Newsletter

Hundreds of Britney Spears fans and supporters rallied in support of ending her 13-years-long conservatorship and the removal of her father, Jamie Spears, as her conservator, at the Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse on July 14, 2021. (Photo by Ted Soqui, SIPA USA via AP Images)

The Britney effect: How California is grappling with conservatorship

By Jocelyn Wiener CalMatters However improbable, this has become the summer we…

  • Jul 22, 2021
Hundreds of Britney Spears fans and supporters rallied in support of ending her 13-years-long conservatorship and the removal of her father, Jamie Spears, as her conservator, at the Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse on July 14, 2021. (Photo by Ted Soqui, SIPA USA via AP Images)
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants $4.2 billion to finish the Central Valley link for the bullet train, but legislators aren’t sold. (Illustration by Anne Wernikoff/CalMatters; images courtesy iStock, California High Speed Rail Authority, Shae Hammond/CalMatters)

Bullet train budget battle: Should California spend more on urban transit, not high-speed rail?

By Marissa Garcia CalMatters High-speed rail was supposed to connect California’s urban…

  • Jul 22, 2021
Gov. Gavin Newsom wants $4.2 billion to finish the Central Valley link for the bullet train, but legislators aren’t sold. (Illustration by Anne Wernikoff/CalMatters; images courtesy iStock, California High Speed Rail Authority, Shae Hammond/CalMatters)
Cooks work in the kitchen at The Vault Garden. (Courtesy Hardy Wilson)

Help wanted: SF restaurants are struggling to staff up

Some small businesses have to ‘sweeten the pot’ when hiring workers

Cooks work in the kitchen at The Vault Garden. (Courtesy Hardy Wilson)
Penelope Houston, along with guitarist Greg Ingraham, of the Avengers perform in October 2019. Courtesy Deb Frazin

Avengers vs. Blondie: Why the wrong punk band made it big

Sometime in 1983, my good friend Will heard of a record party…

  • Jul 21, 2021
Penelope Houston, along with guitarist Greg Ingraham, of the Avengers perform in October 2019. Courtesy Deb Frazin
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $6 billion bill on Tuesday for one of the country’s largest investments into internet infrastructure. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner, 2021)

Newsom signs $6 billion broadband bill: Here’s what it will fund

By Sydney Johnson EdSource Gov. Gavin Newsom signed California’s historic $6 billion…

  • Jul 21, 2021
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $6 billion bill on Tuesday for one of the country’s largest investments into internet infrastructure. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner, 2021)
SFMTA workers install some of the final decorative panels at the platform level in Chinatown–Rose Pak Station on the new Central Subway line, which is projected to open for service in 2022. The agency began testing trains on the line last week. (Courtesy SFMTA) SFMTA workers install some of the final decorative panels at the platform level in Chinatown–Rose Pak Station on the new Central Subway line, which is projected to open for service in 2022. (Courtesy SFMTA)

SFMTA starts testing trains on Central Subway line

San Francisco’s Central Subway, a public transportation project criticized for being delayed…

SFMTA workers install some of the final decorative panels at the platform level in Chinatown–Rose Pak Station on the new Central Subway line, which is projected to open for service in 2022. The agency began testing trains on the line last week. (Courtesy SFMTA) SFMTA workers install some of the final decorative panels at the platform level in Chinatown–Rose Pak Station on the new Central Subway line, which is projected to open for service in 2022. (Courtesy SFMTA)
San Francisco supervisors approved a set of goals to combat climate change. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner, 2019)

San Francisco adopts new goals to combat climate change

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors have unanimously approved a set of…

San Francisco supervisors approved a set of goals to combat climate change. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner, 2019)
Alan Cruz, who runs A’s BBQ and calls his style “Chicano barbecue,” in East Los Angeles on July 10, 2021. From storied Santa Maria tri-tip on the Central Coast, to barbacoa in Los Angeles, to hot links in West Oakland, the rules for slow-and-low are constantly rewritten here. (Adam Amengual/The New York Times)

In search of the California barbecue tradition

The char siu was faintly reminiscent of the sweet, reddish-stained Cantonese roast…

  • Jul 21, 2021
Alan Cruz, who runs A’s BBQ and calls his style “Chicano barbecue,” in East Los Angeles on July 10, 2021. From storied Santa Maria tri-tip on the Central Coast, to barbacoa in Los Angeles, to hot links in West Oakland, the rules for slow-and-low are constantly rewritten here. (Adam Amengual/The New York Times)
Even though most adults in San Francisco are fully vaccinated, some people are taking the precaution of continuing to wear masks, both indoors and outdoors, as COVID-19 continues to spread. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner)

To mask or not to mask? We ask UCSF the questions

By Veronica Irwin Examiner staff writer The maskne scars had finally started…

  • Jul 20, 2021
Even though most adults in San Francisco are fully vaccinated, some people are taking the precaution of continuing to wear masks, both indoors and outdoors, as COVID-19 continues to spread. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner)
John Doe appears with X at Stern Grove this weekend. <ins>(Courtesy Autumn De Wilde)</ins>

X’s John Doe stays on point during COVID

Punk pioneer releases 2020 album, plays solo, maintains acting career

John Doe appears with X at Stern Grove this weekend. <ins>(Courtesy Autumn De Wilde)</ins>
People walk along West Portal Avenue on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner)

San Franciscans embrace caution as the masks go back on

When the news came out last week that masks were once again…

People walk along West Portal Avenue on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner)
Caitlyn Jenner, a Republican candidate in the Gavin Newsom recall election, speaks to reporters at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento on July 9, 2021. (Photo by Marissa Garcia for CalMatters) Caitlyn Jenner, a Republican candidate in the Gavin Newsom recall election, speaks to reporters at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento on July 9, 2021. (Photo by Marissa Garcia for CalMatters)

