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"content": "\n\u003cp>Over the past 10 years, Joanna Hernandez has learned that even a small thing can become a challenge when a loved one is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/jails\">behind bars\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her son has been held in San Francisco County Jail since July 2016 and is set for trial in September. A tooth ached without dental care. Lunch trays served cold. Deputies ridiculed him, he told his mother.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And for her 9-year-old grandson, seeing his father has meant months of emails to command staff and visits canceled without warning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re still human beings,” Hernandez said. “They deserve compassionate medical care and mental health support. And I mean, dignity for crying out loud.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A new San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/SF_Jail_Survey_2026_Report.pdf\">report suggests Hernandez’s son’s experience is far from isolated.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1231\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Carolyn Sufrin reads to female inmates at San Francisco Jail from her book, 'Jailcare.'\" class=\"wp-image-11591983\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-800x513.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-1020x654.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-1180x757.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-960x616.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-240x154.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-375x240.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-520x333.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Carolyn Sufrin reads to female inmates at San Francisco County Jail from her book, ‘Jailcare.’ (Marisa Lagos/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The survey of the city’s jail population, conducted by the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, reported poor conditions across nearly every aspect of daily life, including nutrition, safety, access to sunlight, family visitation, medical care and contact with attorneys. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nearly one-third reported being seriously injured while held in custody.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The survey was offered on jail tablets from March 18 to April 24. Nearly 500 people completed the survey of the roughly 1,200 people incarcerated at the time. DPA designed the 78-question survey in collaboration with the Sheriff’s Office and other city departments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I hope that this sheds light and provides an avenue for a lot of other neighboring counties and states to review and look at what’s happening inside of their county jails,” said Paul Briley, who spent about two months in a San Francisco county jail and now leads nonprofit Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. “So that the conditions of confinement are not depriving people of their basic humanity.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the survey, about 31% said they had been seriously injured in the jails, and 36% said the jail does not adequately protect people from violence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of the 151 people who reported an injury, 64 identified a physical altercation with Sheriff’s Office deputies as the source, compared with 40 who named other incarcerated people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said following up on the injury reports is his highest priority, and noted the responses are self-reported and were not independently verified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want people to be safe, and we don’t want to think that our system is not protecting people,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His office logged 226 fights between incarcerated people and 125 incidents of violence toward staff last fiscal year, he said, plus 36 excessive force complaints, one sustained after an outside investigation by DPA. But he said the survey’s anonymity makes individual claims nearly impossible to trace.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than half of women surveyed said they felt unprotected. This followed calls from advocates earlier this year to investigate reports that more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065232/advocates-demand-investigation-after-women-say-sf-jail-deputies-recorded-strip-searches\">a dozen women incarcerated\u003c/a> at a San Francisco jail were strip-searched in front of male deputies and recorded on body-worn cameras.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Briley said he became an advocate after seeing the conditions in county jails: 4 a.m. cold showers, wearing other people’s dirty clothing and an intake unit where meals are cold and no one goes outside.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A sheriff in uniform speaks from a podium.\" class=\"wp-image-11968000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sheriff Paul Miyamoto speaks during a news conference in Civic Center in San Francisco on June 8, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It sparked a fire inside of me to have to address this from the outside,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Food was the lowest-rated section in the survey. Nearly two-thirds said meals do not meet their nutritional needs at all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Angela Chan, assistant chief attorney at the Public Defender’s Office, said she watched a client receive a lunch of two small pieces of bread, a ball of unidentifiable meat and a few dried baby carrots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s supposed to keep that adult individual full and healthy for half a day,” Chan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said clients have left custody with high blood pressure and other conditions they did not arrive with. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Miyamoto said the menu is vetted against state standards and reviewed by a nutritionist. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It may not seem tasty or healthy at some times, but we definitely have guardrails,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Roughly one in three said they could not reach their attorney by phone, video or in person, and 40% said lockdowns interfered with legal visits. Chan said her staff sometimes wait hours to see a client and are told no one is available to bring them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a matter of priority,” she said, adding that lockdowns are not a lawful basis to deny a legal visit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Miyamoto said delays happen but denied intentionally “preventing people from seeing their attorneys.” He cited the difficulty of moving people between San Bruno and downtown courts and the mismatch between jail phone hours and public defenders’ court calendars.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260522-JAILSEARCHSUIT-25-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260522-JAILSEARCHSUIT-25-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260522-JAILSEARCHSUIT-25-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260522-JAILSEARCHSUIT-25-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju speaks during a rally outside of San Francisco County Jail 2 on May 22, 2026, one year after women incarcerated at the jail alleged they were subjected to illegal strip searches by sheriff’s deputies in a women’s housing unit. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Briley said he was most surprised by how long some people have been inside. The survey found 39 respondents had spent five to 10 years in the jails and 15 for more than a decade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In a county jail,” he said. “This is not a prison.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a next step, the Sheriff’s Office has asked the Jail Justice Coalition for recommendations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t think this is just a list of complaints,” said Anne Stuhldreher, senior adviser in the city’s office of the Treasurer, which helped develop the survey. “It’s really a list that lays out, OK, these are the challenges that we really need to work on — to fix.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Asked what she would change right now, Hernandez said she wants to be able to hold her son. There should be a rule, she said, that anyone held longer than a year gets at least one hug a month from their mother.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The human touch between a loved one and an incarcerated loved one can do so much,” she said. “Imagine what that can do to his mental health.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the city’s Department of Police Accountability sustained two excessive force complaints. Only one complaint was sustained. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Her son has been held in San Francisco County Jail since July 2016 and is set for trial in September. A tooth ached without dental care. Lunch trays served cold. Deputies ridiculed him, he told his mother.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Her son has been held in San Francisco County Jail since July 2016 and is set for trial in September. A tooth ached without dental care. Lunch trays served cold. Deputies ridiculed him, he told his mother.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And for her 9-year-old grandson, seeing his father has meant months of emails to command staff and visits canceled without warning.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They’re still human beings,” Hernandez said. “They deserve compassionate medical care and mental health support. And I mean, dignity for crying out loud.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A new San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/SF_Jail_Survey_2026_Report.pdf\">report suggests Hernandez’s son’s experience is far from isolated.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A new San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/SF_Jail_Survey_2026_Report.pdf\">report suggests Hernandez’s son’s experience is far from isolated.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The survey of the city’s jail population, conducted by the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, reported poor conditions across nearly every aspect of daily life, including nutrition, safety, access to sunlight, family visitation, medical care and contact with attorneys. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The survey was offered on jail tablets from March 18 to April 24. Nearly 500 people completed the survey of the roughly 1,200 people incarcerated at the time. DPA designed the 78-question survey in collaboration with the Sheriff’s Office and other city departments.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I hope that this sheds light and provides an avenue for a lot of other neighboring counties and states to review and look at what’s happening inside of their county jails,” said Paul Briley, who spent about two months in a San Francisco county jail and now leads nonprofit Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. “So that the conditions of confinement are not depriving people of their basic humanity.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the survey, about 31% said they had been seriously injured in the jails, and 36% said the jail does not adequately protect people from violence. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Of the 151 people who reported an injury, 64 identified a physical altercation with Sheriff’s Office deputies as the source, compared with 40 who named other incarcerated people. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said following up on the injury reports is his highest priority, and noted the responses are self-reported and were not independently verified. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We want people to be safe, and we don’t want to think that our system is not protecting people,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>His office logged 226 fights between incarcerated people and 125 incidents of violence toward staff last fiscal year, he said, plus 36 excessive force complaints, one sustained after an outside investigation by DPA. But he said the survey’s anonymity makes individual claims nearly impossible to trace.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>His office logged 226 fights between incarcerated people and 125 incidents of violence toward staff last fiscal year, he said, plus 36 excessive force complaints, one sustained after an outside investigation by DPA. But he said the survey’s anonymity makes individual claims nearly impossible to trace.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>More than half of women surveyed said they felt unprotected. This followed calls from advocates earlier this year to investigate reports that more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065232/advocates-demand-investigation-after-women-say-sf-jail-deputies-recorded-strip-searches\">a dozen women incarcerated\u003c/a> at a San Francisco jail were strip-searched in front of male deputies and recorded on body-worn cameras.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Briley said he became an advocate after seeing the conditions in county jails: 4 a.m. cold showers, wearing other people’s dirty clothing and an intake unit where meals are cold and no one goes outside.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A sheriff in uniform speaks from a podium.\" class=\"wp-image-11968000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sheriff Paul Miyamoto speaks during a news conference in Civic Center in San Francisco on June 8, 2023.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Food was the lowest-rated section in the survey. Nearly two-thirds said meals do not meet their nutritional needs at all. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Angela Chan, assistant chief attorney at the Public Defender’s Office, said she watched a client receive a lunch of two small pieces of bread, a ball of unidentifiable meat and a few dried baby carrots.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Miyamoto said the menu is vetted against state standards and reviewed by a nutritionist. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It may not seem tasty or healthy at some times, but we definitely have guardrails,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Roughly one in three said they could not reach their attorney by phone, video or in person, and 40% said lockdowns interfered with legal visits. Chan said her staff sometimes wait hours to see a client and are told no one is available to bring them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Briley said he was most surprised by how long some people have been inside. The survey found 39 respondents had spent five to 10 years in the jails and 15 for more than a decade. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In a county jail,” he said. “This is not a prison.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As a next step, the Sheriff’s Office has asked the Jail Justice Coalition for recommendations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I don’t think this is just a list of complaints,” said Anne Stuhldreher, senior adviser in the city’s office of the Treasurer, which helped develop the survey. “It’s really a list that lays out, OK, these are the challenges that we really need to work on — to fix.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Asked what she would change right now, Hernandez said she wants to be able to hold her son. There should be a rule, she said, that anyone held longer than a year gets at least one hug a month from their mother.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Asked what she would change right now, Hernandez said she wants to be able to hold her son. There should be a rule, she said, that anyone held longer than a year gets at least one hug a month from their mother.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The human touch between a loved one and an incarcerated loved one can do so much,” she said. “Imagine what that can do to his mental health.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the city’s Department of Police Accountability sustained two excessive force complaints. Only one complaint was sustained. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the city’s Department of Police Accountability sustained two excessive force complaints. Only one complaint was sustained. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "A new survey found that nearly one-third of respondents reported being seriously injured in San Francisco jails.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Over the past 10 years, Joanna Hernandez has learned that even a small thing can become a challenge when a loved one is \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/jails\">behind bars\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her son has been held in San Francisco County Jail since July 2016 and is set for trial in September. A tooth ached without dental care. Lunch trays served cold. Deputies ridiculed him, he told his mother.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And for her 9-year-old grandson, seeing his father has meant months of emails to command staff and visits canceled without warning.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re still human beings,” Hernandez said. “They deserve compassionate medical care and mental health support. And I mean, dignity for crying out loud.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A new San Francisco \u003ca href=\"https://media.api.sf.gov/documents/SF_Jail_Survey_2026_Report.pdf\">report suggests Hernandez’s son’s experience is far from isolated.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1231\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates.jpg\" alt=\"Dr. Carolyn Sufrin reads to female inmates at San Francisco Jail from her book, 'Jailcare.'\" class=\"wp-image-11591983\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-160x103.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-800x513.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-1020x654.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-1180x757.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-960x616.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-240x154.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-375x240.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2017/07/ReadingtoInmates-520x333.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Carolyn Sufrin reads to female inmates at San Francisco County Jail from her book, ‘Jailcare.’ (Marisa Lagos/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The survey of the city’s jail population, conducted by the San Francisco Department of Police Accountability, reported poor conditions across nearly every aspect of daily life, including nutrition, safety, access to sunlight, family visitation, medical care and contact with attorneys. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nearly one-third reported being seriously injured while held in custody.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The survey was offered on jail tablets from March 18 to April 24. Nearly 500 people completed the survey of the roughly 1,200 people incarcerated at the time. DPA designed the 78-question survey in collaboration with the Sheriff’s Office and other city departments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I hope that this sheds light and provides an avenue for a lot of other neighboring counties and states to review and look at what’s happening inside of their county jails,” said Paul Briley, who spent about two months in a San Francisco county jail and now leads nonprofit Legal Services for Prisoners with Children. “So that the conditions of confinement are not depriving people of their basic humanity.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the survey, about 31% said they had been seriously injured in the jails, and 36% said the jail does not adequately protect people from violence. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Of the 151 people who reported an injury, 64 identified a physical altercation with Sheriff’s Office deputies as the source, compared with 40 who named other incarcerated people. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco Sheriff Paul Miyamoto said following up on the injury reports is his highest priority, and noted the responses are self-reported and were not independently verified. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We want people to be safe, and we don’t want to think that our system is not protecting people,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>His office logged 226 fights between incarcerated people and 125 incidents of violence toward staff last fiscal year, he said, plus 36 excessive force complaints, one sustained after an outside investigation by DPA. But he said the survey’s anonymity makes individual claims nearly impossible to trace.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>More than half of women surveyed said they felt unprotected. This followed calls from advocates earlier this year to investigate reports that more than \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12065232/advocates-demand-investigation-after-women-say-sf-jail-deputies-recorded-strip-searches\">a dozen women incarcerated\u003c/a> at a San Francisco jail were strip-searched in front of male deputies and recorded on body-worn cameras.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Briley said he became an advocate after seeing the conditions in county jails: 4 a.m. cold showers, wearing other people’s dirty clothing and an intake unit where meals are cold and no one goes outside.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut.jpg\" alt=\"A sheriff in uniform speaks from a podium.\" class=\"wp-image-11968000\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-800x533.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-1020x680.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/009_KQED_SheriffPressConference_06082023-qut-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sheriff Paul Miyamoto speaks during a news conference in Civic Center in San Francisco on June 8, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It sparked a fire inside of me to have to address this from the outside,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Food was the lowest-rated section in the survey. Nearly two-thirds said meals do not meet their nutritional needs at all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Angela Chan, assistant chief attorney at the Public Defender’s Office, said she watched a client receive a lunch of two small pieces of bread, a ball of unidentifiable meat and a few dried baby carrots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That’s supposed to keep that adult individual full and healthy for half a day,” Chan said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said clients have left custody with high blood pressure and other conditions they did not arrive with. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Miyamoto said the menu is vetted against state standards and reviewed by a nutritionist. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It may not seem tasty or healthy at some times, but we definitely have guardrails,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Roughly one in three said they could not reach their attorney by phone, video or in person, and 40% said lockdowns interfered with legal visits. Chan said her staff sometimes wait hours to see a client and are told no one is available to bring them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a matter of priority,” she said, adding that lockdowns are not a lawful basis to deny a legal visit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Miyamoto said delays happen but denied intentionally “preventing people from seeing their attorneys.” He cited the difficulty of moving people between San Bruno and downtown courts and the mismatch between jail phone hours and public defenders’ court calendars.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260522-JAILSEARCHSUIT-25-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12085080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260522-JAILSEARCHSUIT-25-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260522-JAILSEARCHSUIT-25-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260522-JAILSEARCHSUIT-25-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju speaks during a rally outside of San Francisco County Jail 2 on May 22, 2026, one year after women incarcerated at the jail alleged they were subjected to illegal strip searches by sheriff’s deputies in a women’s housing unit. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Briley said he was most surprised by how long some people have been inside. The survey found 39 respondents had spent five to 10 years in the jails and 15 for more than a decade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“In a county jail,” he said. “This is not a prison.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As a next step, the Sheriff’s Office has asked the Jail Justice Coalition for recommendations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t think this is just a list of complaints,” said Anne Stuhldreher, senior adviser in the city’s office of the Treasurer, which helped develop the survey. “It’s really a list that lays out, OK, these are the challenges that we really need to work on — to fix.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Asked what she would change right now, Hernandez said she wants to be able to hold her son. There should be a rule, she said, that anyone held longer than a year gets at least one hug a month from their mother.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The human touch between a loved one and an incarcerated loved one can do so much,” she said. “Imagine what that can do to his mental health.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the city’s Department of Police Accountability sustained two excessive force complaints. Only one complaint was sustained. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "time-capsules-huge-san-francisco-archive-of-kids-books-traces-long-history-of-lgbtq-families",
"title": "‘Time Capsules’: Huge San Francisco Archive of Kids' Books Traces Long History of LGBTQ Families",
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"headTitle": "‘Time Capsules’: Huge San Francisco Archive of Kids’ Books Traces Long History of LGBTQ Families | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-kqed-v2-dropcap-paragraph dropcap-paragraph\">\u003cspan class=\"dropcap\">A\u003c/span>s a book collector in the early 2000s, Randall Tarpey-Schwed and his husband read bedtime stories endlessly to their children.\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We read all kinds of children’s books to our kids,” Tarpey-Schwed of Mill Valley said. “But I wanted to make sure that some of those showed \u003cem>their \u003c/em>kind of family.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tarpey-Schwed’s passion had taught him to go searching for deep cuts like these: specifically, books for young people that featured LGBTQ families and characters. He began scouring used book websites and other corners of the internet for titles to bring back to his family — something that he said took “a lot of persistence.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But his efforts paid off when these books became an instant hit with his daughters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’d ask them, ‘What do you want to read tonight?’” he said. “Sometimes they would say, ‘Oh, I want a Papa and Daddy book.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095736\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A person reads a newspaper at the Mechanics’ Institute Library in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Exploring his growing collection, Tarpey-Schwed saw how the genre evolved — especially when looking at the earlier titles from as early as the 1960s. While some of the books were undoubtedly dated, they still communicated the values he and his husband felt were important: acceptance, community and love.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the years, he eventually amassed over 200 books, magazines and other printed materials that featured queer characters, themes and other diverse representations of families. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As his daughters grew up, Tarpey-Schwed carefully packed the books away. But he always wanted to find a home for them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then, through the bibliophile circles of San Francisco, Myles Cooper, a library manager at the Mechanics’ Institute — a beautiful \u003ca href=\"https://www.vogue.com/article/what-is-beaux-arts-architecture\">Beaux-Arts-style\u003c/a> historical library in downtown San Francisco — found out about Tarpey-Schwed’s archive of books. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Which is how Tarpey-Schwed handed off his yearslong work in November last year — and how the Mechanics Institute became the new, public home of what they call one of the most thorough catalogs of early LGBTQ children’s literature in the United States, dating from 1969. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Scores of books which for years were stored in Tarpey-Schwed’s home can now be viewed in person by appointment or \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/\">online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Mechanics’ Institute was willing to make a commitment to preserve it as a collection, rather than, say, putting all the books into circulation,” Tarpey-Schwed said. “I felt this was more important to keep it together. Because, in its whole, it shows the history of the genre.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘It’s adorable — and it’s true’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Mechanics’ Institute dates back to the 19th century, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/archives/the-mechanics-institute-san-francisco-s-first-tech-incubator/article_644e6ace-b579-52eb-bbb2-6aec5a9534f5.html\">years before\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://sfpl.org/about-us/history-san-francisco-public-library\">the first branch of the San Francisco Public Library\u003c/a> opened its doors. During \u003ca href=\"https://www.milibrary.org/about-us/history-and-mission/\">its initial years\u003c/a>, the center served as a place for people to learn vocational skills at the tail end of the Gold Rush. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, the Mechanics’ Institute is a home for the Bay Area’s chess players, cultural events and \u003ca href=\"https://www.milibrary.org/research-and-resources/special-collections/\">special collections\u003c/a> for researchers to dive into. And a major reason, Cooper said, why the Mechanics’ Institute took in Tarpey-Schwed’s “wonderful addition” was to “widen, broaden and tell more stories that relate to people here and that are important to people today.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection has some contemporary examples, what makes it unique are the earlier titles Tarpey-Schwed discovered — many of which came from small independent presses, are out of print or were self-published.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095738\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist, is photographed at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-146/heather-has-two-mommies\">“Heather Has Two Mommies”\u003c/a> by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Diana Souza, self-published in 1989 before being picked up a year earlier by \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20131103212823/http://www.glbtq.com/sfeatures/interviewsalyson.html\">Alyson Wonderland\u003c/a> — a then-brand-new LGBTQ children’s fiction publisher. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The collection, while telling the story of LGBTQ families, “also tells the stories of publishing,” Cooper said. “Publishers that dared to print some of those first stories that had representation of alternative families.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tarpey-Schwed’s collection traces how the genre was also impacted by real-life events, like legal developments around marriage equality and family law — or the lack of them. For instance, some of the earlier works Tarpey-Schwed found written before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016010/reflecting-on-the-fight-for-marriage-equality\">marriage equality\u003c/a> tried to grapple with what to \u003cem>call \u003c/em>the union of two parents, or a new partner of a parent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So, it could be ‘roommate’ — which I think is a hilarious euphemism,” he said. “There’s one story in which a little girl is portrayed as living with her mother and her godmother. But when you look at the iconography of the image, it’s clearly a lesbian couple.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A title that became dear to Tarpey-Schwed’s own family is \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-137/in-our-mothers-house\">“In Our Mother’s House,”\u003c/a> by Patricia Polacco, which follows two moms throwing a block party in Berkeley. At one point in the book, a neighbor storms in and snaps at the family, scaring the kids.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And then — this is going to choke me up talking about it — what happens is that every one of the neighbors, one by one, comes up and gives the family a hug,” Tarpey-Schwed said. “Even though it’s a complicated and nuanced story, at the end, it cuts right through to: ‘But your family is loved.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095737\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-79-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-79-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-79-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-79-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist, is photographed at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095722\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095722\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through a box of books from the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s maybe an assumption out there that writing a children’s book is like writing a dumbed-down version of an adult book, and that’s completely wrong,” he said. “Children’s books are a genre of their own, and a really good children’s book is a good book, period.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Cooper, \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-139/and-tango-makes-three\">“And Tango Makes Three”\u003c/a> has a special place in his heart, bringing back memories of reading it to elementary-school students upon its first release in 2005. Written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole, the famous book is based on \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/feb/08/usa.gayrights\">a true story\u003c/a> of two penguins in a New York zoo who raise a baby chick named Tango after zoo keepers notice their desire for a family — evidenced by their attempts to “hatch” a rock.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“How can you argue with that?” Cooper said. “It’s adorable, and it’s true.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘A broad censorship effect’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nonetheless, “And Tango Makes Three” — like many of the books in the Tarpey-Schwed collection — has been a target of \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">coordinated campaigns nationwide\u003c/a> that aim to pull diverse books off the shelves of public libraries and schools. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a very fragile area of collections,” Cooper said. “They’re being banned, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/08/book-bans-california-libraries/\">even in public libraries in California\u003c/a>. It really is an area that we need to collect and keep and maintain just for our own history.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2016, the American Library Association \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">tracked 208 unique titles\u003c/a> that were challenged in public schools and libraries in the United States. In 2025, that number shot up to over 4,200 titles — and nearly 40% of those titles featured LGBTQ characters or characters of color. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095731\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through Asha’s Mums, a book published in 1990, which is part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ALA also found that almost all book challenges in 2025 were initiated \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">by pressure groups, government officials and decision-makers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Along with these challenges, \u003ca href=\"https://lawlibguides.sandiego.edu/c.php?g=1421168&p=10542274\">various laws and policies\u003c/a> — some carrying serious consequences for offenders — can be found across the country that are attempting to restrict materials based on broad definitions like being \u003ca href=\"https://arktimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Filed-Complaint-Fayetteville-Public-Library-et-al.-v.-Crawford-County-et-al.pdf\">“harmful to minors.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The wave of censorship seen in the 2020s arose after the initial stages of the pandemic, often involving the same people involved with the anti-masking movement, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101904708/conservative-mothers-as-a-political-force-in-california\">Moms for Liberty\u003c/a>, said Sarah Lamdan, the executive director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A lot of the emphasis on book bans and censorship attacks has been around the concept of ‘protecting children,’” Lamdan said. But “anyone who’s willing to say that “And Tango Makes Three” could be harmful to anyone isn’t being honest with themselves or the community that they’re addressing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And as the book challenges increase across the country, “the fatigue around fighting it has definitely set in at the same time,” said Jonathan Friedman, the Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression programs at PEN America. “It’s just normalized; it’s not news.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco authors and married duo Sarah and Ian Hoffman are very familiar with that fatigue. They are the authors of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sarahandianhoffman.com/books/\">the “Jacob” picture book series\u003c/a>, which includes installments like “Jacob’s New Dress”.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first time one of their books was banned was in 2017, in a North Carolina school district. Bans at the time were rare enough, Sarah Hoffman said, that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/us/north-carolina-school-jacobs-new-dress-book.html\">\u003cem>New York Times \u003c/em>was interested in the story\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We got all these love notes from people in North Carolina saying things like, ‘We’re so sorry, we are not all like that, we don’t want to ban your book, your book is wonderful.’ So it was actually kind of a great experience,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But now, “the book banners are so well organized … It’s impossible for anyone to keep up with,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095735\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Mechanics’ Institute Library in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California does have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893478/california-pushes-back-on-the-book-banning-movement\">some protections against these campaigns\u003c/a>. In 2024, the state adopted a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1825\">Freedom to Read Act\u003c/a>, which states that public libraries cannot exclude materials from their shelves based on content like race, gender and sexual orientation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not a cure-all. It doesn’t mean that, ‘Okay, there’s no more censorship in California,’” the American Library Association’s Lamdan said. Rather, “there’s a tool to push back on censorship attempts,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But in many other parts of the country, the book banning movement has only strengthened — especially after the Supreme Court’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oyez.org/cases/2024/24-297\">\u003cem>Mahmoud v. Taylor\u003c/em>\u003c/a> ruling in 2025 that a group of parents’ freedom of religion was violated when they couldn’t opt their children out of a class that included LGBTQ storybooks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What is so stunning about that decision is that it has this potential to have such a broad censorship effect on the very books that we know can have such a powerful positive impact for many young children,” Friedman said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Able to see themselves’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Libraries are intended to meet the needs of their communities, Lamdan said — and are supposed to have an array of books that touch every person.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For her, the Mechanics’ Institute’s motives for acquiring Tarpey-Schwed’s collection show “exactly why censorship in libraries is so harmful.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everybody deserves to see themselves reflected in stories and to see themselves reflected in library collections,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Making sure children feel seen is a major motivating factor for the works written by Half Moon Bay author Cynthia Chin-Lee — compounded by her experience as an Asian American growing up in the 60s with little to no representation in the stories around her.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095727\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095727\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of The Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones, a book published in 1991, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095730\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095730\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through Asha’s Mums, a book published in 1990, which is part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her picture book \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-020/operation-marriage\">“Operation Marriage”\u003c/a>, which features in the Mechanics’ Institute Tarpey-Schwed collection, follows Alex and her younger brother Nicky, who are trying to convince their moms to get married before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981023/a-queer-journalist-reflects-on-the-legacy-of-the-propostion-8-trial-tapes\">the passage of Proposition 8\u003c/a> — the California law that banned same-sex marriage in 2008, which was ultimately struck down a few years later.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chin-Lee said it’s based on a true story about a family who attended her church in Palo Alto. In fact, the making of the picture book was a community effort: People from the church even posed for pictures, which local artist Lea Lyon then illustrated, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But in 2023 — well after the legalization of gay marriage nationwide — “Operation Marriage” was challenged by \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1am1vKU3MR1209AanJVqySFtRYe3IiB1k/edit?gid=479202673#gid=479202673\">a Midland, Texas, county commissioner\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.mrt.com/news/article/midland-county-releases-full-list-redesignated-18342965.php\">a group of volunteers\u003c/a> who wanted to remove it from the shelves of the children’s section of a public library and into the adults’ section.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have freedom of speech, freedom of writing, and the kids that are LGBTQ especially need our support,” she said. “They need to be able to see themselves in books.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These books also play a role for parents. The Hoffmans’ first book about Jacob — “Jacob’s New Dress” — depicted a little boy who wants to wear a dress. It was based on their son Sam, who, as a kid, “liked all things that were pink and girly and sparkly” and asked to wear a dress to school when he was four, Sarah Hoffman said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That was when we faced our first issue as parents, because we wanted to let Sam be himself,” she said. “And clearly this was coming from \u003cem>him\u003c/em>, because nothing around him said little boys should like these things.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095728\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of Daddy’s Roommate, a book published in 1990, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While they were the only parents in Sam’s school navigating this, they connected with other parents online all over the world who also had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/loveyouforyou\">gender nonconforming kids\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everyone felt alone until they found this group, and suddenly we had community,” Hoffman said. “We realized that we all face the same kinds of issues.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The collection is already acting as a historical reference — and source of inspiration — for the field’s writers too. Like San Francisco children’s book author Marcus Ewert, the writer of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sevenstories.com/books/2795-10-000-dresses\">10,000 Dresses\u003c/a>,” about a young trans girl named Bailey. For Ewert, the archive functions as a trove of the genre’s pioneers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Oh my God, I wanna spend hours and hours and hours just looking at all these things,” he said. “As little time capsules, as little pieces of history.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Profound effects’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Along with being a resource for early examples of LGBTQ children’s literature, Tarpey-Schwed said he hoped that more titles and examples will continue to be added to the collection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The children’s publishing world in the past few years has seen a major wave of inclusive literature, partly thanks to industry-wide initiatives like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.diversebooks.org/\">We Need Diverse Books campaign\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was hugely successful in getting all these stories out there that weren’t being told,” Ian Hoffman said. But the backlash to the campaign was also swift — and he admitted the last few years have felt “bleak.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095724\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095724\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-12-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-12-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The authors of the 1979 children’s book When Megan Went Away dedicate the book to children of lesbian mothers. The book is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095726\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-18-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095726\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-18-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-18-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-18-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of a 1989 self-published version Heather Has Two Mommies, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But his wife, Sarah Hoffman, had some optimism. “We can temporarily go back, but you can’t change the fact that these books have existed,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Mechanics’ Institute archivist Cooper, the collection has been an exciting opportunity to learn more about children’s literature. Most people in his 40s like him, or older, have never experienced queer picture books.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[We] didn’t grow up with these kinds of stories,” he said. “I think that really does affect children … When they’re thinking about their life, what’s it going to be like? ‘I never pictured having a family, because I didn’t see that reflected in literature.’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This can really have profound effects on children today,” Cooper said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We read all kinds of children’s books to our kids,” Tarpey-Schwed of Mill Valley said. “But I wanted to make sure that some of those showed \u003cem>their \u003c/em>kind of family.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tarpey-Schwed’s passion had taught him to go searching for deep cuts like these: specifically, books for young people that featured LGBTQ families and characters. He began scouring used book websites and other corners of the internet for titles to bring back to his family — something that he said took “a lot of persistence.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095736\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A person reads a newspaper at the Mechanics’ Institute Library in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Exploring his growing collection, Tarpey-Schwed saw how the genre evolved — especially when looking at the earlier titles from as early as the 1960s. While some of the books were undoubtedly dated, they still communicated the values he and his husband felt were important: acceptance, community and love.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As his daughters grew up, Tarpey-Schwed carefully packed the books away. But he always wanted to find a home for them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Then, through the bibliophile circles of San Francisco, Myles Cooper, a library manager at the Mechanics’ Institute — a beautiful \u003ca href=\"https://www.vogue.com/article/what-is-beaux-arts-architecture\">Beaux-Arts-style\u003c/a> historical library in downtown San Francisco — found out about Tarpey-Schwed’s archive of books. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Which is how Tarpey-Schwed handed off his yearslong work in November last year — and how the Mechanics Institute became the new, public home of what they call one of the most thorough catalogs of early LGBTQ children’s literature in the United States, dating from 1969. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Scores of books which for years were stored in Tarpey-Schwed’s home can now be viewed in person by appointment or \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/\">online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The Mechanics’ Institute was willing to make a commitment to preserve it as a collection, rather than, say, putting all the books into circulation,” Tarpey-Schwed said. “I felt this was more important to keep it together. Because, in its whole, it shows the history of the genre.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Mechanics’ Institute dates back to the 19th century, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/archives/the-mechanics-institute-san-francisco-s-first-tech-incubator/article_644e6ace-b579-52eb-bbb2-6aec5a9534f5.html\">years before\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://sfpl.org/about-us/history-san-francisco-public-library\">the first branch of the San Francisco Public Library\u003c/a> opened its doors. During \u003ca href=\"https://www.milibrary.org/about-us/history-and-mission/\">its initial years\u003c/a>, the center served as a place for people to learn vocational skills at the tail end of the Gold Rush. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Mechanics’ Institute dates back to the 19th century, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/archives/the-mechanics-institute-san-francisco-s-first-tech-incubator/article_644e6ace-b579-52eb-bbb2-6aec5a9534f5.html\">years before\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://sfpl.org/about-us/history-san-francisco-public-library\">the first branch of the San Francisco Public Library\u003c/a> opened its doors. During \u003ca href=\"https://www.milibrary.org/about-us/history-and-mission/\">its initial years\u003c/a>, the center served as a place for people to learn vocational skills at the tail end of the Gold Rush. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, the Mechanics’ Institute is a home for the Bay Area’s chess players, cultural events and \u003ca href=\"https://www.milibrary.org/research-and-resources/special-collections/\">special collections\u003c/a> for researchers to dive into. And a major reason, Cooper said, why the Mechanics’ Institute took in Tarpey-Schwed’s “wonderful addition” was to “widen, broaden and tell more stories that relate to people here and that are important to people today.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Now, the Mechanics’ Institute is a home for the Bay Area’s chess players, cultural events and \u003ca href=\"https://www.milibrary.org/research-and-resources/special-collections/\">special collections\u003c/a> for researchers to dive into. And a major reason, Cooper said, why the Mechanics’ Institute took in Tarpey-Schwed’s “wonderful addition” was to “widen, broaden and tell more stories that relate to people here and that are important to people today.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection has some contemporary examples, what makes it unique are the earlier titles Tarpey-Schwed discovered — many of which came from small independent presses, are out of print or were self-published.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection has some contemporary examples, what makes it unique are the earlier titles Tarpey-Schwed discovered — many of which came from small independent presses, are out of print or were self-published.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095738\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist, is photographed at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095738\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist, is photographed at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Like \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-146/heather-has-two-mommies\">“Heather Has Two Mommies”\u003c/a> by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Diana Souza, self-published in 1989 before being picked up a year earlier by \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20131103212823/http://www.glbtq.com/sfeatures/interviewsalyson.html\">Alyson Wonderland\u003c/a> — a then-brand-new LGBTQ children’s fiction publisher. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Like \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-146/heather-has-two-mommies\">“Heather Has Two Mommies”\u003c/a> by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Diana Souza, self-published in 1989 before being picked up a year earlier by \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20131103212823/http://www.glbtq.com/sfeatures/interviewsalyson.html\">Alyson Wonderland\u003c/a> — a then-brand-new LGBTQ children’s fiction publisher. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tarpey-Schwed’s collection traces how the genre was also impacted by real-life events, like legal developments around marriage equality and family law — or the lack of them. For instance, some of the earlier works Tarpey-Schwed found written before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016010/reflecting-on-the-fight-for-marriage-equality\">marriage equality\u003c/a> tried to grapple with what to \u003cem>call \u003c/em>the union of two parents, or a new partner of a parent. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“So, it could be ‘roommate’ — which I think is a hilarious euphemism,” he said. “There’s one story in which a little girl is portrayed as living with her mother and her godmother. But when you look at the iconography of the image, it’s clearly a lesbian couple.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A title that became dear to Tarpey-Schwed’s own family is \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-137/in-our-mothers-house\">“In Our Mother’s House,”\u003c/a> by Patricia Polacco, which follows two moms throwing a block party in Berkeley. At one point in the book, a neighbor storms in and snaps at the family, scaring the kids.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And then — this is going to choke me up talking about it — what happens is that every one of the neighbors, one by one, comes up and gives the family a hug,” Tarpey-Schwed said. “Even though it’s a complicated and nuanced story, at the end, it cuts right through to: ‘But your family is loved.’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s maybe an assumption out there that writing a children’s book is like writing a dumbed-down version of an adult book, and that’s completely wrong,” he said. “Children’s books are a genre of their own, and a really good children’s book is a good book, period.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Cooper, \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-139/and-tango-makes-three\">“And Tango Makes Three”\u003c/a> has a special place in his heart, bringing back memories of reading it to elementary-school students upon its first release in 2005. Written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole, the famous book is based on \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/feb/08/usa.gayrights\">a true story\u003c/a> of two penguins in a New York zoo who raise a baby chick named Tango after zoo keepers notice their desire for a family — evidenced by their attempts to “hatch” a rock.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Nonetheless, “And Tango Makes Three” — like many of the books in the Tarpey-Schwed collection — has been a target of \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">coordinated campaigns nationwide\u003c/a> that aim to pull diverse books off the shelves of public libraries and schools. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is a very fragile area of collections,” Cooper said. “They’re being banned, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/08/book-bans-california-libraries/\">even in public libraries in California\u003c/a>. It really is an area that we need to collect and keep and maintain just for our own history.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This is a very fragile area of collections,” Cooper said. “They’re being banned, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/08/book-bans-california-libraries/\">even in public libraries in California\u003c/a>. It really is an area that we need to collect and keep and maintain just for our own history.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2016, the American Library Association \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">tracked 208 unique titles\u003c/a> that were challenged in public schools and libraries in the United States. In 2025, that number shot up to over 4,200 titles — and nearly 40% of those titles featured LGBTQ characters or characters of color. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2016, the American Library Association \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">tracked 208 unique titles\u003c/a> that were challenged in public schools and libraries in the United States. In 2025, that number shot up to over 4,200 titles — and nearly 40% of those titles featured LGBTQ characters or characters of color. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095731\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through Asha’s Mums, a book published in 1990, which is part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095731\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through Asha’s Mums, a book published in 1990, which is part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The ALA also found that almost all book challenges in 2025 were initiated \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">by pressure groups, government officials and decision-makers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Along with these challenges, \u003ca href=\"https://lawlibguides.sandiego.edu/c.php?g=1421168&p=10542274\">various laws and policies\u003c/a> — some carrying serious consequences for offenders — can be found across the country that are attempting to restrict materials based on broad definitions like being \u003ca href=\"https://arktimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Filed-Complaint-Fayetteville-Public-Library-et-al.