MESSAGE FROM CATHERINE

It’s hard to believe that we have been sheltering in place for more than four months now, but as we continue to adjust to our new way of living, we cannot become complacent. San Francisco is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, and we must all remember to wear a mask or cloth face covering anytime we leave our homes. Going for a jog or to pick up takeout? Wear a mask and stay at least six feet away from others. Not feeling well? Stay home. We will only get through this if we continue to look out for one another. If you need any assistance accessing City resources at any time, please let me know at 415-554-7752 or StefaniStaff@sfgov.org.

Warm regards,

Catherine

COVID-19 RESOURCES AND HEALTH ORDER UPDATES

Support for Businesses and Workers
Visit the Office of Economic and Workforce Development’s website for resources for business owners, employees, nonprofits, and others impacted by COVID-19. This website includes local, state, and federal resources and is updated regularly as new resources become available. Please contact my office if you have any difficulty navigating this website or accessing the resources available to you.

Getting Tested
San Franciscans have several options to get tested for COVID-19. If you have health insurance, please contact your healthcare provider to set up a test first, as they will guide you through the process. If you are not insured, or are otherwise unable to get tested through your healthcare provider, no-cost testing is available for any San Franciscan who has at least one symptom or has been in contact with a COVID-19-positive individual. Click here for more information or to book your test.

Food Security
Are you or do you know an older adult in need of food support? Eligible San Francisco seniors can receive three free restaurant meals through Great Plates Delivered. Sign up by calling 415-355-6700, or visit this website to learn more about additional food security resources.

San Francisco Reopening Roadmap and Health Indicators
The City is reopening in phases to keep residents safe and healthy. For the latest information on what sectors are allowed to open in San Francisco, check out our Reopening Roadmap. The Department of Public Health will allow us to move to each phase only when it is safe to do so based on the latest medical data. You can view our key public health indicators here, and find more information about our latest health orders here.

Economic Recovery Task Force
Earlier this year, the Economic Recovery Task Force (ERTF) was created to guide the City’s efforts through the COVID-19 recovery, mitigate economic hardships, and build a resilient and equitable future. I have been meeting regularly with ERTF Co-Chair Assessor Carmen Chu to relay District 2 residents’ and business owners’ concerns and questions about reopening. If you would like to follow or get involved with the ERTF’s work, please visit their website.

Mental Health and Personal Safety Resources
While we have been sheltering in place for more than four months, many continue to experience unsafe home situations. If you need help dealing with mental health challenges or difficult home environments, please click here for a list of free resources, and feel free to be in touch if you have any questions.

POLICY AND LEGISLATION

The No GRAFT Act
San Franciscans should not have to wonder whether their taxes are being used for corrupt purposes. In response to ongoing local and federal investigations into the conduct of former Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru, I authored the No Government Rackets, Abuses, or Fraudulent Transactions Act, or No GRAFT Act. This legislation will close several loopholes in the City’s contracting process that allowed for abuse, and bring our contracting procedures in line with nationally recognized best practices. As elected officials, our primary responsibility is to be careful stewards of public resources and public trust. The No GRAFT Act will move us closer to restoring that trust, and I look forward to seeing it passed in the near future. For more information about this proposal, check out this Chronicle article.

City Budget Process
This year, due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, the Board of Supervisors must pass a City budget by October 1. By the first week of August, Mayor Breed will propose a spending plan to the Board of Supervisors. After receiving the Mayor’s proposal, the Budget and Appropriations Committee will hold public hearings on City departments’ budgets, deliberate, and pass a final spending plan in August. The full Board of Supervisors must pass this plan in September. As of now, your opportunity to provide public comment on the budget will be Monday, August 24, beginning at 10:00 am. More information on the budget process, departmental hearing dates, and how to provide your input will be made available on the Budget and Appropriations Committee’s website!

Expanded Slow Streets
After months of success on a safe and slow Lake Street, and careful planning between my office and the SFMTA, I am excited to see two more Slow Streets coming to District 2. In the coming weeks, Clay Street, from Arguello Boulevard to Steiner Street, and Pacific Avenue, from Steiner Street to Gough Street, will join the City’s temporary network of residential thoroughfares with limited traffic. We would love to hear your thoughts on the Slow Streets Program! Please fill out this questionnaire to provide your input on this program, and continue to wear masks and maintain physical distance while enjoying our Slow Streets.

Report on Gun-Related Crimes
Earlier this month, San Franciscans mourned the losses of six-year-old Jace Young and 18-year-old Jerome Mallory to gun violence, following the shooting death of 22-year-old Courtney Brousseau this spring. As a mother of two children, I cannot imagine their families’ grief, but I am committed to continue the fight against gun violence in San Francisco. I have asked the Budget and Legislative Analyst to prepare a report on gun-related arrests, charges, and convictions in San Francisco, so the City can focus its efforts on making sure no one else experiences the suffering these families have endured.

Rejecting the Creation of Another Elected Office
I voted against a proposed Charter Amendment to create an Office of the Public Advocate in San Francisco. This proposal would have funded a new elected position with responsibilities that already exist elsewhere in City government, including at the Board of Supervisors. Safeguarding public funds and public trust should be elected officials’ top priority, but San Francisco does not need another politician to accomplish those goals. Voters rejected a similar proposal in 2016, and I was pleased that this year’s attempt did not reach the November ballot.

