San Francisco’s new Large Vehicle Refuge Permit (LVRP) will reshape where — and whether — people can continue living in RVs:

"When Carlos Brito's RV was towed in early September 2024, tears streamed down his face." "For many older immigrants and families, vehicles are a last resort, a fragile safety net." "I just want to live out my remaining years with dignity." #California #USA #ElSalvador #Housing

The Small Division winner of the Insight Award for Visual Journalism is “San Francisco’s RV Communities Fight Displacement” from @eltecolotesf.bsky.social.

If you're attending the Online News Association conference this week, please come to our panel, moderated by our cofounder Sara Lomax and featuring panelists from our partners @documentedny.bsky.social, @eltecolotesf.bsky.social, @scalawagmagazine.bsky.social & @trentonjournal.bsky.social.

Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 to lift limits on ICE stops in Los Angeles, clearing the way for agents to resume immigration arrests and raids in the region. Follow our Immigration Tracker for ongoing updates. eltecolote.org/content/en/i...

S.F. quietly launched a workgroup to create a new permit for food vendors. Informal food vendors say the proposed plan is out of reach. Paired with an uptick in enforcement, they say the city’s ultimate goal is to dismantle a fragile economic lifeline altogether.
 eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

Federal officers escalated their use of force this morning as about 30 protesters clashed with ICE officers outside San Francisco’s immigration courthouse. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

Day laborers are the unseen backbone of San Francisco’s economy, taking on its most dangerous and least protected work. This is the story of one man whose fragile stability shattered when a job cost him his leg: bit.ly/45AS1Aq

Two immigrants fell in love. After building a life together, a routine ICE check-in tore them apart. eltecolote.org/content/en/i...

"This is a huge win." "Latino homeless families are celebrating a major $30 million win for emergency rent vouchers and extended shelter stays." "There are 3,000 homeless children in San Francisco." #California #USA #Housing

Despite California’s strong tenant protections, vulnerable immigrant renters are terrified to invoke them out of fear they’ll be deported. eltecolote.org/content/en/t...

"Real solutions start by treating vehicle residents as neighbors, not nuisances. And by working with us, not just around us." --Armando Bravo Martinez @eltecolotesf.bsky.social

San Francisco calls itself a sanctuary city, but recent ICE raids, police comments, and silence from the mayor’s office tell a different story. Read the Op-Ed: eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

The SFMTA just voted 6-1 to approve a new “refuge permit” — a major step toward enforcing San Francisco’s citywide two-hour parking limit for RVs. Can it actually get enforced? Read about the controversial policy: eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

Mayor Lurie’s proposed RV parking limit is framed as a compassionate fix for vehicular homelessness. But public records show it mirrors the same harmful enforcement tactics that have already destabilized and scattered families across the city: eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

An @eltecolotesf.bsky.social investigation reveals how officials quietly coordinated a crackdown, using parking laws and construction projects to push out RV residents even when safe alternatives didn’t exist.

San Francisco is using parking laws and construction projects to displace RV communities of working-class families. This investigation reveals how the crackdown began — and why it backfired. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

“Nothing would run in this city and this economy without the labor of immigrants and all workers. These are our streets, our building — and if they can’t open it because of us, we’ll consider that a victory.” — Sanika Mahajan, Director of Community Engagement & Organizing with Mission Action

Last night, federal immigration officials sent text messages instructing immigrants to appear at an unmarked ICE office at 478 Tehama Street this weekend — an unusual move outside standard weekday operations. In response, hundreds of community members gathered at 7 a.m. to protest.

San Francisco "used parking laws and construction projects to displace RV residents, even as internal emails flagged legal, logistical and ethical concerns." "These vehicle homes sheltered dozens of working-class Latinx families, who could no longer afford the city." #California #USA #Housing

San Francisco is moving towards a citywide ban on RVs. Our year-long investigation reveals how the mass eviction of a Latinx RV community became the city’s blueprint for displacement — and made the crisis worse. Read here: bit.ly/4loeWFt

Three immigrants were arrested by plainclothes ICE agents at San Francisco’s immigration court Tuesday. Protesters rushed to the scene and attempted to block the arrests. By 1:30 p.m., demonstrators were told the courthouse had been shut down. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

Tonight’s anti-ICE protest in San Francisco’s Mission District ✨

What began as a peaceful protest outside SF’s ICE office Sunday night ended in chaos with more than 60 people arrested. Over 500 demonstrators took to the streets in solidarity with Los Angeles, where Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to suppress protests against federal immigration raids.

Four people were arrested by ICE agents outside San Francisco’s immigration court on Tuesday — a rare tactic Bay Area immigrant rights groups say marks an alarming escalation in local enforcement. eltecolote.org/content/en/i...

