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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.

All sections · All dates · 4,714 stories

SFO Is a Mess Right Now — And the Taxi Scams Aren't Helping

Published

If you've flown through SFO recently, you already know: it's rough out there.

TransitApril 20, 2026

San Francisco Is Cutting Services for Seniors and the Disabled — Maybe Try Cutting the Bureaucracy First

Published

San Francisco is staring down another budget deficit, and as usual, the city's solution is to make the most vulnerable…

PoliticsApril 20, 2026

The AI Boom Is Coming for the Bay Area — And Not in the Way the Billboards Promise

Published

Here's a thought experiment: What happens when a region that already can't house its middle class suddenly mints tens…

HousingApril 20, 2026

Reminder: You Live in One of the Most Beautiful Cities on Earth

Published

Sometimes you need to stop doomscrolling the budget deficit, the latest SFMTA fare hike, or whatever fresh bureaucratic…

CultureApril 20, 2026

Bernal Heights Has a Friendliness Problem — But It's Not Just Bernal

Published

A newcomer to Bernal Heights recently raised a question that a lot of San Franciscans have quietly asked themselves…

CultureBernal HeightsApril 20, 2026

Why Is It So Hard to Find a Decent Gym in San Francisco?

Published

Here's a fun exercise — no pun intended — in San Francisco economics: Pay more, get less.

CultureSoMaApril 20, 2026

UCSF Transferred a Dementia Patient Without Family Consent. Apparently That's Just How It Works Now.

Published

Here's a situation that should make anyone with an aging parent or vulnerable family member pay attention.

GeneralInner SunsetApril 20, 2026

A Black Professional Asked Where to Go Out in SF. The Honest Answer Is Devastating.

Published

A Black professional woman in her 40s recently asked a simple question ahead of a trip to San Francisco: where can she…

CultureApril 20, 2026

Your Guide to Evening Dates That Don't Require a Bar Tab

Published

Here's a radical concept for San Francisco's dating scene: you don't need a $19 craft cocktail or a $7 oat milk latte…

CultureApril 20, 2026

Hippie Hill vs. Dolores Park: The Annual 4/20 Turf War

Published

Every year on April 20th, San Francisco faces its most pressing resource allocation question — no, not the budget…

CultureGolden Gate ParkApril 20, 2026

The New York Times Discovered Vacaville and Nobody Knows Why

Published

The New York Times, America's paper of record, recently turned its journalistic gaze upon...

CultureApril 20, 2026

In a City That Moves Fast, Some Moments Ask You to Slow Down

Published

We spend a lot of time in this column talking about what's broken — the budget holes, the bureaucratic bloat, the…

CultureApril 20, 2026

Skip the Chains: The Bay Area's Best Asian Bakeries Are Mom-and-Pop Gems

Published

Look, 85°C and Paris Baguette are fine. They're the Starbucks of Asian baked goods — consistent, available, and utterly…

FoodApril 20, 2026

Mother Nature Didn't Get the Memo That It's Almost June

Published

If you walked outside this week and thought you'd accidentally teleported to Seattle, you're not alone.

GeneralApril 20, 2026

One Tough Kitten in West San Jose Needs a Forever Home — And Honestly, Deserves One

Published

Not everything we cover involves government waste or transit meltdowns.

GeneralApril 20, 2026

The Best Free Real Estate in San Francisco Is Run by the Federal Government (And It's Actually Good)

Published

We don't say this often, but here's a case where the federal government got something right: the Golden Gate National…

CultureApril 20, 2026

The Hidden Mold Crisis in East Bay's Aging Housing Stock

Published

Here's a question Bay Area renters shouldn't have to ask: Is it normal for mold to keep growing in your kid's bedroom…

HousingApril 20, 2026

BART's Vandalism Problem Has a Simple Solution — If Anyone Bothers to Implement It

Published

Here's a radical concept for Bay Area transit: actually enforcing the rules.

TransitApril 20, 2026

650 Volunteers Did What Oakland Wouldn't: The East 12th Street Cleanup Is a Masterclass in Government Failure — and Community Triumph

Published

Here's a story in two acts. Act One: East 12th Street in Oakland becomes an illegal dumping ground. Trash piles up. The…

GeneralApril 20, 2026

Golden Mimosa Season Is Here — And So Are Your Allergies

Published

It's that time of year again. The Golden Mimosa trees — formally Acacia baileyana — are lighting up neighborhoods…

CultureApril 20, 2026

The Devil's in the Details: SF's Infamous Black House and the City's Vanishing Weird History

Published

San Francisco has always prided itself on being a city of freaks, misfits, and iconoclasts.

CultureRichmond DistrictApril 20, 2026

Husky Goes Full Jack London at Ocean Beach, City Mobilizes

Published

A husky was spotted roaming the sand dunes near Irving and the Great Highway on Wednesday, collar on but tagless, doing…

GeneralOuter SunsetApril 20, 2026

San Francisco Celebrates Painting Some Lines on the Ground at the Wiggle

Published

There's a new crosswalk at Duboce & Steiner/Sanchez — right in the heart of the Wiggle — and apparently this qualifies…

TransitLower HaightApril 20, 2026

You Live Here and You've Never Been to Alcatraz? You're Not Alone.

Published

Here's a dirty little secret about San Franciscans: most of us have never actually done San Francisco.

CultureApril 20, 2026