Supervisor Hillary Ronen - COVID19 Update 01072021 Newsletter

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January 7, 2021
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District 9 2020 Year in Review

Dear Neighbors,

2020 was a historic year; the pace of one crisis after another pushed all of us to our limits. In the past twelve months, we have weathered a global pandemic that further highlighted our society’s inequities; fought against racial injustice as Black and Brown lives were stolen by police violence; struggled to stay safe amidst an unprecedented California fire season; mourned the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; celebrated the victories of President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris; and just yesterday watched an attempted coup unfold in our nation’s Capitol.

My office has been fighting for you and our most vulnerable residents at every step of the way. Since March 13, we have responded to hundreds of constituent voicemails and answered thousands of emails. Our newsletter reaches nearly 24,000 readers, and we’ve worked hard to get accurate and timely information in fast-changing circumstances. Please see the latest updates below.

Though we are far apart, we stayed connected. I saw your wonderful faces at the virtual community town halls I held with each neighborhood in District 9: the Mission, Bernal Heights, and the Portola.

In addition to connecting and responding to all of you, I have also been working on legislation. In 2020, I introduced:

119 resolutions, including one pushing the California Governor and Congress to provide rent and mortgage relief to small businesses, tenants, and small landlords;
62 ordinances, including an emergency ordinance directing the City to shelter our unhoused population in the thousands of unused hotel rooms in San Francisco; and
16 hearings, including a hearing to hold DPH accountable for its response to the alarming rate at which our Latinx population was contracting the COVID-19 virus.

It has been an exhausting year to say the least, but there were bright spots. Neighbors and communities came together to help each other out. I have met so many more of my neighbors during this pandemic. Amidst the overwhelming circumstances, there were flickers of hope. Our community organizations have pivoted to help small businesses, low-income families, and unhoused neighbors. We have a vaccine that is being disseminated.

2020 taught us how to be resilient. May 2021 show us that we can be hopeful.

My office may not be in City Hall these days, but we are still here for you. We are available by email: ronenstaff@sfgov.org or by phone at 415-554-5144 (leave a message, and we will call you back-- we are checking voicemail frequently). Check for updates on my Twitter and Facebook.

COVID-19 Health: Protecting the Community

In April, just a month after the pandemic became a national and local crisis, we learned that the Latinx community had the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases compared to any other racial or ethnic group in San Francisco.

Faced with this alarming information, my office immediately partnered with UCSF, the Department of Public Health, and the Latinx Task Force for COVID-19 to offer free testing in the Mission, as part of a community-led screening project and study, called Unidos En Salud. It was an extraordinary team effort to get this study off the ground, especially before the City was offering expanded COVID-19 testing.

Despite our initial efforts to get testing in the Mission and the clear data showing the concentrated impact of COVID on the Latinx population, for months, the City only allocated a fraction of its resources to this hardest hit community. We were told that $28 million was going to the Latinx community, but we hadn’t seen the details or any evidence of how it was being spent. In October, I hosted a hearing to dig into this.

I fought for DPH to support the heroic efforts of the Latino Task Force on COVID-19. Since July, the LTF had been running a resource center, food distribution, and testing once a week, but it was almost entirely dependent on volunteers, with no City funding.

After my persistent questioning at the hearing, DPH told us that specific and culturally competent services aimed at the Latinx community would soon be on the streets. We will hold a follow-up hearing this year to continue the discussion and to hold DPH accountable for their promises.

My office is also currently working with HOMEY, Faith in Action, DPH, SFMTA, SFFD, and the Latino Task Force on COVID-19 to locate a much-needed additional testing site in the lower Mission.

COVID-19: Protecting Workers

As my office worked with the Dept. of Public Health and community organizations on outreach and testing, I realized there was a disconnect that was deterring many people from getting tested. Taking sick leave was often not an option for low-wage essential workers who are barely scraping by. This meant some essential workers were unknowingly sick and still going to work.

To alleviate this problem, I created the Right to Recover Program. The Right to Recover Program aims to encourage all essential workers to get tested for COVID-19 and guarantees two weeks of paid wages to anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 and does not have alternative access to income or benefits. Making sure that COVID-positive low-wage workers are able to quarantine and recover from COVID-19 is essential both for their own health and for our collective public health.

