May 16, 2020
 

 

Last week, my office partnered with the SF Council of District Merchants Associations, the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, the North Beach Business Association and the Discover Polk Community Benefit District to submit a Petition of over 200 small business owners requesting the ability to provide safe curbside pickups. Later that week, the Governor’s Office stated that businesses would be able to reopen for curbside pickup, and earlier this week the Mayor signaled that local businesses would be able to open for curbside pickups starting Monday, May 18th.

Since that announcement, my office has continued to advocate to ensure that beloved businesses across District 3 - including the Jug Shop and Smoke Signals newsstand in Upper Polk - are included in this relief. We’ve also been advocating for safety protocols to be both specific and adaptable to a range of business types. Choosing between re-opening or staying shut down is a false either/or. The City can and should provide clear guidance to ensure that reopening is consistent with the highest public health and safety standards.

While the road to full recovery will be long, it begins and ends with a simple plea: Shop Local!

I shared the frustration of many of you that when SFMTA first announced its “Slow Streets” program, they excluded District 3 and did so without consulting with my office or - more importantly - with community groups in District 3. It appeared from the outset that this was principally about allowing more space for outdoor recreation, and we’ve come to learn after weeks of discussions with SFMTA and other department staff that the focus was on lower density residential neighborhoods.

We get it. District 3 includes the most dense and commercially vibrant neighborhoods in San Francisco, and the competing needs for use of our streets are much more varied. From delivery to disaster vehicles, the prospect of even a temporary closure is an enormous logistical hurdle. My staff and I have nevertheless been advocating to SFMTA and the Fire Department -  and making direct calls to dozens of stakeholders - to build support across those competing interests for street closures.
 

Very soon, Lombard between Jones and Stockton and Stockton between Lombard and Bay will be converted to Slow Streets. This would be a partial street closure that still allows local resident vehicular access. My office is continuing to work with City staff and local stakeholders around logistics for Upper Grant Avenue in North Beach and Jefferson from Aquatic Park to Powell (Fisherman’s Wharf adjacent). The need for emergency vehicle access is proving to be one of the more challenging hurdles, and we’re working closely with the Fire Department to accommodate their needs.

I also spoke with the Chronicle about my office’s work with the Golden Gate Restaurant Association to expand the rationale for these street closures to include small business and restaurant recovery. I’m grateful that the North Beach Business Association has publicly issued a demand to remove all parking on the 1200-1500 blocks of Grant Avenue and to explore a complete closure to facilitate small business recovery. Stakeholders at the Wharf have been similarly open and engaged in this complex process.

Do you have feedback about this plan that we may not have heard yet? Reply to this email or email my staff Lee Hepner at Lee.Hepner@sfgov.org.

Are you a small business owner that wants use of your adjacent sidewalk or curb space to help you recover? Fill out this form, and send an email to my staff Lee Hepner at Lee.Hepner@sfgov.org.

The San Francisco Flower Mart is one of San Francisco’s shining jewels, and it has been my privilege to work throughout the years to keep it open and to keep its growers employed. I must admit I’m grateful for the recognition of Flower Mart General Manager Jeanne Boes in last week’s Chronicle piece about its safe reopening - just in time to bring joy and appreciation to countless mothers for Mother’s Day!!

Over the past week, my office partnered with tenants across District 3 to pursue a tip that Veritas Investments, Inc. - the largest landlord in the City, with an estimated $3 billion in assets - had received a $3.6 million Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) Loan. Mission Local broke the story earlier this week, and the Chronicle quickly followed.

One thing is clear: as San Francisco’s most beloved small businesses are dying on the vine, this critical relief should be reserved for small businesses, not $3B real estate investment firms. Veritas’ claim that they need the funds to re-hire a handful of furloughed front-line staff rings hollow. A corporation of this magnitude should not have had to furlough that staff in the first place, particularly as we learn that their revenue streams have remained almost completely intact.

This is a policy failure at the highest level of government, but it can be redressed locally. In the coming days - and for however long this drags out - I’m committed to partnering with tenants and small business owners to demand that the $3.6 million be repurposed to alleviate rent burdens on both commercial and residential tenants.

