June 14, 2021
A Message From The Supervisor:
Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 15th at 12:01am, will mark the end of capacity restrictions for our businesses, events, and activities in San Francisco. Easing capacity restrictions has been a goal for the last 15 months. This is a major accomplishment and could not have been achieved without the cooperation of community members and the support of various community based organizations in our district and citywide. A Blueprint for Industry and Business Sectors can be found
here.
We have reached another exciting milestone - 80% of San Francisco residents over the age of 12 have received at least one dose of the vaccine and 70% of SF residents over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated. San Francisco is the first major city in the U.S. to reach this milestone! Vaccines continue to be available through the network of high-volume and community sites throughout the city. Moscone is open for drop-ins 10AM – 6PM, 7 days/week, including weekends until 7/14, except on the July 4th holiday. The last day of operations at City College SF is 6/26. We're continuing to have special vaccination events and are partnering with community groups to provide vaccines at Pride and Juneteenth celebrations. We're also partnering with SFUSD to ensure vaccines are easily
accessible to students and their families. Please see attached for the flyer for the vaccine event at Burton High School and here for the link to make appointments. Please see here for a full list of vaccine sites in San Francisco.
Due to the City’s high vaccination rates and subsequent decline in demand for COVID-19 testing, we will close the Embarcadero high-volume testing site on June 15 and Alternative Testing Sites in early July. Community sites like the sites at 50 Broad St and 20 Norton Street Parking lots will continue for the time being.
This past weekend I was able to volunteer with the Lakeview OMI community and Invest Black as they repainted the Broad Street mural. The mural idea was born last year after the death of George Floyd. Community members formed the Invest Black group and created the ‘Invest Black!” mural as a call for investment into our black community. The group is comprised of a number of historically black organizations and community members who have asked for investment in the areas of wellness, education, safety, business and technology for black people. You can find pictures from this weekend’s community repaint below in the newsletter.
This week leads into Juneteenth weekend. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Although President Lincoln formally issues the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, many slaves did not learn of their freedom until much later. On June 19, 1865, a Union General rode into Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended, and slaves had been freed. Many historically black organizations have events planned for this upcoming weekend and you can find information on some of those events attached to the end of this newsletter.
This weekend also marks the observation of Father’s Day. Fatherhood has taught me many lessons and is the only job that I enjoy more than serving the public. I want to extend a sincere greeting to all the fathers and father figures who help to raise our youth. Your efforts are appreciated and play a vital role in supporting our communities.
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.
Although our City Hall Office is closed to the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we are still here to serve you. If you have any difficulty during this time, please do not hesitate to reach out. 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.
Sincerely,
Supervisor Ahsha Safai |
SAN FRANCISCO TO FULLY REOPEN BUSINESSES AND ACTIVITIES BEGINNING TOMORROW, JUNE 15
Mayor London N. Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax today announced that as of 12:01 am on Tuesday, June 15, San Francisco will implement the Safer Return Together Order to fully reopen in alignment with the State’s Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings and its
Beyond the Blueprint for Industry and Business Sectors framework in all instances other than small additional local requirements specific to mega events and high-risk institutional settings. With the exception of schools, childcare, out-of-school-time programs and guidance regarding isolation and quarantine, San Francisco’s local health directives
guiding business behavior will be rescinded. This full reopening is possible because of San Francisco’s unparalleled 80% vaccination rate and corresponding extremely low case rate of 1.5 per 100,000.
The Safer Return Together Order aligns with the California Department of Public Health Beyond the Blueprint framework to remove capacity limits on business and other sectors, local physical distancing requirements, and many other previous health and safety restrictions. Businesses are no longer required to prepare and post social distancing protocols or in most instances submit health and safety plans; nor are they urged to encourage employees to work remotely. Under the State’s recently updated Guidance for the Use of Face Coverings, vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear facial coverings in most indoor or any outdoor settings, while unvaccinated individuals must continue to wear masks indoors.
The effectiveness and availability of COVID-19 vaccines has dramatically driven down case rates, hospitalizations and community spread. Currently, 80% of San Franciscans eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination have received at least one dose; and as of June 7, the City’s case rate was 1.5 per 100,000, 17% lower than the state and representing a 96% decrease in San Francisco COVID-19 diagnoses since January. Likewise, hospitalizations of San Franciscans are at their lowest point since the pandemic began. The Department of Public Health encourages all those eligible to get vaccinated
as soon as possible, so that San Francisco and the entire Bay Area can remain open and healthy.
