Dear Friends & Neighbors,
This week marked two years since I took office to represent District 5, and I am proud to represent our district every day. I am also proud of what our team has accomplished. We fought for renters and successfully passed an eviction moratorium at the height of the pandemic and won $42 million in rent relief. The fight continues with our latest Eviction Diversion ordinance. We fought for our small businesses when we introduced a first-in-the-nation law to forgive back rent for small businesses that had to shut down completely during the pandemic. We authored and passed Propositions I (real estate transfer tax) and K (in support of social housing), and we are delivering on those measures: we successfully appropriated $64 million to support social housing just a couple of weeks ago and the Mayor announced yesterday that, in part due to the revenue brought in by Prop I, our city is facing its first budget surplus in years.
Our office has also led the way on innovative approaches to some of our city’s most difficult issues – we led the way with the Oasis Hotel, the first shelter-in-place hotel program in San Francisco, started a D5 reimbursement pilot program for vandalized businesses, championed the City’s most successful pandemic Safe Sleeping Site, led the campaign to fully fund our tenant right to counsel to reduce displacement, initiated planning for the nation’s first municipal public bank, obtained funding for public housing organizers to help address substandard conditions in our district’s public housing sites, and so much more.
Our office also continued our leadership on public transportation, car-free spaces, and Vision Zero. We made a Fell street bike lane a reality, championed slow streets across the district, supported Car-Free JFK, funded pedestrian safety projects in the Fillmore, reduced speeds on Geary near senior centers, stopped Muni fare increases, and held crucial hearings to force MTA to restore suspended D5 Muni lines.
All of this is in addition to our nonstop day-to-day work in City Hall and across the District. The District 5 team prides itself not just on our long-term visionary work for transformative change, but for our responsiveness to the immediate needs of our constituents. Our staff – Kyle Smeallie, Melissa Hernandez, Jennifer Bolen and Preston Kilgore – work tirelessly to deliver for the residents of District 5. As Chair of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee, Vice Chair of the Land Use and Transportation Committee, and a member of the State Legislative Committee, it’s my honor to serve the District in every possible way.
As we end 2021– still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic– we are grateful for our amazing District 5 community’s work and support for our neighbors. We look forward to keeping up the fight on behalf of our district in the new year!
|
|
|
➩ Eviction Free District 5
|
|
We did it! We’ve reached every home in the district through a combination of door knocking, hundreds of phone calls, and emails sent to thousands of residents. A huge thank you to the many volunteers that have turned out weekly to talk to their neighbors and make D5 and Eviction Free Zone!
We’ll be continuing our outreach to the district to make sure everyone knows their rights when facing eviction. Among those rights:
- If you are asked to move, don't do it. You have protections to stay in your home.
- If you are behind on rent, don’t wait -- apply for rental assistance now at housingiskey.com. Your landlord cannot evict you if you have a pending application for rent relief.
- If you get an eviction notice, you can get a free attorney to help keep you in your home. Contact the Eviction Defense Collaborative at 415.659.9184 or legal@evictiondefense.org
- If you have questions about your housing, tenant counselors and legal assistance groups are available to help. Contact the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco:
- 415.703.8644 (English, Spanish, Chinese)
- 415.947.9085 (Russian)
- For more, visit sfadc.org/help
Join us for the weekly phone bank every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
|
With the holidays and the news of the omicron variant, the Department of Public Health continues recommending that any folks who can get the vaccine do so as soon as possible. Currently, children and adults 5 and up can get their COVID-19 vaccines around the city. Anyone 16 or older can get their booster.
You can also check out these D5 sites, which have first, second, and booster doses available:
- Ella Hill Hutch Center (1181 Golden Gate) 10am to 6pm - Wednesday/Saturday
- Walgreens (1899 Fillmore) 415-771-4603
- Walgreens (1363 Divisadero) 415-931-9974
- Walgreens (2100 Webster) 415-441-5742
- CVS (2675 Geary, inside Target) 415-796-5281
You can find more information at sf.gov/getvaccinated or call 628-652-2700.
In addition, earlier this week, the state issued updated guidelines. Broadly, the guidelines change timing requirements for proof of negative COVID-19 tests for children under 12 attending mega-events and visiting players and performers who are not fully vaccinated. It also clarifies some rules around children 5-11 who are now eligible for vaccination. Check out the Department of Public Health’s Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.
|
Following the release of 2020 federal census results, the boundaries of various voting districts must be adjusted so that each district has a similar number of voters. This process is called redistricting. In San Francisco, this will require re-drawing the supervisor districts.
