Josh Koehn

San Francisco

Senior Political Reporter at The San Francisco Standard

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Articles

Uber taxis will roll onto Market Street against Lurie's wishes

1 week ago | sfstandard.com | Josh Koehn

The company sent an email to the mayor's office saying it intends to deploy taxis onto Market Street in the coming days. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie is getting a firsthand lesson in the art of the ordeal. Uber, which threatened legal action against the city after Lurie announced that Waymo robotaxis would receive near-exclusive access to car-free Market Street, now plans to deploy taxis to Market Street in the coming days, according to an email obtained by The Standard.
San Francisco braces for DEI showdown with Donald Trump

2 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Josh Koehn |Gabe Greschler

As the president attacks DEI initiatives, San Francisco officials are hunkering down in fear of lawsuits and federal funding cuts. The president’s attacks on DEI could leave San Francisco vulnerable to massive cuts in federal dollars. | Source: Photo illustration by Jim CookeAs the president attacks DEI initiatives, San Francisco officials are hunkering down in fear of lawsuits and federal funding cuts.
San Francisco transit agency lays off staff as budget crisis looms

2 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Josh Koehn

San Francisco’s Municipal Transportation Agency on Wednesday laid off a dozen employees, including the chief strategy officer, as the agency approaches a fiscal cliff that threatens to decimate public transit services in the city, The Standard has learned. All who were let go were members of the San Francisco Municipal Executive Association, a union for top managers, and they were at-will employees.
Uber threatens lawsuit over Waymo robotaxis on Market Street

3 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Josh Koehn

Uber is threatening to sue San Francisco after Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that Waymo robotaxis would be given near-exclusive access to Market Street, according to records obtained by The Standard. The mayor’s April 10 announcement of the Waymo deal was framed as a way to revitalize the downtown core, which has been slow to recover from the pandemic.
San Francisco Democrats want to put an age limit on politicians

3 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Josh Koehn

Call it the Biden Rule. Or the Feinstein Edict. Or perhaps the Ginsburg Mandate. Whoever you choose as its mascot, the point remains the same: San Francisco Democrats don’t want old people staying in office too long. (Except, perhaps, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, but more on that later.) The city’s Democratic County Central Committee will consider a resolution at a meeting Wednesday calling for politicians and other elected officials in California to voluntarily retire when they reach a certain age.
SF Standard - Insurance chief lives large on campaign cash as homes burn

4 weeks ago | consumerwatchdog.org | Josh Koehn |SF Standard

By Josh Koehn, SF STANDARDhttps://sfstandard.com/2025/04/10/california-insurance-commissioner-ricardo-lara-wildfires-slush-fundThe sun had already set over The Grand, Frank Gehry’s skyscraper complex in downtown Los Angeles, as Ricardo Lara sat down for dinner at San Laurel, a flagship restaurant of famed chef José Andrés that offers sparkling views of the city.
Lurie gives Waymo the keys to Market Street. People are furious

4 weeks ago | sfstandard.com | Josh Koehn

By Josh KoehnPublished Apr. 15, 2025 • 6:00amSafe-street advocates and militant cyclists have spent more than a decade fighting with rideshare companies Uber and Lyft in San Francisco’s transportation trenches. But the natural enemies have finally found common ground: They all hate Mayor Daniel Lurie’s decision to give Waymo robotaxis near exclusive access to Market Street.
Insurance commissioner splurges on meals, drinks as CA burns

1 month ago | sfstandard.com | Josh Koehn

By Josh KoehnPublished Apr. 10, 2025 • 6:00amThe sun had already set over The Grand, Frank Gehry’s skyscraper complex in downtown Los Angeles, as Ricardo Lara sat down for dinner at San Laurel, a flagship restaurant of famed chef José Andrés that offers sparkling views of the city. Lara and a guest started with an Americano and a Diet Coke, according to a receipt from the California insurance commissioner’s meal the evening of Jan. 15, 2024.
San Francisco official gifted $30K to political nonprofit for event

1 month ago | sfstandard.com | Josh Koehn |Annie Gaus

Kimberly Ellis, head of the Department on the Status of Women, overruled staff to push excess funds to a friendly political group, a source said. San Francisco’s Department on the Status of Women appears to have violated local laws by approving a $30,000 overpayment to a political nonprofit with close ties to a city official who is currently suspended, an investigation by The Standard has found.
San Francisco spent $600K on a women's conference. Here's how

1 month ago | sfstandard.com | Josh Koehn |Gabe Greschler |Annie Gaus

The Department on the Status of Women spared no expense on plane tickets, a DJ, and fees for speakers — including one tasked with agency oversight. San Francisco is famous for burning taxpayer cash in weird ways, but a policy summit held by the Department on the Status of Women last spring may have set a new standard by lighting more than $600,000 ablaze while also potentially violating city rules, according to documents obtained by The Standard.