Supervisor Melgar 08032021 Newsletter

August Newsletter

Hello Neighbors,

Hopefully all of you are doing well and in good health. We have been through so much together as a city in protecting our residents against COVID-19. And while we have so much to be proud of, we must continue to stay vigilant. Vaccines are immensely effective against hospitalization from COVID-19, so please continue to encourage friends and loved ones of all ages to get vaccinated to prevent the spread. Remember to keep wearing your masks and to practice social distancing. Thank you for protecting yourselves, your family, and your community.

The Board of Supervisors will be going on summer recess from August 2nd to September 6th, but my office will continue to work with limited staffing. If you need assistance, please send us a message and we will respond as soon as we are able to. Our virtual office hours will return in September. For immediate requests, please be sure to contact 311.

Myrna

Visit sf.gov/covid-19-vaccine-san-francisco to See All Your Vaccine Options

Table of Newsletter Contents:

Public Safety Message
COVID-19 Updates
Project Level up Pop-up Store
US Army Corps of Engineers SF Beach Nourishment Project
Construction on Wawona and Vicente
Community Loans and Grants
Grants for African American Cultural Events
Sunnyside Neighborhood Updates
Water Conservation
California Eviction Moratorium Extended
Free Construction Training

PUBLIC SAFETY MESSAGE

Residents have reached out to our office frequently to voice concern about public safety, vandalism and property theft. I very much share your concern - public safety is a priority for me and I have been focused on this issue since taking office. As a City, we need to show unequivocal commitment to addressing and promoting public safety.

There are many elements to San Francisco’s public safety challenges over which neither me nor the Board of Supervisors has authority to exert much control, but the City budget is certainly where the Mayor and Board of Supervisors have influence.

The finalized budget includes over $65 million in new funding for programs designed to prevent violence, support victims, to continue the City’s investments in alternative responses to non-criminal activity, and to create an Office of Justice Innovation to oversee, implement, and work with the community to expand this critical work. This office is primarily designed to coordinate the City’s current disparate efforts on violence prevention and victims’ service and to ensure that the various agencies that handle matters of crime and public safety are held more accountable for their work.

Moreover, the proposed budget also includes funding to maintain police staffing levels (120 new police officers in the next two fiscal years), $6 million for increased overtime for the SFPD to provide additional foot patrols, and new civilian staffing to support compliance with SB 1421, a state bill requiring increased police accountability, and civilian staffing to ensure resolution of 272 United States Department of Justice recommendations. By adding these civilian positions we are able to return some sworn staff to other police work.

I also meet regularly with the Police Captains that serve District 7 to strategize about the specific crime trends and needs for our district, and our staff attends all the community meetings at the precincts serving D7. Additionally, the City budget includes a significant increase in funding for community ambassadors. Every day, community ambassadors will be stationed in various areas to engage with residents and visitors, support people in need and connect them with services, address safety issues, and support the cleanliness of the area. These ambassadors will work in coordination with other City initiatives, including the Healthy Streets Operation Center, the new Street Crisis Response Teams, and others to ensure the appropriate response for different situations that may arise. For District 7, I am looking at expanding those strategies to help with our high-traffic areas, and requesting additional foot beat officers on our commercial corridors and more patrols in neighborhoods experiencing an uptick of crime.

Data is a critical component and it is worth investing in and analyzing to put the conversation in better context. However, while data shows that most crime rates are down year to year, I believe that when you are the victim or someone who does not feel safe, crime statistics mean nothing and that the City needs to do everything it can to ensure you feel safe in our beloved city.

I am fighting for more coordination between public safety agencies to successfully investigate crime rings that are largely responsible for property crimes. I am also calling for more reforms around data-sharing so that agencies can prevent crimes from happening in the first place.

I will continue to work diligently, in close partnership with Mayor Breed, Chief Scott, and my colleagues at the Board of Supervisors, to do everything I can to provide you with a renewed sense of security.

COVID-19 UPDATES

Indoor Masking Has Become Mandatory Again Even for Vaccinated Individuals

Due to the Delta variant, San Francisco's daily new cases have increased eight-fold and are projected to increase an average of at least 80 new cases per day. Please wear masks indoors in settings like grocery or retail stores, theaters, and family entertainment centers, even if they you are fully vaccinated.

