Supervisor Hillary Ronen - COVID19 Update 20201006 Newsletter

 
 
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It's Time to Fight Like Hell for the Living. Take the Census and Vote!

Dear Neighbors,

This past month has been rough in so many ways. I hope you are holding up and finding moments of brightness and hope. We lost a colossal champion of the people with the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

May we gain solace by preparing to save our democracy. The November election is crucial in determining what comes next. Our collective destinies are in our own hands, and as tired and exhausted as many of us are, let us mourn for the dead and fight like hell for the living.

As we look for moments of levity, let’s also remember to be safe and healthy this Halloween. Have a spooky but safe Halloween. Avoid COVID-19 by doing activities at home with your family!

In this newsletter, we cover the latest updates on:
  • Census 2020 - Deadline is Oct 30
  • Elections: Early Voting Begins October 5
  • SF Board of Supervisors Supports CA Propositions 17 and 21
  • Major Win for Affordable Housing in the Mission
  • Relief on Mission Homelessness
  • Families and Students: Community Hubs Update
  • COVID-19 Response in the Latinx Community
  • Fighting for Domestic Workers
  • Portola Celebrations
  • Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema Pop-Up Drive-In
  • Reopening SF and a Safer Halloween
  • Free PPE for small businesses
  • DBI In-Person Permit Appointments
  • Casa Adelante Accepting Applications for Childcare Units

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.

The 2020 Census still needs you! Don’t wait.
The deadline is approaching!
The Trump Administration had planned to shorten the timeline to submit Census results. Thankfully, a federal judge in California has ordered the administration to continue the 2020 Census count through Oct. 31, overriding the administration's efforts to undercount our communities.

If you have not submitted your Census yet, PLEASE do so as soon as possible. COVID-19 has changed the way we live, but it hasn’t stopped the 2020 Census. Don't let San Francisco be undercounted! Our communities are depending on everyone to respond. With an accurate Census count, our city’s hospitals, first responders, schools, small businesses, and public benefit programs get the critical funding they need for the next 10 years.

The Census is a count of EVERYONE living in the United States, including the very young and the very old, citizens and non-citizens, the housed and the unhoused. There’s a lot at stake. Data from the census determines how many representatives we have in Congress and impacts how much federal money flows into San Francisco’s schools, hospitals, roads, social services, and more. Go to my2020census.gov (available in 13 languages) or over the phone at 844-330-2020 (available in 15 languages)!

Elections: Early Voting Begins October 5
Please, vote as EARLY as you can. If you're not registered to vote yet, it's not too late! Go to registertovote.ca.gov/ . Mail ballots will begin arriving to every registered voter on Monday, October 5, and if you register by October 19, you will receive a vote-by-mail ballot. You can return it by mail as early as you want, but it must be postmarked by November 3. NO STAMPS ARE NEEDED TO MAIL A SAN FRANCISCO BALLOT. To track your mailed ballot, click on https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/.

Early in-person voting begins on October 5 outside City Hall in front of Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, or you can drop off your completed mail ballot there throughout October.

Polling places will be open in San Francisco for in-person voting and vote-by-mail ballot drop-off on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. Locations have changed, so be sure to check the Voting Site Wait Times Lookup Tool. To check if you are registered to vote in San Francisco or confirm that your information is up to date, go to sfelections.org/voterportal. To register to vote, go to registertovote.ca.gov or contact us to receive a registration form in the mail.

San Francisco Board of Supervisors Supports
Propositions 17 and 21
Last week, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed two resolutions I authored in support of propositions on the California state ballot: Proposition 17/ Free the Vote and Proposition 21/ Keep Families in their Homes.

Proposition 17 -- Free the Vote -- will amend the California constitution to allow people who have completed their prison terms to vote. Right now, there are 50,000 Californians who have served their time and are rebuilding lives in their communities while on parole. These people are working, raising families, and paying taxes, yet California denies them the fundamental right to participate in our democracy.

Stripping the right to vote from formerly incarcerated people is a form of voter suppression that disproportionately excludes Black and Brown people from having a voice in our government. Democracy needs everyone. Nineteen other states plus the District of Columbia allow a person to vote after they are released from prison. It is beyond time for California’s constitution to reflect California values and for our state to be a leader in progressive and inclusive democracy.