As a further measure to protect workers who have COVID-19 or must quarantine because of COVID-19 exposure, especially those who may be frightened to get tested because of potential repercussions from their employer, in July, I introduced an emergency ordinance, the SAFER Act (Safeguard Against Firings and Employer Retaliation).

The SAFER Act will make it illegal for an employer to fire, threaten to fire, demote, suspend, discipline, or in any manner discriminate against any worker who is unable to work or who requests time off work because they tested positive for COVID-19 or are quarantining due to exposure.

Providing Safe Shelter for
People Without Homes

At the start of the pandemic, I learned that the City's policy for helping people without homes under the Shelter-in-Place Order was to expand congregate shelters. This went directly against all public health recommendations for COVID-19.

In response, my colleagues Supervisors Dean Preston, Matt Haney, Aaron Peskin, Shamann Walton, and I pushed the City to house people experiencing homelessness so they could shelter in place safely and prevent the spread of COVID-19. We wrote and unanimously passed legislation ordering the City to obtain thousands of hotel rooms so our most vulnerable residents could safely shelter in place.

Despite initial opposition, the Mayor’s departments shifted course to secure thousands of hotel rooms, saving countless lives.

We found ourselves again having to push back in November, after Mayor Breed and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) announced plans to close the City’s emergency Shelter-In-Place (SIP) hotels, where more than 2,300 vulnerable unhoused individuals were safely sheltering.

The City was planning to close the SIP hotels without a clear plan for where each person would go. With COVID-19 cases re-surging citywide and across the country, there was no public health rationale to justify closing these critical resources. Moreover, the argument that the City could not afford to keep the rooms didn’t ring true, as we are being reimbursed for 75% of these costs by federal FEMA dollars.

After Supervisors Preston, Haney, and I held a special hearing pressing City officials to release more details about their plans and dedicated advocacy by front line service providers, the City agreed to extend the timeline for these hotel closures.

In order to ensure a sensible and safe transition, my colleagues and I introduced and approved legislation prohibiting the City from closing SIP hotels unless hotel residents have been successfully placed into stable housing opportunities.

Addressing Mission Homelessness

Before the pandemic hit, I had already been advocating persistently for months to get stronger commitments from City departments to address neighborhood conditions in the north Mission where we have seen some of the most challenging street conditions. However, under COVID-19, the conditions of homelessness in the Mission grew even worse.

In May, after weeks of advocacy from my office, my staff and I met with teams of dedicated City and community workers to survey every block in the Mission. We spoke with unhoused individuals in every corner of the Mission to develop a plan to improve street conditions for all residents.

Throughout the summer, I worked alongside service providers, community advocates, faith leaders, the Latino Task Force on COVID-19, and City departments to develop a Mission Neighborhood Needs Assessment and map out a block-by-block strategy and moved unhoused individuals off the streets.

I knew that with the worsening conditions and limited City resources, we had to find more space to move people into. In August, we successfully opened a Safe Sleeping Village within the vacant city-owned lot at 1515 South Van Ness. We partnered with the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing and Dolores Street Community Services.

In addition to fighting for the acquisition of Shelter-in-Place hotels and the Safe Sleeping Village, I also fought to reopen our Navigation Centers that all closed at the start of the pandemic. As a result of these coordinated efforts, we have managed to help relocate more than 140 people into safer and healthier shelter alternatives that offer reliable access to food, restrooms, and showering facilities.

Launching Mental Health SF

I am thrilled that Mental Health SF -- a complete overhaul of how our city provides services to people in crisis due to mental illness and/or addiction -- is on track to be fully implemented after we secured funding to begin its implementation during this year’s budget cycle.

I wrote Mental Health SF with Supervisor Matt Haney and front-line providers because the crisis on the streets and in our communities is an unacceptable tragedy. These critical investments will help fund:

24 hours/ 7 days a week crisis response/street outreach teams
24 hours/ 7 days a week Mental Health SF Service Center
Drug sobering facilities
Dozens of new case managers
More urgent care clinics
Additional short and long-term recovery beds, and so much more

Over the summer, the City launched its very first Crisis Response/Street Outreach Teams. Instead of relying on police to respond to health crises on the streets, the new Crisis Response Outreach Teams comprise a paramedic, a behavioral health clinician, and a behavioral health peer. By March 2021 , we will have six mobile teams up and running that will have the capacity to respond to calls 24/7.

