Friends & Neighbors,
As we enter the summer recess, we want to thank you for your engagement, advocacy, and commitment to our community. Together, we banned evictions for COVID-19 related nonpayment, won over $100 million for affordable social housing, forced the MTA to bring back long suspended neighborhood bus lines, fought against massive increases to the police budget, and so much more. While District 5 changed earlier this year due to redistricting, we are so proud of the connections our constituents have made to new District 5 neighborhoods– and kept with former District 5 neighborhoods– in such a short amount of time. We are proud to continue to represent you at City Hall.
Sincerely,
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| Dean Preston
District 5 Supervisor
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➩ Summer Recess: August 1 to September 5
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| The Board of Supervisors will have its legislative recess starting next week. Our office will have limited staff available for the duration of the recess, and our office’s response times may take longer than usual as a result. We encourage you to reach out by emailing prestonstaff@sfgov.org during the month of August, as this will be the easiest way to ensure you receive a prompt response. |
➩ Monkeypox: City Declares State of Emergency Starting August 1st
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Today San Francisco declared monkeypox a public health emergency, effective August 1, 2022. This action will help speed up and streamline to better respond to monkeypox. We will share updates on this developing situation as we receive them.
Our office is continuing to monitor the situation as more and more cases of monkeypox are reported. We recently held an informative hearing on monkeypox in the Government Audit and Oversight Committee, which I chair. Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus. Monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to smallpox symptoms, but milder. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, and a rash that can look like pimples or blisters on the face, mouth, or other parts of the body. Monkeypox spreads through extended close contact such as sharing clothing, bedding, intimate contact, and breathing at close range. Preventative measures such as wearing a well fitted mask, covering exposed skin in crowds, not sharing bedding or clothing, and communicating with intimate partners about their health--can be taken to prevent contracting monkeypox. Anyone who is given notice of exposure or suspects they may have been exposed should get a monkeypox vaccine within 14 days to prevent an infection. The illness typically lasts 2-4 weeks. |
San Franciscans are eligible for a Jynneos vaccine if they are:
- Referred by a contact investigator as a close contact of someone who has monkeypox (suspected or confirmed)
- Self-report as a close contact of someone who has monkeypox (suspected or confirmed)
- Received a notification from a venue or event of a potential exposure to someone who has monkeypox (suspected or confirmed)
- A laboratory worker who routinely handles monkeypox virus samples for diagnosis or testing purposes or any clinician who has a high-risk occupational exposure
- Gay, bisexual, and other men or trans people who have sex with men, who have had more than 1 sexual partner in the past 14 days
- Sex workers of any sexual orientation or gender identity
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As of Friday, July 8, SFDPH opened a new access point at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital’s monkeypox vaccine clinic, located at 1001 Potrero Ave, Building 30, 2nd Floor. A limited number of vaccines will be available for walk-ins beginning Aug 1st from 8am-noon and will be available each day M-F 8am-noon until vaccines run out. The following locations have supplies of Jynneos vaccine by appointment only:
- Adult Immunization and Travel Clinic (AITC) patients call: 415-554-2625
- Strut patients: call 415-581-1600
- Kaiser-Permanente patients and non-patients: call 415-833-9999
- SF Health Network patients: call your provider or health center directly
- UCSF patients and non-patients: call 415-502-3566
Please check the Department of Public Health’s website for updates on vaccine access and availability. More information is available at https://sf.gov/information/monkeypox |
The latest changes to our local health order are in effect as of June 16, 2022 to align with state and federal guidance. 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 5 or older is now eligible for their first booster, and anyone 50 or older or those with certain risk factors are eligible to receive the second booster. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children 6 months to 5 years old.
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), and get tested before traveling or meeting with loved ones. Masking is no longer required by the health order in most settings– although most private businesses have the discretion to require masks. However, masking remains strongly recommended, regardless of vaccination status, and federal and state health rules continue to require a well fitted mask in certain settings including emergency shelters and cooling centers. A copy of the current CDPH masking order is available at https://bit.ly/3uMYaaS.
