|
Visiting the Castro Country Club where ED Billy Lemon introduced us to Calvin, a graduate of the Castro Country Club & Positive Resource Center's Peer2Peer workforce development program who now works at the Hummingbird Navigation Center at SF General
|
|
|
City Hall remains closed to the public, but we are still working remotely. The best way to stay in touch with us is by email. We check our email and voicemail every day. Please don’t hesitate to reach out via email, at mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org.
|
|
|
|
|
Have questions or concerns for the District 8 Office? Our next Virtual Office Hours will be Saturday May 8th from 10am to 12pm. Email mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org to request a 10 minute appointment. Appointments are on a first come first served basis. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Every second and fourth Friday at 2pm my office hosts an informal Zoomside Chat, where constituents can get the latest updates and ask questions of us and our special guest. For more information, please visit my Facebook page or email erin.mundy@sfgov.org.
Our next guest on Friday, May 7th will be Dr. Alex Barnard, Assistant Professor of Sociology at New York University and author of “Absent Authority”, a study examining California’s conservatorship system. Register to attend here.
|
|
|
|
|
VACCINE AVAILABILITY
All San Francisco residents and workers 16+ are eligible for the vaccine. For more information on where to get the vaccine and how to make an appointment, visit https://sf.gov/get-vaccinated-against-covid-19.
San Franciscans should be proud that more than 70% of SF residents over 16 have received at least one vaccine dose. There were early supply challenges, and our office worked hard to help many constituents access scarce vaccine appointments. Fortunately, we seem to have turned a corner and everyone can, and should, be able to get an appointment scheduled. If you have any issues making an appointment, please contact my office.
The City has also set up a Call Center to help people 65+ and those with disabilities who are unable to easily access the internet or schedule an appointment through their health care provider. To learn about vaccine options and receive assistance in booking an appointment to some locations, you can reach the Call Center at (628) 652-2700.
|
WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON
|
Joining public school parents and students from Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy and McKinley Elementary for a Zoom-In organized by Decreasing the Distance
REOPENING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS: The last year was incredibly challenging for San Francisco students and families, and m y office heard from many District 8 public school parents about the struggles associated with the year-long lack of in-person instruction. I was inspired by the efforts of SFUSD parent collective Decreasing the Distance who successfully advocated for a safe and equitable return to the classroom and was proud to support them.
Fortunately, SFUSD has finally resumed in-person instruction for some students, and I will continue to advocate for schools to reopen this year and to be fully re-opened for in-person instruction in Fall of 2021.
PLACE FOR ALL: Legislation I introduced in October, which would make it City policy to offer all unsheltered people a safe place to sleep and would direct the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to prepare a plan to open enough safe sleeping sites and other temporary shelter to meet that policy mandate, was heard at the Budget and Finance Committee on Wednesday April 21st.
While I am disappointed that the Committee did not move my “A Place for All” legislation forward, I am grateful to the hundreds of San Francisco residents, small business owners, and neighborhood leaders who wrote and called in from across the City to support our comprehensive plan to ensure every unhoused person has an exit from the sidewalk. In particular, I want to thank Rescue SF, San Francisco Council of District Merchants Associations, Coalition of San Francisco Neighborhoods, Van Ness Corridor Neighborhoods Council, Cathedral Hill Neighborhood Association, Laurel Heights Improvement Association, Pacific Heights Residents Association, Dolores Heights Improvement Club, Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association, Corbett Heights Neighbors, BOMA San Francisco, Castro Cares, Castro/Upper Market CBD, Castro Merchants, Civic Center Community Benefit District, Mid Market Community Benefit District and the SFBID Consortium for signing on in support of my legislation.
I believe “A Place for All” aligns with the values and sensibilities of a majority of San Franciscans who want an end to street homelessness but also believe that no person should have to sleep on the street. I will continue to fight for safe, compassionate, and sensible solutions to homelessness that end the crisis on our streets. You can read my op-ed in the San Francisco Examiner about why we need A Place for All here.