Under the Safer Return Together Order, businesses will still need to implement a process for screening personnel for COVID-19 symptoms as required by the State, but this process can be determined by the business and no longer needs to be performed on-site. Businesses also need to continue to report more than three positive COVID-19 cases to the Department of Health and will continue to post two new simplified signs, one posted publicly to support COVID-19 prevention practices, and one posted in employee break rooms sharing vaccination information. All other sign requirements are rescinded. In the case of COVID exposure, unvaccinated people and those with symptoms will continue to be required to self-quarantine.
In addition to the above general requirements, the Safer Return Together Order extends additional requirements for activities that pose specific health risks. Mega events, defined by the State as events involving over 10,000 people attending outside or 5,000 inside, will need to submit a health and safety plan 10 days prior to the event or ticket sales. The order requires that indoor mega events collect proof of vaccination or negative COVID-19 test if not everyone attending the event is fully masked. Additionally, once one of the COVID-19 vaccines receives full authorization from the United State Food and Drug Administration, personnel in high-risk congregate living settings such as skilled nursing facilities, acute care hospitals, homeless shelters, and jails will be required to be
vaccinated. San Francisco will post templates for required signage as well as templates, FAQs, and other resources helpful to businesses as they reopen on its COVID-19 Business Resources page.
In all other respects, the Safer Return Together Order defers to State and Federal guidelines. In addition to California Department of Public Health and CDC guidelines, regulatory agencies that establish health and safety guidelines for businesses to operate such the Division of Occupational Safety and Health
(Cal/OSHA) as well as other industry specific regulatory agencies will maintain requirements related to the prevention of COVID-19 in the workplace and other specific contexts. As they would in all other circumstances, businesses should ensure that they are operating in compliance with all licensing, permitting, and other regulatory agencies that govern their business practices.
In school, childcare and out-of-school-time settings, San Francisco has aligned its face covering requirements with the State but has otherwise maintained existing local guidance as we await further reopening guidance from the CDC and State. That guidance will continue to be reassessed and updated as the Fall approaches
With the implementation of the Safer Return Together Order, physical distancing requirements on Muni busses will be rescinded, although masking by passengers on Muni and all other forms of public transportation will continue as required by Federal and State rules. Additionally in Federal buildings and on Federal land, individuals will be required to wear masks as well as maintain 6ft of physical distance and adhere to other public health measures. |
District 11 Vaccination Sites
The District 11 vaccination site located at 20 Norton Street is taking appointments by calling 415-562-8638.
The OMI vaccination site at 50 Broad Street is also open. Details are in the flyers below.
People age 12 and over should visit SF.gov/getvaccinated to learn about options for receiving the vaccine and to find links to schedule appointments at different vaccination sites. |
May COVID-19 Testing in District 11 The City is encouraging residents who have insurance to get tested through their medical provider, so as to take the strain off of our free testing sites. If you have health insurance, schedule a test with your doctor. If you have symptoms or known exposure, your healthcare provider is required by law to get you a test.
OMI (Community Pop Up Site)
Fridays from 9am-4pm
50 Broad Street
No Appointment Necessary
Walk-Through, Free Parking Provided
Alemany Farmers Market (CityTest SF)
100 Alemany Boulevard
Walk-Through and Drive-through
Alemany takes a limited number of drop-ins. Make an Appointment for guaranteed testing. Click HERE to make an appointment at Alemany.
Visit sf.gov/gettestedsf for more information. |
Emergency Rental Assistance Program
The emergency rental assistance program is now accepting applications. The City’s program is designed to keep tenants in their homes by leveraging existing eviction protections and maximizing prospective rental assistance.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Applicants will be required to provide documentation to verify identity, income, COVID-19 financial impact and unpaid rent. Since the program will be targeted to the most vulnerable tenants, rental assistance will not be first-come, first-serve.
The City encourages tenants to apply on their own online if they are able. If tenants need help completing an application, a network of community-based partners are available to help. These community-based partners may be found at sf.gov/renthelp, by calling 311 or at www.sfadc.org. |
SF New Deal Launched Micro Grant Program to Distribute $1,000,000 to Small Businesses
SF New Deal launched a micro grant program to distribute $1,000,000 to small businesses in San Francisco, many of whom are struggling with debt even as post-covid reopening expands. In order to support small businesses and strengthen local communities, SF New Deal is providing grants of $2,500 to 400 small businesses.
