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Happy Holidays from your District 3 team!
Out supporting Yuet Lee’s Sam Yu at his Far East Cafe pop-up in Chinatown - now serving up all your holiday needs!
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As we’re all too well aware, COVID is still with us despite our hard and effective work to achieve remarkably high vaccination numbers and roll-out of vaccines for children. While the Omicron variant’s debut has raised concerns, we are prepared with a wide array of opportunities for youth and children to be vaccinated and adults to get boosters. Here’s what you can do to make the variant an unwelcome guest at your holiday gathering:
Children ages 5-11 years of age are now eligible for the vaccine, so please help get every eligible member of your family vaccinated in time for the holidays! We have made significant progress on vaccinating and boosting our residents, averaging 3,900 boosters per day. Currently, the San Francisco Department of Public Health recommends COVID-19 boosters for all adults to prevent a potential winter surge and protect our most vulnerable families – along with getting your flu shot!
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Vaccine sites in Chinatown and North Beach neighborhoods
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It’s incredible to think that it’s been almost two years since the spread of the COVID-19 virus forced social and economic shut-downs across the globe, highlighting huge inequities in our healthcare system and generating a massive loss of life. Even with the heaviness of the past two years still reverberating through the lives of many of us, I continue to hold onto inspiring memories of the community collaborations that got us through the darkest points. I am grateful for my team – including the thousands of city employees who stepped up during the pandemic – as well as the community and the work that continue to motivate us each day
We collaborated with Chinatown CDC and Self-Help for the Elderly and obtained funding to support 34 struggling Chinatown restaurants and provide 122,000 meals to seniors and families living in our SRO’s and public housing through the ground-breaking Feed + Fuel program. We drafted and passed the strongest tenant and health protections for SF residents in congregate housing. Our push to create Shelter in Place hotels saved valuable hospital beds from surging with homeless placements, ultimately leading to the State’s creation of the Homekey Grant program for permanent supportive housing. When restaurants and small businesses were struggling to pay their workers and stay afloat, we led the work to create the Shared Spaces parklet program first in North Beach and ended predatory mega commissions by food delivery apps like DoorDash and GrubHub. The Shared Spaces program has now become a permanent fixture of outdoor dining, despite a rough roll-out , and I’ve introduced legislation to extend the moratorium on compliance fees & fines for another year to ensure the City has its act together, while leaving core life safety and disability access provisions in place. We continue to go after the worst abuses of the booming gig economy, celebrating a historic $5.3M wage theft settlement that put money back into the hands of workers, while protecting local restaurants from falling victim to the predatory practices of DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats. We said good-bye to beloved local legends like Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Jack Hirschman, and welcomed new friends to our neighborhood, like the acrobats who re-light the stage at Club Fugazi.
Actually, looking back through our newsletter archives from the past two years has been a reminder of everything we did together, at a time when it felt like the world was in free-fall. I’m wishing you and your families a truly joyous and safe holiday, as many gather for the first time in a long time. In the meantime, here are some legislative updates for some light holiday reading!
See you in the neighborhood,
Aaron Peskin
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Housing San Franciscans through Production & Preservation
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Victorious Veto-proof Vote to Create $64M Housing Preservation Fund
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The Housing Stability Oversight Board recently released recommendations on how to expand the City’s Small Site program, as properties with vulnerable tenants flooded the market. I was proud to join my colleague, Supervisor Preston, with the support of housing and labor leaders, in creating an emergency $64 million housing acquisition and preservation fund that will help the City protect these vulnerable “small-sites”, apartment buildings and SRO’s from looming Ellis Act evictions, support local land trusts, spur reforms of the Mayor’s Office of Housing programming, and keep housing permanently off of the speculative market.
As Housing Stability Oversight Board staff presentations revealed, District 3 is ground zero for a recent surge in vulnerable properties hitting the market. As I said at our recent press conference , you can’t be “pro-housing” and not invest in building up programs that to date have saved 47 buildings with a total of 368 units. These are workers, families and seniors living on fixed incomes that will forever be protected in permanently affordable housing. We can fund and fix at the same time, and I’m looking forward to working with the Mayor’s Office of Housing to acquire more sites in District 3! |
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Housing Stability Oversight Board map of potential small sites and SRO’s at risk of speculative evictions
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The Final Chapter of Decades-Long Fight for Broadway Affordable Housing
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Fortune gave a gift to San Francisco with the Embarcadero Freeway teardown. Last month, I got to celebrate the final realization of two decades of work fighting to ensure these four freeway parcels, formerly for cars, were developed into affordable housing for San Franciscans (and one park!). It wasn’t easy, and if there wasn’t one challenge there was another. Former Mayor Willie Brown wanted to turn one of the sites into a new Central Station, and KPIX actually went after me for trying to build affordable housing on another.
