Supervisor Stefani 04012019 Newsletter
April 2019 Newsletter
Spring is here, and the sun is finally starting to shine – some days at least. This month, I will be celebrating at the annual Union Street Spring Celebration and Easter Parade as the Grand Marshall. I hope to see you there. And as always, you can contact my office anytime by emailing me at catherine.stefani@sfgov.org or calling me at (415) 554-7752. Warm Regards, Catherine P.S. In addition to this newsletter, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more information on what my team and I are doing! POLICY AND LEGISLATION UPDATESCoordination of Homeless Services Hearing Last month, I held my hearing on the coordination of homeless services and the 5150 process at the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. The crisis we see on our streets is not just about homelessness or mental health or substance abuse, but frequently all three combined. In order to help those living on our streets, we need shelter, crisis intervention, short-term treatment, and long-term care.
During the hearing, some key solutions came to light. First, we need more respite and treatment beds, particularly for those with issues of co-morbidity (multiple health issues). We also need to continue improving coordination of care once homeless individuals enter services. Last fall, the city implemented a coordinated entry system that tracks all people who experience homelessness in one database, but we need to ensure we have coordinated exits as well. A recent grant I co-sponsored allowed the city to make a major step in this process by adding two social workers and four peer navigation workers to staff at San Francisco General Hospital Psychiatric Emergency Services.
The crisis on our streets is not going away, and I will continue to push for the accountability, resources, and policies we need to address this pressing problem. Implicit Bias Training Passes Unanimously The Board unanimously approved my ordinance requiring city Department Heads, Commissioners, and elected officials to take implicit bias training. Unconscious bias can be a huge setback in creating a truly diverse and inclusive workplace and city. Implicit biases are pervasive and we all possess them. Implicit bias can affect workplaces and organizations and results in unintentional discrimination and poor decision-making. When I was the County Clerk, I took the city’s two-day in-person course on implicit bias, and I believe everyone who takes this course will be happy they did. Gun Violence Prevention
The second resolution supports Senator Scott Weiner’s bill SB281, which bans gun shows and other gun sales at the Cow Palace. For nearly a decade, San Francisco and Daly City have pushed for the end of gun shows at the Cow Palace, but state control has prevented our communities from accomplishing this. SB 281 will hopefully, and finally, put an end to gun shows in our community. In exciting news, the Cow Palace board just unanimously voted on April 16 to end gun shows beginning in 2020. Cleaner Power across SF
IN THE COMMUNITYFrancisco Park I’m excited to announce that The Francisco Park Conservancy has reached their fundraising goal of over $22 Million in contributions and pledges towards the Francisco Park Project – a beautiful new park that will overlook the northern shores of our city. Thank you to the neighbors and organizers who built grassroots support for the project to transform the dilapidated Francisco Reservoir property into this new park. I look forward to breaking ground on the park in June and visiting for the first time in summer 2020!
SB 50 Community Meeting
Honoring Rita Semel
Power Washing on Commercial Corridors Power washing will start soon on some of District 2’s busiest commercial corridors. I have worked with the Fix-It Team to secure cleaning on commercial corridors on North Point between Laguna and Buchanan, on Chestnut between Divisadero and Fillmore, on Fillmore between Chestnut and Union, and on Union between Fillmore and Octavia. I am excited to see regular cleaning on some of my favorite corridors in San Francisco! St. Patrick’s Day Parade I had an amazing time celebrating at the 168th St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the largest Irish event on the West Coast. The parade down Market Street was a wonderful and joyous event. Bus Service Changes due to N Judah Project Due to work for the Inner Sunset Streetscape Improvement Project starting on April 13 and lasting about two weeks, the SFMTA will stop N Judah service at Carl and Hillway and run bus shuttles in place of rail service to the Outer Sunset. As it takes four buses to replace one train, operators from some other lines will need to drive these extra shuttle buses. The SFMTA has indicated this will have minor impacts on 30X and 38R service, but they expect almost all buses to run as usual.
Walk to Work Day On April 10, I joined Mayor Breed, my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, and WalkSF on a walk to work in celebration of Walk to Work Day. Walking to work was a great way to start my morning and get some exercise. We must continue working towards our VisionZero mission and creating safe streets for everyone.
LOCAL EVENTSHERstory: Past, San Francisco International Film Festival Bike and Roll to School Week Annual Earth Day SF Celebration Lafayette Park 3rd Annual Spring Potluck YMCA Presidio Trail Run Bike to Work Day Youth Commission Application
Office of Supervisor Catherine Stefani |
This past month I authored two resolutions urging state action on gun violence prevention. The first resolution supports raising annual funding for the California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (CalVIP) from $9,000,000 to $39,000,000. CalVIP provides funding for local community-based violence intervention programs, including those operated by Huckleberry Youth Programs in District 2. Our country needs large-scale change to end the gun violence epidemic, but local action is critical to protecting the people of our communities as well. 
CleanPowerSF is a community choice clean energy program that provides residents and businesses cleaner and greener electricity. The Green service provides at least 40 percent renewable energy from sources like wind and solar. This April, the Public Utilities Commission will welcome over 250,000 new residential electricity customers. Customers will receive CleanPowerSF charges in the same PG&E bill they normally receive, and rates are competitive with PG&E. Residents also have the option to opt in to the SuperGreen service, which provides 100 percent renewable energy. I am a SuperGreen customer and encourage everyone to sign up.
I held a community meeting on the More Homes Act (SB 50), a bill currently pending in the State Legislature. I believe that neighbors should not have to go all the way to City Hall to have their voices heard and needs addressed so I brought this conversation back to the community. The housing crisis in California has prompted a number of proposals across the state to increase the housing stock. I have heard thoughts from members of our community on both sides of this legislation. Most everyone agrees that we have a housing affordability crisis, but many also have serious concerns about the significant impacts SB 50 may have on our community. Thank you to Senator Wiener and all the neighbors who were able to join us in this important discussion. Based on my analysis of the bill and feedback from the community, I voted for the resolution opposing SB50 unless it is amended.
On March 19th, I recognized Rita Semel as District 2’s Honoree for our Women’s History Month Celebration at the Board of Supervisors. Rita has been an integral part of the San Francisco community for decades. She began her time in San Francisco working at the Chronicle at the end of WWII. Rita was a driving force in the creation of the Interfaith Council. One of her proudest achievements is the Interfaith Shelter Program, which provides shelter at over thirty-five places of worship throughout the city between November and March. Rita is an inspiration, and I cannot thank her enough for all she has done for San Francisco.