Who is running against Newsom in the recall and what you need to know

By Jill Cowan NYTimes News Service We’re just about two months away…

  • Jul 20, 2021
Caitlyn Jenner, a Republican candidate in the Gavin Newsom recall election, speaks to reporters at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento on July 9, 2021. (Photo by Marissa Garcia for CalMatters) Caitlyn Jenner, a Republican candidate in the Gavin Newsom recall election, speaks to reporters at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento on July 9, 2021. (Photo by Marissa Garcia for CalMatters)
Despite Californians’ efforts to stop using plastic, bags, straws and other items continue to pollute the landscape. (Shutterstock)

Time to dump harmful plastic production

Policymakers, legislators must reduce the product at source

Despite Californians’ efforts to stop using plastic, bags, straws and other items continue to pollute the landscape. (Shutterstock)
Ali Suliman plays a West Bank man who struggles to stay in contact with his family members, who live on the Israeli side of the border wall, in “200 Meters,” which streams in the 41st San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. (Courtesy Alaa Ali Abdallah)

41st SF Jewish film fest screens at Castro and online

Dozens of movies from around the world reflect varied experiences, views

Ali Suliman plays a West Bank man who struggles to stay in contact with his family members, who live on the Israeli side of the border wall, in “200 Meters,” which streams in the 41st San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. (Courtesy Alaa Ali Abdallah)
Needles, sharps containers, metal tins for cooking heroin, alcohol wipes and fentanyl detection strips are some items used at San Francisco harm reduction sites. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner) Needles, sharps containers, metal tins for cooking heroin, alcohol wipes and fentanyl detection strips are some items used at San Francisco harm reduction sites. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner)

SF experiments with sobering center as new solution to drug crisis

Methamphetamine is a dangerous drug, potentially triggering destructive, dangerous behavior that poses…

Needles, sharps containers, metal tins for cooking heroin, alcohol wipes and fentanyl detection strips are some items used at San Francisco harm reduction sites. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner) Needles, sharps containers, metal tins for cooking heroin, alcohol wipes and fentanyl detection strips are some items used at San Francisco harm reduction sites. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner)
California schools add yoga to help students relax and focus as they return to campus. (Photo Courtesy Nikki Curry)

More California schools adding yoga to school day

By Carolyn Jones EdSource To help students relax, some California schools are…

  • Jul 20, 2021
California schools add yoga to help students relax and focus as they return to campus. (Photo Courtesy Nikki Curry)
Right to Counsel Coordinator Tim Coltman goes over information with clients at the Eviction Defense Collaborative. San Francisco is expected to expand access to legal counsel for those facing eviction proceedings. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner)

Tenants facing eviction cliff want lawyers: Here’s what San Francisco is doing about it

Back in 2018, San Francisco voters passed the country’s first ballot measure…

Right to Counsel Coordinator Tim Coltman goes over information with clients at the Eviction Defense Collaborative. San Francisco is expected to expand access to legal counsel for those facing eviction proceedings. (Kevin N. Hume/The Examiner)
A storage room at Dario Sattui’s winery, Castello di Amorosa, in Calistoga, on Oct. 1, 2020, that burned in the Glass Fire. If any nook of American agriculture has the means and incentive to outwit the climate crisis, it is Napa Valley. But so far, vineyards here show the limits of adapting to a warming planet. (Jim Wilson/The New York Times)

Scorched, parched and now uninsurable: Climate change hits Wine Country

By Christopher Flavelle NYTimes News Service ST. HELENA — Last September, a…

  • Jul 19, 2021
A storage room at Dario Sattui’s winery, Castello di Amorosa, in Calistoga, on Oct. 1, 2020, that burned in the Glass Fire. If any nook of American agriculture has the means and incentive to outwit the climate crisis, it is Napa Valley. But so far, vineyards here show the limits of adapting to a warming planet. (Jim Wilson/The New York Times)
The Pacific Gas & Electric Caribou-Palermo transmission line runs through an area that was devastated by the Camp Fire in November 2018 in Pulga, Feb. 28, 2019. The California utility says a blown fuse on power lines could have sparked the Dixie Fire, which has burned over 30,000 acres near the site of the Camp Fire two years ago. (Max Whittaker/The New York Times)

PG&E says its equipment may have led to 30,000-acre Dixie Fire

By Adeel Hassan NYTimes News Service Pacific Gas and Electric, California’s largest…

  • Jul 19, 2021
The Pacific Gas & Electric Caribou-Palermo transmission line runs through an area that was devastated by the Camp Fire in November 2018 in Pulga, Feb. 28, 2019. The California utility says a blown fuse on power lines could have sparked the Dixie Fire, which has burned over 30,000 acres near the site of the Camp Fire two years ago. (Max Whittaker/The New York Times)
Lina Yea, owner of Bay Home & Linens in San Mateo, was happy to invite all customers in her shop on reopening day, June 15, 2021. (Leslie Katz/The Examiner) Lina Yea, owner of Bay Home & Linens in San Mateo, was happy to invite all customers in her shop on reopening day, June 15, 2021. (Leslie Katz/The Examiner)

San Mateo considers millions in COVID relief for small business

San Mateo County supervisors on Tuesday will consider providing millions of dollars…

Lina Yea, owner of Bay Home & Linens in San Mateo, was happy to invite all customers in her shop on reopening day, June 15, 2021. (Leslie Katz/The Examiner) Lina Yea, owner of Bay Home & Linens in San Mateo, was happy to invite all customers in her shop on reopening day, June 15, 2021. (Leslie Katz/The Examiner)