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Mission Local •

First adult LGBTQ shelter in U.S., Jazzie's Place, to nearly triple in size

After 10 years, the first queer-only adult homeless shelter in the United States (and the only LGBTQ-only shelter in San Francisco) is expanding to take over most of the second floor of its building at 1050 South Van Ness Ave.

Jazzie’s Place, which opened in 2015 at the Mission District site with 28 beds, is believed to have become the first shelter exclusively for LGBTQ+ adults in the country, according to its founders.

The expansion, which concluded on Aug. 27, includes a dorm with 44 beds,...
El Tecolote •

ICE tactics escalate in SF as protesters clash with officers

Federal officers escalated their use of force Wednesday morning as about 30 protesters clashed with Department of Homeland Security and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers outside the San Francisco immigration courthouse, following alleged detentions after court hearings.

While witnesses on the scene initially reported as many as nine people being detained as they left or entered immigration hearings, the SF Rapid Response Network later confirmed only one arrest of an immigrant at...
El Tecolote •

SF budget passes, RV ban approved: How new policies impact Latinos

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a sweeping set of ordinances on Tuesday, finalizing the city’s $15.9 billion budget for the next two fiscal years. While Supervisor Connie Chan, chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, described the result as a “balanced proposal” that protects housing investments, advocates say the measures will deepen hardship for low-income and immigrant communities.

Among the changes: controversial restrictions on RV parking; fee increases that could b...
El Tecolote •

ICE arrests four at SF courthouse, sparking outcry from advocates

Four people were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside San Francisco’s immigration court on Tuesday — a rare tactic Bay Area immigrant rights groups say marks an alarming escalation in local enforcement.

The arrests, believed to be the first of their kind at the 100 Montgomery Street courthouse, sparked swift condemnation from a coalition of immigrant and human rights organizations. The following morning, dozens gathered outside the courthouse to denounce what the...
Mission Local •

SFUSD rescinds 151 staff layoffs in stunning reversal

A version of this story was first published on El Tecolote. In a last-minute and somewhat shocking reversal of a budget-cutting measure, the San Francisco Unified School District reversed the impending layoffs of 34 school counselors and 117 paraeducators — instructional aides, student and family resource personnel, security aides, and other staffing personnel. The district employees had received preliminary termination notices in late February and March in a cost-cutting bid to cover the SFUSD’...
El Tecolote •

ICE eyes takeover FCI Dublin despite toxic conditions

All signs point to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) preparing to take over a shuttered Bay Area women’s prison to house immigrant detainees — despite toxic living conditions and a documented history of abuse.

Federal Correctional Institution Dublin (FCI Dublin), located an hour from San Francisco, was closed in April 2024 following lawsuits, whistleblower reports and inspections that revealed rampant sexual violence, mold, asbestos and sewage leaks. The prison was so notorious that it...
El Tecolote •

SFUSD Adds a Courtroom Battle to Their Lengthy List of Reopening Hurdles - El Tecolote

In what has deemed quite an unusual move, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced on Feb. 3, that he had filed a lawsuit against the San Francisco United School District (SFUSD) and the San Francisco Board of Education (BOE) on the grounds that their plans to reopen the city’s public schools were “woefully inadequate and [didn’t] meet the basic requirements set by the state” to offer in-person, classroom instruction whenever possible.
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