Supervisor Hillary Ronen - November 2019 Newsletter

 
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November 2019 

Dear Neighbors,

I am excited to share some major milestones with you, including our win on Mental Health SF and creating the first-ever American Indian Cultural District! I am so proud of our work, and even prouder of our district.

To learn more about my efforts, please feel free to get in touch with my office anytime. You can also follow the real-time work of my office via Twitter and Facebook.

Mental Health SF Victory!
Supervisor Ronen announcing Mental Health SF. Photo via Jennifer Li

After two years of studying, fighting, building, and envisioning how to fix the growing mental health crisis we see everyday in San Francisco, we have an agreement with the Mayor to implement Mental Health SF!

The key components of Mental Health SF include:

  • a 24/7 Mental Health Service Center,
  • a 24/7 Crisis Response Street Team,
  • a 24/7 Drug Sobering Center,
  • an Office of Private Health Insurance Accountability to ensure that private insurance companies meet their obligations to San Francisco patients, and
  • an overall expansion of critical beds and case management

Thank you to the hundreds of front-line workers -- nurses, doctors, social workers and their unions, advocacy organizations, and consumers of mental health services for believing that we can do better. A very special thanks to my colleague Supervisor Matt Haney for fighting alongside me every step of the way and to Supervisors Shamann Walton and Gordon Mar and Assemblymember Phil Ting for their unwavering belief in our solution.
Supervisor Ronen delivering the keynote speech at the Mental Health
Association of San Francisco’s annual conference. Photo via Nathaniel Paluga

I am convinced that Mental Health SF can be a model for our nation. Let's finally treat diseases of the brain with as much urgency as we do diseases of the body.

I had the opportunity to share our plan for Mental Health SF as the keynote speaker at the Mental Health Association of San Francisco’s annual conference, “Redefining Crazy: It’s the System, Not the People.” The enthusiasm for Mental Health SF was stunning. This is the start of quality mental healthcare for all!

The Creation of the American Indian Cultural District
Photo via the American Indian Cultural Center
In honor of American Indian Heritage Month and the 50th anniversary of the historic Native American occupation of Alcatraz Island, I introduced legislation to establish the first-ever American Indian Cultural District in the country!

I partnered with the American Indian community to create this new cultural district within the Mission and Mission Dolores neighborhoods, which hold a unique concentration of historical markers, cultural resources, and Native American services that are critically important to this community and are an asset to our city.

The American Indian Cultural District is a first step in making reparations to a community that deserves this recognition and so much more. It will allow us the opportunity to bring the American Indian Cultural Center back to 16th Street where it originated and to support the preservation and growth of the community in the area.

Saving an Important Mission Community Asset
Photo via MEDA
We have successfully saved another important Mission community space! I am overjoyed to announce that after years of community advocacy and pressure from the District 9 office, the Mission Language and Vocational School, Jamestown Community Center, Mission Neighborhood Centers, and the Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA), we were collectively able to purchase the historic Centro Social Obrero building in the Mission.

By taking ownership of this important community space, these long-standing nonprofit organizations are sending a clear message that we are committed to providing invaluable services to low-income Latinx and immigrant residents for generations to come.

Defending Immigrant Rights
Photo via Brooke Anderson Photograhy
This month I authored two resolutions affirming San Francisco’s commitment to protecting the rights and opportunities of our immigrant communities.

The first urges the Governor to issue a statement to publicly acknowledge the validity of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s recent extension of Temporary Protected Status work authorizations. This is to ensure that employers honor these extended work permits.

The second underscores San Francisco’s support for immigrant women and asylum-seekers fleeing gender-based persecution and condemns the federal government’s efforts to undermine asylum protections for survivors of domestic violence.

No matter what anti-immigrant rhetoric or policies comes from the White House, San Francisco will continue to stand with and for our immigrant communities!

Working on Homelessness in the Mission
Photo via Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
While my office has been focused on advancing systemic, long-term solutions to address the root causes of homelessness through our Mental Health SF legislation, I’ve continued to call on our City departments to prioritize ongoing outreach and engagement services in the most impacted areas of our district.

In November, the Department of Public Works initiated an expanded outreach operation in key areas of concern throughout the Mission, and the Department of Homelessness will be holding additional beds at the Navigation Centers for this expanded operation.

My staff and I have also resumed weekly walk-throughs in areas of the district with high concentrations of street homelessness to speak with residents and small business owners about their concerns and proposed solutions. I'm also talking with individuals living in encampments so I can better understand the gaps in our current homelessness response system.

After some improvement, the homelessness crisis in the Mission has gotten worse. I will be personally evaluating the City's response so we can come up with and implement long-term solutions to this human tragedy.

Affordable Housing and Restorative Justice
Nothing beats an affordable housing ribbon-cutting in District 9, but this one was extra-special. Recovery Survival Network (RSN) has master-leased the Hotel Norma in the Mission to provide 23 units of affordable, supportive housing for young adults who have been through the criminal justice system. With support from the Reentry Division of the City's Adult Probation Department, RSN will help these young people find a new path while giving them a safe place to stay as they begin the process for a better life.

I am so glad to be welcoming this important program into our district. RSN’s program at the Hotel Norma is exactly the type of restorative approach we need to break the cycle of youth crime and trauma, especially as we work to transform our juvenile justice system and help all young people thrive in San Francisco.

Mural Honoring the Memory of Amilcar Perez Lopez
Photo via Paul Monge
This beautiful new mural in the heart of the Latino Cultural District called “Alto al Fuego en La Misión,” commemorates the life and tragic death of Amilcar Perez Lopez - a young Guatemalan immigrant who was shot and killed by SFPD in 2015.

