Early pain is yielding early gains. San Francisco policymakers confronted COVID-19 head on, and we're finally reaping the signs of success. While our federal government denied the science, we acted on it. While the President and his administration obscured facts, we pushed for more transparency.
We're not entirely in the clear, but San Francisco has become the first county in California to reach the least restrictive tier ("yellow") in the state's recovery blueprint. While some were predicting that our dense urban environment would lead to high rates of transmission, instead we came together and worked for our collective safety. As a result, dense neighborhoods like Chinatown have all but quashed the transmission of COVID-19 thus far.We have demonstrated the strength of our neighborhoods and a societal commitment to mutual aid.
In the past few weeks, we've safely and successfully allowed limited capacity reopening of indoor dining, gyms and fitness centers, movie theaters, and playgrounds. We're on track for non-essential offices, indoor personal care, and limited in-person public schools in the coming days and weeks. Fingersa crossed. |
Celebrating the launch of SF Public Library's To Go Program with City Librarian Michael Lambert.
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For more about the re-opening plan, visit this link: https://sf.gov/step-by-step/reopening-san-francisco.Thanks to you, we're on the right path. Keep wearing your masks. Keep washing your hands. Keep social distancing and exercising other precautions. We'll get through this together.
See you in the neighborhood,
Aaron Peskin |
Next Phase: Re-Opening Guidelines
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San Francisco's cautious approach to the pandemic has meant that we've been slow to re-open. But that caution has also allowed us to proceed with more safe re-openings. Slow and steady is winning this race.
Since the beginning of September, the following businesses and activities have been allowed to resume:
September 1
Businesses
- Personal care services (hair salons, nail salons, barbershops, massage establishments) (outdoor only)
- Non-contact recreational activities, outdoors (includes outdoor pools with limited capacity)
- Restore opening of indoor malls at 25% capacity, with approved safety plan (closed seating areas and food court)
- Funerals, indoors with up to 12 people
- Health emergency respite centers, like cooling and cleaner air centers, indoors
September 21
September 30
- Indoor dining, 25% capacity up to 100 people (including indoor food courts in malls)
- More family entertainment, outdoors (carousels, miniature trains, Ferris wheels)
October 27
Climbing Gyms & Indoor Fitness
- Starting today, indoor climbing gyms and climbing walls within fitness centers can reopen at 25% capacity with specific sanitation and staffing protocols in place. Indoor fitness centers can increase their indoor capacity to 25%, without cardio or aerobic classes.
Playgrounds & Outdoors
- Playgrounds are reopening with limits on the number of children and adults who can enter based on the size of the playground, and limits on the number of children who can use playground equipment at once.
- Some playground sites around the city are currently being used for Emergency Child and Youth Care (ECYC), Community Hub and preschool programs. Click here to find out more information on playground activities.
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Non-essential Offices
- Non-essential offices can reopen at 25% capacity. Offices with fewer than 20 employees can reopen beyond 25%, to the extent that space allows employees to maintain social distancing. If San Francisco’s case rates remain stable or continue to improve for the next 30 days, the City will consider further expanding office capacity to 50%.
Colleges & Higher Education Institutions
- Institutes of higher education can increase capacity of outdoor classes to 25 people (including instructors) and can request an exception to the 2-hour limit on indoor classes. Click here for more information.
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+130 Permanently Affordable Homes in District 3
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In the second announcement of its kind in as many months, I joined Mayor Breed in announcing the City's acquisition of 130 affordable homes at the Hotel Diva in District 3. This is the second acquisition for San Francisco and District 3, following the acquisition of 232 permanent supportive housing units at the Granada Hotel, and both made possible through California's "Homekey" Program.382 units!
One of the solutions to homelessness is housing. On the Eve of the opening of District 3's first Navigation Center at 888 Post St. with 80 more beds, these permanently affordable homes provide an ideal place to navigate residents to.
I was proud to work on both grant applications - for the Granada Hotel and the Hotel Diva - and am thrilled that they've both succeeded. You can read more about the acquisition in the SF Examiner, and in Mayor Breed's press announcement here. |
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Joining API leaders in Portsmouth Square to expand voting access.
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Voting is among the most simple and profound ways to uphold our core democratic values. This year, we have an opportunity to choose kindness over hate, sanity over insanity, and a unified vision for a more sustainable future - instead of tireless division.
