“​​Even if you're a stranger, you belong here, this is your house,” said Lorenzo Listana, one of the community leaders who spearheaded the project.

Artist Kaylan Rose re-imagined Optimus Prime as transgender for an installation at the St. Joseph's Arts Society. Kaylan transitioned in her 60s. "I always had a weird feeling, like I wasn’t living the right life," she said.

We're taking some time off! The TL Voice (meaning @daphnem.bsky.social @noaharroyo.bsky.social and @laurawenus.bsky.social) will be out starting Monday 6/13. It's a much-needed break, but we're already looking forward to being back.

David I. Lewis was going through a midlife crisis. Knowing that the universe wasn't going to grant him a red sports car, he decided to get creative. Here's the story behind the drag show at Sunday Streets.

Major props to the TLV for helping the community win. But the fight here never ends. Support them.

The air at City Hall was ebullient as many service providers discovered that their budgets would remain intact. But not all organizations got through the night unscathed. www.tlvoice.org/sweeping-res...

The city budget is nearly finalized. People turned out in droves for Public Comment Day on Wednesday, taking their final opportunity to urge that lawmakers preserve the programs that had helped them or others. www.tlvoice.org/city-budget-...

Cheryl Block Shanks shares two poems from her late father, a Golden Gloves boxer. One, about injustice and Black people being held back. The other, about how we are all "brothers and sisters." "Both of these poems are true. That’s what’s so hard about the world." www.tlvoice.org/living-in-bl...

It's the final week of negotiations over the city budget and we've compiled a list of opportunities for community members to weigh in.

They sang, chanted, and staged political theater in the latest of a series of actions intended to shift the conversation about closing SF's budget deficit.

The budget cuts would leave “potentially irreparable” holes in San Francisco’s social safety net, “and untold numbers of people would fall through,” said the head of Hospitality House. www.tlvoice.org/service-prov...

Here’s a list of cuts expected to affect the Tenderloin and opportunities for residents to give input on budget decisions.

More actions are planned — over two a day next week Monday through Thursday — to push legislators to restore funding to programs and services being cut from the city budget.

The cuts would be "penny-wise and ton-foolish," said one organizer. But beyond the fiscal argument, advocates were laying out what's at stake in the proposed budget, which guts services that people rely on.

REMINDER: This rally happens TODAY at 11am! We'll be there alongside the Tenderloin. Join us! www.tlvoice.org/tenderloin-m...

Catch us live on air at 10 a.m. today! We'll be on @kalwradio.bsky.social's call-in show Your Call to talk with Angie Coiro about the San Francisco budget and how organizers are fighting to preserve Tenderloin programs and services. Chime in by calling 866-798-8255 or emailing yourcall[at]kalw.org.

The fire displaced residents from 21 units and resulted in damage throughout the building. The timeline for repairs is unclear.

I'm probably about to be laid off because of these specific cuts. Our Tenderloin neighbors will be even worse off. Please voice your anger.

In the Tenderloin, city budget cuts are expected to affect services like case management, job training, and a youth clinic. Organizers are pushing back on those decisions — and inviting the community to participate.

"More than once, I showed up to use a site that was absent. It simply wasn’t there. It turns out that the city’s publicly available information about restrooms can lead people astray." www.tlvoice.org/tenderloin-r...

So it turns out the early childhood intervention systems in this city are really, REALLY difficult to navigate. I learned a ton writing this story, including that some specialists refuse to work with kids in the TL because they're afraid to come here. A real-world consequence of its reputation.

Lots going on in the budget-advocacy world. One of these (with the SF People's Budget Coalition) is happening today!

The proposed city budget makes significant cuts to services and programs in the Tenderloin. We've made a list of some upcoming events advocates are organizing to inform, engage, and rally neighbors who want to make their concerns heard:

How bad would it be if the Market Match program went away? People in the Tenderloin will tell you that it could take food off their plates. www.tlvoice.org/fate-uncerta...

There are important services available that help get young kids developmentally ready for kindergarten. But they're not always accessible — and there are disparities in who manages to get them. A group of leaders in the field have done their research and have suggestions for how to fix this:

“Market Match is under threat. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed state budget removes its funding, which would kill the program by early 2027.” @tlvoice.bsky.social

Even though overdose deaths have decreased slightly, racial disparities persist. With their year-old nonprofit Brothers Against Drug Deaths (BADD), Theris Coats and Richard Beal are creating the services and programs they believe can help address inequities and save lives.

