SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco voters will decide in November whether to tax large businesses to pay for homeless and housing services, an issue that set off a battle in another West Coast city struggling with income inequality. The city elections department verified Monday that supporters had collected enough signatures...
San Francisco's 1st Black Female Mayor Sworn In
SAN FRANCISCO — The first black female mayor of San Francisco made history Wednesday as she took the oath of office, vowing to help drug users and the homeless in a city that has come to embody extreme wealth and poverty. In her inauguration speech, London Breed promised to build...
Busting Three Big Myths About Homelessness
As a young psychologist in the 1980s who had researched treatment of the mentally ill, I was concerned by many reports suggesting that the growing number of homeless people may be due to deinstitutionalization. Over the past 30 years, my research group and I have conducted a wide range of...
Why Are So Many Homeless People on West Coast Streets?
One-quarter of homeless people in the U.S. live in California, despite Californians making up only 12 percent of the population. Not only is homelessness more common on the West Coast but it is also more visible, because a higher proportion of homeless people are unsheltered. In the U.S., 24 percent...
What California County Is Big & Beautiful Yet Small & Ugly?
Why does a place as big and beautiful as Orange County behave in ways so small and ugly? In recent weeks, county supervisors first voted to oppose state sanctuary laws, thus aligning themselves with President Trump, who has targeted California in a campaign of lies and mass deportation, and against...
Homelessness in Fresno is a Big Problem. Tiny Houses Might Help.
Can tiny houses help reduce homelessness in Fresno? The Fresno Rescue Mission believes so. While the effectiveness of the city of Fresno’s “no camping” ordinance, complete with possible $1,000 fines and jail time, is debated, the Rescue Mission is forging ahead with a creative housing plan to help reduce homelessness....
Homelessness in Fresno is a Big Problem. Tiny Houses Might Help.
Can tiny houses help reduce homelessness in Fresno? The Fresno Rescue Mission believes so. While the effectiveness of the city of Fresno’s “no camping” ordinance, complete with possible $1,000 fines and jail time, is debated, the Rescue Mission is forging ahead with a creative housing plan to help reduce homelessness....
Will Fresno Get $20 Million for Homeless From State Budget Surplus?
Mayor Lee Brand delivered the keynote speech to the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation’s monthly breakfast Wednesday (Jan. 31). He touted his first-year accomplishments (Rental Housing Improvement Act, Citizens’ Public Safety Advisory Board) and said Business Friendly 2.0! is his top priority for 2018. Brand also said he will partner with...
Will Fresno Get $20 Million for Homeless From State Budget Surplus?
Mayor Lee Brand delivered the keynote speech to the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation’s monthly breakfast Wednesday (Jan. 31). He touted his first-year accomplishments (Rental Housing Improvement Act, Citizens’ Public Safety Advisory Board) and said Business Friendly 2.0! is his top priority for 2018. Brand also said he will partner with...
Fresno Keeps Close Eye on California's Hepatitis Emergency
A deadly outbreak of hepatitis A in California has prompted Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a state of emergency to better respond to the disease. So far, the outbreak has killed 19 people in San Diego and sickened close to 600 across the state. The governor’s declaration will allow the...