Proposition 21 -- Keep Families in their Homes -- will allow local governments to shape local rent control regulations. For 25 years, state law has tied our hands, with devastating impacts on the city’s housing situation. While we are starting to see rents coming down a bit, they remain far out of reach for many San Franciscans. This means that teachers, police officers, healthcare workers, first responders, and other essential workers have had to move farther and farther out of the city, putting our city's ability to maintain essential functions and respond to emergencies at risk.

Prop 21 will allow us to expand rent control, but ensures exceptions for new buildings for their first 15 years and houses or condos owned by small landlords. It would also allow local governments to limit rent increases on vacant units to no more than 15 percent over the previous rent. It is a measured, balanced approach to allow cities the flexibility to consider local community housing needs and legislate protections that are appropriate to local conditions.

Major Win for Affordable Housing in the Mission

For eight years, the proposed developer of the land surrounding the 16th and Mission BART plaza played games. Rather than working to create a project that the community could support and the city could approve, they sought to pit people against each other and cause havoc. Their proposed massive luxury development was the focus of fierce organizing because of very real fears that it would exacerbate evictions and rent hikes that have already devastated the Mission, and the community was steadfast in opposing it.

After years of acrimony, the parcel was put up for sale last year. The moment I found out that the old project was dead and that the property was on the market, I started calling everyone I could to find a way for the city to purchase it. Now, at long last, the city will be able to take ownership and we can move forward to create green, transit-focused, community friendly, affordable homes at 16th and Mission.

This was the product of a dream and a lot of hard hard work. I am so grateful to have worked toward this victory with amazing community advocates. Together, our community won through sheer focus, perseverance, and dedication anchored by real love of the people.

Relief on Mission Homelessness

After months of work, planning, and advocacy, this week the Homeless Outreach Team and several key city departments were out in the Mission inviting unhoused people to move off of the streets and into Shelter-In-Place Hotels, the newly opened Safe Sleeping Village at 1515 South Van Ness, or re-opened navigation centers. We are especially prioritizing those vulnerable to COVID-19 for everyone’s safety. Since this outreach effort began in the Mission in mid-September, more than 100 individuals have been placed into safer long-term shelter options where they have access to services and their basic needs are being met with food, bathrooms, and shower facilities.

Not only will this effort save people’s lives, but our neighborhoods will begin to see less crowding on residential sidewalks and alleyways. While there is still more work to be done, this is a major step forward for the Mission. I want to especially thank the Latino Task Force for advocating to secure these essential resources, Dolores Street Community Services and its wonderful staff for operating the Safe Sleeping Village, Diana Ponce de Leon of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, who has worked tirelessly to coordinate this important work, and many other City workers from so many different departments who lead this critical lifesaving work everyday.

Advocating for our Families and Students: Community Hubs Update
Supervisor Hillary Ronen visits students at Community Hubs at Precita Valley Community Center and Buena Vista Child Care. Some students pictured are not wearing masks; the mandatory mask requirement is for students aged 10 and older, and youth at BVCC are 2nd graders.
As a mother of a young child, like many parents, I have been searching for answers on what my child’s education will look like this fall. I have hosted a series of hearings to get information from our educators, school board, and other stakeholders. During the Joint City, School District, City College Select Committee on September 25, I recognized the herculean efforts by our teachers and school administrators to improve the quality and experience of distance learning for our students compared to last spring. But what we still need to know is how much longer we can expect our public schools to remain in distance learning.

While the school district is still working on a decisive answer to that question, School District representatives acknowledged that our public school students in 2nd grade and above will likely not be going back to any form of in-person instruction at least through the end of this fall semester.

This means that we need to double down on our commitment to expanding Community Hubs for every student who needs it to prevent further widening of achievement gaps. DCYF’s Community Hubs Initiative, which launched on September 14, provides in-person support for students in grades K-6 who are utilizing SFUSD’s Distance Learning Curriculum and prioritizes children and youth with the highest need.