MAKING SHARED SPACES PERMANENT: In March, I joined Mayor Breed in announcing legislation to create a permanent version of the Shared Spaces program that has been a lifeline for small businesses during the pandemic and brought a desperately-needed sense of community to our neighborhoods in a challenging time. The program has been generally popular among local merchants in District 8 and citywide, but I appreciate the concerns some have raised about the potential impacts on disability access, parking and loading for merchants, and the private use of public space. I take these concerns seriously and will continue working with the Mayor's office and my colleagues to ensure that our permanent Shared Spaces program accounts for the various needs of our neighborhoods. The ordinance is expected to come before the MTA Board and Board of Supervisors this month. More information is available here.
COMMUNITY BUS ROUTES: I joined several of my colleagues in sponsoring a resolution calling on the MTA to provide a plan for restoring service on community bus routes that remain offline like the 35 and 52 as soon as possible. Far too many District 8 residents, workers, and students remain cut off from transit due to pandemic service reductions, and I’m glad to report that the MTA has committed to bringing back partial service for the 52-Excelsior in Glen Park and Diamond Heights by mid-May. I will continue advocating for the full return of Muni service, especially in hilly areas and places with no transit connection to major neighborhood shopping and services.
PROTECTING RESIDENTIAL CARE FACILITIES: Last month, my colleagues voted unanimously to support my resolution protecting assisted living facilities, which are sadly a dwindling resource in San Francisco despite the great and growing need for this kind of care for the elderly and those with disabilities and long-term illness. Since 2012, San Francisco has lost 44 facilities accounting for over 450 residential care beds. While there are a host of issues my office is working to address to support the continued operation of these sites, my resolution will extend the temporary zoning controls I originally introduced in 2019 to make it harder to convert these facilities to other uses and provide much needed scrutiny to this ongoing crisis of care in our city. I'm currently developing legislation to make these controls permanent, and take further steps to make it easier to retain and expand these critically needed facilities.
Valencia Street Community Hummingbird: Prior to the pandemic, I worked with Mayor Breed and the Department of Public Health to secure a site at 1156 Valencia for a behavioral health navigation center, also known as a "Hummingbird", to serve and shelter unhoused people with behavioral health and substance use needs in District 8. After many COVID-related and construction delays, I am hopeful that we will be able to finally celebrate the opening of the City's first ever Community Hummingbird this June. In the meantime, I continue meeting with the Department of Public Health and the facility's operator, PRC Baker Places, to ensure that when Valencia Street Community Hummingbird does open, it will be a benefit both to the people it serves and the surrounding neighborhood.
WELCOMING NEW SFPD CAPTAINS: District 8 has multiple SFPD Stations covering our neighborhoods. Our office works closely with the Captains from each of those stations on public safety solutions like additional foot patrols, drug sales enforcement and operations to stop home and auto burglaries. I've enjoyed collaborating with the new captains of Mission and Ingleside Stations, Captain Moran and Captain Jones, during their first couple months on the job and want to thank their predecessors, Captain Caltagirone and Captain Woon for all that they did to keep our residents and businesses safe.
LYON-MARTIN HOUSE: Last month, we took another step toward honoring the legacies of LGBTQ icons Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin when the Land Use and Transportation Committee voted to support my ordinance granting local landmark status for their longtime home in Noe Valley. This would be the first site in San Francisco specifically recognizing the history of the lesbian community, a step that is long overdue. I’m proud to have initiated this process, and grateful to the local and national advocates who have championed the effort. The landmarking ordinance will go before the full Board on May 4.