Ultimately, through the combined organizing efforts of the Telegraph Hill, Barbary Coast, Chinatown and North Beach communities, we were able to secure funding and support for entire communities to thrive. It’s amazing to have served long enough to see Broadway & Battery, Broadway & Sansome, and now Broadway and Davis all become affordable housing for San Franciscans of all stripes – and a fourth parcel become Sue Bierman Park.
The grand opening of Broadway Cove (125 units) and 735 Davis (53 units) was especially poignant because the units will be the first to take advantage of the Senior Operating Subsidy (SOS) program I developed with former President Norman Yee, that ensures that seniors making 30% or less of the Area Median Income (like many of our Chinatown seniors) can afford the rents at 735 Davis. While these units were not a part of the project as originally proposed, the organizing efforts of the neighborhood truly made the project better and more affordable. I was proud to be the community’s champion on this issue.
Finally, I also want to thank Kari Lee and her amazing team at the Chinatown YMCA for taking on the childcare obligation at the site and providing critical, culturally competent and quality childcare for 55 mixed-income slots, which will be supported by the City’s “Affordable Childcare for All” program. It was incredibly moving to serve long enough to see this final chapter in the Freeway teardown come to life - and welcome residents home! |
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Celebrating the grand opening of Broadway Cove/735 Davis affordable housing for all!
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"A Union at Home": Tenants Right to Organize Legislation
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Even before the pandemic, tenants were struggling to beat back everything from banked rent increases to evictions and tenant harassment. For the first time in San Francisco history, we have melded the storied grassroots organizing structures of union labor with the shared values of tenant organizing. With the support of the SF Labor Council, Housing Rights Committee and the Veritas Tenants Association, I have introduced legislation to give tenants the right to request negotiating meetings with their landlords. It would allow 50% plus one to organize and create a proactive framework for landlords and tenants to mediate existing issues pertaining to rent, management, common spaces, and other tenant-related matters. Read more:
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Bridging the Digital Divide in our SRO's
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This past fall, I was proud to stand with SRO families in Chinatown to unveil the completion of our SRO WiFi program, in collaboration with the Department of Technology. The pandemic exacerbated an already challenging digital divide in low-income communities of color, especially ESL and immigrant communities. The older SRO housing stock in neighborhoods like Chinatown, where redlining led to decades of disinvestment in neighborhood infrastructure, is particularly difficult to install internet. We heard from Chinatown SRO families that they were overwhelmed at the sudden need to have 24/7 internet access for their children’s at-home Distance Learning. We also heard from seniors struggling to get online for health appointments during the shutdown. So I targeted $200,000 for the Department of Technology to pilot a SRO wifi program that would increase bandwidth and access in the densest area of Chinatown. So far, five SRO sites (for a total of 276 units) have been initiated successfully into the pilot program, with two of the five SRO sites close to final completion. You can read more about the program here.
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Small Business Updates From the Heart of District 3
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City Wins Historic Wage Theft Settlement Victory for DoorDash Drivers!
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Three years ago, I filed a complaint against DoorDash after hearing stories from constituents and food delivery drivers of gross violations of our local labor laws. Throughout the pandemic, the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement (OLSE) doggedly pursued an investigation at my behest, ultimately preparing the case that allowed the City Attorney’s Office to negotiate the largest wage theft settlement in San Francisco history. San Francisco has long led the country in worker protections, and this historic settlement sends a strong message that these laws will be enforced and that companies cannot exploit our workers for profit and get away with it. While my wage theft complaint was filed three years ago, it covers conduct that DoorDash continued during the pandemic, a particularly devastating time for workers and small businesses. In particular, it was an honor to recognize the entire OLSE compliance team for their persistent work investigating and auditing DoorDash’s practices at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting. Their teamwork ultimately led to $5.325 million in direct restitution for approximately 4,500 DoorDash drivers, many of whom are receiving payouts over $10,000. We hope this victory brings restitution and relief to those harmed, including the knowledge that this settlement is a tacit acknowledgment that drivers are workers - and as such, have rights and protections under the law. Read more here.
