MESSAGE FROM CATHERINE

I'm proud that more than 81% of San Francisco’s eligible population is fully vaccinated. Vaccines remain our best protection against the pandemic and San Francisco continues to lead the way in vaccinating our population. 

This news is reason for optimism around our local recovery. With an increase in vaccination rates, and the creation of new policies and programs for small businesses, we are making significant and sustainable progress. Detailed information on these new small business programs is below.

If you need help accessing relief or for any other reason, please reach out to me at stefanistaff@sfgov.org or 415-554-7752 with any questions.

Warm Regards,

Catherine

COVID-19 RESOURCES AND UPDATES

Delta Variant

The Delta variant of COVID-19 is now the dominant strain in the United States and California. This variant is more infectious and spreads more easily than other strains of the virus. 

Officials are emphasizing that vaccines continue to be highly effective at preventing severe illness and death. Now, more than ever, we need to get our population fully vaccinated. To learn more about how to get your vaccine, see here. You can also find DPH info and the latest on SF coronavirus cases here.

Mask and Vaccine Mandate

In response to the Delta variant outbreak, San Francisco and seven other Bay Area health officials issued Health Orders requiring masks indoors and vaccine verification for patrons and staff in most public settings. You are now required to wear a mask in indoor public buildings even if you are fully vaccinated. The vaccine is the best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 and the variants, but wearing a mask offers an extra layer of protection and helps slow the spread to vulnerable communities. To get your vaccine, see here.

Vax To You Program

The Department of Public Health now has a mobile vaccine unit that will vaccinate small groups of five to 12 people in their homes and workplaces by appointment. Those interested can contact the City by calling 628-652-2700, emailing sfvaxnow@sfdph.org, or requesting a mobile visit here. 

Testing Sites

The City has opened a new high-volume testing site at 7th and Brannan Street. It has the capacity to administer 500 tests per day from 9:00am to 6:00pm, by appointment only. To find your closest testing site, see here. 

Rent Help

Eligible renters can apply to San Francisco’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program to receive up to six months of rental assistance, including back and future rent. For more information on the program and additional community resources, click here and here. 

Support for Businesses and Workers

The San Francisco Small Business Recovery Loan Fund provides zero interest rate loans for both existing and new SF Small Businesses. You can apply online at www.CALoanFund.org.

POLICY AND LEGISLATION

Small Business Support

Policies and Programs

Small businesses are an essential part of what makes San Francisco so vibrant, as well as a critical piece of our local economy. These are primarily businesses with less than 100 employees, and there are 94,000 small businesses in San Francisco - making up over 93% of total businesses in the City and supporting more than 364,000 jobs.

The pandemic devastated this community, with over 50% of small businesses being forced to close. However, opening and operating a small business in San Francisco was a struggle even before the pandemic. Long and costly permitting processes, unclear or contradictory rules and regulations, duplicative or redundant inspections, and inconsistent billing practices all add to the challenges of being a small business owner. 

I am committed to both immediate and long-term systemic change in how our small businesses are able to open and operate in San Francisco. To help address these needs, I authored and passed one of the largest small business fee-waiver packages in the history of the City - securing more than $20 million in direct relief to help support them. I also continue to support new programs and policies that streamline permitting, allow for flexibility, and ease burdens for small businesses.

To make sure our small businesses know about all of the new resources available to them, I hosted an online training with the Office of Economic Workforce Development. Check out the webinar here.

Street Activation

To attract visitors and support Union Street, I worked with local merchants and artists to organize Bloomtown on Union. This art activation will bring rooftop sculptures, murals in vacant storefronts, live music, and a scavenger hunt to the Union Street merchant corridor. 

This new activation will bring much needed foot traffic to the corridor, and we know that beautifying public spaces directly increases the economic benefit to surrounding areas. For example, the Entwined exhibit in Golden Gate Park brought 1,000 new visitors a day, directly benefiting nearby businesses. 