HEALTHCARE FOR AIRPORT WORKERS: Last year, I authored the Healthy Airport ordinance to provide quality affordable healthcare to thousands of low-wage airport workers and their families. Unfortunately, we have learned that SkyChef, an employer covered by the Healthy Airport Ordinance, is planning to avoid compliance with the law by moving the majority of its workers out of SFO, while also refusing to meet noticing requirements intended to ensure airport employees know their rights. In April I introduced a hearing request to investigate this shameful attempt by SkyChef to deny health care to their workers by exporting 300 jobs to San Jose.
|
|
|
Although MUNI service, dramatically curtailed in the early days of the pandemic, remains limited, routes have continued to return, including the full regular route of the 37-Corbett including service north of Market to Buena Vista, the 33-Ashbury with a modified route on weekends to accommodate the Shared Spaces street openings on 18th Street in the Castro, and the 22-Fillmore adding service to ease crowding. The 48-Quintara and J-Church continue running on modified routes. More on the current reopening schedule here.
SFMTA has announced the next round of service restorations expected in mid-May. These will include the return of several Muni rail lines, partial restoration of the 52-Excelsior serving Glen Park and Diamond Heights, and partial restoration of the historic F line rail service on Market.
Muni is now offering free transit and paratransit trips for vaccine appointments . Find out more here.
Slow Streets have been a popular way to get outside and make essential trips during the pandemic. MTA is now considering the Sanchez Slow Street as one of the first segments to be included in a possible permanent network (more here), and outreach to surrounding neighbors is underway now. Find out more about the program here.
The Essential Trip Card (ETC) provides subsidized taxi rides for seniors and people with impaired mobility while Covid Muni service reductions remain in place. ETC users can now add a one-time value to the card to cover the cost of getting to and from vaccine appointments, and additional monthly rides are now available to qualifying cardholders. Find out more here.
|
|
|
S.F. debates controversial homeless proposal to make city provide shelter to all
|
“I believe a Place for All aligns with the values and sensibilities of a majority of San Franciscans who want an end to street homelessness but also believe that no person should have to sleep on the street,” Mandelman said. “I do think we need to focus more resources on policies that will actually find an alternative to the sidewalk for folks that we do not have housing for.”
(San Francisco Chronicle, April 21)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
S.F. small businesses owe up to $400 million in unpaid rent, new city report estimates
|
“The city needs to do everything we can to address the harms caused by this minority of landlords,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, one of the officials who called for the hearing. “No one should be able to force a small business out of existence and force another vacant storefront on our neighborhoods with impunity.”
(San Francisco Chronicle, March 18)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mayor Breed wants to turn an empty San Francisco office into a drug sobering center
|
“We have much greater need than for 30 individuals at any given moment,” said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who co-chaired the city’s meth task force, which recommended opening such a site in 2019. “I’m glad that we’re gong to move forward and get this done, although I’m sure we’re going to find that we need more than just one.”
(San Francisco Chronicle, April 13)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
San Francisco supervisors panel backs Lyon-Martin house landmark
|
"At Monday's hearing, Mandelman called Lyon and Martin "giants of the early LGBTQ rights movement" whose home "should be appropriately recognized and preserved" as a key site of LGBTQ history. With it being Lesbian Visibility Day, he noted, "there was no better time to take this step.""
(Bay Area Reporter, April 26)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
With overdoses spiking, San Francisco's leaders are trying to force the city into action
|
“We don’t make it easy to get treatment in the way that the folks who brought us the treatment-on-demand legislation were hoping that legislation would lead to,” Mandelman said. “We should be using every point of contact to encourage people to seek treatment.”
(San Francisco Chronicle, March 9)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SFO caterers have jobs shipped to San Jose as new ordinance takes effect
|
"Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who authored the ordinance along with Supervisor Shamann Walton, has called for a hearing into the issue, and what he called the company’s “egregious violations,” of the ordinance in a statement."
(San Francisco Chronicle, April 14)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
George Christopher playground opens
|
"The Mayor of San Francisco was joined by San Francisco Board of Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, the Recreation and Park Department, Public Works, and kids from Noe Valley Nursery School and Eureka Valley Arts to cut the ribbon on the $5.2 million renovation of the site, located in Diamond Heights above the northeastern rim of Glen Canyon."
