Cecilia Lei
Bay Area journalist, aspiring optimist.
@coyotemedia.org co-founder
@kqednews.kqed.org contributor
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiOur founders, though deeply flawed, understood that democracy requires an informed citizenry and a government accountable to it people. That’s why the press is the only profession protected by the Constitution. It’s also why autocrats and oligarchs seek to control and destroy it.
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiCOYOTE's featured alongside a handful of our fellow worker-owned outlets in @niemanlab.org today, talking about the reality of doing democratically managed journalism. Summary: It's a lot of fucking meetings! www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/jour...
- Reposted by Cecilia Lei"This is the worst fucking time. But watching people's response to ICE has just been the most affirming thing in the world.” We interviewed our friends over at @racketmn.com about what it’s like to cover the crisis in Minneapolis as community-centered journalists
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- Reposted by Cecilia Leiwrote a special newsletter today for @coyotemedia.org that's chock-full of mutual aid links for work happening in Minneapolis-St. Paul www.coyotemedia.org/coyote-weekl...
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiAt home in the dark during SF’s massive blackout last month, as journalist @idamoj.bsky.social scrambled to save food, she also wondered how we got here. It’s too simple to cast PG&E as the only villain, she argues: Why aren’t we talking about the CPUC? www.coyotemedia.org/in-the-dark-...
- Reposted by Cecilia Leibefore 99 ranch opened in my city (suburbia baby!), the ranch and the plaza it’s in is the one I frequented the most bc it was the closest at the time. the video store that we would buy dramas there and I rmr my dad bought this one violent movie and the lady was like “don’t watch this with your kid”
- The Bay Area is experiencing an 'Asian Market Boom.' But what does it mean when immigrant cultural spaces become economic solutions? Read @cecilialei.bsky.social's personal essay on Richmond’s Pacific East Mall, the "retail savior" narrative, and why she’s craving a different story.
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- Reposted by Cecilia Lei“What does it mean when essential facets of immigrant life, like our food and gathering places — which were traditionally ‘othered’ and sidelined — go mainstream?” asks @cecilialei.bsky.social. Check out her beautiful essay on the Pacific East Mall and the Asian market boom 👇
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- Reposted by Cecilia LeiThe Bay Area is experiencing an 'Asian Market Boom.' But what does it mean when immigrant cultural spaces become economic solutions? Read @cecilialei.bsky.social's personal essay on Richmond’s Pacific East Mall, the "retail savior" narrative, and why she’s craving a different story.
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiLove, love, love this @coyotemedia.org essay about Pacific East Mall from my colleague (and fellow Albany kid) @cecilialei.bsky.social. Also it's Ranch 99. I did not realize this was up for debate www.coyotemedia.org/asian-market...
- New Asian grocery stores are opening across the Bay Area and are positioned as retail 'saviors'. Immigrant culture gets celebrated when it’s profitable — and villainized when it’s not. I wrote an essay about it, and about the mall that raised me: Pacific East Mall ❤️
- Reposted by Cecilia Leicleanse your brain, cleanse your spirit: read @rahawahaile.bsky.social and @maggietokudahall.bsky.social in conversation about pigeons www.coyotemedia.org/local-woman-...
- Proud of my colleague @emmaruthless.bsky.social for breaking this important story, and for highlighting how interconnected our local independent creative networks are. What an honor to be trusted, and what a responsibility that @coyotemedia.org takes seriously as we navigate uncertainty together.
- ❤️ this shoutout (takes a bow) FYI Oakland residents!! Right now, a year of @coyotemedia.org costs less than that time you forgot your parking meter expired. Use promo code COYOTE26 before Jan 1!
- If you're doing an end of year subscriber drive, here's the 8 best appeals I found in my inbox. @coyotemedia.org's "A $68 COYOTE subscription is cheaper than an Oakland parking ticket" is a particular standout www.paidnewsletterplaybook.com/examples-the...
- Reposted by Cecilia Lei20,000 words, 150 footnotes, 100+ timeline events = our attempt at documenting and synthesizing all the ways that the federal government has attempted to destroy access to gender-affirming care since January unbreaking.org/issues/trans...
