I was the co-owner and editor in chief of the Marina Times (marinatimes.com), which we sold to L.A. Weekly in 2021. We built a neighborhood newspaper into a community monthly reaching all city neighborhoods and beyond via a robust Twitter feed (@TheMarinaTimes). I have written for the San Francisco Chronicle and co-hosted the Ryan Scott Show on KGO Radio for several years, where I also served as a guest host. Currently, I am a regular contributor to KGO’s John Rothmann Show, the most highly rated radio talk show in the Monday through Friday 6 to 9 p.m. time slot.
I am best known for my commonsense writing about San Francisco’s politics and politicians, the homeless and drug crises, controversial District Attorney Chesa Boudin, and the long and corrupt history of “The City Family.”
In April of 2019, I exposed Mohammed Nuru, director of San Francisco’s Department of Public Works, and his four decades of corruption, including questionable trips to China and Argentina. In June 2019, I revealed Nuru had a past romantic relationship with Mayor London Breed, who helped him create the Fix It Department for his then-girlfriend Sandra Zuniga. Ten months later Nuru was arrested by the FBI; Zuniga was arrested by the FBI as well after the FBI wiretapped her phone as “Girlfriend No. 1,” and Breed was forced to go public with their past relationship and gifts she received from Nuru.
In March of 2020, I exposed the illicit relationship between San Francisco Public Utilities Commission general manager Harlan Kelly Jr. and his deputy general manager Juliet Ellis along with the thousands of dollars they charged ratepayers for trips taken together. In June 2020, both Kelly and Ellis, along with their travel records, were subpoenaed by the FBI.
In July 2020, I wrote an investigative piece called “Friends with Community Benefits” about the pay-to-play scheme between the SFPUC and Joint Venture Boards, where developers are pressured into donating to nonprofits favored by SFPUC executives. In that column, I also exposed a link between Harlan Kelly and disgraced construction expediter Walter Wong. After that report, Kelly was arrested by the FBI.
I am currently working on a book based on my popular column “Jasmine Blue’s Tails of the Dog Park,” which ran for 57 chapters in Northside SF Magazine (northsidesf.com). In 2009, my passion for shelter animals and grassroots rescue groups led me to spend four months undercover with Rocket Dog Rescue at the San Francisco SPCA, once considered the best SPCA in the country. The San Francisco Examiner, NBC, nationally syndicated Animal Wise Radio, and numerous pet- and animal-related websites picked up the resulting Northside San Francisco cover exposé, “How the San Francisco SPCA Let Us Down.” The scathing 10,000-word piece and several follow-up articles resulted in the SF/SPCA’s president, vice president, and half of its board of directors, including the board chair, stepping down.
My 2011 series on the Stow Lake boathouse lease revealed corruption and illegal lobbying at City Hall, which led to an investigation of the San Francisco City Attorney and forced his longtime campaign manager Alex Tourk to resign over conflicts of interest.
I also spent many years as a food critic and writer where I interviewed renowned chefs and celebrity cooks including Thomas Keller, Gary Danko, Eric Ripert, David Kinch, Todd English, Tyler Florence, Guy Fieri, Ted Allen, Cat Cora, Jacques Pépin, Rachael Ray, and many more.