While COVID-19 continues to impact California’s and the Bay Area’s reopening timeline, we are making progress to increase our testing and reduce our hospital numbers, and have carefully begun to safely re-open small businesses and local industries. My office has worked tirelessly over the summer to formulate equitable budget and ballot proposals that will be critical to San Francisco’s recovery.
As a member of the city’s Economic Recovery Task Force, my priority has been to protect essential workers, businesses, economic stimulus, and protect our most impacted communities. As the Chair of the Land Use and Transportation Committee, I co-authored a resolution with Supervisor Dean Preston urging the Governor to extend state eviction protections for small businesses, set to expire at the end of September which was just extended to March 2021. |
Our recently approved budget will have a significant impact on workers, tenants, and small businesses. My office worked closely with community stakeholders to better understand their needs and economic challenges. As a result, the Board of Supervisors approved $5 million to support learning hubs, of which $1 million is dedicated to providing meals to students, $700 thousand towards our SRO rental subsidy program, $2 million to senior housing subsidies, $1 million to expand covid testing services, and general citywide funding for essential social programs and small business recovery. On September 22, my colleagues and I took our first vote to pass a budget that honors the needs of workers, tenants, educators, and families.
Sincerely,
Aaron Peskin |
SRO Emergency Health Protocols - This community-led legislation ensures the City is prioritizing health protocols and COVID-19 testing and noticing in our Single Resident Occupancy (SRO) buildings. SRO residents, essential workers and seniors living in more transmissive congregate settings are more at risk of contracting COVID-19, and also struggle with gettings access to healthcare and testing resources.
These Emergency Health Protocols are one critical safety net to ensuring our SRO community is protected. SF Examiner: SRO Health Protocols Strengthened. |
Healthy Building Ordinance This legislation creates the highest cleaning and health standards for large buildings in the nation, which is critical to protecting our custodial and hospitality workers, as well as restoring confidence for San Francisco visitors and workers that we are open for business and tourism safely. This past Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted amendments to the legislation which were informed by stakeholders from across the hotel and office industries. The legislation is grounded in expert public health guidance, and mandates stronger disease prevention training, cleaning protocols and worker protections.
SF Business Times:Board Passes Permanent Cleaning Protocols for Hotels. |
Shared Spaces & Tables Chairs Fee Waiver: Our legislation waiving fees for sidewalk tables, chairs and display merchandise, as well as parklet applications was recommended by the Budget & Finance Committee this week and heads to the full Board of Supervisors for a vote next Tuesday. My office is also working to ensure that all existing Shared Spaces are grandfathered into the permanent program, so that small businesses have some security that they will be able to continue operating after Shared Spaces expires at the end of this year.
SF Examiner: SF Poised to Waive Outdoor Permitting Fees |
| “CU Sooner”: Since I last provided an update in late July, my “CU Sooner” legislation has passed unanimously at the Board of Supervisors. The legislation significantly streamlines the Conditional Use process for those small businesses that require a Conditional Use and guarantees a Planning Commission hearing within 90 days or the applicant is entitled to a full fee refund. Thank you to the small business community who turned out to support this legislation! |
| North Beach Liquor License “Reset”: The Board of Supervisors will also take a final vote to approve legislation I authored to provide lifelines to approximately 10 small businesses in North Beach who have been unable to apply for liquor licenses by virtue of the fact that they are not full restaurants.This irons out a wrinkle in the law that has existed since about 2012. If you’d like to know if this legislation might affect your business, let my staff know and they will connect you with the appropriate Planning staff Lee Hepner. |
| Hearing on Human Resources Department Corruption - Supervisor Shamann Walton and I are co-sponsoring an investigatory hearing into the employment and reporting practices of the Equal Employment Office, which is housed within the Department of Human Resources, after recent troubling corruption revelations point toward deeper issues with discrimination and fair employment practices. It is clearly time to separate some of these functions in city government and restructure the EEO with appropriate oversight. |
Restructuring the Medical Examiner's Office - After yet another scandal has come to light at the Office of the Medical Examiner, I have called for an audit of the Office's core functions and comparative analysis of the best practices of other like jurisdictions with OME's. The evidence tampering, poor attendance and lax oversight and managment, backlog of cases and overall malfeasance all confirm it's time for serious structural reforms, which we will hear at the Government Audit & Oversight Committee.
