Kathryn Ma…writes with authority about racial politics in San Francisco, a city where, not long ago, “all the Asian lawyers in town fit into five or six tables.” Now Chinatown power players can block or tip a judge’s promotion, and the annual luncheon of the local Asian bar association fills the banquet floor.

...the conflict stemmed partly from the perception among some that Google Glass is a symbol of privilege and the rising presence of affluent tech workers in the [San Francisco] community.

At a time when the tech industry has drawn a backlash in the...Bay Area, where [it is] increasingly portrayed as concerned with...narrow privileges at the expense of society at large, Congressman Michael Honda’s supporters have labeled Ro Khanna (above) a “Silicon Valley groupie” whose wealthy donors are trying to buy a congressional seat. Silicon Valley has traditionally stayed aloof from politics. But richer and more powerful than ever, the tech industry has become increasingly involved, both in lobbying and in fund-raising. And some of its boldface names have shown strong support for particular candidates, including Cory Booker of New Jersey in his successful run for the United States Senate and Mayor Ed Lee of San Francisco’s campaign for a full term.

directs the Lifelines to Healing Campaign, a project of the PICO National Network. The campaign is committed to addressing gun violence and mass incarceration of young people of color.

"In 2013 there was a drop in homicides in Oakland, San Francisco, Richmond...in San Jose, [and] in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago—from your perspective what do you think is going on here?"

"As only about 6.6% of the population, black people are far from the majority in CA...people in Oakland, Los Angeles and San Francisco had such diverse views of the world, leading to a real clash of ideas this season among the interviewees, more so than in past seasons...”

as soon as that toothy-grinned parody sits alongside a few peers, it’s an anachronistic gut-punch that contextualizes the absurdity (and yes, the racism).

...Income inequality is growing ever worse, and it is increasingly clear that one of the forces fueling this trend is the technological innovation flowing out of the Bay Area...The very fact that this boom is not a bubble, and will not suddenly vanish, means we can’t ignore it, or laugh it away. This is the new normal...A mature Internet economy is generating huge riches, and it is remaking the face of San Francisco and the larger Bay Area in the process.

from the world of a small Chinese village, to the courtesan parlors in Shanghai and on to 19th century San Francisco, following three generations of women...

The true top 10 most diverse zip codes...

“The Bay Area has strong pockets of homeownership by people of color—in Oakland, in Richmond, in the Bayview [but] ... there are fewer homeowners than there used to be, and the homes are less likely to be controlled by people who live in the community.”

Before hitting the San Francisco leg of the Legends Of The Summer Tour with Justin Timberlake...Hov made a quick stop at the Facebook offices to visit Mark Zuckerberg and the team...

...few places in America represent the urban trauma of the 1960s more than [Newark, New Jersey]. Deindustrialization, corruption, suburban flight and calamitous planning gutted its core, tore up neighborhoods...The...toxic environment was encapsulated in the desecration of the Passaic River, which borders Newark. It became a dumping ground for dioxin from the defunct Diamond Shamrock Chemicals Company, which manufactured Agent Orange.

a quiet upheaval is turning that river, polluted as it may be, into a front line of reclamation. It’s a common approach these days, from Seoul to Madrid to San Francisco: upgrading cities by revamping ravaged waterfronts.