The first wave of enrollment for the Community Hubs was by invitation only to eligible families who included residents of HOPE SF, public housing, and SRO hotels; families experiencing homelessness; children in the foster care system; English language learners; and low-income families. SFUSD families who did not receive an invitation, but feel that they are a part of one or more of these priority populations can call 3-1-1 for more information on how to apply.

COVID-19 Response in the Latinx Community
More than 50 percent of the City's COVID-19 cases are concentrated in the Mission, Bayview, Visitacion Valley, the Excelsior, and the Tenderloin. Yet for months, the City had only allocated a fraction of the tests and resources to these neighborhoods. Today, the disparity continues; half of all people in San Francisco with COVID are Latinx. I will be hosting a hearing on the city’s response to COVID-19 in the Latinx community. Please tune in to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Committee, October 22, https://sfgovtv.org/. More details on the agenda and how to call in to comment will be available here: https://sfbos.org/meetings/48. This is a matter of racial and health justice; our community deserves answers.
 
The Latino Task Force on COVID-19 has been doing powerful work for the Latinx community -- providing free groceries to families, free walk-up testing, and bilingual volunteer support to help people sign up for resources. If you or anyone you know needs groceries, help with signing up for government and community resources, support with education or access to testing, please pay them a visit.
 
Latino Task Force Hub
701 Alabama Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
Mission Food Hub: Mon, Wed and Fri 10:00am -12pm
Free COVID-19 walk up testing: Thurs 10am-3pm >br>(last Thursdays of the month are open till 6pm)
Essential Services Hub: Wed and Thurs 10am-3pm (By appointment only. Intake forms can be picked up in person on Thursdays only)

Fighting for Domestic Workers
I am teaming up with the California Domestic Worker Coalition to make sure our domestic workers can access the same rights and protections as other employees during COVID-19. We will be focusing on safety and security, as most domestic work is performed indoors.

Many of the domestic workers that many San Franciscans rely on -- cleaners, nannies, cooks, and health care aides -- are not covered by regulated health and safety standards and don't receive basic benefits like sick leave. It is hard enough to make ends meet in San Francisco, let alone in an industry with little to no worker protections during a pandemic. Around half of all domestic workers, many of whom are undocumented workers, have experienced wage theft and workplace violations.

Every worker deserves dignity and respect on the job, and access to fair wages and benefits!

Portola Celebrations
Great work by Portola Neighborhood Association, sponsors of the first-ever Shop Portola event last weekend! If you missed it, be sure to check out the amazing new mural by Charles Dabo as you’re grocery shopping at San Bruno Supermarket. The bright colors really pop as you walk by. Thank you everyone who helped to organize this, with a special shout-out to Joe Lien from San Bruno Supermarket and El Toro Nightclub! Stayed tuned as the PNA will continue the Shop Portola events through the fall!

The Portola Garden District Tour brought us beautiful music, greenery, and great company during a time where we all needed some light and love. Thank you so much Ruth Wallace for organizing this fantastic community event!

Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema Pop-up Drive-in
Rev up your engine for 2 dates of pop-up drive-ins at Alemany Farmers Market – October 9 and 16. Reservations open beginning October 2. Admission is free. Reservations are required.
 
Opening Night, Friday, October 9
South Slope Cinema at Alemany Market Plaza, 8:00 pm

Under the Stars, Friday, October 16
South Slope Cinema at Alemany Market Plaza, 8:00 pm

Best of Bernal Season Finale, Tuesday, October 27
Awards, Filmmakers, “livestream,” 8:00pm

Free PPE Available for Small Businesses
To support small businesses in safer reopening, San Francisco has secured a shipment of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from the State. This is meant to support small businesses with 25 employees or under, with an emphasis on micro businesses of 5 employees or less. They wanted to provide these businesses with a 30 day supply of PPE. In collaboration with Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), a one-month supply of PPE will be distributed to local businesses that are open and/or will reopen soon, while supplies last.

San Francisco small businesses interested in requesting free PPE should review the list of participating CBOs here and contact your nearest CBO. Businesses can request a 30-day supply of hand sanitizers, surgical masks and face shields. Organizations that have picked up their shipment will have contact information listed and for those organizations where contact information is not yet listed, please check back. Click here for more information.