-v.-Crawford-County-et-al.pdf\">“harmful to minors.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The wave of censorship seen in the 2020s arose after the initial stages of the pandemic, often involving the same people involved with the anti-masking movement, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101904708/conservative-mothers-as-a-political-force-in-california\">Moms for Liberty\u003c/a>, said Sarah Lamdan, the executive director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“A lot of the emphasis on book bans and censorship attacks has been around the concept of ‘protecting children,’” Lamdan said. But “anyone who’s willing to say that “And Tango Makes Three” could be harmful to anyone isn’t being honest with themselves or the community that they’re addressing.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And as the book challenges increase across the country, “the fatigue around fighting it has definitely set in at the same time,” said Jonathan Friedman, the Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression programs at PEN America. “It’s just normalized; it’s not news.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And as the book challenges increase across the country, “the fatigue around fighting it has definitely set in at the same time,” said Jonathan Friedman, the Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression programs at PEN America. “It’s just normalized; it’s not news.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco authors and married duo Sarah and Ian Hoffman are very familiar with that fatigue. They are the authors of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sarahandianhoffman.com/books/\">the “Jacob” picture book series\u003c/a>, which includes installments like “Jacob’s New Dress”.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco authors and married duo Sarah and Ian Hoffman are very familiar with that fatigue. They are the authors of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sarahandianhoffman.com/books/\">the “Jacob” picture book series\u003c/a>, which includes installments like “Jacob’s New Dress”.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The first time one of their books was banned was in 2017, in a North Carolina school district. Bans at the time were rare enough, Sarah Hoffman said, that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/us/north-carolina-school-jacobs-new-dress-book.html\">\u003cem>New York Times \u003c/em>was interested in the story\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The first time one of their books was banned was in 2017, in a North Carolina school district. Bans at the time were rare enough, Sarah Hoffman said, that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/us/north-carolina-school-jacobs-new-dress-book.html\">\u003cem>New York Times \u003c/em>was interested in the story\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We got all these love notes from people in North Carolina saying things like, ‘We’re so sorry, we are not all like that, we don’t want to ban your book, your book is wonderful.’ So it was actually kind of a great experience,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We got all these love notes from people in North Carolina saying things like, ‘We’re so sorry, we are not all like that, we don’t want to ban your book, your book is wonderful.’ So it was actually kind of a great experience,” she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But now, “the book banners are so well organized … It’s impossible for anyone to keep up with,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095735\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Mechanics’ Institute Library in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095735\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Mechanics’ Institute Library in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California does have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893478/california-pushes-back-on-the-book-banning-movement\">some protections against these campaigns\u003c/a>. In 2024, the state adopted a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1825\">Freedom to Read Act\u003c/a>, which states that public libraries cannot exclude materials from their shelves based on content like race, gender and sexual orientation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California does have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893478/california-pushes-back-on-the-book-banning-movement\">some protections against these campaigns\u003c/a>. In 2024, the state adopted a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1825\">Freedom to Read Act\u003c/a>, which states that public libraries cannot exclude materials from their shelves based on content like race, gender and sexual orientation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s not a cure-all. It doesn’t mean that, ‘Okay, there’s no more censorship in California,’” the American Library Association’s Lamdan said. Rather, “there’s a tool to push back on censorship attempts,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s not a cure-all. It doesn’t mean that, ‘Okay, there’s no more censorship in California,’” the American Library Association’s Lamdan said. Rather, “there’s a tool to push back on censorship attempts,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But in many other parts of the country, the book banning movement has only strengthened — especially after the Supreme Court’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oyez.org/cases/2024/24-297\">\u003cem>Mahmoud v. Taylor\u003c/em>\u003c/a> ruling in 2025 that a group of parents’ freedom of religion was violated when they couldn’t opt their children out of a class that included LGBTQ storybooks.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But in many other parts of the country, the book banning movement has only strengthened — especially after the Supreme Court’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oyez.org/cases/2024/24-297\">\u003cem>Mahmoud v. Taylor\u003c/em>\u003c/a> ruling in 2025 that a group of parents’ freedom of religion was violated when they couldn’t opt their children out of a class that included LGBTQ storybooks.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What is so stunning about that decision is that it has this potential to have such a broad censorship effect on the very books that we know can have such a powerful positive impact for many young children,” Friedman said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What is so stunning about that decision is that it has this potential to have such a broad censorship effect on the very books that we know can have such a powerful positive impact for many young children,” Friedman said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "‘Able to see themselves’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Libraries are intended to meet the needs of their communities, Lamdan said — and are supposed to have an array of books that touch every person.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For her, the Mechanics’ Institute’s motives for acquiring Tarpey-Schwed’s collection show “exactly why censorship in libraries is so harmful.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everybody deserves to see themselves reflected in stories and to see themselves reflected in library collections,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Making sure children feel seen is a major motivating factor for the works written by Half Moon Bay author Cynthia Chin-Lee — compounded by her experience as an Asian American growing up in the 60s with little to no representation in the stories around her.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Making sure children feel seen is a major motivating factor for the works written by Half Moon Bay author Cynthia Chin-Lee — compounded by her experience as an Asian American growing up in the 60s with little to no representation in the stories around her.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095727\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of The Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones, a book published in 1991, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095727\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of The Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones, a book published in 1991, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095730\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through Asha’s Mums, a book published in 1990, which is part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095730\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through Asha’s Mums, a book published in 1990, which is part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Her picture book \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-020/operation-marriage\">“Operation Marriage”\u003c/a>, which features in the Mechanics’ Institute Tarpey-Schwed collection, follows Alex and her younger brother Nicky, who are trying to convince their moms to get married before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981023/a-queer-journalist-reflects-on-the-legacy-of-the-propostion-8-trial-tapes\">the passage of Proposition 8\u003c/a> — the California law that banned same-sex marriage in 2008, which was ultimately struck down a few years later.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Her picture book \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-020/operation-marriage\">“Operation Marriage”\u003c/a>, which features in the Mechanics’ Institute Tarpey-Schwed collection, follows Alex and her younger brother Nicky, who are trying to convince their moms to get married before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981023/a-queer-journalist-reflects-on-the-legacy-of-the-propostion-8-trial-tapes\">the passage of Proposition 8\u003c/a> — the California law that banned same-sex marriage in 2008, which was ultimately struck down a few years later.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chin-Lee said it’s based on a true story about a family who attended her church in Palo Alto. In fact, the making of the picture book was a community effort: People from the church even posed for pictures, which local artist Lea Lyon then illustrated, she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chin-Lee said it’s based on a true story about a family who attended her church in Palo Alto. In fact, the making of the picture book was a community effort: People from the church even posed for pictures, which local artist Lea Lyon then illustrated, she said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But in 2023 — well after the legalization of gay marriage nationwide — “Operation Marriage” was challenged by \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1am1vKU3MR1209AanJVqySFtRYe3IiB1k/edit?gid=479202673#gid=479202673\">a Midland, Texas, county commissioner\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.mrt.com/news/article/midland-county-releases-full-list-redesignated-18342965.php\">a group of volunteers\u003c/a> who wanted to remove it from the shelves of the children’s section of a public library and into the adults’ section.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But in 2023 — well after the legalization of gay marriage nationwide — “Operation Marriage” was challenged by \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1am1vKU3MR1209AanJVqySFtRYe3IiB1k/edit?gid=479202673#gid=479202673\">a Midland, Texas, county commissioner\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.mrt.com/news/article/midland-county-releases-full-list-redesignated-18342965.php\">a group of volunteers\u003c/a> who wanted to remove it from the shelves of the children’s section of a public library and into the adults’ section.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have freedom of speech, freedom of writing, and the kids that are LGBTQ especially need our support,” she said. “They need to be able to see themselves in books.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We have freedom of speech, freedom of writing, and the kids that are LGBTQ especially need our support,” she said. “They need to be able to see themselves in books.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>These books also play a role for parents. The Hoffmans’ first book about Jacob — “Jacob’s New Dress” — depicted a little boy who wants to wear a dress. It was based on their son Sam, who, as a kid, “liked all things that were pink and girly and sparkly” and asked to wear a dress to school when he was four, Sarah Hoffman said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>These books also play a role for parents. The Hoffmans’ first book about Jacob — “Jacob’s New Dress” — depicted a little boy who wants to wear a dress. It was based on their son Sam, who, as a kid, “liked all things that were pink and girly and sparkly” and asked to wear a dress to school when he was four, Sarah Hoffman said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That was when we faced our first issue as parents, because we wanted to let Sam be himself,” she said. “And clearly this was coming from \u003cem>him\u003c/em>, because nothing around him said little boys should like these things.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That was when we faced our first issue as parents, because we wanted to let Sam be himself,” she said. “And clearly this was coming from \u003cem>him\u003c/em>, because nothing around him said little boys should like these things.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095728\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of Daddy’s Roommate, a book published in 1990, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095728\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of Daddy’s Roommate, a book published in 1990, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While they were the only parents in Sam’s school navigating this, they connected with other parents online all over the world who also had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/loveyouforyou\">gender nonconforming kids\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While they were the only parents in Sam’s school navigating this, they connected with other parents online all over the world who also had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/loveyouforyou\">gender nonconforming kids\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everyone felt alone until they found this group, and suddenly we had community,” Hoffman said. “We realized that we all face the same kinds of issues.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The collection is already acting as a historical reference — and source of inspiration — for the field’s writers too. Like San Francisco children’s book author Marcus Ewert, the writer of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sevenstories.com/books/2795-10-000-dresses\">10,000 Dresses\u003c/a>,” about a young trans girl named Bailey. For Ewert, the archive functions as a trove of the genre’s pioneers.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The collection is already acting as a historical reference — and source of inspiration — for the field’s writers too. Like San Francisco children’s book author Marcus Ewert, the writer of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sevenstories.com/books/2795-10-000-dresses\">10,000 Dresses\u003c/a>,” about a young trans girl named Bailey. For Ewert, the archive functions as a trove of the genre’s pioneers.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Oh my God, I wanna spend hours and hours and hours just looking at all these things,” he said. “As little time capsules, as little pieces of history.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Along with being a resource for early examples of LGBTQ children’s literature, Tarpey-Schwed said he hoped that more titles and examples will continue to be added to the collection.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The children’s publishing world in the past few years has seen a major wave of inclusive literature, partly thanks to industry-wide initiatives like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.diversebooks.org/\">We Need Diverse Books campaign\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was hugely successful in getting all these stories out there that weren’t being told,” Ian Hoffman said. But the backlash to the campaign was also swift — and he admitted the last few years have felt “bleak.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It was hugely successful in getting all these stories out there that weren’t being told,” Ian Hoffman said. But the backlash to the campaign was also swift — and he admitted the last few years have felt “bleak.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095724\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The authors of the 1979 children’s book When Megan Went Away dedicate the book to children of lesbian mothers. The book is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-18-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095726\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of a 1989 self-published version Heather Has Two Mommies, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But his wife, Sarah Hoffman, had some optimism. “We can temporarily go back, but you can’t change the fact that these books have existed,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“[We] didn’t grow up with these kinds of stories,” he said. “I think that really does affect children … When they’re thinking about their life, what’s it going to be like? ‘I never pictured having a family, because I didn’t see that reflected in literature.’” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“[We] didn’t grow up with these kinds of stories,” he said. “I think that really does affect children … When they’re thinking about their life, what’s it going to be like? ‘I never pictured having a family, because I didn’t see that reflected in literature.’” \u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Amid book bans, how one collector's quest to find books for his children that reflected their own family created a public archive at the Mechanics’ Institute.",
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"title": "‘Time Capsules’: Huge San Francisco Archive of Kids' Books Traces Long History of LGBTQ Families | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-kqed-v2-dropcap-paragraph dropcap-paragraph\">\u003cspan class=\"dropcap\">A\u003c/span>s a book collector in the early 2000s, Randall Tarpey-Schwed and his husband read bedtime stories endlessly to their children.\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We read all kinds of children’s books to our kids,” Tarpey-Schwed of Mill Valley said. “But I wanted to make sure that some of those showed \u003cem>their \u003c/em>kind of family.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tarpey-Schwed’s passion had taught him to go searching for deep cuts like these: specifically, books for young people that featured LGBTQ families and characters. He began scouring used book websites and other corners of the internet for titles to bring back to his family — something that he said took “a lot of persistence.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But his efforts paid off when these books became an instant hit with his daughters. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’d ask them, ‘What do you want to read tonight?’” he said. “Sometimes they would say, ‘Oh, I want a Papa and Daddy book.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095736\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-71-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A person reads a newspaper at the Mechanics’ Institute Library in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Exploring his growing collection, Tarpey-Schwed saw how the genre evolved — especially when looking at the earlier titles from as early as the 1960s. While some of the books were undoubtedly dated, they still communicated the values he and his husband felt were important: acceptance, community and love.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the years, he eventually amassed over 200 books, magazines and other printed materials that featured queer characters, themes and other diverse representations of families. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As his daughters grew up, Tarpey-Schwed carefully packed the books away. But he always wanted to find a home for them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then, through the bibliophile circles of San Francisco, Myles Cooper, a library manager at the Mechanics’ Institute — a beautiful \u003ca href=\"https://www.vogue.com/article/what-is-beaux-arts-architecture\">Beaux-Arts-style\u003c/a> historical library in downtown San Francisco — found out about Tarpey-Schwed’s archive of books. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Which is how Tarpey-Schwed handed off his yearslong work in November last year — and how the Mechanics Institute became the new, public home of what they call one of the most thorough catalogs of early LGBTQ children’s literature in the United States, dating from 1969. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Scores of books which for years were stored in Tarpey-Schwed’s home can now be viewed in person by appointment or \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/\">online\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The Mechanics’ Institute was willing to make a commitment to preserve it as a collection, rather than, say, putting all the books into circulation,” Tarpey-Schwed said. “I felt this was more important to keep it together. Because, in its whole, it shows the history of the genre.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘It’s adorable — and it’s true’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Mechanics’ Institute dates back to the 19th century, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfexaminer.com/archives/the-mechanics-institute-san-francisco-s-first-tech-incubator/article_644e6ace-b579-52eb-bbb2-6aec5a9534f5.html\">years before\u003c/a> \u003ca href=\"https://sfpl.org/about-us/history-san-francisco-public-library\">the first branch of the San Francisco Public Library\u003c/a> opened its doors. During \u003ca href=\"https://www.milibrary.org/about-us/history-and-mission/\">its initial years\u003c/a>, the center served as a place for people to learn vocational skills at the tail end of the Gold Rush. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, the Mechanics’ Institute is a home for the Bay Area’s chess players, cultural events and \u003ca href=\"https://www.milibrary.org/research-and-resources/special-collections/\">special collections\u003c/a> for researchers to dive into. And a major reason, Cooper said, why the Mechanics’ Institute took in Tarpey-Schwed’s “wonderful addition” was to “widen, broaden and tell more stories that relate to people here and that are important to people today.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection has some contemporary examples, what makes it unique are the earlier titles Tarpey-Schwed discovered — many of which came from small independent presses, are out of print or were self-published.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095738\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-81-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist, is photographed at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-146/heather-has-two-mommies\">“Heather Has Two Mommies”\u003c/a> by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Diana Souza, self-published in 1989 before being picked up a year earlier by \u003ca href=\"https://web.archive.org/web/20131103212823/http://www.glbtq.com/sfeatures/interviewsalyson.html\">Alyson Wonderland\u003c/a> — a then-brand-new LGBTQ children’s fiction publisher. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The collection, while telling the story of LGBTQ families, “also tells the stories of publishing,” Cooper said. “Publishers that dared to print some of those first stories that had representation of alternative families.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tarpey-Schwed’s collection traces how the genre was also impacted by real-life events, like legal developments around marriage equality and family law — or the lack of them. For instance, some of the earlier works Tarpey-Schwed found written before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016010/reflecting-on-the-fight-for-marriage-equality\">marriage equality\u003c/a> tried to grapple with what to \u003cem>call \u003c/em>the union of two parents, or a new partner of a parent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“So, it could be ‘roommate’ — which I think is a hilarious euphemism,” he said. “There’s one story in which a little girl is portrayed as living with her mother and her godmother. But when you look at the iconography of the image, it’s clearly a lesbian couple.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A title that became dear to Tarpey-Schwed’s own family is \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-137/in-our-mothers-house\">“In Our Mother’s House,”\u003c/a> by Patricia Polacco, which follows two moms throwing a block party in Berkeley. At one point in the book, a neighbor storms in and snaps at the family, scaring the kids.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“And then — this is going to choke me up talking about it — what happens is that every one of the neighbors, one by one, comes up and gives the family a hug,” Tarpey-Schwed said. “Even though it’s a complicated and nuanced story, at the end, it cuts right through to: ‘But your family is loved.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095737\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-79-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095737\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-79-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-79-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-79-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist, is photographed at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095722\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-8-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095722\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-8-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-8-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-8-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through a box of books from the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s maybe an assumption out there that writing a children’s book is like writing a dumbed-down version of an adult book, and that’s completely wrong,” he said. “Children’s books are a genre of their own, and a really good children’s book is a good book, period.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Cooper, \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-139/and-tango-makes-three\">“And Tango Makes Three”\u003c/a> has a special place in his heart, bringing back memories of reading it to elementary-school students upon its first release in 2005. Written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole, the famous book is based on \u003ca href=\"https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/feb/08/usa.gayrights\">a true story\u003c/a> of two penguins in a New York zoo who raise a baby chick named Tango after zoo keepers notice their desire for a family — evidenced by their attempts to “hatch” a rock.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“How can you argue with that?” Cooper said. “It’s adorable, and it’s true.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘A broad censorship effect’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Nonetheless, “And Tango Makes Three” — like many of the books in the Tarpey-Schwed collection — has been a target of \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">coordinated campaigns nationwide\u003c/a> that aim to pull diverse books off the shelves of public libraries and schools. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is a very fragile area of collections,” Cooper said. “They’re being banned, \u003ca href=\"https://calmatters.org/politics/capitol/2024/08/book-bans-california-libraries/\">even in public libraries in California\u003c/a>. It really is an area that we need to collect and keep and maintain just for our own history.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2016, the American Library Association \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">tracked 208 unique titles\u003c/a> that were challenged in public schools and libraries in the United States. In 2025, that number shot up to over 4,200 titles — and nearly 40% of those titles featured LGBTQ characters or characters of color. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095731\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-44-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through Asha’s Mums, a book published in 1990, which is part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ALA also found that almost all book challenges in 2025 were initiated \u003ca href=\"https://www.ala.org/bbooks/book-ban-data\">by pressure groups, government officials and decision-makers\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Along with these challenges, \u003ca href=\"https://lawlibguides.sandiego.edu/c.php?g=1421168&p=10542274\">various laws and policies\u003c/a> — some carrying serious consequences for offenders — can be found across the country that are attempting to restrict materials based on broad definitions like being \u003ca href=\"https://arktimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Filed-Complaint-Fayetteville-Public-Library-et-al.-v.-Crawford-County-et-al.pdf\">“harmful to minors.”\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The wave of censorship seen in the 2020s arose after the initial stages of the pandemic, often involving the same people involved with the anti-masking movement, like \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101904708/conservative-mothers-as-a-political-force-in-california\">Moms for Liberty\u003c/a>, said Sarah Lamdan, the executive director of the Office for Intellectual Freedom at the American Library Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“A lot of the emphasis on book bans and censorship attacks has been around the concept of ‘protecting children,’” Lamdan said. But “anyone who’s willing to say that “And Tango Makes Three” could be harmful to anyone isn’t being honest with themselves or the community that they’re addressing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And as the book challenges increase across the country, “the fatigue around fighting it has definitely set in at the same time,” said Jonathan Friedman, the Sy Syms managing director of U.S. free expression programs at PEN America. “It’s just normalized; it’s not news.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco authors and married duo Sarah and Ian Hoffman are very familiar with that fatigue. They are the authors of \u003ca href=\"https://www.sarahandianhoffman.com/books/\">the “Jacob” picture book series\u003c/a>, which includes installments like “Jacob’s New Dress”.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The first time one of their books was banned was in 2017, in a North Carolina school district. Bans at the time were rare enough, Sarah Hoffman said, that the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/24/us/north-carolina-school-jacobs-new-dress-book.html\">\u003cem>New York Times \u003c/em>was interested in the story\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We got all these love notes from people in North Carolina saying things like, ‘We’re so sorry, we are not all like that, we don’t want to ban your book, your book is wonderful.’ So it was actually kind of a great experience,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But now, “the book banners are so well organized … It’s impossible for anyone to keep up with,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095735\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-67-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Mechanics’ Institute Library in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California does have \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101893478/california-pushes-back-on-the-book-banning-movement\">some protections against these campaigns\u003c/a>. In 2024, the state adopted a \u003ca href=\"https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB1825\">Freedom to Read Act\u003c/a>, which states that public libraries cannot exclude materials from their shelves based on content like race, gender and sexual orientation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s not a cure-all. It doesn’t mean that, ‘Okay, there’s no more censorship in California,’” the American Library Association’s Lamdan said. Rather, “there’s a tool to push back on censorship attempts,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But in many other parts of the country, the book banning movement has only strengthened — especially after the Supreme Court’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.oyez.org/cases/2024/24-297\">\u003cem>Mahmoud v. Taylor\u003c/em>\u003c/a> ruling in 2025 that a group of parents’ freedom of religion was violated when they couldn’t opt their children out of a class that included LGBTQ storybooks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What is so stunning about that decision is that it has this potential to have such a broad censorship effect on the very books that we know can have such a powerful positive impact for many young children,” Friedman said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Able to see themselves’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Libraries are intended to meet the needs of their communities, Lamdan said — and are supposed to have an array of books that touch every person.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For her, the Mechanics’ Institute’s motives for acquiring Tarpey-Schwed’s collection show “exactly why censorship in libraries is so harmful.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everybody deserves to see themselves reflected in stories and to see themselves reflected in library collections,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Making sure children feel seen is a major motivating factor for the works written by Half Moon Bay author Cynthia Chin-Lee — compounded by her experience as an Asian American growing up in the 60s with little to no representation in the stories around her.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095727\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095727\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-25-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of The Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones, a book published in 1991, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095730\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095730\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-41-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through Asha’s Mums, a book published in 1990, which is part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her picture book \u003ca href=\"https://tarpey-schwed-special-collection.vercel.app/items/KB-020/operation-marriage\">“Operation Marriage”\u003c/a>, which features in the Mechanics’ Institute Tarpey-Schwed collection, follows Alex and her younger brother Nicky, who are trying to convince their moms to get married before \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11981023/a-queer-journalist-reflects-on-the-legacy-of-the-propostion-8-trial-tapes\">the passage of Proposition 8\u003c/a> — the California law that banned same-sex marriage in 2008, which was ultimately struck down a few years later.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chin-Lee said it’s based on a true story about a family who attended her church in Palo Alto. In fact, the making of the picture book was a community effort: People from the church even posed for pictures, which local artist Lea Lyon then illustrated, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But in 2023 — well after the legalization of gay marriage nationwide — “Operation Marriage” was challenged by \u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/1/d/1am1vKU3MR1209AanJVqySFtRYe3IiB1k/edit?gid=479202673#gid=479202673\">a Midland, Texas, county commissioner\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.mrt.com/news/article/midland-county-releases-full-list-redesignated-18342965.php\">a group of volunteers\u003c/a> who wanted to remove it from the shelves of the children’s section of a public library and into the adults’ section.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have freedom of speech, freedom of writing, and the kids that are LGBTQ especially need our support,” she said. “They need to be able to see themselves in books.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>These books also play a role for parents. The Hoffmans’ first book about Jacob — “Jacob’s New Dress” — depicted a little boy who wants to wear a dress. It was based on their son Sam, who, as a kid, “liked all things that were pink and girly and sparkly” and asked to wear a dress to school when he was four, Sarah Hoffman said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That was when we faced our first issue as parents, because we wanted to let Sam be himself,” she said. “And clearly this was coming from \u003cem>him\u003c/em>, because nothing around him said little boys should like these things.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095728\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-31-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of Daddy’s Roommate, a book published in 1990, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While they were the only parents in Sam’s school navigating this, they connected with other parents online all over the world who also had \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/loveyouforyou\">gender nonconforming kids\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everyone felt alone until they found this group, and suddenly we had community,” Hoffman said. “We realized that we all face the same kinds of issues.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The collection is already acting as a historical reference — and source of inspiration — for the field’s writers too. Like San Francisco children’s book author Marcus Ewert, the writer of “\u003ca href=\"https://www.sevenstories.com/books/2795-10-000-dresses\">10,000 Dresses\u003c/a>,” about a young trans girl named Bailey. For Ewert, the archive functions as a trove of the genre’s pioneers.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Oh my God, I wanna spend hours and hours and hours just looking at all these things,” he said. “As little time capsules, as little pieces of history.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Profound effects’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Along with being a resource for early examples of LGBTQ children’s literature, Tarpey-Schwed said he hoped that more titles and examples will continue to be added to the collection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The children’s publishing world in the past few years has seen a major wave of inclusive literature, partly thanks to industry-wide initiatives like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.diversebooks.org/\">We Need Diverse Books campaign\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was hugely successful in getting all these stories out there that weren’t being told,” Ian Hoffman said. But the backlash to the campaign was also swift — and he admitted the last few years have felt “bleak.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095724\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-12-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095724\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-12-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-12-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-12-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The authors of the 1979 children’s book When Megan Went Away dedicate the book to children of lesbian mothers. The book is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12095726\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-18-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095726\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-18-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-18-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260814-LGBTBookArchive-NG-18-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Myles Cooper, library manager and archivist at the Mechanics’ Institute, flips through the pages of a 1989 self-published version Heather Has Two Mommies, which is a part of the institute’s Tarpey-Schwed LGBT Families Children’s Book Collection, at the Mechanics’ Institute in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2026. (Nina Glick/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But his wife, Sarah Hoffman, had some optimism. “We can temporarily go back, but you can’t change the fact that these books have existed,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Mechanics’ Institute archivist Cooper, the collection has been an exciting opportunity to learn more about children’s literature. Most people in his 40s like him, or older, have never experienced queer picture books.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“[We] didn’t grow up with these kinds of stories,” he said. “I think that really does affect children … When they’re thinking about their life, what’s it going to be like? ‘I never pictured having a family, because I didn’t see that reflected in literature.’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This can really have profound effects on children today,” Cooper said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Bay Area Security Workers Threaten Action After Anthropic Office Closure",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Days after Anthropic’s offices closed due to a “possible strike” by security workers, union representatives said they are ready to “take any action necessary” to secure a fair contract. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the union representing some security officers has not authorized any action at this time, Anthropic, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>-based artificial intelligence giant, asked its employees to work from home earlier this week, after a heads-up about ongoing negotiations from Allied Universal, an international security firm that works with the tech company. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Clearly Anthropic understands how indispensable security workers are, even if the companies bargaining with them don’t,” David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union — United Service Workers West, told KQED on Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union’s current \u003ca href=\"https://www.seiu-usww.org/contract/san-francisco-bay-area-master-2022-26/\">contract\u003c/a> with Allied Universal, and seven other private firms, expired on June 30. They’ve been negotiating a new contract for months, but after 19 bargaining sessions, Huerta said that the company’s current offer — a 25-cent-an-hour raise with no raises for the next three years — is “shameful, wrong and deeply, deeply disrespectful.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080245/northern-california-security-officers-campaign-for-better-wages-training\">April\u003c/a> rally in San Francisco, union security workers described struggling with the cost of living in the Bay Area, needing better benefits and wanting more training. They also detailed the mental and physical toll it takes to be the first line of defense in crises. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are currently over 330,000 private security guards in California compared to 90,000 badged police officers, Huerta said in April. Security guards currently make significantly less than police officers — earning a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes339032.ht\">$21.61\u003c/a> annual mean wage compared to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes333051.htm\">$53.74\u003c/a> for police officers in 2023. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Allied Universal, which employs 770,000 people globally, told KQED that they could not comment on ongoing labor negotiations. The company’s website said that it partners with more than 400 Fortune 500 companies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Security officers protect the people and property of some of the wealthiest and most powerful companies in the world,” Huerta said. “We invite workers at Anthropic and elsewhere to consider who will protect them if security officers can’t afford to live here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">\u003cem>Sara Hossaini\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are currently over 330,000 private security guards in California compared to 90,000 badged police officers, Huerta said in April. Security guards currently make significantly less than police officers — earning a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes339032.ht\">$21.61\u003c/a> annual mean wage compared to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes333051.htm\">$53.74\u003c/a> for police officers in 2023. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Allied Universal, which employs 770,000 people globally, told KQED that they could not comment on ongoing labor negotiations. The company’s website said that it partners with more than 400 Fortune 500 companies. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Security officers protect the people and property of some of the wealthiest and most powerful companies in the world,” Huerta said. “We invite workers at Anthropic and elsewhere to consider who will protect them if security officers can’t afford to live here.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">\u003cem>Sara Hossaini\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Union security workers in the Bay Area are seeking better pay and benefits after their contract expired in June. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Days after Anthropic’s offices closed due to a “possible strike” by security workers, union representatives said they are ready to “take any action necessary” to secure a fair contract. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the union representing some security officers has not authorized any action at this time, Anthropic, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>-based artificial intelligence giant, asked its employees to work from home earlier this week, after a heads-up about ongoing negotiations from Allied Universal, an international security firm that works with the tech company. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Clearly Anthropic understands how indispensable security workers are, even if the companies bargaining with them don’t,” David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union — United Service Workers West, told KQED on Thursday. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The union’s current \u003ca href=\"https://www.seiu-usww.org/contract/san-francisco-bay-area-master-2022-26/\">contract\u003c/a> with Allied Universal, and seven other private firms, expired on June 30. They’ve been negotiating a new contract for months, but after 19 bargaining sessions, Huerta said that the company’s current offer — a 25-cent-an-hour raise with no raises for the next three years — is “shameful, wrong and deeply, deeply disrespectful.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At an \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080245/northern-california-security-officers-campaign-for-better-wages-training\">April\u003c/a> rally in San Francisco, union security workers described struggling with the cost of living in the Bay Area, needing better benefits and wanting more training. They also detailed the mental and physical toll it takes to be the first line of defense in crises. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are currently over 330,000 private security guards in California compared to 90,000 badged police officers, Huerta said in April. Security guards currently make significantly less than police officers — earning a \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes339032.ht\">$21.61\u003c/a> annual mean wage compared to \u003ca href=\"https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes333051.htm\">$53.74\u003c/a> for police officers in 2023. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Allied Universal, which employs 770,000 people globally, told KQED that they could not comment on ongoing labor negotiations. The company’s website said that it partners with more than 400 Fortune 500 companies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Security officers protect the people and property of some of the wealthiest and most powerful companies in the world,” Huerta said. “We invite workers at Anthropic and elsewhere to consider who will protect them if security officers can’t afford to live here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/shossaini\">\u003cem>Sara Hossaini\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "bay-area-transit-funding-ballot-question-isnt-biased-judge-rules",
"title": "Bay Area Transit Funding Ballot Question Isn’t Biased, Judge Rules",
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"headTitle": "Bay Area Transit Funding Ballot Question Isn’t Biased, Judge Rules | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>A judge rejected an effort to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095616/bay-area-group-files-lawsuit-against-transit-funding-measure-says-its-deceptive\">rewrite a major Bay Area\u003c/a> public transit funding ballot question set to go before voters this November. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Frederick S. Chung ruled Thursday that a petition alleging the question was written in a misleading and biased way failed to reach a necessary burden of proof.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The court finds the Petitioners’ argument to be unpersuasive,” Chung wrote in the ruling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The challenge was filed last week by ten Bay Area voters, some of whom are aligned with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit\u003c/a>, a group opposed to the regional sales tax measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re disappointed with the outcome, but we will be continuing to fight this tax with all the abilities that we have,” said Gregg Dieguez, one of the petitioners and the president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit. “We continue to think that it’s a very bad choice for the Bay Area, given the Bay Area’s incredible level of unaffordability that this will exacerbate.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1989\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/bartnostrike20130804_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/bartnostrike20130804_qed.jpg 1989w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/bartnostrike20130804_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/bartnostrike20130804_qed-1536x1029.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1989px) 100vw, 1989px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) passengers stand on the platform as a train pulls into the Powell Street station May 12, 2008, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">Connect Bay Area Act\u003c/a>. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters of the measure see it as critical to maintaining the Bay Area’s economy and quality of life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ballot question, as approved last month by a governing body known as the Public Transit Revenue Measure District, and made up of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors, is as follows:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers wanted to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Dieguez and his co-petitioners, these details matter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez told KQED on Aug. 17.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chung, however, ruled that the petitioners failed to show by clear and convincing evidence that the word “preserving” was false, misleading, partial or argumentative.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It accurately describes the purpose of the ballot measure, and it is not factually incorrect,” Chung wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area campaign, previously told KQED the committee’s claims were “not based in reality.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Aug. 17. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputed the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $220,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. The petition asked for the amount listed on the ballot to be changed, which Chung also denied. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Rather than engage their own consultant to perform a contrary calculation, Petitioners have relied on simplistic arithmetic to come up with a contrary figure. This is insufficient,” Chung wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his ruling, Chung said he had “less than two and a half days” to review relevant cases, given an Aug. 28 deadline set by county election offices.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We’re disappointed with the outcome, but we will be continuing to fight this tax with all the abilities that we have,” said Gregg Dieguez, one of the petitioners and the president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit. “We continue to think that it’s a very bad choice for the Bay Area, given the Bay Area’s incredible level of unaffordability that this will exacerbate.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">Connect Bay Area Act\u003c/a>. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The ballot question, as approved last month by a governing body known as the Public Transit Revenue Measure District, and made up of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors, is as follows:\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers wanted to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers wanted to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Dieguez and his co-petitioners, these details matter. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez told KQED on Aug. 17.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez told KQED on Aug. 17.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chung, however, ruled that the petitioners failed to show by clear and convincing evidence that the word “preserving” was false, misleading, partial or argumentative.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It accurately describes the purpose of the ballot measure, and it is not factually incorrect,” Chung wrote. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area campaign, previously told KQED the committee’s claims were “not based in reality.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Aug. 17. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Aug. 17. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputed the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $220,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. The petition asked for the amount listed on the ballot to be changed, which Chung also denied. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputed the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $220,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. The petition asked for the amount listed on the ballot to be changed, which Chung also denied. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Rather than engage their own consultant to perform a contrary calculation, Petitioners have relied on simplistic arithmetic to come up with a contrary figure. This is insufficient,” Chung wrote. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Rather than engage their own consultant to perform a contrary calculation, Petitioners have relied on simplistic arithmetic to come up with a contrary figure. This is insufficient,” Chung wrote. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In his ruling, Chung said he had “less than two and a half days” to review relevant cases, given an Aug. 28 deadline set by county election offices.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A court rejected the challenge to the Bay Area transit tax ballot measure ahead of a November vote.",
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"title": "Bay Area Transit Funding Ballot Question Isn’t Biased, Judge Rules | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>A judge rejected an effort to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095616/bay-area-group-files-lawsuit-against-transit-funding-measure-says-its-deceptive\">rewrite a major Bay Area\u003c/a> public transit funding ballot question set to go before voters this November. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Frederick S. Chung ruled Thursday that a petition alleging the question was written in a misleading and biased way failed to reach a necessary burden of proof.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The court finds the Petitioners’ argument to be unpersuasive,” Chung wrote in the ruling. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The challenge was filed last week by ten Bay Area voters, some of whom are aligned with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090212/opposition-group-says-bay-area-transit-doesnt-deserve-more-money-this-november\">Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit\u003c/a>, a group opposed to the regional sales tax measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We’re disappointed with the outcome, but we will be continuing to fight this tax with all the abilities that we have,” said Gregg Dieguez, one of the petitioners and the president of the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit. “We continue to think that it’s a very bad choice for the Bay Area, given the Bay Area’s incredible level of unaffordability that this will exacerbate.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1989\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/bartnostrike20130804_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12094334\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/bartnostrike20130804_qed.jpg 1989w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/bartnostrike20130804_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/bartnostrike20130804_qed-1536x1029.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1989px) 100vw, 1989px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) passengers stand on the platform as a train pulls into the Powell Street station May 12, 2008, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Major Bay Area transit agencies are facing steep budget deficits due to ongoing drops in revenue and ridership related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and are warning of drastic service cuts without passage of the regional measure known as the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12084841/campaign-to-fund-bay-area-transit-smashes-signature-gathering-goal\">Connect Bay Area Act\u003c/a>. The act would establish a half-cent sales tax in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, as well as a 1-cent sales tax in San Francisco, for 14 years, generating an estimated $980 million annually, according to Metropolitan Transportation Commission figures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters of the measure see it as critical to maintaining the Bay Area’s economy and quality of life.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The ballot question, as approved last month by a governing body known as the Public Transit Revenue Measure District, and made up of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission board of directors, is as follows:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“To prevent major service cuts to BART and other transit, avoid increased traffic, and reduce pollution by: Preserving BART, Caltrain, VTA, SamTrans, AC Transit, Muni, other transit for everyone, including workers, students, seniors, persons with disabilities; Supporting transit safety, cleanliness, affordability, reliability; Repairing targeted roads/potholes; Requiring financial transparency, oversight, accountability; shall the measure enacting a 0.5% (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara counties), and 1% (San Francisco) sales tax for 14 years generating approximately $980,000,000 annually, be adopted?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Taking a fine-tooth comb to that wording, the challengers wanted to hit the delete button on references to service cuts and preservation, among other issues.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For Dieguez and his co-petitioners, these details matter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ Preserving BART implies that it’s at risk in some way, whereas funding it implies what it is, giving it more money to continue to operate,” Dieguez told KQED on Aug. 17.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095745\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/251030-BayAreaVoters-06-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A voter is given a sticker after dropping his ballot at City Hall in San Francisco on Oct. 30, 2025, ahead of the statewide special election. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chung, however, ruled that the petitioners failed to show by clear and convincing evidence that the word “preserving” was false, misleading, partial or argumentative.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It accurately describes the purpose of the ballot measure, and it is not factually incorrect,” Chung wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Dieguez and the Committee for Affordable Bay Area Transit dispute that the agencies would fail without the additional tax revenue. The committee argues that transit operators could utilize existing capital funds to cover operating costs, reduce overtime pay or evaluate contracts with labor unions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jeff Cretan, spokesperson for the Connect Bay Area campaign, previously told KQED the committee’s claims were “not based in reality.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our focus right now is explaining to voters that, if we don’t pass this measure, there will be catastrophic cuts to public transit that will hurt communities in all five counties,” Cretan told KQED on Aug. 17. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Filed by attorney Jason Bezis of Lafayette, the petition also disputed the amount of money the sales tax would generate, arguing the MTC determined in September 2025 that it would generate about $220,000,000 more annually than currently disclosed. The petition asked for the amount listed on the ballot to be changed, which Chung also denied. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Rather than engage their own consultant to perform a contrary calculation, Petitioners have relied on simplistic arithmetic to come up with a contrary figure. This is insufficient,” Chung wrote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In his ruling, Chung said he had “less than two and a half days” to review relevant cases, given an Aug. 28 deadline set by county election offices.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "san-francisco-democratic-party-endorses-manny-yekutiel-for-supervisor-after-sexual-assault-allegations",
