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Opinions & Open Forum

Late San Francisco Fire Department Assistant Chief Frank Blackburn who passed away in September 2025 had a huge effect on the City’s level of fire safety during his 35 years as a firefighter. Courtesy Quentin Kopp

Opinion: Yet the Auxiliary Water Supply System has not been expanded, leaving ⅔ of San Francisco vulnerable to post-earthquae castrophic fires

San Francisco lost a dedicated public servant in September, and I lost a good friend, whom I had known for many decades. Frank Blackburn was a retired San Francisco Fir Department (SFFD) Division Chief who had a huge effect on the City’s level of fire safety during his 35 years as a firefighter.

  • Thirty years ago, I immigrated from Taiwan to San Francisco’s Sunset District. My husband and I bought a home on 26th Avenue and Irving Street near Sunset Super and raised our two children there. We are both public school teachers and have always believed that settling in the Sunset was a wise decision — close to retail and the park, relatively quiet, somewhat affordable, and surrounded by families.

    The 2550 Irving Street affordable housing project is almost complete. 300 people will move into the 90-unit apartment building where surrounding neighbors have continuously complained for over 5 years that it is built on a toxic land. Photo by Wind Newspaper

  • On behalf of the Chinatown and Sunset Merchants United Association in San Francisco, I am writing this open letter to express our strong protest and deep dissatisfaction regarding the planned street-closure event on Grant Avenue hosted by BeChinatown on February 4, Wednesday, which was publicly promoted and advanced without any public hearing, formal notice, or prior consultation with affected merchants and residents.

    San Francisco Chinatown merchants complain that the Chinatown Night Market, which will mark its 4th year in 2026, not only did not bring more business to most shops in Chinatown, instead they lost customers because streets were closed to vehicles, street vendors blocked their front doors, parking spaces were removed, traffic was jammed, and shoppers would rather buy food from vendors than going inside the restaurants. Courtesy Chinatown merchants

  • I am very concerned about how San Francisco city agencies monitor their issued work permits.

    Since the closure of the Great Highway after Prop. K was passed by citywide voters in November 2024, the importance of 19th Avenue has increased with more vehicles everyday sharing the roadway which is also a segment of Highway 1. Wind Newspaper photo

  • Our families have lived on San Francisco’s westside for generations. Our families worked long hours - running restaurants, cleaning offices, driving taxis, sewing in garment shops - to save enough to buy modest homes. These houses are not luxuries. They are the foundation of our security, our children’s inheritance, and the hard-earned generational wealth that we fought to build after decades of exclusion and discrimination.

    The westside neighborhoods of San Francisco include Richmond and Sunset districts which are known as residential areas with single family houses. Both districts are also homes to many Chinese American families. Wind Newspaper photo

  • From now until September 16, 2025, residents of District 4 will vote on Proposition A, the recall of Supervisor Joel Engardio. Nearly 11,000 signatures were submitted on the official recall petition – a clear sign of deep dissatisfaction with the district leadership.

    The photo shows the early years of the portion of Great Highway from Richmond District down south to Sunset District in San Francisco. Prop. K proposed by D4 Supervisor Joel Engardio was passed by citywide voters in November 2024 to permanently close the 2-mile Great Highway in Sunset District. Courtesy John Crabtree

  • As long-time residents of District 4, me and my neighbors feel compelled to speak out in defense of our current Supervisor, Joel, whose contributions to our community have been significant, responsible, and visionary.

    D4 Supervisor Joel Engardio asks voters in his district to vote no on Prop. A which is a recall ballot measure to remove him from office. Screenshot photo from X

  • Supervisor Joel Engardio has been going around saying, “I’m trying to save my job”—as if voters should feel sorry for him. But this recall is not about a man desperate for work. This is about accountability, broken trust, and a supervisor who has failed the Sunset District.

    Selena Chu (center) is a D4 resident, mother, and Recall D4 Supervisor Joel Engardio campaign volunteer. Courtesy photo

  • Joel Engardio’s tenure as Supervisor of District 4 has been marked by a pattern of betrayal. During his campaign, he promised to keep the compromise of the Great Highway as a shared space that most neighbors supported. Yet a year later into his term, he clandestinely drafted a ballot measure with a handful of people to reverse that very compromise, closing the Great Highway for park use and ignoring the overwhelming majority wishes of his own constituents.

    A recall election will be held on September 16, 2025 to decide by District 4 voters if Supervisor Joel Engardio should be removed from office. Courtesy Recall Engardio campaign

  • Joel Engardio held zero town hall meetings before pushing through a permanent closure of the Upper Great Highway that affects almost 20,000 daily commuters. I am one of them.

    Selena Chu (center in front row) has been active in the Recall Engardio campaign in support of the removal of D4 Supervisor Joel Engardio from office. Courtesy photo