San Francisco

Twice named by Condé Nast Traveler as the world’s top city, San Francisco is known for its rich history and tradition, neighborhoods of beauty and cultural diversity, and as the modern gateway for new and exciting visions.

San Francisco Tours

One of the best ways to get a feel for the people and communities in the Bay Area is to take advantage of one or more of this year’s local tours. No matter which adventure you decide to embark upon, there is one common denominator: the way to experience and learn about a city is to meet with, talk to, and learn from the people who live and work in the area.

The schedule of tours is provided below, with descriptions and capacity limits. Please keep in mind that the arrival times back to the hotel are estimates only and may vary somewhat due to traffic conditions.

The type of transportation involved is noted with each tour description. Attendees who opt to use an alternate mode of transportation, e.g., taking a cab instead of walking or riding the chartered bus, will be completely responsible for the cost of that transportation.

Most tour sites are accessible to persons with disabilities; however, tours are generally not accessible to attendees in wheelchairs unless alternative transportation is arranged in advance. Attendees may make such arrangements independently or contact the ASA Office for assistance.

Fees are noted with the descriptions below and include all entrance fees. All fees go toward tour handling, entrance fees, and group transportation costs. Tour fees are non-refundable. If a tour is cancelled due to insufficient enrollment, however, fees will be refunded in full.

Tour attendees must be registered to attend the Annual Meeting. Tour reservations are required and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Confirmations will be mailed prior to the Annual Meeting. Please note that reservations for the site visit of San Quentin Prison must be received by July 1 due to requirements for advance security clearance.

Chinatown Alleyways Tour
Saturday, August 14, 2:45–5:15 p.m.; or Monday, August 16, 2:45–5:15 p.m.
Fee: $27

Transformation of San Francisco Walking Tour
Sunday, August 15, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Fee: $5

Victorian Home Walk Tour
Monday, August 16, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Fee: $22

Mission Trail Public Mural Walks
Monday, August 16, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Fee: $17

Tour of Emeryville: Organizing for Fairness in Economic Development
Saturday, August 14, 3:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Fee: $35

Tour of San Quentin State Prison
Monday, August 16, 8:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Fee: $30

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Regional Spotlight Sessions

The location of the Annual Meeting in San Francisco, offers attendees a unique perspective on the discipline from a regional standpoint. Take a look at the interesting Regional Spotlight Sessions on this year's program.

The Fate of the Public University: The Case of California

Organizer and Presider: James L. Wood, San Diego State University

Panel: Neil J. Smelser, University of California, Berkeley
Denise Moreno Ducheny,California State Senate
Dede Alpert, California State Senate
Gloria Romero, California State Senate

Description: The presider will ask panelists to discuss the short- and long-term prospects of public higher education, with a special focus on California. How will political and economic factors affect the likelihood of California being able to continue the promise of the Master Plan of 1960—to provide affordable, accessible, quality higher education for every California citizen?

Community Organizing and Urban Development: Innovations in Oakland

Organizer and Presider: Isaac Martin, University of California Institute for Labor and Employment

New Organizing Approaches: Actions in Oakland.
--Gary Delgado, Applied Research Center

The Search for Common Ground: Community Organizers, Community Builders, and Community Developers in Oakland.
--Victor Rubin, PolicyLink

Challenging the Market: Organizing and Economic Development in the East Bay.
--Amaha Kassa, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy

Organizing for Environmental and Economic Justice
--Vivian Chang, Asian Pacific Environmental Network
Discussion: Chris Rhomberg, Yale University


Description: In recent years, local groups in Oakland, California, have pioneered new and innovative models for organizing multi-racial and labor-community alliances, and for combining grassroots activism with urban planning and policy development. In this panel, leading local participants and researchers discuss the ways in which Oaklanders are currently remaking urban community.

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Rebuilding the California Labor Movement: Achievements and Prospects

Organizer and Presider: Ruth Milkman, University of California, Los Angeles

California Labor and Corporate Accountability.
--Kirsten Snow Spalding, Chief of Staff, California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO

Labor and Politics.
--Dean Tipps, Executive Director, California State Council, Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO

Revitalizing Our Communities...Renewing Democracy: Labor's Call For Shared Prosperity.
--Amy B. Dean, President, Working Partnerships USA and Former Executive Officer, South Bay AFL-CIO

Immigrant Worker Organizing in California.
--Renee Saucedo, Community Empowerment Coordinator, La Raza Centro Legal


Description: California is at the center of the recent wave of innovation within organized labor and union density is increasing in the state, defying the national trend. The panelists, all key participants in various segments of the new labor movement, will report on their work and share their insights into labor’s recent achievements as well as the challenges that the movement currently faces.