"title": "San Francisco Democratic Party Endorses Manny Yekutiel for Supervisor After Sexual Assault Allegations",
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"headTitle": "San Francisco Democratic Party Endorses Manny Yekutiel for Supervisor After Sexual Assault Allegations | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Democratic Party voted to endorse Manny Yekutiel for District 8 supervisor despite \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090065/sexual-assault-allegations-against-manny-yekutiel-roil-san-francisco-democrats\">sexual assault allegations\u003c/a> against the local cafe owner who has forged close ties with many of the city’s prominent political leaders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The endorsement arrived the same day the local party announced the conclusion of an investigation into allegations made by Brad Chapin, who claimed Yekutiel assaulted him at a party in 2020. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An ombudsperson tasked with reviewing Chapin’s complaint said that no judgment could be made about whether the alleged incident occurred. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel said in a statement that he was grateful for the party’s endorsement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1321\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1298791153.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090328\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1298791153.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1298791153-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1298791153-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Manny Yekutiel introduces U.S. presidential candidate Tom Steyer during Steyer’s appearance at Manny’s in San Francisco, California, on July 17, 2019. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images))\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our campaign is focused on delivering results on the issues voters care about most, making San Francisco more affordable, building the housing we need, supporting small businesses and keeping our neighborhood safe,” he said. “I’m proud of the momentum behind this campaign, and I’m going to keep taking that message directly to voters across District 8.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chapin’s case was one of the first tests for the San Francisco Democratic Party’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016733/sf-democrats-adopt-new-sexual-assault-reporting-policies\">newly created policy\u003c/a> for reporting sexual misconduct in political spaces. Chapin, a city gardener who previously worked as an organizer in local politics, filed a police report in April before reporting the incident to the local Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chapin said he did not receive a response through the reporting process until he came forward publicly with his story in the media, however. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An adjudication panel met on Tuesday to review the investigator’s findings, according to a letter sent to Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The accusation cannot be substantiated,” the letter said, stating that the event in question was not at an official meeting or event sponsored by a political club. “This is not a determination on the merits of whether a sexual assault occurred.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speaking during public comment at Wednesday night’s Democratic Party meeting, Chapin called the process a “sham.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m really disappointed in your investigation,” he said. “You should all be…ashamed of yourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel has powerful allies in City Hall, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, with whom he started the nonprofit Civic Joy Fund. His restaurant, Manny’s, serves as a civic gathering space that has hosted prominent political figures both local and national. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel has endorsements from the majority of the Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who is a member of the Democratic Party’s committee on sexual assault, abstained from the vote on Wednesday night but has personally endorsed Yekutiel. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2278646743-scaled-e1782502896455.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086413\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Daniel Lurie during a news conference on his budget proposal in San Francisco on June 1, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I support him because he embodies Democratic values and he’s lived through them for years doing civic engagement, bringing people together, championing equality and inclusion. He has truly built community,” a District 8 resident named Trey Gwen said at Wednesday’s meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel is facing off against three other candidates also running to represent District 8, which includes the Castro, Noe Valley and Glen Park neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They include Gary McCoy, a former aide for Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi; Democratic Party member and lawyer Michael Nguyen; and former DoorDash employee Darshini Patel. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Democratic Party narrowly voted against backing McCoy, who has an endorsement from Pelosi, as a second-rank candidate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know Gary very well. He is somebody I consider a friend, and I think he would be a terrific colleague,” said Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who said the two met through drug recovery meetings. “It would mean a lot to people in the recovery community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Catie Stewart, a spokesperson for McCoy’s campaign, said in a statement on Wednesday that they share “grave concerns” about the Democratic Party’s process and findings around Chapin’s assault allegations against Yekutiel. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12020498\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie walks with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Manny Yekutiel during a trash pickup in the Mission District on Jan. 5, 2025, during a weekend of service before his inauguration. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“Its conclusion on the day of a critical endorsement meeting, after months of initially ignoring Brad Chapin’s complaint, is suspect, bordering on absurd,” the statement said. “That the ombudsperson says they are both unable to substantiate the claim nor determine whether or not a sexual assault happened provides no meaningful information.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel has asserted that Chapin’s complaint was politically motivated, which Chapin has denied outright. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s Democratic Party created its sexual assault reporting policy following accusations against prominent political organizers including John Jacobo and Kevin Ortiz, two progressives who have both denied the allegations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The goal was to create an independent process for vetting complaints outside of the inherently political body. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But concerns around the reporting process more generally, including its appeal process and notification system, were echoed by members of the city’s political community after Wednesday’s endorsement vote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gina Roccanova, a professional mediator and arbitrator who chairs the Democratic Party’s judicial committee tasked with the investigation, declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The policy is sloppy and wasn’t adequately considered. They were not effective at creating an environment where they could hear from a variety of survivors about what our needs were, and so those needs are not reflected in the policy,” said a woman who has accused Ortiz of sexual assault and who requested anonymity to discuss the policy because she has not come forward publicly. “It’s a betrayal to all survivors because you can’t just pick and choose which assaults matter based on who politically aligns with you.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Democratic Party voted to endorse Manny Yekutiel for District 8 supervisor despite \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090065/sexual-assault-allegations-against-manny-yekutiel-roil-san-francisco-democrats\">sexual assault allegations\u003c/a> against the local cafe owner who has forged close ties with many of the city’s prominent political leaders. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The endorsement arrived the same day the local party announced the conclusion of an investigation into allegations made by Brad Chapin, who claimed Yekutiel assaulted him at a party in 2020. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our campaign is focused on delivering results on the issues voters care about most, making San Francisco more affordable, building the housing we need, supporting small businesses and keeping our neighborhood safe,” he said. “I’m proud of the momentum behind this campaign, and I’m going to keep taking that message directly to voters across District 8.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chapin’s case was one of the first tests for the San Francisco Democratic Party’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016733/sf-democrats-adopt-new-sexual-assault-reporting-policies\">newly created policy\u003c/a> for reporting sexual misconduct in political spaces. Chapin, a city gardener who previously worked as an organizer in local politics, filed a police report in April before reporting the incident to the local Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chapin said he did not receive a response through the reporting process until he came forward publicly with his story in the media, however. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An adjudication panel met on Tuesday to review the investigator’s findings, according to a letter sent to Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The accusation cannot be substantiated,” the letter said, stating that the event in question was not at an official meeting or event sponsored by a political club. “This is not a determination on the merits of whether a sexual assault occurred.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Speaking during public comment at Wednesday night’s Democratic Party meeting, Chapin called the process a “sham.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’m really disappointed in your investigation,” he said. “You should all be…ashamed of yourselves.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yekutiel has powerful allies in City Hall, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, with whom he started the nonprofit Civic Joy Fund. His restaurant, Manny’s, serves as a civic gathering space that has hosted prominent political figures both local and national. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yekutiel has endorsements from the majority of the Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who is a member of the Democratic Party’s committee on sexual assault, abstained from the vote on Wednesday night but has personally endorsed Yekutiel. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I support him because he embodies Democratic values and he’s lived through them for years doing civic engagement, bringing people together, championing equality and inclusion. He has truly built community,” a District 8 resident named Trey Gwen said at Wednesday’s meeting. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yekutiel is facing off against three other candidates also running to represent District 8, which includes the Castro, Noe Valley and Glen Park neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They include Gary McCoy, a former aide for Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi; Democratic Party member and lawyer Michael Nguyen; and former DoorDash employee Darshini Patel. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I know Gary very well. He is somebody I consider a friend, and I think he would be a terrific colleague,” said Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who said the two met through drug recovery meetings. “It would mean a lot to people in the recovery community.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Catie Stewart, a spokesperson for McCoy’s campaign, said in a statement on Wednesday that they share “grave concerns” about the Democratic Party’s process and findings around Chapin’s assault allegations against Yekutiel. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The policy is sloppy and wasn’t adequately considered. They were not effective at creating an environment where they could hear from a variety of survivors about what our needs were, and so those needs are not reflected in the policy,” said a woman who has accused Ortiz of sexual assault and who requested anonymity to discuss the policy because she has not come forward publicly. “It’s a betrayal to all survivors because you can’t just pick and choose which assaults matter based on who politically aligns with you.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Yekutiel, who owns a popular cafe in the Mission, has risen among the city’s political ranks with close ties to Mayor Daniel Lurie and other moderate Democrats. ",
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"title": "San Francisco Democratic Party Endorses Manny Yekutiel for Supervisor After Sexual Assault Allegations | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Democratic Party voted to endorse Manny Yekutiel for District 8 supervisor despite \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090065/sexual-assault-allegations-against-manny-yekutiel-roil-san-francisco-democrats\">sexual assault allegations\u003c/a> against the local cafe owner who has forged close ties with many of the city’s prominent political leaders. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The endorsement arrived the same day the local party announced the conclusion of an investigation into allegations made by Brad Chapin, who claimed Yekutiel assaulted him at a party in 2020. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An ombudsperson tasked with reviewing Chapin’s complaint said that no judgment could be made about whether the alleged incident occurred. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel said in a statement that he was grateful for the party’s endorsement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1321\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1298791153.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12090328\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1298791153.jpg 1980w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1298791153-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/07/GettyImages-1298791153-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1980px) 100vw, 1980px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Manny Yekutiel introduces U.S. presidential candidate Tom Steyer during Steyer’s appearance at Manny’s in San Francisco, California, on July 17, 2019. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images))\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our campaign is focused on delivering results on the issues voters care about most, making San Francisco more affordable, building the housing we need, supporting small businesses and keeping our neighborhood safe,” he said. “I’m proud of the momentum behind this campaign, and I’m going to keep taking that message directly to voters across District 8.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chapin’s case was one of the first tests for the San Francisco Democratic Party’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12016733/sf-democrats-adopt-new-sexual-assault-reporting-policies\">newly created policy\u003c/a> for reporting sexual misconduct in political spaces. Chapin, a city gardener who previously worked as an organizer in local politics, filed a police report in April before reporting the incident to the local Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chapin said he did not receive a response through the reporting process until he came forward publicly with his story in the media, however. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An adjudication panel met on Tuesday to review the investigator’s findings, according to a letter sent to Democratic Party Chair Nancy Tung. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The accusation cannot be substantiated,” the letter said, stating that the event in question was not at an official meeting or event sponsored by a political club. “This is not a determination on the merits of whether a sexual assault occurred.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Speaking during public comment at Wednesday night’s Democratic Party meeting, Chapin called the process a “sham.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m really disappointed in your investigation,” he said. “You should all be…ashamed of yourselves.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel has powerful allies in City Hall, including Mayor Daniel Lurie, with whom he started the nonprofit Civic Joy Fund. His restaurant, Manny’s, serves as a civic gathering space that has hosted prominent political figures both local and national. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel has endorsements from the majority of the Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, who is a member of the Democratic Party’s committee on sexual assault, abstained from the vote on Wednesday night but has personally endorsed Yekutiel. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/GettyImages-2278646743-scaled-e1782502896455.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12086413\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mayor Daniel Lurie during a news conference on his budget proposal in San Francisco on June 1, 2026. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I support him because he embodies Democratic values and he’s lived through them for years doing civic engagement, bringing people together, championing equality and inclusion. He has truly built community,” a District 8 resident named Trey Gwen said at Wednesday’s meeting. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel is facing off against three other candidates also running to represent District 8, which includes the Castro, Noe Valley and Glen Park neighborhoods. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They include Gary McCoy, a former aide for Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi; Democratic Party member and lawyer Michael Nguyen; and former DoorDash employee Darshini Patel. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Democratic Party narrowly voted against backing McCoy, who has an endorsement from Pelosi, as a second-rank candidate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know Gary very well. He is somebody I consider a friend, and I think he would be a terrific colleague,” said Supervisor Matt Dorsey, who said the two met through drug recovery meetings. “It would mean a lot to people in the recovery community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Catie Stewart, a spokesperson for McCoy’s campaign, said in a statement on Wednesday that they share “grave concerns” about the Democratic Party’s process and findings around Chapin’s assault allegations against Yekutiel. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12020498\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51.jpg 1600w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-800x1000.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-1020x1275.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/01/250105-LurieInaugurationCleanup-51-1229x1536.jpg 1229w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie walks with Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Manny Yekutiel during a trash pickup in the Mission District on Jan. 5, 2025, during a weekend of service before his inauguration. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“Its conclusion on the day of a critical endorsement meeting, after months of initially ignoring Brad Chapin’s complaint, is suspect, bordering on absurd,” the statement said. “That the ombudsperson says they are both unable to substantiate the claim nor determine whether or not a sexual assault happened provides no meaningful information.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yekutiel has asserted that Chapin’s complaint was politically motivated, which Chapin has denied outright. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s Democratic Party created its sexual assault reporting policy following accusations against prominent political organizers including John Jacobo and Kevin Ortiz, two progressives who have both denied the allegations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The goal was to create an independent process for vetting complaints outside of the inherently political body. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But concerns around the reporting process more generally, including its appeal process and notification system, were echoed by members of the city’s political community after Wednesday’s endorsement vote. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Gina Roccanova, a professional mediator and arbitrator who chairs the Democratic Party’s judicial committee tasked with the investigation, declined to comment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The policy is sloppy and wasn’t adequately considered. They were not effective at creating an environment where they could hear from a variety of survivors about what our needs were, and so those needs are not reflected in the policy,” said a woman who has accused Ortiz of sexual assault and who requested anonymity to discuss the policy because she has not come forward publicly. “It’s a betrayal to all survivors because you can’t just pick and choose which assaults matter based on who politically aligns with you.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "ICE Agent’s Gun Found at SFO the Day Before High-Profile Arrest of Ukrainian Woman ",
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"headTitle": "ICE Agent’s Gun Found at SFO the Day Before High-Profile Arrest of Ukrainian Woman | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>A flight attendant last month found a gun belonging to a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> bathroom, a SFO spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After finding the gun in a men’s bathroom stall past the Terminal 2 security checkpoint, the attendant notified security, who closed the restroom and called 911. San Francisco police responded within five minutes and were on scene when the ICE agent returned to retrieve his gun. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s unclear if the gun was loaded and if the ICE agent was at the airport to board a flight or as part of an operation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pablo Lastra, an immigration attorney with law firm Fellom & Solorio in San Francisco, questioned why the officer was armed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEating-86-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12067210\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEating-86-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEating-86-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEating-86-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait for their flight at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even if they were getting on a plane to do an operation in Chicago, you don’t need a gun,” he said. “You can put it in your luggage. There is an element of a lack of training and carelessness.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident, first reported by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/ice-agents-gun-found-in-sfo-bathroom/4133652/\">NBC Bay Area\u003c/a>, took place one day before the high-profile \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092491/it-wasnt-right-woman-arrested-by-ice-at-sfo-is-a-san-francisco-photographer-barista\">arrest of Iryna Gorb, a Ukrainian woman\u003c/a> who was returning home to San Francisco from out of state. It comes as part of a growing presence of immigration agents at airports, as the Trump administration opens up new fronts in its aggressive immigration crackdown. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Advocates say more than a dozen travelers have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092697/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-warn-noncitizens-to-avoid-air-travel-after-ice-arrests\">detained at Bay Area airports\u003c/a> since June 27, some of which have played out in dramatic and public arrests captured on video, like Gorb’s July 22 arrest. A photographer and barista who has lived in the U.S. since 2010, Gorb remains in detention. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Transportation Security Administration, the federal agency that handles airport security, has increasingly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077581/bay-area-officials-raise-privacy-concerns-after-ice-arrest-at-sfo\">shared passenger information\u003c/a> with ICE, which is also part of the Department of Homeland Security. TSA has shared names, photos and other details from flight manifests, which ICE checks against its own records.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to both TSA and ICE for comment, and neither responded in time for publication. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previously, enforcement at airports centered on international travelers coming into the U.S. without a visa, said Milli Atkinson, director of the San Francisco Bar Association’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program and leads the San Francisco Rapid Response Network. But over the past year and a half, focus has shifted to immigrants who have lived in the country for years, but overstayed their visa and then chose to travel domestically.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t really see anything locally until this year, and it has really ramped up in the past couple of weeks at both San Francisco and Oakland airports,” Atkinson said. “For the first time, we started seeing people detained when they were waiting at the gates to board their flights, including people who have pending asylum applications. It’s really concerning.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Atkinson said that the arrests are being made by both uniformed ICE agents and by plainclothes officers wearing tactical vests. She advises anyone without permanent status, such as DACA recipients or those who have overstayed their visa —even if they have been in the country for many years —to consult with an immigration attorney prior to travel, even if domestically. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lastra said that there has always been a possibility that people not authorized to be in the U.S. could be arrested during travel, but enforcement was previously sporadic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The airport is a Constitution-light zone where agents can search you, detain you and take your phone,” Lastra said. “Airports are considered a border area, so there is always a risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Even if they were getting on a plane to do an operation in Chicago, you don’t need a gun,” he said. “You can put it in your luggage. There is an element of a lack of training and carelessness.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The incident, first reported by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/ice-agents-gun-found-in-sfo-bathroom/4133652/\">NBC Bay Area\u003c/a>, took place one day before the high-profile \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092491/it-wasnt-right-woman-arrested-by-ice-at-sfo-is-a-san-francisco-photographer-barista\">arrest of Iryna Gorb, a Ukrainian woman\u003c/a> who was returning home to San Francisco from out of state. It comes as part of a growing presence of immigration agents at airports, as the Trump administration opens up new fronts in its aggressive immigration crackdown. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The incident, first reported by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/ice-agents-gun-found-in-sfo-bathroom/4133652/\">NBC Bay Area\u003c/a>, took place one day before the high-profile \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092491/it-wasnt-right-woman-arrested-by-ice-at-sfo-is-a-san-francisco-photographer-barista\">arrest of Iryna Gorb, a Ukrainian woman\u003c/a> who was returning home to San Francisco from out of state. It comes as part of a growing presence of immigration agents at airports, as the Trump administration opens up new fronts in its aggressive immigration crackdown. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Advocates say more than a dozen travelers have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092697/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-warn-noncitizens-to-avoid-air-travel-after-ice-arrests\">detained at Bay Area airports\u003c/a> since June 27, some of which have played out in dramatic and public arrests captured on video, like Gorb’s July 22 arrest. A photographer and barista who has lived in the U.S. since 2010, Gorb remains in detention. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Advocates say more than a dozen travelers have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092697/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-warn-noncitizens-to-avoid-air-travel-after-ice-arrests\">detained at Bay Area airports\u003c/a> since June 27, some of which have played out in dramatic and public arrests captured on video, like Gorb’s July 22 arrest. A photographer and barista who has lived in the U.S. since 2010, Gorb remains in detention. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Transportation Security Administration, the federal agency that handles airport security, has increasingly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077581/bay-area-officials-raise-privacy-concerns-after-ice-arrest-at-sfo\">shared passenger information\u003c/a> with ICE, which is also part of the Department of Homeland Security. TSA has shared names, photos and other details from flight manifests, which ICE checks against its own records.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to both TSA and ICE for comment, and neither responded in time for publication. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Previously, enforcement at airports centered on international travelers coming into the U.S. without a visa, said Milli Atkinson, director of the San Francisco Bar Association’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program and leads the San Francisco Rapid Response Network. But over the past year and a half, focus has shifted to immigrants who have lived in the country for years, but overstayed their visa and then chose to travel domestically.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Previously, enforcement at airports centered on international travelers coming into the U.S. without a visa, said Milli Atkinson, director of the San Francisco Bar Association’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program and leads the San Francisco Rapid Response Network. But over the past year and a half, focus has shifted to immigrants who have lived in the country for years, but overstayed their visa and then chose to travel domestically.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We didn’t really see anything locally until this year, and it has really ramped up in the past couple of weeks at both San Francisco and Oakland airports,” Atkinson said. “For the first time, we started seeing people detained when they were waiting at the gates to board their flights, including people who have pending asylum applications. It’s really concerning.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Atkinson said that the arrests are being made by both uniformed ICE agents and by plainclothes officers wearing tactical vests. She advises anyone without permanent status, such as DACA recipients or those who have overstayed their visa —even if they have been in the country for many years —to consult with an immigration attorney prior to travel, even if domestically. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lastra said that there has always been a possibility that people not authorized to be in the U.S. could be arrested during travel, but enforcement was previously sporadic. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The airport is a Constitution-light zone where agents can search you, detain you and take your phone,” Lastra said. “Airports are considered a border area, so there is always a risk.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "A flight attendant found the weapon before the arrest of Iryna Gorb, a San Francisco resident who was traveling home from out of state, as was captured in a viral video. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>A flight attendant last month found a gun belonging to a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco-international-airport\">San Francisco International Airport\u003c/a> bathroom, a SFO spokesperson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After finding the gun in a men’s bathroom stall past the Terminal 2 security checkpoint, the attendant notified security, who closed the restroom and called 911. San Francisco police responded within five minutes and were on scene when the ICE agent returned to retrieve his gun. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s unclear if the gun was loaded and if the ICE agent was at the airport to board a flight or as part of an operation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pablo Lastra, an immigration attorney with law firm Fellom & Solorio in San Francisco, questioned why the officer was armed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEating-86-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12067210\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEating-86-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEating-86-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/12/251210-SFOEating-86-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Passengers wait for their flight at San Francisco International Airport on Dec. 10, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Even if they were getting on a plane to do an operation in Chicago, you don’t need a gun,” he said. “You can put it in your luggage. There is an element of a lack of training and carelessness.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The incident, first reported by \u003ca href=\"https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/ice-agents-gun-found-in-sfo-bathroom/4133652/\">NBC Bay Area\u003c/a>, took place one day before the high-profile \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092491/it-wasnt-right-woman-arrested-by-ice-at-sfo-is-a-san-francisco-photographer-barista\">arrest of Iryna Gorb, a Ukrainian woman\u003c/a> who was returning home to San Francisco from out of state. It comes as part of a growing presence of immigration agents at airports, as the Trump administration opens up new fronts in its aggressive immigration crackdown. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Advocates say more than a dozen travelers have been \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092697/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-warn-noncitizens-to-avoid-air-travel-after-ice-arrests\">detained at Bay Area airports\u003c/a> since June 27, some of which have played out in dramatic and public arrests captured on video, like Gorb’s July 22 arrest. A photographer and barista who has lived in the U.S. since 2010, Gorb remains in detention. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Transportation Security Administration, the federal agency that handles airport security, has increasingly \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12077581/bay-area-officials-raise-privacy-concerns-after-ice-arrest-at-sfo\">shared passenger information\u003c/a> with ICE, which is also part of the Department of Homeland Security. TSA has shared names, photos and other details from flight manifests, which ICE checks against its own records.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>KQED reached out to both TSA and ICE for comment, and neither responded in time for publication. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Previously, enforcement at airports centered on international travelers coming into the U.S. without a visa, said Milli Atkinson, director of the San Francisco Bar Association’s Immigrant Legal Defense Program and leads the San Francisco Rapid Response Network. But over the past year and a half, focus has shifted to immigrants who have lived in the country for years, but overstayed their visa and then chose to travel domestically.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We didn’t really see anything locally until this year, and it has really ramped up in the past couple of weeks at both San Francisco and Oakland airports,” Atkinson said. “For the first time, we started seeing people detained when they were waiting at the gates to board their flights, including people who have pending asylum applications. It’s really concerning.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Atkinson said that the arrests are being made by both uniformed ICE agents and by plainclothes officers wearing tactical vests. She advises anyone without permanent status, such as DACA recipients or those who have overstayed their visa —even if they have been in the country for many years —to consult with an immigration attorney prior to travel, even if domestically. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lastra said that there has always been a possibility that people not authorized to be in the U.S. could be arrested during travel, but enforcement was previously sporadic. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The airport is a Constitution-light zone where agents can search you, detain you and take your phone,” Lastra said. “Airports are considered a border area, so there is always a risk.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/jlara\">\u003cem>Juan Carlos Lara\u003c/em>\u003c/a> \u003cem>contributed to this report.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "splitting-with-state-party-san-francisco-democrats-oppose-billionaire-tax",
"title": "Splitting With State Party, San Francisco Democrats Oppose Billionaire Tax",
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"headTitle": "Splitting With State Party, San Francisco Democrats Oppose Billionaire Tax | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Democratic Party has voted to oppose a proposed statewide \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/billionaire-tax\">billionaire tax\u003c/a>, marking a rare divergence from the California Democratic Party, which endorsed the November ballot measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 40 has emerged as a lightning rod among Democrats, with the state party narrowly voting to endorse it while prominent moderate Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have come out against it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s vote came shortly after the majority-moderate San Francisco Democratic Party changed its bylaws earlier this summer to allow the local party to go against the state Democratic Party’s endorsements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters have said Proposition 40 would provide a much-needed injection of cash to California’s healthcare system at a time when federal cuts to Medicare have impacted residents across the state and city of San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088085\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Signs reading “A Billionaire Tax Now” rest on chairs at a Billionaire Tax Now rally where Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to speak in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2026. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But opponents say it’s a misguided effort to tax the wealthy and could result in billionaires fleeing to other states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Passing a billionaire tax in California is not a long-term viable solution to providing affordable healthcare,” member Lanier Coles said. “We need \u003cem>federal\u003c/em> tax reform to address the growing inequities and concentration of wealth.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One member in the audience fired back: “That’s why you lost to Trump twice.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 17-4 vote fell along moderate-progressive lines. The measure would create a one-time 5% tax on Californians with a net worth that exceeds $1 billion who lived in the state as of Jan. 1, 2026. The tax could generate about $100 billion and would be paid by roughly 200 billionaires, according to the campaign. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure has garnered \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095116/california-billionaire-tax-has-strong-support-of-democratic-voters-new-poll-shows\">strong support\u003c/a> from likely Democratic voters in California, according to a recent UC Berkeley poll. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the state’s Democratic leaders are divided on the measure. In addition to the local and state Democratic Party split, Newsom and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the Democratic frontrunner for governor, have both opposed Proposition 40. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents of the measure say the one-time tax would not produce the long-term funding needed to backfill healthcare cuts from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Groups opposing Proposition 40 include Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the California Teachers Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California healthcare unions back the state billionaire tax and have received the support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents parts of Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Working families who are barely holding on here in San Francisco and across the state are paying their taxes,” San Francisco Democratic Party member Peter Gallotta said. “Billionaires making ungodly sums of money with more than they can spend in their lifetimes can afford to contribute more.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Progressive members slammed their moderate colleagues for playing defense for billionaires, including powerful tech donors who have helped elect members of the local Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut.jpg\" alt=\"An Asian man in a blue suit holding a microphone and speaking with protesters behind him in support of gig workers.\" class=\"wp-image-11932792\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar, representing District 4, at a rally supporting the creation of a statewide union of Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other gig workers on Oct. 12, 2022. (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A no vote on Proposition 40 “would reinforce the public perception that our local Democratic Party is more responsive to the billionaire interest who spent heavily to elect the current majority than healthcare workers and working families,” former Supervisor Gordon Mar said. “The federal healthcare cuts facing California are not minor … Prop. 40 is the only proposal before voters and on the table more generally that approaches the scale of this crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco Democratic Party members Emma Hare and Eric Kingsbury put forward a resolution calling for a national wealth tax, which Newsom has also proposed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“American government increasingly answers to an oligarchy of a few hundred households rather than to the more than three hundred million Americans it exists to serve,” reads the resolution, co-sponsored by Supervisor Matt Dorsey and party member Joe Sangirardi. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If wealthy people know how to do anything really well, it’s to get through loopholes, and I think this measure has a lot of loopholes,” Hare said. “I think we can do better.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Democratic Party has voted to oppose a proposed statewide \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/billionaire-tax\">billionaire tax\u003c/a>, marking a rare divergence from the California Democratic Party, which endorsed the November ballot measure. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Proposition 40 has emerged as a lightning rod among Democrats, with the state party narrowly voting to endorse it while prominent moderate Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have come out against it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s vote came shortly after the majority-moderate San Francisco Democratic Party changed its bylaws earlier this summer to allow the local party to go against the state Democratic Party’s endorsements. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Supporters have said Proposition 40 would provide a much-needed injection of cash to California’s healthcare system at a time when federal cuts to Medicare have impacted residents across the state and city of San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Supporters have said Proposition 40 would provide a much-needed injection of cash to California’s healthcare system at a time when federal cuts to Medicare have impacted residents across the state and city of San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088085\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Signs reading “A Billionaire Tax Now” rest on chairs at a Billionaire Tax Now rally where Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to speak in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088085\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Signs reading “A Billionaire Tax Now” rest on chairs at a Billionaire Tax Now rally where Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to speak in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But opponents say it’s a misguided effort to tax the wealthy and could result in billionaires fleeing to other states.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But opponents say it’s a misguided effort to tax the wealthy and could result in billionaires fleeing to other states.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Passing a billionaire tax in California is not a long-term viable solution to providing affordable healthcare,” member Lanier Coles said. “We need \u003cem>federal\u003c/em> tax reform to address the growing inequities and concentration of wealth.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Passing a billionaire tax in California is not a long-term viable solution to providing affordable healthcare,” member Lanier Coles said. “We need \u003cem>federal\u003c/em> tax reform to address the growing inequities and concentration of wealth.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One member in the audience fired back: “That’s why you lost to Trump twice.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The 17-4 vote fell along moderate-progressive lines. The measure would create a one-time 5% tax on Californians with a net worth that exceeds $1 billion who lived in the state as of Jan. 1, 2026. The tax could generate about $100 billion and would be paid by roughly 200 billionaires, according to the campaign. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The 17-4 vote fell along moderate-progressive lines. The measure would create a one-time 5% tax on Californians with a net worth that exceeds $1 billion who lived in the state as of Jan. 1, 2026. The tax could generate about $100 billion and would be paid by roughly 200 billionaires, according to the campaign. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure has garnered \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095116/california-billionaire-tax-has-strong-support-of-democratic-voters-new-poll-shows\">strong support\u003c/a> from likely Democratic voters in California, according to a recent UC Berkeley poll. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the state’s Democratic leaders are divided on the measure. In addition to the local and state Democratic Party split, Newsom and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the Democratic frontrunner for governor, have both opposed Proposition 40. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the state’s Democratic leaders are divided on the measure. In addition to the local and state Democratic Party split, Newsom and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the Democratic frontrunner for governor, have both opposed Proposition 40. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Opponents of the measure say the one-time tax would not produce the long-term funding needed to backfill healthcare cuts from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Opponents of the measure say the one-time tax would not produce the long-term funding needed to backfill healthcare cuts from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Groups opposing Proposition 40 include Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the California Teachers Association.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Groups opposing Proposition 40 include Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the California Teachers Association.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California healthcare unions back the state billionaire tax and have received the support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents parts of Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California healthcare unions back the state billionaire tax and have received the support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents parts of Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Working families who are barely holding on here in San Francisco and across the state are paying their taxes,” San Francisco Democratic Party member Peter Gallotta said. “Billionaires making ungodly sums of money with more than they can spend in their lifetimes can afford to contribute more.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Working families who are barely holding on here in San Francisco and across the state are paying their taxes,” San Francisco Democratic Party member Peter Gallotta said. “Billionaires making ungodly sums of money with more than they can spend in their lifetimes can afford to contribute more.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Progressive members slammed their moderate colleagues for playing defense for billionaires, including powerful tech donors who have helped elect members of the local Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n",
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut.jpg\" alt=\"An Asian man in a blue suit holding a microphone and speaking with protesters behind him in support of gig workers.\" class=\"wp-image-11932792\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar, representing District 4, at a rally supporting the creation of a statewide union of Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other gig workers on Oct. 12, 2022.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A no vote on Proposition 40 “would reinforce the public perception that our local Democratic Party is more responsive to the billionaire interest who spent heavily to elect the current majority than healthcare workers and working families,” former Supervisor Gordon Mar said. “The federal healthcare cuts facing California are not minor … Prop. 40 is the only proposal before voters and on the table more generally that approaches the scale of this crisis.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco Democratic Party members Emma Hare and Eric Kingsbury put forward a resolution calling for a national wealth tax, which Newsom has also proposed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“American government increasingly answers to an oligarchy of a few hundred households rather than to the more than three hundred million Americans it exists to serve,” reads the resolution, co-sponsored by Supervisor Matt Dorsey and party member Joe Sangirardi. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If wealthy people know how to do anything really well, it’s to get through loopholes, and I think this measure has a lot of loopholes,” Hare said. “I think we can do better.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The state’s Democratic leaders are also divided on Proposition 40, with Gov. Gavin Newsom and gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra opposing the measure.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Democratic Party has voted to oppose a proposed statewide \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/billionaire-tax\">billionaire tax\u003c/a>, marking a rare divergence from the California Democratic Party, which endorsed the November ballot measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proposition 40 has emerged as a lightning rod among Democrats, with the state party narrowly voting to endorse it while prominent moderate Democrats, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have come out against it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Wednesday’s vote came shortly after the majority-moderate San Francisco Democratic Party changed its bylaws earlier this summer to allow the local party to go against the state Democratic Party’s endorsements. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Supporters have said Proposition 40 would provide a much-needed injection of cash to California’s healthcare system at a time when federal cuts to Medicare have impacted residents across the state and city of San Francisco. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12088085\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01.jpeg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01-160x107.jpeg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/021826-Billionaires-Tax-GETTY-CM-01-1536x1025.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Signs reading “A Billionaire Tax Now” rest on chairs at a Billionaire Tax Now rally where Sen. Bernie Sanders is set to speak in Los Angeles on Feb. 18, 2026. (Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But opponents say it’s a misguided effort to tax the wealthy and could result in billionaires fleeing to other states.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Passing a billionaire tax in California is not a long-term viable solution to providing affordable healthcare,” member Lanier Coles said. “We need \u003cem>federal\u003c/em> tax reform to address the growing inequities and concentration of wealth.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One member in the audience fired back: “That’s why you lost to Trump twice.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The 17-4 vote fell along moderate-progressive lines. The measure would create a one-time 5% tax on Californians with a net worth that exceeds $1 billion who lived in the state as of Jan. 1, 2026. The tax could generate about $100 billion and would be paid by roughly 200 billionaires, according to the campaign. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The measure has garnered \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12095116/california-billionaire-tax-has-strong-support-of-democratic-voters-new-poll-shows\">strong support\u003c/a> from likely Democratic voters in California, according to a recent UC Berkeley poll. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the state’s Democratic leaders are divided on the measure. In addition to the local and state Democratic Party split, Newsom and former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, the Democratic frontrunner for governor, have both opposed Proposition 40. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Opponents of the measure say the one-time tax would not produce the long-term funding needed to backfill healthcare cuts from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Groups opposing Proposition 40 include Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California and the California Teachers Association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California healthcare unions back the state billionaire tax and have received the support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna, who represents parts of Silicon Valley.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Working families who are barely holding on here in San Francisco and across the state are paying their taxes,” San Francisco Democratic Party member Peter Gallotta said. “Billionaires making ungodly sums of money with more than they can spend in their lifetimes can afford to contribute more.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Progressive members slammed their moderate colleagues for playing defense for billionaires, including powerful tech donors who have helped elect members of the local Democratic Party.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut.jpg\" alt=\"An Asian man in a blue suit holding a microphone and speaking with protesters behind him in support of gig workers.\" class=\"wp-image-11932792\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/11/RS59360_IMG_5938-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Former San Francisco Supervisor Gordon Mar, representing District 4, at a rally supporting the creation of a statewide union of Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other gig workers on Oct. 12, 2022. (Farida Jhabvala Romero/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A no vote on Proposition 40 “would reinforce the public perception that our local Democratic Party is more responsive to the billionaire interest who spent heavily to elect the current majority than healthcare workers and working families,” former Supervisor Gordon Mar said. “The federal healthcare cuts facing California are not minor … Prop. 40 is the only proposal before voters and on the table more generally that approaches the scale of this crisis.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco Democratic Party members Emma Hare and Eric Kingsbury put forward a resolution calling for a national wealth tax, which Newsom has also proposed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“American government increasingly answers to an oligarchy of a few hundred households rather than to the more than three hundred million Americans it exists to serve,” reads the resolution, co-sponsored by Supervisor Matt Dorsey and party member Joe Sangirardi. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If wealthy people know how to do anything really well, it’s to get through loopholes, and I think this measure has a lot of loopholes,” Hare said. “I think we can do better.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "mpox-san-francisco-2026-folsom-street-fair-events-symptoms-rash-where-to-find-monkeypox-vaccine",
