News and Features

I've worked as a reporter and editor at a number of San Francisco Bay Area newspapers since the mid-1990s, covering breaking news, civil and criminal courts, crime, politics, city hall, development, business, transportation, education, youth issues, music, food and the arts. I've also contributed work to several national and international publications. Here are some of my favorite pieces.

‘The Battery’s Dead’: Burnout Looks Different in Autistic Adults

Autism is still largely considered a childhood condition, as though those children don’t grow up and continue to be autistic. As more and more people are diagnosed, “there are going to be more autistic people graduating college and in the work force,” Mr. Garcia said. Because autistic people have such differing needs, “it may be impossible to determine a uniform policy,” he said. “But it does need to be addressed.”

Buried Histories

San Francisco’s Legion of Honor museum and Lincoln Park Golf Course sit atop the grave sites of thousands of immigrants and indigent people. Their stories—and some of their remains—are coming to the surface.

Historical Clothing’s Comeback

A collection of sewing enthusiasts, dedicated to the anachronistic art of making old-fashioned clothes, stumbles onto a path that revives quality, comfort, ecological consciousness—and respect for the female form in all its varieties.

Google’s Hardest Moonshot: Debugging Its Race Problem

Tech giants are spending millions to diversify workforces and address race and bias. Current and former Googlers call for deeper reflection.

How Ellen Pao lost her job but survived Reddit's swamp of trolls

Silicon Valley’s most controversial executive has personified the discrimination and harassment directed at women in technology and on the internet. A look back at her landmark gender lawsuit and her ouster at Reddit reveals how much – and how little – has changed.

Rape Survivors' Waiting Game 

If you were going to design a sexual assault reporting process to discourage survivors from seeking justice, it would resemble the one we have.

Pot-sniffing dogs’ jobs haven’t gone up in smoke

Legal marijuana is in the air across California, but local and state law enforcement agencies say they won’t retire their pot-sniffing narcotics dogs anytime soon.

Defending Immigrants

“It’s our fundamental belief that everyone has a right to an attorney when they’re facing deportation,” San Francisco deputy public defender Francisco Ugarte says. “That doesn’t mean we are going to win the case, but fundamental fairness requires that, in such a high-stakes proceeding, we provide representation.”

Silicon Valley’s Toxic Past Haunts Sunnyvale Neighborhood

Sunnyvale’s San Miguel neighborhood, with its leafy trees and modest houses, is home to hundreds of families and four schools for young children. Underneath these quiet streets lies a shadow of Silicon Valley’s past.

Backlogged US Courts Are Stranding Asylum Seekers in Detention

There's a massive pile of deportation cases, and a severe shortage of judges. That leaves some vulnerable people stuck behind bars.

UCSF scientists peer more deeply into sensory processing disorder

UCSF is also exploring the genetics behind sensory processing disorder to see whether children with the condition have any differences in their DNA — and whether those differences are the same ones they’ve seen in kids with autism. 

Egypt’s Latest in the War on Metal

How five Egyptian heavy metal fans were mistaken for black bloc protesters -- and sent to jail.