“Behind locked drawers of file cabinets, in police departments all over California, sit documents no one is supposed to see.”
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A Chronicle Reporter Went Undercover in High School. Everyone is Still Weighing the Fallout
“San Francisco Chronicle reporter Shann Nix probably should have been on her honeymoon in September 1992 when she took on an assignment she would still be thinking about decades later.”
In the Shadow of Silicon Valley
“The San Francisco of my youth was full of small shops whose friendly eccentricity felt like part of the place.”
Spiraling in San Francisco’s Doom Loop
“What it’s like to live in a city that no longer believes its problems can be fixed.”
This Is the Hometown of San Francisco’s Drug Dealers
“A housing boom in one area of Honduras, rooted in migration to the U.S., is being fueled by drug sales in San Francisco.”
Rebuilding the Maze
“After a crucial section of a California freeway collapsed, this formidable construction boss pulled off one of the fastest, riskiest, most high-stakes reconstructions in U.S. history.”
The Final Dead Shows: Part One
“Everyone is dancing a little bit, bobbing, but really they are having an extended, possibly endless, interior experience.”
The Killing of Richard Oakes
“Oakes had sparked an iconic 1960s protest, the occupation of Alcatraz Island.”
Best of 2025: The Most Popular Editors’ Picks of the Year
These audience hits were the most-viewed picks on our site in 2025.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we have stories from Sarah Miller, James D. Walsh, Hanif Abdurraqib, Gabrielle Drolet, and Jeremiah David.