"title": "Who Should Get an Mpox Vaccine Before San Francisco’s Fall Party Season Begins?",
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"headTitle": "Who Should Get an Mpox Vaccine Before San Francisco’s Fall Party Season Begins? | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Ahead of San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026\">jam-packed\u003c/a> fall slate of gatherings and concerts — including Folsom Street and Portola Music Festival — city health officials are reminding at-risk residents to get fully vaccinated against \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/mpox\">mpox\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Department of Public Health confirmed on Tuesday that over 70 cases of mpox — formerly known as monkeypox — have been reported in San Francisco this year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eight of these infections involve clade I mpox: a strain that in other parts of the world has caused more severe symptoms than the clade II strain associated with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919070/monkeypox-in-the-bay-area-from-symptoms-to-how-to-find-a-vaccine-heres-what-we-know\">2022 outbreak\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to SFDPH, mpox cases usually increase in summer and fall — especially when the city is hosting events that draw people from all over the world. “People come together, they’re meeting,” said Dr. Julia Janssen, deputy director of the STI and HIV branch at SFDPH. “That’s why we emphasize and recommend the Jynneos vaccine during this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12054358\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thousands of people dance as Disclosure performs at Portola Music Festival in San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2024. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ahead of San Francisco Pride celebrations back in June, health officials recommended the mpox vaccine — which has the brand name Jynneos — to the same at-risk populations that have been most affected by previous mpox outbreaks. These included gay and bisexual men, along with transgender people who have sex with men.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the fact that the clade I strain is also starting to \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON587\">spread\u003c/a> among local populations in popular tourist destinations — including Italy, Spain and Portugal — has prompted San Francisco health officials to now recommend that \u003cem>more \u003c/em>people beyond those primary at-risk groups get vaccinated if they’re planning to travel to these areas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have started to see local transmission in Western Europe,” Janssen said. “We recommend that anyone traveling outside of the United States — particularly to a country where clade I mpox is spreading between people — and [who] anticipates having sex during travel: Get the Jynneos vaccine.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The recommendation is also extended to Bay Area folks who have sex here with anyone who has just traveled to those areas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s currently no evidence of local clade I transmission within San Francisco,” Janssen said. All confirmed clade I mpox cases in the city have been associated with international travel.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The absolute best protection’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The symptoms of clade I and clade II mpox are similar and can initially resemble the flu. The virus also appears as a rash or sores or spots that resemble pimples or blisters on the skin anywhere on the body, including the face, inside the mouth, hands, feet, chest, genitals and anus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Clade I mpox, however, has historically caused more severe disease and more deaths in other countries, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/monkeypox/about/index.html\">according\u003c/a> to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the 2022 outbreak, more than 15,000 San Francisco residents \u003ca href=\"https://data.sfgov.org/Health-and-Social-Services/ARCHIVED-Mpox-Vaccinations-Given-to-SF-Residents-O/6vxp-9av3/about_data\">received\u003c/a> both doses of the mpox vaccine. “That led to a dramatic decrease in cases,” Janssen said. “We’re in a much better place now because of the uptake of the Jynneos vaccine in San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She called the vaccine “really the absolute best protection” and “the main tool in our toolbox.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Both clade I and clade II usually spread through close skin-to-skin contact, including sex. Anyone can get mpox, but most cases in the United States are among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender people who have sex with men.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the heels of SDFPH’s advisory, here’s what to know about mpox and the Jynneos vaccine in the Bay Area this fall. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who’s eligible for an mpox vaccine in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The vaccine currently available in the U.S. (brand name: Jynneos) is a two-dose series, with roughly a month between doses. Maximal immunity will build two weeks after your second dose.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The vaccine “protects against both clade 1 and clade 2 mpox,” Janssen said, and added that if someone just got one dose in the past, they may just need the second dose now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Anyone who has received one dose can go ahead and receive their second dose if it has been 28 days or more since their first dose,” she said. “There’s no need to restart.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1611\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut.jpg\" alt=\"The Leather Pride flag flies at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2018.\" class=\"wp-image-11695637\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-160x134.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-800x671.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1020x856.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1200x1007.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1180x990.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-960x806.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-240x201.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-375x315.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-520x436.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Leather Pride flag flies at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2018. (Michelle Wiley/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends the two-dose mpox vaccine to gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender, nonbinary or gender-diverse people who in the past 6 months have had:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>More than one sexual partner and/or\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>A new diagnosis of one or more sexually transmitted infections.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC’s vaccine recommendations also include anyone who has had sex at a commercial sex venue like a sex club or bathhouse. See the CDC’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mpox/vaccines/index.html\">full mpox vaccine eligibility recommendations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco additionally recommends vaccination for anyone living with HIV, anyone taking PrEP or who’s eligible to take it and sex workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about travel and mpox?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2025, SFDPH expanded their mpox vaccine recommendations to include anyone traveling outside the U.S. — particularly to a country where clade I mpox is spreading between people — who anticipates having sex while they travel. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends getting both doses of the Jynneos vaccine “if you anticipate experiencing any of the following” while traveling to these countries:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097016\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Warren Manio, 36, sits on top of his friend’s shoulders as Natasha Bedingfield performs at Portola Music Festival in San Francisco on Sept. 28, 2024. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Sex with a new partner\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Sex at a commercial sex venue, such as a sex club or bathhouse\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Sex in exchange for money, goods, drugs or other trade\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Sex in association with a large public event, such as a rave, party or festival.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As of August this year, SFDPH also recommends that if you’re a Bay Area resident who is having sex with a person who’s traveled to these countries, you should also seek out the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The mpox vaccine was also originally only available for people aged 18 and older, but in 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency-use authorization that allows providers to also give the vaccine to young people aged under 18 who are “determined to be at high risk” of infection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can I find an mpox vaccine?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you have a regular health care provider, SFDPH recommends you ask them first about getting the mpox vaccine. Your vaccine will be free, but you may be charged a regular copay for seeing your provider.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re eligible for the vaccine, your health insurance should cover the costs thanks to the CDC’s recommendations. If you don’t have a regular health care provider or insurance, SFDPH said you can visit one of these \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/get-mpox-vaccines-testing-and-treatment\">four pharmacies\u003c/a> in the city (two Walgreens and two CVS locations).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut.jpg\" alt=\"close-up photo of fingers holding a tiny vial which reads 'monkeypox vaccine'\" class=\"wp-image-11966643\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A vial of the mpox vaccine is displayed by a medical professional at a vaccination site in July, 2022. (James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>(As with the COVID-19 vaccine, receiving an mpox vaccine won’t make you a public charge or affect any future immigration processes you may enter into, and you won’t be asked about your immigration status to receive the mpox vaccine.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you get your health care through a health system like Kaiser Permanente, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get your mpox vaccine covered by insurance at a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens — the way you can’t get your COVID-19 or flu shot covered by Kaiser at a pharmacy either — and may have to seek it directly from a Kaiser provider.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re able to make an appointment online at a pharmacy for your mpox vaccine, you should consider calling that location ahead of time to verify that they do indeed have supplies in stock.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/nkhan\">\u003cem>Nisa Khan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Ahead of San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026\">jam-packed\u003c/a> fall slate of gatherings and concerts — including Folsom Street and Portola Music Festival — city health officials are reminding at-risk residents to get fully vaccinated against \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/mpox\">mpox\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Department of Public Health confirmed on Tuesday that over 70 cases of mpox — formerly known as monkeypox — have been reported in San Francisco this year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Eight of these infections involve clade I mpox: a strain that in other parts of the world has caused more severe symptoms than the clade II strain associated with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919070/monkeypox-in-the-bay-area-from-symptoms-to-how-to-find-a-vaccine-heres-what-we-know\">2022 outbreak\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Eight of these infections involve clade I mpox: a strain that in other parts of the world has caused more severe symptoms than the clade II strain associated with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919070/monkeypox-in-the-bay-area-from-symptoms-to-how-to-find-a-vaccine-heres-what-we-know\">2022 outbreak\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>According to SFDPH, mpox cases usually increase in summer and fall — especially when the city is hosting events that draw people from all over the world. “People come together, they’re meeting,” said Dr. Julia Janssen, deputy director of the STI and HIV branch at SFDPH. “That’s why we emphasize and recommend the Jynneos vaccine during this time.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>According to SFDPH, mpox cases usually increase in summer and fall — especially when the city is hosting events that draw people from all over the world. “People come together, they’re meeting,” said Dr. Julia Janssen, deputy director of the STI and HIV branch at SFDPH. “That’s why we emphasize and recommend the Jynneos vaccine during this time.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12054358\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thousands of people dance as Disclosure performs at Portola Music Festival in San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12054358\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thousands of people dance as Disclosure performs at Portola Music Festival in San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ahead of San Francisco Pride celebrations back in June, health officials recommended the mpox vaccine — which has the brand name Jynneos — to the same at-risk populations that have been most affected by previous mpox outbreaks. These included gay and bisexual men, along with transgender people who have sex with men.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ahead of San Francisco Pride celebrations back in June, health officials recommended the mpox vaccine — which has the brand name Jynneos — to the same at-risk populations that have been most affected by previous mpox outbreaks. These included gay and bisexual men, along with transgender people who have sex with men.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the fact that the clade I strain is also starting to \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON587\">spread\u003c/a> among local populations in popular tourist destinations — including Italy, Spain and Portugal — has prompted San Francisco health officials to now recommend that \u003cem>more \u003c/em>people beyond those primary at-risk groups get vaccinated if they’re planning to travel to these areas.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>But the fact that the clade I strain is also starting to \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON587\">spread\u003c/a> among local populations in popular tourist destinations — including Italy, Spain and Portugal — has prompted San Francisco health officials to now recommend that \u003cem>more \u003c/em>people beyond those primary at-risk groups get vaccinated if they’re planning to travel to these areas.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We have started to see local transmission in Western Europe,” Janssen said. “We recommend that anyone traveling outside of the United States — particularly to a country where clade I mpox is spreading between people — and [who] anticipates having sex during travel: Get the Jynneos vaccine.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“We have started to see local transmission in Western Europe,” Janssen said. “We recommend that anyone traveling outside of the United States — particularly to a country where clade I mpox is spreading between people — and [who] anticipates having sex during travel: Get the Jynneos vaccine.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The recommendation is also extended to Bay Area folks who have sex here with anyone who has just traveled to those areas.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The recommendation is also extended to Bay Area folks who have sex here with anyone who has just traveled to those areas.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s currently no evidence of local clade I transmission within San Francisco,” Janssen said. All confirmed clade I mpox cases in the city have been associated with international travel.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“There’s currently no evidence of local clade I transmission within San Francisco,” Janssen said. All confirmed clade I mpox cases in the city have been associated with international travel.\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "‘The absolute best protection’",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The absolute best protection’\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The absolute best protection’\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The symptoms of clade I and clade II mpox are similar and can initially resemble the flu. The virus also appears as a rash or sores or spots that resemble pimples or blisters on the skin anywhere on the body, including the face, inside the mouth, hands, feet, chest, genitals and anus. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The symptoms of clade I and clade II mpox are similar and can initially resemble the flu. The virus also appears as a rash or sores or spots that resemble pimples or blisters on the skin anywhere on the body, including the face, inside the mouth, hands, feet, chest, genitals and anus. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Clade I mpox, however, has historically caused more severe disease and more deaths in other countries, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/monkeypox/about/index.html\">according\u003c/a> to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Clade I mpox, however, has historically caused more severe disease and more deaths in other countries, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/monkeypox/about/index.html\">according\u003c/a> to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the 2022 outbreak, more than 15,000 San Francisco residents \u003ca href=\"https://data.sfgov.org/Health-and-Social-Services/ARCHIVED-Mpox-Vaccinations-Given-to-SF-Residents-O/6vxp-9av3/about_data\">received\u003c/a> both doses of the mpox vaccine. “That led to a dramatic decrease in cases,” Janssen said. “We’re in a much better place now because of the uptake of the Jynneos vaccine in San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>During the 2022 outbreak, more than 15,000 San Francisco residents \u003ca href=\"https://data.sfgov.org/Health-and-Social-Services/ARCHIVED-Mpox-Vaccinations-Given-to-SF-Residents-O/6vxp-9av3/about_data\">received\u003c/a> both doses of the mpox vaccine. “That led to a dramatic decrease in cases,” Janssen said. “We’re in a much better place now because of the uptake of the Jynneos vaccine in San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She called the vaccine “really the absolute best protection” and “the main tool in our toolbox.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>She called the vaccine “really the absolute best protection” and “the main tool in our toolbox.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Both clade I and clade II usually spread through close skin-to-skin contact, including sex. Anyone can get mpox, but most cases in the United States are among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender people who have sex with men.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Both clade I and clade II usually spread through close skin-to-skin contact, including sex. Anyone can get mpox, but most cases in the United States are among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender people who have sex with men.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On the heels of SDFPH’s advisory, here’s what to know about mpox and the Jynneos vaccine in the Bay Area this fall. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>On the heels of SDFPH’s advisory, here’s what to know about mpox and the Jynneos vaccine in the Bay Area this fall. \u003c/p>\n"
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Who’s eligible for an mpox vaccine in the Bay Area?",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who’s eligible for an mpox vaccine in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who’s eligible for an mpox vaccine in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The vaccine currently available in the U.S. (brand name: Jynneos) is a two-dose series, with roughly a month between doses. Maximal immunity will build two weeks after your second dose.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The vaccine currently available in the U.S. (brand name: Jynneos) is a two-dose series, with roughly a month between doses. Maximal immunity will build two weeks after your second dose.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The vaccine “protects against both clade 1 and clade 2 mpox,” Janssen said, and added that if someone just got one dose in the past, they may just need the second dose now.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The vaccine “protects against both clade 1 and clade 2 mpox,” Janssen said, and added that if someone just got one dose in the past, they may just need the second dose now.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Anyone who has received one dose can go ahead and receive their second dose if it has been 28 days or more since their first dose,” she said. “There’s no need to restart.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“Anyone who has received one dose can go ahead and receive their second dose if it has been 28 days or more since their first dose,” she said. “There’s no need to restart.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"alt": "The Leather Pride flag flies at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2018.",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-160x134.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-800x671.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1020x856.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1200x1007.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1180x990.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-960x806.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-240x201.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-375x315.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-520x436.jpg 520w",
"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut.jpg\" alt=\"The Leather Pride flag flies at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2018.\" class=\"wp-image-11695637\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-160x134.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-800x671.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1020x856.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1200x1007.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1180x990.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-960x806.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-240x201.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-375x315.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-520x436.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Leather Pride flag flies at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2018.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Michelle Wiley/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut.jpg\" alt=\"The Leather Pride flag flies at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2018.\" class=\"wp-image-11695637\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Leather Pride flag flies at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2018.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Michelle Wiley/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends the two-dose mpox vaccine to gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender, nonbinary or gender-diverse people who in the past 6 months have had:\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends the two-dose mpox vaccine to gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender, nonbinary or gender-diverse people who in the past 6 months have had:\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>More than one sexual partner and/or\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>A new diagnosis of one or more sexually transmitted infections.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The CDC’s vaccine recommendations also include anyone who has had sex at a commercial sex venue like a sex club or bathhouse. See the CDC’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mpox/vaccines/index.html\">full mpox vaccine eligibility recommendations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The CDC’s vaccine recommendations also include anyone who has had sex at a commercial sex venue like a sex club or bathhouse. See the CDC’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mpox/vaccines/index.html\">full mpox vaccine eligibility recommendations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco additionally recommends vaccination for anyone living with HIV, anyone taking PrEP or who’s eligible to take it and sex workers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>San Francisco additionally recommends vaccination for anyone living with HIV, anyone taking PrEP or who’s eligible to take it and sex workers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerBlocks": []
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "What about travel and mpox?",
"level": 2
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about travel and mpox?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about travel and mpox?\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2025, SFDPH expanded their mpox vaccine recommendations to include anyone traveling outside the U.S. — particularly to a country where clade I mpox is spreading between people — who anticipates having sex while they travel. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>In 2025, SFDPH expanded their mpox vaccine recommendations to include anyone traveling outside the U.S. — particularly to a country where clade I mpox is spreading between people — who anticipates having sex while they travel. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends getting both doses of the Jynneos vaccine “if you anticipate experiencing any of the following” while traveling to these countries:\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends getting both doses of the Jynneos vaccine “if you anticipate experiencing any of the following” while traveling to these countries:\u003c/p>\n"
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"sizes": "(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097016\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Warren Manio, 36, sits on top of his friend’s shoulders as Natasha Bedingfield performs at Portola Music Festival in San Francisco on Sept. 28, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097016\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Warren Manio, 36, sits on top of his friend’s shoulders as Natasha Bedingfield performs at Portola Music Festival in San Francisco on Sept. 28, 2024.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"Sex in association with a large public event, such as a rave, party or festival."
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Sex at a commercial sex venue, such as a sex club or bathhouse\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>Sex in association with a large public event, such as a rave, party or festival.\u003c/li>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As of August this year, SFDPH also recommends that if you’re a Bay Area resident who is having sex with a person who’s traveled to these countries, you should also seek out the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>As of August this year, SFDPH also recommends that if you’re a Bay Area resident who is having sex with a person who’s traveled to these countries, you should also seek out the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The mpox vaccine was also originally only available for people aged 18 and older, but in 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency-use authorization that allows providers to also give the vaccine to young people aged under 18 who are “determined to be at high risk” of infection.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The mpox vaccine was also originally only available for people aged 18 and older, but in 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency-use authorization that allows providers to also give the vaccine to young people aged under 18 who are “determined to be at high risk” of infection.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Where can I find an mpox vaccine?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can I find an mpox vaccine?\u003c/h2>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you have a regular health care provider, SFDPH recommends you ask them first about getting the mpox vaccine. Your vaccine will be free, but you may be charged a regular copay for seeing your provider.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>If you have a regular health care provider, SFDPH recommends you ask them first about getting the mpox vaccine. Your vaccine will be free, but you may be charged a regular copay for seeing your provider.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re eligible for the vaccine, your health insurance should cover the costs thanks to the CDC’s recommendations. If you don’t have a regular health care provider or insurance, SFDPH said you can visit one of these \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/get-mpox-vaccines-testing-and-treatment\">four pharmacies\u003c/a> in the city (two Walgreens and two CVS locations).\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you’re eligible for the vaccine, your health insurance should cover the costs thanks to the CDC’s recommendations. If you don’t have a regular health care provider or insurance, SFDPH said you can visit one of these \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/get-mpox-vaccines-testing-and-treatment\">four pharmacies\u003c/a> in the city (two Walgreens and two CVS locations).\u003c/p>\n"
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"alt": "close-up photo of fingers holding a tiny vial which reads 'monkeypox vaccine'",
"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut.jpg\" alt=\"close-up photo of fingers holding a tiny vial which reads 'monkeypox vaccine'\" class=\"wp-image-11966643\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A vial of the mpox vaccine is displayed by a medical professional at a vaccination site in July, 2022.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut.jpg\" alt=\"close-up photo of fingers holding a tiny vial which reads 'monkeypox vaccine'\" class=\"wp-image-11966643\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A vial of the mpox vaccine is displayed by a medical professional at a vaccination site in July, 2022.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>(As with the COVID-19 vaccine, receiving an mpox vaccine won’t make you a public charge or affect any future immigration processes you may enter into, and you won’t be asked about your immigration status to receive the mpox vaccine.)\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>(As with the COVID-19 vaccine, receiving an mpox vaccine won’t make you a public charge or affect any future immigration processes you may enter into, and you won’t be asked about your immigration status to receive the mpox vaccine.)\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you get your health care through a health system like Kaiser Permanente, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get your mpox vaccine covered by insurance at a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens — the way you can’t get your COVID-19 or flu shot covered by Kaiser at a pharmacy either — and may have to seek it directly from a Kaiser provider.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you get your health care through a health system like Kaiser Permanente, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get your mpox vaccine covered by insurance at a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens — the way you can’t get your COVID-19 or flu shot covered by Kaiser at a pharmacy either — and may have to seek it directly from a Kaiser provider.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you’re able to make an appointment online at a pharmacy for your mpox vaccine, you should consider calling that location ahead of time to verify that they do indeed have supplies in stock.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/nkhan\">\u003cem>Nisa Khan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/nkhan\">\u003cem>Nisa Khan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Ahead of San Francisco's slate of gatherings and shows, city health officials are reminding at-risk residents to get fully vaccinated against mpox. Here’s how to find an mpox vaccine.",
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"title": "Who Should Get an Mpox Vaccine Before San Francisco’s Fall Party Season Begins? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Ahead of San Francisco’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/tag/fall-guide-2026\">jam-packed\u003c/a> fall slate of gatherings and concerts — including Folsom Street and Portola Music Festival — city health officials are reminding at-risk residents to get fully vaccinated against \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/mpox\">mpox\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Department of Public Health confirmed on Tuesday that over 70 cases of mpox — formerly known as monkeypox — have been reported in San Francisco this year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Eight of these infections involve clade I mpox: a strain that in other parts of the world has caused more severe symptoms than the clade II strain associated with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11919070/monkeypox-in-the-bay-area-from-symptoms-to-how-to-find-a-vaccine-heres-what-we-know\">2022 outbreak\u003c/a> in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>According to SFDPH, mpox cases usually increase in summer and fall — especially when the city is hosting events that draw people from all over the world. “People come together, they’re meeting,” said Dr. Julia Janssen, deputy director of the STI and HIV branch at SFDPH. “That’s why we emphasize and recommend the Jynneos vaccine during this time.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12054358\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/09/240928_Portola_EG_59_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Thousands of people dance as Disclosure performs at Portola Music Festival in San Francisco on Sept. 29, 2024. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ahead of San Francisco Pride celebrations back in June, health officials recommended the mpox vaccine — which has the brand name Jynneos — to the same at-risk populations that have been most affected by previous mpox outbreaks. These included gay and bisexual men, along with transgender people who have sex with men.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the fact that the clade I strain is also starting to \u003ca href=\"https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2025-DON587\">spread\u003c/a> among local populations in popular tourist destinations — including Italy, Spain and Portugal — has prompted San Francisco health officials to now recommend that \u003cem>more \u003c/em>people beyond those primary at-risk groups get vaccinated if they’re planning to travel to these areas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have started to see local transmission in Western Europe,” Janssen said. “We recommend that anyone traveling outside of the United States — particularly to a country where clade I mpox is spreading between people — and [who] anticipates having sex during travel: Get the Jynneos vaccine.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The recommendation is also extended to Bay Area folks who have sex here with anyone who has just traveled to those areas.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s currently no evidence of local clade I transmission within San Francisco,” Janssen said. All confirmed clade I mpox cases in the city have been associated with international travel.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The absolute best protection’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The symptoms of clade I and clade II mpox are similar and can initially resemble the flu. The virus also appears as a rash or sores or spots that resemble pimples or blisters on the skin anywhere on the body, including the face, inside the mouth, hands, feet, chest, genitals and anus. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Clade I mpox, however, has historically caused more severe disease and more deaths in other countries, \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/monkeypox/about/index.html\">according\u003c/a> to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the 2022 outbreak, more than 15,000 San Francisco residents \u003ca href=\"https://data.sfgov.org/Health-and-Social-Services/ARCHIVED-Mpox-Vaccinations-Given-to-SF-Residents-O/6vxp-9av3/about_data\">received\u003c/a> both doses of the mpox vaccine. “That led to a dramatic decrease in cases,” Janssen said. “We’re in a much better place now because of the uptake of the Jynneos vaccine in San Francisco.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She called the vaccine “really the absolute best protection” and “the main tool in our toolbox.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Both clade I and clade II usually spread through close skin-to-skin contact, including sex. Anyone can get mpox, but most cases in the United States are among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender people who have sex with men.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On the heels of SDFPH’s advisory, here’s what to know about mpox and the Jynneos vaccine in the Bay Area this fall. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who’s eligible for an mpox vaccine in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The vaccine currently available in the U.S. (brand name: Jynneos) is a two-dose series, with roughly a month between doses. Maximal immunity will build two weeks after your second dose.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The vaccine “protects against both clade 1 and clade 2 mpox,” Janssen said, and added that if someone just got one dose in the past, they may just need the second dose now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Anyone who has received one dose can go ahead and receive their second dose if it has been 28 days or more since their first dose,” she said. “There’s no need to restart.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1611\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut.jpg\" alt=\"The Leather Pride flag flies at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2018.\" class=\"wp-image-11695637\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-160x134.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-800x671.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1020x856.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1200x1007.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-1180x990.jpg 1180w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-960x806.jpg 960w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-240x201.jpg 240w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-375x315.jpg 375w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/09/RS33007_IMG_2033-qut-520x436.jpg 520w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Leather Pride flag flies at the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 2018. (Michelle Wiley/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends the two-dose mpox vaccine to gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men, as well as transgender, nonbinary or gender-diverse people who in the past 6 months have had:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>More than one sexual partner and/or\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>A new diagnosis of one or more sexually transmitted infections.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC’s vaccine recommendations also include anyone who has had sex at a commercial sex venue like a sex club or bathhouse. See the CDC’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.cdc.gov/mpox/vaccines/index.html\">full mpox vaccine eligibility recommendations\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco additionally recommends vaccination for anyone living with HIV, anyone taking PrEP or who’s eligible to take it and sex workers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What about travel and mpox?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2025, SFDPH expanded their mpox vaccine recommendations to include anyone traveling outside the U.S. — particularly to a country where clade I mpox is spreading between people — who anticipates having sex while they travel. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The CDC recommends getting both doses of the Jynneos vaccine “if you anticipate experiencing any of the following” while traveling to these countries:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12097016\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/240928_Portola_EG_34_qed-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Warren Manio, 36, sits on top of his friend’s shoulders as Natasha Bedingfield performs at Portola Music Festival in San Francisco on Sept. 28, 2024. (Estefany Gonzalez for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Sex with a new partner\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Sex at a commercial sex venue, such as a sex club or bathhouse\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Sex in exchange for money, goods, drugs or other trade\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Sex in association with a large public event, such as a rave, party or festival.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As of August this year, SFDPH also recommends that if you’re a Bay Area resident who is having sex with a person who’s traveled to these countries, you should also seek out the vaccine.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The mpox vaccine was also originally only available for people aged 18 and older, but in 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency-use authorization that allows providers to also give the vaccine to young people aged under 18 who are “determined to be at high risk” of infection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where can I find an mpox vaccine?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you have a regular health care provider, SFDPH recommends you ask them first about getting the mpox vaccine. Your vaccine will be free, but you may be charged a regular copay for seeing your provider.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re eligible for the vaccine, your health insurance should cover the costs thanks to the CDC’s recommendations. If you don’t have a regular health care provider or insurance, SFDPH said you can visit one of these \u003ca href=\"https://www.sf.gov/get-mpox-vaccines-testing-and-treatment\">four pharmacies\u003c/a> in the city (two Walgreens and two CVS locations).\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut.jpg\" alt=\"close-up photo of fingers holding a tiny vial which reads 'monkeypox vaccine'\" class=\"wp-image-11966643\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-800x600.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-1020x765.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-160x120.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/11/GettyImages-1408879341-qut-1536x1152.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A vial of the mpox vaccine is displayed by a medical professional at a vaccination site in July, 2022. (James Carbone/Newsday RM via Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>(As with the COVID-19 vaccine, receiving an mpox vaccine won’t make you a public charge or affect any future immigration processes you may enter into, and you won’t be asked about your immigration status to receive the mpox vaccine.)\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you get your health care through a health system like Kaiser Permanente, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get your mpox vaccine covered by insurance at a pharmacy like CVS or Walgreens — the way you can’t get your COVID-19 or flu shot covered by Kaiser at a pharmacy either — and may have to seek it directly from a Kaiser provider.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you’re able to make an appointment online at a pharmacy for your mpox vaccine, you should consider calling that location ahead of time to verify that they do indeed have supplies in stock.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story includes reporting from KQED’s \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/author/nkhan\">\u003cem>Nisa Khan\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>The owners of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> affordable housing complex will pay $9 million in a settlement with the city, following mounting evidence of disrepair, rodent infestations and deteriorating conditions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agreement with McCormack Baron Salazar, a St. Louis-based developer that owns Alice Griffith Apartments, includes fixes to reported violations, city penalties and additional improvements beyond the scope of the building’s citations, a first-ever concession according to the city attorney’s office. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“No San Franciscan should have to live in substandard housing, and there must be consequences when residents are deprived of a safe and healthy place to live,” said City Attorney David Chiu. “We know it’s not possible to solve every challenge overnight, but this agreement directs real dollars into Alice Griffith and holds the property owners accountable for the terrible conditions at the property.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260511-YICKWOCOMMEMORATION-JY-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260511-YICKWOCOMMEMORATION-JY-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260511-YICKWOCOMMEMORATION-JY-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260511-YICKWOCOMMEMORATION-JY-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">City Attorney David Chiu speaks during a press conference at the parking lot on Third and Harrison streets in San Francisco on May 11, 2026. (Juliana Yamada for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Located in the Bayview neighborhood, Alice Griffith Apartments was previously run by the city’s housing authority and was part of a wave of public housing buildings that were transferred to private owners in the early 2000s. The 337-unit building received major upgrades and was hailed as a model for leveraging public-private partnerships to improve low-income housing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project was supported by a $30.5 million federal grant, along with other public and private financing. The Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure provided $68.3 million in loans to back construction and long-term affordability for the project.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But within only a few years under its new private owners, the building fell into disrepair. \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/07/alice-griffith-bayview-san-francisco-public-housing-redevelopment/\">\u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em>\u003c/a> chronicled conditions at the building, including rat infestations, debris pile-ups and other public health concerns for its residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Multiple city departments issued notices of violation related to health, housing, plumbing, building, electrical and fire code issues at the building, where the John Stewart Company is the property manager. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everyone deserves a safe, healthy place to call home. Our health is shaped not only by the care we receive, but by the conditions where we live,” Public Health Director Daniel Tsai said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to addressing the repairs and paying city fees, the owners agreed to invest $3 million into pest control and other upgrades within the next two years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have worked tirelessly to provide a place that is safe, secure and accommodating for the\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>tenants who call Alice Griffith home,” a spokesperson for McCormack Baron Salazar said in a statement to KQED. “Today’s mutually agreed-upon settlement between all of the Alice Griffith partners marks a moment for this community to move forward in a collaborative, positive manner.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The owners said that the COVID-19 pandemic fueled economic losses for the site, and cited a “lack of investment in the surrounding areas” that isolated the building and made it “uniquely exposed to various effects of the pandemic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development is also contributing $2 million for upgrades to the property’s outdoor play areas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every San Franciscan should have housing that is not only affordable but also safe and well-maintained, and the residents at Alice Griffith have not,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement. “Over the past year, our administration has worked with the City Attorney’s Office to hold the owners and property managers accountable for the conditions residents have endured.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The agreement with McCormack Baron Salazar, a St. Louis-based developer that owns Alice Griffith Apartments, includes fixes to reported violations, city penalties and additional improvements beyond the scope of the building’s citations, a first-ever concession according to the city attorney’s office. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“No San Franciscan should have to live in substandard housing, and there must be consequences when residents are deprived of a safe and healthy place to live,” said City Attorney David Chiu. “We know it’s not possible to solve every challenge overnight, but this agreement directs real dollars into Alice Griffith and holds the property owners accountable for the terrible conditions at the property.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Located in the Bayview neighborhood, Alice Griffith Apartments was previously run by the city’s housing authority and was part of a wave of public housing buildings that were transferred to private owners in the early 2000s. The 337-unit building received major upgrades and was hailed as a model for leveraging public-private partnerships to improve low-income housing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Everyone deserves a safe, healthy place to call home. Our health is shaped not only by the care we receive, but by the conditions where we live,” Public Health Director Daniel Tsai said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>tenants who call Alice Griffith home,” a spokesperson for McCormack Baron Salazar said in a statement to KQED. “Today’s mutually agreed-upon settlement between all of the Alice Griffith partners marks a moment for this community to move forward in a collaborative, positive manner.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development is also contributing $2 million for upgrades to the property’s outdoor play areas. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Every San Franciscan should have housing that is not only affordable but also safe and well-maintained, and the residents at Alice Griffith have not,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement. “Over the past year, our administration has worked with the City Attorney’s Office to hold the owners and property managers accountable for the conditions residents have endured.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>The owners of a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a> affordable housing complex will pay $9 million in a settlement with the city, following mounting evidence of disrepair, rodent infestations and deteriorating conditions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The agreement with McCormack Baron Salazar, a St. Louis-based developer that owns Alice Griffith Apartments, includes fixes to reported violations, city penalties and additional improvements beyond the scope of the building’s citations, a first-ever concession according to the city attorney’s office. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“No San Franciscan should have to live in substandard housing, and there must be consequences when residents are deprived of a safe and healthy place to live,” said City Attorney David Chiu. “We know it’s not possible to solve every challenge overnight, but this agreement directs real dollars into Alice Griffith and holds the property owners accountable for the terrible conditions at the property.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260511-YICKWOCOMMEMORATION-JY-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083331\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260511-YICKWOCOMMEMORATION-JY-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260511-YICKWOCOMMEMORATION-JY-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/20260511-YICKWOCOMMEMORATION-JY-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">City Attorney David Chiu speaks during a press conference at the parking lot on Third and Harrison streets in San Francisco on May 11, 2026. (Juliana Yamada for KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Located in the Bayview neighborhood, Alice Griffith Apartments was previously run by the city’s housing authority and was part of a wave of public housing buildings that were transferred to private owners in the early 2000s. The 337-unit building received major upgrades and was hailed as a model for leveraging public-private partnerships to improve low-income housing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project was supported by a $30.5 million federal grant, along with other public and private financing. The Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure provided $68.3 million in loans to back construction and long-term affordability for the project.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But within only a few years under its new private owners, the building fell into disrepair. \u003ca href=\"https://missionlocal.org/2026/07/alice-griffith-bayview-san-francisco-public-housing-redevelopment/\">\u003cem>Mission Local\u003c/em>\u003c/a> chronicled conditions at the building, including rat infestations, debris pile-ups and other public health concerns for its residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Multiple city departments issued notices of violation related to health, housing, plumbing, building, electrical and fire code issues at the building, where the John Stewart Company is the property manager. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everyone deserves a safe, healthy place to call home. Our health is shaped not only by the care we receive, but by the conditions where we live,” Public Health Director Daniel Tsai said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to addressing the repairs and paying city fees, the owners agreed to invest $3 million into pest control and other upgrades within the next two years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We have worked tirelessly to provide a place that is safe, secure and accommodating for the\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>tenants who call Alice Griffith home,” a spokesperson for McCormack Baron Salazar said in a statement to KQED. “Today’s mutually agreed-upon settlement between all of the Alice Griffith partners marks a moment for this community to move forward in a collaborative, positive manner.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The owners said that the COVID-19 pandemic fueled economic losses for the site, and cited a “lack of investment in the surrounding areas” that isolated the building and made it “uniquely exposed to various effects of the pandemic.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development is also contributing $2 million for upgrades to the property’s outdoor play areas. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Every San Franciscan should have housing that is not only affordable but also safe and well-maintained, and the residents at Alice Griffith have not,” Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement. “Over the past year, our administration has worked with the City Attorney’s Office to hold the owners and property managers accountable for the conditions residents have endured.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "why-are-there-so-many-public-golf-courses-in-the-bay-area",
"title": "Why Are There So Many Public Golf Courses in the Bay Area?",
"publishDate": 1787824800,
