The Phoenix Review provides analysis on the presence of right-wing forces shaping Bay Area politics. Learn more about the billionaire agenda in short takes from the Bay Area's most insightful political observers
Now that we are removed from the despotism of the last century, there is a tendency to deny the signs that signal the beginning of fascistic policy. The notion that the technocrats who influence and run our city are essentially benign is the result of careful branding, one that allows
You wouldn’t know it from corporate media, but there’s a mobilized, determined movement protecting San Francisco from a deepening crisis under a rising authoritarian government. Everyday people -- organizers, protestors, activists, and labor leaders -- are doing the real work of fighting back against the ethnic cleansing campaign
The brief saga of Isabella “Beya” Alcaraz in San Francisco reveals something about the mayoral administration of Daniel Lurie. For those of you who have been paying attention to other things in recent weeks, following the recall of Joel Engardio, the supervisor for District Four, which includes most of the
It has long been true that San Francisco is an overwhelmingly Democratic city, but it has also long been meaningless to say that. Although it is the truth that you have to be a Democrat to win an election in San Francisco, a very broad range of political views are
Supervisor Connie Chan came to San Francisco in 1991. Then 13, Chan, her mother and brother, settled in Chinatown, where they struggled and eventually thrived. Connie Chan’s story resonated with District 1’s Chinese-American voters who played an important role in electing her to public office. The supervisor, whose
The fight over San Francisco housing has been portrayed as NIMBY versus YIMBY, obscuring the role that moneyed right-wing groups like GrowSF, Neighbors for a Better San Francisco and TogetherSF are playing in city politics. The real housing debate is not between NIMBY and YIMBY, but between real estate speculators
The “Network State: How to Start a New Country” was released in 2022 to little fanfare. After all, strange and extreme ideas are a dime a dozen in the tech world. However, the author of the self-published book, venture capitalist Balaji Srinivasan is ambitious even by Silicon Valley standards. Srinivasan
A new political action committee tiptoed onto San Francisco’s political stage. Less than two years later, Families for a Vibrant SF was ready for its close-up. In the run up to the March 2024 election, the group spent more than $800,000 to elect a slate of conservative candidates
San Francisco mayoral candidates presented their visions, emphasizing philanthropy, leadership, & anti-corruption. Daniel Lurie highlighted his charitable work, Mayor London Breed discussed inherited challenges, Ahsha Safai called for better management, & Aaron Peskin focused on fighting corruption. San Francisco’s five leading mayoral candidates made their case before San Francisco