Reopening SF and a Safe Halloween
In the past few weeks, San Francisco has moved forward on reopening more businesses and activities. Here is a recap of what has been permitted to reopen. We are reopening based on where San Francisco is on the state’s safety tier assignment. You can find where we are and learn more about the California safety tiers here.

Even as we reopen San Francisco, the safest choice is to stay home. If you do go out to public places or shop at local businesses, you can reduce your risk for getting or spreading COVID-19 by planning our outing, staying home if you are sick, staying six feet apart, and wearing a face covering.

If you are planning to host or attend a gathering, use DPH’s tip sheet here to keep your gathering as safe as possible.

September 30
  • Outdoor meal gatherings, of up to 6 people from different households Indoor dining, 25% capacity up to 100 people (including indoor food courts in malls)
  • Gyms and fitness centers, up to 10% capacity
  • Indoor malls with increased capacity, up to 50% with an approved safety plan
  • Places of worship, indoors at 25% capacity up to 100 people, outdoors up to 200 people 6 feet apart
  • Political protests, outdoors up to 200 people, 6 feet apart
  • Indoor Personal care services like hair salons, nail salons, massage establishments, tattoos and piercings with a Health and Safety Plan Outdoor Drive-in movies
  • Indoor Museums, zoos, and aquariums, with approved safety plans
  • Hotels and short-term rentals; they must reserve at least 5% of rooms as COVID isolation rooms, to house guests who are COVID positive, are sick, or are close contacts.

Children and families
  • Community learning hubs for children who need support in distance learning
  • Elementary schools for in-person learning, on a rolling basis with approved safety plans. SFUSD will continue distance learning
  • Outdoor family entertainment like mini-golf, kart racing, and batting cages, but does not include playgrounds
A Safe Halloween

With Halloween quickly approaching, the City is reminding residents to plan early and identify new, safe ways to celebrate this year. Many traditional Halloween activities – such as trick-or-treating, indoor costume parties, and sharing festive food or drink – pose a high risk of cross contamination and the possible transmission of COVID-19.

Door-to-door trick-or-treating is discouraged, as is “Trunk or treating” between cars is also discouraged due to similar risks of transmission when multiple people gather in a shared setting.

As an alternative to traditional Halloween celebrations, the San Francisco Department of Public Health suggests home-based activities and the use of re-opened and permitted business and social activities that do not pose as high a risk of transmission.

These safer activities include:
  • Virtual parties/contests (e.g. costume contests or pumpkin carving)
  • Creating a haunted house in your living space for members of your household
  • Scavenger hunt for hidden treats in your living space for members of your household, rather than going house-to-house
  • Having a scary movie night or other Halloween-themed activities
  • Outdoor pumpkin carving. Note: face coverings must be worn if carving pumpkins with people from outside your household
  • Halloween themed meals at outdoor restaurants to support local businesses
  • Having or attending an outdoor, open-air costume parade with no more than 12 people, where protective face coverings are used and people can remain more than 6 feet apart
San Franciscans can access the City’s guidelines and safe practices for Halloween here.

DBI Online Scheduling
The Department of Building Inspection, along with its partnering agencies the Fire Department and San Francisco Planning, is making plans for in-person plan check review. Please go to https://www.eventbrite.com/o/dbi-8544277181 to schedule. Customers can request an appointment by signing up through Eventbrite, and appointments will be offered through a lottery process.

Affordable Family Childcare Units - Apply Now
Casa Adelante 2060 Folsom, brand new affordable housing by Mission Economic Development Agency and Chinatown Community Development Center, is accepting applications for two new Family Childcare units!
  1. Qualified applicants (those who have a valid child care license) should email 2060folsom@chinatowncdc.org. All questions can also be forwarded to this email. For further application assistance, feel free to contact a housing counselor at https://housing.sfgov.org/get-assistance.
  2. Applicants should upload completed application and current child care license to https://tinyurl.com/2060FChildcare.
  3. Submit applications to https://tinyurl.com/2060FChildcare by the deadline, Monday, January 25, 2021.
  4. Leasing is on a First Come, First Served basis. All applicants who are not contacted will remain on the Waitlist for a future vacancy.
  5. Applicants must meet qualifying criteria of income, household size, and the rules of the building.