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"headTitle": "Why Are There So Many Public Golf Courses in the Bay Area? | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oakland resident Mary Newson would hike regularly in the parks up in the Oakland and Berkeley hills. It was a pleasant way to get outside, and there was no one around — even on a usually busy golf course near \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/anthony-chabot\">Anthony Chabot Regional Park.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There were deer and bunnies and geese and ducks and turkeys and all these animals that had just converged onto the golf course because nobody was using it,” she said. “That was really a beautiful thing to see.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But then, the restrictions started to let up, things started to reopen, and Mary would start to find dozens of golf balls on her walks. It made her wonder: Why are there so many golf courses in public parks around the Bay Area? Can and should she visit as a non-golfer? And what is their financial relationship to the park?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083077\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golfers practice at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t sure how they worked, and if there was any sort of financial relationship, administrative relationship between the larger park and the golf course that sort of made them work together,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As it turns out, golf — and public golf, in particular — has a storied history in the Bay Area. And apart from a few conversions, mostly of private golf courses, these public greens are unlikely to be going anywhere soon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jump straight to:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#private\">The difference between public and private golf courses\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#make-money\">How public courses do or don’t make money for local parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#converting-golf-courses\">Golf course conversions underway in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#visit-a-golf-course\">What to know if you’re visiting a public golf course for the first time\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the history of golf courses in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The sport of golf made its way to the Bay Area with the arrival of Scottish immigrants in the 1890s and early 20th century, explained Richard Harris, who advocates for accessible golf with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpublicgolf.org/\">San Francisco Public Golf Alliance.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That included influential city leaders like John McLaren, the “father of Golden Gate Park,” who was a Scot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083083\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Richard Harris, president of the SF Public Golf Alliance, poses for a portrait at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>McLaren, Harris said, was influential in creating Lincoln Park and Harding Park in San Francisco, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpublicgolf.org/index.php/save/alister-mackenzies-sharp-park\">Pacifica’s Sharp Park\u003c/a>, designed by famous golf architect Alister MacKenzie. These are all public, not private golf courses, and are considered to be world-class, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Golf has been an important part of the Bay Area for a long time,” Harris said. “It’s one of the major golf areas in the country, and, for that matter, in the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"private\">What makes a public golf course different from a private one?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Public golf courses are those owned by local governments or parks districts. In the Bay Area, they tend to be inside or next to public parks you may know or frequent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Municipal golf courses help lower barriers to the sport by being accessible and relatively cheap, said Lily Achatz, president of the Harding Park Women’s Golf Club and a member of the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lily Achatz, president of Harding Park Women’s Golf Club, poses for a portrait at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>A private golf club could run you thousands of dollars in initiation fees, monthly dues and food and beverage minimums. A round at a public golf course, meanwhile, ranges from $30 to $100, with discounts for residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s stunning and what makes it so wonderful is that there’s all different generations here,” Achatz said. “The municipal courses are so important because it’s hard to get access to a country club or even be accepted.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"make-money\">Do golf courses make money for public parks?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Depending on the city or parks district, public golf courses can be real money-makers. Max Korten, acting general manager of the East Bay Regional Parks District, said Tilden Golf Course made the district $800,000 last year. It was the most profitable concession in the entire parks district last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/fy26-adopted-operating-capital-projects-budgets-w-bookmarks.pdf\">according to district documents.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s not the case with every city or district. In San Francisco, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-golfers-grumble-over-course-privatization-plan-20184922.php\">the city is subsidizing the courses’ expected $6 million deficit\u003c/a> and has \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/22/sf-parks-fees/\">begun raising rates\u003c/a> at some public courses to help close the gap. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the East Bay, course fees are limited by a public board to keep fees low-cost for residents, Korten said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"converting-golf-courses\">Have there been any talks of converting golf courses to other uses?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s no widespread movement to convert golf courses in the Bay Area into other uses. But there are two notable examples of private golf courses undergoing their own transformations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most controversial right now is Pleasant Hills in San José. It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074738/housing-advocates-call-this-big-plot-of-san-jose-land-the-most-important-in-a-century\">a former private 115-acre golf course\u003c/a> that may become 2,000 new homes with some commercial and open space. It’s currently in environmental review as the community goes back and forth on what to do with it. What to do has become a fight, said Manira Sandhir, deputy director of planning for the city of San José. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12083082\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083082\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golfers play a game at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12083078\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083078\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golf balls line the ground at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“On one hand we have the community who’s directly affected by this project and has expressed concerns about the traffic that it would generate,” she said. It’s located in a highly car-dependent area, and there’s not a lot of transit or freeway access there either. “But then on the other hand, we have housing advocates who want to see more housing at the site, and they feel that putting 2,000 units at the site would be underutilization of this really large acreage that’s available for development.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The course, Sandhir said, was established in the 1960s but closed in 2004, likely for financial reasons — so not explicitly for this conversion. Sandhir said it’s likely to be years before the dust settles and a coherent plan for the site emerges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Farther to the north, in Marin County’s San Geronimo Valley, another golf course has seen the end of its days. The Trust for Public Land, a land conservation organization, converted what was once a private 18-hole golf course into \u003ca href=\"https://www.tpl.org/our-work/san-geronimo-commons\">San Geronimo Commons\u003c/a>, a public park that fills a missing connection to surrounding open spaces, restores water rights to the Larson Creek and returns the land to its former function as a wetland. A county firehouse has even taken over the old golf clubhouse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I do think cities, park systems across the country, certainly in California, are rethinking their inventory and what can happen,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The car paths became walking paths, the sand traps became sandboxes for the kids,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, Trust for Public Land’s California director. He said this is one of four golf course conversions they have helped lead in the state, part of what he sees as a growing trend in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Geronimo conversion wasn’t without its own controversy. After purchasing the property in 2018, Trust for Public Land launched a two-year process to narrow down what the community wanted from the property – and not everyone agreed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We had a lot of passionate golfers who had lots of memories tied to that facility,” he said. “And while, yes, there were other facilities they could go play golf in, they had history there, and so we had to work through that.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Senior manager on the project Erica Williams said in some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic set the stage for the transition of the property — opening people’s imaginations to how their community spaces could look. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“With the pandemic, I think that really allowed people to connect with the landscape, to reconnect with the land and to imagine a future,” she said. “It became a sanctuary.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"visit-a-golf-course\">Can I visit a golf course as a non-golfer?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Municipal golf courses are open to everyone, whether you want to reserve a tee time to try your hand at playing, practice your swing at the driving range, or just hang out at the cafes and restaurants onsite. Unlike private courses, there is no dress code at public golf courses. Dogs are not allowed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While walking along the course if you’re not playing generally isn’t allowed (getting hit by a ball is a real risk), many courses like Tilden have walking trails nearby that are open to anyone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you want to play a round of golf, you should plan to book a tee time in advance. Public courses also offer golf club rentals if you don’t have any of your own.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>[baycuriousquestion]\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> It’s the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and everything is shut down – even the gym. So Bay Curious listener Mary Newsom decided to go for a walk. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> I live in Oakland. And so I would usually sort of go up to the ridgeline and start hiking and all the regional parks that are up on the ridgeline.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Eventually, Mary made her way up to Anthony Chabot Regional Park. Given the pandemic, there was no one around.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>And so one of the golf courses that’s right alongside Chabot was completely empty. There were, like, deer and bunnies and geese and ducks and turkeys and like all these animals. That it just converged onto the golf course because nobody was using it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> But then, the restrictions started to let up, and things started to reopen, and Mary would start to find dozens of golf balls on her walks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>It sort of made me wonder about the relationship between the park and the golf course that’s right up against it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Mary looked into what other municipal golf courses are located inside public parks, and the list is really quite long…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Golden Gate Park, Presidio, Lincoln Park, Gleneagles, Tilden Park, Lake Chabot, Redwood Canyon, Sequoia…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>And that’s just a partial list. This all got Mary wondering about the relationship between public parks and the golf courses within them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Why are there so many golf courses in the Bay Area right next to, or inside public parks? Do they subsidize the parks? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We sent KQED’s outdoors reporter, Sarah Wright, to take a swing at finding some answers. She started, as you might expect, at Hole 1.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Birds chirping, golf balls getting whacked\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> The Golden Gate Park Golf Course is set up on a hill, right by San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. The breeze is strong, and a hawk has been circling overhead as a new set of golfers sets up at the first hole every 15 minutes. Here, I run into Lizzie Yurchak. She lives in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, and she came out to play the course today with a coworker who is from out of town.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak: \u003c/strong>He lives in Texas, so we were like, what’s something fun we can do while he’s visiting the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> It’s her first time out to this course — actually, her first time golfing in the Bay Area since she moved here from Philadelphia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak:\u003c/strong> I don’t have my clubs out here, so maybe I’ll feel inspired today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>And what are your goals for today on the golf course?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak: \u003c/strong>Um, don’t shank it. And don’t lose foul balls. I think that’s about it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>She does not, in fact, shank it. I watch as she lines up for a stroke.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Lizzie hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Man:\u003c/strong> There we go!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Besides meeting golfers like Lizzie, I’m actually here to meet Richard Harris and Lily Achatz. They’re with the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, which advocates for affordable golf in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>Hi, Sarah.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> Lily, great to meet you. Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>Of course!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> I am here to ask them Mary’s question. Why are there so many golf courses in public parks in the Bay Area?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To answer that, Richard says, we have to dig into history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>Golf has been an important part of the Bay Area for a long time. And it’s one of the major golf areas in the country, and for that matter, in the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Golf traces its origins to Scotland — Richard explains.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Scottish music plays\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>Originated in what they called the Links Land, which is the land between the cities and the coast, which was not much use for anything. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Richard says that in the 1890s and early 20th century, immigrants, including Scots, came here and brought golf with them. Among them was a man who had a huge impact on recreation in our region. The father of Golden Gate Park – John McLaren. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>John McLaren was a Scot. John McLaren liked golf. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>He first built Lincoln Park, a golf course by the Legion of Honor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris:\u003c/strong> And then quickly, he found another Scot to design Harding Park…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>… A legendary course near Lake Merced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>And then another Scot to design Sharp Park…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>… Just steps from the ocean in Pacifica.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>That Scot being Alistair McKenzie. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>McKenzie is most famous for having designed Augusta, in Georgia, where the Masters is played.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those iconic early courses built in the Bay Area were — and still are — all public, not private, golf courses. And today they’re known as some of the most premium municipal courses in the nation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, Richard said, publicly owned courses make up about a third of all courses statewide. And they’re at the forefront of welcoming new players into the sport and combating golf’s reputation for being overly white, male and exclusive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lily Achatz, president of the Harding Park Women’s Golf Club, knows that firsthand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz:\u003c/strong> I didn’t grow up playing golf. I got into golf much later, about like six years ago. I don’t know how many sports there are that you can get into, you know, get into it so late. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>She says municipal golf courses, with their relatively cheap fees and open access, are critical to help lower barriers to the sport.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>A private golf club could run you thousands of dollars in initiation fees, monthly dues and food and beverage minimums. A round at a public golf course, meanwhile, ranges from about $30 to $100, with discounts for residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz:\u003c/strong> What makes it so wonderful is that there’s all different generations here. There’s friends, all different backgrounds. The municipal courses are so important because it’s hard to get access to a country club or even be accepted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>In fact, golf wasn’t even racially integrated until the 1950s. And Bay Area municipal courses had a role in that, too. Richard shows me a photo of a plaque that hangs at Pacifica’s Sharp Park course. At the time, the course was known for denying tee times to Black players. But in 1955, that changed when Sharp Park became the site of the inaugural championship tournament of the Western States Golf Association, one of the country’s oldest and largest African American golfing organizations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris:\u003c/strong> It was swimming pools in the south. In San Francisco, it was golf courses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Still, even today, municipal courses can feel exclusive. When Mary asked her question originally, she actually pointed out this bias she feels. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>If I’m walking through a city park and I pass by tennis courts, I don’t really blink an eye, or basketball courts. But it’s funny that to me, like a golf course strikes me differently, you know that I sort of wonder, oh, wait, why is this here? And who actually uses this? You know? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> When we return, we explore who these golf courses are for. And get into the finances. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>KQED’s Outdoors reporter Sarah Wright is very familiar with the condemnation golf courses sometimes face.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Any type of golf course will inevitably draw criticism from those worried about its environmental impact. They are, after all, enormous, frequently watered, heavily manicured lawns. Many golf courses are\u003cem> \u003c/em>working to become more sustainable, but that could be its own story for another day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To keep things focused on Mary’s question, I spoke with Max Korten, acting general manager of the East Bay Regional Parks District.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He says the public has just as much a right to nice turf on a golf course as any other park amenity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten: \u003c/strong>I think it’s one of the really cool things about some of our parks is like, in Tilden, there’s like the merry-go-round, the steam trains, the golf course, like some of these things that… You kind of feel like you’re visiting another era.\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>East Bay Regional Parks has two golf courses, Tilden and Redwood Canyon, and Max says they take up just a combined 240 acres of the 120,000 the district manages. And the golf courses aren’t just for golfers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten:\u003c/strong> The driving range is something that like anybody could do. I’ve taken my son there, my dad and step-mom, like who haven’t really ever played golf, and go just try to hit balls. And it’s really fun and fairly inexpensive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Max explained that golf courses in East Bay parks are operated as concessions. So a private company, in this case, called Touchstone, operates the courses and then a percentage of their profits, around 10 percent, goes to the parks district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They can also be a major money maker for the parks. Last year, Max said, Tilden brought in over $800,000 in revenue — it’s the most profitable concession in the entire parks district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the East Bay, fees are limited by the public parks district board to keep things affordable for the golfers themselves, Max said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten:\u003c/strong> Keeping these public courses around to provide low-cost ways for community members to access golf is really important because I think they’re sort of an equity opportunity to make sure that this sport is available to everyone. \u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Now, not every city can say public golf is a money maker. In San Francisco, for example, the city is subsidizing the courses’ expected $6 million deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year, and the city has begun raising rates at some public courses to help close the gap.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, to answer Mary’s question, there often is a symbiotic relationship between the parks departments and the courses – but not always. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I went and told Mary what I found — about how the golf courses she was walking by during the pandemic — do help fund the park.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary: \u003c/strong>I’m glad to hear that they’re actually making money for East Bay Regional Parks. I feel like, you know, parks are always underfunded, you know, they’re always sort of like the first to be cut. So, to hear that they’re actually supporting the park, I think, is great.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>I admit — I was surprised to learn that too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Yeah, it’s definitely sort of changed my mind and sort of given me more of a positive perspective on them than I had before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>So much so that she was even willing to give it a try herself. Olivia and I asked Mary and Lily Achatz, from the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, to join us at Corica Park in Alameda. It’s hot and sunny, and for a Thursday afternoon, the golf course is bustling.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>You guys brought the good weather. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Corica Park actually has several golf courses, and even a foot golf course where you can kick soccer balls into giant holes in the green. We convened at the smaller Par 3 course, which is a great option for kids, beginners or anyone looking for a lower-key experience — which was perfect for our group of just one expert and three complete amateurs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> I have never played golf before ever in my life. Not even miniature golf, actually, neither one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So how do you predict this is going to go?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>I honestly don’t know, but I do see some water over here and I imagine one of my balls would go in there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Well, as it turns out, Mary is an athlete – she grew up playing basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, rowing — you name it. So she got the hang of it quick.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Here, I’m just going to do a gentle putt.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Mary hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Nice, woohoo!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>My first ever!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Olivia and I, we did our best… \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Okay, it only took three swings to make contact.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> And you did it. And you were lined up perfectly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>And, no surprise, Lily crushed us all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Lily hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>That was incredible, I don’t even know where it went! \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>It sliced to the right.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>After around an hour, we called it quits. I asked Mary how she thought it went.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> It felt a little funny, but I think if I did it more, I would definitely get used to it, you know, and it would be something, like, I would be at home, right? You know before bed or something like that, practicing my swing, like, okay, you know.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> So, Olivia, what do you think? Is there more golfing in our future?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I think I’m going to stick to podcasting, for now. But I don’t know, Mary seemed to be getting into it. Maybe we’ll have to check in with her in a year and see how things are coming along.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> I know that I’ll be practicing my swing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Sarah Wright, outdoors reporter for KQED. Thank you!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> Thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED. Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, and me, Olivia Allen-Price. We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a great week.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oakland resident Mary Newson would hike regularly in the parks up in the Oakland and Berkeley hills. It was a pleasant way to get outside, and there was no one around — even on a usually busy golf course near \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/anthony-chabot\">Anthony Chabot Regional Park.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There were deer and bunnies and geese and ducks and turkeys and all these animals that had just converged onto the golf course because nobody was using it,” she said. “That was really a beautiful thing to see.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There were deer and bunnies and geese and ducks and turkeys and all these animals that had just converged onto the golf course because nobody was using it,” she said. “That was really a beautiful thing to see.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But then, the restrictions started to let up, things started to reopen, and Mary would start to find dozens of golf balls on her walks. It made her wonder: Why are there so many golf courses in public parks around the Bay Area? Can and should she visit as a non-golfer? And what is their financial relationship to the park?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But then, the restrictions started to let up, things started to reopen, and Mary would start to find dozens of golf balls on her walks. It made her wonder: Why are there so many golf courses in public parks around the Bay Area? Can and should she visit as a non-golfer? And what is their financial relationship to the park?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083077\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golfers practice at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t sure how they worked, and if there was any sort of financial relationship, administrative relationship between the larger park and the golf course that sort of made them work together,” she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As it turns out, golf — and public golf, in particular — has a storied history in the Bay Area. And apart from a few conversions, mostly of private golf courses, these public greens are unlikely to be going anywhere soon.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As it turns out, golf — and public golf, in particular — has a storied history in the Bay Area. And apart from a few conversions, mostly of private golf courses, these public greens are unlikely to be going anywhere soon.\u003c/p>\n"
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"The difference between public and private golf courses",
"How public courses do or don’t make money for local parks",
"Golf course conversions underway in the Bay Area",
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null,
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null,
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#private\">The difference between public and private golf courses\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#private\">The difference between public and private golf courses\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#make-money\">How public courses do or don’t make money for local parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#make-money\">How public courses do or don’t make money for local parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#converting-golf-courses\">Golf course conversions underway in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#converting-golf-courses\">Golf course conversions underway in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#visit-a-golf-course\">What to know if you’re visiting a public golf course for the first time\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n",
"innerContent": [
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{
"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "What is the history of golf courses in the Bay Area?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the history of golf courses in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The sport of golf made its way to the Bay Area with the arrival of Scottish immigrants in the 1890s and early 20th century, explained Richard Harris, who advocates for accessible golf with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpublicgolf.org/\">San Francisco Public Golf Alliance.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The sport of golf made its way to the Bay Area with the arrival of Scottish immigrants in the 1890s and early 20th century, explained Richard Harris, who advocates for accessible golf with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpublicgolf.org/\">San Francisco Public Golf Alliance.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That included influential city leaders like John McLaren, the “father of Golden Gate Park,” who was a Scot. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That included influential city leaders like John McLaren, the “father of Golden Gate Park,” who was a Scot. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083083\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Richard Harris, president of the SF Public Golf Alliance, poses for a portrait at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McLaren, Harris said, was influential in creating Lincoln Park and Harding Park in San Francisco, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpublicgolf.org/index.php/save/alister-mackenzies-sharp-park\">Pacifica’s Sharp Park\u003c/a>, designed by famous golf architect Alister MacKenzie. These are all public, not private golf courses, and are considered to be world-class, he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>McLaren, Harris said, was influential in creating Lincoln Park and Harding Park in San Francisco, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpublicgolf.org/index.php/save/alister-mackenzies-sharp-park\">Pacifica’s Sharp Park\u003c/a>, designed by famous golf architect Alister MacKenzie. These are all public, not private golf courses, and are considered to be world-class, he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Golf has been an important part of the Bay Area for a long time,” Harris said. “It’s one of the major golf areas in the country, and, for that matter, in the world.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Golf has been an important part of the Bay Area for a long time,” Harris said. “It’s one of the major golf areas in the country, and, for that matter, in the world.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "What makes a public golf course different from a private one?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"private\">What makes a public golf course different from a private one?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Public golf courses are those owned by local governments or parks districts. In the Bay Area, they tend to be inside or next to public parks you may know or frequent.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Municipal golf courses help lower barriers to the sport by being accessible and relatively cheap, said Lily Achatz, president of the Harding Park Women’s Golf Club and a member of the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Municipal golf courses help lower barriers to the sport by being accessible and relatively cheap, said Lily Achatz, president of the Harding Park Women’s Golf Club and a member of the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lily Achatz, president of Harding Park Women’s Golf Club, poses for a portrait at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083084\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lily Achatz, president of Harding Park Women’s Golf Club, poses for a portrait at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A private golf club could run you thousands of dollars in initiation fees, monthly dues and food and beverage minimums. A round at a public golf course, meanwhile, ranges from $30 to $100, with discounts for residents. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>A private golf club could run you thousands of dollars in initiation fees, monthly dues and food and beverage minimums. A round at a public golf course, meanwhile, ranges from $30 to $100, with discounts for residents. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s stunning and what makes it so wonderful is that there’s all different generations here,” Achatz said. “The municipal courses are so important because it’s hard to get access to a country club or even be accepted.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s stunning and what makes it so wonderful is that there’s all different generations here,” Achatz said. “The municipal courses are so important because it’s hard to get access to a country club or even be accepted.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Do golf courses make money for public parks?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"make-money\">Do golf courses make money for public parks?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Depending on the city or parks district, public golf courses can be real money-makers. Max Korten, acting general manager of the East Bay Regional Parks District, said Tilden Golf Course made the district $800,000 last year. It was the most profitable concession in the entire parks district last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/fy26-adopted-operating-capital-projects-budgets-w-bookmarks.pdf\">according to district documents.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Depending on the city or parks district, public golf courses can be real money-makers. Max Korten, acting general manager of the East Bay Regional Parks District, said Tilden Golf Course made the district $800,000 last year. It was the most profitable concession in the entire parks district last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/fy26-adopted-operating-capital-projects-budgets-w-bookmarks.pdf\">according to district documents.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s not the case with every city or district. In San Francisco, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-golfers-grumble-over-course-privatization-plan-20184922.php\">the city is subsidizing the courses’ expected $6 million deficit\u003c/a> and has \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/22/sf-parks-fees/\">begun raising rates\u003c/a> at some public courses to help close the gap. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>That’s not the case with every city or district. In San Francisco, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-golfers-grumble-over-course-privatization-plan-20184922.php\">the city is subsidizing the courses’ expected $6 million deficit\u003c/a> and has \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/22/sf-parks-fees/\">begun raising rates\u003c/a> at some public courses to help close the gap. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the East Bay, course fees are limited by a public board to keep fees low-cost for residents, Korten said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the East Bay, course fees are limited by a public board to keep fees low-cost for residents, Korten said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "Have there been any talks of converting golf courses to other uses?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"converting-golf-courses\">Have there been any talks of converting golf courses to other uses?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There’s no widespread movement to convert golf courses in the Bay Area into other uses. But there are two notable examples of private golf courses undergoing their own transformations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>There’s no widespread movement to convert golf courses in the Bay Area into other uses. But there are two notable examples of private golf courses undergoing their own transformations. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The most controversial right now is Pleasant Hills in San José. It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074738/housing-advocates-call-this-big-plot-of-san-jose-land-the-most-important-in-a-century\">a former private 115-acre golf course\u003c/a> that may become 2,000 new homes with some commercial and open space. It’s currently in environmental review as the community goes back and forth on what to do with it. What to do has become a fight, said Manira Sandhir, deputy director of planning for the city of San José. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The most controversial right now is Pleasant Hills in San José. It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074738/housing-advocates-call-this-big-plot-of-san-jose-land-the-most-important-in-a-century\">a former private 115-acre golf course\u003c/a> that may become 2,000 new homes with some commercial and open space. It’s currently in environmental review as the community goes back and forth on what to do with it. What to do has become a fight, said Manira Sandhir, deputy director of planning for the city of San José. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083080\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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null,
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083082\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golfers play a game at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083082\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golfers play a game at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083078\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golf balls line the ground at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083078\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golf balls line the ground at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“On one hand we have the community who’s directly affected by this project and has expressed concerns about the traffic that it would generate,” she said. It’s located in a highly car-dependent area, and there’s not a lot of transit or freeway access there either. “But then on the other hand, we have housing advocates who want to see more housing at the site, and they feel that putting 2,000 units at the site would be underutilization of this really large acreage that’s available for development.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“On one hand we have the community who’s directly affected by this project and has expressed concerns about the traffic that it would generate,” she said. It’s located in a highly car-dependent area, and there’s not a lot of transit or freeway access there either. “But then on the other hand, we have housing advocates who want to see more housing at the site, and they feel that putting 2,000 units at the site would be underutilization of this really large acreage that’s available for development.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The course, Sandhir said, was established in the 1960s but closed in 2004, likely for financial reasons — so not explicitly for this conversion. Sandhir said it’s likely to be years before the dust settles and a coherent plan for the site emerges.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The course, Sandhir said, was established in the 1960s but closed in 2004, likely for financial reasons — so not explicitly for this conversion. Sandhir said it’s likely to be years before the dust settles and a coherent plan for the site emerges.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Farther to the north, in Marin County’s San Geronimo Valley, another golf course has seen the end of its days. The Trust for Public Land, a land conservation organization, converted what was once a private 18-hole golf course into \u003ca href=\"https://www.tpl.org/our-work/san-geronimo-commons\">San Geronimo Commons\u003c/a>, a public park that fills a missing connection to surrounding open spaces, restores water rights to the Larson Creek and returns the land to its former function as a wetland. A county firehouse has even taken over the old golf clubhouse.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Farther to the north, in Marin County’s San Geronimo Valley, another golf course has seen the end of its days. The Trust for Public Land, a land conservation organization, converted what was once a private 18-hole golf course into \u003ca href=\"https://www.tpl.org/our-work/san-geronimo-commons\">San Geronimo Commons\u003c/a>, a public park that fills a missing connection to surrounding open spaces, restores water rights to the Larson Creek and returns the land to its former function as a wetland. A county firehouse has even taken over the old golf clubhouse.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I do think cities, park systems across the country, certainly in California, are rethinking their inventory and what can happen,” he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I do think cities, park systems across the country, certainly in California, are rethinking their inventory and what can happen,” he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The car paths became walking paths, the sand traps became sandboxes for the kids,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, Trust for Public Land’s California director. He said this is one of four golf course conversions they have helped lead in the state, part of what he sees as a growing trend in California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The car paths became walking paths, the sand traps became sandboxes for the kids,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, Trust for Public Land’s California director. He said this is one of four golf course conversions they have helped lead in the state, part of what he sees as a growing trend in California.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The San Geronimo conversion wasn’t without its own controversy. After purchasing the property in 2018, Trust for Public Land launched a two-year process to narrow down what the community wanted from the property – and not everyone agreed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The San Geronimo conversion wasn’t without its own controversy. After purchasing the property in 2018, Trust for Public Land launched a two-year process to narrow down what the community wanted from the property – and not everyone agreed.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We had a lot of passionate golfers who had lots of memories tied to that facility,” he said. “And while, yes, there were other facilities they could go play golf in, they had history there, and so we had to work through that.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We had a lot of passionate golfers who had lots of memories tied to that facility,” he said. “And while, yes, there were other facilities they could go play golf in, they had history there, and so we had to work through that.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Senior manager on the project Erica Williams said in some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic set the stage for the transition of the property — opening people’s imaginations to how their community spaces could look. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Senior manager on the project Erica Williams said in some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic set the stage for the transition of the property — opening people’s imaginations to how their community spaces could look. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“With the pandemic, I think that really allowed people to connect with the landscape, to reconnect with the land and to imagine a future,” she said. “It became a sanctuary.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“With the pandemic, I think that really allowed people to connect with the landscape, to reconnect with the land and to imagine a future,” she said. “It became a sanctuary.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Can I visit a golf course as a non-golfer?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"visit-a-golf-course\">Can I visit a golf course as a non-golfer?\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Municipal golf courses are open to everyone, whether you want to reserve a tee time to try your hand at playing, practice your swing at the driving range, or just hang out at the cafes and restaurants onsite. Unlike private courses, there is no dress code at public golf courses. Dogs are not allowed.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Municipal golf courses are open to everyone, whether you want to reserve a tee time to try your hand at playing, practice your swing at the driving range, or just hang out at the cafes and restaurants onsite. Unlike private courses, there is no dress code at public golf courses. Dogs are not allowed.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While walking along the course if you’re not playing generally isn’t allowed (getting hit by a ball is a real risk), many courses like Tilden have walking trails nearby that are open to anyone. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While walking along the course if you’re not playing generally isn’t allowed (getting hit by a ball is a real risk), many courses like Tilden have walking trails nearby that are open to anyone. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you want to play a round of golf, you should plan to book a tee time in advance. Public courses also offer golf club rentals if you don’t have any of your own.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> It’s the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and everything is shut down – even the gym. So Bay Curious listener Mary Newsom decided to go for a walk. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> It’s the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and everything is shut down – even the gym. So Bay Curious listener Mary Newsom decided to go for a walk. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> I live in Oakland. And so I would usually sort of go up to the ridgeline and start hiking and all the regional parks that are up on the ridgeline.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> I live in Oakland. And so I would usually sort of go up to the ridgeline and start hiking and all the regional parks that are up on the ridgeline.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Eventually, Mary made her way up to Anthony Chabot Regional Park. Given the pandemic, there was no one around.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Eventually, Mary made her way up to Anthony Chabot Regional Park. Given the pandemic, there was no one around.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>And so one of the golf courses that’s right alongside Chabot was completely empty. There were, like, deer and bunnies and geese and ducks and turkeys and like all these animals. That it just converged onto the golf course because nobody was using it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>And so one of the golf courses that’s right alongside Chabot was completely empty. There were, like, deer and bunnies and geese and ducks and turkeys and like all these animals. That it just converged onto the golf course because nobody was using it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> But then, the restrictions started to let up, and things started to reopen, and Mary would start to find dozens of golf balls on her walks.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> But then, the restrictions started to let up, and things started to reopen, and Mary would start to find dozens of golf balls on her walks.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>It sort of made me wonder about the relationship between the park and the golf course that’s right up against it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>It sort of made me wonder about the relationship between the park and the golf course that’s right up against it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Mary looked into what other municipal golf courses are located inside public parks, and the list is really quite long…\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Mary looked into what other municipal golf courses are located inside public parks, and the list is really quite long…\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Golden Gate Park, Presidio, Lincoln Park, Gleneagles, Tilden Park, Lake Chabot, Redwood Canyon, Sequoia…\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Golden Gate Park, Presidio, Lincoln Park, Gleneagles, Tilden Park, Lake Chabot, Redwood Canyon, Sequoia…\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>And that’s just a partial list. This all got Mary wondering about the relationship between public parks and the golf courses within them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>And that’s just a partial list. This all got Mary wondering about the relationship between public parks and the golf courses within them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Why are there so many golf courses in the Bay Area right next to, or inside public parks? Do they subsidize the parks? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Why are there so many golf courses in the Bay Area right next to, or inside public parks? Do they subsidize the parks? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We sent KQED’s outdoors reporter, Sarah Wright, to take a swing at finding some answers. She started, as you might expect, at Hole 1.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We sent KQED’s outdoors reporter, Sarah Wright, to take a swing at finding some answers. She started, as you might expect, at Hole 1.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Birds chirping, golf balls getting whacked\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> The Golden Gate Park Golf Course is set up on a hill, right by San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. The breeze is strong, and a hawk has been circling overhead as a new set of golfers sets up at the first hole every 15 minutes. Here, I run into Lizzie Yurchak. She lives in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, and she came out to play the course today with a coworker who is from out of town.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> The Golden Gate Park Golf Course is set up on a hill, right by San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. The breeze is strong, and a hawk has been circling overhead as a new set of golfers sets up at the first hole every 15 minutes. Here, I run into Lizzie Yurchak. She lives in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, and she came out to play the course today with a coworker who is from out of town.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak: \u003c/strong>He lives in Texas, so we were like, what’s something fun we can do while he’s visiting the Bay.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak: \u003c/strong>He lives in Texas, so we were like, what’s something fun we can do while he’s visiting the Bay.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> It’s her first time out to this course — actually, her first time golfing in the Bay Area since she moved here from Philadelphia.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> It’s her first time out to this course — actually, her first time golfing in the Bay Area since she moved here from Philadelphia.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak:\u003c/strong> I don’t have my clubs out here, so maybe I’ll feel inspired today. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak:\u003c/strong> I don’t have my clubs out here, so maybe I’ll feel inspired today. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>And what are your goals for today on the golf course?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak: \u003c/strong>Um, don’t shank it. And don’t lose foul balls. I think that’s about it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak: \u003c/strong>Um, don’t shank it. And don’t lose foul balls. I think that’s about it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>She does not, in fact, shank it. I watch as she lines up for a stroke.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>She does not, in fact, shank it. I watch as she lines up for a stroke.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Lizzie hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Lizzie hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Man:\u003c/strong> There we go!\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Besides meeting golfers like Lizzie, I’m actually here to meet Richard Harris and Lily Achatz. They’re with the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, which advocates for affordable golf in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Besides meeting golfers like Lizzie, I’m actually here to meet Richard Harris and Lily Achatz. They’re with the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, which advocates for affordable golf in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>Hi, Sarah.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> Lily, great to meet you. Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>Of course!\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> I am here to ask them Mary’s question. Why are there so many golf courses in public parks in the Bay Area?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> I am here to ask them Mary’s question. Why are there so many golf courses in public parks in the Bay Area?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To answer that, Richard says, we have to dig into history.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>Golf has been an important part of the Bay Area for a long time. And it’s one of the major golf areas in the country, and for that matter, in the world.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>Golf has been an important part of the Bay Area for a long time. And it’s one of the major golf areas in the country, and for that matter, in the world.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Golf traces its origins to Scotland — Richard explains.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Scottish music plays\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>Originated in what they called the Links Land, which is the land between the cities and the coast, which was not much use for anything. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Richard says that in the 1890s and early 20th century, immigrants, including Scots, came here and brought golf with them. Among them was a man who had a huge impact on recreation in our region. The father of Golden Gate Park – John McLaren. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>John McLaren was a Scot. John McLaren liked golf. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>He first built Lincoln Park, a golf course by the Legion of Honor.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris:\u003c/strong> And then quickly, he found another Scot to design Harding Park…\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>… A legendary course near Lake Merced.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>And then another Scot to design Sharp Park…\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>… Just steps from the ocean in Pacifica.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>… Just steps from the ocean in Pacifica.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>That Scot being Alistair McKenzie. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>McKenzie is most famous for having designed Augusta, in Georgia, where the Masters is played.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>McKenzie is most famous for having designed Augusta, in Georgia, where the Masters is played.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those iconic early courses built in the Bay Area were — and still are — all public, not private, golf courses. And today they’re known as some of the most premium municipal courses in the nation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Those iconic early courses built in the Bay Area were — and still are — all public, not private, golf courses. And today they’re known as some of the most premium municipal courses in the nation.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In California, Richard said, publicly owned courses make up about a third of all courses statewide. And they’re at the forefront of welcoming new players into the sport and combating golf’s reputation for being overly white, male and exclusive.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In California, Richard said, publicly owned courses make up about a third of all courses statewide. And they’re at the forefront of welcoming new players into the sport and combating golf’s reputation for being overly white, male and exclusive.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Lily Achatz, president of the Harding Park Women’s Golf Club, knows that firsthand. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz:\u003c/strong> I didn’t grow up playing golf. I got into golf much later, about like six years ago. I don’t know how many sports there are that you can get into, you know, get into it so late. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz:\u003c/strong> I didn’t grow up playing golf. I got into golf much later, about like six years ago. I don’t know how many sports there are that you can get into, you know, get into it so late. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>She says municipal golf courses, with their relatively cheap fees and open access, are critical to help lower barriers to the sport.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>A private golf club could run you thousands of dollars in initiation fees, monthly dues and food and beverage minimums. A round at a public golf course, meanwhile, ranges from about $30 to $100, with discounts for residents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>She says municipal golf courses, with their relatively cheap fees and open access, are critical to help lower barriers to the sport.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>A private golf club could run you thousands of dollars in initiation fees, monthly dues and food and beverage minimums. A round at a public golf course, meanwhile, ranges from about $30 to $100, with discounts for residents. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz:\u003c/strong> What makes it so wonderful is that there’s all different generations here. There’s friends, all different backgrounds. The municipal courses are so important because it’s hard to get access to a country club or even be accepted.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz:\u003c/strong> What makes it so wonderful is that there’s all different generations here. There’s friends, all different backgrounds. The municipal courses are so important because it’s hard to get access to a country club or even be accepted.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>In fact, golf wasn’t even racially integrated until the 1950s. And Bay Area municipal courses had a role in that, too. Richard shows me a photo of a plaque that hangs at Pacifica’s Sharp Park course. At the time, the course was known for denying tee times to Black players. But in 1955, that changed when Sharp Park became the site of the inaugural championship tournament of the Western States Golf Association, one of the country’s oldest and largest African American golfing organizations.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>In fact, golf wasn’t even racially integrated until the 1950s. And Bay Area municipal courses had a role in that, too. Richard shows me a photo of a plaque that hangs at Pacifica’s Sharp Park course. At the time, the course was known for denying tee times to Black players. But in 1955, that changed when Sharp Park became the site of the inaugural championship tournament of the Western States Golf Association, one of the country’s oldest and largest African American golfing organizations.