PBC is tracking the proposed cuts, BUT, we only even know about a third of the cuts at the moment. More will come out. Link is to their tracking doc

Anya does some super quick graphics generation and creates this stark comparison between the volunteers' budget priorities and the city's proposal. When she mentions that the city is investing comparatively way more in public safety (as in, policing), boos rise from the crowd.

Hello from the D5 Budget Town Hall at the Kelly Cullen Community in the TL. The People's Budget Coalition is handing out these postcards for residents to share their funding priorities with the Mayor

“We did it last time, and we’re gonna succeed again this time.” In which the Tenderloin, AGAIN, goes to Sacramento to push on lawmakers. www.tlvoice.org/tl-goes-to-s...

The TL's Food Justice League went to Sacramento to save a nutrition-access program called Market Match, telling lawmakers it's vital for both shoppers and the vendors they buy from. We were along for the ride:

At a rehearsal for an upcoming Skywatchers performance, we got a peek at the artistic process of this ensemble. Their work is distinguished by care and mutual respect, but also humor and a willingness to be playful.

So, leaving the TL Voice office yesterday, we saw that someone'd left a poster on our wall telling us / the community about tomorrow's budget committee hearing. Which means, yep. That's going on our community calendar. Here: tockify.com/tl.events/de... Forward that link to anyone in the TL.

Monte was becoming someone who defied easy classification. The doctors wouldn’t let that happen. In this honest, arresting essay, they chronicle their loss of identity as an adolescent. And they challenge us all to challenge ourselves, to push society to grow. www.tlvoice.org/price-of-pre...

Staff at the Michael Baxter clinic said they were blindsided by the news that it would be closed. On Monday, workers and union organizers will head to a commission hearing to advocate for it to remain open.

On arts access, unorthodox dancers, and cheering at the ballet: Tyree Leslie talks with @laurawenus.bsky.social about how Kathy Mata Ballet is a social statement in itself.

Happy #415Day! It's been circulating in the neighborhood for a little while already, but here's a few words about Issue 2 of our ✨zine✨ which we continue to be very excited about. We think the stories in it really capture something about that special SF and Tenderloin spirit.

One more #LocalNewsDay action before the day is out! Many of you have shared very kind feedback with us directly, which feels amazing. But…would you be willing to share a testimonial about us for potential partners and funders? These folks want to — and should — hear directly from you!

Happening in Dodge Alley right now: Poetry readings and music. Come by in the next hour to catch a performance

Hi again! Up next in our #LocalNewsDay action series: 🗣️ Talk about us! Repost this, follow us, or mention us to a colleague. Word of mouth (yes, online counts too) is critical. When you mention us, you’re introducing us around. We appreciate it!

We’re back! Here’s another way you can help us meet more of our neighbors for #localnewsday: Give someone a copy of our zine! Yes, we’re distributing them in person already, but YOUR personal recommendation is worth a lot! Thanks for spreading the word. @localnewsday.bsky.social

TL Voice @tlvoice.bsky.social is the neighborhood media that the Tenderloin has deserved for a long time

Happy #LocalNewsDay! It’s a day to connect newsrooms and communities, and since we’re new here, we’re asking for your help getting to know more people. All day, we’ll be sharing how. First up: Forward our newsletter! Links to our latest below — plus a signup link if you need it. Thank you!

Tomorrow is @localnewsday.bsky.social — dedicated to connecting communities with trusted newsrooms. We'll be marking the occasion by sharing ways those of you who already know us can help us meet more of our neighbors. That's critical at this stage, when we've just launched.

“The world needs to hear: Here, in San Francisco, in the Tenderloin, they were shakin’ shit up before Stonewall!” — Community organizer Tyree Leslie on "The Compton's Cafeteria Riot" play. More on why this show moves people:

“Many kids, they’ve never seen a clarinet up close, or a viola,” said clarinetist Sarah Bonomo. “Orchestral classical music is inaccessible in the way it’s been historically presented — as high art.” But that’s not how it felt in the Tenderloin that day. www.tlvoice.org/beethoven-te...

Today is Transgender Day of Visibility. Breonna McCree, co-executive director of San Francisco's Transgender District, reminds us that happiness itself is a form of resistance. www.tlvoice.org/joy-resistan...

“Zora Neale Hurston once wrote that ‘if you are silent about your pain, people will kill you and say you enjoyed it.’ Right now, that warning feels apt as history repeats itself, endangering trans and nonbinary people.” -Breonna McCree, The Transgender District www.tlvoice.org/joy-resistan...

It's official: Chef Dontaye Ball is the owner of Café Mélange at City Hall. And February 26 is SoulStation Day in SF, honoring a restaurant that's coming soon to the Tenderloin. www.tlvoice.org/mayoral-comm...