This month I announced with Supervisor Matt Haney a Free Muni Pilot project during the pandemic. Under the proposal, the Board would provide one-time funding to SFMTA to offset fare revenue for a three-month pilot of fare free public transit starting July 1, 2021. 

We must take bold steps to meet our Transit First mandate and bring public transit back strong. That means ramping up service and piloting Free Muni. Fortunately, with renewed federal investments, we can do both. 

With fare revenue at historic lows, we can pilot this now for a fraction of what it would cost at any other time. MTA’s timeline for restoring service will not be impacted by this fare-free pilot, nor will MTA’s 2-year budget, which thanks to the large infusion of federal recovery funds, is fully funded. 

Free Muni is a key part of the path forward to get people back on Muni, put money back in struggling workers’ pockets, and jumpstart our recovery. Let’s do this! 

On April 6th, at the request of dozens of residents of Plaza East Apartments in the Fillmore, the Supervisor called for a hearing on the current housing conditions at Plaza East and the proposed plans for the property. 

An article from the San Francisco Public Press took a deep dive into the living conditions of residents at Plaza East and documented in detail the uninhabitable conditions and how residents have complained for years to the city and the developer, which also manages the site, about a range of serious housing problems.

The conditions described in the article include leaking pipes, rotting floors, electrical fires, an outdated fire alarm system, inadequate ventilation that causes moisture and mold to build up in the units and pests. 

No resident in San Francisco should ever be forced to live in these conditions, and it could not be more clear: immediate action is needed to address the uninhabitable living conditions that residents are currently experiencing. Fixing their homes should be a top priority for the developer and the city.

As we have been preparing for the hearing next week, there have been a number of developments at Plaza East, including HUD denying an application to demolish the housing development, the city approving a $2.7 million loan to start repairs there, and a new management company taking over.

The hearing is scheduled for Thursday, May 6th at 10am at the Government Audit and Oversight Committee. You can stream live at www.sfgovtv.org. To make public comment, dial: 415.655.0001, and Enter the Meeting ID: 187 161 4177. ( Click here for best practices for remote public comment).

Voters delivered a clear mandate with 58% of the vote in favor of Prop I, and last year the Board went on record with the clear intent of use of these funds, unanimously passing a resolution to allocate increased transfer tax revenue to rent relief and affordable housing. 

Our office was extremely disappointed to hear Mayor Breed, at the April 13, 2021 Board of Supervisors meeting, refuse to commit to using Prop I revenue for the voter-intended purposes.

We need your help to demand Prop I revenue go to rent relief and affordable housing. The best way is to have a huge showing of support for what we know is the right thing to do. Can you help out and sign this petition?

Our amazing Safe Sleeping Site in the Haight is set to close on June 30th to make way for the much-needed affordable housing which will be built on that site. Our focus has been on making sure that every resident at the Site will be given another housing option. It’s critical that our city does not return anyone to being unsheltered. 

This site was a complete success in terms of keeping unhoused neighbors safe during the pandemic and has cycled dozens of people from the streets in the area to other housing options. People got jobs, got into school, and we appointed a resident to the Behavioral Health Commission’s Citizens Advisory Committee! 

We are so so so thankful to Homeless Youth Alliance and Larkin Street Youth Services for the incredible work they did with CAMP over the last year. It has been an incredibly eye opening experience and we are glad we had such experts at the helm. We also appreciate all the neighbors who came together to support this effort. Now let’s make sure all current CAMP residents get the exits to stability they deserve! 

Here in San Francisco we’re not interested in our electeds being beholden to corporate donors. But there’s a disconnect when it comes to electing at the state level. 
 
For city races, corporate donations are banned. But for state level races like state senate and state assembly, there’s no limits to corporations funding candidates. AB 20 would change that so we passed a resolution in support of the state bill this month. 
 
Keep corporate money out of California politics!

In partnership with the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California and NBC Bay Area, on April 14 we were proud to participate in an event marking 100 days to the start of the Tokyo Olympics.

It was an opportunity not just to reflect on the upcoming games, but on the spirit and resiliency of our city and the Japantown neighborhood. Bay Area Olympians Kristi Yamaguchi, Alexander Massialas, and others presented medallions to residents from Japantown and surrounding areas for their work and exceptional courage throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I was honored to be one of the award recipients.

Many thanks to Diane Matsuda of API Legal, Paul Osaki of JCCCNC, and NBC Bay Area anchor Raj Mathai for their work in putting together this special event!

This year, we marked the 54th Annual Cherry Blossom Festival with a virtual celebration over the course of four days. I want to thank co-chairs Greg Viloria and Miki Katsuyama Novitski for all their work in putting together this event, and I appreciate being part of the 2021 Welcome Greeting. Check out the video and other links on the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival website!

On April 13, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved historic landmark dedication for the Japanese YWCA/Issei Women’s Building, a cornerstone of the Japantown neighborhood and hub for civil rights organizers and immigrant rights pioneers.

Long before we adopted the language of intersectionality, this place gave it a tangible form. It was place where all were welcome, where Japanese immigrant women and children could find safe haven, where a pioneer like Bayard Rustin, during his time in San Francisco, organized against segregation in public facilities, housing covenants, and discrimination, and where the Mattachine Society would host its first convention. I am so proud to lead the effort at the Board to recognize the historic contributions of the Issei Women’s Building, and I look forward to an in person celebration with community members who helped preserve this building later this year.

We believe that ensuring public safety in our neighborhoods requires community-based solutions that work with neighbors, visitors, small businesses and other stakeholders to ensure safety for all communities. We need to expand the Community Ambassador program.

On February 24th in response to growing neighborhood support for non-police public safety programs, my office sent a letter to Mayor Breed urging her to partner on a pilot to expand the Community Ambassador Program by adding at least 10 Community Ambassadors throughout neighborhoods of District 5. We believe the pilot presents a cost-effective way to improve public safety while fulfilling a shared city goal of diverting funds from traditional policing models.

If you’re with us, please sign the petition from Neighbors United, demanding more Community Ambassadors in District 5!

The SFMTA Parking & Curb Management group has teamed with the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA) to develop a new parking and curb management plan for Hayes Valley. The SFMTA held a community meeting in February and a follow up earlier this week to gather feedback and input from the community. For project details and contact information to provide feedback, click here.

For a bit of uplifting news, check out this article from Senior Beat: ‘Great Plates’ helps keep local restaurants open during Covid while feeding seniors who might fall through meal delivery gaps

We will fight alongside workers! San Francisco McDonalds workers went on strike for failure to address sexual harassment at 609 Market Street and continued lack of COVID safety protocols. This is why we need the #FASTRecovery Act and we’ll be fighting for AB 257!  We were proud to stand with the striking workers and with labor allies including SEIU Local 1021 at last week’s rally in support of AB 257.

May Day is Saturday -- It's a celebration you can't miss! Wear a mask, stay distanced and commemorate International Workers Day by celebrating over a century of worker struggle from the fight for the eight hour day to generations of radical labor organizing for the working class. Event details here!

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