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris:\u003c/strong> It was swimming pools in the south. In San Francisco, it was golf courses. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris:\u003c/strong> It was swimming pools in the south. In San Francisco, it was golf courses. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Still, even today, municipal courses can feel exclusive. When Mary asked her question originally, she actually pointed out this bias she feels. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Still, even today, municipal courses can feel exclusive. When Mary asked her question originally, she actually pointed out this bias she feels. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>If I’m walking through a city park and I pass by tennis courts, I don’t really blink an eye, or basketball courts. But it’s funny that to me, like a golf course strikes me differently, you know that I sort of wonder, oh, wait, why is this here? And who actually uses this? You know? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>If I’m walking through a city park and I pass by tennis courts, I don’t really blink an eye, or basketball courts. But it’s funny that to me, like a golf course strikes me differently, you know that I sort of wonder, oh, wait, why is this here? And who actually uses this? You know? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> When we return, we explore who these golf courses are for. And get into the finances. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> When we return, we explore who these golf courses are for. And get into the finances. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>KQED’s Outdoors reporter Sarah Wright is very familiar with the condemnation golf courses sometimes face.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Any type of golf course will inevitably draw criticism from those worried about its environmental impact. They are, after all, enormous, frequently watered, heavily manicured lawns. Many golf courses are\u003cem> \u003c/em>working to become more sustainable, but that could be its own story for another day.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Any type of golf course will inevitably draw criticism from those worried about its environmental impact. They are, after all, enormous, frequently watered, heavily manicured lawns. Many golf courses are\u003cem> \u003c/em>working to become more sustainable, but that could be its own story for another day.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>To keep things focused on Mary’s question, I spoke with Max Korten, acting general manager of the East Bay Regional Parks District.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>To keep things focused on Mary’s question, I spoke with Max Korten, acting general manager of the East Bay Regional Parks District.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He says the public has just as much a right to nice turf on a golf course as any other park amenity. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He says the public has just as much a right to nice turf on a golf course as any other park amenity. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten: \u003c/strong>I think it’s one of the really cool things about some of our parks is like, in Tilden, there’s like the merry-go-round, the steam trains, the golf course, like some of these things that… You kind of feel like you’re visiting another era.\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>East Bay Regional Parks has two golf courses, Tilden and Redwood Canyon, and Max says they take up just a combined 240 acres of the 120,000 the district manages. And the golf courses aren’t just for golfers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten: \u003c/strong>I think it’s one of the really cool things about some of our parks is like, in Tilden, there’s like the merry-go-round, the steam trains, the golf course, like some of these things that… You kind of feel like you’re visiting another era.\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>East Bay Regional Parks has two golf courses, Tilden and Redwood Canyon, and Max says they take up just a combined 240 acres of the 120,000 the district manages. And the golf courses aren’t just for golfers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten:\u003c/strong> The driving range is something that like anybody could do. I’ve taken my son there, my dad and step-mom, like who haven’t really ever played golf, and go just try to hit balls. And it’s really fun and fairly inexpensive. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten:\u003c/strong> The driving range is something that like anybody could do. I’ve taken my son there, my dad and step-mom, like who haven’t really ever played golf, and go just try to hit balls. And it’s really fun and fairly inexpensive. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Max explained that golf courses in East Bay parks are operated as concessions. So a private company, in this case, called Touchstone, operates the courses and then a percentage of their profits, around 10 percent, goes to the parks district. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Max explained that golf courses in East Bay parks are operated as concessions. So a private company, in this case, called Touchstone, operates the courses and then a percentage of their profits, around 10 percent, goes to the parks district. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>They can also be a major money maker for the parks. Last year, Max said, Tilden brought in over $800,000 in revenue — it’s the most profitable concession in the entire parks district. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>They can also be a major money maker for the parks. Last year, Max said, Tilden brought in over $800,000 in revenue — it’s the most profitable concession in the entire parks district. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the East Bay, fees are limited by the public parks district board to keep things affordable for the golfers themselves, Max said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the East Bay, fees are limited by the public parks district board to keep things affordable for the golfers themselves, Max said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten:\u003c/strong> Keeping these public courses around to provide low-cost ways for community members to access golf is really important because I think they’re sort of an equity opportunity to make sure that this sport is available to everyone. \u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Now, not every city can say public golf is a money maker. In San Francisco, for example, the city is subsidizing the courses’ expected $6 million deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year, and the city has begun raising rates at some public courses to help close the gap.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten:\u003c/strong> Keeping these public courses around to provide low-cost ways for community members to access golf is really important because I think they’re sort of an equity opportunity to make sure that this sport is available to everyone. \u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Now, not every city can say public golf is a money maker. In San Francisco, for example, the city is subsidizing the courses’ expected $6 million deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year, and the city has begun raising rates at some public courses to help close the gap.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So, to answer Mary’s question, there often is a symbiotic relationship between the parks departments and the courses – but not always. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So, to answer Mary’s question, there often is a symbiotic relationship between the parks departments and the courses – but not always. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I went and told Mary what I found — about how the golf courses she was walking by during the pandemic — do help fund the park.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>I went and told Mary what I found — about how the golf courses she was walking by during the pandemic — do help fund the park.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary: \u003c/strong>I’m glad to hear that they’re actually making money for East Bay Regional Parks. I feel like, you know, parks are always underfunded, you know, they’re always sort of like the first to be cut. So, to hear that they’re actually supporting the park, I think, is great.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary: \u003c/strong>I’m glad to hear that they’re actually making money for East Bay Regional Parks. I feel like, you know, parks are always underfunded, you know, they’re always sort of like the first to be cut. So, to hear that they’re actually supporting the park, I think, is great.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>I admit — I was surprised to learn that too.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>I admit — I was surprised to learn that too.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Yeah, it’s definitely sort of changed my mind and sort of given me more of a positive perspective on them than I had before.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Yeah, it’s definitely sort of changed my mind and sort of given me more of a positive perspective on them than I had before.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>So much so that she was even willing to give it a try herself. Olivia and I asked Mary and Lily Achatz, from the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, to join us at Corica Park in Alameda. It’s hot and sunny, and for a Thursday afternoon, the golf course is bustling.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>So much so that she was even willing to give it a try herself. Olivia and I asked Mary and Lily Achatz, from the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, to join us at Corica Park in Alameda. It’s hot and sunny, and for a Thursday afternoon, the golf course is bustling.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>You guys brought the good weather. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>You guys brought the good weather. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Corica Park actually has several golf courses, and even a foot golf course where you can kick soccer balls into giant holes in the green. We convened at the smaller Par 3 course, which is a great option for kids, beginners or anyone looking for a lower-key experience — which was perfect for our group of just one expert and three complete amateurs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Corica Park actually has several golf courses, and even a foot golf course where you can kick soccer balls into giant holes in the green. We convened at the smaller Par 3 course, which is a great option for kids, beginners or anyone looking for a lower-key experience — which was perfect for our group of just one expert and three complete amateurs.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> I have never played golf before ever in my life. Not even miniature golf, actually, neither one. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> I have never played golf before ever in my life. Not even miniature golf, actually, neither one. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So how do you predict this is going to go?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So how do you predict this is going to go?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>I honestly don’t know, but I do see some water over here and I imagine one of my balls would go in there.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Well, as it turns out, Mary is an athlete – she grew up playing basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, rowing — you name it. So she got the hang of it quick.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Here, I’m just going to do a gentle putt.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Mary hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Nice, woohoo!\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>My first ever!\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Olivia and I, we did our best… \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Okay, it only took three swings to make contact.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> And you did it. And you were lined up perfectly. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Lily hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>That was incredible, I don’t even know where it went! \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>That was incredible, I don’t even know where it went! \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>It sliced to the right.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>After around an hour, we called it quits. I asked Mary how she thought it went.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> It felt a little funny, but I think if I did it more, I would definitely get used to it, you know, and it would be something, like, I would be at home, right? You know before bed or something like that, practicing my swing, like, okay, you know.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> It felt a little funny, but I think if I did it more, I would definitely get used to it, you know, and it would be something, like, I would be at home, right? You know before bed or something like that, practicing my swing, like, okay, you know.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> So, Olivia, what do you think? Is there more golfing in our future?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I think I’m going to stick to podcasting, for now. But I don’t know, Mary seemed to be getting into it. Maybe we’ll have to check in with her in a year and see how things are coming along.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I think I’m going to stick to podcasting, for now. But I don’t know, Mary seemed to be getting into it. Maybe we’ll have to check in with her in a year and see how things are coming along.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> I know that I’ll be practicing my swing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Sarah Wright, outdoors reporter for KQED. Thank you!\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Sarah Wright, outdoors reporter for KQED. Thank you!\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> Thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED. Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, and me, Olivia Allen-Price. We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED. Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, and me, Olivia Allen-Price. We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a great week.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>\u003ca href=\"#episode-transcript\">View the full episode transcript.\u003c/a>\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oakland resident Mary Newson would hike regularly in the parks up in the Oakland and Berkeley hills. It was a pleasant way to get outside, and there was no one around — even on a usually busy golf course near \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/parks/anthony-chabot\">Anthony Chabot Regional Park.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There were deer and bunnies and geese and ducks and turkeys and all these animals that had just converged onto the golf course because nobody was using it,” she said. “That was really a beautiful thing to see.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But then, the restrictions started to let up, things started to reopen, and Mary would start to find dozens of golf balls on her walks. It made her wonder: Why are there so many golf courses in public parks around the Bay Area? Can and should she visit as a non-golfer? And what is their financial relationship to the park?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083077\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03134-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golfers practice at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“I wasn’t sure how they worked, and if there was any sort of financial relationship, administrative relationship between the larger park and the golf course that sort of made them work together,” she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As it turns out, golf — and public golf, in particular — has a storied history in the Bay Area. And apart from a few conversions, mostly of private golf courses, these public greens are unlikely to be going anywhere soon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jump straight to:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#private\">The difference between public and private golf courses\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#make-money\">How public courses do or don’t make money for local parks\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#converting-golf-courses\">Golf course conversions underway in the Bay Area\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003ca href=\"#visit-a-golf-course\">What to know if you’re visiting a public golf course for the first time\u003c/a>\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the history of golf courses in the Bay Area?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The sport of golf made its way to the Bay Area with the arrival of Scottish immigrants in the 1890s and early 20th century, explained Richard Harris, who advocates for accessible golf with the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpublicgolf.org/\">San Francisco Public Golf Alliance.\u003c/a> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That included influential city leaders like John McLaren, the “father of Golden Gate Park,” who was a Scot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083083\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04079-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Richard Harris, president of the SF Public Golf Alliance, poses for a portrait at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>McLaren, Harris said, was influential in creating Lincoln Park and Harding Park in San Francisco, as well as \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfpublicgolf.org/index.php/save/alister-mackenzies-sharp-park\">Pacifica’s Sharp Park\u003c/a>, designed by famous golf architect Alister MacKenzie. These are all public, not private golf courses, and are considered to be world-class, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Golf has been an important part of the Bay Area for a long time,” Harris said. “It’s one of the major golf areas in the country, and, for that matter, in the world.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"private\">What makes a public golf course different from a private one?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Public golf courses are those owned by local governments or parks districts. In the Bay Area, they tend to be inside or next to public parks you may know or frequent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Municipal golf courses help lower barriers to the sport by being accessible and relatively cheap, said Lily Achatz, president of the Harding Park Women’s Golf Club and a member of the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083084\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04136-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lily Achatz, president of Harding Park Women’s Golf Club, poses for a portrait at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>A private golf club could run you thousands of dollars in initiation fees, monthly dues and food and beverage minimums. A round at a public golf course, meanwhile, ranges from $30 to $100, with discounts for residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s stunning and what makes it so wonderful is that there’s all different generations here,” Achatz said. “The municipal courses are so important because it’s hard to get access to a country club or even be accepted.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"make-money\">Do golf courses make money for public parks?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Depending on the city or parks district, public golf courses can be real money-makers. Max Korten, acting general manager of the East Bay Regional Parks District, said Tilden Golf Course made the district $800,000 last year. It was the most profitable concession in the entire parks district last year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.ebparks.org/sites/default/files/fy26-adopted-operating-capital-projects-budgets-w-bookmarks.pdf\">according to district documents.\u003c/a>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s not the case with every city or district. In San Francisco, \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sf-golfers-grumble-over-course-privatization-plan-20184922.php\">the city is subsidizing the courses’ expected $6 million deficit\u003c/a> and has \u003ca href=\"https://sfstandard.com/2025/07/22/sf-parks-fees/\">begun raising rates\u003c/a> at some public courses to help close the gap. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the East Bay, course fees are limited by a public board to keep fees low-cost for residents, Korten said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"converting-golf-courses\">Have there been any talks of converting golf courses to other uses?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There’s no widespread movement to convert golf courses in the Bay Area into other uses. But there are two notable examples of private golf courses undergoing their own transformations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The most controversial right now is Pleasant Hills in San José. It’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12074738/housing-advocates-call-this-big-plot-of-san-jose-land-the-most-important-in-a-century\">a former private 115-acre golf course\u003c/a> that may become 2,000 new homes with some commercial and open space. It’s currently in environmental review as the community goes back and forth on what to do with it. What to do has become a fight, said Manira Sandhir, deputy director of planning for the city of San José. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083080\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03581-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12083082\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083082\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-04043-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golfers play a game at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12083078\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12083078\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/05/260506-GOLFINGBAYCURIOUS-TV-03155-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Golf balls line the ground at Golden Gate Park Golf Course Clubhouse in San Francisco on May 6, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“On one hand we have the community who’s directly affected by this project and has expressed concerns about the traffic that it would generate,” she said. It’s located in a highly car-dependent area, and there’s not a lot of transit or freeway access there either. “But then on the other hand, we have housing advocates who want to see more housing at the site, and they feel that putting 2,000 units at the site would be underutilization of this really large acreage that’s available for development.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The course, Sandhir said, was established in the 1960s but closed in 2004, likely for financial reasons — so not explicitly for this conversion. Sandhir said it’s likely to be years before the dust settles and a coherent plan for the site emerges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Farther to the north, in Marin County’s San Geronimo Valley, another golf course has seen the end of its days. The Trust for Public Land, a land conservation organization, converted what was once a private 18-hole golf course into \u003ca href=\"https://www.tpl.org/our-work/san-geronimo-commons\">San Geronimo Commons\u003c/a>, a public park that fills a missing connection to surrounding open spaces, restores water rights to the Larson Creek and returns the land to its former function as a wetland. A county firehouse has even taken over the old golf clubhouse.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I do think cities, park systems across the country, certainly in California, are rethinking their inventory and what can happen,” he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The car paths became walking paths, the sand traps became sandboxes for the kids,” said Guillermo Rodriguez, Trust for Public Land’s California director. He said this is one of four golf course conversions they have helped lead in the state, part of what he sees as a growing trend in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Geronimo conversion wasn’t without its own controversy. After purchasing the property in 2018, Trust for Public Land launched a two-year process to narrow down what the community wanted from the property – and not everyone agreed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We had a lot of passionate golfers who had lots of memories tied to that facility,” he said. “And while, yes, there were other facilities they could go play golf in, they had history there, and so we had to work through that.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Senior manager on the project Erica Williams said in some ways, the COVID-19 pandemic set the stage for the transition of the property — opening people’s imaginations to how their community spaces could look. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“With the pandemic, I think that really allowed people to connect with the landscape, to reconnect with the land and to imagine a future,” she said. “It became a sanctuary.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"visit-a-golf-course\">Can I visit a golf course as a non-golfer?\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Municipal golf courses are open to everyone, whether you want to reserve a tee time to try your hand at playing, practice your swing at the driving range, or just hang out at the cafes and restaurants onsite. Unlike private courses, there is no dress code at public golf courses. Dogs are not allowed.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While walking along the course if you’re not playing generally isn’t allowed (getting hit by a ball is a real risk), many courses like Tilden have walking trails nearby that are open to anyone. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you want to play a round of golf, you should plan to book a tee time in advance. Public courses also offer golf club rentals if you don’t have any of your own.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-content post-body\">\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"episode-transcript\">Episode transcript\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> It’s the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and everything is shut down – even the gym. So Bay Curious listener Mary Newsom decided to go for a walk. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> I live in Oakland. And so I would usually sort of go up to the ridgeline and start hiking and all the regional parks that are up on the ridgeline.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Eventually, Mary made her way up to Anthony Chabot Regional Park. Given the pandemic, there was no one around.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>And so one of the golf courses that’s right alongside Chabot was completely empty. There were, like, deer and bunnies and geese and ducks and turkeys and like all these animals. That it just converged onto the golf course because nobody was using it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> But then, the restrictions started to let up, and things started to reopen, and Mary would start to find dozens of golf balls on her walks.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>It sort of made me wonder about the relationship between the park and the golf course that’s right up against it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Mary looked into what other municipal golf courses are located inside public parks, and the list is really quite long…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Golden Gate Park, Presidio, Lincoln Park, Gleneagles, Tilden Park, Lake Chabot, Redwood Canyon, Sequoia…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>And that’s just a partial list. This all got Mary wondering about the relationship between public parks and the golf courses within them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Why are there so many golf courses in the Bay Area right next to, or inside public parks? Do they subsidize the parks? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>We sent KQED’s outdoors reporter, Sarah Wright, to take a swing at finding some answers. She started, as you might expect, at Hole 1.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Birds chirping, golf balls getting whacked\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> The Golden Gate Park Golf Course is set up on a hill, right by San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. The breeze is strong, and a hawk has been circling overhead as a new set of golfers sets up at the first hole every 15 minutes. Here, I run into Lizzie Yurchak. She lives in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, and she came out to play the course today with a coworker who is from out of town.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak: \u003c/strong>He lives in Texas, so we were like, what’s something fun we can do while he’s visiting the Bay.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> It’s her first time out to this course — actually, her first time golfing in the Bay Area since she moved here from Philadelphia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak:\u003c/strong> I don’t have my clubs out here, so maybe I’ll feel inspired today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>And what are your goals for today on the golf course?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lizzie Yurchak: \u003c/strong>Um, don’t shank it. And don’t lose foul balls. I think that’s about it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>She does not, in fact, shank it. I watch as she lines up for a stroke.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Lizzie hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Man:\u003c/strong> There we go!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Besides meeting golfers like Lizzie, I’m actually here to meet Richard Harris and Lily Achatz. They’re with the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, which advocates for affordable golf in the Bay Area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>Hi, Sarah.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> Lily, great to meet you. Thanks for having me.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>Of course!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> I am here to ask them Mary’s question. Why are there so many golf courses in public parks in the Bay Area?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To answer that, Richard says, we have to dig into history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>Golf has been an important part of the Bay Area for a long time. And it’s one of the major golf areas in the country, and for that matter, in the world.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Golf traces its origins to Scotland — Richard explains.\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cem>Scottish music plays\u003c/em>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>Originated in what they called the Links Land, which is the land between the cities and the coast, which was not much use for anything. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Richard says that in the 1890s and early 20th century, immigrants, including Scots, came here and brought golf with them. Among them was a man who had a huge impact on recreation in our region. The father of Golden Gate Park – John McLaren. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>John McLaren was a Scot. John McLaren liked golf. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>He first built Lincoln Park, a golf course by the Legion of Honor.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris:\u003c/strong> And then quickly, he found another Scot to design Harding Park…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>… A legendary course near Lake Merced.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>And then another Scot to design Sharp Park…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>… Just steps from the ocean in Pacifica.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris: \u003c/strong>That Scot being Alistair McKenzie. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>McKenzie is most famous for having designed Augusta, in Georgia, where the Masters is played.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those iconic early courses built in the Bay Area were — and still are — all public, not private, golf courses. And today they’re known as some of the most premium municipal courses in the nation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In California, Richard said, publicly owned courses make up about a third of all courses statewide. And they’re at the forefront of welcoming new players into the sport and combating golf’s reputation for being overly white, male and exclusive.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Lily Achatz, president of the Harding Park Women’s Golf Club, knows that firsthand. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz:\u003c/strong> I didn’t grow up playing golf. I got into golf much later, about like six years ago. I don’t know how many sports there are that you can get into, you know, get into it so late. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>She says municipal golf courses, with their relatively cheap fees and open access, are critical to help lower barriers to the sport.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>A private golf club could run you thousands of dollars in initiation fees, monthly dues and food and beverage minimums. A round at a public golf course, meanwhile, ranges from about $30 to $100, with discounts for residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz:\u003c/strong> What makes it so wonderful is that there’s all different generations here. There’s friends, all different backgrounds. The municipal courses are so important because it’s hard to get access to a country club or even be accepted.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>In fact, golf wasn’t even racially integrated until the 1950s. And Bay Area municipal courses had a role in that, too. Richard shows me a photo of a plaque that hangs at Pacifica’s Sharp Park course. At the time, the course was known for denying tee times to Black players. But in 1955, that changed when Sharp Park became the site of the inaugural championship tournament of the Western States Golf Association, one of the country’s oldest and largest African American golfing organizations.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Richard Harris:\u003c/strong> It was swimming pools in the south. In San Francisco, it was golf courses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Still, even today, municipal courses can feel exclusive. When Mary asked her question originally, she actually pointed out this bias she feels. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>If I’m walking through a city park and I pass by tennis courts, I don’t really blink an eye, or basketball courts. But it’s funny that to me, like a golf course strikes me differently, you know that I sort of wonder, oh, wait, why is this here? And who actually uses this? You know? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> When we return, we explore who these golf courses are for. And get into the finances. Stay with us.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Music starts\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>KQED’s Outdoors reporter Sarah Wright is very familiar with the condemnation golf courses sometimes face.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Any type of golf course will inevitably draw criticism from those worried about its environmental impact. They are, after all, enormous, frequently watered, heavily manicured lawns. Many golf courses are\u003cem> \u003c/em>working to become more sustainable, but that could be its own story for another day.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>To keep things focused on Mary’s question, I spoke with Max Korten, acting general manager of the East Bay Regional Parks District.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He says the public has just as much a right to nice turf on a golf course as any other park amenity. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten: \u003c/strong>I think it’s one of the really cool things about some of our parks is like, in Tilden, there’s like the merry-go-round, the steam trains, the golf course, like some of these things that… You kind of feel like you’re visiting another era.\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003cbr>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>East Bay Regional Parks has two golf courses, Tilden and Redwood Canyon, and Max says they take up just a combined 240 acres of the 120,000 the district manages. And the golf courses aren’t just for golfers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten:\u003c/strong> The driving range is something that like anybody could do. I’ve taken my son there, my dad and step-mom, like who haven’t really ever played golf, and go just try to hit balls. And it’s really fun and fairly inexpensive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Max explained that golf courses in East Bay parks are operated as concessions. So a private company, in this case, called Touchstone, operates the courses and then a percentage of their profits, around 10 percent, goes to the parks district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>They can also be a major money maker for the parks. Last year, Max said, Tilden brought in over $800,000 in revenue — it’s the most profitable concession in the entire parks district. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the East Bay, fees are limited by the public parks district board to keep things affordable for the golfers themselves, Max said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Max Korten:\u003c/strong> Keeping these public courses around to provide low-cost ways for community members to access golf is really important because I think they’re sort of an equity opportunity to make sure that this sport is available to everyone. \u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>\u003cbr>\u003c/strong>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Now, not every city can say public golf is a money maker. In San Francisco, for example, the city is subsidizing the courses’ expected $6 million deficit for the 2026-27 fiscal year, and the city has begun raising rates at some public courses to help close the gap.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, to answer Mary’s question, there often is a symbiotic relationship between the parks departments and the courses – but not always. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I went and told Mary what I found — about how the golf courses she was walking by during the pandemic — do help fund the park.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary: \u003c/strong>I’m glad to hear that they’re actually making money for East Bay Regional Parks. I feel like, you know, parks are always underfunded, you know, they’re always sort of like the first to be cut. So, to hear that they’re actually supporting the park, I think, is great.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>I admit — I was surprised to learn that too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Yeah, it’s definitely sort of changed my mind and sort of given me more of a positive perspective on them than I had before.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>So much so that she was even willing to give it a try herself. Olivia and I asked Mary and Lily Achatz, from the San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, to join us at Corica Park in Alameda. It’s hot and sunny, and for a Thursday afternoon, the golf course is bustling.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>You guys brought the good weather. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Corica Park actually has several golf courses, and even a foot golf course where you can kick soccer balls into giant holes in the green. We convened at the smaller Par 3 course, which is a great option for kids, beginners or anyone looking for a lower-key experience — which was perfect for our group of just one expert and three complete amateurs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> I have never played golf before ever in my life. Not even miniature golf, actually, neither one. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>So how do you predict this is going to go?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>I honestly don’t know, but I do see some water over here and I imagine one of my balls would go in there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Well, as it turns out, Mary is an athlete – she grew up playing basketball, volleyball, soccer, tennis, rowing — you name it. So she got the hang of it quick.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>Here, I’m just going to do a gentle putt.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Mary hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Nice, woohoo!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom: \u003c/strong>My first ever!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>Olivia and I, we did our best… \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> Okay, it only took three swings to make contact.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> And you did it. And you were lined up perfectly. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>And, no surprise, Lily crushed us all. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Sound of Lily hitting the golf ball\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>That was incredible, I don’t even know where it went! \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Lily Achatz: \u003c/strong>It sliced to the right.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright: \u003c/strong>After around an hour, we called it quits. I asked Mary how she thought it went.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Mary Newsom:\u003c/strong> It felt a little funny, but I think if I did it more, I would definitely get used to it, you know, and it would be something, like, I would be at home, right? You know before bed or something like that, practicing my swing, like, okay, you know.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> So, Olivia, what do you think? Is there more golfing in our future?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price:\u003c/strong> I think I’m going to stick to podcasting, for now. But I don’t know, Mary seemed to be getting into it. Maybe we’ll have to check in with her in a year and see how things are coming along.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> I know that I’ll be practicing my swing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Sarah Wright, outdoors reporter for KQED. Thank you!\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sarah Wright:\u003c/strong> Thank you so much.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>Bay Curious is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED. Our show is produced by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme, and me, Olivia Allen-Price. We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Sprenger, Jen Chien, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on team KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild American Federation of Television and Radio Artists San Francisco Northern California Local.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I’m Olivia Allen-Price. Have a great week.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>"
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"slug": "the-castro-sings-goodbye-to-queer-icon-dolly-parton",
"title": "The Castro Sings Goodbye to Queer Icon Dolly Parton",
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"headTitle": "The Castro Sings Goodbye to Queer Icon Dolly Parton | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Only hours after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13993258/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80\">Dolly Parton\u003c/a>, one of country music’s biggest stars, passed away on Tuesday, hundreds gathered in San Francisco’s Castro District to celebrate the musician’s life with a solemn rendition of one of her most enduring hits: “I Will Always Love You.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rachel Stassi, a San Francisco resident by way of North Carolina, joined in the singalong. Stassi grew up listening to Parton’s music and traveling to Dollywood, the singer’s theme park in Tennessee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She’s basically the patron saint of the Appalachian mountains,” she said, wearing a Dollywood sweater. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s been over a decade since she moved to California. When she feels homesick, she’ll play Parton’s music. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096857\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Drag performer Dirty Carol leads a singalong during a vigil honoring Dolly Parton in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026, following news of the country music icon’s death earlier that day. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“She has been nothing but pure happiness, joy, and love in our lives,” Stassi said. “Seeing her gone definitely hurts the soul, but I know she’s in a better place.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community, Parton is a saint — literally. She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/SFSisters/posts/rip-to-a-true-queen-and-saint-well-always-love-you-dolly/1499024375593805/\">honored\u003c/a> as one by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the city’s drag order of nuns, who recognized her on Tuesday as “Saint Authenticity the Utmost, Exemplary Artist, Humble Humanitarian, and Patron Saint of Relentless Glamor.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her songs — along with all their remixes — play weekend after weekend all over Castro’s nightclubs. One of them, Beaux, has already confirmed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dolly-parton-tribute-i-will-always-love-you-drag-show-celebration-tickets-1998922975429\">drag show tribute\u003c/a> for this Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like other local queer icons, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929572/heklina-castro-memorial\">Heklina\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/12983753/rainbow-flag-designer-gilbert-baker-has-died\">Gilbert Baker\u003c/a> and, of course, Harvey Milk, Parton was honored in San Francisco with a community-led memorial after her passing at age 80 in Nashville, Tennessee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-23-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096858\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-23-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-23-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-23-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dixie De La Tour holds a candle during a vigil honoring Dolly Parton in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026, after news of her death earlier that day. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12096855\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-12-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096855\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-12-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-12-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-12-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Drag performer Dirty Carol leads a singalong during a vigil honoring Dolly Parton in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12096853\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-03-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-03-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-03-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-03-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Larry Joe Bridwell (center) joins a vigil honoring Dolly Parton in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The vigil was quickly organized on social media by drag personality Dirty Carol, who told KQED that she was alone when she found out the news. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Grief is something that needs to be shared. It needs to be communal,” she said. “That’s why we have memorial services. But to me, this is even better.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some showed up after seeing Carol’s post. Others were on their way back home and stopped once they heard the music blasting from the speaker Carol wheeled over.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Joe Bridwell brought flowers to the vigil. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re a little pink and a little tacky just like her, so I think they’re perfect,” he said with a sad smile.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like Parton, Bridwell grew up in East Tennessee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I always kind of felt like she was family,” the now-San Francisco resident said. “It’s almost like losing an aunt today. I’m just here to pay my respects and tell everybody how much I loved her.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It wasn’t just her music that won him over, Bridwell said, but her humanitarian work. He pointed to both Parton’s Imagination Library, which has given away millions of books to children all around the world to promote literacy, and her “Buddy Program,” which pairs middle-schoolers together with the goal of helping them make it to graduation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All this was done without fanfare, without a lot of hoo-ha,” he said. “Her example was always something to look up to: What would Dolly do?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the crowd switched over to Parton’s more upbeat anthems like “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” San Francisco artist and event producer Dixie De La Tour stepped to the front. She sported a rainbow dress, bright red wig and earrings featuring chickens wearing boots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I threw on the fastest thing I could, which was rainbow and queer,” she said. “And the first wig that I could do. But nobody can rock a wig like Dolly.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In her hands, she carried a candle with Parton’s face. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The thing that I love most is she never changed herself for Hollywood,” she said. “She always had a raunchy sense of humor.“She always just felt like a real person — who happened to look like a cartoon character.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-01-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Castro Theatre marquee reads, “We Will Always Love You Dolly Parton,” in San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jokes aside, she said she feels the same loss now as when Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11838760/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-champion-of-gender-equality-dies-at-87\">died in 2020\u003c/a> — “somebody with a very loud voice who would speak up against all the inhumanity that’s going on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once the singing wrapped up, Dirty Carol turned off her speaker. But Parton’s legacy is forever, she said: “We have to live by her example.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Carol was growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, she said there weren’t many public figures publicly supporting the queer community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She was one of the few who did,” she said. “Dolly represents love — unconditional love.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096857\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Drag performer Dirty Carol leads a singalong during a vigil honoring Dolly Parton in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026, following news of the country music icon’s death earlier that day.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Among San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community, Parton is a saint — literally. She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/SFSisters/posts/rip-to-a-true-queen-and-saint-well-always-love-you-dolly/1499024375593805/\">honored\u003c/a> as one by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the city’s drag order of nuns, who recognized her on Tuesday as “Saint Authenticity the Utmost, Exemplary Artist, Humble Humanitarian, and Patron Saint of Relentless Glamor.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Her songs — along with all their remixes — play weekend after weekend all over Castro’s nightclubs. One of them, Beaux, has already confirmed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dolly-parton-tribute-i-will-always-love-you-drag-show-celebration-tickets-1998922975429\">drag show tribute\u003c/a> for this Friday.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Her songs — along with all their remixes — play weekend after weekend all over Castro’s nightclubs. One of them, Beaux, has already confirmed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dolly-parton-tribute-i-will-always-love-you-drag-show-celebration-tickets-1998922975429\">drag show tribute\u003c/a> for this Friday.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Like other local queer icons, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929572/heklina-castro-memorial\">Heklina\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/12983753/rainbow-flag-designer-gilbert-baker-has-died\">Gilbert Baker\u003c/a> and, of course, Harvey Milk, Parton was honored in San Francisco with a community-led memorial after her passing at age 80 in Nashville, Tennessee.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Like other local queer icons, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929572/heklina-castro-memorial\">Heklina\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/12983753/rainbow-flag-designer-gilbert-baker-has-died\">Gilbert Baker\u003c/a> and, of course, Harvey Milk, Parton was honored in San Francisco with a community-led memorial after her passing at age 80 in Nashville, Tennessee.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The vigil was quickly organized on social media by drag personality Dirty Carol, who told KQED that she was alone when she found out the news. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Grief is something that needs to be shared. It needs to be communal,” she said. “That’s why we have memorial services. But to me, this is even better.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Like Parton, Bridwell grew up in East Tennessee. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I always kind of felt like she was family,” the now-San Francisco resident said. “It’s almost like losing an aunt today. I’m just here to pay my respects and tell everybody how much I loved her.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It wasn’t just her music that won him over, Bridwell said, but her humanitarian work. He pointed to both Parton’s Imagination Library, which has given away millions of books to children all around the world to promote literacy, and her “Buddy Program,” which pairs middle-schoolers together with the goal of helping them make it to graduation.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“All this was done without fanfare, without a lot of hoo-ha,” he said. “Her example was always something to look up to: What would Dolly do?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As the crowd switched over to Parton’s more upbeat anthems like “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” San Francisco artist and event producer Dixie De La Tour stepped to the front. She sported a rainbow dress, bright red wig and earrings featuring chickens wearing boots.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As the crowd switched over to Parton’s more upbeat anthems like “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” San Francisco artist and event producer Dixie De La Tour stepped to the front. She sported a rainbow dress, bright red wig and earrings featuring chickens wearing boots.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I threw on the fastest thing I could, which was rainbow and queer,” she said. “And the first wig that I could do. But nobody can rock a wig like Dolly.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In her hands, she carried a candle with Parton’s face. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The thing that I love most is she never changed herself for Hollywood,” she said. “She always had a raunchy sense of humor.“She always just felt like a real person — who happened to look like a cartoon character.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jokes aside, she said she feels the same loss now as when Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11838760/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-champion-of-gender-equality-dies-at-87\">died in 2020\u003c/a> — “somebody with a very loud voice who would speak up against all the inhumanity that’s going on.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Once the singing wrapped up, Dirty Carol turned off her speaker. But Parton’s legacy is forever, she said: “We have to live by her example.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When Carol was growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, she said there weren’t many public figures publicly supporting the queer community. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“She was one of the few who did,” she said. “Dolly represents love — unconditional love.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Only hours after one of country music’s biggest stars passed away, hundreds gathered in San Francisco’s Castro District to sing and celebrate Parton’s life.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Only hours after \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13993258/dolly-parton-has-died-at-age-80\">Dolly Parton\u003c/a>, one of country music’s biggest stars, passed away on Tuesday, hundreds gathered in San Francisco’s Castro District to celebrate the musician’s life with a solemn rendition of one of her most enduring hits: “I Will Always Love You.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Rachel Stassi, a San Francisco resident by way of North Carolina, joined in the singalong. Stassi grew up listening to Parton’s music and traveling to Dollywood, the singer’s theme park in Tennessee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She’s basically the patron saint of the Appalachian mountains,” she said, wearing a Dollywood sweater. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s been over a decade since she moved to California. When she feels homesick, she’ll play Parton’s music. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096857\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-18-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Drag performer Dirty Carol leads a singalong during a vigil honoring Dolly Parton in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026, following news of the country music icon’s death earlier that day. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“She has been nothing but pure happiness, joy, and love in our lives,” Stassi said. “Seeing her gone definitely hurts the soul, but I know she’s in a better place.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community, Parton is a saint — literally. She was \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/SFSisters/posts/rip-to-a-true-queen-and-saint-well-always-love-you-dolly/1499024375593805/\">honored\u003c/a> as one by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the city’s drag order of nuns, who recognized her on Tuesday as “Saint Authenticity the Utmost, Exemplary Artist, Humble Humanitarian, and Patron Saint of Relentless Glamor.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Her songs — along with all their remixes — play weekend after weekend all over Castro’s nightclubs. One of them, Beaux, has already confirmed a \u003ca href=\"https://www.eventbrite.com/e/dolly-parton-tribute-i-will-always-love-you-drag-show-celebration-tickets-1998922975429\">drag show tribute\u003c/a> for this Friday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like other local queer icons, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/13929572/heklina-castro-memorial\">Heklina\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/arts/12983753/rainbow-flag-designer-gilbert-baker-has-died\">Gilbert Baker\u003c/a> and, of course, Harvey Milk, Parton was honored in San Francisco with a community-led memorial after her passing at age 80 in Nashville, Tennessee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-23-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096858\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-23-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-23-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-23-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dixie De La Tour holds a candle during a vigil honoring Dolly Parton in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026, after news of her death earlier that day. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12096855\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-12-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096855\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-12-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-12-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-12-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Drag performer Dirty Carol leads a singalong during a vigil honoring Dolly Parton in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12096853\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-03-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-03-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-03-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-03-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Larry Joe Bridwell (center) joins a vigil honoring Dolly Parton in the Castro neighborhood of San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The vigil was quickly organized on social media by drag personality Dirty Carol, who told KQED that she was alone when she found out the news. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Grief is something that needs to be shared. It needs to be communal,” she said. “That’s why we have memorial services. But to me, this is even better.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some showed up after seeing Carol’s post. Others were on their way back home and stopped once they heard the music blasting from the speaker Carol wheeled over.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Joe Bridwell brought flowers to the vigil. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“They’re a little pink and a little tacky just like her, so I think they’re perfect,” he said with a sad smile.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Like Parton, Bridwell grew up in East Tennessee. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I always kind of felt like she was family,” the now-San Francisco resident said. “It’s almost like losing an aunt today. I’m just here to pay my respects and tell everybody how much I loved her.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It wasn’t just her music that won him over, Bridwell said, but her humanitarian work. He pointed to both Parton’s Imagination Library, which has given away millions of books to children all around the world to promote literacy, and her “Buddy Program,” which pairs middle-schoolers together with the goal of helping them make it to graduation.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“All this was done without fanfare, without a lot of hoo-ha,” he said. “Her example was always something to look up to: What would Dolly do?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the crowd switched over to Parton’s more upbeat anthems like “Jolene” and “9 to 5,” San Francisco artist and event producer Dixie De La Tour stepped to the front. She sported a rainbow dress, bright red wig and earrings featuring chickens wearing boots.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I threw on the fastest thing I could, which was rainbow and queer,” she said. “And the first wig that I could do. But nobody can rock a wig like Dolly.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In her hands, she carried a candle with Parton’s face. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The thing that I love most is she never changed herself for Hollywood,” she said. “She always had a raunchy sense of humor.“She always just felt like a real person — who happened to look like a cartoon character.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-01-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-01-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-01-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260825-DollyPartonVigil-01-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Castro Theatre marquee reads, “We Will Always Love You Dolly Parton,” in San Francisco on Aug. 25, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jokes aside, she said she feels the same loss now as when Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11838760/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-champion-of-gender-equality-dies-at-87\">died in 2020\u003c/a> — “somebody with a very loud voice who would speak up against all the inhumanity that’s going on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Once the singing wrapped up, Dirty Carol turned off her speaker. But Parton’s legacy is forever, she said: “We have to live by her example.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Carol was growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, she said there weren’t many public figures publicly supporting the queer community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“She was one of the few who did,” she said. “Dolly represents love — unconditional love.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "chinese-immigrants-led-the-first-mass-resistance-to-americas-deportation-system",
