Kelly Waldron

ICE arrested these immigrants in San Francisco and sent them 2,400 miles away—to Hawaii One may be mentally impaired, said a judge who granted him a continuance prior to his arrest.

ICE arrested these immigrants in San Francisco and sent them 2,400 miles away—to Hawaii [via @missionlocal.org]

Nonprofit news sites are built to generate impact — but these are also generating audiences In markets large and small, these nonprofit news organizations are achieving traffic numbers that many commercial outlets would envy. Here's our first monthly ranking of the top 25 nonprofit news site...

Hey! We're one of the top 25 most-read nonprofit news sites *nationally.* That's right! Alongside heavy-hitting folks like ProPublica, Mother Jones, & The Intercept.

We're very proud of this, and thanks to all of you for reading us.

www.niemanlab.org/2025/07/nonp...

2,123 lives: Inside the stats and stories of those arrested by ICE from the S.F. area See the path from arrest to detention to deportation for immigrants arrested by ICE in the "San Francisco Area of Responsibility."

Mission Local spoke to several people who were deported, including Edin Reyes, a father of two who was deported to Guatemala just four days following his arrest.

See the stats — and more stories — in our piece below:

missionlocal.org/2025/07/ice-...

Arrests have shot up. Most were transferred several times — often to detention facilities across the country. Around half move through that entire process in under a week.

We cross referenced unique identifiers obtained in ICE arrests data with those in detentions and removals files to track the journeys of 2,123 people arrested in the "S.F. area" (that's NorCal + Pacific area) through ICE custody.

There are a variety of reasons why a street might be unaccepted. Examples include: being too narrow, missing a sidewalk, having a stairway. To be accepted a street must meet the city's street-design standards:

sfpublicworks.org/services/acc...

In District 10, 20 percent of roads were never adopted as official city or state roads — leaving residents in charge of repairs and maintenance.

Several city workers arrested during protest at Board of Supervisors meeting Several union workers were arrested during a protest at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday at City Hall.

JUST IN: Several city workers were arrested during a protest during the Board of Supervisors meeting at City Hall.

Some 100 union members had interrupted the meeting to call attention to the mayor's proposed layoffs.

via @kellywaldron.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/06/unio...

U.S. Customs detains Palestinians with valid visas at SFO, prepares to deport them The men were not permitted to enter the country despite having papers and a sponsor — a local Jewish synagogue leader.

JUST IN: 2 Palestinian men w/valid humanitarian visas were denied entry at SFO & told they’re being returned to the West Bank.

They were being sponsored by a local Jewish leader.

Supervisor Bilal Mahmood is at SFO now, demanding CBP reverse course.

missionlocal.org/2025/06/sf-a...

Mayor Lurie wants to cut 1,400 positions. Only 1/3 will save S.F. money. A closer look at budget documents reveals that the true number of consequential eliminated positions is much lower: some 470 positions.

Mayor Lurie dropped his budget proposal on Friday, proclaiming that over 1,400 S.F. government positions would be eliminated in an effort to close the city’s deficit.

But only a third of those cuts would lead to any budget savings.

via @kellywaldron.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/06/mayo...

JUST IN: On Friday Mayor Lurie unveiled his two-year budget proposal.

The proposal preserves funding for public safety and street conditions, but slashes nonprofit spending by some $100M and eliminates around 100 city workers.

missionlocal.org/2025/05/luri...

What does the mayor directly control in S.F.’s budget? San Francisco has a $15.9 billion budget. The mayor only controls a fraction of that.

San Francisco has a $15.9B budget. The mayor only has direct control over a fraction of that.

Here's how different funds are baked into the city's budget:

via @kellywaldron.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/05/what...

Mayor Lurie promised 1,500 new shelter beds. Here’s how he’s doing. Mayor Daniel Lurie has an audacious goal: standing up 1,500 new shelter and treatment beds in San Francisco. And we are tracking it.

ICYMI: Mayor Daniel Lurie promised 1,500 new shelter beds.

We are tracking his progress.

And here's how he's doing so far.

missionlocal.org/2025/05/dani...

Explore: San Francisco's $15.9B budget San Francisco is on the eve of $782M in budget cuts. Here's what we’re working with.

San Francisco is on the eve of $782M in budget cuts.

Here’s the $16B budget we’re working with.

via @kellywaldron.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/05/expl...

Lurie brings in former rival billionaire donors to fund street-cleaning initiative Moritz and Larsen, both of whom heavily supported Lurie’s opponents during last year’s election, are backing a new public-private street-cleaning initiative.

Michael Moritz and Chris Larsen heavily supported Mayor Daniel Lurie’s opponents during last year’s election.

Now, they are backing a new public-private street-cleaning initiative unveiled by Lurie on Thursday.

via @kellywaldron.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/05/luri...

Review: Krispy Krunchy Chicken, gas station favorite, comes to 24th St. Behind the BART plaza on 24th Street, our reviewer espied the familiar, happy red-and-yellow logo of none other than…KRISPY KRUNCHY CHICKEN!

Krispy Krunchy Chicken is famous for hand-breaded, Cajun-spiced, Louisiana-style fried chicken.

The chain is usually found in gas stations or convenience stores — but now a standalone store has just opened on 24th Street, next to the BART plaza.

missionlocal.org/2025/05/kris...