With this first step, we have set a new course for the City, a groundbreaking model for addressing the twin crises of mental illness and addiction.

Advocating for Students and Educators

This has been one of the toughest school years we've ever experienced for public school families and the educators who have been leading remote learning for the past nine months.

Since the summer, I have been pushing tirelessly to ensure families get the learning support that they need during this difficult time. I have partnered with the United Educators of San Francisco; members of the Board of Education; the School District; the Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF); and our County Health Officer to push for policies and develop support programs that families desperately need while keeping our educators safe.

Before the school year, I asked for clear directives and timelines around school reopening. When the school year was starting, many of us were still struggling to get information, so I hosted a hearing at the Joint City, School District, and City College Select Committee.

Since then, I have continued to raise this at bimonthly joint meetings of the Board of Supervisors and the Board of Education, alongside parents, educators, and health professionals, so we can together create a safe plan to reopen public schools.

Supervisor Ronen visiting a Community Hub

As it became clear that in-person learning would not happen this last semester, I ensured that our younger and most vulnerable students would be taken care of by working to safely implement DCYF’s Community Hubs Initiative and expand Community Hubs. The Community Hubs provide in-person support for SFUSD students in grades K through 6, prioritizing children with the highest need. I continue to push for the expansion of Community Hubs for every student who needs it to prevent further learning loss.

In order to reopen schools, we first have to make sure our educators and students are safe. Last month, the Board unanimously approved my resolution urging Governor Newsom to prioritize providing educators access to the COVID-19 vaccines in early 2021.

As a result of these statewide advocacy efforts around educator prioritization, teachers and school staff are now to be included in the next wave of vaccine distribution.

Making school successful for everyone has been one of my top priorities as Supervisor in 2020, and I will continue to be laser focused on it this year. In the meantime, as a parent of a second grader (wow - they grow up fast!), I am doing the best I can, just like everyone else. Sending all parents, students, and educators solidarity for a positive school year!

Working for Social and Racial Justice

Honoring the First People of SF

In April, l established the first ever American Indian Cultural District. Cultural Districts are one of the most important tools we as a city have to strengthen the cultural identities of communities that face the pressures of gentrification and displacement. There are few communities in the country that have experienced displacement as profoundly as the American Indian community.

The newly formed American Indian Cultural District –- which is situated within the Mission District and Mission Dolores neighborhoods in an area that spans both Districts 8 and 9 –- provides a recognized home base for the American Indian community of San Francisco to ensure that its history and contributions are not forgotten or overwritten. The area designated for the AICD holds a unique concentration of historical events, cultural resources, and Native American-based programming, and gathering spaces that are historically and presently important to the American Indian community in the San Francisco Bay Area.

In November, I introduced a motion to require the President of the Board of Supervisors to read a statement acknowledging the Ramaytush Ohlone community of San Francisco during all future public meetings of the Board. Going forward, this permanent statement will serve to recognize the presence and power of San Francisco’s American Indian residents and inspire others to take action in support of native communities.

Honoring the Legacy of Sean Monterrosa

Tragically, another young life was taken by police violence this year. Sean Monterrosa, a Bernal Heights resident and a vibrant member of our community, was shot and killed by the Vallejo Police Department in June. I had the privilege of honoring Sean’s life at our June 9th Board of Supervisors meeting and introduced a resolution urging the Mayor and City Council of Vallejo to release police body camera footage of the incident that claimed Sean’s life to help bring justice to his family.

His sisters, his neighbors, and his school librarian organized a fundraiser to create a library in his name, filled with bilingual books about social justice, stories that empower, and fantastic nonfiction with important factual information.

You can donate to the Sean Monterrosa Library GoFundMe here.

Protecting Our Election

Our democracy has been tested this year. With the state of emergency due to the pandemic and rise in national voter suppression -- especially directed at communities of color -- it has been more urgent than ever that we keep the voting process fair, safe, accessible, and secure. In early June, the Board passed my legislation requiring the Department of Elections to send us a plan that would include sending vote-by-mail ballots to all registered voters, provide options for safe in-person voting, early voting, ballot drops, and a robust plan for education and outreach to engage historically low-turnout communities.

