Trump to release his tax returns to qualify for next year’s primary ballot.
11th-hour deal paves way for bill to end rent gouging in state
Tenant advocates and landlords have been at odds all year over anti-rent gouging legislation that supporters said was necessary to keep people in their homes as living costs soar across California and ...
How Democrats get out the vote — from overseas
It wasn’t until 1976 that Americans living in foreign countries were allowed to cast absentee ballots in U.S. elections. More obstacles to voting from overseas have been removed in the years since, and ...
All top-tier Dem candidates will face off for first time — Tom Steyer left out
A Wednesday night deadline passed without any additional candidates being added for the next Democratic debate, ensuring that the event will be kept to one night. The higher bar to qualify is having ripple ...
California lawmakers, Newsom agree to major changes for charter schools
The agreement between Democratic legislative leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom includes several significant wins for the California Teachers Association, which has pushed hard for new limits on charter ...
Ousted GOP Rep. David Valadao to run for his old Central Valley seat
Former GOP Rep. David Valadao made it official Wednesday, announcing that he would seek a November 2020 rematch with Democratic Rep. TJ Cox of Fresno, who won the seat last year in one of the nation’s ...
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark donates $250,000 for election security
Craig Newmark thinks election security should be a nonpartisan effort, so he’s put up $250,000 to make sure it’s seen that way. The San Francisco founder of craigslist gave the money to the National ...
Gavin Newsom drops plan for California homelessness czar
Gov. Gavin Newsom has abandoned a campaign promise to appoint the state’s first homelessness czar and will instead rely on a task force and staff members to guide his response to the growing crisis in ...
Trump heading to Bay Area for September fundraiser, GOP donors told
A note from Trump-Pence Victory, a joint fundraising committee authorized by the Trump re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee, invites donors to “Join President Trump in the Bay ...
Tom Steyer, Marianne Williamson on verge of being bounced from next debate
The final day to qualify for the next Democratic presidential debate is Wednesday — and half the candidates in the field are unlikely to make the cut. Among those who haven’t yet qualified but still ...
Kirsten Gillibrand doesn’t know why she gets blamed for Al Franken quitting
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand stands behind her decision to call on former Sen. Al Franken to resign in the face of eight allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior. Her leadership on the issue has hurt her ...
California sues over Trump plan to hold immigrant children indefinitely
California, 18 other states and the District of Columbia sued the federal government Monday to defend a landmark court settlement that limits how long immigrant children can be held in detention.
Where are the happy warriors? Democrats aren’t selling hope
The candidates spend a lot of time bashing President Trump — but are they spending enough time creating a positive, aspirational message that voters can latch onto?
SUV from SF Mayor London Breed’s office damaged in hit-and-run
A city-owned SUV driven by Acting Mayor Vallie Brown became the victim of a hit-and-run late Tuesday morning while it was parked in Japantown, officials said.
San Francisco makes $2.5 billion offer for PG&E; electric system
For the first time, Mayor London Breed and City Attorney Dennis Herrera have put a price tag on the embattled utility’s electric assets. But a lot of unknowns remain.
View from outside California’s blue bubble: Trump could win...
President Trump remains popular with working-class voters in the industrial heartland, even if wage growth hasn’t kept up with the rise in the economy. One organization trying to connect with ...
Sponsor pulls bill to open California community college...
A state bill that would have opened community college parking lots overnight to homeless students living in vans is on hold until next year. The idea, says the bill’s author, is to give him time to work ...
California’s big housing bill is dead for the year. Here’s...
With SB50 shelved for the year, advocates of ramping up housing production in California have lost their primary legislative vehicle this session.
How Southern California Rep. Ted Lieu became Trump’s top...
Southern California Rep. Ted Lieu didn’t come to Congress intending to be a social media star or go viral for his questioning of witnesses in congressional hearings. Then the 2016 election happened.
Former Oakland Councilwoman Brooks says city’s ‘failed’...
Former Oakland City Councilwoman Desley Brooks is seeking monetary damages against the city and city attorney’s office, claiming that their defense of her legal battle against an ex-Black Panther leader ...