Members of the public are encouraged to participate in any meetings held by the San Francisco Redistricting Task Force — in addition to providing general comments, anyone is welcome to submit proposed boundary lines to any or all of the City’s Supervisorial districts. The next Redistricting Task Force Meeting is online on January 3, 2022 at 5:30pm.
Check out the online redistricting tool here. |
|
We are proud of the day-to-day work we do to make sure people in our District have safe, accessible, and well-maintained neighborhoods. Our District 5 Sidewalk Socialism announcements highlight this important everyday work of our office.
The first Sidewalk Socialism improvement we want to highlight is the repair of long-neglected and dangerous sidewalks on McAllister between Fillmore and Webster. Special thanks to the Department of Public Works for helping us make D5 safer for folks using our sidewalks!
|
➩ The Fight for Social Housing
|
|
|
We scored a massive win for social housing earlier this month. With an 8-3 supermajority, the Board of Supervisors passed our plan to put $64m in Prop I funds toward an Emergency Housing Acquisition Program. The voters gave us a mandate to tax the rich and invest in affordable housing, and with this key vote, we made good on that promise.
It’s a game-changer for San Franciscans at risk of eviction in a rebounding real estate market. The investment allows the city to scale up its program to take multi-unit apartments off the private market, and turn them into permanently affordable housing. We are now poised to save the homes of more than 500 families citywide.
It’s also a game-changer for the long-term picture for affordable housing in San Francisco, paving a path long term to make sure Prop I money goes to social housing, as the Board and the voters intended.
Thanks again to all the advocates, the 40+ organizations endorsing this measure, and my colleagues on the Board for their support. Social housing now!
|
➩ The Fight for Public Police Records
|
|
In 2018, California passed Senate Bill 1421 (Skinner) to begin lifting the “veil of secrecy ” shrouding police use of force and misconduct records. The bill made four categories of officer records accessible pursuant to a Public Records Act request, including records related to officer shootings, officer use of serious or deadly force, sexual assault by officers, and officer dishonesty.
Unfortunately, after nearly three years since the passage of Senate Bill 1421, SFPD and DPA continue to lag when it comes to releasing requested records. My office wrote SFPD and DPA earlier this year, asking each department to provide us with a compliance plan, including timelines and benchmarks to fulfill the legal mandates of Senate Bill 1421. SFPD responded by estimating that it could get through its backlog of requests– not including new requests– within five to ten years. In a presentation to the Police Commission, DPA estimated it could address its backlog within nine to thirty-five years. That’s why I introduced an ordinance requiring SFPD, DPA, and the Police Commission to report crucial metrics regarding their compliance with state public information laws directly to the Board of Supervisors. Our goal is to push the City to meet the disclosure requirements of state police records laws. The Ordinance will be heard in committee in the new year.
|
On December 10th, the Board unanimously passed our Resolution calling for the MTA to promote accessibility at nearly 1000 bus stops that are obstructed by on-street parking. Many people are surprised to learn that nearly one third of San Francisco bus stops allow private vehicle parking in the bus stop. These bus stops obstruct pedestrian access to the bus and prevent buses from pulling into the bus stop, raising major accessibility concerns.
Our Resolution puts the board on record demanding that bus stops be free of parked cars, and directs MTA to develop a plan within 90 days to make sure bus stops are kept clear. One solution to promoting clear access is for the SFMTA to simply add red paint to restrict parking in these bus stops. Other possible solutions include use of bulb-outs to allow unobstructed front door boarding. For more information about parking in San Francisco bus stops, check out Are Shelters in Place? Mapping the Distribution of Transit Amenities via a Bus-Stop Census of San Francisco by Marcel E. Moran of UC.
|
Except in limited circumstances involving threats to health and safety, cities like San Francisco for the most part banned evictions during the pandemic. Now, our office is seeking to take the lessons learned and create a permanent framework to divert tenants from formal eviction proceedings.
Under our proposal introduced on December 7, before filing a 3-day eviction notice, a landlord would be required to give a 10-day warning, allowing the tenant an opportunity to correct the behavior that could lead to eviction. If passed, it would be the first comprehensive warning legislation by a California city to divert tenant/landlord disputes from formal eviction proceedings.
During the pandemic, we came together to stop evictions in the name of public health. Making eviction a last resort is beneficial for all. It’s not just a good idea during COVID, but makes sense for the future.
The ordinance, which is co-sponsored by Supervisors Walton, Chan, Peskin, Ronen, Haney and Melgar, will come up for vote at the Board early this coming year. Stay tuned for updates |
|
The Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) has officially sent in the first teams of community ambassadors into the Fillmore, Hayes Valley, and the Haight. They are still looking for more folks to join the program, and we encourage interested and eligible community members who live in these neighborhoods to apply to become ambassadors!
|
➩ Permanent Supportive Housing at 835 Turk
|
|
We are happy to announce that city is currently moving forward with plans to acquire the property at 835 Turk Street, known as the Gotham Hotel, to convert to permanent supportive housing. The 114-unit property, with private bathrooms, generously sized rooms, and a community kitchen and lounge make it an ideal candidate for this function.