KQED: Problems Plague SF Medical Examiner's Office |
Tenderloin Drug Dealing Is Not Harm Reduction: This morning, I joined City Attorney Dennis Herrera to announce a new initiative to stop predatory drug dealing in one of our poorest neighborhoods.
SF Gate: City Attorney Moves to Obtain Civil Injunction Targeting Tenderloin Drug Dealers |
Housing Accessibility for All San Franciscans
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In partnership with my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors and United Educators of San Francisco, I pushed for last year's Proposition E affordable educator housing streamlining measure, as well as the inclusion of $20m in targeted funding for teacher housing projects (beyond the upcoming Francis Scott Key project) in last year's Prop A Affordable Housing Bond.
As I continue to fight to produce and preserve affordable housing for all San Franciscans, I have a deep commitment to ensuring educators can reside in in the beautiful city they serve. This month, we passed Prop E trailing legislation to increase possible public development opportunities and ensure that teachers have the unit sizes they need to grow into housing with families. When we're able to comfortably and affordably house our local teachers and professors, we'll be able to recruit and retain the best educational workforce our students deserve.
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Homekey Program: Addressing Housing Disparities in San Francisco
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For the past year, my office has been working to identify potential SRO residential and boutique tourist hotel sites that might be good candidates for permanent supportive housing. One such SRO hotel site that we have spent considerable time organizing is the Granada Hotel in Lower Nob Hill, near the soon-to-be-constructed District 3 Youth Navigation Center. All of our work over the past year with the tenants and the owner paid off recently when the Governor announced that California's "Homekey Program" was looking for sites to quickly invest in and convert to supportive housing.
With the progress we've made preparing a proposal, the State decided to award San Francisco nearly $45 million, which we hope to use to partner with a trusted affordable houser and acquire the Granada Hotel. Last week, I introduced the grant resolution to kickstart the process, and though no deal is done until it's done, we have a good shot at converting the Granada Hotel into 232 units of permanent supportive housing and protecting the existing tenants. This fortuitous investment opportunity will go a long way toward addressing homelessness and housing insecurity in our community.
SF Examiner: City Working to Convert Lower Nob Hill Hotel to Supportive Housing
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New Guidance on Reopening Personal Services
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| Last week, the Mayor announced new guidelines for safe reopening, including:
Businesses, all with limited capacity
- Hair salons and barbershops, indoors
- Nail salons, indoors
- Massage establishments, indoors
- Tattoos and piercings, indoors
- Gyms and fitness centers, indoors
- One-on-one personal training, indoors
- Drive-in movies, outdoors
- Family entertainment, outdoors (like mini-golf, kart racing, and batting cages, but does not include playgrounds)
- Tours buses and boats
- Hotels and short-term rentals, expanded for tourists
Childcare and education
Other activities
- Places of worship (one person at a time for individual prayer indoors, with 50 people outdoors)
- Political activities (for example, campaign offices), with limited capacity, 1 person indoors, 50 people outdoors
Included in this week's announcement, the City also provided the next steps in our reopening strategy, which will expand the reopening to additional low-risk outdoor activities and in-person learning for students in the next two months. Check out the complete timeline and full guidance here.If you have any questions or need any support, reach out to my staff at peskinstaff@sfgov.org
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Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL)
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The Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) is the federal SBA's disaster loan. It offers SF businesses, nonprofits, certain self-employed, sole proprietors, and independent contractors loans up to $2M with interest rates of 3.75% (2.75% for nonprofits). Loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills. No personal guarantee required for loans $200,000 and under. On April 24, 2020, new funds were added to this program. SBA has resumed processing applications on a first-come, first-served basis.
EIDL Eligibility
- Suffered substantial economic impact
- Business and nonprofits with fewer than 500 employees
Apply * REOPENED *
The SBA is now accepting new applications. NOTE: You can check your status by logging into your account.