ICYMI #Carnaval

In a surprising, last-minute reversal, SFUSD announced Friday that it will rescind 151 of 160 planned layoffs of school counselors and paraeducators — a decision that comes after months of outcry from educators, students, and families. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

After a 10-year battle to bring affordable housing to 2588 Mission Street, community activists lost when the SF Planning Commission approved a 10-story development — with 93% of its 181 units priced beyond reach for the neighborhood’s working-class Latinx residents. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

San Francisco officials deny there’s a crackdown on food vendors. But for those pushed out of their longtime vending spots, the impact feels the same — and now, they’re organizing in response. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

eltecolote.org/content/es/s... Feeling emotional to see this story & video series begin to rollout from @eltecolotesf.bsky.social! This work comes from a years-long partnership with the amazing Somos Investigadoras team & @ucsfpsych.bsky.social Diversity Committee Research Subcommittee - cheers! 💙

16 major Trump-era policy changes immigrants in San Francisco should know about: eltecolote.org/content/en/i...

In his first 100 days, Trump has fast-tracked deportations, cut legal protections, and struck deals to track undocumented people. That fear was front and center on May Day, as thousands took to the streets in San Francisco: eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

From cold plunges to COVID lotería, this small group of immigrant women are combining traditional remedies and grassroots research to strengthen mental health care among Latinos in San Francisco. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

Immigrant tenants launched rent strikes against San Francisco's largest residential landlords, demanding basic repairs, pest control and language access. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

New immigration updates are in: ICE can now operate in houses of worship and the IRS is sharing private data to help deport immigrants. Here’s the latest.

In its former incarnation, the prison was so notorious that it was dubbed the “rape club” by both incarcerated women and staffers (via our partner @eltecolotesf.bsky.social) eltecolote.org/content/en/i...

All signs point to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) preparing to take over a shuttered Bay Area women’s prison to house immigrant detainees — despite toxic living conditions and a documented history of abuse. eltecolote.org/content/en/i...

"In two days, Vilma A. and her family could be sleeping on the streets." "She is one of dozens of homeless parents facing evictions this month due to a controversial city policy that limits family shelter stays to 90 days." "We don’t have anywhere else to go." @eltecolotesf.bsky.social

Atención Comunidad! No se pierda de esta edición impresa del Tecolote (@eltecolotesf.bsky.social) en la cual encontrará información importante sobre “Conozca sus derechos”. Recoja su ejemplar en taquerías, panaderías, lavanderías y demás negocios latinos en el distrito de la Misión, San Francisco.

With mass deportation threats looming, San Francisco leaders acknowledge that difficult times are coming for undocumented immigrants.  But they’re familiar with Trump’s playbook and say they are ready to fight back, with a focus on “building power, not panic”: eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

Nicólas González-Medina believes his art belongs in the streets, amplifying the often unheard voices of people like him: queer, undocumented immigrants. eltecolote.org/content/en/i...

Tecolote newsroom is back in action! 🗞️🦉 This week, we’re working hard to connect S.F.'s Latinx communities with the resources, information and events they need to stay prepared and uplifted as the new administrations take office. In the meantime, the first print edition of the year is here:

ICYMI: San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted 7-3 on December 10 to overturn the city’s controversial overnight towing policy, delivering a significant victory for RV residents and advocates fighting escalating crackdowns on vehicles used as shelter. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

A growing number of homeless Latina mothers are spending months raising their children in San Francisco’s shelters and hotel rooms, trapped in what was meant to be a temporary safety net. eltecolote.org/content/en/s...

In a major win for RV residents, the Board of Supervisors overturned San Francisco’s controversial RV towing ban in a 7-3 vote on Tuesday. The policy, backed by Mayor London Breed and the SFMTA, would have allowed officials to tow RVs if residents refused shelter offers.

2024 was a transformative year for El Tecolote. Here’s a look at our top wins so far, and a vision for what’s next for our newsroom and the communities that we serve.

Before dawn on Thursday, dancers adorned in feathers, sequins, and beads stepped onto ferries bound for Alcatraz Island to celebrante Indigenous resistance and solidarity. Here are portraits of the dancers who brought the Sunrise Gathering to life:

The ongoing hotel worker strike in San Francisco is escalating — and there’s no end in sight. eltecolote.org/content/en/h...

Nearly 2,000 hotel workers in San Francisco are still striking — 60 days and counting. Stawy tuned for our upcoming story.

It’s so important that we listen to people if we’re going to have any hope of helping them in the ways that matter to them and speaking to them in ways they can hear us. Nice work from El Tecolote.