- Reposted by Cecilia Lei$68! A full year’s worth of journalism for $68. It’s like a doordash order that benefits you year-round
- Highly recommend you making beans🫘 the @soleilho.com way. I used their guide when I was crammed to make a quick lunch, and wanted to clear my fridge and pantry. Not a pretty pic, but wow delicious! www.coyotemedia.org/how-to-make-...
- Proof that @coyotemedia.org's paywall-free 'First Aid Kit' pieces are handy in a pinch! Support this kind of service journalism (and everything else we do!) THIS month: 15% off annual subs before 12/31: coyotemedia.org/Reader2026 coyotemedia.org/Yapper2026 coyotemedia.org/gift-subscription
- If you’ve been cheering on @coyotemedia.org from afar (thank you!) or have been enjoying our stories until you hit the paywall (we get it!), THIS is the time to subscribe. Get 15% off annual subscriptions (+ gift subscriptions!) and help us reach 2,026 paid subscribers before 2026.
- We’re a scrappy group of journalists trying to make BIG moves in local journalism. Help us become sustainable! 💪🏼🐺 coyotemedia.org/Reader2026 coyotemedia.org/Yapper2026 coyotemedia.org/gift-subscription And, read more about our campaign!
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiBay-area based COYOTE needs to get to 2026 paid subscribers by end of the year. They're only a few hundred away. Back their project and tell your coolest friends! www.coyotemedia.org/media-coop-m... @coyotemedia.org
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiCOYOTE Media Collective is launching ‘Sprint to 2026’ — our ambitious/maybe a little delusional quest to hit 2,026 paid subscribers by Dec 31! 🐺👟💨 We’ve published more than 70 pieces in 2.5 months with a tiny, feral team. To keep doing that, we need ~600 more members.
- Come for the tote bags and live DJ set, stay for the inevitable journalism gossip. luma.com/f2jy4dho
- TONIGHT! SF! Join us at Casements in the Mission for food, drinks, a live DJ set from @bff.fm, priceless gossip with journalists and indie music folks, tote bags… what more could you want, truly luma.com/f2jy4dho?tk=...
- Reposted by Cecilia Lei“…if you need to talk to your trying-to-be-down auntie about how a land acknowledgement at dinner isn’t enough, please do let her know she can simply text FREESAM to 53-555 and make a tax-deductible donation to actually change the material conditions of Natives.” Also here: givebutter.com/c/9qW07O
- “Our ‘Thanksgiving meal’ is usually to the tune of gas station roller hotdogs and chips, supplemented with caffeine and cigarettes,” writes Lydia Grijalva, who heads to Alcatraz Island every year to greet the sunrise with Native comrades and elders. www.coyotemedia.org/thanksgiving...
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiReally proud of my colleagues for launching this new series at @coyotemedia.org -- First Aid Kit, a set of pieces that help you be safer, healthier, and more helpful in your community. How to respond to an overdose by @nuala.bsky.social
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiVery good piece from @coyotemedia.org on how to deal with protests safely. www.coyotemedia.org/first-aid-ki...
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiWhat should you consider if you're a non-citizen heading to a protest? What's safe to post on social media while you're there? Should you even bring your phone? Read these tips and more in this First Aid Kit Guide on 'How to Stay Safe at a Protest' ✍️: by @cecilialei.bsky.social
- Healthy democracies require protests. But how do we do it safely? I made this guide to help us navigate the risks. Check it out, and please share with your networks. @coyotemedia.org's First Aid Kit stories are always paywall-free! ✊
- The Bay Area’s protest legacy runs deep, but there are new risks: militarized police, more surveillance, higher stakes. In this First Aid Kit guide, @cecilialei.bsky.social breaks down how to stay safe, what to say (or not) if you're detained, and how to protect your rights if you’re risking arrest.
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiThis afternoon, OUSD sent an email alert to parents confirming ICE activity in West Oakland. We are re-sharing COYOTE's 'What We Can Do About ICE' guide to help our communities stay ready and empowered in alarming moments like this. Please share with your neighbors and friends.
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiGiven the passing of disability activist and light-in-the-world Alice Wong, we at COYOTE invite people to share what she and her work meant to them. Whether you knew Alice personally, organized with her, or were simply a fan of her writing, we'd love to hear from you. (1/3) (📷: Jen White-Johnson)
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiEven when @coyotemedia.org was just a little baby pup of an idea I knew I wanted service journalism to be a major part of it. Today I'm thrilled to introduce our First Aid Kit: an acknowledgement of today's challenges, and a rejection of despair.