White House considers diverting San Francisco Bay money to pay...
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is considering diverting millions of dollars from San Francisco Bay shoreline restoration and flood control to help build the president’s wall on the southern ...
Deal clears path for California vaccine-exemption crackdown
The lawmaker behind a push to tighten exemptions for mandatory childhood vaccines in California will make further changes to his proposal after Gov. Gavin Newsom backtracked this week on his commitment to ...
Trump administration threatens California over gas-mileage deal with carmakers
The U.S. Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency say California improperly preempted federal authority to set fuel economy requirements for new motor vehicles. If California does ...
Backyard granny flats: California sees them as a solution to housing crisis
Legislators are juggling several bills to remove some of the biggest obstacles to building secondary housing units, including expensive fees that kill projects in the planning stage.
California’s likely voters: They’re older, richer and whiter
More than 8 of 10 likely voters in California have attended college. Two-thirds own their own home. Almost half have annual family incomes of more than $80,000. In none of those areas are they typical of ...
This pro-choice, Mexico-embracing mayor could be California GOP’s future
Kevin Faulconer is the pro-choice, pro-same-sex marriage, climate-change acknowledging, Mexico-embracing, Spanish-speaking mayor of San Diego who didn’t vote for President Trump. Is he the best hope for ...
Tolls, reservations for SF’s Lombard Street approved by California lawmakers
San Francisco could require drivers who want to navigate the world-famous crooked portion of Lombard Street to book their slot ahead of time and pay a toll, if Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a bill the ...
Confusion, delays as videos replace interpreters at immigrants’ hearings
The Trump administration has been slow to implement its new policy replacing in-person interpreters with informational videos at immigrants’ initial hearings, but the switch is causing delays and ...
Ray Dalio, hedge fund founder and CT's richest resident, parties at Burning Man
They are both megamillionaires from Greenwich, leaders in their respective fields and hailing from buttoned-down Connecticut. Bottoned down? Hedge fund billionaire Ray Dalio and Gov. Ned Lamont were ...
California vaccine-exemption crackdown heads to governor
Amid outbursts from protesters opposed to mandatory vaccinations, the state Senate gave final approval Wednesday to a bill tightening rules for medical exemptions for children attending schools and sent it ...
SF’s DCCC endorses Brown, Breed, Loftus — one campaign manager not happy
The Democratic County Central Committee’s endorsement of Supervisor Vallie Brown over Dean Preston drew a pointed response from Preston’s campaign manager.
Climate activists struggle to convince Dems that green isn’t just for whites
Environmental activists haven’t always done a good job showing how climate change affects low-income communities of color that vote reliably Democratic and bear a disproportionate share of the impacts.
Two SF homes for elderly and formerly homeless plan to close amid rising costs
Two residential care facilities — also known as board-and-care homes — plan to close within the next few months due to unsustainable costs. Now the city needs to help find other places for the homes’ ...
Tom Steyer didn’t make the cut for CNN climate debate, so he held his own — in Oakland
Presidential candidate Tom Steyer promises to declare a “climate emergency” on his first day as president and to focus money on environmental justice and helping displaced former fossil fuel workers. ...
Crackdown on vaccine exemptions moves toward passage in California
The state Assembly voted on short notice Tuesday to tighten rules for children to obtain medical exemptions from vaccinations required to attend school. The bill now heads back to the Senate, which ...
California’s AB5 gig-work bill gets key backing from Gov. Gavin Newsom
Gov. Gavin Newsom jumped directly into one of California’s hardest-fought legislative battles of the year, calling on lawmakers to pass a gig-work bill that would reclassify hundreds of thousands of ...
Dianne Feinstein harbors a secret talent
The senator’s colored-pencil drawings depict flowers and birds. The California Democrat drew them in the 1990s, but she still recalls what inspired each one.
Can Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders skip fundraisers and still win California?
Neither Sen. Elizabeth Warren nor Sen. Bernie Sanders is holding big-money fundraisers. Will they have enough money to compete in a pricey state like California?
