March 7, 2022
A Message From The Supervisor:
Happy Women's History Month!
Today was summarized by a lively debate around housing density in San Francisco. Supervisors Mar, Mandelman, and myself brought forth legislation that would allow for the rezoning of most residential districts throughout San Francisco. The three pieces of legislation have various affordability components and would all allow up to four units on any residential lot throughout San Francisco. The purpose of my legislation was to solve for a missing component for working families and to create a streamlined process for permitting of building processes (
similar to what we have seen at the state level with SB9). My legislation also guaranteed that each new fourplex would include an affordable unit. While, we had a great debate today during the Land Use Meeting, we all understand that our housing crisis will not be solved overnight. No matter which version of the fourplex legislation leaves the Land Use Committee – I am committed to working to make sure that working families and District 11 residents are not left out of the conversation.
Tomorrow at 2:30pm, during the Board of Supervisors Meeting, I will commend Felisia Thibodeaux for International Women’s History Month. Felisia Thibodeaux is the Executive Director of Southwest Community Corporation at I.T. Bookman Community Center. Felisia is a leader in her community and champions the causes of the low income, under-served and disenfranchised residents. Her work includes creating housing retention programs, teaching communities how to navigate the affordable housing application process and helping communities address resiliency post-disaster. Felisia led efforts to test and vaccinate thousands of San Francisco Residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her resiliency plan focuses on providing resources inside of community and she leads with a community first
attitude when fulfilling her mission. Her COVID-19 and resiliency work has been honored by the White House, San Francisco 49ers, KPIX 5, San Francisco Department of Public Health, and Mayor London Breed.
We return to in person meetings at the Board of Supervisors this week. This means you can come to City Hall to watch and participate in public comment at the Board of Supervisor’s meeting in-person. You can continue to participate virtually as well.
Our office remains accessible to the public through telephone, email, virtual meeting or in person via appointment. We are available by email: safaistaff@sfgov.org or by phone 415-554-6976 (leave a message and we will call you back). You can also check for updates on my Twitter
, Instagram, and Facebook. Stay safe and healthy.
Please note - if you miss my weekly newsletter, you may find it later on the Board of Supervisor’s website. Click HERE to read past newsletters.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to my staff at Safaistaff@sfgov.org.
Sincerely,
Supervisor Ahsha Safai |
COVID-19 Updates from the San Francisco Department of Public Health
The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) announced on Monday that the City will align with the State to remove the requirement that children wear masks in TK-12 schools and early childcare settings beginning March 12. SFDPH strongly recommends that all individuals in schools and childcare continue to wear masks for the time being to keep an added layer of protection and minimize disruptions to in-person learning. With the recent changes in masking guidance, we recognize the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable communities and will continue to prioritize low-barrier access to vaccines and boosters. SFDPH is also distributing masks for children and adults in our priority communities and schools to support the continued need for this
added layer of protection.
Read more about our alignment with the State here.
SFDPH Will Continue to Work Together with SF School Systems
SFDPH will be working closely with the school systems to provide guidance and assistance in the coming days. SF has distributed 150,000 KN95 masks for San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) staff, and a half million surgical masks for SFUSD students. In the coming weeks, SFDPH will also be distributing pediatric KN95 and surgical masks through community partners working in highly impacted neighborhoods.
Redoubling on vaccination efforts, SF and SFUSD have opened drop-in vaccination sites at Bret Harte Elementary School in the Bayview and Rosa Parks Elementary School in Western Addition for eight weeks and is hosting numerous “pop-up” clinics at school sites.
Current SFUSD drop-in, pop-up vaccination sites:
📍 Bret Harte Elementary School (Bayview) – $100 gift cards available
1035 Gilman Ave
Fridays / 2pm to 6pm
📍 Rosa Parks Elementary School (Western Addition) – $100 gift cards available
1501 O'Farrell St
Mondays / 2pm to 6pm
#VaccinateSF
Racial and Ethnic Disparities Widen Among Children 5 to 11
Even as 69% of SF children ages 5 to 11 have reached full vaccination, far exceeding state and national averages, data shows widening racial and ethnic disparities among this age group.