BART and SFMTA are encouraging, but not requiring, masks for riders. |
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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:
- Kaiser Geary Campus Vaccine Center, 2675 Geary Blvd
- Monday - Friday, 8:30am to 3:30pm for drop-ins, 4:30pm for appointments; available to general public, check availabilityor call 866-454-8855
- Ella Hill Hutch Center, 1181 Golden Gate, 628-652-2700
- Glide, 330 Ellis St
- Thursday, 1:30pm to 4:30pm (drop in)
- Boeddeker Park, 246 Eddy St
- Saturday, 12:00pm to 3:00pm (drop in)
- CVS & Walgreens, at various locations
You can find more city sites and information at sf.gov/vaccine-sites or by calling 628-652-2700
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Testing & Vaccine Sites
We know there is continued high demand for testing around the city, and will continue advocating for 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 Sunday, 8:00am to 5:00pm
- Glide Memorial Church, 330 Ellis Street, drop in
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm
- Japantown Peace Plaza, 1610 Geary Blvd, drop in
- Monday to Saturday, from 9:00am to 2:00pm
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Resources if COVID-19 Positive
If you test positive and need help with isolation or quarantine, the City can provide financial assistance for those who meet eligibility requirements through the City's Right to Recover Program. The City can also help provide crisis and mental health support.
Anyone with food insecurities can call 628-652-2700 to be connected with Meals on Wheels, or dial 211 for other resources.
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➩ Latest on Rent Relief and Eviction Protections:
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For any San Francisco resident facing COVID-related hardship, the following information is crucial:
As you may recall, shortly after our office passed a COVID-19 eviction moratorium ordinance in March, the state legislature passed a law that effectively preempted our ordinance and prevented us from enforcing the law. However, the state law’s preemption ended on July 1st, meaning no evictions may be enforced for COVID-related nonpayment of rent due on or after July 1st. The moratorium will be in place until the end of the state of emergency. Because of the state law, any debt accrued before July 1st is still subject to eviction. You can learn more here: https://sf.gov/information/covid-19-emergency-tenant-protections
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
https://sferap.com/
https://sf.gov/renthelp
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The City has adopted its 2022-2023 budget! I want to thank Budget Chair Hillary Ronen and the entire Budget and Appropriations Committee for their tireless efforts over the past few months, and for their diligence and care in balancing a lot of competing demands, needs, and newly drawn districts to arrive at a budget. With their support, and advocacy from the community, our office was able to ensure that this year’s budget included crucial investments into homelessness prevention, affordable housing, anti-corruption, food programs and health hubs, and many, many more crucial priorities.
Despite all that, our City, which is working with a $14 billion budget, will not fully fund some of the basics. Instead, we will be funding policing in this city more than we ever have before. The police department’s budget alone was increased by approximately $50 million to over $700 million, the highest ever in our city. When we look at the facts, very little has changed in any meaningful way since the national reckoning with racism and policing after the murder of George Floyd. Racial disparities in policing rage on, despite reform efforts. Police disproportionately continue to kill and use force against people of color. Under these circumstances, I advocated to reject the massive increase to police funding, and in the end, when these increases were included in the budget, I cast the lone dissenting vote on the budget. I’m proud of our office’s significant engagement and advocacy throughout the process, and to be clear, we had a lot of huge wins in this budget for the people of District 5 and the entire City. Stay tuned for a more complete budget breakdown we will be sending out in the next few days.
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| On Tuesday, our office and the Board of Supervisors called on District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to preserve the independent innocence commission put in place in 2020 under former District Attorney Chesa Boudin. With the exoneration of Joaquin Ciria this April, the Innocence Commission has proven that it can fairly and efficiently do the difficult work to address harms perpetrated against individuals on behalf of the People, and affirms the need, regardless of politics, to include justice for people who are wrongfully convicted or imprisoned by our system. You can read more about the Innocence Commission here. |
➩ Starbucks Workers Organize
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| On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support the efforts of Starbucks workers to unionize their shops in San Francisco. The resolution, introduced by our office, calls on Starbucks to allow their workers to unionize free of threats, intimidation, anti-union propaganda, anti-union meetings and lawsuits. The Boards’ support of Starbucks workers sends a strong message of solidarity as Starbucks workers are unionizing across the country in a historic campaign for the service industry with over 300 stores filing for union elections, and the first store in San Francisco filing for union recognition in June 2022. Despite claiming good faith with unionizing demands, Starbucks has taken an aggressive anti-organizing approach, including firing union leaders and organizing committees, and closing shops in retaliation for organizing. Our office hopes that the support of the Board will help reduce these effects on organizers and workers. |
➩ Voter Participation Act
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| Our office is proud to be joined by countless individuals and groups such as Common Cause California, RepresentUs, Asian Americans Advancing Justice: Asian Law Caucus in supporting our proposed charter amendment to consolidate all citywide elections into even years. With the support of voting rights advocates and community members, we are happy to report that the measure will be on the November ballot. The proposed changes will significantly increase voter turnout in future elections, and also be more fully representative of San Francisco’s population. Research shows that even year election turnout presents a diverse array of working class, young, limited English proficient, as well as racial and ethnic minorities that are often left out of odd year elections. You can read more about the effort here. |
➩ Decriminalizing Use of Entheogenic Plant Medicine
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In partnership with Decrim SF, our office introduced legislation to push for decriminalization of entheogenic plant practices and their use/harvest. An entheogen, which literally translates to “experiencing divine within,” describes a psychoactive substance or preparation derived from plants or fungi and used in religious, spiritual, or ritualistic contexts. Our resolution comes on the eve of California State Senator Scott Wiener’s SB-519 (decriminalization of certain hallucinogenic substances), which will be heard in the Assembly Appropriations committee next month. Once passed, San Francisco could join other jurisdictions in the United States, including Seattle, Washington, Oakland, California; Santa Cruz, California; Denver, Colorado; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Washington, D.C.; and the State of Oregon, which have decriminalized some or all entheogens; Portugal, Brazil, Jamaica, and the Netherlands have also decriminalized some or all entheogens.