Mayor Lurie's plan to add new treatment beds removes 97 current ones San Francisco health department says 82 residents living at the city’s Behavioral Health Center will be displaced and moved into new homes.

Mayor Lurie is adding 57 locked beds at the Behavioral Health Center.

But these beds are to replace 97 existing residential beds at the center & displace 82 long-term patients currently living there.

“They are playing numbers games now,” says union rep.

missionlocal.org/2025/05/sf-b...

Here’s a map of where SFPD officers work private security side gigs SFPD says its police officers working as security guards are "out in the community" across San Francisco. But mostly, they're downtown.

SFPD says its officers working as security guards are ‘out in the community.’ But mostly, they’re downtown.

Here's a map of where SFPD officers worked private security gigs over a five-year period:

via @jrivanob.bsky.social & @kellywaldron.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/05/sfpd...

Over 1/4 of S.F.’s drug arrests or citations now come from 16th and Mission The uptick is a "direct reflection" of the area being a "major priority" of the SFPD. But experts question the impact beyond the BART plaza.

Over 1/4 of drug arrests/citations in San Francisco now come from a single intersection: 16th & Mission, per a Mission Local analysis.

The corner is 0.2% of the city but had 27% of its drug reports in March, when SFPD ramped up enforcement there.

missionlocal.org/2025/04/sf-d...

Lawlessness at an abandoned Tenderloin hotel frustrates neighbors. One wants to buy it. The Civic Center Inn in the Tenderloin has long been a blight in the neighborhood, but since it closed, neighbors say it's even worse.

The graffiti-ridden and trash-infested Civic Center Inn has long been a blight in San Francisco's Tenderloin. Since it closed two years ago, neighbors say it’s gotten worse.

But a reverend wants to try and buy it anyway.

via @miss-elenius.bsky.social
missionlocal.org/2025/04/sf-t...

Defendants clamor for diversion in S.F. Behavioral Health Court. Not everyone gets in. One father waited for seven hours to see his son diverted away from a criminal trial, and toward psychiatric help.

On the first Friday of April, a father sat in SF’s Behavioral Health Court for 7 hours, hoping to see his son diverted away from a criminal trial and toward psychiatric help. 

“It’s sad,” he said. “His fate is in another person’s hand.”

via @abineely.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/04/defe...

Tracking Mayor Lurie's first 100 days in office Mission Local has compiled all of Lurie’s substantive actions from his time in office so far — here are his major moves.

Mayor Lurie has been in office for almost 100 days — here's an extremely detailed list of everything he has done so far:

missionlocal.org/2025/04/trac...

Hey thanks! We like to think so.

A reminder: 99% of our donations are $500 or less. Your $5/mo, or whatever you can give, really matters: missionlocal.org/support-our-...

How Mayor Daniel Lurie made it morning again in San Francisco Insiders universally say he’s a ‘nice guy’ and has changed S.F. politics. But is the honeymoon period ending?

Insiders universally say San Francisco's new mayor is a ‘nice guy’ and has changed the city's politics.

But is Lurie's honeymoon period ending?

via @kellywaldron.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/04/how-...

How does Mayor Lurie’s ‘family zoning’ affect you? Use our map to find out. On Thursday, at 12 p.m., Mayor Daniel Lurie’s new “family zoning” proposal will be presented before the San Francisco Planning Commission.

San Francisco is embarking upon a huge upzoning, increasing height limits & density mostly in the low-lying west side of the city.

Is your home affected?

Use our map to see how zoning will change in your neighborhood.

by @kellywaldron.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/04/how-...

Love a good second-day story that points out that the current DA is quoted as admitting to a freaking misdemeanor in the first-day story, and yet somehow that is not noted or contextualized (IT IS CONTEXTUALIZED HERE. COME HERE FOR THE CONTEXT).

The sun is back, the buzz is building—El Chato season has begun It’s spring in the Mission, and the days are finally stretching their legs. That golden-hour glow—the one that used to be gone before you even left

Nearly three years in, El Chato has become exactly what its owners promised: a no-nonsense, daily fiesta where every glass of wine is an invitation to let loose and live a little.

Or live a lot — if you find yourself on the receiving end of a porrón.

missionlocal.org/2025/04/the-...

From ‘Parky McParkface’ to ‘Engardio’s Folly’: See over 2,000 names for the Great Highway park S.F. Rec and Parks just got over 4,200 suggestions to rename the new park at the Great Highway. Some likely to win, others extremely not so.

San Franciscans submitted 2,000+ ideas to rename the Great Highway, which officially closed to cars last week.

We have the full list, including:

—Ocean Beach Park
—Snowy Plover Park
—Parky McParkface

And of course, "Engardio's folly."

via @junyao-yang.bsky.social
missionlocal.org/2025/03/sf-g...

This San Francisco bus driver has a goal: 550,000 Muni trips on Tuesday For “Transit Operator Day,” driver Mc Allen is encouraging as many people as humanly possible to ride Muni. His goal is to hit 550,000 trips.

Bus driver Mc Allen wants ‘Transit Operator Day’ to be more than a busman’s holiday.

So he is setting a big goal: He wants riders to make 550,000 trips and submit 500 operator commendations on Tuesday.

via @kellywaldron.bsky.social

missionlocal.org/2025/03/this...

Folks! Check out the first article I made for @missionlocal.org ! It's been a blast to work on, and excited to make more 😉