As of Feb. 22, American Indian and Alaska Native children ages 5 to 11 are 22% vaccinated, and Pacific Islander children are 44% vaccinated. Rates among Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander children are 34%, while Hispanic or Latino/a/x children are 48% vaccinated. Meanwhile, data shows vaccination rates of 29% among Black/African American children ages 5 to 11. Black/African American teens ages 12 to 17 are 52% fully vaccinated (overall rates among 12-17-year-olds in SF is more than 90%).
As we move out of the most recent surge in cases and into a new phase of living with the virus, SFDPH’s strategy is to continue to develop approaches that further empower families with information on and access to vaccines. In collaboration with community partners, SFDPH will seek to further reduce barriers to vaccines and to prioritize the needs of highly impacted communities. SFDPH-affiliated vaccination sites offer drop-in and walk-up options for vaccinations.
Parent or guardian consent information:
For children ages 5-11 to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, consent by the parent or guardian is required. However, it is possible for someone other than a parent or guardian to bring a child into a clinic for a vaccination. More information can be found by clicking HERE.
Learn more about our efforts to address these race equity gaps
SF Aligns with the State to Drop Indoor Mask Mandates
SF and most of the counties in the Bay Area have aligned with the State to drop indoor masking requirements for most indoor settings. Businesses, venue operators and hosts may determine their own paths forward to protect staff and patrons and may choose to require all patrons to wear masks.
Continuing to mask in indoor public settings, especially crowded or poorly ventilated spaces, remains the safest choice for an individual and protects those who are medically vulnerable or are not able to get vaccinated, like our youngest children.
Indoor masking is still required by the State for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, in public transportation, health care settings, congregate settings like correctional facilities and homeless shelters, long-term care facilities, cooling centers, emergency shelters and in K-12 schools and childcare settings.
Read more about what to expect now that indoor mask mandates have been lifted.
Businesses, venue operators and hosts can find new signage on our outreach toolkit.
Updates on Omicron-Driven COVID-19 Surge
COVID-19 cases continue to steadily drop each day to now 123 cases per day, as of Feb. 24. As of March 3, 83% of San Franciscans have been vaccinated, and 65% of vaccinated residents have been boosted. Although masks are no longer required, Bay Area health officers continue to strongly recommend they be used as an effective tool to prevent the spread of the virus especially when case rates are high, or when additional personal protection is needed. As evidence continues to show, vaccinations and boosters
remain the best defense against the virus.
Read the latest data about COVID-19 Omicron-driven cases in decline on our dashboard.
Where to get a vaccine or booster:
Here are the following locations in San Francisco where people ages 12 and up can drop in to receive a booster, Monday to Friday, while supplies last each day:
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ZSFG (1001 Potrero Ave, Bldg 30)
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Southeast Health Center (2401 Keith Street)
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Chinese Hospital (845 Jackson Street)
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Kaiser Tent (2350 Geary Blvd)
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Mission Wellness Pharmacy (2424 Mission St.)
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HealthRight 360 (1563 Mission St.)
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All DPH neighborhood sites
Information & Guidance Updates
Sign up to receive alerts from the Information & Guidance team for updates to San Francisco’s Health Order, guidance, and directives here.
COVID-19 Resources
SFDPH COVID-19 vaccine call center
Call 628-652-2700 to book an appointment, find a drop-in site, or if you have questions about the vaccine. You can also email sfvaxnow@sfdph.org.
Please check the following sites for regular COVID-19 updates: |
In collaboration with my office, the Small Business Rent Relief Pilot Program is now open and accepting applications. Go to
sf.gov/rent-relief-grant or click below to read additional program requirements and apply.
This grant will pay for a portion of the rent debt you accrued from March 2020 to September 2021 if your property owner agrees to extend your repayment term to September 2024.
If you have any questions about the program, reply or email investsf@sfgov.org.