Apply online.
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I have been busy this month working on implementing crucial solutions to alleviate this pandemic's impact on small business owners, merchants, tenants, and the broader community in District 3. As a matter of fact, shared spaces and business flow across the district have been successful due to consistent communications with merchants and neighbors. I cannot emphasize enough how imperative it is for all of us to work collectively to mitigate this pandemic's impact on our lives.
In partnership with the SFMTA, we have been able not only to implement shared spaces and expand muni services. My office is here to listen to your concerns and work with you to resolve any issues.
If you would like how you can apply to shared spaces, please reach out to my staff Lee Hepner.
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Lower Polk & North Beach Grand Openings
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This month, we celebrated the revitalization of our public streets for people. We joined Lower Polk Neighbors at the opening of Austin Alley West as a Shared Space for outdoor dining, as well as welcoming new local restaurant El Lopo to the neighborhood. My office has been working closely with SFMTA and the Lower Polk Community Benefit District to ensure that our Lower Polk alleyways have a plan for safe outdoor recreation and small business revitalization.
Across the district, we celebrated the return of the North Beach First Fridays, a longstanding arts & culture program that my office helped expand through support to the North Beach Business Association in last year’s budget. The program has attracted new artists and visitors to North Beach – and volunteers, who helped to monitor the street closures and remind patrons of COVID-19 health guidelines. Circus performers frolicked with neighborhood kids, string quartets performed out in front of cafes and every single restaurant in the neighborhood was overflowing from parklets with happy diners.
We are making it easier to use outdoor places like sidewalks, streets, and open lots for small business recovery during the coronavirus pandemic. Permits are free. If you interested in learning about Shared Spaces in District 3, reach out to my staff at peskinstaff@sfgov.org.
peskinstaff@sfgov.org |
LPTLC MERCHANT WEBINAR TONIGHT, Thursday 9/24 at 5PM: I’m happy to kick off the second installment of the Lower Polk Tenant-Landlord Clinic’s tenant webinars, this time in support of neighborhood commercial tenants. We’ll be going over the latest commercial tenant developments during COVID-19 and taking questions from attendees.
The Lower Polk Tenant-Landlord Clinic is an innovative partnership involving the Lower Polk CBD, the Bar Association of San Francisco, and the SF Apartment Association, which offers tenant and landlord mediation, education on ever-evolving local tenant laws, and lease negotiation support.
Please find more info and register here: https://lptlc.org/merchant-seminar/
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Spearheading opportunities to uplift legacy businesses is imperative to promoting their contributions to our beloved city. Congratulations to Wok Shop one of the newest businesses to join the San Francisco legacy business Registry! Almost 50 years ago, Tane Chan opened The Wok Shop on Grant Ave. I have also nominated many others including Legal Assistance for the Elderly and House of Nanking.
The registration process includes the nomination by a member of the Board of Supervisors or the mayor, a written application, an advisory recommendation from the Historic Preservation Commission and approval of the Small Business Commission. If you have any questions, reach out to my staff Sarah Souza. |
Commercial Lease Assistance
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The City partners with the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights to help SF nonprofits who serve low-income communities and are at risk of displacement with lease review and negotiation and related services. Enroll here.
OEWD funds Community Vision to assist nonprofits at risk of displacement due to eviction or non-renewal of a lease.Learn more and schedule a call.
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San Francisco took the latest step inching toward normalcy, with some children getting in-person education for the first time since the shelter-in-place order. DCYF, the Recreation & Parks Department, the Human Services Agency, HOPE SF, and Community-Based Organizations have been distributing application codes since mid-August. If you received an application code and you need help filling out your application, please send an email to info@dcyf.org.
If you did not receive an application code but you feel that you are part of the priority populations, please call 3-1-1. If you need any assistance from my office, reach out to my staff Sunny Angulo or Calvin Yan. |
Emergency Residential Assistance Bill Relief Program
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If you have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you may qualify for the Emergency Customer Assistance Program (ECAP), which provides temporary discounts ranging from 15%- 35% on your water, sewer, or Hetchy Power Bill.For eligibility info and to apply, visit: sfwater.org/residentialCOVID.