Resources and Announcements
Resources

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.

PowerUp Program Fund: Google.org announced a $3M grant to Hispanics in Philanthropy PowerUp Fund to directly support hundreds of Latino-owned small businesses across California, New York and Texas with access to capital and the training they need to successfully leverage the capital to overcome the economic downturn and continue to grow. The PowerUp Program will support eligible Latinx small businesses with a $5,000 crash grant and pair you up with a coach to help you grow your business. Participants will get access to expertise across business strategy, marketing and finance. Qualifying Latinx small businesses can apply here through October 14, 2020.

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

Announcements

  • NOTICE: Some incorrect unsecured personal property bills were issued in August 2020. Your bill will be cancelled if the bill number is between 2020500001 and 2020508934, or 2020520001 and 2020521229. If you have already paid this bill, a refund will be issued to you by the Office of the Treasurer- & Tax Collector within three months. If you have not paid this bill, please disregard the bill and do not pay. For questions about billing and refunds, contact the Treasurer & Tax Collector’s Property Tax Division at (415) 701-2311. If you have questions about this assessment, please contact the San Francisco Assessor-Recorder’s Office at askbpp@sfgov.org or (415) 554-5531.
  • Updated County Clerk Services: County Clerk services such as marriage licenses and certificates, birth and death records, fictitious business names, notary signature authentication, professional registrations, CEQA environmental document filings, and more are updated on this page of their website website.
  • Complete the Multipurpose Family Income form! There are benefits beyond school meals:
    • Eligibility for free meals through September 2021
    • Eligibility for future P-EBT funds
    • Discounted utilities and internet access
    • Free enrollment in Excel after school programs
    • SAT fee waivers
    • Benefits available regardless of citizenship status
    • Provides essential funding for your school
    • Complete the Multipurpose Family Income form for the 2020-21 school year today! Visit sfusd.edu/MFIF.
  • California 2020 Victim Impact Survey
    • The Victim Services Division of the San Francisco District Attorney's Office is asking for your input about your experience as a victim of crime or the loved one of a victim of crime in their 2020 survey. The goal of this survey is to collect important information from you about your experience, challenges, needs and feedback so that they can continue to improve the work we do with victims of crime. This survey is anonymous, completely confidential and all data collected will be part of a public report released on our website www.sfdistrictattorney.org in late 2020. Click here to take the survey.
    • California 2020 Encuesta sobre el impacto de crimen en victimas La división de servicios para víctimas de la fiscalía de San Francisco solicita su opinión sobre su experiencia como víctima de un crimen o el ser querido de una víctima de un crimen en nuestra encuesta de 2020. El objetivo de esta encuesta es obtener información importante sobre su experiencia, desafíos, necesidades y comentarios para que podamos continuar mejorando el trabajo que hacemos con las víctimas de crimen en san Francisco. Esta encuesta es anónima, completamente confidencial y todos los datos obtenidos serán parte de un informe publicado en nuestro sitio web www.sfdistrictattorney.org a fines del año 2020.
      Haga click aquí para comenzar la encuesta
    • 加州2020受害者影響調查
      三藩市地區檢察官辦公室受害者服務部正在徵求意見，希望在2020年度調查中了解受害者或其親人的經歷。此問卷的目標是收集受害者的回饋，從而讓部門改善支援罪案受害者所做的工作。問卷以完全保密的匿名方式進行，所收集的數據將包括在公共報告中，並會在2020年底於 www.sfdistrictattorney.org 網站上發佈。 感謝你付出寶貴的時間，你的參與和回饋將協助我們更優質地為罪案受害者提供服務。 受害者服務部 三藩市地區檢察官辦公室。
      請按此開始問卷
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Got an upcoming event or opportunity to include in this newsletter? Email Jennifer.Li-D9@sfgov.org
 

Our mailing address is:
Hillary Ronen, District 9 Supervisor
 San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244
San Francisco, CA 94102-4689

 
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