By now, all registered voters in the City and County of San Francisco should have received a mail-in ballot. You can return your ballot to the nearest polling station or mail it back to the Department of Elections. If you haven't received your ballot - don't fret! You can request your ballot at the Department's Polling station located at Civic Center from now until Election Day, or you can get it from your designated polling station on Election Day.
To find the polling station nearest you, visit the following link: https://voterguide.sfelections.org/en/find-your-polling-place-location. If you want a reassurance that your ballot has been returned to the department safely but don’t want to wait until Election Day, you can drop it off at an Official Ballot Drop-off Station at Portsmouth Square (745 Kearny) beginning Saturday, 10/31.
Portsmouth Square, Washington St at Walter U Lum Pl.
Sat/Sun, Oct 31-Nov 1: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Mon, Nov 2: 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Election Day, November 3: 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
If you haven't received your ballot. You can request your ballot at the Department's Polling station located at Civic Center from now until Election Day, or you can get it from your designated polling station on Election Day.
With so many items on the ballot in the upcoming election, the Ballot Worksheet (PDF) can make voting quicker and easier. This worksheet, which lists every contest and measure you'll be voting on this election cycle, is a tool to help voters mark their selections in advance to save time and prevent mistakes when marking the official ballot. The worksheet is also available in the Voter Information Pamphlet, which you should have received with your ballot.
Remember: You can still vote in person. Read here for more information on how to do so now and through Election Day on November 3.
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Fairness in Food Delivery
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If you've read my past newsletters, you're already aware of my Fairness in Food Delivery legislation, which will cap the fees that delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash charge to restaurants at 15% of a total order and end a number of predatory practices that have denied restaurants the flexibility and agency needed for their full recovery.
By the time you read this, that legislation will hopefully be on its way to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation from the Public Safety & Neighborhood Services Committee. My gratitude goes to the Small Business Commission for their unanimous support, and the dozens of individual restauranteurs who have partnered with us on this basic reform.
If you'd like to support this legislation, the Fairness in Food Delivery Coalition has started a petition which you can access here [LINK: https://www.change.org/p/san-francisco-board-of-supervisors-support-restaurant-recovery-support-a-15-cap-on-food-delivery-app-commissions], and please reach out to my staff Lee Hepner with any questions or concerns. |
Grants for Small Business Recovery & Reopening
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| SF Shines is San Francisco’s storefront improvement grant program for small businesses and nonprofits. SF Shines is a program of the Invest In Neighborhoods division of the Office of Economic and Workforce Department. The program provides grants, design services, and project management for property improvements. Apply for SF Shines for reopening. |
Willie Woo Woo Wong Playground
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Now this is exciting! The new Willie Woo Woo Wong Playground, designed hand-in-hand with community members, engineers and artists, is the latest example of the value of voter-approved bonds for creating safe and accessible open spaces.
Construction crews have been working safely over the past several months to complete this project, and I'm tremendously excited that it's nearing completion just in time for our recovery from this pandemic.
Click here for more sneak-peak photos of the final product, and let's cut the ribbon together soon! |
Chinese Culture Center's 55th Gala
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Founded in 1965, one year after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco ("CCC ") emerged in a period that stands as a tremendous watershed for American democracy. For immigration policy, in response to the calls for racial equality that were the hallmark of the Civil Rights Movement, 1965 would be the year that the US would lift its restrictive quotas on Asian immigration.
For 55 years, CCC has elevated the voices and needs of underserved communities through innovative exhibits, leading complex public art projects and events supported by Grants for the Arts, San Francisco Arts Commission, the SF Municipal Transportation Agency, among others. Recently, the CCC was selected for the prestigious “Our Town” grant funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Out of its current home on 41 Ross Alley, continues its mission through a vibrant mix of community engagement activities, year-round tours of Chinatown for schoolchildren, and study-excursions for visitors.
It was my absolute pleasure to join CCC at its 55th Gala. Learn more about CCC here and stop by their experimental community art space at 41 Ross next time you're in the area! |
| People who feel sick, work with the public, or have been exposed to COVID-19 should get tested. If you have health insurance, please schedule an appointment with your provider. If you do not have insurance, or you work outside your home, or you feel sick, you can make an appointment at a City-run test site. |
Get Housing Help During the Coronavirus Pandemic
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The next phase of recovery will be judged based in part on our ability to keep people housed and prevent the erosion of our communities. That's why we've been working to extend eviction protections for those unable to make rent and to keep our neighborhoods intact.
