San Francisco history
How SF’s Democratic Political Machine Led to Kamala Harris’ Presidential Campaign
California Democratic Congressman Phil Burton, second from right, with – left to right – Democratic State Assemblymen Leo T. McCarthy, Willie L. Brown and Art Agnos, in the early 1980s. San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library by Lincoln Mitchell This article originally appeared on The Conversation. The political
SF History: Sex WORK In The City
COYOTE (Call Off Your Tired Old Ethics) was founded in San Francisco in 1973 by Margo St. James, a sex worker, who also co-founded St. James Infirmary Clinic in the Tenderloin. COYOTE’s main goals were decriminalization (as opposed to legalization) of sex work, pimping, and pandering, as well as the elimination of social stigma concerning sex work as an occupation. Its work is considered part of the larger sex worker movement for legal and human rights.
This New Literary Magazine is a Gift to the People of San Francisco
I’ve got some awesome news! We received a grant from the Civic Joy Fund to put out a literary magazine celebrating SF and acting to counter the stupid “Doom Loop” narrative. It’s a gift to the people of San Francisco. And after months of working on this project it’s now available
Where The Bodies Are Buried: San Francisco’s Former Cemeteries
It has been over 100 years since anyone was buried in San Francisco. In 1902, it became illegal to bury new bodies in the city, and by 1921, bodies were being moved to new land in Colma. By 1941 nearly all the cemeteries were gone, and largely forgotten.
A Glimpse at an Unrecognizable San Francisco During the Gold Rush
Let’s take it back to San Francisco during the California Gold Rush of 1848. The discovery of gold marked a turning point for the Bay Area, ushering in a new era of industrialization. This was of course, at the expense of the native Ohlone people, who had been suffering enslavement
10 Fun Facts About San Francisco You May Not Know
You think you know a lot about San Francisco? Well let’s see how many of these fun facts you already had stored in your noggin. You’re about to be so much better at SF trivia. 1. Alcatraz was the only federal prison to offer hot-water showers, supposedly to dissuade prisoners
The Real & Imagined History of Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Store Cafe
There are no cigars there. Not anymore, at Mario’s Bohemian Cigar Cafe Store. North Beach, that righteous, riotous and literarily relevant San Francisco neighborhood of great charm has long become a tourist destination. Arguably, it is now a neighborhood primarily cultivated and sustained through tourism. It’s where all the sailors
The Bay Area’s Lost Statue Of Liberty
I was snooping around old newspaper clippings the other day, looking to see what San Francisco was like 100 years ago, and found a super interesting article. Did you know that Treasure Island (Yerba Buena) almost had its own 700-foot Statue of Liberty?! The local paper, San Francisco CALL, reports
A Look at Before and After The Embarcadero Freeway Came Down
Current mood: extremely thankful for how the Embarcadero looks today versus how it did in the past. While no doubt useful, the elevated double-decker Embarcadero Freeway (also known as California State Route 480) was hardly aesthetically pleasing compared to the Embarcadero of today. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake severely