San Francisco, CA
SF mom says legal aid helped keep her family housed, but budget cuts could eliminate program
A program offering free legal representation to low-income San Franciscans could soon fall victim to looming budget cuts and the city’s sluggish post-Covid economic recovery.
Slow financial recovery post-Covid forces San Francisco to make deep cuts
As city department heads look to slash costs at the direction of Mayor Daniel Lurie, San Francisco’s General Civil Legal Services program has been flagged for potential elimination, according to a letter sent to legal aid groups from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD).
“Due to budget constraints and funding reprioritization, MOHCD made the difficult decision to discontinue funding,” the letter noted.
A program offering free legal representation to low-income San Franciscans could soon fall victim to looming budget cuts and the city’s sluggish post-Covid economic recovery. NBC Bay Area’s Raj Mathai spoke with Investigative Reporter Bigad Shaban to understand the details.
The program, which served more than 2,600 people last year at a cost of $4.2 million, funds pro-bono legal representation for a wide range of issues in civil court, including family law, discrimination, and habitability complaints. Advocates say, in most cases, their clients would be unlikely to prevail on their own without the help of city-funded attorneys.
The city also pays for separate legal services programs focusing on eviction defense, gender-based violence, and immigration services. But so far, there’s no indication the existence of those programs will be impacted by the recommended cuts. Funding for General Legal Services funding is designed to offer free legal help for any issues that don’t fall within those three other specific categories.
Adrian Tirtanadi is the executive director and founder of Open Door Legal, which provides free legal representation to low-income families for a wide range of non-criminal issues, such as cases involving family law, discrimination, and habitability complaints.
This isn’t just cuts — this is the elimination of the entire program category.
Adrian Tirtanadi, founder and Executive Director of Open Door Legal
“This isn’t just cuts,” said Adrian Tirtanadi, the founder and Executive Director of Open Door Legal, one of 13 San Francisco legal aid nonprofits funded by the program. “This is the elimination of the entire program category.”
Open Door Legal was among the groups who received the city’s letter announcing the proposed cuts due to “budget constraints and funding reprioritization.”
“The ramifications are catastrophic,” Tirtanadi said. “There will be nowhere for low-income people in San Francisco to get legal assistance on these matters.”
Sienna Dunn says if it wasn’t for the free legal representation she received through San Francisco’s Civil Legal Services Program, she and her two children would have been evicted from their long-time home in the city.
San Francisco native Sienna Dunn turned to Open Door Legal and the city’s Civil Legal Services program when her ex-partner stopped supporting her and her two children financially. The single mother was at risk of losing the apartment she’s lived in for more than two decades but says she “failed miserably” when she tried taking her financial fight to court by herself.
“It’s extremely challenging for somebody who doesn’t have the legal background in order to understand all the pertinent information that’s needed in order for it to actually go before a judge,” said Dunn, a supervisor in the city’s transportation department.
Once Open Door Legal intervened, however, Dunn said her attorney was able to get a judge to order monthly child support payments within just a few weeks of taking on the case.
“I would have been evicted,” Dunn said. “I had paperwork that was in the process.”
City moves forward to eliminate program, but not yet a done deal
Tirtanadi is now trying to convince city officials that cutting the Civil Legal Services program will wind up costing the city a lot more in the long run if people like Dunn lose their homes over legal struggles they can’t overcome themselves.
The decision to cut the program will ultimately come down to whether Mayor Daniel Lurie follows the advice of his department when presenting his full city budget in June.
As of now, Lurie said he hasn’t made any decisions.
“There are lots of recommendations out there right now and we are in the process of working with our department heads,” Lurie said. “This is an ongoing negotiation.”
San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said the city’s budget predicament is forcing city leaders to make painful choices that will ultimately hurt San Franciscans.
“We’re going to see many more cuts that should not be made and that we do not want to make,” Mandelman said. “We also have to balance our budget.”
We’re going to see many more cuts that should not be made and that we do not want to make.
Rafael Mandelman, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Rafael Mandelman, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, says a sluggish financial recovery will likely force the city to make deep budget cuts that “will hurt real San Franciscans.”
What pushed the city into these dire financial conditions?
The number of tourists visiting San Francisco last year was still down by about 3 million people compared to pre-Covid. In addition, parts of downtown remain shuttered.
“You may recall there was a pandemic, and San Francisco has had among the slowest recoveries of any significant American city,” Mandelman explained.
Before the pandemic, San Francisco’s office vacancy rate was the lowest in the nation, at roughly 4 percent. Today, about 37 percent of office space remains empty.
The city is now projecting a budget shortfall in excess of $800 million over the next two years.
While city leaders have tough choices ahead, it’s residents like Dunn who could feel the impact most directly. She hopes the reduction in city services won’t force native San Franciscans like her out of the city.
“Being a native of San Francisco is like finding a needle in a haystack these days,” Dunn said. “So, for people to be able to stay and raise a family here, I think it not only does the city a benefit, but it does the family one as well.”
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San Francisco, CA
50 Beagles Rescued From Wisconsin Lab Arrive in Bay Area, SF Activist Faces Felony Charges
Animal rescue groups persuaded a Wisconsin breeding lab to sell 1,500 beagles after activists worked for a decade to free them, and 50 of the dogs arrived in the Bay Area Sunday. Meanwhile, an SF activist faces 12 years in prison for rescuing some of them prior to the deal.