I hope that local residents and visitors to the City can come and enjoy these murals and sculptures at Bloomtown on Union from mid-September through mid-November, and also explore some of District 2’s unique small businesses. Be sure to join me today at 4pm in Allyn Park for the kick-off! All are welcome.

Recognizing Abortion As Healthcare

When the news broke about the Texas abortion ban, I was stunned but, sadly, not shocked. Women’s rights to their own bodies have long been under attack, and in recent years attacks on Roe v. Wade have become bolder and more flagrant. That five supreme court justices have chosen to brazenly ignore their constitutional obligation to even properly review the law due to procedural complexities is astounding, and an incredibly dangerous disregard for precedent.

As a mother of a 12-year-old daughter, I will continue to fight to protect her future, and that of all who are affected by this ban. I am proud to have co-sponsored Supervisor Melgar’s Resolution “Recognizing Abortion as Healthcare - Condemning Texas Senate Bill 8.” 

Ghost Gun Ban Passes 

In California, state law currently allows venders to sell disassembled, unserialized, and therefore untraceable ghost gun kits, requiring the purchaser to obtain a serial number from the DOJ within 10 days of assembly. Police data shows that there has been an almost 78% increase in shootings in San Francisco - and the number of ghost guns that have been seized in San Francisco is up 2,733%. 

I am proud that San Francisco is the first city in California to ban the sale of ghost guns because of my legislation. It passed unanimously at the full board, and possessing or selling one of these unregulated firearms in San Francisco is now a misdemeanor and punishable with a fine and jail time. 

The impact of this ban will only grow as more surrounding cities and counties adopt similar legislation. The cities of Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, Berkeley, Richmond and San Mateo are already discussing legislation to ban ghost guns.

Korean Chuseok Day 

I introduced a Resolution to recognize September 21, 2021 as Chuseok Day, otherwise known as Korean Thanksgiving. 

Chuseok Day is one of the most important and widely celebrated holidays in Korean culture. The Korean community has contributed immeasurably to the history and culture of San Francisco, and no organization has done more to keep the traditions of Chuseok Day thriving than the Korean Center. They are located in District 2 but provide tremendous resources to our whole City and entire Bay Area. 

The Korean Center has provided educational, cultural, and social service programming for over 45 years. Their work has been critical for the underserved immigrant community throughout the pandemic, especially with their meal delivery service and critical language access programming. Thank you to the Korean Center for all your service.

Transportation 

Transit Month and Muni Restoration 

Public transportation is an essential public good for our families, commuters, students, essential workers, residents and visitors. September was Transit Month, and I will continue to remain focused on reliability, frequency and safety of our public transit system as we look at recovery. 

MUNI is contemplating various options for service restoration for early 2022. They are beginning to engage with community groups on three proposed options, which are outlined here. They have citywide meetings scheduled and information about joining can be found here. 

A survey that SFMTA is administering regarding these proposals can be accessed here. They are also offering to present to community groups, and if you are interested in hosting one, please contact my office at steffanistaff@sfgov.org. 

Franklin Bulb Outs

In response to frequent community concerns around pedestrian safety on Franklin, my office successfully worked with SFMTA to get painted safety zones installed on Franklin/Pine and Franklin/California. This safety enhancement will keep pedestrians much more protected from traffic. 

Lake Street

Slow Streets were an addition to our streetscapes that emerged out of unique needs from the pandemic. As we continue to remain in a state of emergency, the SFMTA has the authority to extend the slow street program. There are several streets in San Francisco that have been identified as eligible to become permanent slow streets, one of which is Lake Street in District 2. You can view the process for identifying potential permanent slow streets here.

The next step in the process of making this street permanent is getting an approved design plan. The SFMTA is still in the process of community planning and design and you can provide direct feedback by emailing the SFMTA at slowstreets@sfmta.com. You can also sign up for on-going updates related to post-pandemic slow streets here.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Alta Plaza Park Clean-Up

I was grateful to be with so many community partners on 9/11 as we not only beautified our beloved Alta Plaza Park but also filtered out into our neighborhoods to clean and green them. As President Joe Biden stated, “Service is a fitting way to start to heal, unite, and rebuild this country we love.” 

