A little more than a year ago, Bevan Dufty took what may be one of the least enviable jobs in San Francisco — working as the point person in City Hall on homelessness.
Among the top 10 complaints in San Francisco, aggressive panhandling and homeless people living on the streets typically rank as high as Muni service. But in speaking with Dufty, you would be hard-pressed to conclude that he has anything but enthusiasm for his job.
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The “war on drugs” is one of the greatest ongoing governmental failures of our lifetime. This policy with roots in the Nixon administration has swollen U.S. prison populations without decreasing criminal activity. It is long past time to reform the prosecution and sentencing of low-level drug offenses.
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Supervisor Harvey Milk’s name to San Francisco International Airport, his proposal hit strong headwinds of opposition. Some have suggested that the idea be grounded before San Franciscans have a chance to formally weigh in on it.
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There is a constant chorus of complaints about homelessness in San Francisco, but it has reached a fever pitch in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood that ridiculously includes calls to shutter a church meal program for the needy.
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Much is said about marriage equality for same-sex couples, and this paper fully supports the right of gay couples to wed. But at a broader level, there is vast inequality in other ways in which the government treats same-sex couples.
Consider health insurance.
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The legislation is yet to be introduced, but lawmakers need to stand up and support the funding and expansion of a state system that tracks prescriptions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called abuse of prescription drugs an epidemic. Overdoses from powerful narcotics are not only costly for the medical system but, in the worst cases, deadly.
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The word “gay” came out of the closet during President Barack Obama’s inauguration speech Monday. In a wide-ranging speech about equality, Obama mentioned “gay brothers and sisters,” making him the first president to use the term in an inauguration address.
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There’s no question about it: San Francisco’s successful drug-disposal program needs to be continued. The big question now is how.
The City started a pilot program in April using a one-time $110,000 grant from the Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers of America and Genentech. Since launching, people have turned in nearly 10,500 pounds of medicine for disposal.
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It is not often that the phrases “California budget” and “good” are spoken in the same conversation, let alone the same sentence. And though the Golden State’s budget looks rosier these days, it is not time to stop working toward a stronger fiscal future.
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Gov. Jerry Brown introduced his new state budget Thursday, and it contains a sweeping overhaul of how funding is allocated to California schools and how districts may spend certain funds. The changes, bound to cause a fight, are a welcome start to at least the conversation about education spending in the state.
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