"title": "Chinese Immigrants Led the First Mass Resistance to America's Deportation System",
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"headTitle": "Chinese Immigrants Led the First Mass Resistance to America’s Deportation System | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>Connie Young Yu thought she knew a lot about her beloved \u003cem>gung gung\u003c/em>. As a young girl, she would listen as her grandfather, Yung Wah Gok, recounted what it was like living through America’s Chinese Exclusion era of the late 19th century. She had heard many stories, like how, as a young boy in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a> Chinatown, he’d have to sprint home while white residents hurled rocks at him.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It wasn’t until 1972, when Yu was an adult active in Asian American organizing and scholarship, that her mother shared a surprising piece of his history with her. From the family’s large carved camphor chest in her bedroom, her mother pulled out a neatly folded parchment: It was \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/copy-of-upload-a-certificate?pgid=m68xajc7-a512c26d-b87a-443c-883e-98cc622e3d31\">her grandfather’s \u003cem>chak chee\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a certificate of residence that all Chinese people in the U.S. were required to carry, as mandated by the 1892 Geary Act, the successor to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/chinese-exclusion-act\">1882 Chinese Exclusion Act\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Stamped across the top of the document was the word “LABORER.” Below it were his occupation — “cook,” his height — just over 5 feet, 3 inches and identifying marks — “scar on left forearm.” And in the lower left corner was a striking portrait photo of her grandfather at the age of 25.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096096\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu’s collection of certificates of residence includes her own grandfather’s document. Yung Wah Gok and other Chinese residents initially resisted the Geary Act requirement to carry the certificates with them at all times under the threat of deportation. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just thought, ‘Gee … that doesn’t look like my \u003cem>gung gung\u003c/em>,’” said Yu, now 85, who had known her grandfather as a dignified man who wore suits. “But actually, I really liked that picture in many ways because he looks very determined. Like a young rebel.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The certificate was issued in May 1894, two years after the passage of the Geary Act, revealing that her grandfather had been one of the tens of thousands of Chinese residents across the country who had resisted the federal government’s demands to register — forming one of the largest campaigns of civil disobedience in U.S. history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From 1892-93, Chinese immigrants refused to comply with the requirement to register with their local internal revenue offices. If they were caught without a certificate, they faced arrest, detention and deportation as stipulated by the Geary Act, which historians and legal theorists say helped shape today’s U.S. immigration system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Chinese immigrants are remembered for constitutional victories, including rulings that established \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088125/as-america-turns-250-san-franciscos-role-in-defining-citizenship-endures\">birthright citizenship\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">strengthened equal protection\u003c/a>, they have another legacy: they led a nationwide campaign against the federal government’s expansion of immigration powers. And though they ultimately failed to overturn the Geary Act in court, their resistance challenged the adoption of now-routine practices — calling them “cruel and unjust,” and incompatible with the nation’s constitutional ideals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu stands for a portrait in her home in Los Altos, California, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. Yu’s paternal grandfather, Yung Wah Gok, arrived in the U.S.as an 11-year-old laborer in 1881, a year before the Chinese Exclusion Act. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Those sentiments are echoed today by immigrant communities across the country, as the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078084/agents-of-chaos-border-patrols-year-of-unchecked-force\">continues\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092697/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-warn-noncitizens-to-avoid-air-travel-after-ice-arrests\">double down\u003c/a> on its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085159/immigration-courts-are-using-a-new-tactic-to-speed-up-deportations\">deportation efforts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yu, a longtime local historian and author, argues the resistance of early Chinese immigrants like her grandfather should be more well known. She co-founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/\">The Geary Act Project\u003c/a> two years ago and is now on a mission to collect more certificates — to lay a paper trail of evidence linking the racism experienced by her ancestors to the current administration’s immigration crackdown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our society is under threat, we’re under attack,” she said. “We’re trying to show that the Chinese Exclusion Act was actually a foundation for ICE and the harassment of people of color and immigration detention and deportation.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Chinese exclusion wasn’t enough\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yu said it’s by luck that she was born in the United States. Her grandfather arrived in 1881, at age 11 — just one year before the Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese laborers from entering the U.S. for a decade.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My parents always said, ‘If he had waited until he was 12, you wouldn’t be here,’” Yu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Chinese people began arriving in the U.S. in the late 1840s, there was no federal immigration system. States, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10429550/boomtown-history-2b\">California\u003c/a>, passed laws targeting Chinese immigrants as anti-Chinese sentiment grew, fueled by the narrative that they threatened the nation’s economic well-being.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1459\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095866\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED-1536x1121.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Chinese butcher and grocery store, with meat hanging from hooks with vegetables and other fresh produce displayed in crates at the front of the store in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California, circa 1885. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But Reconstruction — the post-Civil War era when constitutional protections were expanded for newly freed Black Americans — changed the landscape. The 14th Amendment ensured due process and equal protection to everyone, giving Chinese immigrants new grounds to challenge discriminatory state laws.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Several Supreme Court justices, along with others who wished to continue excluding Chinese immigrants, pushed for the federal government to take up immigration control, according to Kelly Lytle Hernández, an author and professor of history at UCLA.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I understand our federal immigration system as being the creation of an effort to skirt the 14th Amendment, to skirt the growth of a multiracial democracy,” she said. ”Reconstruction and Chinese Exclusion are all part of the same story.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1875, the Supreme Court ruled in \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/92/275/\">\u003cem>Chy Lung v. Freeman\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that immigration was a federal responsibility, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/safr/blogs/chinese-women-immigration-and-the-first-u-s-exclusion-law-the-page-act-of-1875.htm\">the Page Act\u003c/a> established one of the first major federal restrictions on immigration, targeting Chinese and other Asian women. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"754\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096097\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01-160x118.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Second Market Street Chinatown burned down in an arson fire in 1887. There were no recorded casualties, but the entire Chinese community in San José was displaced. (Courtesy of History San José)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Seven years later came the Chinese Exclusion Act. Despite the passage of the landmark law, thousands of Chinese laborers and immigrants still arrived. They filed legal challenges to their exclusion, inundating federal courts in San Francisco and frustrating white politicians and residents who wanted to see Chinese immigration come to an end.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to expire in 1892, the federal government realized it needed a way to plug the loopholes of the act, especially as anti-Chinese violence intensified.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> “As soon as [white residents] saw that their goals weren’t being met by this experiment in diplomatic control, this is why we see the most violent anti-Chinese incidents happening between ’85 and ’88, not before 1882,” said Alexander Jin, a historian at Dartmouth University.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Vigilante mobs seized Chinese businesses and homes, and rural Chinatowns along the West Coast were set on fire, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11891987/chinese-immigrants-were-forced-out-of-eureka-in-1885-heres-how-locals-are-making-that-history-known\">Eureka\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101886267/california-cities-apologize-for-historical-wrongs-against-chinese-community\">Antioch\u003c/a>, Napa and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877801/san-jose-had-5-chinatowns-why-did-they-vanish\">San José\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yu’s grandfather was a pioneer of San José’s Chinatown, and she said he shared details of how his community was destroyed in 1887: “The newspaper always said ‘mysterious fire’ … but my grandfather always said the fire was set to drive us out … [they should’ve] asked the Chinese themselves how they felt,” Yu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Dog Tag Law’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Months before the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to lapse, Santa Rosa lawyer and U.S. House Representative \u003ca href=\"https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/13702\">Thomas J. Geary\u003c/a> introduced legislation that addressed a question the original act had a hard time answering: how could the government not only restrict newcomers but remove Chinese people who were already living in the country?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Geary Act became law, extending the Chinese Exclusion Act by a decade and imposing remarkable provisions on Chinese laborers living in the U.S. They had to register with the federal government and obtain a certificate of residence that they had to carry with them at all times or risk up to one year of hard labor in prison and deportation unless they could prove their immigration status with the testimony of two white witnesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"803\" height=\"772\" data-id=\"12095847\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095847\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-02-KQED.jpg 803w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-02-KQED-160x154.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 803px) 100vw, 803px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When faced with the prospect of deportation, early Chinese immigrants organized across the country to resist the 1892 Geary Act, forming one of the largest civil disobedience campaigns in U.S. history. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"859\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095849\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095849\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-04-KQED.jpg 859w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-04-KQED-160x148.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 859px) 100vw, 859px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Most of the certificates are marked as “laborer” while others, notably children, were categorized as “persons other than laborer.” (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-10 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"853\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095850\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095850\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-05-KQED.jpg 853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-05-KQED-160x149.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Geary Act Project, launched by Connie Young Yu and Barre Fong, has collected about 300 certificates since launching about two years ago. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"803\" height=\"772\" data-id=\"12095848\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095848\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-03-KQED.jpg 803w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-03-KQED-160x154.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 803px) 100vw, 803px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“This is how they describe somebody born in the United States. They describe him, this 8-year-old boy, ‘persons other than laborer.’ They do not say ‘American,’ they do not say ‘citizen.’ I want people to know this.” — Janice Tong, San Francisco resident. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In other words, the Geary Act provided the U.S. government a way to deport longtime Chinese residents who had entered the U.S. legally. Historians say the law became the precursor to green cards, visas and other forms of surveillance and identification that the federal government uses today.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the act was signed into law, it garnered strongly worded protests within Congress, including from Robert R. Hitt, a representative from Illinois. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Never before in a free country was there such a system of tagging a man like a dog to be caught by the police and examined, and if his tag or collar is not all right, taken to the pound or drowned or shot … Never before was it applied by a free people to a human being with the exception (which we can never refer to with pride) of the sad days of slavery.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Un-American, barbarous and inhuman’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the Chinese immigrant community, the law was unthinkable and unjust, and the response was swift. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco-based Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, or the Chinese Six Companies, a powerful coalition that had financed earlier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12015449/a-129-year-old-san-francisco-lawsuit-could-stop-trump-from-ending-birthright-citizenship\">legal victories\u003c/a>, asked Chinese residents to each contribute a dollar towards a legal campaign against the law. Meanwhile, in New York, the Chinese Equal Rights League was formed with the sole purpose of overturning the Geary Act.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to applying political pressure and organizing petition drives, the groups organized Chinese residents to challenge the Geary Act through mass noncompliance. The Six Companies distributed leaflets in Chinese communities throughout the country, declaring that “The Geary Act is an unjust law and no Chinese should obey it … They have disregarded our rights and paid no attention to their promise, and made a law to suit themselves, no matter how unjust to us … Let us stand together.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096098\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood on July 31, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Russell Jeung, a professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University, remarked that spreading these messages across the country was an amazing feat, and demonstrated just how tight-knit and organized the Chinese immigrant population was: “The Chinese networks are in a better position to [raise awareness to] the Chinese community than the American government was … clearly there were networks and newspapers and communication among the community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chinese residents found allyship with different faith communities, particularly Christians. Some white Americans were compelled, in part, by the efforts of people like Jee Gam, a community leader and the first Chinese congregational pastor in America. Gam wrote essays in English for publications, most notably one titled \u003ca href=\"https://www.whobuiltamerica.org/item/the-geary-act-from-the-standpoint-of-a-christian-chinese\">“The Geary Act: From the Standpoint of a Christian Chinese\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> “This Act withdraws some sacred rights such as in the Declaration of Independence are declared to be inalienable,” he wrote. “The right to a free, untrammelled pursuit of happiness, the right of habeas corpus, the right to be adjudged innocent until proven guilty … it is un-American, barbarous and inhuman.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The call to participate in the civil disobedience campaign was an extraordinary success. Only about 13,000 of the approximately 100,000 Chinese residents in the country registered during the initial registration period. That left the federal government with the challenge of arresting and deporting over 85% of the nation’s Chinese population — something they weren’t prepared or resourced to do. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Getting 100,000 people to do a thing is hard in itself, but I think the biggest success is making plain the weakness of the federal government,” Jin said. “Through the process of not registering and seeing how much power that had, they were able to find the weaknesses of the system and continue to exploit it throughout the exclusion era.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The search for the Geary Act’s paper trail\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a dining room table in her Los Altos home, Yu fanned out the \u003cem>chak chee’s\u003c/em> that she’s been collecting, along with her grandfather’s. Since launching The Geary Act Project, Yu and documentary filmmaker Barre Fong have received and digitized \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/thecollection\">almost 300 certificates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Tens of thousands of people were part of the civil disobedience, including my grandfather. They complied, and they felt unity; there was a community because everybody’s behind it,” Yu said, as she carefully picked up the documents. Most of them are men, marked as “laborers,” but there are also ones for women and children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Almost all of the certificates collected by the project were issued a couple of years after the Geary Act became law. Chinese immigrants only registered after the Supreme Court upheld the law in its ruling on \u003ca href=\"https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep149/usrep149698/usrep149698.pdf\">\u003cem>Fong Yue Ting v. United States\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a case carefully orchestrated by the Six Companies. They had raised enough money to hire prominent attorneys and chose three unregistered laundrymen in New York to surrender themselves for arrest. The men were ordered to be deported in accordance with the Geary Act, and a lawsuit was initiated claiming the legislation was discriminatory and violated constitutional protections, including the 14th Amendment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu speaks to KQED in her home in Los Altos, California, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. A longtime historian, Yu is the co-founder of the Geary Act Project, which is collecting and digitizing certificates of residence that may still be in the possession of Chinese American families. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In May 1893, the court announced a 5-3 decision: the Geary Act was constitutional. The ruling extended the federal government’s power to exclude Chinese immigrants and gave it the ability to deport those already living in the U.S. The decision helped cement \u003ca href=\"https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C18-8-7-1/ALDE_00001261/\">the plenary power doctrine\u003c/a>, which gives the federal government almost unlimited discretion on all aspects of immigration policy and remains a key tenet of U.S. immigration law today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Things that seem normal today were actually created at a certain moment in time and for a very specific purpose: to keep Chinese immigrants, or as many as possible, out of the country,” Lytle Hernández said. “ What does it mean that the logic and the language and the rhetoric and the spirit of Chinese exclusion remains written into our precedent and our legal landscape of the immigration regime?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Strangers in the Land\u003c/em>, author Michael Luo wrote about the news of the Geary Act ruling reaching the San Francisco headquarters of the Six Companies: “In the afternoon, a reporter from the \u003cem>Call\u003c/em> found Gee Chong Tone, the secretary of the Six Companies, inside his office surrounded by stacks of telegrams from concerned immigrants across the state and country … he was shocked by the decision. ‘It’s like a man feeling safe being hit between the eyes in the dark,’ he said.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-11 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"738\" data-id=\"12095851\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095851\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-06-KQED.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-06-KQED-160x148.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When faced with the prospect of deportation, early Chinese immigrants organized across the country to resist the 1892 Geary Act, forming one of the largest civil disobedience campaigns in U.S. history. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"871\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095852\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-07-KQED.jpg 871w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-07-KQED-160x146.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 871px) 100vw, 871px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chinese immigrants are remembered for constitutional victories, including rulings that established birthright citizenship and strengthened equal protection. But they have another legacy: they led a nationwide campaign against the federal government’s expansion of immigration powers. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-12 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"869\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095853\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-08-KQED.jpg 869w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-08-KQED-160x147.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 869px) 100vw, 869px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Most of the certificates collected by the Geary Act Project were issued in 1894, two years after the passage of the Geary Act, because Chinese residents refused to comply with the requirements of the law. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"874\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095854\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095854\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-10-KQED.jpg 874w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-10-KQED-160x146.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 874px) 100vw, 874px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“Exclusion is kind of a nebulous idea, but then you look at the faces [on the certificates], and you’re like, ‘Oh, those are real people’ … and they were trying to have a dream of what they wanted to do, and they’re trying to survive.” — Barre Fong, documentary filmmaker. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After the ruling, Geary added more teeth to the law, notably requiring the certificates of residence to include photographs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You can not make a verbal description of a Chinaman such as you can make of a white man … All Chinamen look alike, all dress alike, all have the same kind of eyes …” Geary said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yu acknowledges the cruelty of the requirement, but as a historian, she also understands the value of having such detailed documentation of the country’s earliest Chinese residents. You know where each person lived and their physical traits, as detailed as “gold filling in upper teeth” or “large wart on nose right side.” There were also portraits of their faces, some of which show indisputable evidence of their hard labor and the stresses of surviving exclusion: the tanned skin from working outside, the wrinkles on their foreheads, the bags under their eyes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The idea to collect the documents came from a conversation with Yu during a community event, Fong said, shortly after Trump won his second presidential election. There was a “general sense of fear and dread” about the threat facing immigrants, he said, and it felt like the right time to tell a counter-narrative about some of the country’s earliest immigrants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"812\" height=\"797\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-01-KQED.jpg 812w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-01-KQED-160x157.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Transcontinental railroad worker Jow Kee’s original certificate of residence. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“Exclusion is kind of a nebulous idea, but then you look at the faces [on the certificates], and you’re like ‘oh those are real people’ … and they were trying to have a dream of what they wanted to do, and they’re trying to survive,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The preservation of the Geary Act certificates offers a tangible record of the government’s efforts to define and categorize Chinese immigrants. Yu and Fong say it’s a slow, manual, volunteer-run effort. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to tapping into collections from different historical organizations, they’re depending on submissions from families that have held onto the documents as keepsakes for generations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some are stored at the National Archives in San Bruno, which announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088904/exclusive-the-bay-areas-national-archives-office-is-closing-researchers-are-worried\">its impending closure\u003c/a> earlier this year. Documents could be dispersed across the country, Fong said, which would make the search far more difficult.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the most striking certificates collected by the Geary Act Project came from San Francisco resident Janice Tong, including those belonging to her great-grandfather, great-grandmother and her grandfather when he was just a young boy. It was the child’s certificate that struck Yu as particularly “cold-blooded.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is how they describe somebody born in the United States. They describe him, this 8-year-old boy, ‘persons other than laborer.’ They do not say ‘American,’ they do not say ‘citizen.’ I want people to know this.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the most prized certificates they have uncovered was one belonging to Jow Kee, a transcontinental railroad worker. It is the only portrait that has been found of one of the roughly 12,000 Chinese men who helped build the railroad. It had been sitting in a box under a bed in a descendant’s home for years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fong said the collection of certificates could open up some critical conversations in the Chinese American community: “The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021919/bay-area-japanese-americans-draw-on-wwii-trauma-resist-deportation-threats\">Japanese American community’s incarcerated survivors\u003c/a> [from World War II] are really great at talking about intergenerational trauma. The Chinese American community is not great at that … I think we should be better at talking about it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the work of the Geary Act Project is not just a labor of love, Yu said. She believes it’s her “destiny” and that the current moment demands it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As she carefully slipped the certificates back into their protective plastic sleeves, Yu shared a message to her community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The call to action is ‘stand up, Chinese Americans.’ Stand up for your people and the people in your community … because your ancestors have gone through this turmoil and struggle that so many immigrants are going through … show solidarity. Show empathy.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She also hopes more Chinese American families will search their closets, attics and archives for more certificates — \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/upload-a-certificate\">and share them\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And bring proof of your ancestors’ lives,” she said, with a small smile. “They struggled to be here.”\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Connie Young Yu thought she knew a lot about her beloved \u003cem>gung gung\u003c/em>. As a young girl, she would listen as her grandfather, Yung Wah Gok, recounted what it was like living through America’s Chinese Exclusion era of the late 19th century. She had heard many stories, like how, as a young boy in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a> Chinatown, he’d have to sprint home while white residents hurled rocks at him.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Connie Young Yu thought she knew a lot about her beloved \u003cem>gung gung\u003c/em>. As a young girl, she would listen as her grandfather, Yung Wah Gok, recounted what it was like living through America’s Chinese Exclusion era of the late 19th century. She had heard many stories, like how, as a young boy in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a> Chinatown, he’d have to sprint home while white residents hurled rocks at him.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It wasn’t until 1972, when Yu was an adult active in Asian American organizing and scholarship, that her mother shared a surprising piece of his history with her. From the family’s large carved camphor chest in her bedroom, her mother pulled out a neatly folded parchment: It was \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/copy-of-upload-a-certificate?pgid=m68xajc7-a512c26d-b87a-443c-883e-98cc622e3d31\">her grandfather’s \u003cem>chak chee\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a certificate of residence that all Chinese people in the U.S. were required to carry, as mandated by the 1892 Geary Act, the successor to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/chinese-exclusion-act\">1882 Chinese Exclusion Act\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It wasn’t until 1972, when Yu was an adult active in Asian American organizing and scholarship, that her mother shared a surprising piece of his history with her. From the family’s large carved camphor chest in her bedroom, her mother pulled out a neatly folded parchment: It was \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/copy-of-upload-a-certificate?pgid=m68xajc7-a512c26d-b87a-443c-883e-98cc622e3d31\">her grandfather’s \u003cem>chak chee\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a certificate of residence that all Chinese people in the U.S. were required to carry, as mandated by the 1892 Geary Act, the successor to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/chinese-exclusion-act\">1882 Chinese Exclusion Act\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Stamped across the top of the document was the word “LABORER.” Below it were his occupation — “cook,” his height — just over 5 feet, 3 inches and identifying marks — “scar on left forearm.” And in the lower left corner was a striking portrait photo of her grandfather at the age of 25.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Stamped across the top of the document was the word “LABORER.” Below it were his occupation — “cook,” his height — just over 5 feet, 3 inches and identifying marks — “scar on left forearm.” And in the lower left corner was a striking portrait photo of her grandfather at the age of 25.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096096\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu’s collection of certificates of residence includes her own grandfather’s document. Yung Wah Gok and other Chinese residents initially resisted the Geary Act requirement to carry the certificates with them at all times under the threat of deportation.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096096\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu’s collection of certificates of residence includes her own grandfather’s document. Yung Wah Gok and other Chinese residents initially resisted the Geary Act requirement to carry the certificates with them at all times under the threat of deportation.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I just thought, ‘Gee … that doesn’t look like my \u003cem>gung gung\u003c/em>,’” said Yu, now 85, who had known her grandfather as a dignified man who wore suits. “But actually, I really liked that picture in many ways because he looks very determined. Like a young rebel.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I just thought, ‘Gee … that doesn’t look like my \u003cem>gung gung\u003c/em>,’” said Yu, now 85, who had known her grandfather as a dignified man who wore suits. “But actually, I really liked that picture in many ways because he looks very determined. Like a young rebel.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The certificate was issued in May 1894, two years after the passage of the Geary Act, revealing that her grandfather had been one of the tens of thousands of Chinese residents across the country who had resisted the federal government’s demands to register — forming one of the largest campaigns of civil disobedience in U.S. history.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The certificate was issued in May 1894, two years after the passage of the Geary Act, revealing that her grandfather had been one of the tens of thousands of Chinese residents across the country who had resisted the federal government’s demands to register — forming one of the largest campaigns of civil disobedience in U.S. history.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>From 1892-93, Chinese immigrants refused to comply with the requirement to register with their local internal revenue offices. If they were caught without a certificate, they faced arrest, detention and deportation as stipulated by the Geary Act, which historians and legal theorists say helped shape today’s U.S. immigration system. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>From 1892-93, Chinese immigrants refused to comply with the requirement to register with their local internal revenue offices. If they were caught without a certificate, they faced arrest, detention and deportation as stipulated by the Geary Act, which historians and legal theorists say helped shape today’s U.S. immigration system. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While Chinese immigrants are remembered for constitutional victories, including rulings that established \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088125/as-america-turns-250-san-franciscos-role-in-defining-citizenship-endures\">birthright citizenship\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">strengthened equal protection\u003c/a>, they have another legacy: they led a nationwide campaign against the federal government’s expansion of immigration powers. And though they ultimately failed to overturn the Geary Act in court, their resistance challenged the adoption of now-routine practices — calling them “cruel and unjust,” and incompatible with the nation’s constitutional ideals. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While Chinese immigrants are remembered for constitutional victories, including rulings that established \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088125/as-america-turns-250-san-franciscos-role-in-defining-citizenship-endures\">birthright citizenship\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">strengthened equal protection\u003c/a>, they have another legacy: they led a nationwide campaign against the federal government’s expansion of immigration powers. And though they ultimately failed to overturn the Geary Act in court, their resistance challenged the adoption of now-routine practices — calling them “cruel and unjust,” and incompatible with the nation’s constitutional ideals. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu stands for a portrait in her home in Los Altos, California, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. Yu’s paternal grandfather, Yung Wah Gok, arrived in the U.S.as an 11-year-old laborer in 1881, a year before the Chinese Exclusion Act. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095828\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu stands for a portrait in her home in Los Altos, California, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. Yu’s paternal grandfather, Yung Wah Gok, arrived in the U.S.as an 11-year-old laborer in 1881, a year before the Chinese Exclusion Act. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those sentiments are echoed today by immigrant communities across the country, as the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078084/agents-of-chaos-border-patrols-year-of-unchecked-force\">continues\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092697/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-warn-noncitizens-to-avoid-air-travel-after-ice-arrests\">double down\u003c/a> on its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085159/immigration-courts-are-using-a-new-tactic-to-speed-up-deportations\">deportation efforts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Those sentiments are echoed today by immigrant communities across the country, as the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078084/agents-of-chaos-border-patrols-year-of-unchecked-force\">continues\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092697/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-warn-noncitizens-to-avoid-air-travel-after-ice-arrests\">double down\u003c/a> on its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085159/immigration-courts-are-using-a-new-tactic-to-speed-up-deportations\">deportation efforts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yu, a longtime local historian and author, argues the resistance of early Chinese immigrants like her grandfather should be more well known. She co-founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/\">The Geary Act Project\u003c/a> two years ago and is now on a mission to collect more certificates — to lay a paper trail of evidence linking the racism experienced by her ancestors to the current administration’s immigration crackdown.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yu, a longtime local historian and author, argues the resistance of early Chinese immigrants like her grandfather should be more well known. She co-founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/\">The Geary Act Project\u003c/a> two years ago and is now on a mission to collect more certificates — to lay a paper trail of evidence linking the racism experienced by her ancestors to the current administration’s immigration crackdown.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our society is under threat, we’re under attack,” she said. “We’re trying to show that the Chinese Exclusion Act was actually a foundation for ICE and the harassment of people of color and immigration detention and deportation.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Our society is under threat, we’re under attack,” she said. “We’re trying to show that the Chinese Exclusion Act was actually a foundation for ICE and the harassment of people of color and immigration detention and deportation.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "When Chinese exclusion wasn’t enough ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Chinese exclusion wasn’t enough\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Chinese exclusion wasn’t enough\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yu said it’s by luck that she was born in the United States. Her grandfather arrived in 1881, at age 11 — just one year before the Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese laborers from entering the U.S. for a decade.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yu said it’s by luck that she was born in the United States. Her grandfather arrived in 1881, at age 11 — just one year before the Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese laborers from entering the U.S. for a decade.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“My parents always said, ‘If he had waited until he was 12, you wouldn’t be here,’” Yu said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“My parents always said, ‘If he had waited until he was 12, you wouldn’t be here,’” Yu said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When Chinese people began arriving in the U.S. in the late 1840s, there was no federal immigration system. States, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10429550/boomtown-history-2b\">California\u003c/a>, passed laws targeting Chinese immigrants as anti-Chinese sentiment grew, fueled by the narrative that they threatened the nation’s economic well-being.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When Chinese people began arriving in the U.S. in the late 1840s, there was no federal immigration system. States, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10429550/boomtown-history-2b\">California\u003c/a>, passed laws targeting Chinese immigrants as anti-Chinese sentiment grew, fueled by the narrative that they threatened the nation’s economic well-being.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095866\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED-1536x1121.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Chinese butcher and grocery store, with meat hanging from hooks with vegetables and other fresh produce displayed in crates at the front of the store in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California, circa 1885. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095866\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Chinese butcher and grocery store, with meat hanging from hooks with vegetables and other fresh produce displayed in crates at the front of the store in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California, circa 1885. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Reconstruction — the post-Civil War era when constitutional protections were expanded for newly freed Black Americans — changed the landscape. The 14th Amendment ensured due process and equal protection to everyone, giving Chinese immigrants new grounds to challenge discriminatory state laws.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But Reconstruction — the post-Civil War era when constitutional protections were expanded for newly freed Black Americans — changed the landscape. The 14th Amendment ensured due process and equal protection to everyone, giving Chinese immigrants new grounds to challenge discriminatory state laws.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Several Supreme Court justices, along with others who wished to continue excluding Chinese immigrants, pushed for the federal government to take up immigration control, according to Kelly Lytle Hernández, an author and professor of history at UCLA.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Several Supreme Court justices, along with others who wished to continue excluding Chinese immigrants, pushed for the federal government to take up immigration control, according to Kelly Lytle Hernández, an author and professor of history at UCLA.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I understand our federal immigration system as being the creation of an effort to skirt the 14th Amendment, to skirt the growth of a multiracial democracy,” she said. ”Reconstruction and Chinese Exclusion are all part of the same story.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I understand our federal immigration system as being the creation of an effort to skirt the 14th Amendment, to skirt the growth of a multiracial democracy,” she said. ”Reconstruction and Chinese Exclusion are all part of the same story.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 1875, the Supreme Court ruled in \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/92/275/\">\u003cem>Chy Lung v. Freeman\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that immigration was a federal responsibility, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/safr/blogs/chinese-women-immigration-and-the-first-u-s-exclusion-law-the-page-act-of-1875.htm\">the Page Act\u003c/a> established one of the first major federal restrictions on immigration, targeting Chinese and other Asian women. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 1875, the Supreme Court ruled in \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/92/275/\">\u003cem>Chy Lung v. Freeman\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that immigration was a federal responsibility, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/safr/blogs/chinese-women-immigration-and-the-first-u-s-exclusion-law-the-page-act-of-1875.htm\">the Page Act\u003c/a> established one of the first major federal restrictions on immigration, targeting Chinese and other Asian women. \u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01-160x118.jpg 160w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096097\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01-160x118.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Second Market Street Chinatown burned down in an arson fire in 1887. There were no recorded casualties, but the entire Chinese community in San José was displaced. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096097\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Second Market Street Chinatown burned down in an arson fire in 1887. There were no recorded casualties, but the entire Chinese community in San José was displaced. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Seven years later came the Chinese Exclusion Act. Despite the passage of the landmark law, thousands of Chinese laborers and immigrants still arrived. They filed legal challenges to their exclusion, inundating federal courts in San Francisco and frustrating white politicians and residents who wanted to see Chinese immigration come to an end.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Seven years later came the Chinese Exclusion Act. Despite the passage of the landmark law, thousands of Chinese laborers and immigrants still arrived. They filed legal challenges to their exclusion, inundating federal courts in San Francisco and frustrating white politicians and residents who wanted to see Chinese immigration come to an end.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to expire in 1892, the federal government realized it needed a way to plug the loopholes of the act, especially as anti-Chinese violence intensified.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>As the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to expire in 1892, the federal government realized it needed a way to plug the loopholes of the act, especially as anti-Chinese violence intensified.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp> “As soon as [white residents] saw that their goals weren’t being met by this experiment in diplomatic control, this is why we see the most violent anti-Chinese incidents happening between ’85 and ’88, not before 1882,” said Alexander Jin, a historian at Dartmouth University.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp> “As soon as [white residents] saw that their goals weren’t being met by this experiment in diplomatic control, this is why we see the most violent anti-Chinese incidents happening between ’85 and ’88, not before 1882,” said Alexander Jin, a historian at Dartmouth University.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Vigilante mobs seized Chinese businesses and homes, and rural Chinatowns along the West Coast were set on fire, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11891987/chinese-immigrants-were-forced-out-of-eureka-in-1885-heres-how-locals-are-making-that-history-known\">Eureka\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101886267/california-cities-apologize-for-historical-wrongs-against-chinese-community\">Antioch\u003c/a>, Napa and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877801/san-jose-had-5-chinatowns-why-did-they-vanish\">San José\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Vigilante mobs seized Chinese businesses and homes, and rural Chinatowns along the West Coast were set on fire, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11891987/chinese-immigrants-were-forced-out-of-eureka-in-1885-heres-how-locals-are-making-that-history-known\">Eureka\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101886267/california-cities-apologize-for-historical-wrongs-against-chinese-community\">Antioch\u003c/a>, Napa and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877801/san-jose-had-5-chinatowns-why-did-they-vanish\">San José\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yu’s grandfather was a pioneer of San José’s Chinatown, and she said he shared details of how his community was destroyed in 1887: “The newspaper always said ‘mysterious fire’ … but my grandfather always said the fire was set to drive us out … [they should’ve] asked the Chinese themselves how they felt,” Yu said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yu’s grandfather was a pioneer of San José’s Chinatown, and she said he shared details of how his community was destroyed in 1887: “The newspaper always said ‘mysterious fire’ … but my grandfather always said the fire was set to drive us out … [they should’ve] asked the Chinese themselves how they felt,” Yu said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "‘The Dog Tag Law’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Dog Tag Law’\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Dog Tag Law’\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Months before the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to lapse, Santa Rosa lawyer and U.S. House Representative \u003ca href=\"https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/13702\">Thomas J. Geary\u003c/a> introduced legislation that addressed a question the original act had a hard time answering: how could the government not only restrict newcomers but remove Chinese people who were already living in the country?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Months before the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to lapse, Santa Rosa lawyer and U.S. House Representative \u003ca href=\"https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/13702\">Thomas J. Geary\u003c/a> introduced legislation that addressed a question the original act had a hard time answering: how could the government not only restrict newcomers but remove Chinese people who were already living in the country?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The Geary Act became law, extending the Chinese Exclusion Act by a decade and imposing remarkable provisions on Chinese laborers living in the U.S. They had to register with the federal government and obtain a certificate of residence that they had to carry with them at all times or risk up to one year of hard labor in prison and deportation unless they could prove their immigration status with the testimony of two white witnesses. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The Geary Act became law, extending the Chinese Exclusion Act by a decade and imposing remarkable provisions on Chinese laborers living in the U.S. They had to register with the federal government and obtain a certificate of residence that they had to carry with them at all times or risk up to one year of hard labor in prison and deportation unless they could prove their immigration status with the testimony of two white witnesses. \u003c/p>\n"
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null,
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null,
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095847\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When faced with the prospect of deportation, early Chinese immigrants organized across the country to resist the 1892 Geary Act, forming one of the largest civil disobedience campaigns in U.S. history.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095847\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When faced with the prospect of deportation, early Chinese immigrants organized across the country to resist the 1892 Geary Act, forming one of the largest civil disobedience campaigns in U.S. history.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095849\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Most of the certificates are marked as “laborer” while others, notably children, were categorized as “persons other than laborer.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095849\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Most of the certificates are marked as “laborer” while others, notably children, were categorized as “persons other than laborer.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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null,