The needs of people experiencing homelessness during COVID-19 have increased, with normal options for shelter, hotel and permanent supportive housing placement indefinitely discontinued. Many marginally housed individuals who normally couch-surf or crash with friends have ended up on the streets because their friends have opted to self-isolate. Finally, critical outreach staff and resources have been diverted to other priorities citywide. All of this has led to a double standard during the mandatory Shelter in Place that is leaving our most vulnerable populations behind.

On Wednesday night, we were joined by the Lower Polk Community Benefits District, SFPD Northern Station Captain Joe Engler, Healthy Streets Operations Center (HSOC) Director Jeff Kositsky, and - at its peak - about 60 neighbors asking tough questions about street cleanliness, supportive housing needs, public sites for temporary shelters, and ongoing predatory drug dealing particularly along District 3’s Lower Polk alleyway network.

Over 200 questions were asked, and many of the answers were frankly not satisfactory given the emergency on our streets. While the Board of Supervisors has been doing everything in our limited powers to move vulnerable populations off of the streets and into safe shelter scenarios, the situation only continues to escalate. We join demands from community stakeholders for the Administration to order and implement an emergency plan.

We are working to finalize a list of demands to Mayor London Breed, Chief Health Officer Tomas Aragon, Police Chief Bill Scott and Emergency Operations Chief Mary Ellen Carroll to create a real plan that leverages the extraordinary powers vested in the Mayor during this crisis and the repurposed use of existing resources, like vacant hotel rooms and empty public facilities.

Emergency powers have been used to make tough decisions to shut down small businesses and non-emergency decisions like re-opening golf courses. We can and must address the public health crisis on our streets now. Will you sign onto our community demands? Email my staff to add your name to this organizing effort.

I had such a good time reading “The Cat from Telegraph Hill” that I asked if I could come back for another round of story time with the San Francisco Public Library. It was a particular honor to read "Good Night, San Francisco!" from the collection of renowned San Francisco librarian, educator and activist Effie Lee Morris and featuring many of District 3's most iconic neighborhoods! 

You can share with the children in your life on the SF Public Library's YouTube Channel every Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. and Saturday at 10 a.m., as well as on their Instagram @sfpubliclibrary - log on today!​​​​​​

In addition to my duties on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, I am continuing my service as Chair of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. Over the last month, SFCTA and City departments began implementing the Essential Worker Ride Home Program, which aims to fill gaps in our public transit system by providing a reliable and safe taxi ride home from work for essential employees commuting to and within San Francisco.

Demand has already been high, and priority is being assigned to essential workers in need of a ride home from work between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. while transit options are unavailable due to emergency-related transit service reductions.

Find out more about the Essential Worker Ride Home Program here.

Of all those who have risen to the call of service in the time of COVID-19, San Francisco teachers have gone above and beyond to adapt to new schedules and across-the-board school closures. During National Teacher Appreciation Week, we acknowledged two of District 3’s most beloved teachers from the north and south of my District, respectively: Miss Susie (and her TA Mr. Bear!) at Yick Wo Elementary School and Mr. Jeffries at Redding Elementary School. Thankful for these two and all of the SFUSD community going above and beyond to keep families connected and supported during this crisis.
 

The food needs remain staggering. The words “overwhelming” and “heartbreaking” have become part of the everyday lexicon. But despite that need, one of the most impressive aspects of the City’s response has been how effectively everyone has stepped up to meet those food needs.

The above left photo shows the line at Gordon J. Lau Elementary, and many of you have seen the line at Francisco Middle School wrapped around the block every day. Food distribution used to serve about 140 families per week, and that number has skyrocketed to over 1,200 per week during this crisis.

We’re working with these schools to coordinate safe access. My staff member Calvin Yan comes from the food bank world, and he’s almost entirely dedicated to helping organize these daily monumental efforts.

For those with food needs, please refer to this updated guide of food resources.

Filling out the 2020 Census takes less than 10 minutes! Visit sfcounts.org and get counted NOW!

I captured this photo of a coyote wandering my tiny porch during Shelter in Place on Telegraph Hill. So much respect for these beautiful creatures! Here's an interesting read from the SF Chronicle on human-wildlife interaction during COVID-19 and what to expect once the shelter-in-place orders are lifted.

Visit the SF.GOV Coronavirus Main Page here. 

Access the District 3 Master Resources List here.

Browse Small Business and Employee Resources here.

Find Eviction Protections for Residential Tenants here.

Access Past District 3 Newsletters here.

Reply directly to this email or find contact info for my whole staff here.