Additional Information:
Application and FAQ - English
Application and FAQ - Chinese
Application and FAQ - Filipino
Application and FAQ - Russian
Application and FAQ - Spanish
Application and FAQ- Vietnamese
If you need any assistance, please contact our office at peskinstaff@sfgov.org.
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District 3 Census Outreach
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| The 2020 Census is more than a population count. It's an opportunity to shape your community's future. Completing the census is one fast and simple thing we can do right now to shape a better future! A failed census is a threat to all of us. Get counted before Sept. 30 to ensure Black communities get the resources and funding we need. In partnership with community groups, my office is doing Census Outreach to ensure all San Franciscans get counted. You can do your part by filling out the 2020 census at my2020census.gov. Click here for census outreach resources. We have less than a week to get all San Franciscans counted.You can reach out to my staff Sarah Souza if you need any support. |
Ensure Timely Delivery of Your Ballot by Keeping Your Address Up to Date!
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Registered San Francisco voters will begin receiving vote-by-mail ballot packets, as well as state and local voter guides, in early October. Your ballot and election materials will be sent to your home address unless your voter record has a different mailing address.
Voters can check their registration status and track their ballots as they move through the steps of printing, assembly, delivery, and processing, using the Voter Portal.
One action you can take today to ensure timely delivery of your ballot is to confirm information in your voter record on the California Secretary of State’s website at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov or by contacting the Department of Elections at (415) 554-4375 or sfvote@sfgov.org. |
Creating Opportunities for Future Civic Leaders
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District 3 Youth Commissioner Appointment
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As city leaders, we are committed to empowering youth leaders and promoting civic engagement opportunities. I proudly have appointed Lillian Tang to the Youth Commission to represent District 3.
She has been a part of Chinatown Community Development Center’s youth programs since the beginning of her freshman year. The first youth program Lillian joined was Adopt-an-Alleyway, where she contributed to efforts in beautifying Chinatown and serving its residents. She then joined Campaign Academy, where she advocated for pedestrian safety and spread awareness to her community about the 2020 Census. She is also a tour guide at Chinatown Alleyway Tours, leading tours to educate the public on Asian American history. She is passionate about providing affordable housing and supporting low-income families.You can reach to Commissioner Tang directly. |
District 3 Fall Internship Program
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This Fall, we are hosting these talented and hard-working District 3 Fall interns. They bring unique experiences and commitment to learning how to get involved in local government. As a long-term public servant, I am deeply committed to getting young people involved in local government and creating avenues for civic engagement. My office provides high school, college & graduate student interns a hands-on, substantive learning opportunity regarding local democratic principles and governance processes.
In October, we will be announcing our high school interns “Youth Power. Straight Out of District 3”. Promoting civic engagement for community members to get involved in local government is crucial to building a future of engaged citizens. We support community stewardship by preparing community leaders for roles in public service. If you would like to learn more about our internship programs, reach out to my staff Sarah Souza.
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Parking Ticket Payment Plan Program
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If you have Medi-Cal, CalFresh, SFMTA Lifeline, or your income is below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (about $24,300 for a single person), you may be able to sign-up for a low-income payment plan. The payment plan has a $5 enrollment fee and allows up to 18 months to pay with $25-$50 monthly payments.
If the payment plan is completed, your late fees can be removed, which can double the cost of the ticket. You can also sign up for community service for free to pay off your ticket(s) and late fees. Present your government ID, benefits card or income verification, and parking ticket(s) to SFMTA Customer Service to enroll. More information can be found on SFMTA’s website: www.sfmta.com/paymentplan.
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WE’RE HERE TO SERVE YOU! Please don’t hesitate to reach out with feedback, upcoming event ideas, or anything else you think we should know about. I can be reached at Aaron.Peskin@sfgov.org and please copy my hard-working staff whose contact information can be found here, along with all past newsletters and official correspondence from my office.
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Board of Supervisors | District 3 | Aaron Peskin
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