Sheehan Qualifies for Pelosi Challenge

Staff / Truthdig Aug 13, 2008 As the most powerful woman in government, Nancy Pelosi is used to confronting political rivals, but the House speaker has trouble on her flank. Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan (above), displeased with the Democrats' lack of progress against the war, has gathered enough signatures to challenge Pelosi as an independent. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

S.F. Mayor Proud of His City’s Values

Staff / Truthdig Jul 2, 2008 Politicians usually try to explain away their records once they bid for higher office Take the case of just about any big-time Democrat and the issue of gay marriage But San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who formally launched an exploratory bid Tuesday for the California governorship, says he's not worried about his gay rights legacy: "We're about civil rights and equal rights, you better believe it I'm proud of that, I'm not going to hide from that". Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

San Franciscans Hoping to Flush in Bush’s Honor

Staff / Truthdig Jun 26, 2008 It might be safe to assume that these folks aren't fans of President Bush: A group calling itself the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is hoping to commemorate Bush as he leaves office by re-christening a nearby sewage station as the George W. Bush Sewage Plant and by urging locals to flush together on cue on Jan. 20, 2009. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

More ‘San Francisco Values’

Staff / Truthdig Jun 2, 2008 With a soundtrack as shifty as its logic, here is another captivating self-parody from the Sam Graves campaign. The shameless Missouri congressman, who has tried to paint his Democratic opponent as an unholy champion of gayness because she held a fundraiser in San Francisco, has launched another attack ad allegedly based on that city's values. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Cindy Sheehan Makes Bid for Pelosi’s House Seat

Staff / Truthdig Apr 26, 2008 It's not going to be an easy campaign, but anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan has made good on her pledge to try to take over Nancy Pelosi's congressional seat this fall. Sheehan filed Friday to run for the House in Pelosi's San Francisco district -- but she has to collect over 10,000 signatures before she can make her bid official. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bill Boyarsky on the Inimitable Willie Brown

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Apr 1, 2008 More than a quarter of a century before Barack Obama made his name with a speech at the Democratic National Convention, another African-American politician, Willie L. Brown Jr. of San Francisco, did the same -- but under much different circumstances. Dig deeper ( 7 Min. Read )

Penn: ‘End Is Near’ for Fox Pundits

Staff / Truthdig Mar 20, 2008 Filming one of his last scenes as Harvey Milk, San Francisco's first openly gay politician, who was assassinated by City Hall colleague Dan White in 1978, Sean Penn got all Method on the crowd of extras assembled to reenact the scene of an important speech Milk made on Gay Freedom Day 30 years ago. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Emergency in San Francisco Bay

Staff / Truthdig Nov 10, 2007 On Friday, a full two days after a container ship rammed into San Francisco's Bay Bridge and began spilling oil into the bay, Coast Guard authorities were doing damage control on their own behalf as the slick continued to spread. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

San Francisco to Cover the Uninsured

Staff / Truthdig Sep 14, 2007 The City by the Bay is launching a new initiative that aims to provide healthcare for all of its uninsured residents. The plan is to pay for coverage with existing resources that are spent on more expensive -- and less effective -- emergency room and chronic care. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

San Francisco to Ban Plastic Bags

Staff / Truthdig Mar 28, 2007 San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is expected to sign off on a citywide ban on petroleum-based plastic bags. The prohibition, the first of its kind in the nation, is meant to encourage the use of less harmful alternatives, including biodegradable plastic, cloth and paper bags. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Reporters Off the Hook in Steroids Case

Staff / Truthdig Feb 16, 2007 Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams are free from the threat of prison, now that their source in the BALCO steroids scandal has been revealed. The two San Francisco Chronicle reporters' case tested press freedoms after they refused an order to identify their source. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Wolf as Underdog

Amy Goodman / Truthdig Feb 16, 2007 In her inaugural Truthdig column, Amy Goodman investigates the outrageous imprisonment of Josh Wolf, the blogger whose devotion to freedom of the press and resistance to government coercion have kept him in jail longer than any other modern journalist. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )