Dear Friends & Neighbors,
Happy Women’s History Month! District 5 is lucky to have many incredible women who care deeply about our community.
Just last month, we honored Dr. Catherine James, who has served the people of San Francisco as a family physician in the Department of Public Health for the past 27 years. After completing her medical training at UCSF and San Francisco General Hospital, in 1997 she became a staff physician at Maxine Hall Health Center in the Fillmore, caring for families and people living with HIV. Dr. James became the medical director at Maxine Hall Health Center in 2006 overseeing all aspects of patient care and community engagement. We are deeply appreciative not just for Dr. James’ decades of service, but in particular for all of her work in the Fillmore and her incredible work throughout the pandemic.
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And yesterday, we were equally humbled to honor Dr. Mary Ann Jones as part of our International Women’s Day and Womens’ History Month celebration. Dr. Jones was born and raised in the Fillmore, and received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Mills College and her Ph.D. from the Wright Institute. Dr. Jones joined Westside Communities Services in 2004, and in 2010, she became the CEO and continues in that role today. Westside has a long history of serving, in particular, vulnerable members of the African American community, using programming created by members of the community for the community. During this Women’s History Month, we recognize and honor Dr. Mary Ann Jones for her vital work in the field of mental health, for improving the quality of life for San Francisans, for her kindness and compassion, and for her outstanding leadership and inspiring generations of new clinicians.
Thank you to Dr. James and Dr. Jones for their work, and we thank all of the other incredible District 5 women who make our community better every single day!
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The latest changes to our local health order, which was adjusted to align with state and federal guidance, are in effect. We are continuing to monitor the situation and are available to help our constituents who need assistance during this difficult time. As mentioned previously, children and adults 5 and up can get their COVID-19 vaccines around the city, while anyone 12 or older can get their booster.
The Department of Public Health (DPH) is urging all people to ensure that they are up to date on their vaccinations (including boosters where eligible). Masking is no longer required by the health order in most settings– although private businesses have the discretion to require masks– with the exception of K-12 schools and childcare (through March 11), public transit (through March 18), and emergency shelters, cooling centers, and certain healthcare or long term care settings.
Please note that the San Francisco Unified School District announced last week that it will strongly encourage, but not require, masks for middle and high school students starting March 12th.
Vaccines & Boosters
Locally, the Department of Public Health (DPH) is urging everyone who is eligible to get their vaccinations and boosters as soon as possible. Children as young as 5 years of age are now eligible to be vaccinated, while boosters are available for children ages 12 and up.
For those who need vaccines or boosters, you can check out these sites in or near District 5, which have first, second, and booster doses available:
- Rosa Parks Elementary School, 1501 O'Farrell St.
- SFUSD Vaccine Event for Youth and Families: $100 gift cards for any dose received for children age 5-17 years (while supplies last)
- Mondays, 2:00pm to 6:00pm on 3/7, 3/14, 3/21, 4/4/, 4/11, 4/18, and 4/25
- Kaiser Geary Campus Vaccine Tent, 2670 Geary Blvd *New Location*
- Monday - Friday, 8:30am to 3:30pm for drop-ins, 4:30pm for appointments; available to general public, book online
- Ella Hill Hutch Center, 1181 Golden Gate, 628-652-2700
- Walgreens, 1899 Fillmore, 415-771-4603,
- Walgreens, 1363 Divisadero, 415-931-9974
- Walgreens, 2100 Webster, 415-441-5742
You can find more city sites and information at sf.gov/vaccine-sites or by calling 628-652-2700.
Testing
We know there is continued high demand for testing around the city, and will continue advocating for reliable testing access locally. The Department of Public Health is urging those who can to set up testing through their providers. However, here are some public sites in or near District 5:
- Ella Hill Hutch Center, 1181 Golden Gate, 628-652-2700, drop in
- Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Glide Memorial Church, 330 Ellis Street, drop in
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Japantown Peace Plaza, 1610 Geary Blvd, drop in
- Monday to Saturday, from 9:00am to 3:00pm
You can look up other available testing sites here. For SFUSD students, please check the district's test sites here.
Resources if COVID-19 Positive
If you test positive and need help to isolate or quarantine, the City has resources available. The City can:
- Help set up a space where you can isolate or quarantine away from others
- Help with food delivery and cleaning supplies
- Get testing appointments and quarantine guidance for close contacts
- Provide financial assistance for those who test positive and meet eligibility requirements through the City's Right to Recover Program
- Help get you mental health support
To be connected to these resources, you can call 628-217-6101 and leave a message. Your call will be returned within 24 hours (Monday-Friday). You can also dial 211 for other resources, including mental health support.
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| Starting this week, the Board of Supervisors Chamber is now open to the public to watch Board and Committee meetings and give live public comment. Meetings and meeting participation will remain in a hybrid format, which will allow in-person attendance, remote access, and public comment live and by teleconference. Find out more about making public comment here .
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➩ Redistricting is in Full Swing!
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The San Francisco Redistricting Task Force continues to meet and listen to feedback from residents as they get ready to produce their first drafts of their maps. You are invited to participate during any of the upcoming redistricting meetings, which you can find here. District 5 will be discussed in more depth on March 16 at 5:30 p.m. during a virtual meeting.
Attending Task Force meetings gives the public the valuable opportunity to speak out for their communities in order to create an equitable, inclusive map that honors working-class communities of color. We encourage all to make their voices heard! Check out the online redistricting tool here.
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➩ Latest on Rent Relief & Eviction Protections
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For any San Francisco resident facing COVID-related hardship, the following information is crucial: Apply right now for rent relief at housingiskey.com.
Our office recently learned that additional funds have been allocated to the state rent relief program, enough to fully address all COVID-related back rent that could lead to eviction. But as of today, the state program is only accepting applications until April 1, 2022. If you have any back rent due to COVID, don’t wait–apply now to ensure your application is processed.
Currently, a pending application protects tenants from eviction through March 31, 2022 under state law. The State Legislature may extend this deadline. In the event the March 31, 2022 deadline is not extended statewide, the city is setting up a local emergency rental assistance program. Using the $42 million we have allocated from Prop I to rent relief, as well as funds from Prop C, the local program will work with nonprofit partners to process a subset of applications in the pipeline, and a component that is court-based and leverages eviction defense system to protect tenants in court.
If for any reason a tenant receives eviction papers, they should immediately contact the Eviction Defense Collaborative at (415) 659-9184 or legal@evictiondefense.org to be connected with a City-funded attorney from our Tenant Right to Counsel Program.
A full list of resources is available at https://sf.gov/information/covid-19-emergency-tenant-protections |
➩ Apologizing for Past City Actions on Japanese-American Internment
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Saturday, February 19th marked the 80th Anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced evacuation and removal of Japanese Americans during World War II. Internment is a shameful chapter in our nation’s history, the legacy of which continues to impact our communities to this day. I believe strongly that we must acknowledge and recognize the wrongs of our past if we are to grow and do better for our future.
To that end, on Tuesday, February 15th, I joined Supervisor Connie Chan in passing a City resolution commemorating the 80th Anniversary of EO 9066. This resolution was written in partnership with our allies in the Japantown community, which has never received a formal apology or acknowledgment from the San Francisco City government for its implicit support for and assistance in the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans.
These actions have caused generational wounds. We must not only acknowledge the history on this Day of Remembrance, we must also turn our words into actions, remedy past wrongs, challenge racism, and move forward with respect and love. Japantown and Japanese-American culture and community are an integral part of San Francisco, and 80 years later, there remains so much work to do to restore trust and repair the damage done by this shameful period in our history. |
➩ Exploring Municipal Bikeshare
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Thank you to advocates and members of the public for tuning into our hearing on the potential path toward municipal bikeshare in San Francisco and the Bay! The hearing at the Government Audit and Oversight Committee discussed a report by the Budget and Legislative Analyst which explored different municipal bike share models around North America. We look forward to continuing to work with the public and city partners to see what is possible for our city! Read more here.
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➩ More Speed Reductions Proposed
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We want to share an update on the next set of corridors proposed for speed limit reductions from 25mph to 20mph through Assembly Bill 43 (Friedman), which gives us the flexibility to reduce these speed limits in certain business districts. We partnered with the MTA to propose 7 corridors citywide for implementation that began in January 2022 under phase 1, and they have now identified the next set of 35 corridors across the City for the next phase of implementation.
Corridors were selected based on the criteria set in the state legislation – primarily that at least 50% of the street must have fronting commercial, dining or retail uses. We are proposing the following corridors in your district that meet this criteria. We are excited to move these forward! You can find more information here. |
➩ Prop I Oversight Board Weighs Visions for Future of Social Housing
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In November 2020, my office wrote and passed Prop I, a tax increase on the highest value real estate transactions. To date, it’s brought in nearly $200 million, and it is projected to bring in $170 million for the next four years.
Prop I is housing money, and we’ve successfully allocated tens of millions for COVID rent relief, as well as for social housing. For social housing, my office set up the Housing Stability Fund Oversight Board, a body comprised of affordable housing experts, advocates and residents.
Over the past few weeks, community groups and advocates have submitted proposals to the Oversight Board’s consideration for funding affordable housing strategies with Prop I revenue. The submissions include a proposal for teacher housing, cooperative housing in the Bayview, and LGBT+ social housing, and others, which you can read here.
Envisioning strategies to activate more affordable housing is critical work, and that is exactly what this body is doing, as they convened on February 23rd to discuss the submitted proposals.
After discussion and deliberation, the Oversight Board is expected to issue in March a set of recommendations for use of Prop I funds in the coming fiscal year. We appreciate the time and commitment from the Oversight Board members, and remain eager to move forward with a bold vision for social housing in San Francisco.
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➩ Honoring Earl Gage Jr.'s Legacy
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| We had a great time honoring Earl Gage Jr and dedicating the new mural at Rosa Parks Elementary School! Earl Gage Jr.'s legacy as San Francisco's first Black firefighter-- and as a civil rights leader-- will now be passed on for generations to come thanks to the work of Sherman Tillman, Lisa Brewer, SF Black Firefighters Association, principal Darren Kawaii, Mission Art 415, Rigel “Crayone” Juratovac, Wes Mark Wong, and former D5 team member Jen Snyder. We extend our sincere thanks to the many people who came out to celebrate with us, including Earl Gage Jr.'s family, Mayor London Breed, the San Francisco Fire Department, members of the Fillmore and San Francisco community, as well as the local artists and vendors.
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➩ Black History Month Celebration
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We had a great time celebrating Black History Month with our friends and partners at the African American Arts and Culture Complex, as well as all of the other cohosts: The Trust For Public Land, SF Recreation and Park, Green Streets, and Citizen Film. Thank you for hosting!
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➩ Celebrating Lunar New Year
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We had a wonderful time celebrating at the Annual Chinese New Year Parade. Thank you to the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for organizing such a fun and joyous event. We hope you and your families have a prosperous, happy and healthy Year of the Tiger. Gung Hay Fat Choy!
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➩ The SF-Marin Food Bank Needs Our Help!
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We were honored to volunteer with San Francisco-Marin Food Bank last month and play a small part in the incredible program they’ve put together to make sure City residents, particularly the most economically/health-vulnerable, have fresh and healthy food to cook for themselves and their families. Special thanks to Marchon Tatmon for helping organize our volunteer day!
We encourage folks who have the time and ability to volunteer to do so. Learn more and sign up at bit.ly/sf-m-foodbank |
➩ Haight Ashbury Community Gets Pop-Up Vaccine Event
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We had a fantastic time at the Haight-Ashbury Community Vaccine Event! Our Partners at Kaiser Permanente were able to vaccinate a total of 10 people at the event, ranging from pediatric and booster and first-dose shots. Thank you Peggy, Sunitha and Katherine for providing great care for our community members at this event. A special thank you to Dr. Tang and Dr. Amornkul who supported with “Ask the Doc” and helped encourage some of our hesitant residents to get their shot.
We also want to thank Christin Evans of Booksmith and the Coalition for a Complete Community for organizing this event, our community partners at Acrosports for providing kids activities, the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council, Larkin Street Youth Services, the Coalition on Homelessness, the Homeless Youth Alliance, Cole Valley Haight Allies, the Institute on Aging, and Senior Disability Action for making this event a success!
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➩ Standing Up Against Rent Hikes
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A number of residents at Frederick Douglass-Haynes apartments, a 104-unit affordable housing complex in the heart of the Western Addition, for years enjoyed the protections provided by rent control, including limitations on how much their monthly rent could increase. But after the property owners received city funds to make necessary repairs, it was asserted that the residents no longer were protected by rent control, and as a result some families – long-term, African-American residents in the Western Addition – saw astronomical rent hikes, some as much as 182% over five years.
In a city with a $13 billion budget, in the midst of having necessary conversations about reparations to the black community, it is unconscionable that, in order to fund repairs to affordable housing, the city wants to pay the bill by imposing rent hikes on long-term African-American residents. We can, and must, do better.
My office has demanded that MOHCD work with HumanGood to make sure FD Haynes tenants are not faced with major increases in their monthly rent. In addition, we announced legislation to make sure rent hikes like these never happen to any San Francisco resident ever again.
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Free Wheelchair Repair Clinic
Friday, March 11 from 10:00 a.m. to noon
207 Skyline Blvd.
Senior and Disability Action (SDA) will be holding its second Free Wheelchair Repair Clinic on Friday, March 11 at the Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center (207 Skyline Blvd). Folks can bring their wheelchairs or scooters and get basic repairs from experienced mechanics of City Wheelchairs. There will be snacks, music, and a chance to talk about the lack of affordable wheelchair repair-- and what we can do about it. Whether you need wheelchair repair or not, community members are invited to stop by! Please invite people who may be able to benefit from this event.
Please call SDA at 415-912-8643 or email ligia@sdaction.org for other needs. El evento incluirá interpretación en español.
Webinar on Commercial Vacancy Tax
Wednesday, March 16 at 3:00 p.m. (virtual)
The Office of Treasurer and Tax Collector invites all who are interested to join their webinar on March 16 at 3:00 p.m. to learn about the commercial vacancy tax. Topics covered will include which commercial spaces are covered by the tax, when a commercial space is considered to be vacant, and the filing and payment requirements for the tax. Register here. Flyers are available in English, Chinese, Tagalog, and Spanish.
Kids in the City Fashion Boot Camp
Tuesday, March 29 to Thursday, March 31 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
423 Scott Street
Kids in the City is holding a revamp, refresh, renew, and upcycling event to explore the fashion design process for youths ages 10-18. Reserve your seat for the event here. The event will be at Momma's House, 423 Scott Street. Masks must be worn at all times. You can find out more information by reaching out to kidsinthecity2018@gmail.com or visiting their website.
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Dream Keeper Initiative Mini-Grants
Dream Keeper Initiative mini-grants ($500 - $5K) are now available through Collective Impact "to individuals and organizations to advance social justice and create community innovations for marginalized populations within the Black community." We encourage those eligible to read more about these grants and apply by visiting Collective Impact’s website. Applications opened Monday and will close on March 13!
SF Public Utilities Bill Relief Programs
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) has launched a new Customer Assistance Program that provides 25%-30% off SFPUC water, sewer, and Hetchy Power bills for customers with low incomes. Apply today-- it is quick and easy! Find out more or apply for relief here.
Be the Jury Program
As of this week, the San Francisco Superior Court is piloting a new program to pay eligible participants $100 a day for jury duty. The “Be The Jury” pilot program was created with the goal of establishing juries that are more reflective of San Francisco’s diverse communities. Learn more about the program by calling 311 or visiting the Superior Court’s website at bit.ly/BeTheJury
Free Respite Child Care for Essential Workers
Family Support Services is offering free respite child care day or night for San Francisco parents/essential workers who qualify. Do you need a break? Do you have appointments and need short-term respite child care? Do you have a family emergency? Do you need overnight respite child care? For more information or to set up respite care, please contact Family Support Services at:
(415) 728 -7444 - Katrina Brooks, Respite Coordinator (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)
(415) 279 -3213 - After hours only
Hygiene Supplies Available At Ella Hill Hutch
Through the efforts of various organizations and supporters, Ella hill Hutch continues to have hygiene supplies available for community members from Monday through Friday at 1050 McAllister St, San Francisco, CA 94115. Community members who need supplies are encouraged to stop by to pick up what they need, including: deodorant, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, bandaids, and period supplies. Community members who have questions or are interested in dropping off supplies are encouraged to reach out to Executive Director of the Mo’MAGIC program, Brittany Ford, at brittany@momagic.org.
District 5 Legacy Businesses
Are you a small business owner in D5 whose business has been in the community for 30 or more years? Reach out to the District 5 team so we can explore your options for registering as a legacy business. Our neighborhood commercial establishments – including retailers, restaurants, bars, manufacturers, service providers, and more – give the city character. Preserving our longstanding businesses is critical to maintaining that which makes San Francisco a special place. In addition, registration as a legacy business gives our small businesses access to city grants and preservation programs. Reach out to our office at PrestonStaff@sfgov.org for more information.
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| Please do not hesitate to reach out to our office with any ideas, questions or concerns, at prestonstaff@sfgov.org.
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