How California’s voters may have saved Trump from releasing his taxes
An “open primary” ballot measure passed by voters 47 years ago could scuttle the new state law requiring President Trump to release his tax returns to qualify for next year’s primary ballot.
11th-hour deal paves way for bill to end rent gouging in state
Tenant advocates and landlords have been at odds all year over anti-rent gouging legislation that supporters said was necessary to keep people in their homes as living costs soar across California and ...
How Democrats get out the vote — from overseas
It wasn’t until 1976 that Americans living in foreign countries were allowed to cast absentee ballots in U.S. elections. More obstacles to voting from overseas have been removed in the years since, and ...
All top-tier Dem candidates will face off for first time — Tom Steyer left out
A Wednesday night deadline passed without any additional candidates being added for the next Democratic debate, ensuring that the event will be kept to one night. The higher bar to qualify is having ripple ...
California lawmakers, Newsom agree to major changes for charter schools
The agreement between Democratic legislative leaders and Gov. Gavin Newsom includes several significant wins for the California Teachers Association, which has pushed hard for new limits on charter ...
Ousted GOP Rep. David Valadao to run for his old Central Valley seat
Former GOP Rep. David Valadao made it official Wednesday, announcing that he would seek a November 2020 rematch with Democratic Rep. TJ Cox of Fresno, who won the seat last year in one of the nation’s ...
Craigslist founder Craig Newmark donates $250,000 for election security
Craig Newmark thinks election security should be a nonpartisan effort, so he’s put up $250,000 to make sure it’s seen that way. The San Francisco founder of craigslist gave the money to the National ...
Gavin Newsom drops plan for California homelessness czar
Gov. Gavin Newsom has abandoned a campaign promise to appoint the state’s first homelessness czar and will instead rely on a task force and staff members to guide his response to the growing crisis in ...
Trump heading to Bay Area for September fundraiser, GOP donors told
A note from Trump-Pence Victory, a joint fundraising committee authorized by the Trump re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee, invites donors to “Join President Trump in the Bay ...
Tom Steyer, Marianne Williamson on verge of being bounced from next debate
The final day to qualify for the next Democratic presidential debate is Wednesday — and half the candidates in the field are unlikely to make the cut. Among those who haven’t yet qualified but still ...
Kirsten Gillibrand doesn’t know why she gets blamed for Al Franken quitting
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand stands behind her decision to call on former Sen. Al Franken to resign in the face of eight allegations of sexually inappropriate behavior. Her leadership on the issue has hurt her ...
California sues over Trump plan to hold immigrant children indefinitely
California, 18 other states and the District of Columbia sued the federal government Monday to defend a landmark court settlement that limits how long immigrant children can be held in detention.
Where are the happy warriors? Democrats aren’t selling hope
The candidates spend a lot of time bashing President Trump — but are they spending enough time creating a positive, aspirational message that voters can latch onto?
Exclusive Columnists
Time to help SF’s homeless — and time to get tough if they...
The city is shutting down its juvenile hall and has spare jail space. Why not turn them into navigation centers?
Sweet deal: Some retired public employees’ pensions bigger...
When it comes to retirement, there’s a new 1 percent out there — city and county executives with pensions of more than $200,000 a year.
Recruiting African Americans to the GOP: Bay Area woman says...
A new California political action committee called Legacy Republican Alliance is trying to recruit African Americans to the Republican Party. That will be a challenge, since polls indicate that 75% of African Americans disapprove of President Trump and 80% think he is a racist.
We found quirky, beautiful and historic sights along 49 Mile...
Emperor Norton, roller skates, seagull signs and pork buns. Two Chronicle columnists saw it all when they spent 15 hours and 15 minutes traversing the famous 49 Mile Scenic Drive without a car.
US-Taliban talks appear stopped for now, Afghan gov't says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A startled Afghan government said on Sunday it believes U.S.-Taliban negotiations on ending America's longest war will not continue "at this stage" after President Donald Trump said he ...