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095850\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Geary Act Project, launched by Connie Young Yu and Barre Fong, has collected about 300 certificates since launching about two years ago. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095850\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Geary Act Project, launched by Connie Young Yu and Barre Fong, has collected about 300 certificates since launching about two years ago. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095848\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“This is how they describe somebody born in the United States. They describe him, this 8-year-old boy, ‘persons other than laborer.’ They do not say ‘American,’ they do not say ‘citizen.’ I want people to know this.” — Janice Tong, San Francisco resident.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095848\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“This is how they describe somebody born in the United States. They describe him, this 8-year-old boy, ‘persons other than laborer.’ They do not say ‘American,’ they do not say ‘citizen.’ I want people to know this.” — Janice Tong, San Francisco resident.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In other words, the Geary Act provided the U.S. government a way to deport longtime Chinese residents who had entered the U.S. legally. Historians say the law became the precursor to green cards, visas and other forms of surveillance and identification that the federal government uses today.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In other words, the Geary Act provided the U.S. government a way to deport longtime Chinese residents who had entered the U.S. legally. Historians say the law became the precursor to green cards, visas and other forms of surveillance and identification that the federal government uses today.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Though the act was signed into law, it garnered strongly worded protests within Congress, including from Robert R. Hitt, a representative from Illinois. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Though the act was signed into law, it garnered strongly worded protests within Congress, including from Robert R. Hitt, a representative from Illinois. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Never before in a free country was there such a system of tagging a man like a dog to be caught by the police and examined, and if his tag or collar is not all right, taken to the pound or drowned or shot … Never before was it applied by a free people to a human being with the exception (which we can never refer to with pride) of the sad days of slavery.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Never before in a free country was there such a system of tagging a man like a dog to be caught by the police and examined, and if his tag or collar is not all right, taken to the pound or drowned or shot … Never before was it applied by a free people to a human being with the exception (which we can never refer to with pride) of the sad days of slavery.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"blockName": "core/heading",
"attrs": {
"text": "‘Un-American, barbarous and inhuman’",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Un-American, barbarous and inhuman’\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Un-American, barbarous and inhuman’\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For the Chinese immigrant community, the law was unthinkable and unjust, and the response was swift. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For the Chinese immigrant community, the law was unthinkable and unjust, and the response was swift. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The San Francisco-based Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, or the Chinese Six Companies, a powerful coalition that had financed earlier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12015449/a-129-year-old-san-francisco-lawsuit-could-stop-trump-from-ending-birthright-citizenship\">legal victories\u003c/a>, asked Chinese residents to each contribute a dollar towards a legal campaign against the law. Meanwhile, in New York, the Chinese Equal Rights League was formed with the sole purpose of overturning the Geary Act.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The San Francisco-based Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, or the Chinese Six Companies, a powerful coalition that had financed earlier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12015449/a-129-year-old-san-francisco-lawsuit-could-stop-trump-from-ending-birthright-citizenship\">legal victories\u003c/a>, asked Chinese residents to each contribute a dollar towards a legal campaign against the law. Meanwhile, in New York, the Chinese Equal Rights League was formed with the sole purpose of overturning the Geary Act.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition to applying political pressure and organizing petition drives, the groups organized Chinese residents to challenge the Geary Act through mass noncompliance. The Six Companies distributed leaflets in Chinese communities throughout the country, declaring that “The Geary Act is an unjust law and no Chinese should obey it … They have disregarded our rights and paid no attention to their promise, and made a law to suit themselves, no matter how unjust to us … Let us stand together.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In addition to applying political pressure and organizing petition drives, the groups organized Chinese residents to challenge the Geary Act through mass noncompliance. The Six Companies distributed leaflets in Chinese communities throughout the country, declaring that “The Geary Act is an unjust law and no Chinese should obey it … They have disregarded our rights and paid no attention to their promise, and made a law to suit themselves, no matter how unjust to us … Let us stand together.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"srcset": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096098\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood on July 31, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096098\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood on July 31, 2025.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Russell Jeung, a professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University, remarked that spreading these messages across the country was an amazing feat, and demonstrated just how tight-knit and organized the Chinese immigrant population was: “The Chinese networks are in a better position to [raise awareness to] the Chinese community than the American government was … clearly there were networks and newspapers and communication among the community.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chinese residents found allyship with different faith communities, particularly Christians. Some white Americans were compelled, in part, by the efforts of people like Jee Gam, a community leader and the first Chinese congregational pastor in America. Gam wrote essays in English for publications, most notably one titled \u003ca href=\"https://www.whobuiltamerica.org/item/the-geary-act-from-the-standpoint-of-a-christian-chinese\">“The Geary Act: From the Standpoint of a Christian Chinese\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chinese residents found allyship with different faith communities, particularly Christians. Some white Americans were compelled, in part, by the efforts of people like Jee Gam, a community leader and the first Chinese congregational pastor in America. Gam wrote essays in English for publications, most notably one titled \u003ca href=\"https://www.whobuiltamerica.org/item/the-geary-act-from-the-standpoint-of-a-christian-chinese\">“The Geary Act: From the Standpoint of a Christian Chinese\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp> “This Act withdraws some sacred rights such as in the Declaration of Independence are declared to be inalienable,” he wrote. “The right to a free, untrammelled pursuit of happiness, the right of habeas corpus, the right to be adjudged innocent until proven guilty … it is un-American, barbarous and inhuman.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp> “This Act withdraws some sacred rights such as in the Declaration of Independence are declared to be inalienable,” he wrote. “The right to a free, untrammelled pursuit of happiness, the right of habeas corpus, the right to be adjudged innocent until proven guilty … it is un-American, barbarous and inhuman.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The call to participate in the civil disobedience campaign was an extraordinary success. Only about 13,000 of the approximately 100,000 Chinese residents in the country registered during the initial registration period. That left the federal government with the challenge of arresting and deporting over 85% of the nation’s Chinese population — something they weren’t prepared or resourced to do. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The call to participate in the civil disobedience campaign was an extraordinary success. Only about 13,000 of the approximately 100,000 Chinese residents in the country registered during the initial registration period. That left the federal government with the challenge of arresting and deporting over 85% of the nation’s Chinese population — something they weren’t prepared or resourced to do. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Getting 100,000 people to do a thing is hard in itself, but I think the biggest success is making plain the weakness of the federal government,” Jin said. “Through the process of not registering and seeing how much power that had, they were able to find the weaknesses of the system and continue to exploit it throughout the exclusion era.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Getting 100,000 people to do a thing is hard in itself, but I think the biggest success is making plain the weakness of the federal government,” Jin said. “Through the process of not registering and seeing how much power that had, they were able to find the weaknesses of the system and continue to exploit it throughout the exclusion era.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On a dining room table in her Los Altos home, Yu fanned out the \u003cem>chak chee’s\u003c/em> that she’s been collecting, along with her grandfather’s. Since launching The Geary Act Project, Yu and documentary filmmaker Barre Fong have received and digitized \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/thecollection\">almost 300 certificates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On a dining room table in her Los Altos home, Yu fanned out the \u003cem>chak chee’s\u003c/em> that she’s been collecting, along with her grandfather’s. Since launching The Geary Act Project, Yu and documentary filmmaker Barre Fong have received and digitized \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/thecollection\">almost 300 certificates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Tens of thousands of people were part of the civil disobedience, including my grandfather. They complied, and they felt unity; there was a community because everybody’s behind it,” Yu said, as she carefully picked up the documents. Most of them are men, marked as “laborers,” but there are also ones for women and children.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Tens of thousands of people were part of the civil disobedience, including my grandfather. They complied, and they felt unity; there was a community because everybody’s behind it,” Yu said, as she carefully picked up the documents. Most of them are men, marked as “laborers,” but there are also ones for women and children.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Almost all of the certificates collected by the project were issued a couple of years after the Geary Act became law. Chinese immigrants only registered after the Supreme Court upheld the law in its ruling on \u003ca href=\"https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep149/usrep149698/usrep149698.pdf\">\u003cem>Fong Yue Ting v. United States\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a case carefully orchestrated by the Six Companies. They had raised enough money to hire prominent attorneys and chose three unregistered laundrymen in New York to surrender themselves for arrest. The men were ordered to be deported in accordance with the Geary Act, and a lawsuit was initiated claiming the legislation was discriminatory and violated constitutional protections, including the 14th Amendment. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Almost all of the certificates collected by the project were issued a couple of years after the Geary Act became law. Chinese immigrants only registered after the Supreme Court upheld the law in its ruling on \u003ca href=\"https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep149/usrep149698/usrep149698.pdf\">\u003cem>Fong Yue Ting v. United States\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a case carefully orchestrated by the Six Companies. They had raised enough money to hire prominent attorneys and chose three unregistered laundrymen in New York to surrender themselves for arrest. The men were ordered to be deported in accordance with the Geary Act, and a lawsuit was initiated claiming the legislation was discriminatory and violated constitutional protections, including the 14th Amendment. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu speaks to KQED in her home in Los Altos, California, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. A longtime historian, Yu is the co-founder of the Geary Act Project, which is collecting and digitizing certificates of residence that may still be in the possession of Chinese American families. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095826\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu speaks to KQED in her home in Los Altos, California, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. A longtime historian, Yu is the co-founder of the Geary Act Project, which is collecting and digitizing certificates of residence that may still be in the possession of Chinese American families. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In May 1893, the court announced a 5-3 decision: the Geary Act was constitutional. The ruling extended the federal government’s power to exclude Chinese immigrants and gave it the ability to deport those already living in the U.S. The decision helped cement \u003ca href=\"https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C18-8-7-1/ALDE_00001261/\">the plenary power doctrine\u003c/a>, which gives the federal government almost unlimited discretion on all aspects of immigration policy and remains a key tenet of U.S. immigration law today. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In May 1893, the court announced a 5-3 decision: the Geary Act was constitutional. The ruling extended the federal government’s power to exclude Chinese immigrants and gave it the ability to deport those already living in the U.S. The decision helped cement \u003ca href=\"https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C18-8-7-1/ALDE_00001261/\">the plenary power doctrine\u003c/a>, which gives the federal government almost unlimited discretion on all aspects of immigration policy and remains a key tenet of U.S. immigration law today. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Things that seem normal today were actually created at a certain moment in time and for a very specific purpose: to keep Chinese immigrants, or as many as possible, out of the country,” Lytle Hernández said. “ What does it mean that the logic and the language and the rhetoric and the spirit of Chinese exclusion remains written into our precedent and our legal landscape of the immigration regime?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Things that seem normal today were actually created at a certain moment in time and for a very specific purpose: to keep Chinese immigrants, or as many as possible, out of the country,” Lytle Hernández said. “ What does it mean that the logic and the language and the rhetoric and the spirit of Chinese exclusion remains written into our precedent and our legal landscape of the immigration regime?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Strangers in the Land\u003c/em>, author Michael Luo wrote about the news of the Geary Act ruling reaching the San Francisco headquarters of the Six Companies: “In the afternoon, a reporter from the \u003cem>Call\u003c/em> found Gee Chong Tone, the secretary of the Six Companies, inside his office surrounded by stacks of telegrams from concerned immigrants across the state and country … he was shocked by the decision. ‘It’s like a man feeling safe being hit between the eyes in the dark,’ he said.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Strangers in the Land\u003c/em>, author Michael Luo wrote about the news of the Geary Act ruling reaching the San Francisco headquarters of the Six Companies: “In the afternoon, a reporter from the \u003cem>Call\u003c/em> found Gee Chong Tone, the secretary of the Six Companies, inside his office surrounded by stacks of telegrams from concerned immigrants across the state and country … he was shocked by the decision. ‘It’s like a man feeling safe being hit between the eyes in the dark,’ he said.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095851\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When faced with the prospect of deportation, early Chinese immigrants organized across the country to resist the 1892 Geary Act, forming one of the largest civil disobedience campaigns in U.S. history.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095851\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When faced with the prospect of deportation, early Chinese immigrants organized across the country to resist the 1892 Geary Act, forming one of the largest civil disobedience campaigns in U.S. history.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095854\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> “Exclusion is kind of a nebulous idea, but then you look at the faces [on the certificates], and you’re like, ‘Oh, those are real people’ … and they were trying to have a dream of what they wanted to do, and they’re trying to survive.” — Barre Fong, documentary filmmaker.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After the ruling, Geary added more teeth to the law, notably requiring the certificates of residence to include photographs.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You can not make a verbal description of a Chinaman such as you can make of a white man … All Chinamen look alike, all dress alike, all have the same kind of eyes …” Geary said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yu acknowledges the cruelty of the requirement, but as a historian, she also understands the value of having such detailed documentation of the country’s earliest Chinese residents. You know where each person lived and their physical traits, as detailed as “gold filling in upper teeth” or “large wart on nose right side.” There were also portraits of their faces, some of which show indisputable evidence of their hard labor and the stresses of surviving exclusion: the tanned skin from working outside, the wrinkles on their foreheads, the bags under their eyes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yu acknowledges the cruelty of the requirement, but as a historian, she also understands the value of having such detailed documentation of the country’s earliest Chinese residents. You know where each person lived and their physical traits, as detailed as “gold filling in upper teeth” or “large wart on nose right side.” There were also portraits of their faces, some of which show indisputable evidence of their hard labor and the stresses of surviving exclusion: the tanned skin from working outside, the wrinkles on their foreheads, the bags under their eyes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The idea to collect the documents came from a conversation with Yu during a community event, Fong said, shortly after Trump won his second presidential election. There was a “general sense of fear and dread” about the threat facing immigrants, he said, and it felt like the right time to tell a counter-narrative about some of the country’s earliest immigrants. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The idea to collect the documents came from a conversation with Yu during a community event, Fong said, shortly after Trump won his second presidential election. There was a “general sense of fear and dread” about the threat facing immigrants, he said, and it felt like the right time to tell a counter-narrative about some of the country’s earliest immigrants. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-01-KQED.jpg 812w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-01-KQED-160x157.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Transcontinental railroad worker Jow Kee’s original certificate of residence. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Exclusion is kind of a nebulous idea, but then you look at the faces [on the certificates], and you’re like ‘oh those are real people’ … and they were trying to have a dream of what they wanted to do, and they’re trying to survive,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The preservation of the Geary Act certificates offers a tangible record of the government’s efforts to define and categorize Chinese immigrants. Yu and Fong say it’s a slow, manual, volunteer-run effort. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In addition to tapping into collections from different historical organizations, they’re depending on submissions from families that have held onto the documents as keepsakes for generations. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some are stored at the National Archives in San Bruno, which announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088904/exclusive-the-bay-areas-national-archives-office-is-closing-researchers-are-worried\">its impending closure\u003c/a> earlier this year. Documents could be dispersed across the country, Fong said, which would make the search far more difficult.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Among the most striking certificates collected by the Geary Act Project came from San Francisco resident Janice Tong, including those belonging to her great-grandfather, great-grandmother and her grandfather when he was just a young boy. It was the child’s certificate that struck Yu as particularly “cold-blooded.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is how they describe somebody born in the United States. They describe him, this 8-year-old boy, ‘persons other than laborer.’ They do not say ‘American,’ they do not say ‘citizen.’ I want people to know this.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Among the most prized certificates they have uncovered was one belonging to Jow Kee, a transcontinental railroad worker. It is the only portrait that has been found of one of the roughly 12,000 Chinese men who helped build the railroad. It had been sitting in a box under a bed in a descendant’s home for years. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Among the most prized certificates they have uncovered was one belonging to Jow Kee, a transcontinental railroad worker. It is the only portrait that has been found of one of the roughly 12,000 Chinese men who helped build the railroad. It had been sitting in a box under a bed in a descendant’s home for years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fong said the collection of certificates could open up some critical conversations in the Chinese American community: “The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021919/bay-area-japanese-americans-draw-on-wwii-trauma-resist-deportation-threats\">Japanese American community’s incarcerated survivors\u003c/a> [from World War II] are really great at talking about intergenerational trauma. The Chinese American community is not great at that … I think we should be better at talking about it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Fong said the collection of certificates could open up some critical conversations in the Chinese American community: “The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021919/bay-area-japanese-americans-draw-on-wwii-trauma-resist-deportation-threats\">Japanese American community’s incarcerated survivors\u003c/a> [from World War II] are really great at talking about intergenerational trauma. The Chinese American community is not great at that … I think we should be better at talking about it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the work of the Geary Act Project is not just a labor of love, Yu said. She believes it’s her “destiny” and that the current moment demands it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As she carefully slipped the certificates back into their protective plastic sleeves, Yu shared a message to her community.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The call to action is ‘stand up, Chinese Americans.’ Stand up for your people and the people in your community … because your ancestors have gone through this turmoil and struggle that so many immigrants are going through … show solidarity. Show empathy.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She also hopes more Chinese American families will search their closets, attics and archives for more certificates — \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/upload-a-certificate\">and share them\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She also hopes more Chinese American families will search their closets, attics and archives for more certificates — \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/upload-a-certificate\">and share them\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“And bring proof of your ancestors’ lives,” she said, with a small smile. “They struggled to be here.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Long before immigration raids and deportations became political flashpoints, Chinese immigrants defied the federal government’s expansion of immigration powers in the late 19th century.",
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"title": "Chinese Immigrants Led the First Mass Resistance to America's Deportation System | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Connie Young Yu thought she knew a lot about her beloved \u003cem>gung gung\u003c/em>. As a young girl, she would listen as her grandfather, Yung Wah Gok, recounted what it was like living through America’s Chinese Exclusion era of the late 19th century. She had heard many stories, like how, as a young boy in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-jose\">San José\u003c/a> Chinatown, he’d have to sprint home while white residents hurled rocks at him.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It wasn’t until 1972, when Yu was an adult active in Asian American organizing and scholarship, that her mother shared a surprising piece of his history with her. From the family’s large carved camphor chest in her bedroom, her mother pulled out a neatly folded parchment: It was \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/copy-of-upload-a-certificate?pgid=m68xajc7-a512c26d-b87a-443c-883e-98cc622e3d31\">her grandfather’s \u003cem>chak chee\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a certificate of residence that all Chinese people in the U.S. were required to carry, as mandated by the 1892 Geary Act, the successor to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/chinese-exclusion-act\">1882 Chinese Exclusion Act\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Stamped across the top of the document was the word “LABORER.” Below it were his occupation — “cook,” his height — just over 5 feet, 3 inches and identifying marks — “scar on left forearm.” And in the lower left corner was a striking portrait photo of her grandfather at the age of 25.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096096\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-ConnieYu-JY-11_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu’s collection of certificates of residence includes her own grandfather’s document. Yung Wah Gok and other Chinese residents initially resisted the Geary Act requirement to carry the certificates with them at all times under the threat of deportation. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“I just thought, ‘Gee … that doesn’t look like my \u003cem>gung gung\u003c/em>,’” said Yu, now 85, who had known her grandfather as a dignified man who wore suits. “But actually, I really liked that picture in many ways because he looks very determined. Like a young rebel.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The certificate was issued in May 1894, two years after the passage of the Geary Act, revealing that her grandfather had been one of the tens of thousands of Chinese residents across the country who had resisted the federal government’s demands to register — forming one of the largest campaigns of civil disobedience in U.S. history.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>From 1892-93, Chinese immigrants refused to comply with the requirement to register with their local internal revenue offices. If they were caught without a certificate, they faced arrest, detention and deportation as stipulated by the Geary Act, which historians and legal theorists say helped shape today’s U.S. immigration system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While Chinese immigrants are remembered for constitutional victories, including rulings that established \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088125/as-america-turns-250-san-franciscos-role-in-defining-citizenship-endures\">birthright citizenship\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12050233/how-a-chinese-laundryman-shaped-us-civil-rights-from-san-francisco\">strengthened equal protection\u003c/a>, they have another legacy: they led a nationwide campaign against the federal government’s expansion of immigration powers. And though they ultimately failed to overturn the Geary Act in court, their resistance challenged the adoption of now-routine practices — calling them “cruel and unjust,” and incompatible with the nation’s constitutional ideals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095828\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-13-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu stands for a portrait in her home in Los Altos, California, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. Yu’s paternal grandfather, Yung Wah Gok, arrived in the U.S.as an 11-year-old laborer in 1881, a year before the Chinese Exclusion Act. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Those sentiments are echoed today by immigrant communities across the country, as the Trump administration \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12078084/agents-of-chaos-border-patrols-year-of-unchecked-force\">continues\u003c/a> to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12092697/bay-area-immigrant-advocates-warn-noncitizens-to-avoid-air-travel-after-ice-arrests\">double down\u003c/a> on its \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12085159/immigration-courts-are-using-a-new-tactic-to-speed-up-deportations\">deportation efforts\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yu, a longtime local historian and author, argues the resistance of early Chinese immigrants like her grandfather should be more well known. She co-founded \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/\">The Geary Act Project\u003c/a> two years ago and is now on a mission to collect more certificates — to lay a paper trail of evidence linking the racism experienced by her ancestors to the current administration’s immigration crackdown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Our society is under threat, we’re under attack,” she said. “We’re trying to show that the Chinese Exclusion Act was actually a foundation for ICE and the harassment of people of color and immigration detention and deportation.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When Chinese exclusion wasn’t enough\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yu said it’s by luck that she was born in the United States. Her grandfather arrived in 1881, at age 11 — just one year before the Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese laborers from entering the U.S. for a decade.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“My parents always said, ‘If he had waited until he was 12, you wouldn’t be here,’” Yu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When Chinese people began arriving in the U.S. in the late 1840s, there was no federal immigration system. States, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/10429550/boomtown-history-2b\">California\u003c/a>, passed laws targeting Chinese immigrants as anti-Chinese sentiment grew, fueled by the narrative that they threatened the nation’s economic well-being.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1459\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095866\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED-160x117.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/GETTYIMAGES-1311093098-KQED-1536x1121.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A Chinese butcher and grocery store, with meat hanging from hooks with vegetables and other fresh produce displayed in crates at the front of the store in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California, circa 1885. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But Reconstruction — the post-Civil War era when constitutional protections were expanded for newly freed Black Americans — changed the landscape. The 14th Amendment ensured due process and equal protection to everyone, giving Chinese immigrants new grounds to challenge discriminatory state laws.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Several Supreme Court justices, along with others who wished to continue excluding Chinese immigrants, pushed for the federal government to take up immigration control, according to Kelly Lytle Hernández, an author and professor of history at UCLA.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I understand our federal immigration system as being the creation of an effort to skirt the 14th Amendment, to skirt the growth of a multiracial democracy,” she said. ”Reconstruction and Chinese Exclusion are all part of the same story.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 1875, the Supreme Court ruled in \u003ca href=\"https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/92/275/\">\u003cem>Chy Lung v. Freeman\u003c/em>\u003c/a> that immigration was a federal responsibility, while \u003ca href=\"https://www.nps.gov/safr/blogs/chinese-women-immigration-and-the-first-u-s-exclusion-law-the-page-act-of-1875.htm\">the Page Act\u003c/a> established one of the first major federal restrictions on immigration, targeting Chinese and other Asian women. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1020\" height=\"754\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096097\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260820-ChinatownActivism-01-160x118.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1020px) 100vw, 1020px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Second Market Street Chinatown burned down in an arson fire in 1887. There were no recorded casualties, but the entire Chinese community in San José was displaced. (Courtesy of History San José)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Seven years later came the Chinese Exclusion Act. Despite the passage of the landmark law, thousands of Chinese laborers and immigrants still arrived. They filed legal challenges to their exclusion, inundating federal courts in San Francisco and frustrating white politicians and residents who wanted to see Chinese immigration come to an end.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to expire in 1892, the federal government realized it needed a way to plug the loopholes of the act, especially as anti-Chinese violence intensified.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> “As soon as [white residents] saw that their goals weren’t being met by this experiment in diplomatic control, this is why we see the most violent anti-Chinese incidents happening between ’85 and ’88, not before 1882,” said Alexander Jin, a historian at Dartmouth University.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Vigilante mobs seized Chinese businesses and homes, and rural Chinatowns along the West Coast were set on fire, including \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11891987/chinese-immigrants-were-forced-out-of-eureka-in-1885-heres-how-locals-are-making-that-history-known\">Eureka\u003c/a>, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101886267/california-cities-apologize-for-historical-wrongs-against-chinese-community\">Antioch\u003c/a>, Napa and \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11877801/san-jose-had-5-chinatowns-why-did-they-vanish\">San José\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yu’s grandfather was a pioneer of San José’s Chinatown, and she said he shared details of how his community was destroyed in 1887: “The newspaper always said ‘mysterious fire’ … but my grandfather always said the fire was set to drive us out … [they should’ve] asked the Chinese themselves how they felt,” Yu said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘The Dog Tag Law’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Months before the Chinese Exclusion Act was set to lapse, Santa Rosa lawyer and U.S. House Representative \u003ca href=\"https://history.house.gov/People/Detail/13702\">Thomas J. Geary\u003c/a> introduced legislation that addressed a question the original act had a hard time answering: how could the government not only restrict newcomers but remove Chinese people who were already living in the country?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Geary Act became law, extending the Chinese Exclusion Act by a decade and imposing remarkable provisions on Chinese laborers living in the U.S. They had to register with the federal government and obtain a certificate of residence that they had to carry with them at all times or risk up to one year of hard labor in prison and deportation unless they could prove their immigration status with the testimony of two white witnesses. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"803\" height=\"772\" data-id=\"12095847\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095847\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-02-KQED.jpg 803w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-02-KQED-160x154.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 803px) 100vw, 803px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When faced with the prospect of deportation, early Chinese immigrants organized across the country to resist the 1892 Geary Act, forming one of the largest civil disobedience campaigns in U.S. history. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"859\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095849\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-04-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095849\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-04-KQED.jpg 859w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-04-KQED-160x148.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 859px) 100vw, 859px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Most of the certificates are marked as “laborer” while others, notably children, were categorized as “persons other than laborer.” (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-10 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"853\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095850\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095850\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-05-KQED.jpg 853w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-05-KQED-160x149.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Geary Act Project, launched by Connie Young Yu and Barre Fong, has collected about 300 certificates since launching about two years ago. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"803\" height=\"772\" data-id=\"12095848\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095848\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-03-KQED.jpg 803w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-03-KQED-160x154.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 803px) 100vw, 803px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“This is how they describe somebody born in the United States. They describe him, this 8-year-old boy, ‘persons other than laborer.’ They do not say ‘American,’ they do not say ‘citizen.’ I want people to know this.” — Janice Tong, San Francisco resident. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In other words, the Geary Act provided the U.S. government a way to deport longtime Chinese residents who had entered the U.S. legally. Historians say the law became the precursor to green cards, visas and other forms of surveillance and identification that the federal government uses today.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Though the act was signed into law, it garnered strongly worded protests within Congress, including from Robert R. Hitt, a representative from Illinois. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Never before in a free country was there such a system of tagging a man like a dog to be caught by the police and examined, and if his tag or collar is not all right, taken to the pound or drowned or shot … Never before was it applied by a free people to a human being with the exception (which we can never refer to with pride) of the sad days of slavery.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘Un-American, barbarous and inhuman’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the Chinese immigrant community, the law was unthinkable and unjust, and the response was swift. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The San Francisco-based Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, or the Chinese Six Companies, a powerful coalition that had financed earlier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12015449/a-129-year-old-san-francisco-lawsuit-could-stop-trump-from-ending-birthright-citizenship\">legal victories\u003c/a>, asked Chinese residents to each contribute a dollar towards a legal campaign against the law. Meanwhile, in New York, the Chinese Equal Rights League was formed with the sole purpose of overturning the Geary Act.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to applying political pressure and organizing petition drives, the groups organized Chinese residents to challenge the Geary Act through mass noncompliance. The Six Companies distributed leaflets in Chinese communities throughout the country, declaring that “The Geary Act is an unjust law and no Chinese should obey it … They have disregarded our rights and paid no attention to their promise, and made a law to suit themselves, no matter how unjust to us … Let us stand together.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12096098\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/250731-YICKWOCIVILRIGHTS-05-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood on July 31, 2025. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Russell Jeung, a professor of Asian American studies at San Francisco State University, remarked that spreading these messages across the country was an amazing feat, and demonstrated just how tight-knit and organized the Chinese immigrant population was: “The Chinese networks are in a better position to [raise awareness to] the Chinese community than the American government was … clearly there were networks and newspapers and communication among the community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chinese residents found allyship with different faith communities, particularly Christians. Some white Americans were compelled, in part, by the efforts of people like Jee Gam, a community leader and the first Chinese congregational pastor in America. Gam wrote essays in English for publications, most notably one titled \u003ca href=\"https://www.whobuiltamerica.org/item/the-geary-act-from-the-standpoint-of-a-christian-chinese\">“The Geary Act: From the Standpoint of a Christian Chinese\u003c/a>.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp> “This Act withdraws some sacred rights such as in the Declaration of Independence are declared to be inalienable,” he wrote. “The right to a free, untrammelled pursuit of happiness, the right of habeas corpus, the right to be adjudged innocent until proven guilty … it is un-American, barbarous and inhuman.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The call to participate in the civil disobedience campaign was an extraordinary success. Only about 13,000 of the approximately 100,000 Chinese residents in the country registered during the initial registration period. That left the federal government with the challenge of arresting and deporting over 85% of the nation’s Chinese population — something they weren’t prepared or resourced to do. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Getting 100,000 people to do a thing is hard in itself, but I think the biggest success is making plain the weakness of the federal government,” Jin said. “Through the process of not registering and seeing how much power that had, they were able to find the weaknesses of the system and continue to exploit it throughout the exclusion era.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The search for the Geary Act’s paper trail\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On a dining room table in her Los Altos home, Yu fanned out the \u003cem>chak chee’s\u003c/em> that she’s been collecting, along with her grandfather’s. Since launching The Geary Act Project, Yu and documentary filmmaker Barre Fong have received and digitized \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/thecollection\">almost 300 certificates\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Tens of thousands of people were part of the civil disobedience, including my grandfather. They complied, and they felt unity; there was a community because everybody’s behind it,” Yu said, as she carefully picked up the documents. Most of them are men, marked as “laborers,” but there are also ones for women and children.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Almost all of the certificates collected by the project were issued a couple of years after the Geary Act became law. Chinese immigrants only registered after the Supreme Court upheld the law in its ruling on \u003ca href=\"https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep149/usrep149698/usrep149698.pdf\">\u003cem>Fong Yue Ting v. United States\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, a case carefully orchestrated by the Six Companies. They had raised enough money to hire prominent attorneys and chose three unregistered laundrymen in New York to surrender themselves for arrest. The men were ordered to be deported in accordance with the Geary Act, and a lawsuit was initiated claiming the legislation was discriminatory and violated constitutional protections, including the 14th Amendment. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095826\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260730-CONNIEYU-JY-09-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Historian Connie Young Yu speaks to KQED in her home in Los Altos, California, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. A longtime historian, Yu is the co-founder of the Geary Act Project, which is collecting and digitizing certificates of residence that may still be in the possession of Chinese American families. (Juliana Yamada/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>In May 1893, the court announced a 5-3 decision: the Geary Act was constitutional. The ruling extended the federal government’s power to exclude Chinese immigrants and gave it the ability to deport those already living in the U.S. The decision helped cement \u003ca href=\"https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S8-C18-8-7-1/ALDE_00001261/\">the plenary power doctrine\u003c/a>, which gives the federal government almost unlimited discretion on all aspects of immigration policy and remains a key tenet of U.S. immigration law today. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Things that seem normal today were actually created at a certain moment in time and for a very specific purpose: to keep Chinese immigrants, or as many as possible, out of the country,” Lytle Hernández said. “ What does it mean that the logic and the language and the rhetoric and the spirit of Chinese exclusion remains written into our precedent and our legal landscape of the immigration regime?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In \u003cem>Strangers in the Land\u003c/em>, author Michael Luo wrote about the news of the Geary Act ruling reaching the San Francisco headquarters of the Six Companies: “In the afternoon, a reporter from the \u003cem>Call\u003c/em> found Gee Chong Tone, the secretary of the Six Companies, inside his office surrounded by stacks of telegrams from concerned immigrants across the state and country … he was shocked by the decision. ‘It’s like a man feeling safe being hit between the eyes in the dark,’ he said.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-11 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"738\" data-id=\"12095851\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-06-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095851\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-06-KQED.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-06-KQED-160x148.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">When faced with the prospect of deportation, early Chinese immigrants organized across the country to resist the 1892 Geary Act, forming one of the largest civil disobedience campaigns in U.S. history. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"871\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095852\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-07-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-07-KQED.jpg 871w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-07-KQED-160x146.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 871px) 100vw, 871px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chinese immigrants are remembered for constitutional victories, including rulings that established birthright citizenship and strengthened equal protection. But they have another legacy: they led a nationwide campaign against the federal government’s expansion of immigration powers. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-12 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"869\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095853\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-08-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095853\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-08-KQED.jpg 869w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-08-KQED-160x147.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 869px) 100vw, 869px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Most of the certificates collected by the Geary Act Project were issued in 1894, two years after the passage of the Geary Act, because Chinese residents refused to comply with the requirements of the law. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"874\" height=\"797\" data-id=\"12095854\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-10-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095854\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-10-KQED.jpg 874w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-10-KQED-160x146.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 874px) 100vw, 874px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“Exclusion is kind of a nebulous idea, but then you look at the faces [on the certificates], and you’re like, ‘Oh, those are real people’ … and they were trying to have a dream of what they wanted to do, and they’re trying to survive.” — Barre Fong, documentary filmmaker. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After the ruling, Geary added more teeth to the law, notably requiring the certificates of residence to include photographs.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You can not make a verbal description of a Chinaman such as you can make of a white man … All Chinamen look alike, all dress alike, all have the same kind of eyes …” Geary said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yu acknowledges the cruelty of the requirement, but as a historian, she also understands the value of having such detailed documentation of the country’s earliest Chinese residents. You know where each person lived and their physical traits, as detailed as “gold filling in upper teeth” or “large wart on nose right side.” There were also portraits of their faces, some of which show indisputable evidence of their hard labor and the stresses of surviving exclusion: the tanned skin from working outside, the wrinkles on their foreheads, the bags under their eyes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The idea to collect the documents came from a conversation with Yu during a community event, Fong said, shortly after Trump won his second presidential election. There was a “general sense of fear and dread” about the threat facing immigrants, he said, and it felt like the right time to tell a counter-narrative about some of the country’s earliest immigrants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"alignleft size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"812\" height=\"797\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-01-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-01-KQED.jpg 812w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260818-FIGHTING-THE-GEARY-ACT-01-KQED-160x157.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 812px) 100vw, 812px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Transcontinental railroad worker Jow Kee’s original certificate of residence. (Courtesy of the Geary Act Project)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“Exclusion is kind of a nebulous idea, but then you look at the faces [on the certificates], and you’re like ‘oh those are real people’ … and they were trying to have a dream of what they wanted to do, and they’re trying to survive,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The preservation of the Geary Act certificates offers a tangible record of the government’s efforts to define and categorize Chinese immigrants. Yu and Fong say it’s a slow, manual, volunteer-run effort. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In addition to tapping into collections from different historical organizations, they’re depending on submissions from families that have held onto the documents as keepsakes for generations. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Some are stored at the National Archives in San Bruno, which announced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12088904/exclusive-the-bay-areas-national-archives-office-is-closing-researchers-are-worried\">its impending closure\u003c/a> earlier this year. Documents could be dispersed across the country, Fong said, which would make the search far more difficult.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the most striking certificates collected by the Geary Act Project came from San Francisco resident Janice Tong, including those belonging to her great-grandfather, great-grandmother and her grandfather when he was just a young boy. It was the child’s certificate that struck Yu as particularly “cold-blooded.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is how they describe somebody born in the United States. They describe him, this 8-year-old boy, ‘persons other than laborer.’ They do not say ‘American,’ they do not say ‘citizen.’ I want people to know this.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Among the most prized certificates they have uncovered was one belonging to Jow Kee, a transcontinental railroad worker. It is the only portrait that has been found of one of the roughly 12,000 Chinese men who helped build the railroad. It had been sitting in a box under a bed in a descendant’s home for years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fong said the collection of certificates could open up some critical conversations in the Chinese American community: “The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12021919/bay-area-japanese-americans-draw-on-wwii-trauma-resist-deportation-threats\">Japanese American community’s incarcerated survivors\u003c/a> [from World War II] are really great at talking about intergenerational trauma. The Chinese American community is not great at that … I think we should be better at talking about it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, the work of the Geary Act Project is not just a labor of love, Yu said. She believes it’s her “destiny” and that the current moment demands it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As she carefully slipped the certificates back into their protective plastic sleeves, Yu shared a message to her community.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The call to action is ‘stand up, Chinese Americans.’ Stand up for your people and the people in your community … because your ancestors have gone through this turmoil and struggle that so many immigrants are going through … show solidarity. Show empathy.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She also hopes more Chinese American families will search their closets, attics and archives for more certificates — \u003ca href=\"https://www.thegearyactproject.com/upload-a-certificate\">and share them\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“And bring proof of your ancestors’ lives,” she said, with a small smile. “They struggled to be here.”\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"id": "american-suburb-podcast",
"title": "American Suburb: The Podcast",
"tagline": "The flip side of gentrification, told through one town",
"info": "Gentrification is changing cities across America, forcing people from neighborhoods they have long called home. Call them the displaced. Now those priced out of the Bay Area are looking for a better life in an unlikely place. American Suburb follows this migration to one California town along the Delta, 45 miles from San Francisco. But is this once sleepy suburb ready for them?",
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"order": 19
},
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}
},
"baycurious": {
"id": "baycurious",
"title": "Bay Curious",
"tagline": "Exploring the Bay Area, one question at a time",
"info": "KQED’s new podcast, Bay Curious, gets to the bottom of the mysteries — both profound and peculiar — that give the Bay Area its unique identity. And we’ll do it with your help! You ask the questions. You decide what Bay Curious investigates. And you join us on the journey to find the answers.",
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},
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},
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"info": "The day's top stories from BBC News compiled twice daily in the week, once at weekends.",
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"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/BBC-World-Service-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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},
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},
"californiareport": {
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"tagline": "California, day by day",
"info": "KQED’s statewide radio news program providing daily coverage of issues, trends and public policy decisions.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"order": 8
},
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},
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"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
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"order": 10
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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},
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"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
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"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
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"order": 1
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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}
},
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"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
"title": "Freakonomics Radio",
"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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"how-i-built-this": {
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"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
}
},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Masters-of-Scale-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
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