- Proud to share that @coyotemedia.org is launching First Aid Kit, our ✨paywall-free✨ series that helps you navigate the many challenges of living in the Bay Area and beyond. These stories are a part of our pledge to share critical information during this time of upheaval. ❤️🩹
- Mainstream media loves doom, despair, and a sensational headline. But hopelessness is their tool, not ours. Meet COYOTE's First Aid Kit, our service journalism series where we'll pursue intersectional, evidence-based, and sometimes light-hearted solutions to the challenges of living in the Bay Area.
- First up: How do you make a can of beans sparkle when money is tight, or you just don't want to spend 20 bucks on a sandwich? @soleilho.com provides cooking tips to keep your spirits up! 🫘
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- I just LOVE what's been happening in the aisles of Seafood City. Joy and whimsy - what will sustain our communities right now, if we can manage to find and create these moments for each other.
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiRead @emmaruthless.bsky.social on the Waymo that killed her neighborhood cat and the ways we delude ourselves into accepting evil forces, somehow, in our cities.
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiWhile the feds continue to play stupid games, SNAP recipients are set to lose food aid for the next month. In the Bay Area, a growing number of restaurants are stepping up to help, and we're maintaining the list. Share with anyone who needs it. www.coyotemedia.org/these-bay-ar...
- My latest for @kqedarts.bsky.social. The Chinese Culture Center of SF started in 1965, during the Civil Rights Movement, as a response to 'urban renewal' and the threat of community erasure. It's shaped the culture of SF Chinatown ever since.
- As it celebrates 60 years, the organization is bolder and more unapologetic than ever, launching initiatives that model how to build a sustainable community via art & solidarity💡 Read about the activist DNA of this visionary organization: www.kqed.org/arts/1398284...
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiWhile this federal administration has been busy empowering ICE to become, essentially, an extrajudicial militia allowed to disappear people from our streets, the Bay has been organizing. We will not be beaten down.
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiReporting from @coyotemedia.org cited in here 👀
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiLitquake (@litquake.org), the Bay Area’s sprawling literary festival, kicks off today! Check out picks from COYOTE staff, including events featuring @annaleen.bsky.social, @susiebright.bsky.social, @vietthanhnguyen.bsky.social, @janelleblarg.bsky.social & more www.coyotemedia.org/litquake-gui...
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- Reposted by Cecilia LeiA few months ago I started looking into a missing sculpture. I had no idea I was in for a sculptor with an endless parade of wives, a religious awakening, and a freaky pie. www.coyotemedia.org/where-did-th...
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiAwoooo! We hope you are enjoying reading our stories as much as we've enjoyed creating them! 🎉 We were so excited to share our work with you that we made all COYOTE content FREE for 2 weeks. Today, we're implementing registration and paywalls on the site. Here's the scoop... 1/4
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- Reposted by Cecilia Lei“I’ve been looking for this for my whole adult life, really. And finally, I feel like I’ve found something,." A grassroots group for Palestine started with bake sales and street protests but has grown into something much deeper: a mutual aid support system, and a source of life-changing friendships.
- My first story for @coyotemedia.org is about the towns I grew up in, small cities that even I dismissed as being "too quiet" or "in a bubble." Read about Albany and El Cerrito for Palestine, a group of neighbors that have created a joyful, mutual aid collective while organizing for Palestine.
- This story feels like the kind of reporting I want to do for COYOTE - how communities are finding genuine connection during these dark times, and the BIG impact of focused, hyperlocal organizing. ✨
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- Reposted by Cecilia LeiIf you were lucky enough to be at last night’s @oaklandballers.bsky.social game you not only saw them win it all — you were also in the presence of some elusive statues that the team is on a mission to rescue.
- Reposted by Cecilia LeiAfter months of dreaming, scheming, plotting, and building, we are SO ready to celebrate the official launch of @coyotemedia.org! 🥳 🎉 Join us at Mad Oak this Sunday, 9/28, for an evening of clinking glasses, giving daps/high fives/hugs, and if the mood is right, a collective howl at the moon? 🌙✨
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