Voting Against More Bureaucracy
I was joined by Supervisors Fewer, Mandelman, and Yee in voting against a proposed Charter Amendment to split the Department of Public Works in two, form a Department of Sanitation and Streets, and create commissions to oversee the two departments. While I have long believed that the condition of San Francisco’s streets is unacceptable, this proposal would not provide any new resources for street cleaning or sanitation. Instead, it would add layers of managers and human resources, IT, and finance professionals to the City bureaucracy while we are facing a $2 billion budget deficit with no end in sight. The voters will have a chance to weigh in on this proposal in November.

Restoring Aquatic Park Pier
The outpouring of community support for saving Aquatic Park Pier has been incredibly inspiring, but we need federal assistance to bring this project over the finish line. That’s why I authored a resolution, which passed unanimously at the Board of Supervisors, reaffirming the City’s support for the restoration of the Aquatic Park Pier and urging the federal government to prioritize the project for funding through the Great Outdoors Act of 2020. If you are interested in getting involved with the effort to save Aquatic Park Pier, please send me an email at StefaniStaff@sfgov.org!

Urging Congress to Pass the Justice in Policing Act
The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed my resolution urging Congress to enact the Justice in Policing Act of 2020. While the City has enacted many necessary adjustments to law enforcement that make us all safer, including all of the crucial “8 Can’t Wait” reforms, SFPD is still working toward implementing the reforms recommended by the Obama administration in 2016. Beyond San Francisco, recent images of law enforcement misconduct throughout the nation, including in Minneapolis, Louisville, and Atlanta, for example, make it clear that state and local governments still have a great deal of progress to make. The Justice in Policing Act would help bring about that progress throughout the United States.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Virtual Town Hall with Assessor Carmen Chu
I am excited to host a virtual town hall with Assessor Carmen Chu! Join us on Thursday, August 13, at 6:00 pm, as we discuss the City’s responses to the pandemic, the economic recovery and road ahead, and anything else that’s on your mind. Please click here to register and submit your questions!

Worker and Small Business Webinars
The Office of Economic and Workforce Development hosts weekly webinars each Tuesday from 2:00 pm to 3:15 pm to support workers and small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Join OEWD, the State Employment Development Department, the San Francisco Labor Council, Covered California, and more, for discussions about healthcare and career support resources available during this time. Click here for more information and to register!

Small Homes
I toured a small home with Department of Emergency Management Director Mary Ellen Carroll. These small homes are one possible way to provide safe and healthy housing opportunities to our City’s unhoused residents. Homelessness is not a new issue in San Francisco, but it has unquestionably been exacerbated by the pandemic. Due to social distancing requirements, the City’s available shelter space has decreased by over 70 percent, and we now have thousands living on our streets every night. Small homes could be one step toward providing housing to those in need during this time.

New SFPD Captains
Join me in congratulating Captains Michelle Jean and Joseph Engler on their career transitions, and welcoming Acting Captain Bill Conley and Captain Paul Yep! Acting Captain Conley, of Richmond Station, has been filling in since the retirement of Captain Jean. Captain Yep, who formerly led Richmond and Central Stations, joined Northern Station after Captain Engler accepted a new role as Assistant Sheriff. I look forward to working with our new Captains and our community partners to keep our neighborhoods safe. 

SFUSD Fall Plans
I know there has been a lot of confusion and frustration surrounding the San Francisco Unified School District’s fall plans. The District recently announced that this fall semester will begin virtually, with distance learning. For the latest information on SFUSD’s plans, please visit their website or take a look at their weekly Family Digests. District leadership will present plans on improved distance learning at the Board of Education meeting on July 28 at 3:00 pm. If you would like to attend to listen or provide public comment, the call-in information will be made available here.

Parking Meters and Street Cleaning
Please note that, due to increasing demand for parking near local businesses, the SFMTA has restored standard meter rates with a $0.50 per hour discount and restored standard parking meter time limits. Parking Control Officers have begun regular meter enforcement, and regular street cleaning enforcement has also resumed to allow for the cleaning services we all expect. You can find more information about the SFMTA’s COVID-19 response on their COVID-19 Developments and Response website.

Give2SF
The City’s Give2SF COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund has raised over $28 million for shelter, food, and additional critical resources for families, small businesses, and nonprofits in San Francisco. If you are interested in contributing to a more resilient San Francisco, you can make a tax-deductible donation at Give2SF.org. Thank you to all those who have contributed so far! 

Voting Safely
To ensure that San Franciscans can safely exercise their right to vote this fall, the Department of Elections will mail ballots to all registered voters in October. This means that any voter may vote by mail instead of going to the polls on Election Day, though at this time polling places will remain open as well. To prepare to vote by mail this fall, register to vote and keep your registration current! If you are not yet registered to vote, visit this website or call 415-554-4375 to request a paper application. To update your address, fill out this form or reregister. You can also sign up for ballot tracking updates here!

Serving as a Poll Worker
The Department of Elections is currently recruiting poll workers to help administer the November 3, 2020, Consolidated General Election. This year, every poll worker will receive a stipend of between $180 and $240 for serving from 6:00 am to approximately 9:00 pm on Election Day. Prior to serving at one of San Francisco’s 588 neighborhood polling places, every poll worker must attend an online training course and may attend an optional, hands-on, voting equipment class. If you’re interested, apply here or call 415-554-4395.

The 2020 Census
It’s not too late to complete the 2020 Census! Doing so will make sure San Francisco receives its fair share of federal funding, which helps support our first responders and public health infrastructure. If you have not yet completed the Census, visit the Census website or call 844-330-2020.

Office of Supervisor Catherine Stefani
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 260, San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 554-7752 Fax: (415) 554-7843