Remember, it’s critically important to get tested if you have symptoms.

Visit sf.gov/getvaccinated, email sfvaxnow@sfdph.org, or call 628-652-2700 for vaccination information and sites.

PROJECT LEVEL POP UP STORE EVENT

Project Level’s Fashion Department teaches students how to create their own clothing line (Cut and Sew or Streetwear) and fashion styling.

Project Level now has a popup at Stonestown Mall! It features the clothing lines made by young artists at Project Level. Go support the creativity of youth!

CONSTRUCTION NOTICE: U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS BEACH NOURISHMENT PROJECT

As part of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) Ocean Beach Climate Change Adaptation Project short-term improvements phase, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activities at Ocean Beach will build a sand berm on property owned by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in front of 3,000 feet of bluff south of Sloat Boulevard using sand dredged from the San Francisco Main Ship Channel. The goal is to protect the Great Highway and nearby wastewater infrastructure maintained by the SFPUC.

When: The work window begins in mid-July and ends on September 30, 2021. Construction crews will be working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Construction will take approximately 30-40 days, during which time this stretch of beach will be closed to the public and access to the beach south of the work area will be limited.

Where: Construction activities will occur within the footprint of the National Park Service parking lot at Sloat Boulevard and on the beach south of Sloat Boulevard.

For questions, email ssip@sfwater.org or leave a message at (415) 554-3233.

WAWONA & VICENTE UPDATE

The project team will increase capacity in the existing sewer by diverting some of the stormwater flow to a new large sewer main. This will be installed under Vicente Street, from Wawona to 34th Avenue. The project is anticipated to begin in mid to late August.

The first construction activities will install stormwater inlets at and near the 15th Avenue and Wawona Street intersection to increase the ability to capture and divert street runoff into the sewer, and provide an opportunity to upgrade the Vicente Avenue water main, portions of which are over 100 years old. SFPUC is coordinating with other large projects in the area, including the L-Taraval Improvement Project and the 19th Avenue Improvement Project to minimize disruption from construction and staging.

COMMUNITY LOANS AND GRANTS

THE CALIFORNIA REBUILDING FUNDS LOANS

The California Rebuilding Fund is a loan program to support California’s small businesses—especially those located in economically disadvantaged and historically under-banked areas of the state. Businesses who employed 50 or less full-time equivalent employees (FTEs) and had gross revenues of less than $2.5 million or below in 2019 are eligible to apply.

Click here to fill out a pre-application and match with a participating community lender.

GRANTS FOR BLACK CULTURAL EVENTS

As part of a recent grant award through OEWD and the City's Dream Keeper Initiative, En2action will fund mini-grants up to $7,500 to support the curation and implementation of African-American cultural events.

Grant Cycle: Events occurring between Dec 1, 2021 - Mar 31, 2022
Grant Cycle: Events occurring between Apr 1-2022 - June 2022

SUNNYSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD UPDATES

WHAT'S NEW IN SUNNYSIDE

Slow Streets on Hearst Avenue: The program was implemented by SFMTA at the end of July and will continue.

August Concert at Sunnyside Conservatory: The first in-person event sponsored by SNA since the beginning of the pandemic. We want to see you! Please reserve the afternoon of Saturday August 21st for another appearance of Carol Yarbrough’s inestimable musical ensemble, to entertain you under the soaring roof of the historic Sunnyside Conservatory. Details to come.

WATER CONSERVATION

As you may know, California is in a drought and the Governor and our local water agency are asking residents to voluntarily reduce any water waste, particularly outdoors. Together, we can help stretch our water supplies through this dry summer.

Visit SFPUC for some tips on how to conserve water in your own homes. Schedule a free water-wise evaluation by a SFPUC conservation expert here.

EVICTION MORATORIUM EXTENDED

The moratorium on commercial evictions has been extended to September 30, 2021 in California. The moratorium does not waive the obligation to pay missed rent. If you have a business that has missed rent in the past year, we want to make sure you have time to prepare a repayment plan.

FREE CONSTRUCTION TRAINING

Board of Supervisors | District 7 | Myrna Melgar

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 260
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 554-6516 | Fax: (415) 554-6516
melgarstaff@sfgov.org

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