Wren Farrell

San Francisco

Emergency Disaster and Preparedness Reporter at KALW-FM (San Francisco, CA)

@ucbsoj Local News Fellow; @kalw Emergency Disaster and Preparedness Reporter ; [email protected]

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Articles

Oakland’s MACRO program is at risk

3 weeks ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

The Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland, or MACRO responds to non-violent, non-emergency calls in Oakland. They often answer 911 calls related to homelessness and mental health issues. One of the program's key goals is to reduce OPD’s workload. A report heard Monday by Oakland City Council on the police department’s current staffing issues stated that MACRO is a valuable resource for OPD. In 2024, MACRO diverted 34 percent of calls away from law enforcement and emergency services.
San Francisco city workers aren’t happy with the mayor’s budget

3 weeks ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

“No cuts! No layoffs! No cuts! No layoffs! Defend! Public Services!”Last week, Mayor Lurie released his highly anticipated budget. Facing an almost 800 million dollar budget deficit, he wants to cut almost 200 million dollars worth of contracts with non-profits over the next two years. He’s also proposing to eliminate almost 1400 city jobs. “ I take no joy in this.
Report: Oakland needs 200 more police officers

3 weeks ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

An independent consulting group has been working for more than a year to identify the staffing needs of Oakland’s Police Department. However, the city doesn’t have a centralized database tracking its cases, and there was limited data on 911 calls after 2022. Due to these issues the report stated that its information “cannot be individually guaranteed to be accurate.”OPD, like many police departments across the country, is struggling to recruit and retain police officers.
San Francisco Environment Department wants feedback on its Climate Action Plan

1 month ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

San Francisco wants to reach net zero emissions by 2040. Currently, transportation in private vehicles is San Francisco’s largest source of pollution. The department wants to increase access to public transportation, walking, and biking to reduce transportation-related emissions. Buildings are the city’s second largest source of pollution. To meet its net-zero goals, the department says the city will need to eliminate fossil fuels in new construction and in existing buildings.
Should San Francisco try this Swiss strategy to deal with its drug crisis?

1 month ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

Mayor Daniel Lurie said he was going to use a “common sense” approach to deal with San Francisco’s drug crisis. So far, that’s meant rolling back harm reduction policies and arresting drug users. But some, like Supervisor Jackie Fielder, don’t think his strategy is working. “Despite continued enforcement, the number of people struggling with addiction and dying from it has gone up, not down.”Overdose deaths have increased in San Francisco by almost 50 percent this year.
San Francisco Chinatown leaders say tariffs will hurt local economy, not foreign governments

1 month ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

Assemblymember Matt Haney joined small business owners and members of the San Francisco Chinese Chamber of Commerce to condemn President Trump’s 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports. “Sometimes these tariffs are framed as being about targeting foreign governments or foreign economies, but this is devastating our economy.”Magan Li and her son, Lucas Li, sell religious products at their store Lion Trading. They say almost one hundred percent of their inventory is imported from China.
San Francisco politicians decry IRS sharing tax info with immigration authorities

2 months ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid almost 100 billion dollars in local, state, and federal taxes. Experts say that for years the IRS has told undocumented taxpayers that their information would be confidential. But last week, the IRS agreed to share the tax information of certain immigrants with immigration authorities. Immigrant advocacy groups have filed a lawsuit seeking to block information sharing between the IRS and ICE. And politicians and organizers denounced the move at City Hall today.
State Farm rate hike hearing begins

2 months ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

State Farm expects to spend more than seven billion dollars on insurance payouts for January’s fires in Los Angeles County. The company says it has money to pay for the wildfire claims, but is worried about its future finances. Last month, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara tentatively approved the request for an “emergency rate increase,” but only if the company could justify the increases to a judge.
San Francisco unions say if corporations pay their fair share of taxes no cuts will be necessary

2 months ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

San Francisco’s latest budget outlook has a projected shortfall of nearly $1 billion by fiscal year 2027-28. Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office says there have been signs of economic rebound, but they’ve been “offset by growing federal uncertainty, including a reduction in anticipated FEMA reimbursements.”Local labor unions say they’ve been meeting with the Mayor’s office.
Bathing while trans: Behind the changing policies at Archimedes Banya

2 months ago | kalw.org | Wren Farrell

In early December last year, Jane went to Archimedes Banya, a Russian bathhouse in Hunters Point, for the spa’s monthly women’s night. “ My partner and I checked in with no problem,” Jane says. “We both have F markers on our driver's licenses.”Jane is a trans woman. For safety reasons, we’re not using her last name. She and her partner walked down to the locker rooms, undressed, and then headed into the main area. A beautifully lit room full of tile, pools, saunas, and steam.