With a holiday coming up that usually involves a lot of boxes, we’re revisiting two previous shows about recycling. Ride along with a sanitation worker who collects everything in San Francisco’s blue bins, and learn some dos and don’ts of recycling at a Recology sorting center.

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 news: State mask mandate refined for cities like SF; former Public Works boss pleads guilty to fraud; mayor initiates crackdown on Tenderloin drug use and dealing, including with state of emergency; school board staves off state takeover by voting for staff-recommended budget cuts; mayor proposes charter amendment overseeing school board and child services agencies. Coming up: Supervisors to vote on state of emergency declaration for the Tenderloin, SFMTA board to meet.

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 news: Omicron variant prompts new mask mandate that overrides SF rules; high school students walk out in protest over sexual assault allegations; school board members present alternative budget cutting proposal to staff plan. Coming up: Mayor to introduce school board reform charter amendment to Board of Supervisors; supervisors to consider buying former Goodwill for safe consumption site; school board faces deadline for budget plan; Building Inspection Commission to get update on seismic retrofit program.

Legislators, activists and tenants are worried about real estate investors buying multi-unit housing properties only to evict all of the tenants and sell the buildings for a profit. They’re calling for an end to the state law that makes this possible, the Ellis Act. In the meantime, they want the city and the nonprofits it works with to buy those buildings instead of leaving them for speculators to snap up.

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 news: Omicron detected in SF; Supervisors vote to allocate money for housing acquisition; School board members suggest different plan for budget cuts. Coming up: School board to consider budget proposal; Supervisors to consider approving $2.5 million settlement in lawsuit over police killing of Keita O'Neil.

Could the Bay Area address housing affordability and control water use in perpetually drought-stricken California at the same time? A report from SPUR and the Pacific Institute says yes. In fact, we’ve done it before. The key is to continue improving conservation methods while building infill housing rather than allowing urban sprawl. SPUR’s Laura Feinstein explains.

While a judge in Los Angeles was ending Britney Spears’ conservatorship after 13 years, mental health activists who call themselves the Mad Mob were protesting the very concept of conservatorship and forced treatment here in San Francisco. Hear from Mad Mob members, Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, and a mental health services coordinator who has been conserved about how this works locally.

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 news: Mayor supports school board recall, DA recall qualifies for ballot; activists mark the ending of Britney Spears' conservatorship by calling for better voluntary mental health treatment; opioid overdoses mapped; requests for rent relief far outpace allocated money. Coming up: School board and building inspection commission to discuss filling leadership positions; school board to discuss budget; Board of Supervisors to consider allocation for needs assessment at Buena Vista Horace Mann school, and making changes to the planning code to repeal oil and gas production and processing land uses.