SF City Hall Reporter

The San Francisco Chronicle is looking for an aggressive, enterprising reporter to cover City Hall with a focus on housing, homelessness and the drug epidemic, writing about San Francisco’s and California’s struggles to confront these crises.

Homelessness and open-air drug use in San Francisco are the No. 1 issue facing the mayor and the city as we head into an election year and have become national stories. The reporter on these beats will be tasked with explaining why one of the richest cities and states has failed to make significant progress on such visible and intractable problems while also looking at innovative solutions.

This is an opportunity to break news on the people and policies shaping the crisis, hold the powerful to account, amplify new and important voices, and explain these issues to readers both here and around the world. The reporter will be part of the San Francisco City Hall team and will focus on how city departments and elected officials respond to the crisis. The reporter will be expected to build sources in the homeless community, spend time on the streets and tell the stories of unhoused residents.

Reporters at The Chronicle seek to provide must-read, best-in-class coverage through scoops and investigative stories, and utility pieces that demystify how politics and government systems influence homelessness. We’re seeking a self-starter who has strong writing skills, is comfortable providing and taking feedback, thrives on collaboration, is committed to inclusive journalism and wants to own the stories that matter most.

What you will do:

Compete to break news for SFChronicle.com and the Chronicle's print edition.
Examine how systems and leaders deliver on promises.
Develop enterprise stories, profiles and analysis pieces.
Produce digital projects by collaborating with other newsroom teams.
Appear on The Chronicle’s news podcast, Fifth & Mission.

What it will take to be successful:

At least three years of experience in a newsroom or related work environment.
Strong news judgment, creativity, meticulousness and commitment to fairness.
Willingness to dive deeply into policy details while clearly explaining them.
Ability to collaborate and work in a fast-changing news environment.
Commitment to visual storytelling and openness to alternative story forms.

Requirements:

This position is full-time and will likely include occasional weekend work.
The candidate must be based in the Bay Area.

In accordance with applicable law, Hearst is required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role if hired in California. The reasonable estimate is between $75,000 and $90,000. Please note this information is specific to those hired in San Francisco. If this role is open to candidates outside of San Francisco, the salary range would be aligned to that specific location. A final decision on the successful candidate’s starting salary will be based on a number of permissible, non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to skills and experience, training, certifications and education.