• Healthcare workers
• People 65 years and older
• Education and childcare workers
• Emergency services workers
• Food and agriculture workers
• People with certain health conditions or disabilities
• People living or working in congregate living settings (homeless shelters, correctional facilities, or other treatment facilities)
• People experiencing homelessness

Voters demanded it, and we delivered: The Board of Supervisors approved last week the first round of Prop I funding -- more than $20 million -- to go to rent relief and permanently affordable, social housing. This is a huge win and I want to thank everyone who voted for the ballot measure and helped us make sure the money is going to the programs we intended with the Fair Recovery Act.

This time last year, we were sketching out an idea to tax wealthy real estate investors to pay for emergency rent relief and social housing. The opposition mounted a well-funded, fact-free campaign to stop us, outspending us 20-1, but they failed. With your help, we beat big money at the ballot, and now we have successfully ensured that as mega real estate deals continue to come in, the revenue from Prop I will be directed as the voters intended.

And while we are celebrating this initial win, the fight will go on to make sure the Prop I funds continue to go to rent relief and social housing. Next up is the annual budget cycle, and I look forward to working with Budget Chair Matt Haney, who has been with this effort from the very beginning, and my colleagues on the Board to make this happen. Thank you!

PBudget season is approaching fast, and though COVID has changed a lot, it’s critical that we fund the needs of our neighborhoods from renters with steep back rents owed, to our unhoused neighbors, to alternative forms of police, to struggling small businesses. San Francisco must use an equity lens this budget cycle to make sure we’re meeting the needs of everyday, working people. Let’s talk about what that means together, and how you can participate, at  the Zoom D5 budget town hall. 

Click here to register!

AMAZING NEWS! Workers at all of the San Francisco-based locations of Dandelion Chocolate officially announced their intent to unionize their workplace and join the International Longshore and Warehouse Union - ILWU Local 6 and become the Dandelion Chocolate Union! Bravo to the workers and I wish you luck in your negotiations with management. And shout out to our chapter, Democratic Socialists of America: San Francisco and the organizers who have supported new unionizing workers at Anchor, Tartine, and now Dandelion!

For our part, we introduced a resolution condemning the unfair child labor practices of large corporate chocolate companies like Nestle and Mars, and in support of fair practice chocolatiers like Dandelion, and we hope the unionizing goes smoothly. Remember, this Easter, do not buy chocolate made with child labor! Buy local, and urge Dandelion to work collaboratively with their unionizing workers! 

Tens of thousands of units sit vacant while we largely ignore the single biggest source of potential housing in San Francisco: vacant units.  Fully constructed, ready for residents, but held off the market. Why? And how do we activate them?  

On March 16, I called for a Budget and Legislative Analyst Report and a hearing at the Board of Supervisors to discuss these questions and more, on the important topic of residential vacancy, co-sponsored by D9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen.

So much of the conversation on housing in this city has been dominated by an exclusive focus on production. It’s the same old talking points -- build, build, build. How many new units, how quickly can they be built, how do we incentivize building more. There is a role for new construction, especially of affordable units, but it is not the only way to create housing opportunities.  I believe that solving our City’s affordable housing crisis must involve tackling residential vacancies, activating as many of these units as possible, and exploring policy solutions to this mushrooming problem and opportunity.

Much of what we know about the current landscape of residential vacancy is based on limited data sets and anecdotal evidence. As policymakers, I believe we need the most up to date information on how, why and where units remain unoccupied in San Francisco, and what we can do about it. That is the aim of the BLA report and the hearing, which we plan to schedule in May. Stay tuned for more information, and if you would like to get involved, please contact my aide Kyle Smeallie at kyle.smeallie@sfgov.org.

• The economic and neighborhood impacts of commercial landlords’ refusing to grant rent relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, 
• City-provided legal resources or support services for small businesses engaging in commercial lease negotiations
• Local tools to protect small businesses and encourage commercial landlords to grant rent relief

Last month, I called for free Muni for the duration of the pandemic. This is an opportunity to get people back on public transportation and put money in struggling San Franciscans’ pockets. You can read my letter to the MTA here. Fresno just launched free transit during the pandemic. Kansas City has been offering free transit since 2019.  What is San Francisco waiting for? 

In response to the changing patterns of crime during the COVID-19 pandemic, our office requested on February 24 that the Mayor expand the city’s Community Ambassador Program, a public safety model that does not rely on armed, uniformed officers. We requested the addition of 10 Ambassadors for District 5.

The Community Ambassador Program, run by the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs, provides a visible presence to assist residents, visitors, and businesses, and promote safety, with trained city workers who act as a helpful presence on the streets, provide information and referrals, offer general assistance, and report hazards and emergencies to city agencies. The program, which has been successfully piloted in six San Francisco neighborhoods, originated in 2010 in response to an increase in violent crime, particularly against the Asian-American community in San Francisco. 

At a time in which traditional models of public safety are under increased scrutiny, we need to expand on proven alternatives. We are committed to expanding this program as soon as possible. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out to our office with any ideas, questions or concerns, at prestonstaff@sfgov.org.