Entheogens and psychedelics have been shown to benefit the well-being of individuals seeking treatment for depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction, grief and end-of-life anxiety. There is an unmet need in San Francisco’s communities for the compassionate and effective care that these medicines provide. As the State Legislature prepares to vote on SB 519, we want to put San Francisco on record in support of the decriminalization of psychedelics and entheogens, as many other countries and cities have already done. |
Our office is proud to announce the approved renovations at Buchanan Mall! The renovations will include a two phase process that focuses on the initial improvement of the Eddy-Turk, Turk-Golden Gate, and McAllister- Fulton blocks. In addition, the renovations will offer better management of stormwater in the area and will beautify the intersections along Buchanan Mall. Recently, I joined members of the Department of the Interior, President Shamann Walton and community members on a tour of the Buchanan Mall, which is set to receive $3.9M from the Outdoor Regional Legacy Partnership and Bayview Park K.C. Jones Playground, which also received funding from the federal government.
The community in the Western Addition has been heavily involved in the process for reimagining the five blocks of park space. Led by the outreach done by nonprofits Citizen Film, Green Streets, with support and collaboration from Trust for Public Land and The Exploratorium’s Studio for Public Spaces. Once complete, the park will represent the wants and needs of this historically Black community.
More information about the event and future of the Buchanan Mall can be found here! |
After urging SFMTA to restore additional lines removed during the pandemic, a broad coalition of riders, community groups, unions, Supervisors, and transit advocates came together to welcome back the 21 Hayes, 6 Parnassus, and 2 Sutter!
We still have a long way to go until we see 100% pre-pandemic service hours and all of our lines return. We encourage you to support the Save the 3 Jackson advocacy group, a line that has not yet returned. The 3 Jackson has been serving a number of San Francisco neighborhoods, including portions of District 5, for over 100 years . To learn more about their work, you can find more information about them on their instagram at @savethe3jackson or at savethe3jackson@gmail.com .
In addition, our office was excited to participate in a rally for Free Muni/Full Service held by the Democratic Socialists of America and various community partners. Advocates laid out the following goals:
- Build a solid, long-lasting coalition, engaging current and future Muni riders, transit workers, disability justice advocates, abolitionists, climate activists, and other affected communities.
- Collectively fight for abundance, not austerity, envisioning a public transit system that is physically, financially and practically accessible to all—with frequency, reliability, complete coverage, safety, and disability needs met.
- Democratize SFMTA to overcome the structural and historic issues with lack of leadership and vision from SFMTA and city officials.
- Abolish fare enforcement and end criminalization for non-payment, which disproportionately harms BIPOC.
- Require equity, workplace protections, just treatment and continued employment for all transit workers.
- Create a safe and environmentally just transit system that will help San Francisco meet its Vision Zero and Climate Action Plan and goals, end car and fossil fuel dependence and become a truly transit-first city.
- Achieve a transit system for the people: Free Muni, Full Service.
At a time when City leaders have largely failed to rally people around a bold vision for public transit, I’m especially proud of DSA SF and all of the riders, workers, and activists who are fighting for the future of public transportation in our city.
