San Francisco City Insider

Latest Episodes:

SF District Four candidate Jessica Ho Oct 10, 2018

Show notes

Since she swept into the political scene earlier this year as a legislative aide for outgoing Supervisor Katy Tang, SF District Four Candidate Jessica Ho has picked up several big-name endorsements, from Mayor London Breed to state Sen. Scott Weiner. But her race to represent District Four has raised eyebrows. Can she win in a sector of the city where name recognition really counts?

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SF District Two Candidate Schuyler Hudak Oct 10, 2018

Show notes

A political newcomer, San Francisco District Two Candidate Schuyler Hudak has centered her campaign around increasing services for the mentally ill on the city's streets. But she faces stiff opposition. Can her grassroots campaign stand up against her competitors?

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SF District Two Candidate Catherine Stefani Oct 10, 2018

Show notes

The SF Chronicle sits down with District Two Candidate Catherine Stefani -- Stefani has been District Two's incumbent since her appointment by former Mayor Mark Farrell. Stefani wants to make San Francisco safer and more accommodating for families. She recounts what she's accomplished so far in office, and what she still wants to achieve.

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SF District Two Candidate Nick Josefowitz Oct 10, 2018

Show notes

San Francisco District Two Candidate Nick Josefowitz, a BART director, has pledged to reform City Hall by tackling the city's homelessness and affordability crises. To win the District Two seat, Josefowitz has signaled a willingness to splash some serious money around: He's spent more than half a million dollars on the campaign.

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The front lines of San Francisco's mental health crisis Oct 05, 2018

Show notes

Paul Linde, a doctor who worked in the psychiatric emergency room of San Francisco General Hospital for 24 years. He talks about why the city's mental health system is so broken and what it would take to fix it - namely, far more mental health treatment beds so there's somewhere for mentally ill homeless people to go besides the E.R. or our sidewalks.

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Debunking climate change deniers Sep 11, 2018

Show notes

When Heather Knight tweeted about the link between California's dreadful wildfire season and climate change, the deniers responded. She reads their tweets to Kevin Drew of the San Francisco Department of the Environment and Jared Blumenfeld, formerly of the Environmental Protection Agency, to get their response — and the facts.

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Farewell to Chief of Staff Jason Elliott Aug 31, 2018

Show notes

Farewell to a four-time chief of staff: Jason Elliott, who served Mayors Ed Lee, London Breed, Mark Farrell and London Breed again, has just departed Room 200 to join Gavin Newsom’s campaign for governor. Elliott opens up about his last day working with Lee and that terrible December night his boss died. He talks about the biggest piece of city government that’s broken, and what he always makes sure to squeeze into his day with his wife, the city’s cannabis chief. (No, it's not pot.)

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SF District Eight Supervisor Rafael Mandelman Aug 20, 2018

Show notes

One of San Francisco's newest supervisors sits down with Chronicle columnist Heather Knight and City Hall reporter Trisha Thadani to talk about what it will take to tackle the crisis of untreated mental illness on the city's streets, his thoughts on the proposed ban on office cafeterias and where he goes for the city's best burrito.

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Emerge founder Andrea Dew Steele Aug 20, 2018

Show notes

Back in 2002, Andrea Dew Steele helped her friend, Kamala Harris, start a campaign for San Francisco District Attorney. Sixteen years later, Harris is a U.S. Senator with her eye on the White House and Steele’s Emerge, a training ground for women in politics, is active in 24 states. We’re talking about why more women are running for office during the Trump era, her predictions for the mid-term elections and what she’d like to see happen to Donald Trump after 2020.

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The story behind San Francisco's "Invisible Men" Jul 30, 2018

Show notes

People walking to City Hall will be surprised to see 40 identical sculptures, each weighing more than 300 pounds, standing like soldiers just out front. Artist Zak Ove, an Englishman who’s the first black person to have art displayed in the plaza, explains the work’s meaning, how it’s a counterpoint to the controversial Pioneer Monument and how it relates to San Francisco’s heartbreaking homeless problem.

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