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"Love your Local Laundromat" Legislation
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My “Love Your Local Laundromat'' legislation was adopted unanimously by the Board of Supervisors this past fall. Laundromats are a critical component of neighborhood infrastructure, proving especially important for dense low-income communities that may not have in-unit facilities. My policy team did a citywide survey that revealed that 1 in 3 neighborhood laundromats have been shuttered over the last decade, despite the obvious ongoing need and inherent public health and hygiene benefits. Preserving laundromats is an equity issue and must be a priority to guarantee families of all incomes have the ability to wash their clothes and household linens within walking distance, particularly seniors and people with disabilities. Fundamentally, my legislation is the first step to ensuring the City prioritizes neighborhood-serving needs when looking at zoning changes, particularly those that will impact essential services. If you have any questions regarding my legislation or perhaps want to highlight your favorite neighborhood laundromat (I’ve been loving the handwritten notes from many of you!), please contact my staff Lee Hepner.
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Mark Your Calendars: Delayed Vacancy Tax Starts January 1, 2022
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| In 2020, I authored Proposition D’s Vacancy Tax, to preserve the vitality of commercial corridors and reduce retail vacancies. Voters agreed on the need for this measure, overwhelmingly passing it by 70.09% of the electorate. While it was supposed to take effect in January 2022, my office - in partnership with the City Treasurer Jose Cisneros - delayed the implementation due to COVID-19. The year hiatus will end at the start of the new year, though; so a scaled tax will be imposed on owners who keep their storefronts vacant for 6 months or longer, with the money going into the Small Business Assistance Fund to support the maintenance and operation of small businesses in San Francisco. The message is clear: particularly in the wake of the most brutal moments of the COVID-19 pandemic, we cannot afford to let commercial landlords gauge or evict our beloved small businesses without a price. The entire commercial corridor and surrounding neighborhood suffers when once-vibrant corridors are boarded up and vacant. |
Legacy Businesses & Immigrant Historical Impact in District 3
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The newest D3 additions to the Legacy Business Registry: Dee Dee Boutique, Biordi Art Imports, Harris’ Restaurant and VJ Grocery
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We have seen significant outcomes and improvements across small business corridors after the launch of the Legacy Business Program and continue to look into strategies to strengthen it by making it more accessible. This past budget cycle, along with Supervisor Connie Chan, I put forth a budget package to restore grant funding to the successful program, as well as funding for additional staff to help with application processing and in-language outreach and marketing. I am proud to announce that the latest Legacy Businesses to come out of District 3 include Dee Dee Boutique, Harris’ Restaurant, Biordi Art Imports, and VJ Grocery . I try to frequent as many as I can throughout the week - and was especially gratified to see some show up on the annual “Best of the Bay” list for 2021.
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Born in District 3, "Shared Spaces" Parklets Are Here to Stay!
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As we interpret the recent press release from the Mayor’s Office announcing legislation to extend additional timing to improve safety and accessibility changes to the Shared Spaces Program , I want to reinstate my commitment to making it more accessible and equitable to ensure all San Franciscans have the opportunity to access the program. Prior to this announcement, many of my constituents have reached out to my office expressing their concerns and anxiety regarding the arbitrary guidelines provided by multiple city departments. When we take on legislation and implement enforcement of city codes for programs such as the Shared Spaces, we must be diligent and conscious of the impact, as well as, prioritize the needs of businesses that are barely recovering from the pandemic.
Read more about some of the stories that we heard from small businesses and recent interviews highlighting my commitment to making this transition as easy as possible for businesses.
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Jumping Through Hoops to Bring Club Fugazi Back!
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Our close work with the high-flying team at 7 Fingers Production to restore the historic Club Fugazi was brought to a scary halt by the pandemic. But perseverance and hope won the day. Working with Gypsy, David and John, we were able to ensure they could safely open at limited capacity with proof of vaccination this past fall, just in time to debut their moving tribute to this resilient city, “Dear San Francisco” . The acrobatic, music and dance performance provided the special kind of healing that only art can do - and which so many of us needed in the wake of the 18 months of loss and social isolation. The response has been so incredible, that the 7 Fingers crew has extended performances through March of 2022. You know what this means: tell your friends and organize group outings with your co-workers and family. Help us ensure that arts and performance remain central touchstones of North Beach nightlife and entertainment. Read more via Broadway World.
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Transportation & Street Safety Updates
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Vision Zero Quick-Build Projects Coming Soon!
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Years of work to put together a congestion management/Vision Zero revenue measure finally paid off when the voters approved my TNC Tax back in 2018. Since that time, we have steadily been allocating TNC tax funding to the City’s Vision Zero quick-build program, which includes everything from pedestrian to bicycle safety improvements. Despite delays caused by the pandemic, my office has continued to work on several key projects, with the following updates to share:
- Central Embarcadero Safety Project- The Port Commission finally approved this critical quick-build project this past summer, with strong support from my office. Port and SFMTA staff have spent the past fall coordinating final design details and hope to conduct field testing at the Embarcadero and Broadway intersection in spring of next year. The full project includes a two-way protected bikeway with bike boxes and turn bays, enhanced pedestrian crossings and new signalization.
