Nearly 30 years ago, I came to San Francisco as an immigrant. I built my life here, worked here and raised my family here. Both of my sons were born in San Francisco. This city became our home.

SAN FRANCISCO — In the upcoming November 3 election, voters in five San Francisco Bay Area counties will decide whether to raise their sales tax rate by 0.5% or 1% for the next 14 years to fund seven major public transit systems facing significant shortfalls in the region, including BART, Muni, Caltrain, AC Transit, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Francisco Bay Ferry, and Golden Gate Transit.

SAN FRANCISCO — After Mayor Daniel Lurie and city officials gathered on June 9 for a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the $73 million two-year renovation of Portsmouth Square park and the removal of the pedestrian bridge spanning Kearny Street, opposition to demolishing the 56-year-old pedestrian bridge has grown louder. One of those voices belongs to 93-year-old Dartmond Cherk, a Chinese American architect who designed both the hotel and the bridge in 1965.

SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco Chinatown always lacks parking spaces to meet demand. The situation worsened after the city began three major construction projects simultaneously in June this summer. San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced the addition of 23 parking spaces in Chinatown during weekday commute hours to improve the situation.

SAN FRANCISCO — The fast-growing Asian population in the San Francisco Bay Area has contributed to a new wave of high-end Asian food supermarket openings since the 2020 pandemic. The increased variety of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese-oriented supermarkets has intensified competition within the industry. Consumers welcome these additional food choices, believing that greater competition will elevate service quality and lower retail prices.

SAN FRANCISCO — Two bilingual and community-minded Chinese American police officers, Carla Lee Hurley and Kirk Yin, have been recently promoted to the rank of Captain in the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), serving as Southern Station Captain and Night Captain respectively. Lee Hurley becomes the highest-ranking Chinese and Asian American woman police officer currently in the department. 

Higher education is expensive. California became the first state in the United States in 2022 to provide free education funds for children since birth. Governor Gavin Newsom announced in San Francisco that California has launched the California Golden Start Challenge, the second phase of the CalKIDS program, partnering with the federal government and more businesses to maximize college funds for all children.

SAN FRANCISCO — Recent data indicates a significant surge in influenza (flu) cases this season and continues to rise nationwide with test positivity reaching high levels in the San Francisco Bay Area and very high levels in Central California. Healthcare experts have recommended that everyone aged 6 months and older receives the flu vaccines every year. 

SAN FRANCISCO — With the continued support from generous donors and volunteers, the Chinese Newcomers Service Center held its long-standing traditional food drive on June 5 in Chinatown.