The city has already met with the current tenants and members of the community. We are excited to continue working with the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing for the next steps. You can read more about the acquisition here.
|
On December 7th, the Transportation Commission approved our request for $385,000 for the first protected bike lane on Oak Street along the Panhandle. The protected bike lane is a Vision Zero Quick Build project that will complement the quick build protected bike lane on Fell was installed in July of 2020. The protected bike lane is planned for Oak Street from Schrader to Baker and will also include signal timing changes for improved safety of the street for all road users.
The project will follow the successful launch of a parking-protected, quick build bike lane on the other side of the Panhandle along Fell Street. The Fell Street project has been a success by any metric. Community support has been extensive. The data showed that the protected bike lane not only provided a safe path for bicyclists, but also reduced overall vehicle speeds along the panhandle without causing congestion and did not interfere with SFFD response times.
Read some coverage about this funding here.
|
|
On December 7th after a six-plus hour meeting at the SFMTA, two hearings at the Government Audit and Oversight Committee, a Board of Supervisors Resolution demanding full restoration of Muni service, multiple rallies, hundreds of calls and emails, the SFMTA Board approved a 2022 service plan that will restore the 2 Clement, 6 Parnassus, 10 Townsend, 21 Hayes, 5 Fulton, 43 Masonic, 23 Monterey, 8AX, 8BX, along with many other service improvements.
Gaining a commitment to restoration has been a difficult and long road, but San Francisco advocates stepped up and pushed back against an austerity approach to transit. Without the hard work of so many transit advocates, the return of these critical lines would not be happening. Huge thank you to the community members in the Western Addition, Japantown, the Tenderloin, the Bay View, San Francisco Transit Riders, South of Market Community Action Network, Transport Workers Union Local 250A, Senior Disability Action (SDA), Transit Equity for SF, Walk SF, Ida B. Wells High School, Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association (HVNA), the Japantown Task Force, the many muni riders, transit advocates, equity and green mobility activists, and many others for speaking loudly and clearly about the need to restore service.
Our work is not done, but this is a major step forward. MTA staff heard our demands, recommended restoration, and now the MTA Board has adopted these recommendations. For more information, click here.
|
➩ New Controller Report Shows No Fiscal Cliff for MTA
|
|
Just months after MTA projected massive structural deficits, a stunning joint report from the Controller/MTA brings welcome news. The MTA deficit in 2022, 2023, and 2024 is now projected to be zero . Future deficits in 2025, 2026, and 2027 combined are projected to be a small fraction of prior projections, and are at levels that could be easily covered by the Agency’s untouched reserves or new revenue streams.
With this new report released by the City Controller’s Office it is clear that deficits should in no way impede service restoration, the only barrier to restoring and expanding service appears to be staffing. The SFMTA had a hiring crisis prior to the pandemic that was exacerbated after the Agency adopted a hiring freeze for vacant positions in April 2020 and only resumed their first operator training class in June 2021. There is now broad agreement on the need to accelerate hiring and training of Muni staff.
|
➩ Annual Holiday Food Box Program
|
|
We had a great time joining the community during the Annual Holiday Food Box Program! Huge thanks to Bob Barnwell, Ella Hill Hutch, Fillmore Collaborative, Bi-Rite, Mo'Magic, African American Art & Culture Complex, Collective Impact, and all of the incredible volunteers who are bringing food to Fillmore residents' homes!
|
➩ D5 Team Wins Trophy At Annual Board of Supervisors Bake-Off
|
|
Earlier this week, the District 5 office participated in the Annual Board of Supervisors Bake-Off. Our entry consisted of six homemade sugar cookies decorated with royal icing to represent some of our district’s most iconic neighborhoods: Japantown, Golden Gate Park/Botanical Gardens, the Haight, Alamo Square, Hayes Valley, and the Fillmore. We are happy to report that our entry won a trophy for “Most Visually Stunning.”
|
| The Board of Supervisors is officially in its Winter Recess until January 6, 2022, which means that our office will be operating with fewer staff members as people take time off to spend with their loved ones this holiday season. We are committed to responding to our constituents’ needs during the recess, although some responses may take longer than others as we will have to prioritize urgent matters. We wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year!
|
| Please do not hesitate to reach out to our office with any ideas, questions or concerns, at prestonstaff@sfgov.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