Thank you to the Friends of Alta Plaza Park, District 2 Democratic Club, United Democratic Club, TogetherSF, Northern Neighbors, Pacific Heights Residents Association, Refuse Refuse San Francisco, and our gardeners at San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department for joining me for a day of service. 

20th Anniversary of 9/11

On the morning of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, it was my honor to join the San Francisco Fire Department and San Francisco Police Department to remember the 2,977 lives lost. This included San Francisco native Betty Ong, flight attendant on American Airlines flight 11 and one of the first individuals to alert authorities to the hijacking, as well as our first responders that rose to the occasion and risked their lives. 

Women’s Equality Day

We celebrated Women’s Equality Day on August 26th to honor all those who had to fight for decades so women could vote, shine a light on the inequalities women continue to face in our everyday lives, and remind women to get out and vote in the election. 

City Administrator Carmen Chu brought us all together to hear words of inspiration from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mayor London Breed, California State Board of Equalization Member Malia M. Cohen, and myself. You can view the recording of the event here. 

#JusticeForVicha

I was honored to attend the mural unveiling in memory of Vicha Ratanapakdee. Vicha was an 84-year-old immigrant from Thailand who lived with his family in District 2. While on a walk in late January of this year, he was violently shoved and tragically died shortly after the attack.

Over the past year, members of San Francisco's Asian American and Pacific Islander community have faced far too many senseless acts of violence. We must remember, protect and fight for victims of such horrific attacks.

Marina Branch Library

The Marina Branch Library is undergoing an extensive waterproofing project, including getting a new roof. Construction started on September 20th and the work will take place on Mondays through Fridays. During the initial first 8 weeks of this project, the library and book drop will be closed on weekdays due to the expected noise disruption caused by the construction. They will be open for public service on Saturdays from 10am-6pm and on Sundays from 1pm-5pm. Please note that the book drop will only be open on the weekends.  

During the week, you can visit one of the other nearby locations: Golden Gate Valley, 1801 Green Street; North Beach, 850 Columbus Avenue; and Presidio, 3150 Sacramento Street. 

My Park Moment Display

“My Park Moment” is a photo show currently on display in the Presidio. I was thrilled to attend its opening and encourage you all to go visit this inspiring art installation. Thank you to the National Park Service, Presidio of San Francisco, and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy for your work on this beautiful project. 

This art show is an opportunity to raise visibility and excitement for the Tunnel Top project, which will officially open in Spring of 2022. You can visit the photo displays today, see here for more information on the display.

Fleet Week

This month our district is hosting Fleet Week on the Marina Green and I am so excited to welcome this in-person celebration of the contributions of the men and women in our Armed Forces. 

With these festivities come many locals and visitors of San Francisco. My office will be working with local Police Captains to ensure we have increased patrols and the resources they need to keep everyone safe. All events will take place between October 3rd through the 11th and you can check out all the Fleet Week events here. 

Opening of Black Point Gardens 

For the first time in 50 years, the Black Point Historic Gardens are open to the public. They connect Fort Mason to Aquatic Park, Fisherman's Wharf and beyond. The majority of this project was completed during the pandemic, and is a true testament to how important our District 2 parks and public spaces are to residents. None of this could have been done without the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, National Park Service, and the countless volunteers and donors.

Walk & Roll

Mark your calendar for Walk & Roll to School Day! Thousands of students across San Francisco will walk, bike, scoot and roll to school on Wednesday, October 6. The event builds yearlong excitement around getting to school in people-powered ways that are good for our health, environment and communities. Learn more here.

Spotlight on Gun Violence Restraining Orders

“What is a gun violence restraining order? How can they help people in crisis and their families stay safe from gun violence?" To learn more, join myself, Police Chief William Scott, and Acting Deputy Chief Raj Vaswani, along with experts from Brady United Against Gun Violence. RSVP here for this town hall organized by the San Francisco chapter of Brady.

Office of Supervisor Catherine Stefani
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 273, San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 554-7752 Fax: (415) 554-7843