- Battery & Sansome Bike Quick-build - My office has been working closely with SFMTA to take the 2019 completed Sansome & Battery connections to the next level, by analyzing options for a protected bikeway on Battery Street from Market to Vallejo Streets and Sansome Street from Market Street to Broadway. The project will serve as a safe bike connection to the Battery/Sansome Connections Project, north of Broadway. Preferred designs, informed by ongoing community outreach, will be finalized in the spring of 2022 with an Open House and legislation in early summer of 2022.
- Sutter Street - Sutter Street westbound is a mighty rush of 3-lane traffic and we’ve increasingly heard interest in pedestrian and bike safety along this Lower Nob Hill corridor from residents. SFMTA will begin the process of looking at improvements, with community input, starting next year and coming to the SFCTA Board for TNC Tax dollars to fund this latest Vision Zero quick-build!
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Lower Polk Safe Passage to Redding Elementary School is Hiring!
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When Redding Elementary School families came to our office asking for support to replicate the Tenderloin Safe Passage program we sprung into action. Working with the Lower Polk Community Benefit District and WalkSF, we conducted multilingual in-person walking surveys at pick-up and drop-off, then worked to secure funding in this past budget. Now comes the hard part: finding folks willing to get involved in their community and become a part of this incredible program.
The Safe Passage program will be run out of the Lower Polk Community Benefit District and they are currently looking for a Safe Passage Program Coordinator. It’s a Part-Time (25-30 hours a week) job at $35-$40/hour. The Coordinator will be responsible for all aspects of the Safe Passage program, both operational and administrative. The Coordinator will also work with the LPCBD Director to identify additional capacity, funding and volunteers. Right now, my office has been regularly volunteering, including our incredible interns, to walk Redding Elementary scholars to and from the Tenderloin. Join us! Please submit cover letters and resumes to Chris Schulman.
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Critical Bus Service Restored, Thanks to Advocacy
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| My office worked hard to push for service increases to the 8 Bayshore after Muni service restarted, and it is operating from 5:00am-12 midnight everyday, including to Fisherman’s Wharf and Visitacion Valley City College campus. Constituents have repeatedly said that even that is not enough to meet the demand, so my office has been working with SFMTA to restore the 8AX and 8BX bus routes, connecting Chinatown to Visitacion Valley quickly and families to jobs and essential services safely. We are happy to announce that through the collective advocacy of both our office and President Walton’s, as well as Chinatown TRIP, both routes will be restored next month as part of the 2022 service restoration rollout. Thank you to the community for speaking up for essential service. |
Jefferson Streetscape Improvement Project Finally Complete
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My office is proud to have partnered and worked closely with Public Works and the Fisherman’s Wharf community over the past few years to help secure funding for Phase II of the Jefferson Streetscape Improvement Project , a critical pedestrian safety and beautification project that includes widened sidewalks, new lighting and landscaping, expanded public seating and bike parking along Jefferson Street from Jones Street to Powell Street. Alternating concrete bands were also installed to provide traffic calming. As a San Francisco County Transportation Authority Board member, I helped allocate over $8 million in SF Transportation Tax and SB1 funds to complete the project that I helped start with Phase 1 during my first term in office as a part of the Fisherman’s Wharf Public Realm Plan!
While battered by the pandemic over the past year and a half, Fisherman’s Wharf continues to be an iconic San Francisco destination that welcomes visitors from across the globe, helps drive our local hospitality industry economy and generates jobs for San Francisco and Bay Area residents. The completed waterfront promenade stands ready to welcome visitors just in time for the holidays - so hope to see you out for a stroll and a chowder bowl! You can even stop by Aquatic Park to see the new dedication plaque for “Buck’s Bench” - in honor of my late friend, former Deputy City Attorney, Buck Delventhal.
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Government Transparency & Accountability
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For many years, I have sponsored good government legislation to address corruption and curb pay-to-play politics. In 2018, I took on dark money in local elections, the massive, hard-to-track work of political action committees (PACs) and independent expenditure campaigns (IEs) enabled by the Citizens United Supreme Court case . In the years since then, I’ve taken on “behested payments” or donations made to a government agency or charity at the request of an elected official for a legislative, governmental or charitable purpose. My amendments to a long dormant piece of legislation were considered and passed earlier this month, and would require City Department heads and Directors to report their fundraising activity, just like elected officials are required to do. These sweeping reforms are rooted in the very simple premise that we should not be putting ourselves or other city officials in the position of raising money from parties who are seeking financial benefits from us. This quid pro quo behavior has been the subject of a frankly shameful and embarrassing chapter in our City’s history, and I’m hopeful that this will help put it behind us. You can find the full draft of the legislation here. Read more via The San Francisco Standard.