For all the latest in the rapidly-evolving effort to prevent your eviction and the evictions of your neighbors, visit the Rent Board's website here.
If you need to talk to a tenant advocate or if you're a landlord seeking to understand the latest regulations, contact the innovative neighborhood-based Lower Polk Tenant-Landlord Clinic here.
Having trouble making rent? You can also apply with the City for financial assistance in the coronavirus pandemic by clicking here, and your application will be processed by one of the following program operators:
If you have questions about your personal circumstance, please reach out to my office immediately at peskin.staff@sfgov.org and we'll connect you with the appropriate resources. |
Van Ness Construction Mitigation Program
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San Francisco’s Construction Mitigation Program provides a suite of measures to support small businesses impacted by construction and improvement projects. These measures include marketing and technical assistance, business support and access to existing resources and programs.
To be eligible, businesses meet the criteria including:
• must be located within the Van Ness construction impact zone along Van Ness Avenue between Market Street and Chestnut Street.
• must be an active storefront business on the ground level facing the street;
• and must have been established with no change in ownership on or after March 3, 2017.
The deadline to apply is October 31, 2020. |
SF Public Library Branches Launch To Go
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If you've read all the books on your shelf during quarantine, here's your opportunity to refresh!
It was a joy to join City Librarian Michael Lambert to kick-off San Francisco Public Library's To Go Program, a service that safely delivers requested library materials at select library locations to patrons across the City. San Francisco Public Library’s version of “curbside pickup,” the much-missed public institution is providing a contact-free front door type service where patrons can queue up outside buildings to pick up their requested books at the library entrance.
For information about the SF Public Library's To Go Program in English, click here. For other language access options, click any of the below links: |
Fun for the Whole Family: Walk & Roll Week
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Walk & Roll Week is around the corner! Five days of activities to celebrate getting around in people-powered ways - on foot, or on your bicycle or scooter. The quick and fun daily activities in the Walk & Roll Passport will get kids moving. Classrooms can compete, too, for sets of books with sustainability, transportation, and health themes.
So mark your calendar for Walk & Roll Week from October 26-30, and head to www.walksf.org/walkandroll to get your Passport. |
Zoomtacular Halloween Party
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| Pirates, ghosts, princesses, and zombies are all invited Friday, October 30, at 6:00 pm for a live Zoom Halloween party hosted by TEL HI Neighborhood Center (TEL HI). Camera-on is optional; costumes are encouraged, BYOC (bring your own candy)! Click here to register for this fun event. |
COVID-19 Well Being Resources
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| Taking care of our emotional and mental health is often the thing that we put aside, but now more than ever it’s important to find the right help and to practice self-care. Click here to access Covid-19 mental health resources. |
I've been truly blessed by a number of talented policy interns this Summer who have remained engaged in our local democracy despite the challenges of virtual engagement.
Derek Wong was kind enough to share his experience as an intern with my office and his perspective on the importance of getting young people involved in our local government: |
After working with Supervisor Peskin’s Office for about a month, I have witnessed Supervisor Peskin and his staff work diligently to draft legislation that directly helps our community. Additionally, I have seen the amount of time and dedication Supervisor Peskin devotes to his constituents when I've attended community events with him and his staff.
Despite interning remotely, I have seen the impact of my work when the news references the legislation that Supervisor Peskin introduces. This is especially exciting when I read about a new piece of legislation that is tied to my research project. After reading articles from SingTao newspaper about the costs associated with creating outdoor dining, I witnessed Supervisor Peskin’s proactive response in introducing legislation that waives fees for setting up outdoor dining for small businesses. As a result, this legislation essentially helps the small restaurant owners in Chinatown and other commercial areas.
I personally encourage more youth involvement in local government, especially when we are directly impacted by the issues. As youth, we are able to bring our experiences in our local community to aid in the legislative process so that we are better represented in our government. Some issues that we may speak to could include education funding and more mental health resources in SFUSD schools. Getting involved in local government can take many different forms. Whether you decide to do voter outreach for the coming elections or decide to intern at City Hall, your contributions, no matter how small you think they are, will make a huge impact in our community.
Are you interested in learning about District 3 Internship Program, find more information here.
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Board of Supervisors | District 3 | Aaron Peskin
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