For more information about the Commercial Eviction Moratorium and free legal assistance, visit oewd.org/evictionhelp. |
Commercial Vacancy Tax Webinar hosted by Treasurer and Tax Collector
The Treasurer and Tax Collector will be hosting a webinar on March 16, 2022 at 3pm to explain how the tax works, who is required to file/pay, when a commercial space is considered to be kept vacant. Please click HERE to register for the webinar. |
| SFMTA Budget Priorities for FY 2023 to FY 2024
It’s budget season!
Every two years, the SFMTA develops a consolidated budget to guide the agency’s decisions about where to focus our funding to best meet the transportation needs of all San Franciscans. We’re developing a budget that’s designed to support San Francisco’s economic recovery, increase transportation equity, protect the environment and keep the agency on sound financial footing.
SFMTA presented the base budget (projected revenues and expenditures for the next two years if we made no changes and continued our current policies) to our Board of Directors in early February to get their feedback and are now seeking input from the public. Your feedback will help SFMTA understand what to change in our base budget: which investments are most important to San Franciscans and which new revenue sources you think we should pursue. We’re considering both fare increases and decreases as well as changes to parking fees.
The City Charter requires SFMTA to submit the final budget to the Mayor’s Office by May 1. The Mayor then sends it to the Board of Supervisors on June 1 for a final vote.
How to provide your input on the SFMTA FY 2023 to FY 2024 budget
Online Survey: SFMTA invites you to give us feedback about your transportation priorities by filling out this short survey. It’s available in English,
Spanish, Chinese and Filipino. We’ve included an open-ended question so you can let us know if there’s a specific transportation priority you want to let us know about. |
Online Listening Sessions: We’re hosting two listening sessions that will include a short budget presentation and time to hear your questions and suggestions. You can request simultaneous interpretation in any language for our budget listening sessions by calling 415.646.2109 at least 48 hours prior.
Online Town Hall: At our online Town Hall meeting, we’ll share the feedback we heard from the survey and online listening sessions.
March 10, 2022, 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Get login information at SFMTA Budget Planning - Fiscal Years 2023 & 2024
After gathering feedback from the public, our directors and our staff, we’ll revise the budget and present it for additional review at two SFMTA Board of Directors meetings:
SFMTA Board of Directors Budget Meetings:
Budget Background
If you’ve been tuning in to our Board of Directors meetings during the two years, you’ll know that the SFMTA’s revenue was severely reduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID devastated our transit fare and parking revenues, which are two of our three biggest revenue sources. Even now, our transit revenues are about 75% lower than pre-pandemic levels and parking revenues are 20% lower.
The recovery of our transit fare and parking revenue depends on the pace of San Francisco’s economic recovery, which is still uncertain. Data from the Controller’s Office shows that the city’s economy and downtown are recovering more slowly than comparable metropolitan areas.
This compounded the financial problems our agency already had. Over the last 20 years, the demands on San Francisco’s transportation system have grown and revenues haven’t kept up. Our agency has what’s called a “structural deficit” -- the amount of money it takes to operate our system costs more than the revenues we take in.
We got through the last two years because we fought for and won San Francisco’s fair share of federal pandemic relief funding and then we were prudent about using that funding to restore service.
Recently, our short-term budget outlook has somewhat improved because some of the external revenue sources we rely on did better than expected. We’re receiving more money than we thought we would from the San Francisco General Fund and need to spend less on our pension costs. Still, according to the Controller’s Office, the SFMTA will face a structural deficit of approximately $20 - $50 million every year beginning in FY 2024-25.
This background informs the FY 2023 to FY 2024 base budget that we’re asking for feedback on. It tries to balance the need for us to restore and expand services with the need to maintain the agency’s long-term economic stability.