(San Francisco News, April 28)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yearslong halt for F Line streetcar draws outrage from Castro
|
"I have concerns," wrote Mandelman, who represents the Castro at City Hall. "Certainly, after Van Ness [bus rapid transit] and Central Subway, San Franciscans understand that these large infrastructure projects can drag on much longer than expected. We need more clarity and certainty on the projected duration of the entirety of the Better Market Street Project. That's important for the F, but for a lot of other interests and priorities as well."
(Bay Area Reporter, April 20)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Youth Commission is a body of 17 youth from San Franciscan between the ages of 12 and 23. Created by the voters under a 1995 amendment to the City Charter, the commission is responsible for advising the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor on policies and laws related to young people. The Youth Commission is also charged with providing comment and recommendation on all proposed laws that would primarily affect youth before the Board takes final action.
WHAT WE DO:
Our job, which was created by the voters of San Francisco and makes us accountable to the whole City, is to stand up for the needs of all young people in the policy and legislative debates at City Hall. Whether it comes to MUNI, housing, education, juvenile justice or health and wellness, we serve as authentic advisors on youth issues to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor. We read laws, talk to Supervisors and the Mayor Office, hold discussions with other young people in our communities, organize events and hearings, do research on policy and write resolutions.
Youth Commissioners get the chance to develop their leadership and advocacy skills! Youth commissioners receive training on legislative advocacy, community organizing, public speaking, power & oppression, social justice history, understanding City government, and the City’s budget. Being a youth commissioner is a great way to serve your community, learn about politics, and grow your leadership as a principled and effective community advocate.
APPLICANT QUALIFICATIONS
The only requirements are that you live in San Francisco and are between the ages of 12 and 23 when you are appointed.
For more information: https://sfgov.org/youthcommission/apply-be-youth-commissioner
Apply now: tinyurl.com/SFYCAPP2021
RSVP for info session here: tinyurl.com/SFYCInfo2021
|
|
|
|
|
Upcoming Neighborhood Meetings:
Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association. Thursday, May 27th at 7pm
More info: https://evna.org/
Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association. Monday, June 14th from 7-8:30pm
More info: https://www.dtna.org/
SFPD Station Community Meetings: District 8 has three different SFPD Stations whose jurisdictions are within our borders and our office works very closely with the Captains from each of those stations on specific issues impacting each neighborhood.
Each Captain hosts a monthly community meeting that you can now join virtually to share your concerns and ask questions. I encourage you to attend these meetings and find out more on the SFPD website.
Affordable Housing Week is May 7th - 14th. The Council of Community Housing Organization (CCHO) will be hosting the 6th annual Affordable Housing Week from May 7th - 14th. Find out about the various events and panel discussions throughout the week here.
Bike to Wherever Day is May 21st. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition will present Bike to Wherever Day on May 21st. The event formerly known as Bike to Work Day is an opportunity to celebrate the vision of a safe, accessible bike network for San Francisco by riding your bike wherever you're going and visiting one of the many energizer stations that will be set up across the city. Find out more here.
HOST HOMES: Do you live in SF and have a spare bedroom or private space that can be turned into a bedroom? The San Francisco LGBT Center's Host Homes Program matches San Francisco volunteer hosts with young adults (ages 18 to 24) who need stable housing for a period of three months to one year. During this time, the young adult pursues their education and employment goals alongside support from our case management team, and is then positioned to find their own housing after the program period ends. The young adult participants have previously experienced unstable housing situations like couch surfing, sleeping in cars, and living in non-affirming households.
To learn more about the program and hear participants’ stories, please register here to attend a virtual information session. For more information about hosting or to connect with a current volunteer, contact us at hosthomes@sfcenter.org or 415-852-2059. sfcenter.org/hosthomes
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
