The Dissent

Here's a fun exercise: try getting a straightforward price quote for a cosmetic procedure in the Bay Area.

A first-time visitor to San Francisco recently asked a simple question that, in plenty of American cities, might spark…

In a region where we usually cover government boondoggles and transit meltdowns, sometimes a story comes along that…

If you've driven anywhere in the Bay Area recently, you've probably noticed them: fleets of identical white Chrysler…

If you've ever stood at a Caltrain crossing and watched the gates still descending as a train blows through at speed…

Cyclists want a path across the western span of the Bay Bridge.

Here's a fun experiment: try driving to Westfield Valley Fair on a Saturday and not losing your mind.

Here's a perfect little parable about how the Bay Area works in 2025: a group of volunteers spent their Saturday…

Sometimes the best thing San Francisco has to offer doesn't cost taxpayers a dime, doesn't require a committee, and…

In a city that seems determined to regulate, subsidize, and committee-meeting its way through every cultural…

There's something deeply endearing — and deeply unhinged — about moving to a new city, knowing literally no one, and…

In a city where we spend most of our time chronicling government incompetence and budget black holes, it's nice to…

Here's a fun exercise: Complain about Muni for five minutes.

We'll be honest with you — sometimes a story crosses our desk that's more whisper than substance.

A Cultural Event That Doesn't Need a Government Grant Speech San Francisco is getting a dose of something refreshing…

Here's a novel concept for San Francisco: a massive, free, all-day event that doesn't require a permit fee study, a…

Look, we're not going to pretend that every fundraiser in the Bay Area deserves your hard-earned dollars.

Look, we spend most of our time here railing against budget bloat and bureaucratic dysfunction.

If you felt a quick jolt around 4:40 p.m.

Every week, without fail, someone posts a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge that stops you mid-scroll.

Here's a story that should make every San Franciscan instinctively pat their pockets.

If you've been waiting on your Metroboard delivery, congratulations — it's apparently real, it exists, and it's finally…

California's coastline is currently sitting in the hot zone of an intense marine heat wave, with sea surface…

If you live in San Francisco — or really, anywhere with a bus stop, a billboard, or a mailbox — you've encountered the…