I am looking forward to continuing this work with ACLU Northern California and local voting rights organizations when the Department of Elections submits their future planning report to the Board at the end of February.

Supporting Struggling Small Businesses

The stay-at-home orders that have been so important in suppressing the virus have put tens of thousands of small businesses and hundreds of thousands of workers at risk.

I have been in close contact with individual business owners, merchant groups, and industry alliances to find ways to offer support. Our office has been putting them in touch with legal support and financial resources, helping businesses work through the challenges of the Shared Spaces program, helping broadcast their fundraising appeals, and more.

At the last in-person Board of Supervisors meeting in March, I introduced legislation to create a no-interest, low-barrier loan program for small businesses to stop what I foresaw as an irreversible loss of small businesses in San Francisco during the public health emergency. Working with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, we launched the San Francisco Hardship Emergency Loan Program (SF HELP) , making $8.5 million available to give small businesses zero-interest loans of up to $50,000. In November, the City added an additional $3.5 million to the fund. I continue to fight for more relief for our small businesses.

Adding Affordable Housing
and Tenant Protections

In this otherwise tragic year, District 9 was able to celebrate extraordinary progress in creating affordable housing opportunities. Nine days into 2020, our community broke ground on Casa de la Misión, 45 deeply affordable apartments for seniors who are currently homeless. In November, the community held a virtual ground-blessing before starting construction of Casa Adelante/681 Florida, 130 new affordable homes for families. And just last month, we welcomed elders to their forever homes at the newly opened Casa Adelante/1296 Shotwell, packing our hope and wishes into a time capsule to be opened in 2035.

When I ran in 2016, I made a promise to create 5,000 affordable units in 10 years. Despite Trump, tariffs, unprecedented construction costs, and now the global pandemic, in partnership with strong community-based housing development partners like Mission Economic Development Agency and Mission Housing Development Corporation, we are well on our way to meeting that goal.

We now have 780 units of affordable housing units completed or under construction in District 9, another 220 units to start construction soon on parcels owned by the City or our nonprofit partners. And we are on track to take ownership of the prime parcel at 16th and Mission so it can be developed for affordable housing and community uses.

Along with a small number of below-market units in private developments and the increasing numbers of homes preserved for affordability through our Small Sites program, our tally of construction completed and underway and sites in the pipeline is just under 1,700. We will continue to push for many more!

Pushing for a Rent and Mortgage Moratorium

In March, just after Shelter-in-Place began, I introduced a resolution along with Supervisor Matt Haney calling on Governor Gavin Newsom, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and President Trump to impose a moratorium on residential and commercial rent and mortgages.

Seeing a potential crisis on the horizon, we moved quickly to organize a national press conference, with local electeds from Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle, and St. Paul to sound the alarm nationally that we needed our federal and state leaders to take action. Our concern, right from the start, was that rent and mortgage debt would be piling up, and without remedy, renters and small business owners would be saddled with massive debt to their landlords and those landlords would in turn be carrying that same debt to the banks.

The current eviction moratoriums protecting renters and small businesses are helping to stave off the worst and most immediate impacts, but they are not enough. Along with most of you, I strongly supported Proposition I on the November ballot, authored by Supervisor Dean Preston, which will use a tax on the sale of luxury properties to cover some of the rent that’s gone unpaid during COVID, and I’m looking forward to working with City departments to implement San Francisco’s share of funds allocated for rent relief in the December federal stimulus package.

Protecting Tenants

In February 2020, the full Board of Supervisors unanimously passed my legislation to tighten regulations on landlord buyouts . The legislation protects tenants from being intimidated into leaving their homes via a take-it-or-leave-it choice between accepting a cash buyout or facing eviction. Despite our existing laws, we are seeing landlords and their attorneys using loopholes to intimidate and force out long-term tenants. The new laws ensure that tenants are informed of their rights and given the time they need to make an informed decision and will force landlords to record the buyouts with the Rent Board.