SF New Deal’s grant program is open to all small businesses, including newly opened businesses, that have not previously participated in any of SF New Deal’s programs. The business does not have to be a restaurant to apply -- for example bookstores, retail stores, nail salons or any type of impacted small businesses are encouraged to apply.
Individuals can apply for their own business to receive a grant or can nominate a small business for the grant. Application and nomination details are listed on the SF New Deal Small Business Debt Relief Grant Program Page. The application submission period is from June 1 - June 30, 2021. Grant award announcements will be made by July 31, 2021.
In order to qualify, the business must meet all of the following criteria:
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The business is located within the City of San Francisco. -
The business has 3 or fewer locations. -
The business has at least 3 (Full Time Equivalent) employees. -
The business had 2019 (pre-pandemic) revenue of less than $3M annually. -
The business was negatively impacted by COVID-19 Shelter-in-Place orders (ex. the business lost employees, sales decreased, debt increased, etc.). -
The business has no outstanding violations or existing claims with the San Francisco Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE) or the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). -
The business has never participated in any of SF New Deal’s programs.
Grant money may be applied to any business-related expense, including business payroll, business rent, business supplies, etc. The money must be spent on or before December 31, 2021 and may not be retained as profit or kept by the owner. Grant recipients will be required to provide proof of how the grant money was spent. SF New Deal will convene grant recipients in an advisory process to learn about challenges facing small business recovery and inform SF New Deal's future programs, advocacy efforts, and policy recommendations.
For more information, please visit https://sfnewdeal.org/debt-relief
City Assistance Applying for Federal Relief
Mayor London Breed announced that San Francisco is partnering with the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and several community-based organizations to assist San Francisco restaurants and other eligible businesses who need help applying for the new, federal Restaurant Revitalization Fund
. The Restaurant Revitalization Fund is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, which Speaker Nancy Pelosi championed in Congress, and will provide grants to help restaurants, bars, and other eating and drinking businesses stay open.
San Francisco business owners who need assistance applying for the Fund should go to:
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Mission Economic Development Agency
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Northeast Community Federal Credit Union (Chinese)
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Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center Bayview
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SF Small Business Development Center (Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese)
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Website: sfsbdc.org. New client registration click here
and complete the following form and you will be contacted to schedule an appointment.
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Phone Number: 415-937-7232
A comprehensive list of business resources, including additional partners assisting with applications for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, is available online at oewd.org/covid19. |
Reporting Illegal Fireworks
As we get closer to 4th of July, we are aware that there are more and more reports of illegal fireworks in our District and throughout San Francisco.
Please report illegal fireworks only if you see the person lighting them, can describe them, and can give an exact location or address. If the circumstances observed meet this threshold, please call 311 and provide the aforementioned information.
In regards to reporting noise from fireworks, please know that SFPD is aware of the noise generated by fireworks and how that impacts many in our communities. SFPD will be out in the field mitigating these complaints. If you feel it is necessary to call, complaints about noise should also be directed to 311.
During the holidays when fireworks are prevalent, namely the Fourth of July, SFPD receives a high volume of fireworks-related calls requiring our Dispatch to triage based on the severity of the call. Therefore, SFPD may not be able to respond to every firework-related call unless fires or injuries are involved. In these latter instances of fire and/or injury, please immediately call 911.
As always, please keep 911 available for people with police, fire, or medical emergencies.
Any tips on the possession or sales of illegal fireworks can be reported through SFPD's anonymous tip line: 415-558-5588. This tip line is available in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.
Ingleside Station will be putting an operation into effect on the Fourth of July to ensure our hot spot locations are monitored by police to mitigate the illegal use of fireworks.
Please click HERE for SFPD Taraval Station Newsletter from Captain Nicholas Rainsford |
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On Saturday, we repainted the Broad Street “Invest Black” mural in the Lakeview OMI. It was great to be outside with community members to beautify our District! |
Congratulations to President Tony Delorio and Teamster 665 as they celebrate the addition of 450 AAA Agents to their union. The Teamsters have continuously represented workers and demanded fair work practices. |
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