Last month, several animal rights activists attempted to free 1,500 beagles at Wisconsin-based Ridglan Farms, the second-largest breeder of beagles for laboratories in the US, as KGO reported last week. Four activists, including Dean Guzman Wyrzykowski of San Francisco, were arrested during the rescue operation and charged with felonies, with up to 12 years in prison, according to a post by Wyrzykowski on social media.
“There are thousands of dogs just like her in laboratories across the country,” says Wyrzykowski, while holding the dog he’s accused of stealing.
Last week, animal rights group Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which is based in Florida, and DC-based Center for a Humane Economy made a confidential agreement with the lab to purchase the animals to be adopted out by rescue groups. Per KGO, well-known Berkeley activist Zoe Rosenberg, who brought one beagle named Chester home with her, was among the volunteers helping the dogs in Wisconsin after they were rescued.
As KGO reports, the Northern California Beagle Rescue Group brought 50 beagles to the Bay Area via school bus Sunday, and they’ll be adopting them out to homes in San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento, and nearby cities once they’ve received veterinary care.
The dogs had likely never touched grass until after leaving the lab, and they’ve been slowly acclimating to their new lives. Some were reportedly malnourished and most had bad teeth and were in need of dental work.
“It was very emotional,” says Wendy Lansdon, a volunteer with Northern California Beagle Rescue, speaking to KGO about when the bus full of dogs first arrived in the Bay Area. “Some of them were really quiet when we got in there, some of them were happy, and the other ones were terrified.”
Prior to the dogs’ arrival, the Northern California Beagle Rescue Group announced on social media it was seeking foster home volunteers in Fremont, San Jose, and Sacramento — near where the beagles will be receiving veterinary care. The group is also requesting donations to help fund the dogs’ vet care.
According to the site Save the Dogs, activists had been pushing for the closure of Ridglan Farms for almost 10 years, as investigators, whistleblowers, veterinarians, and others worked to spread the word about the inhumane conditions of the lab, which stayed in operation for decades, despite being hit with hundreds of state-level cruelty violations.
“The dogs born there were treated as inventory: bred, confined, sold to research, disposed of,” says Save the Dogs.
Save the Dogs notes that activists are now targeting Marshall BioResources, the largest breeder of dogs for laboratories in the country, which has operations in New York and the United Kingdom.
Image: Northern California Beagle Rescue/Facebook
Division-leading Dodgers aim to snap home losing trend as they open series against the Giants in a matchup of NL West foes
After dropping their second straight home series over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers head into Monday night’s series opener against the San Francisco Giants sitting atop the National League West Division standings, aiming to avenge a series loss to the Giants from two weeks ago. San Francisco has lost nine of its last 12 games overall and have dropped seven in a row on the road as they begin a 10-game road trip that will keep them away from home until Memorial Day Weekend. The Giants will start Trevor McDonald (1-0, 1.29 ERA) in his fourth start in the Majors while the Dodgers will counter with second-year Japanese import Roki Sasaki (1-3, 5.97 ERA) who has given up a home run in five consecutive outings.
How to Watch San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers:
Date: May 11, 2026
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
TV Channel: MLB Network
Location: Dodgers Stadium
Live Stream the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers game on Fubo: Start watching now!
Dodger center fielder Andy Pages, who has helped Los Angeles claim World Series titles in each of his first two years in the Majors, leads the team this season hitting .333, ranking the 25-year-old Cuban third among all hitters in MLB. Pages is hitting .371 so far in May with five extra base hits and 10 RBIs and has successfully reached base in 13 of his last 14 games.
With nine hits in seven games so far this month, Giants second baseman Luis Arraez is hitting a team-leading .310 at the plate in 2026 and is on pace for his eighth career 100-hit campaign. Arraez is one of only two active players with a career batting average above .300, hitting .316 for his career and leads Houston’s Jose Altuve by 15 points.
What time is Giants vs Dodgers?
Coverage of the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers starts Monday, May 11, at 10:00 p.m ET. Tune in to see if the Dodgers can beat the Giants for the fifth time in the last six games at Dodger Stadium or if San Francisco can beat LA for the fourth time in the last five head-to-head matchups.
What channel is the Giants vs Dodgers game on?
Looking to watch the game? Subscribers can tune to MLB Network to catch the action. Make sure you subscribe to Fubo now to watch this matchup at home or on the go with the Fubo TV app.
Watch the San Francisco Giants vs Los Angeles Dodgers game on Fubo: Start watching now!
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Happy Mother’s Day to all the McCoven who hopefully have better things to do than watch this dreadful baseball team. But if this is your chosen way of spending the day, then welcome, and may the Giants beat the Pittsburgh Pirates to win the series for you.
Right-hander Tyler Mahle takes the mound for the Giants, as the veteran makes his eighth start of the year. He’s 1-4 on the season, with a 5.00 ERA, a 4.91 FIP, and 34 strikeouts to 18 walks in 36 innings. He was very strong his last time out, pitching 5.1 shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
For the Pirates, it’s right-hander Bubba Chandler, a 23-year old in his second season. In seven starts this year, Chandler is 1-4 with a 4.76 ERA, a 5.60 FIP, and 31 strikeouts to 26 walks in 34 innings. Chandler gave up two runs in five innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks in his last game. He has issued the most walks in the Major Leagues, so he’s probably foaming at the mouth to face the Giants, who apparently believe that drawing walks is a sin on par with murder.
Enjoy the game, everyone. Go Giants! Go moms!
Who: San Francisco Giants (15-24) vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (22-18)
Where: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California
Regional broadcast: NBC Sports Bay Area
Radio: KNBR 680 AM/104.5 FM, KSFN 1510 AM
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