Under the leadership of HOMEY, the Justice4Amilcar Coalition, Mission Housing Development Corporation, and Calle 24, the community came together last week to unveil this mural as a way to remember the life of Amilcar, as well as the countless others who have been senselessly killed on the streets of San Francisco and the millions of immigrants around the world who continue to search for safety.

Transgender Awareness Month
Photo via Paul Monge
In honor of Transgender Awareness Month, I had the privilege of recognizing longtime District 9 resident and community advocate Maggie Sanchez. A Mission District native, Maggie has been involved in aiding low-income, homeless, and undocumented populations for more than 35 years. She has also been a key contributor to the organization Community United Against Violence (CUAV), where she works to empower and protect LGBTQ communities in San Francisco. Thank you Maggie for your years of selfless advocacy and the positive impact you’ve had in the Mission District and beyond!

A Big Win for Bold Change in San Francisco
Supervisor-elect Dean Preston, District Attorney-elect Chesa Boudin, and Supervisor Hillary Ronen.

I worked hard this election year to support bold, progressive voices in key races.

For this reason, it is extra sweet to be able to congratulate our new District Attorney-elect Chesa Boudin, District 5 Supervisor-elect Dean Preston, and Public Defender-elect Mano Raju!

I look forward to working with each of them on the initiatives and programming San Francisco needs!

I am also thrilled that voters passed Props A and E, bringing significant new funding and development opportunities for affordable and educator housing.

Dia de los Muertos Procession
to Close Immigrant Detention Camps
Photo via Facebook
On November 2, the Mission community held a procession through the neighborhood demanding an end to the federal government’s brutal immigration policies. In September, I authored a resolution to draw attention to the systemic mistreatment of immigrants at the United States border. I will continue to support the community’s efforts to close inhumane immigrant detention camps, free innocent children, and reunite families. #ClosetheCamps!

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Bay Area Peer-Run Mental Health Warm Line
The Peer-Run Warm Line (1-855-845-7415) is a non-emergency resource for anyone in the Bay Area seeking emotional support. They provide assistance via phone and web chat on a nondiscriminatory basis to anyone in need. They can help with challenges with interpersonal relationships, anxiety, panic, depression, finance, and alcohol and drug use. This is a great resource that can be of help to those looking for support, especially over the holidays.

SFPUC Prepares for Another Wet Weather Season
Photo via SFPUC

As San Francisco enters another wet weather season, there are more resources available than ever for residents and businesses to plan for major storms.

While City crews are working hard to prepare San Francisco for the rains, improving stormwater management and flood resilience across the City is a partnership between government and residents like you. Please visit sfwater.org/RainReadySF to find out what steps you can take to get rain ready:
  • Get free sandbags from San Francisco Public Works.
  • Protect your property: regularly inspect and maintain your sewer lateral (the connection from your building to the city sewer). Tree roots, wipes and grease poured down the drain can clog your sewer pipes and cause backups.
  • Elevate belongings in your garage and any low-lying areas on your property. Remember to store emergency items, such as first aid kits, flashlights and portable radios, in a safe and high place.
  • Purchase low-cost National Flood Insurance.
  • Apply for a Floodwater Grant to flood-proof your property.
  • Adopt a Drain!
  • Report clogged catch basins, street flooding, sewer backups or wastewater odors to 311 online at sf311.org, on the app for Android and iPhone, or by calling 3-1-1.
  • NEW: Apply for a Green Infrastructure Grant Program - The SFPUC launched a new grant program to fund green infrastructure projects that will manage stormwater runoff and improve the City’s combined sewer system performance during rainy season.
  • Learn what to do if a sewer backup or flooding occurs.

Home Match SF
Home Match San Francisco helps homeowners with extra rooms connect with home seekers who need an affordable place to live. Homeowners benefits from extra income or help with chores such as grocery shopping, pet care, or transportation. Home seekers who live, work, or study in San Francisco benefit from affordable rent and an established community.

Home Match is based on a national model and connects people based on lifestyle, personal preferences, and interests to insure compatibility. They screen applicants through interviews, background checks, and home visits, and help potential matches design a comprehensive Living Together Agreement.

Homeowners need to be able to provide the following:
  • Proof of property ownership and that you reside in the home
  • Identification and three references
Home seekers need to be able to provide the following:
  • Show that you live, work, or attend school in San Francisco
  • Document that your gross income does not exceed 90% of area median income ($74,600/year for household of one person as of July 2018)
  • Identification and three references 
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact info@homematchsf.org or call (415) 351-1000.

38th Annual Encuentro del Canto Popular
Accion Latina presents the 38th Annual Encuentro del Canto Popular, a fundraiser and celebration featuring the neo-Latin soul of Louda y Los bad hombres, the ska, reggae, and political indignation of La Noche Oskura and the low low and slow boom bap of Choosey and Exile’s funky Afro-Chicano Soul as found in their Black Beans album.
 
Location: The Chapel
Address: 777 Valencia Street
Date and Time: December 8th 7-11 pm
SF Tickets available HERE

Featuring hosts Ceci Pena Govea aka La Dona, Oscar y Jacqui of PODER. DJs provided by Horizons Unlimited’s The DJ Project.

Poster design by @Lsiete7.

Film Screening: The Last Black Man in San Francisco
The San Francisco Human Rights Commission is sponsoring a free film screening of The Last Black Man in San Francisco.
 
Date: Tuesday, December 10th
Location: 25 Van Ness Ave, 8th Floor Conference Room, San Francisco CA 94102
Time: 11:00 am-1:00 pm
RSVP: Tuquan.Harrison@sfgov.org

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided during the screening.
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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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