Lagging Economic Indicators

S.F. Ranks 5th Best City for Small Business

Despite all the woes of being a small business in San Francisco (HealthySF, insane fees, high rent, strict regulations entitled Yelp reviewers, etc.), working at a mom-and-pop shop in the city is actually a pretty sweet gig, according to a new report. Just in time for Small Business Week, which st ... More >>

California's Economic Recovery Has Been a Tale of Two States

When President Obama was elected in November 2008, the national unemployment rate was at 6.5 percent, and quickly rising. The Great Recession was picking up speed. By the inauguration, the unemployment rate had reached 8.5 percent. It eventually peaked a year later, in January 2010, at 10.6 percent. ... More >>

Blame Uncertainty for Rising Unemployment, Study Says

"Uncertainty!" Scottinsh dramatist David Mallet wrote "Fell demon of our fears! The human soul that can support despair, supports not thee." The human soul and the economy have that in common. By now, it's been ingrained in our consciousness by news stories and stump speeches: Uncertainty is holdin ... More >>

American Parasite: Romney's Bain Represents Capitalism's Worst

Occupy Protesters Clear Port of Oakland This Morning

​Port workers began lining up at 5 a.m. today, ready to get back to work after demonstrators managed to close the nation's fifth-busiest port as part of a massive West Coast effort to shake up the 1 percent. Only it wasn't the 1 percent they were necessarily interrupting. According to the Port of ... More >>

Miracle Faker: Rick Perry's Texas Teaches America the Wrong Lessons

Occupy Wall Street Protest Expands to San Francisco

12 days, plus interest ​Today marks the 12th day of the Occupy Wall Street protests in New York City -- and unlike BART protests, there's no sign that this demonstration is dying down. In fact, it's spreading -- all the way to the West Coast, where California is suffering from a staggering 12 perc ... More >>

San Francisco's $2.8 million Corporate Welfare Tab

Matt Smith illustrationUp with corporate welfare!​Gov. Jerry Brown has moved to cut public money thrown at enterprise tax zones, which provide breaks to companies in certain disadvantaged areas, including San Francisco's financial district and SOMA.But San Francisco companies are veritable corpora ... More >>

John Avalos Wants Central Subway Project to Hire Locals

Local hiring is still an option, not an obligation​Update: Paul Rose, spokesman with the MTA, returned our call just now and said that the agency would not delay the bidding process. He pointed out that any delays could result in the loss of federal funding. Original Story, 2 p.m.: Yesterday, The ... More >>

Jerry Hill to Strip San Francisco's Local Hire Law

Big bark, little bite?​San Mateo County is like a yappy Pomeranian that won't shut up. Just as the county barked at San Francisco's plan for congestion pricing, politicos there are now retaliating against the city for passing its prized local hire law. The ink has barely dried on San Francisco's l ... More >>

Mission Bay Protest Shuts Down Construction Site at UCSF

ABU, waiting for the jobs​After a brief hiatus from protests in front of the Mission Bay construction site where UCSF is building a new hospital, the unemployed woke up this morning and resumed their picketing, this time forcing builders to shut the gates and stop working for several hours.Members ... More >>

Camels Chided For Using San Francisco in Tobacco Ads. Use These Sh*tholes Instead.

Phallic camels aren't welcome in this here town! ​Earlier this week, City Attorney Dennis Herrera and short-timer Department of Public Health Director Mitch Katz wrote a sternly worded letter to Joe Camel's corporate overlords. The two chided R.J. Reynolds for using the Haight -- as well as Brookl ... More >>

San Francisco Unemployment Picture Grows Less Awful

Times are tough in San Francisco. But they're not Joad Family tough. ​By all measures, San Francisco's job market had a damn good run between September and October. Of course, this is the equivalent of a gambler, deep in the hole, winning a single hand. But you take what you can get. Per figures j ... More >>