Posts in Politics
SF Politics 101: Discover Your Shade of Blue

San Francisco Democrats come in many different shades of blue, which is what makes San Francisco politics so confusing. Every month, I try to unravel the confusion with a presentation called “SF Politics 101.” It’s an intro course on politics sponsored by the United Democratic Club. I’m part of a team of speakers who explain local, state and federal basics.

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Joel Engardio Investigates

In my work as a journalist, I asked tough questions and held government accountable. As a supervisor, I’ll do that from inside City Hall. In that spirit, my new campaign video — “Investigate” — pays homage to San Francisco in the film noir era when the reporter or private eye took on a big case to advocate for the little guy.

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The Airbnb Solution

By Joel P. Engardio -- When it comes to things that evoke absolute feelings of love or hate, Airbnb is in the same league as Donald Trump, LeBron James and cilantro. In San Francisco, forces against Airbnb clash with those who swear by the polarizing innovation. There is a solution, but not everyone will like it.

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Phil Ting Is Unsung LGBT Hero

By Joel P. Engardio -- Large Catholic and Asian populations on the westside are less inclined to embrace issues like marijuana dispensaries or LGBT rights accepted by the rest of San Francisco without question. So it’s a profile in courage that Assemblymember Phil Ting doesn’t just give lip service or stay neutral on LGBT issues when he needs westside votes to keep his job.

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LGBT, PoliticsJoel Engardio
Saving City College With Competence

By Joel P. Engardio -- “Sometimes when you put people together the sum is worse than the parts, which is the best way to describe the old board of trustees,” said Rafael Mandelman, president of City College's new board. “We can’t afford to have factions pitted against each other like before. My role is to keep folks working together and focused on saving the college.”

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The Woman Who Would Be Sheriff

By Joel P. Engardio -- Everything I know about women’s prisons I learned watching the Netflix hit “Orange is the New Black.” So it was tempting to ask Vicki Hennessy – a candidate for sheriff who began her career in 1975 guarding the women’s jail in San Bruno – how real the show is.

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PoliticsJoel Engardio
Julie Christensen Is Designer of Change at City Hall

By Joel P. Engardio -- Critics driven by nostalgia versus a need to plan for the future want to keep Supervisor Christensen from getting elected in November. "Change is frightening for people who cannot imagine things another way," Christensen said. "But life is not a tableau. It is a parade. We can't stand frozen and expect everything to stay frozen around us."

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PoliticsJoel Engardio