Click below to view the budget website in:
Español - 繁體中文 - Filipino
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SFPUC Water Shortage Emergency
Despite winter rains, we are still in a drought. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission declared a Water Shortage Emergency and asks everyone to continue to use water wisely. The Emergency Declaration also authorizes a 5% drought surcharge to appear on customers’ water/sewer bills starting April 1, 2022. The drought surcharge is necessary to cover our costs and maintain responsible reserves. Our operational costs are fixed. Reduced water use decreases our revenues, while the costs to responsibly run the system remain unchanged. In order to continue to operate our systems, the SFPUC must recover those costs during this time. The less water properties use, the less they will feel the impact of the surcharge on their bill and the better
able we will be to stretch our water supplies and get through this drought.
The SFPUC offers free resources to help homes and businesses cut water waste. Small changes can make a big difference in your water use. For details on water conservation rebates, and resources by clicking HERE.
Find information on the drought and downloadable toolkits for renters, homeowners and businesses by clicking HERE.
For questions about our conservation services, contact the SFPUC at waterconservation@sfwater.org or 415-551-4730.
For questions about the drought surcharge, please contact SFPUC Customer Service at (415) 551-3000, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm except on holidays, or email us at customerservice@sfwater.org.
Fact sheets in English, Spanish,
Chinese, and Filipino are posted on our website at
sfpuc.org/drought.
In the meantime, please feel free to contact us at waterconservation@sfwater.org or (415) 551-4730 if you have questions about the SFPUC’s water conservation assistance services.
Thank you for your continued support.
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Foster Youth Vaccine Ambassador Upcoming Trainings
The San Francisco Department of Public Health is recruiting foster youth to be vaccine ambassadors. For more information on the dates and times of the training, please contact Christine Abella at christine.abella@sfdph.org |
Youth Art Exchange (415) Public Gallery
Youth Art Exchange announces our 3rd annual (415) Public Gallery, an art show that places the public as both exhibitors and audience members. All ages/backgrounds welcome.
The call for submissions is open from now - March 31st. Work will be on display starting from April 11, 2022 - April 28th, 2022. Join us Friday, April 15, from 4:00-7:00pm.
Submission Instructions:
We can accept ONE submission (visual or video or audio) per person. Fill out this submission from when you come to drop off your artwork: https://bit.ly/415PublicGallery.
Staff will be onsite at [x]space, 5137 Mission St (near Geneva) from 12-6:30pm Monday-Thursday to receive artwork submissions. It’s very important that the form linked above is filled out so we know how to credit you, promote your work and contact you if the piece is sold. Please include any relevant details for each piece – this can include artist bios, links, etc.
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Dimensions Clinic
Dimensions Clinic is hiring 3 therapists (2 behavioral health clinicians and 1 clinical supervisor) to work with LGBTQ youth ages 12-25! This is a great opportunity to do community mental health work in a collaborative integrative primary care setting. Deadline for applications is March 11, 2022.
2930 Behavioral Health Clinicians (2 Full Time Positions)
2930 Dimensions Behavioral Health Clinicians provide ongoing therapy, clinical case management, and care coordination to LGBTQ+ youth and families as members of an interdisciplinary team. Clinical services are provided in office and community based settings. Clinical supervision will be provided to associate clinicians seeking licensure.
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Compensation: $96,148-$116,818 annually
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Required Qualifications: ACSW, AMFT, APCC, LCSW, LMFT, LPCC
2932 Senior Behavioral Health Clinician (1 Full Time Position)
The 2932 Senior Behavioral Health Clinician will provide direct clinical services to Dimensions patients in addition to providing clinical supervision and program management. Clinical services are provided in office and community based settings.
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Compensation: $100,334-$121,914 annually
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Required Qualifications: LCSW, LMFT, or LPCC and (2) years of verifiable experience post-licensure
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Diabetes Empowerment Education Program
Six-week virtual workshop for diabetes prevention and self-management!
For registration or more information, please contact Miguel M. Jimenez, 415-550-2201, mjimenez@onlok.org or Daisy Jimenez at 415-550-2257,
djimenez@onlok.org.
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Somatic Movement Program for Spine Mobility and Posture for Seniors
10-week program, March 15 to May 19, 2022
Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30-3:30 pm.
