Newsom sends new district maps to voters for November election Prop. 50, which Newsom dubbed the “Election Rigging Response Act,” is California’s response to gerrymandering efforts by President Trump and Texas Republicans.

Newsom rejects GOP warnings, sends new congressional maps to voters

sfstandard.com/2025/08/21/n...

Meet the trolls leading Newsom’s online anti-MAGA war Izzy Gardon and Brandon Richards are leading a social media blitz against Trump and his allies.

Newsom’s trolls: Meet the soldiers leading the governor’s anti-MAGA meme war

sfstandard.com/2025/08/21/n...

July/August pie updates. I am getting better!

I admittedly skipped July because life is 🤪 right now so I present two pies for August.

A peach pie with my BEST crust to date and a blueberry pie that, despite my forgetting the egg wash and skipping a few baking steps, was by far more popular. Proving looks are not everything!

Prop. A explainer: Why is Joel Engardio facing a recall? The effort to remove the supervisor from office began with his support for Prop. K, which closed the Great Highway to cars and ignited a political firestorm on the west side.

Engardio recall ballots are sent to 50,000 Sunset voters. What to know about Prop. A / ✍️ @lihanlihan.bsky.social

sfstandard.com/2025/08/14/r...

A massive US measles outbreak has slowed but the start of the school year brings renewed risk of spread | CNN Texas hasn’t reported a new outbreak-related measles case in nearly a month — a hopeful sign that one of the largest outbreaks the United States has seen in decades is starting to slow. But the measle...

The start of the school year in the United States poses new threats for the spread of measles amid a record-breaking year for cases and lagging vaccination rates.

SF mayor pays $350K his own money on army of consultants Mayor Daniel Lurie continues to pay a team of consultants to help craft his public image after his campaign shattered election spending records.

ICYMI: Lurie spends big bucks on private consultants to bolster public image

sfstandard.com/2025/08/01/s...

Landmark or old building? Downtown SF site’s demolition sparks political fight The city is pushing forward with plans to demolish an old coffee roastery and warehouse to make room for a new fire station next to a huge high-rise building. Local preservationists are outraged.

Coffee landmark or old building? Downtown site’s demolition sparks political fight / ✍️ @lihanlihan.bsky.social

sfstandard.com/2025/08/04/c...

SF mayor pays $350K his own money on army of consultants Mayor Daniel Lurie continues to pay a team of consultants to help craft his public image after his campaign shattered election spending records.

SF Mayor Daniel Lurie won election after dumping $9.5 million of his own money into the race.

Now in office, new records show he continues to spend big bucks on private consultants to bolster his public image.

sfstandard.com/2025/08/01/s...

How people are weaponizing state systems: ‘We file liens that crush their credit’ Financing statements — meant to record legitimate business liens — are now a vehicle for conspiracy-laced claims, trillion-dollar demands and vendettas against politicians, businesses and public emplo...

Across the country, antigovernment “sovereign citizens” are flooding states and counties with liens, alleging government officials owe them money or property, a tactic the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service have identified as a form of “paper terrorism.”

www.latimes.com/california/s...

Newsom wants California to fight Texas for congressional power in 2026 The two states have entered an all-out redistricting battle to determine which party takes control of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 election. “Everything is at stake if we are not succ...

As Texas eyes redistricting, Newsom pledges to fight fire with fire

“Everything is at stake if we are not successful next year in taking back the House of Representatives,” the governor said Friday.

sfstandard.com/2025/07/25/n...

Opinion | Three things San Francisco Democrats can learn from Mamdani’s win in NYC Mamdani may not be the savior the left craves, but his win has important lessons for San Francisco's Democrats

Opinion: Three things San Francisco Democrats can learn from Mamdani’s win in NYC

sfstandard.com/opinion/2025...

Bracing for the ICE storm: SF immigrants go underground Empty shops, workers staying home, and some even self-deporting. This isn’t the calm before the storm, but an anxious scramble — a collective rush to bar the doors, board up the windows, and get the h...

‘God is the only one who can stop him’: Fearing Trump and ICE, SF immigrants go underground

sfstandard.com/2025/07/23/s...

‘It’s insulting’: LA Times owner stuns staff with plans to go public Inside the newspaper, the announcement landed with a thud.

‘It’s insulting’: LA Times owner stuns staff with plans to go public

www.politico.com/news/2025/07...

Judge Challenges Trump Administration in Hearing on Harvard Funding In a courtroom in Boston on Monday, a lawyer for Harvard called the Trump administration’s case against the school “cooked up.”

