Civic

The San Francisco School Board has decided to delay the application process for picking a new superintendent until the end of March, following the recall of three board members, who will be out of office before then. The board of Supervisors voted to place a recall reform measure before voters this June and passed an ordinance allowing renters to set-up tenant unions with the same negotiating powers of labor unions. We’look ahead on the city calendar on proposals to allow easier police surveillance of events in real time and how much you pay for garbage collection.

San Rafael-based nonprofit Roots of Peace stayed in Afghanistan after the Taliban reclaimed power, working to clear minefields for farmland, while also helping Afghans who wanted to leave get their families out of the country. Siawash Safi, director of technology at Roots of Peace, says relatives still in Afghanistan say they don’t have enough food and are worried about the future — and hope that Americans will consider their plight and try to help.

The end of indoor mask mandates in San Francisco. The San Francisco Police Commission orders the Police Chief to work out his differences with the District Attorney, the Mayor outlines her new budget and we look at important votes this week by the Board of Supervisors.

When you get bombarded with polarizing political ads during elections season, you might go looking for a neutral, straightforward explanation of a ballot measure or race. Often, the search will lead to Ballotpedia. This elections encyclopedia is written and edited by humans — it’s not automated. To get a better sense of where the material comes from and how staff try to earn voters’ trust, we talked to Ballotpedia writer Amée LaTour.

In What's New & What's Next, the Civic team offers a roundup of San Francisco news and a look at what's ahead on the city's calendar. The new: New calls for San Francisco to take over the PG&E power grid in the city. An investigation into fires affecting unhoused people. The SFPD abruptly ends an agreement allowing the District Attorney to investigate the use of violence by police. Coming up: Supervisors will consider plans for a new homeless shelter. A committee will decide whether or not to continue a program moving unhoused people into current hotels and a report on what a drop in commercial real estate rents means for the city.

Four people with varying political and activist backgrounds are competing to serve out the rest of former Assemblyman David Chiu's term representing District 17 in the state Assembly. On Feb. 15, voters will make their choice in a primary election for this seat. Hear highlights from conversations with David Campos, Matt Haney, Bilal Mahmood and Thea Selby about how they think the state should address the pandemic and recovery as well as concerns like education, housing and economic equity.

Measures A, B and C on the February 15 ballot ask if school board members Alison Collins, Gabriela López, and Faauuga Moliga, respectively, should be removed from their positions. Recall proponents say the board should have been more focused on reopening schools during the pandemic. Since voters will be making their choices based not only on the board members’ records but also on their policy stances, we asked all three how they would handle issues like the ongoing pandemic and the budget if they stay in place.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said the Omicron surge has peaked in the city. The California Public Utilities Commission failed in its mission to oversee ride hailing companies like Uber and Lyft. Thousands of tenants could be evicted as programs to help them pay back rent fall short. San Francisco Supervisors will consider legislation to help tenants impacted by COVID-19 and more.