Muni service changes and updates can be found at: https://bit.ly/3SfFU43 |
➩ District 5 Clean Corridors Events
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The Department of Public Works will be holding several Clean Corridors events over the next year. The events usually begin at 8:00am and will take place every Thursday. Here’s a preview of their current schedule for District 5 corridors:
- August 4, 2022: Fillmore from Pine to McAllister
- August 11, 2022: Larkin from Post to McAllister
- October 20, 2022: Gough from Hayes to Haight, Hayes from Laguna to Gough
- October 27, 2022: Polk from Post to Golden Gate (partially in District 3)
- January 19, 2023: Divisadero from Golden Gate to Haight
- April 6, 2023: Haight from Divisadero to Laguna
- June 22, 2023: Haight from Central to Stanyan
Public Works will deploy a contingent of power-washers, flusher trucks, litter removers, graffiti abaters, and outreach inspectors to clean the streets, sidewalks, and public furniture along key commercial corridors. They will also send representatives to talk to residents and merchants about Public Works’ role. See their full schedule and find additional information at https://sfpublicworks.org/cleancorridorssf
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Backpack Giveaway & Resource Fair
August 6, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. @1050 McAllister St
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| Start out the school year at the 13th annual Backpack Giveaway and Resource Fair! Every child accompanied by an adult gets one backpack along with an afternoon of live music, resources, and food.
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“Just Reminiscin”
August 6, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. @762 Fulton St
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| Join the Fillmore Jazz Ambassadors for an afternoon of poetry, jazz, and song performed by nationally acclaimed and accomplished artists!
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Block Party
August 6, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m, @Buchanan Mall
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| Enjoy an afternoon of community fun, love, and inspiration at the first annual block party at Buchanan Mall! Complete with live music, free haircuts/hairdos for kids, free giveaways, basketball camp, food and more.
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Art Walk
August 6, 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.@Fillmore between Bush & Washington
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| Celebrate the Art, Music, Food, and Small Businesses of San Francisco's Neighborhoods with Art Walks! Art Walk SF is a free, family friendly community event filling the streets with: merchants offering specials and hosting sidewalk sales; local artists selling their art or artisanal goods; tables and activities hosted by community organizations; live/collaborative art making, &/or other activities; live performances by local musicians, and more.
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Dodge Alley Block Party
August 25, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. @1330 Fillmore St
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| Join the Tenderloin Community Benefit District for an evening of fun! Complete with food, giveaways, games, music, and envisioning the future.
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Game Night
August 25, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. @800 Presidio Ave
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| Enjoy an evening of competitive gaming with all of your favorite childhood board games at Booker T. Washington Community Center!
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Soulful Sundays in the Fillmore
Every 3rd Sunday from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. @1700 BLK O'Farrell St
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| Join Brothers for Change for a night of face Painting, DJs, live music, art, roller skating, family games, skateboarding, and entertainment!
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Project Open Hand
Join Project open Hand through their 20+ job opportunities in providing over 2,500 nutritious meals daily to help sustain and nourish members of the community as they battle serious illness, isolation, or the health challenges of aging.
Current job openings can be found at: https://www.openhand.org/about-us/job-opportunities
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MLIFE Healing Circle
Become an ambassador for change through the healing circle one year program targeting under-resourced Black identifying transitional youths aged 14 to 24 years old in the Tenderloin, Mission, and Bay view/ Hunters Point through healing, empowerment, arts, and leadership. To be eligible to participate in the fully-funded trip to Kenya, participants must satisfy the following requirements:
• Be between the ages of 14-24 years.
• Commit 5-10 hours a month to participate in the program and complete all assignments
• Attend mandatory orientation in October 2022 and February 2023.
• Be available to travel to Nairobi, Kenya, on June 17 -27, 2023
For more details contact: kventura@mlifefoundation.org
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Sell Black
Grow Your Online Presence in a 14-week digital marketing training program to support Black-owned businesses in operating competitively online! The program provides an opportunity for Black-owned businesses adversely affected by the global pandemic to revitalize, rebrand, and redeliver their companies to the public through e-commerce and digital marketing. Business cohorts are supported directly by En2action staff in cooperation with a myriad of Black and brown creative service providers. Applications for the program go out on Tuesday, August 9th, 2022 and are due on Tuesday, August 30th, 2022. Learn more at https://www.en2action.org/sellblack
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Accessible Business Entrance Program
ATTENTION ALL BUSINESS OWNERS: Help make sure San Francisco is welcoming to all! Commercial property owners of public-serving businesses are legally required to confirm that their primary entrances are accessible to people with disabilities. Learn more about the Department of Building Inspection’s Accessible Business Entrance program at https://bit.ly/3zEVsqX
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Be the Jury Program
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
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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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Reply to this email or email prestonstaff@sfgov.org for more information, questions, or suggestions for our next newsletter!
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