A federal judge grilled a Trump administration lawyer during a crucial hearing on a lawsuit brought by Harvard University over the government’s decision to cancel billions of dollars in federal funds for the school.

Democrats in South Carolina are barely pretending they're not already running for president A whole lot of 2028 Democratic hopefuls seem to be visiting the state.

2028 hopefuls aren't waiting for the DNC to set the presidential calendar; they’re testing the waters for themselves in South Carolina.

Lawmakers grill leaders of disgraced SF parks nonprofit Supervisors are probing the former leadership of the Parks Alliance, a once-influential nonprofit that closed in June after allegations of financial misconduct.

ICYMI: ‘A Ponzi scheme’: Lawmakers skewer leaders of disgraced parks nonprofit

sfstandard.com/2025/07/17/s...

SF nonprofit went from $125M gift to fight for survival A mysterious $125M gift transformed the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind and Visually impaired. A decade later, layoffs, protests, and financial losses leave the nonprofit fighting to survive.

Darkened dreams: How a nonprofit for the blind squandered a $125 million windfall

sfstandard.com/2025/07/17/l...

SF's budget battle is done. Who won and who lost? The Board of Supervisors approved Mayor Daniel Lurie’s budget. Progressive Board of Supervisor member Jackie Fielder was the sole “no” vote.

City Hall’s ‘incredibly hard’ budget is done. Here are the winners and losers

sfstandard.com/2025/07/16/s...

SF mayor, supervisors reach compromise on citywide shelter plan The original bill mandated that each supervisorial district approve at least one homeless shelter by mid-2026, but faced pushback from Mayor Daniel Lurie.

Under pressure from Lurie, citywide homeless shelters go from mandate to suggestion / ✍️ @lihanlihan.bsky.social

sfstandard.com/2025/07/16/s...

San Francisco balances on thin blue line with Trump ICE arrests Violent clashes involving federal agents have raised difficulty questions inside the SFPD and City Hall.

San Francisco balances on thin blue line with Trump ICE arrests sfstandard.com/2025/07/15/s...

City warned official about ethics breach with former employer Planning Commissioner Kathrin Moore approved multiple projects for her former employer, architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, despite being warned by city attorneys that her votes could violat...

City attorneys warned commissioner about potential ethics breach. She ignored them

sfstandard.com/2025/07/15/s...

The new rules of SF's drug markets Despite a highly publicized crackdown over the past two years, the illegal drug market lives on.

The new rules of SF’s drug markets / ✍️ David Sjostedt

"It’s past San Francisco’s bedtime. The buses have mostly stopped running, and the skyline has dimmed. But many of the city’s drug dealers are just clocking in for work."

sfstandard.com/2025/07/11/s...

The GavTracker: Will Newsom run for president in 2028? Today we launch the GavTracker, a tool to track whether the ambitious California governor appears more or less likely to launch a bid for the White House in 2028.

Introducing the GavTracker: Our non-scientific Gavin Newsom presidential forecaster sfstandard.com/2025/07/08/n...

SF official got paid by architecture firm while approving its projects A member of the SF planning commission earns up to $100K in income from an architecture firm while approving its projects, The Standard has learned.

City official got paid by architecture firm while approving its projects

sfstandard.com/2025/07/03/s...

Faith leaders bear witness as migrants make their case in immigration court Across California, clergy leaders are accompanying migrants at their asylum hearings. 'We’re there trying to appeal to a higher authority than ICE,' one pastor said.

My latest: Clergy are accompanying migrants to immigration court amid detainments
“There’s a big piece of [our faith] that’s about welcoming the stranger, about treating immigrants with compassion and care. We’re there trying to appeal to a higher authority than ICE.”
www.latimes.com/california/s...

Embattled SF Zoo CEO steps down After a year of controversy over alleged mismanagement, employee safety violations, and animal welfare abuses, Tanya Peterson said she will retire in August.

New: Embattled SF Zoo chief Tanya Peterson to step down / ✍️ by @lihanlihan.bsky.social

sfstandard.com/2025/07/01/t...

Trump administration shuts down U.S. website on climate change The Trump administration shut down a website with national reports on climate change. Scientists decry the move, saying it robs the public of vital information.

Trump administration shuts down U.S. website on climate change

Newsom signs laws that pave way for more housing in California One pro-housing advocate said the two bills make “extremely consequential progress on building more housing in California.” Opponents said the changes would “poison our air, water, and land across the...

Newsom signs laws to pave the way for more housing. Is it a win for ‘abundance’ movement? sfstandard.com/2025/06/30/n...