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SF Redistricting & Other District 3 Community Updates
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Get Involved with Redistricting & Share Your Input on Redrawing Electoral Lines
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Every ten years after the Census is conducted, any population changes are analyzed to ensure that all 11 Supervisorial Districts are still relatively equal in population size. If not, then a Redistricting Task Force is formed with 3 members appointed by the Elections Commission, 3 members appointed by the Mayor and 3 members appointed by the Board of Supervisors to redraw the Supervisoral district boundary lines. During the Census outreach last year, my office worked closely with community groups to ensure every San Franciscan was counted, including SRO residents, immigrant and monolingual communities. Learn more about how the citywide population changed over time by checking the Census report.
The Redistricting Task Force has been meeting since September and must put forth a final SF map by April of 2022 by law. The current district map can be viewed here, and your input and advocacy is needed to ensure the Task Force understands the need to keep communities of geographic and socio-political concern intact. You can also submit your own maps to the Task Force via the mapping website. Please listen to the meetings, call in and participate so that your community’s voice is heard.
CA State Redistricting
California is one of eight states with an independent commission tasked with redistricting the congressional, legislative and state Board of Equalization districts. They are under increasing pressure to ensure equitable outcomes in a state that has gained a diversity of voting citizens in the last decade. Read more to learn how you can be involved.
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Department of Disability and Aging Services Community Assessment
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| The San Francisco Human Services Agency is currently doing community outreach through online surveys to hear what improvements can be made to services for older adults and people with disabilities. The survey is intended to inform how the city can best serve and tailor resources in accordance with community needs. Take the survey by December 17. |
East West Bank Ribbon Reopening: A Sign of Recovery for North Beach and Chinatown
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Small businesses are a core piece of the City’s economic recovery and the pandemic has highlighted the lifeline that community-based financial institutions have provided to struggling small businesses. This past fall, I was pleased to join Central Station Cpt Ng and Chinatown business and civic leaders at the reopening of the East West Bank at the corner of Broadway and Stockton, a critical junction between North Beach and Chinatown. While national chains continue to abandon local branches and cut critical services to residents and local small businesses, community-based financial institutions like East West Bank continue to carry forward the commitment and enthusiasm to jumpstart the local economy despite the pandemic. The recently renovated facility will continue to offer multilingual services with additional staffing capacity, providing the culturally competent support that the community needs on its path to financial recovery.
I want to especially thank Cpt Julian Ng and his officers for working closely with East West Bank over the past months to greatly reduce cashier check fees to $1.75 for seniors. Many seniors rely heavily on cashier checks to withdraw and transfer funds from SSI benefits to pay rent and other utilities. The reduced fees (which normally range anywhere between $5-$10) can also reduce the seniors’ chances of being victimized on benefit distribution days by reducing their need to withdraw large sums of cash and shortening lines at the banks. Thank you, Cpt Ng, for championing this concept and East West Bank for pioneering this initiative - we hope other financial institutions follow suit! |
Commending Former Commissioner Allan Low for his Service
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| Whenever there is an opportunity to thank a member of our community who goes above and beyond the call of duty, it’s a moment to be seized! Last month, I joined Supervisor Chan and former Supervisors Yee and Fewer in hosting a “thank you!” to outgoing Rec & Park Commissioner Allan Low for his exemplary contributions to the people of San Francisco. Tenderloin, South of Market, Chinatown and Japantown leaders all spoke from the heart about Allan’s contagious spirit of optimism, integrity, relentless work ethic, and deep love of public service. During his time on the Rec & Park Commission, Allan fought for more parks, affordable housing, and small business protections, always through an equity lens. His commitment to serving our most vulnerable should be an inspiration for anyone seeking to serve on a board, task force or commission. |
Happy Holidays from Nob Hill
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I look forward to the annual Nob Hill Association Tree Lighting Ceremony every year. It’s not only a time to socialize and catch up with neighbors, but a time to recognize the extraordinary first responders who have gone above and beyond to serve our community. A donation is made every year to the charity of their choice, and it was my honor to recognize the work of both the SFPD Protector of the Year, Gary Kunaboot, and SFFD Protector of the Year, Wayland Gin, as well as the beneficiary of this year’s neighborhood philanthropy, Raphael House.
As we close out another year of work together in the community, I want to wish you and yours a safe, healthy and happy holiday. |
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