This is the secret system that covers up police misconduct — and ensures problem officers can get hired again
Behind locked drawers of file cabinets, in police departments all over California, sit documents no one is supposed to see. Known as clean-record agreements, they conceal the misconduct of hundreds of officers, helping them land new jobs in law enforcement. These documents have been secret — until now. By Katey Rusch and Casey Smith This story was originally…
Read MoreHow California police agencies dole out disability pensions to problem officers: Key takeaways from our investigation
By Katey Rusch. This story was originally published in The San Francisco Chronicle on September 18, 2024. Few jobs are as dangerous as that of a police officer. Acknowledging this, California offers generous disability pensions to those who are so severely injured that they can no longer wear the badge. But an investigation by the…
Read More‘It’s a crisis’: Chronic hoarding is costing some older people their homes
Seniors can be evicted due to unsafe clutter. A San Francisco program is helping them clean up and stay housed. by Celeste Hamilton Dennis. This story was originally published in The San Francisco Chronicle on February 3, 2024. There are still a handful of vintage hat boxes in Vera Oliver’s closet. Wrapped in smooth satin…
Read MoreLong-term HIV survivors find familial support in unique S.F. group home
This story was originally published in The San Francisco Chronicle on February 21, 2023. Pictured above: A pedestrian passes Marty’s Place, a housing co-op for people living with HIV/AIDS in San Francisco. Stephen Lam/The Chronicle The yellow Victorian with purple detailing sits behind a gate that opens into a courtyard crowded with patio furniture and…
Read MoreStuck in place: How older adults end up trapped inside their own homes
by Anne Marshall-Chalmers. (Pictured above: Betty Gray in the Berkeley apartment where she had been confined since taking a bad fall in February. Katie Rodriguez/ UC Berkeley Investigative Reporting Program) This story was originally published in The San Francisco Chronicle on September 24, 2022. Seven months ago, Betty Gray could climb the 11 inside steps…
Read More‘It makes a humongous difference’: Lack of Wi-Fi in city SROs deepens residents’ isolation
(Pictured Above: Jack Huck, 72, uses an Android phone, but has no internet access from his longtime room in the Winton Hotel, a single-room-occupancy residence in San Francisco. The Wi-Fi gap leaves many people isolated. Photo by Nick Otto/Special to The Chronicle) This story appeared in print and e-edition of The San Francisco Chronicle on…
Read MoreOakland’s illegal trash-dumping crisis is worse than ever. Here’s why
(Pictured above: Marcus Leggett (left), a street maintenance leader, and Ayinde Osayaba, a street maintenance worker, pick up trash in Oakland. They are part of a team that drives through areas of Oakland that are known hot spots for illegal dumping.) This story appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on August 24, 2021. At one…
Read MoreAs Bay Area restaurant business drops, local farms send produce to struggling families
June 28, 2020 Early every Wednesday morning, trucks loaded with fresh organic produce converge at a farm stand just outside of Pescadero. The produce comes from small farms scattered from the hills across Monterey County to coastal San Mateo County. Usually, the kale, asparagus, strawberries, arugula and countless other delicious fresh ingredients end up at…
Read MoreDistance learning for some kids at SF elementary school came with an extra challenge: No internet connection
June 19, 2020 Joel Ramirez and his 9-year-old son, Wilder, live in a small room in a shared apartment on Third Street in Bayview-Hunters Point. It’s one of San Francisco’s last low-income neighborhoods, home mostly to immigrants and people of color. Normally during the school year, Wilder attends Bret Harte Elementary School while his dad…
Read More