Hello, I’m Nuala
(it’s pronounced “noo-lah”)
About Me
I am an opinion columnist and editorial writer at the San Francisco Chronicle, where I cover LGBTQ+ issues, homelessness, public health, and, sometimes, birds.
I’ve reported on San Francisco since 2013, working in newsrooms at Hoodline, the San Francisco Examiner, and SF Weekly, which was one of the last alternative weeklies on the West Coast. In 2022, I completed a year-long investigative journalism fellowship with ProPublica and the San Francisco Public Press, where I examined how the city struggles to move people from homelessness to housing.
Outside of San Francisco, my writing has been published in the Guardian, In These Times, and the LAnd.
I just saved someone’s life on San Francisco streets. I wish I didn’t have to
The city’s failure to create a cohesive response to its overdose crisis means that everyday citizens have to step up
Dec. 2, 2023
A few of my favorite stories:
San Francisco rations housing by scoring people’s trauma. By design, most fail to qualify
A process called coordinated entry, used by cities across the country, is meant to match homeless people with housing. In San Francisco’s version, the system could be making it harder for some populations to get indoors.
April 14, 2022
What it’s like to watch A.I. hijack your old job
Hoodline’s devolution from community journalism to farmed AI content raises existential questions about how we get news
May 12, 2024
In San Francisco, hundreds of homes for the homeless sit empty
In spite of a growing Department of Homelessness with an annual budget of $598 million, eligible people still wait months or even years after being approved for assisted housing. Meanwhile, hundreds of units remain unused.
Feb. 24, 2022
I fell in love with a huge oak tree in East Oakland. Here’s what I found out about its history
Oakland has a history of turning its oak trees into celebrities. I would like to make the case for this one
June 27, 2023
Where is Arianna Fitts?
In 2016, a woman’s body was found in San Francisco’s McLaren Park. The murder was never solved, and her missing 2 1/2-year-old daughter, Arianna, was never found.
July 26, 2018