Resources and Announcements

Temporary Nighttime Closure of McLaren Park John Shelley Drive for Public Safety

In response to recent public safety incidents in McLaren Park and in collaboration with SF Recreation and Parks, SFPD and the community, we are implementing a temporary nighttime closure of the Shelley Drive loop from 6pm till sunrise from January 15 through March 31. During this trial period, access to Shelley Drive at Cambridge/Mansell intersection and the eastern Mansell/Shelley Drive intersection will be closed. If you have questions or comments please contact rpdinfo@sfgov.org.

FEDERAL RELIEF FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

New federal legislation signed into law on December 27, 2020, provides new COVID-19 relief funding for small businesses.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) – Reopening Soon
$284 Billion has been added to the PPP loan program, including expanded eligibility, making loan forgiveness easier, and allowing previous PPP recipients to obtain a second PPP loan.

Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) – Open
$20 Billion has been added to the EIDL Advance grants program, which provides additional funding for eligible entities in low-income communities.

Save Our Stages Grant Program – New
$15 Billion in grants will be available to support live entertainment venues. Eligible businesses include live entertainment venues and promoters, movie theaters, museums, performing arts organizations, and talent representatives. Applications are not yet available.

Updates will be posted on the Office of Economic and Workforce Development’s (OEWD) resource page here as details are finalized.

CA SMALL BUSINESS COVID-19 RELIEF GRANT – NOW OPEN

The California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program provides micro-grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to eligible small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19 and the related health and safety restrictions. Applications are open now will close on Friday, January 8th, 2021 at 11:59 PM. Round 2 will be announced in the near future. For full details, FAQs and to apply, visit CAReliefGrant.com. For assistance to apply, you can contact one of the partner organizations serving San Francisco.

The Small Business Development Center will host daily informational webinars at 11:00 AM to go over program details, tips for applying, FAQs, and updates. If you’re interested in applying for this grant, please plan to attend at least one of these sessions. Click here for the webinar link and schedule for different languages.

Resources

SFPUC’s Floodwater Grant Webinars
If your property experiences flooding or sewage backing up when it rains, apply for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC)’s Floodwater Grant Program for up to $100,000 reimbursement for your project and assistance throughout the process.

Register at sfwater.org/FloodwaterGrant for a webinar on December 9 (5:30 pm) where they will help determine your eligibility and start your application. Resources to get rain ready at sfwater.org/RainReadySF.

SFMTA Fare Help
When times are tough, even paying for the bus can be a challenge. During times like these, the SFMTA has programs to help get you where you need to go, like Free Muni for Youth, Seniors, and People with Disabilities, the Lifeline and Clipper START reduced fare program.

SFPUC Bill Relief
The SFPUC has extended their Emergency Residential Assistance Bill Relief Program until the end of the year. Their emergency bill relief efforts include:

Emergency Discounts of 15%-35% for Residential Customers on their SFPUC water, sewer and Hetchy Power bills.
Emergency Discounts of 20% for Small Business and Non-Profit customers on their water and sewer bills.
Ongoing long term discounts for low-income water, sewer and Hetchy Power customers.

To read more about eligibility rules and other details, please visit our bill relief webpage: sfwater.org/billrelief.

Essential Worker Ride Home: SF Environment the SFCTA (SF Environment and SF County Transportation Agency) launched a program to help essential workers commuting home late at night and don't have a reliable transit option. Click here for more.

For families who are looking for access to the Internet for distance learning: AT&T is offering an affordable way to stay connected with Internet service for $10/month and expanded eligibility requirements. More details at att.com/access or call (855) 220-5211.

Housing

COVID-19 Eviction and Rent Increase Moratoriums – Emergency tenant protections, including more time to pay your rent, suspension of evictions during the pandemic, and a rent freeze in City-subsidized housing.

Give2SF Housing Stabilization Program – Financial help to pay rent, utilities, and other housing costs if you have been financially impacted by COVID-19.

COVID-19 Homeowner Emergency Loan Program (HELP) – No-payment loans of up to $25,000 to cover HOA dues, property taxes, and lump-sum deferred mortgage payments

General Resources

SF Pit Stop and and Handwashing Stations
SF Food Resources
Help for SF small business owners, workers, and non-profits
Visit the SF Coronavirus Main Page here.
Information for the eviction and rent increase moratorium here.
SF Domestic and family violence resources
SF COVID-19 Data Tracker