All They Want for School Is a Teacher

Two months into the school year, 5th graders at Sunnyside Elementary have only seen a revolving door of substitutes. "As a taxpayer, I really believe in public education,” said one parent. “But 31 kids without a teacher lost in this bureaucratic vortex is beyond frustrating.”

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EducationJoel Engardio
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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Reactions and Response to My Bike Column

I believe bicycles are the future for transportation in urban areas, which is why I’m interested in how we can achieve a smooth transition while autos continue to dominate. When I wrote my column with the headline “Time to Mandate Bicycle Licenses” I was hoping to start a conversation about how to bridge the generational and geographic divide between older westside motorists and younger bicyclists throughout San Francisco so our roads can be safely shared.

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Go West, New Housing -- Within Reason

By Joel P. Engardio -- “All my neighbors know people whose children cannot find homes of their own,” said Frank Noto, a senior who has lived in his westside home for 30 years. “Decades of downzoning and anti-housing politics got us where we are today.”

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HousingJoel Engardio
Better Death

By Joel P. Engardio -- Baby boomers changed everything because they were never content with the old rules of sex -- or career, or parenting or retirement. Now senior citizens, they are beginning to face a final taboo harder to break than sex ever was. Death has a lot of room for improvement.

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Health, Innovation, TechJoel Engardio
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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A Court for the 10th Circle of Hell

By Joel P. Engardio -- David Traylor attacked a tourist in a crack-fueled schizophrenic episode. But he isn't psychotic, in jail or dead today thanks to San Francisco's Behavioral Health Court. He is medicated, has a home and a job. Yet homeless and mentally ill people who haven't committed felonies are left to suffer as they scream at commuters and use the sidewalk as a toilet. Why don't we treat people who can't take care of themselves before they become violent?

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