It is time for California to decriminalize, tax and regulate marijuana and decide who sells it, who can buy it legally, and for how much. When California became the first state to approve medical marijuana, we led the nation on progressive drug policies, and now it is time to lead...

Recently we were shocked, like thousands of other parents, to see Victoria's Secret's "Bright Young Things" advertisement for their PINK line of underwear.

It's not that thongs meant for young women emblazoned with phrases like "Call Me" and "Feeling Lucky?" are entirely shocking coming from Victoria's Secret, but...

When Ryan Andresen was six years old, he did what many young boys do: he joined the Boy Scouts of America. For the next 12 years, Ryan was an exemplary scout, earning badges and climbing the ranks of the Boy Scouts.

Recently Ryan completed all the requirements to earn the...

Eight years ago, San Francisco took a stand against discrimination. We decided it was time to stop treating our friends, our neighbors, and our co-workers differently because of whom they loved. I have never regretted that decision, but I remember the backlash well -- the attacks and the criticism that...

Senator John F. Kennedy used to roast the Eisenhower Administration's overly-rosy economic forecasts by comparing them to "a policeman bending over a body in the alley and saying cheerfully, 'Two wounds are fatal. The other one is not so bad'."

As a small business owner and Lieutenant...

For the nearly 15 million unemployed Americans who seek the dignity of work and pride of a paycheck, a jobless economic recovery is no recovery at all.

As the Mayors of San Francisco, California, and Providence, Rhode Island, we know intimately that cities are grappling with this reality as...

Our current culture has an unprecedented awareness of food and its source. Organic, locavore, sustainable, free-range, farm-raised: these have all become household terms. We pay more attention than ever before to what goes into our shopping carts and into our stomachs. Food has even become a major source of entertainment:...

When you trace the roots of the record-busting foreclosure rate and the havoc that has wrought on the American economy over the last few years, San Francisco's mailboxes probably don't come to mind as a logical starting point. But they should.

Those mailboxes are where major...

As leaders in our nation's capitol continue to talk about health care reform, in California premiums keep rising and millions remain uninsured. Health insurers in our state and across the country face scrutiny for unjustifiable premium increases. Thousands more are now likely to lose their coverage.

Cities...

Repeating a lie over and over doesn't make it true. But if you listen to Republicans on the subject of job creation and the federal stimulus package, it's obvious they don't understand that or care.

Newly-elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown (R) recently declared that the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act...

Despite hopeful signs that the worst of our nation's economic crisis is behind us, unemployment rates across the nation remain stubbornly high. In California, December payrolls were down another 40,000 jobs and at 12.4%, our joblessness rate remains among the highest in the country. For the millions of Californians who...

We've all seen them. Neon signs advertising fast cash and instant money on so many street corners in our low-income neighborhoods. In the United States, there are more than 23,000 of these payday lending loan stores, more than Starbucks and McDonalds combined.

But, it wasn't until I truly delved into...

Today, the most famous building in San Francisco is also one of the most environmentally friendly in the country. The Transamerica Pyramid building has achieved a LEED Gold certification.

Even in these difficult economic times, green building is taking off in San Francisco, thanks to our aggressive green...

With our great views, amazing food, easy access to spectacular natural terrain and a rich and vibrant cultural scene, the quality of life in San Francisco has long been considered to be one of the best in the country. But like many cities around the country, we too are feeling...

Nearly two years after America entered into a recession, joblessness continues to plague our working families. California, the largest economy in the United States, reported an unemployment rate of 12.5 percent last month.

Yesterday, in our nation's capitol President Obama convened a job summit with business leaders to find...

You can't build a new house on a cracked foundation. If we're going to put California back on the leading edge, we have to fix our broken system.

Right now, our government is an opaque system of special interest-driven constitutional amendments, archaic legislative rules, and complex ballot initiatives that...

With the upcoming University of California walkout, we asked our Facebook community recently how the impending UC and CSU cuts were affecting them. The response was overwhelming:

Stephanie from SF State needed only two classes to graduate with her bachelor's degree. But one of the courses was eliminated -- graduation...

Americans are angry. This summer we've seen frustrations boil over in health care town halls across the country. But what are people mad about? Most are upset about the economy and afraid about losing their jobs. They are using town halls to vent.

I understand health care reform is...

Politicians and pundits on both sides of the aisle are trying to make national health care reform into a game. One senator even said that defeating health care reform is about "breaking" President Obama.

It is not about "breaking" our president. Reforming our national health care system is about...

As Congress debates how to pay for national health care reform, here in California we are showing there are ways to make coverage both universal and affordable.

In San Francisco, we are finding that one of the most effective reforms, and the most affordable by far, is...