Multi-culturalism and Youth in the Bay Area: Emerging Identities and Movements

Organizer and Presider: Chris Rhomberg, Yale University
Majority in Minority: Growing up “White” in the Bay Area.
--Pamela Perry, University of California, Santa Cruz

A Voice to Be Heard: Diverse Bay Area Youth Building Community Through Arts Activism.
--Marissa Bloom, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Californians for Justice; and Marianne Cariaso, Justice Matters Institute and Power P.A.C.

Southeast Asian Youth Doing Community Organizing in Urban Communities.
--Soo Ah Kwon, University of California, Berkeley
Medicine of Memory: Third World Radicalism in San Francisco.
--Jason Ferreira, University of California, Santa Cruz

Description: This session explores how young people in the Bay Area are experiencing its racial and cultural diversity and what new identities, networks and political movements they are developing. Panelists will speak from a range of perspectives—academic research, grassroots activism and advocacy, and divergent life experiences.

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It’s Not Easy Being Green: Medical Marijuana and Community Health Care

Organizer and Presider: Keith Saunders, Northeastern University

CHAMP: Services for the Medical Cannabis Community, 1996-2002.
--Michael R. Aldrich, Curator, Aldrich Archives, San Francisco, and former Executive Director, CHAMP

WAMM and Patient/Provider Models for Medical Cannabis.
--Valerie Corral, Co-founder, Women’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana, Santa Cruz

Medical Cannabis Clubs, a Model for Drug Legalization?
--Dale Gieringer, Founder and Director, California NORML

A Holistic Approach to Healing with Medical Cannabis.
--Debby Goldsberry, Co-founder, Americans for Safe Access

Proposition S in San Francisco: A Model for Access.
--Marsha Rosenbaum, Director, San Francisco Office, Drug Policy Alliance


Description: Bay Area sociologists and activists assemble to discuss political and cultural struggles over the status of medical marijuana in California, and the formation of patient and advocate communities. The medical marijuana issue encompasses competing visions of medical efficacy, health care delivery, and the roles of patients and caregivers.

Community Empowerment and Sociology

Organizer and Presider: Andrew Barlow, University of California, Berkeley

Bridging Cultures: The Skills Required to Cross Domains.
--Katherine McFate, Rockefeller Foundation

Community Environmental Policing: New Forms of Public Participation in Regulation.
--Dara O'Rourke, University of California, Berkeley

Dilemmas and Challenges in Community Organizing Against Youth Violence.
--Howard Pinderhughes, University of California, San Francisco

Educational Challenges and Latino Community Empowerment.
--Denise Segura, University of California, Santa Barbara


Description: This session explores the work of sociologists studying and participating in social change organizations in California. Presentations focus on the dilemmas and challenges of community empowerment efforts in the context of legal reform, and how sociologists can inform such efforts. The presentations exemplify the issues being examined by the ASA Task Force on Bridges to the Real World.

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Homelessness in San Francisco

Organizer: Teresa Gowan, Manchester University and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Presider and Discussant: Mitchell Duneier, Princeton University and CUNY Graduate Center

Panel: Philippe Bourgois, University of California, San Francisco
Ida Susser, City University of New York Graduate Center
Steve Williams, POWER (People Organized to Win Employment Rights)
Teresa Gowan, Manchester University and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis

Description: This panel will use the case of San Francisco to explore the broader sociological significance of "homelessness" as both immediate material condition and administrative category. Under discussion will be the place of both literal street homelessness and "certified homelessness" within contemporary social policy, the changing politics of workfare and homeless activism, and the relationship between the War On Drugs and the marginality and physical disintegration of street addicts.

California Politics: Recall and After, Rebuilding the California Labor Movement: Achievements and Prospects

Organizer and Presider: Troy Duster, New York University and University of California, Berkeley

Panel: Jackie Goldberg, Assemblymember, 45th Assembly District, California State Assembly
Mark Baldassare, Director of Research, Public Policy Institute of California
Peter Schrag, Journalist , Sacramento Bee, and author of Paradise Lost

Description: In October, 2003, California's voters recalled a Governor—the only time in a full century that such a major political figure has been successfully recalled from office. Even more striking, his replacement is among the most high-profile screen actors in the world. This panel will examine the social and political implications of these developments, and provide a unique California set of perspectives from a respected survey researcher and opinion pollster, a vigorously engaged politician, and one of the most esteemed political journalists in the state.

Crime and the City: San Francisco as a Sociological Place in Mystery Novels

Organizer and Presider: William A. Edwards, University of San Francisco

Description: What can crime fiction writers tell us about the urban environment? What can we learn about San Francisco as a setting for mystery and intrigue? Discover San Francisco as a sociological place in crime fiction. Experience the City by the Bay through the sociological imagination of a panel of award winning mystery novelists (Robin Burcell, Joe Gores, John Lescroat, and Eddie Muller) and the mystery critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, David Lazarus.

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