San Francisco nonprofit news site The Frisc shuts down after nine years

Overview

Updated Oct 14

The Frisc, a San Francisco nonprofit news site, shut down at the end of September 2026. It spent nine years covering the city's housing wars, street safety and public schools. Its website now describes its coverage as running from 2017 to 2026.

Editor-in-chief and co-founder Alex Lash said the site ran out of money and saw no path to long-term sustainability. The closure removes one of the few outlets that made density and affordability its core beat, as San Francisco's housing debates shape policy across California. A 2025 Northwestern University study counted 2,843 local papers shut since 2005.

Why it matters

San Francisco lost one of the few newsrooms that consistently pressed city hall on housing and street safety, just as local coverage is shrinking fast.

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Key Indicators

Years The Frisc published

The site launched in spring 2017 and announced it would close at the end of September 2026.

2,843

US local papers closed 2005–2025

Northwestern University found total local papers fell from 7,325 to 4,482 over two decades.

Reporting staff at peak

The site employed six regular contributing reporters and full-time staff at its height.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Alex Lash

Editor-in-chief and co-founder, The Frisc

Announced closure; planning to look for a journalism job

Anthony Lazarus

Co-founder, The Frisc

Stepped away from the project in 2024; has left journalism

Barry Owen

Co-founder, The Frisc

Died of pancreatic cancer in 2020

Lisa Plachy

Senior editor, The Frisc

Joined in 2024 while at UC Berkeley journalism school

Ida Mojadad

Regular freelance writer, The Frisc

Won SPJ NorCal award for SF public schools coverage in 2025

Ayla Burnett

Freelance contributor, The Frisc

Won SPJ NorCal 'Best Feature' award in 2025

Organizations Involved

The Frisc

Nonprofit news site

Announced closure at end of September 2026

A San Francisco nonprofit news site focused on civic issues, especially housing density and affordability.

Mission Local

Nonprofit Newsroom

Reported The Frisc's closure

A San Francisco nonprofit newsroom that focuses on the Mission district and citywide civic issues.

SF Standard

News Organization

Reported The Frisc's closure

A San Francisco digital news outlet launched after The Frisc, covering city politics and civic affairs.

Timeline

January 2005 October 2026

11 events Latest: October 2nd, 2026 · 4 weeks ago Showing 8 of 11

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October 2026
Goodbye party date
Latest Event

The announcement set a goodbye party with karaoke, dancing and trivia at Mariposa Hunters Point Yacht Club for Oct. 2.
October 2nd, 2026
September 2026
Announced end-of-September closure
Closure

Lash's announcement said the site would publish a couple more stories and wrap up by the end of September.
September 30th, 2026
The Frisc closes operations
Closure

The site shut down at the end of September as announced. Its website now shows the coverage period as 2017-2026.
September 30th, 2026
The Frisc announces closure
Announcement

Lash writes that the site will shut down by the end of September, citing no path to sustainability.
September 9th, 2026
2025
Funding dries up
Financial

Donations decline; Lash cites the end of federal public radio funding as a factor. Site wins two SPJ NorCal awards same year.
2025
2024
Lazarus steps away
Departure

Co-founder Anthony Lazarus leaves the project and later the industry.
2024
2021
SF Weekly goes on hiatus
Closure

San Francisco's last alternative weekly announces indefinite hiatus, shifting resources to the Examiner.
2021
June 2020
Co-founder Barry Owen dies
Loss

Owen, the self-described nature fairy, dies of pancreatic cancer.
June 2020
2019
Lash goes full time
Milestone

Alex Lash quits Xconomy to run The Frisc full time.
2019
April 2017
The Frisc launches
Founding

Four friends launch The Frisc with a focus on San Francisco's housing crisis.
April 2017
January 2005
Decline of US local papers begins
Context

Northwestern's 2025 study dates the local paper decline to 2005, when 7,325 papers existed.
January 1st, 2005

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Historical Context

3 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

November 2021

SF Weekly indefinite hiatus (2021)

SF Weekly, San Francisco's last alternative weekly, announced an indefinite hiatus. Owner and real estate investor Clint Reilly had bought it and the San Francisco Examiner the previous year.

Then

The weekly stopped publishing, and the Examiner absorbed its resources.

Now

The city's alternative weekly tradition, which dated back decades, effectively ended.

Why this matters now

Same city, same fate: a once-vibrant local outlet unable to sustain itself financially, leaving San Francisco with fewer independent newsrooms.

2017–2018

The Village Voice closure (2017–2018)

The Village Voice, the landmark New York alternative weekly founded in 1955, ended its print edition in 2017 after 62 years. New owner Peter Barbey later moved it digital-only, then shut it down entirely in 2018.

Then

New York lost its most storied alternative paper, a hub for cultural and civic criticism.

Now

The closure symbolized the collapse of alt-weekly advertising and the shift to digital, dooming many city-focused independents.

Why this matters now

Shows how even the most legendary local outlets could not survive the loss of print advertising, the same economic force that killed The Frisc.

2005–2025

US local paper decline (2005–2025)

A 2025 Northwestern University study counted 2,843 local papers closed over two decades, dropping the total from 7,325 to 4,482. The Bureau of Labor Statistics attributed the decline to lost advertising and consolidation among survivors.

Then

Hundreds of communities lost regular coverage of local government, schools and courts.

Now

The shrinkage accelerated reliance on wire services, partisan outlets and a few large chains for local information.

Why this matters now

The Frisc's closure fits a two-decade national pattern; its specific twist is that even a nonprofit with loyal donors and a defined civic mission could not find a sustainable model.