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A California wildfire destroyed my home in an instant. It took years for me to recover

A California wildfire destroyed my home in an instant. It took years for me to recover

Houses burn on Rockridge Boulevard in the Oakland hills on Oct. 20, 1991. The Tunnel Fire was a harbinger of disasters in California. There are few...

previous day 6

San Francisco Chronicle

Frances Dinkelspiel

Water? Flame-retardant? What does Trump pour on L.A. fires? Gasoline

Water? Flame-retardant? What does Trump pour on L.A. fires? Gasoline

President-elect Donald Trump called Gov. Gavin Newsom “Newscum” and spread lies about the Los Angeles fires on social media. One of the unspoken...

previous day 20

San Francisco Chronicle

Jack Ohman

No, Social Security isn’t going to go broke, but it is broken. Here’s what it needs

No, Social Security isn’t going to go broke, but it is broken. Here’s what it needs

 A simple commonsense reform to benefits for the disabled could give Congress and the president more time to fix Social Security. As today’s...

sunday 10

San Francisco Chronicle

Francois Melese

Why Canada and California should team up against Trump administration

Why Canada and California should team up against Trump administration

Then-U.S. President Donald Trump and then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attend the NATO summit on Dec. 4, 2019, in Watford, England. No,...

sunday 20

San Francisco Chronicle

Joe Mathews

Here’s why you can’t count Newsom out of the 2028 Democratic sweepstakes

Here’s why you can’t count Newsom out of the 2028 Democratic sweepstakes

Gov. Gavin Newsom works the spin room before a Republican presidential debate in 2023. He has what Democrats need in a presidential candidate....

11.01.2025 1

San Francisco Chronicle

Jack Ohman

The gratuitous witnessing of mass devastation can make us numb. For Big Oil, that’s the hope

The gratuitous witnessing of mass devastation can make us numb. For Big Oil, that’s the hope

The Eaton Fire burns through Altadena in Los Angeles County on Wednesday. Intense wildfires and extreme weather are too common these days. It has...

11.01.2025 1

San Francisco Chronicle

Soleil Ho

How we’re failing our elders with Alzheimer’s and dementia

How we’re failing our elders with Alzheimer’s and dementia

Courtney Martin and her father take a walk in Codornices Park in Berkeley. By 2050, the number of Americans with Alzheimer’s and dementia will...

11.01.2025 10

San Francisco Chronicle

Courtney Martin

Changing names puts transgender Californians at risk. New protections could be on the way

Changing names puts transgender Californians at risk. New protections could be on the way

Hazel Williams helped jumpstart legislation that would provide privacy protection for transgender people who want to change their legal names. Last...

11.01.2025 2

San Francisco Chronicle

Nuala Bishari

I lost everything in a California wildfire. Here’s what people in L.A. need to know now

I lost everything in a California wildfire. Here’s what people in L.A. need to know now

People survey a burned-out mobile home community Thursday in Pacific Palisades. The Palisades Fire has damaged or destroyed at least 5,000...

11.01.2025 30

San Francisco Chronicle

Lizz Porter

Here are four ways the S.F. school district can get back on track to ensure student success

Here are four ways the S.F. school district can get back on track to ensure student success

By all indications, 2025 will be a pivotal — if not monumental — year for the San Francisco Unified School District as it faces $113 million in...

10.01.2025 2

San Francisco Chronicle

Meredith Dodson

California is a leader in marriage equality. But there’s more the state can do

California is a leader in marriage equality. But there’s more the state can do

Many states and localities are amending marriage laws to reflect reality and incorporate strong and inclusive definitions of family. In November,...

10.01.2025 2

San Francisco Chronicle

Christina Fialho

No, the L.A. fires are not the wrath of God. What that biblical comparison says about our politics

No, the L.A. fires are not the wrath of God. What that biblical comparison says about our politics

The Palisades Fire burns through Pacific Palisades on Tuesday in Los Angeles County. Multiple wildfires are devastating the Los Angeles area,...

09.01.2025 3

San Francisco Chronicle

Justin Ray

As California fires raged, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass was in Ghana — showing local leaders what not to do

As California fires raged, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass was in Ghana — showing local leaders what not to do

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass can expect to draw criticism for being in Ghana during the outbreak of wildfires in Los Angeles County.  In times of...

09.01.2025 2

San Francisco Chronicle

Emily Hoeven

This powerful legal tool can help local governments defend against Trump policies

Oakland City Attorney Barbara Parker and San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, right, announce separate lawsuits against fossil fuel...

08.01.2025 2

San Francisco Chronicle

Barbara J. Parker