Natalia Gurevich

San Francisco

Digital Producer and Writer at The San Francisco Examiner

Articles

Bar Bucato celebrates amaro liqueurs in Fernet-loving SF

6 days ago | sfexaminer.com | Natalia Gurevich

For some reason, San Francisco is having a love affair with Fernet. I’ve asked bartenders throughout The City why, and they’ve told me that trading shots of the bitter, dark spirit with an industry peer is known as a “bartender’s handshake” in this town. I still don’t get it. I’ve drunk it multiple times, had it offered to me by the bartenders at my neighborhood watering hole — The Summer Place in lower Nob Hill — as a “cheeky” shot, or a miniature serving given to regulars.
California Peer-Run Warm Line at risk of losing state funds

1 week ago | sfexaminer.com | Natalia Gurevich

A free, statewide mental health phone line created in San Francisco could shut down in a couple of months if the governor’s budget proposal passes, according to Mark Salazar, the Mental Health Association of San Francisco’s executive director. Gov. Gavin Newsom must release a revised 2025-26 budget plan on or before May 14.
California Peer-Run Warm Line at risk of losing state funds

1 week ago | sfexaminer.com | Natalia Gurevich

A free, statewide mental health phone line created in San Francisco could shut down in a couple of months if the governor’s budget proposal passes, according to Mark Salazar, the Mental Health Association of San Francisco’s executive director. Gov. Gavin Newsom must release a revised 2025-26 budget plan on or before May 14.
Fly to the Moongate Lounge atop Mister Jiu's in SF Chinatown

1 week ago | sfexaminer.com | Natalia Gurevich

I’ve never been one of those people who is ruled by their astrological signs or the shifts in the stars. But I love a bar and cocktail menu that takes its cues from the phases of the moon. That’s what Brandon Jew, the culinary mastermind behind Chinatown’s Michelin-starred Mister Jiu, sought to do with Moongate Lounge, the bar above his restaurant.
9K UCSF workers walk out in fourth strike since November

1 week ago | sfexaminer.com | Natalia Gurevich

More than 20,000 University of California workers — including 9,000 in San Francisco — went on strike on Thursday to protest the hiring freeze the school system announced last month. The freeze threatens to exacerbate UC’s existing staffing shortage, which was already heightened by the system’s recent acquisition of a slew of new hospitals, union organizers say.
Dream Keeper revamp unravels Transgender District funding

2 weeks ago | sfexaminer.com | Natalia Gurevich

San Francisco’s recent decision to cancel grants awarded by the troubled Dream Keeper Initiative has put a $950,000 hole in the budget of The City’s Transgender District and left the organization scrambling to keep its programs up and running.
The 2025 Supernova Scholar Awards Celebration and Symposium

2 weeks ago | nobhillgazette.com | Natalia Gurevich

Dozens of scholars from PhD and master’s programs across the Bay Area specializing in medical and scientific research showcased their latest findings at the annual Supernova Scholar Awards Celebration and Symposium at The City Club of San Francisco on April 21.
Longtime SF HIV/AIDS activist loses Social Security benefits

2 weeks ago | sfexaminer.com | Natalia Gurevich

Paul Aguilar’s first thought when he received notice last month that the Social Security Administration said he would no longer be eligible to receive assistance was that there had to be a mistake. The longtime San Francisco AIDS activist said he relies upon his monthly payments to pay for livesaving HIV medication. “Feb. 28, I printed out a benefits verification letter,” said Aguilar, who has been living with HIV since 1988 and receives income payments from Social Security.
SF ordinance would require shelter or care in all districts

2 weeks ago | sfexaminer.com | Natalia Gurevich

Every San Francisco supervisorial district could be required next year to approve construction of new facilities for residents who are unhoused or struggling with behavioral-health issues. That’s the aim of a new ordinance that Supervisors Bilal Mahmood and Shamann Walton introduced Friday. Supervisors Matt Dorsey, Jackie Fielder, Myrna Melgar and Danny Sauter co-sponsored the measure, meaning it already enjoys the backing of a majority of the board.
Tonga Room maintains historic San Francisco tiki fantasy

2 weeks ago | sfexaminer.com | Natalia Gurevich

As an adult, it’s hard for me to find places outside of Disneyland that inspire a certain sense of childlike wonder and nostalgia. San Francisco’s Tonga Room is an exception at keeping such whimsy alive, and it’s even older than the “Happiest Place on Earth.”The historic Fairmont Hotel tiki bar turns 75 this year, and thinking about my own impending 30th birthday next month, I hoped a visit to the venue would soothe my inner child while reminding me that some things can only get better with age.