48 Hills | Independent daily San Francisco news + culture

Why the Public Defender’s Office can’t take all the felony cases City Hall is forcing on us

The mayor's anti-crime agenda has a cost—and the indigent clients of Public Defender Mano Raju shouldn't be paying it

Opinion Matt Gonzalez - January 21, 2026

Will Trump try to kidnap Newsom and seize California’s oil wells next?

Watch out, Gav: Maybe your state is his next takeover target

Humor Joel Schechter - January 21, 2026

Drama Masks: Does ‘The Book of Mormon’ hold up in darker times?

'South Park' creators' Broadway smash returns at 15. Plus: Killing My Lobster popped back in with a sexy mime competition.

Stage Review Marke B. - January 21, 2026

BIG WEEK: Arooj Aftab, Atrium Art Fair, Found Footage Fest, Mark Morris on the moon…

Endzeit takes Pier 29, Tiny Criossanterie pops up, Fuzz leaves the garage, Josh Kornbluth returns, more to do!

Big Week Marke B. - January 21, 2026

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Food & Drink

Good Taste: Super Bowl scores with local food fests

Tamara Palmer - January 21, 2026

Family Style Food Fest, Taste of the NFL, Super Bowl Crab Feed—the big game week is packing snacks.

Art

With SF Art Week, a great Bay Area painter comes home

Emily Wilson - January 21, 2026

'Elmer Bischoff' at new Nelson Duni Gallery is the largest showing of the Figurative Movement legend's work in 20 years.

Contest

Sketchfest giveaways! Win tickets to see Jodie Sweetin and Thomas Lennon (sings the Smiths)

Marke B. - January 21, 2026

The comedy takeover continues this weekend: Subscribe to our Daily newsletter to enter to win.

Culture

It wasn’t all bad! Our 15 favorite local cultural moments of 2025

Marke B. - January 20, 2026

Dead & Co, Mychal Threets, Coyote Media, Golden State Valkyries, Art Book Fair, rap royalty... moments that shone last year

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New study shows that deregulation is not the answer to the affordable housing crisis

Housing Tim Redmond - January 20, 2026

Upzoning might make SF affordable—in 100 years. Or we could address economic inequality, the real cause of the problem

Drama Masks: Stage predictions for 2026

Onstage Charles Lewis III - January 19, 2026

Will AI take over companies? Would a recession be good for artists? And which three companies give us hope for local theatre's future?

Sketchfest stars reflect on wild comedy journeys: ‘I worked at two Starbucks’

Comedy Joshua Rotter - January 19, 2026

Randall Park's odd jobs, Thomas Lennon's Smiths obsessions, Jodie Sweetin's 'Full House' roots teased out at fest.

Lurie discovers affordability

City Hall Tim Redmond - January 16, 2026

But of course, that doesn't mean taxing the billionaires

So what if the billionaires leave California?

Elections Tim Redmond - January 15, 2026

A member of Patriotic Millionaires says the rich probably won't flee a new wealth tax—but we might be better off if some of them did

As Trump threatens Cuba, a solidarity visit shows the impact of US sanctions

News + Politics Mark Ginsburg - January 15, 2026

Even Cuban Olympic hopefuls are cut off from qualifying events

Mosswood Meltdown’s full lineup drops: Dead Milkmen, Iggy Pop, Bikini Kill aboard

Music Marke B. - January 15, 2026

Otoboke Beaver, Frightwig, Scowl, The Dirtbombs, many others kick July Oakland punk fest into the stratosphere

Good Taste: A new Girl Scout cookie—and some classic hacks

Food & Drink Tamara Palmer - January 15, 2026

Northern California’s 2026 SZN is here, and we’ve got the flavor intel. (Hint: Add a Medjool date to your Tagalongs.)

BIG WEEK: Honoring MLK, SF Sketchfest, SF Art Week, Bob Weir and Claude tributes…

Big Week Marke B. - January 14, 2026

Lunar New Year lion dancing at SF libraries, Felix Da Housecat, Analog Dog, Noir City, Tacos Oscar pop-up, more

Should I sign that petition? A handy guide to the clipboards you’re seeing on the streets

Elections Tim Redmond - January 14, 2026

Make sure you know who is funding the the ballot measures before you sign.

The US fails again to fix the real causes underlying poor health

Healthcare Bruce Mirken - January 14, 2026

Flipping the food pyramid and banning SNAP for 'junk food' don't address class, race, and other social determinants of health.

Sketchfest giveaway! Win a pair of tickets to Mark Mothersbaugh + Red Room Orchestra

Contest Marke B. - January 13, 2026

Hear the Devo founder's beloved scores for 'Pee-wee's Playhouse,' 'Rugrats,' and 'Thor Ragnarok' performed live.

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Movies

Screen Grabs: Noir City sings the blues

Plus: Swedish silent cinema classics, Jennifer Reeves' therapeutic deconstruction, beautiful 'Magellan,' and a hurrah for Truffaut.

Movies Dennis Harvey - January 13, 2026

Screen Grabs: Our favorite films of 2025

Screen Grabs: Triumph of the pencil-‘stached uber weasel

Screen Grabs: Bi Gan’s dazzlingly hubristic ‘Resurrection’

Music

It wasn’t all bad! Our 15 favorite local cultural moments of 2025

Dead & Co, Mychal Threets, Coyote Media, Golden State Valkyries, Art Book Fair, rap royalty... moments that shone last year

Culture Marke B. - January 20, 2026

Sketchfest giveaway! Win a pair of tickets to Mark Mothersbaugh + Red Room Orchestra

Under the Stars: Rickshaw Stop staff takeover, a Mosswood Meltdown surprise…

Devo-meister Mark Mothersbaugh’s quirky screen scores come to Sketchfest

Art

With SF Art Week, a great Bay Area painter comes home

'Elmer Bischoff' at new Nelson Duni Gallery is the largest showing of the Figurative Movement legend's work in 20 years.

Art Emily Wilson - January 21, 2026

Ashima Yadava’s art documents South Asian survivors—and rebukes hypocritical politics

Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith’s art is empowerment writ large

‘Look, Mommy—blue people!’ Catherine Wagner sapphirizes 500 Capp

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Housing

New study shows that deregulation is not the answer to the affordable housing crisis

Upzoning might make SF affordable—in 100 years. Or we could address economic inequality, the real cause of the problem

Housing Tim Redmond - January 20, 2026

A small piece of land in SF for unhoused people to build their own future …

Lurie ignored tenant groups when drafting his Muni parcel-tax proposal—and that’s a problem

The bogus (and needless) politics of austerity

Politics

Lurie discovers affordability

But of course, that doesn't mean taxing the billionaires

City Hall Tim Redmond - January 16, 2026

Should I sign that petition? A handy guide to the clipboards you’re seeing on the streets

Urban Ore workers win contract after three-year battle

General Motors wants $71 million from SF, and the city attorney wants to fold

Opinion

Why the Public Defender’s Office can’t take all the felony cases City Hall is forcing on us

The mayor's anti-crime agenda has a cost—and the indigent clients of Public Defender Mano Raju shouldn't be paying it

Opinion Matt Gonzalez - January 21, 2026

Donald Trump’s own thugs

In 2026, let’s not follow failed housing policies in progressive San Francisco

‘Nonsense, folly, and impertinence:’ Some predictions for 2026

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48 hillsIndependent San Francisco News + Culture

48 hillsIndependent San Francisco News + Culture

48 Hills is community-supported journalism

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