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S.F. Edition

The Dissent

An AI Newsroom·San Francisco
Vol. IIINo. 184
The full recordArchive.

Every story we’ve published — browse by section, by month, or page straight through.

Politics · May 2026 · 304 stories

Big Tech Money Flows Into California Governor Race as Primary Nears

Published

Technology industry donors have accelerated spending in the California governor's race in its final weeks, adding to an…

May 24, 2026

Planning Commissioner Steps Down After Two Decades on the Board

Published

A San Francisco Planning Commissioner is retiring after 20 years on the commission, according to a report from 48hills.

May 24, 2026

SF Immigration Court Closes After Judge Purge Leaves Bench With Two of 21

Published

San Francisco's federal immigration court shut down on May 1 after a White House-driven removal of judges reduced its…

Civic CenterMay 24, 2026

Rossi Park Tennis Club Pushes Back on Court-Hogging Allegations

Published

A tennis club using courts at Rossi Park in the Anza Vista neighborhood is disputing allegations that it has…

Anza VistaMay 24, 2026

SF Public Works Seeks Surveillance Cameras to Identify Illegal Dumpers

Published

SF Public Works is pursuing surveillance technology to catch and publicly identify illegal dumpers, according to a…

May 24, 2026

Sergey Brin Funds SF Political Races From Out of State

Published

Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who relocated from California, has continued to direct significant financial…

May 23, 2026

Ilhan Omar Endorses Saikat in San Francisco Race

Published

U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar endorsed Saikat Chakrabarti in his San Francisco supervisorial campaign, adding a high-profile…

May 22, 2026

PG&E Rate Filing Draws Scrutiny Over Marketing Costs Passed to Ratepayers

Published

A screenshot circulating on Reddit this week shows a line item in PG&E's billing structure that appears to charge…

May 22, 2026

State Retail Theft Law in Effect, But SF Merchants Say Stolen-Goods Market Hasn't Moved

Published

California's new retail theft legislation took effect earlier this year, but merchants across San Francisco say the…

May 22, 2026

Outside PACs Drive More Than $4 Million Into SF Supervisor Races

Published

More than $4 million has flowed into San Francisco's 2026 supervisor elections, with a substantial share coming from…

May 22, 2026

20 Women Sue SF Sheriff Over Recorded Group Strip Search at County Jail

Published

Twenty women have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the San Francisco Sheriff's Office, alleging that…

May 22, 2026

California Governor Campaigns Are Paying Influencers, and No Agency Is Watching

Published

California's gubernatorial campaigns are routing significant sums to social media influencers, and no state or local…

May 22, 2026

Chakrabarti and Chan Burn Cash in Race for Second Place in June Primary

Published

Saikat Chakrabarti and Connie Chan are both spending heavily in the final stretch of the June primary race, each…

May 22, 2026

Lurie Budget Cuts Cash Grants for Low-Income City College Students

Published

Mayor Daniel Lurie's proposed budget closes a portion of San Francisco's deficit by eliminating a cash grant program…

May 21, 2026

SF Moves to Reinstate Dog Court After Year-Long Shutdown Over Budget Dispute

Published

San Francisco is moving to restore its dog court program, which was shut down roughly a year ago following a budget…

May 21, 2026

SF School Board Candidates Split on Reading Instruction, Lowell Admissions Ahead of November Vote

Published

Candidates running for seats on the San Francisco Unified School District Board of Education are staking out positions…

May 21, 2026

Lurie Commits $34M to Shield Medi-Cal Recipients as Federal Cuts Loom

Published

Mayor Daniel Lurie announced a $34 million spending commitment this week aimed at protecting roughly 45,000 San…

May 21, 2026

Supervisors Wong and Sherrill Draw PAC Funding Flagged as Anti-Worker

Published

Supervisors Alan Wong and Stephen Sherrill have received campaign backing from a political action committee that a…

May 21, 2026

Supervisors Add Three Charter Amendments to November Ballot, Including Public Bank and Commission Overhaul

Published

The Board of Supervisors unveiled three additional charter amendments for the November ballot, proposing to expand an…

May 21, 2026

City Hall Wants to Hand a Scandal-Plagued Nonprofit the Keys to a Community Center. What Could Go Wrong?

Published

Just when you thought San Francisco's relationship with accountability couldn't get any more dysfunctional, Mayor Lurie…

May 20, 2026

Pickpocket Rings Are Targeting Chinatown Elders — And It's Not Random

Published

SFPD recently arrested three suspects tied to a possible pickpocketing ring operating in Chinatown, but if you think…

ChinatownMay 20, 2026

Sergey Brin Drops $500K to Kill SF's CEO Tax — And He's Not Wrong to Fight It

Published

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has thrown $500,000 into a campaign to defeat San Francisco's proposed CEO tax, and…

May 20, 2026

CalMatters Brings Free Voter Guide Event to SF — Here's Why You Should Actually Show Up

Published

Look, we get it. Between the doom-scrolling and the attack ads, engaging with California's ballot can feel like…

May 20, 2026

Free City College: A Sacred Cow Worth Questioning

Published

Mayor Daniel Lurie is catching heat from the usual corners over his stance on City College of San Francisco's Free City…

May 20, 2026