From the Editor: Celebrating Community

Speaking with both long-time readers and folks who are just discovering the papers is always a joy of mine, and of our team. It is so valuable to hear your insight into the community and your thoughts on the publications. We appreciate everyone who comes to say “hi,” and are especially grateful for those who buy a tote bag or coffee mug to support the work we’re doing to help ensure this community resource will stay free for years to come.

Letter to the Editor: Why I am Not Following the Sierra Club Endorsements This November

State Sen. Scott Wiener, representing San Francisco, has worked overtime to weaken and limit the CEQA, a state law that requires state and local government agencies to analyze the potential environmental effects of proposed projects and to inform decision-makers and the public about those effects. CEQA also mandates the identification of ways to avoid or lessen environmental damage and the consideration of alternatives to projects. CEQA provides environmental safeguards for the protection of our communities.

Real Estate: John M. Lee

For decades, San Francisco’s west side was treated as the City’s quieter real estate bet: foggy residential blocks, family-run businesses, immigrant commercial corridors and rows of single-family homes that felt comparatively attainable by local standards. That old assumption is losing ground. In the Richmond and Sunset districts, limited housing supply, larger remodels, changing retail corridors and pressure for new housing along transit routes are altering both neighborhood identity and property values.

Everything Nice: A Warm Welcome on Taraval

Taraval Street has always matched the energy from the people who live around it – bakeries and coffee counters open early, and this stretch of Parkside keeps a slower pace than much of the City. Among the longtime neighborhood favorites, enters the newest arrival: Welcome Coffee & Goods, which found its home at 425 Taraval St., near 14th Avenue. The shop is both a place to order a coffee and a place to dig through the racks for vintage clothing. As the sign outside states, “Come for the coffee, stay for the goods.”