Instructor: Diana Lara, MS. RSMT
For more information, please contact Diana Lara, 415-550-2209, diararodgers@onlok.org. |
Transportation Fund for Clean Air
The Transportation Authority is pleased to announce a call for projects for $935,315 in Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) County Program Manager Fund programming for the Fiscal Year 2022/23 cycle. Applications should be emailed totfca@sfcta.org
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Need Legal Assistance with Renting? Tenancy Advocacy Project Can Help
Are you struggling with a rental dispute? Need your landlord to make repairs? Need help applying for Covid-related rental assistance? The Tenancy Advocacy Project's (TAP) lawyers can help with those issues, as well as subsidy terminations, disability accommodations, income recertification, and other disputes with landlords or property managers. If you rent your home in San Francisco, you may be eligible for TAP's help. To contact us, please email us at tap@sfbar.org
, or call (415) 989-1616. Please mention the Tenant Advocacy Project in your message, and make sure to include your name, phone number, best times to reach you, and a brief description of the tenancy-related issue(s) you are dealing with.
TAP is part of the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco. TAP does not assist with eviction lawsuits. If your landlord has filed an eviction lawsuit against you, please contact the Eviction Defense Collaborative: evictiondefense.org
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Bay Area Minority Law Scholarship 2022 Applications Are Open - Apply by May 27
Do you know someone interested in going to law school who could use financial assistance? The Bar Association of San Francisco and the Justice & Diversity Center are excited to announce that the 2022 Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship applications are now open.
In 21 years, the program has awarded more than $2 million to 110 students with scholarships that are generally $10,000 per year. Applications are due by May 27. Click here for more information or to start an application now.
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Now Hiring! Community Ambassadors Program
The Community Ambassadors Program (CAP) is seeking applicants for their program! CAP is a community safety and neighborhood engagement job training program developed and operated by the City & County of San Francisco Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA).
Community Ambassadors work in diverse neighborhoods to promote safety and connect people to services. Ambassadors help San Franciscans that are low-income, experiencing homelessness, speak a language other than English, older adults, and more.
Ideal candidates for this position:
Live in San Francisco
Can work up to full time, Monday to Friday, including some evenings
Have a strong interest in working with the public and vulnerable populations
Ability to read, write and speak English well
Preferred skills or experience include:
You graduated high school or have a GED
You experience with community outreach, security or customer service
You are bilingual
If you or someone you know is interested in applying, please click HERE to get started!
For questions, email community.ambassadors@sfgov.org.
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Great Saturday morning on Lisbon St discussing disaster preparedness and resilience with neighbors. Thank you to Bruce Colville for organizing your neighbors and Daniel Homsey for giving everyone a good discussion of what it takes to be prepared for the next major earthquake/disaster. |
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Wonderful luncheon hosted by Chinatown Community Development Center to close out celebrations for Lunar New Year! Loved seeing my constituents and community members at lunch. Thank you for having me! |
So wonderful to showcase Zoe Ani and Nick Maltagliati’s art in my office at City Hall In collaboration with Artspan - This collection (pictured) titled "Hard Work & Soft Fruit" is a collaborative project between Zoe Ani and Nick Maltagliati and is currently on display in the District 11 office in City Hall. Through conversation between their distinct abstract language, Ani & Maltagliati composed 10 landscapes utilizing movement and color to bring to light the human connection to land and the various stages and obstacles to get food to our tables. The work is a bright illustration of where our food comes from, the exploration of the landscapes traversed and the various dynamics that affect the crops and thus
affect us all. They hope to cast light on those actively working in the extreme conditions to harvest our food. All panels were handmade and painted with watercolor and gouache.
A portion of the proceeds will go towards the efforts of Direct Action for Farmworkers (DAFFW). Ani and Maltagliati's objective is to bring attention to this mutual aid organization as the impact of wildfires, the pandemic, low wages, long hours and many other struggles farm workers face are an ongoing issue. They are honored to be in a position to provide visibility and recognition of the work put into by farm workers and DAFFW staff.
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