MESSAGE FROM CATHERINE

Dear John,

As we continue to navigate the pandemic, this December looks quite different for most of us. Although we can finally see light at the end of the tunnel with the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in San Francisco, we still have a long way to go until it is safe to gather together for our annual celebrations. The new year will bring many changes – a new presidential administration, continued progress in confronting the pandemic, and more. I will remain steadfast in my commitment to our economic recovery, public safety, and a responsible and accountable government. In the meantime, I hope you and your family have a safe and joyous holiday season! As always, please be sure to contact my office at [email protected] or 415-554-7752 with your questions and concerns.

Warm Regards,
Catherine

COVID-19 RESOURCES AND HEALTH ORDER UPDATES

Bay Area Regional Stay Home Order

Earlier this month, due to an alarming increase in COVID-19 cases, test positivity rates, and hospitalizations, San Francisco was included in the State’s Regional Stay Home Order, which closed or limited many activities including outdoor dining, personal care services, drive-in gatherings, and more. More details about the Stay Home Order, which is expected to be in effect through January 7, are available here.

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 the pandemic. 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 that are available to you.

Getting Tested

San Franciscans have several options to get tested for COVID-19. If you have health insurance, schedule a test with your doctor. If you have symptoms or a known exposure, your healthcare provider is required by law to get you a test. If you are not insured, 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 someone who is having trouble getting or affording food during the pandemic? Food resources for low-income San Franciscans, children, seniors, and more, are available here, and this website is updated as more resources become available. Please contact my office if you have any difficulty accessing these services.

Mental Health and Personal Safety Resources

The holiday season can be extraordinarily challenging for many San Franciscans, even when we do not have to stay home as much as possible. 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.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Town Hall with Police Chief Scott, Captain Yep, and Captain Conley

The uptick in residential burglaries, car break-ins, and gun-related incidents in our neighborhoods cannot continue. That’s why I invited Police Chief Bill Scott, Northern Station Captain Paul Yep, and Richmond Station Captain Bill Conley to a virtual town hall on public safety on December 17. If you were unable to join us live, click here to access the recording! If you are interested in forming a neighborhood watch group, visit www.sfsafe.org for more resources. If you notice areas in District 2 that are not well lit, please let my office know. If you have experienced crime and need help understanding how to report or follow-up on the case, I'm here for you.

Town Hall with PHRA and Captain Yep

Earlier this fall, I was honored to join the Pacific Heights Residents Association to introduce our community to our new commanding officer of Northern Station, Captain Paul Yep! We discussed concerns from all over the community, as well as what the San Francisco Police Department and I are doing about neighborhood safety. You can find the recording of that town hall here.

POLICY AND LEGISLATION

Waiving Fees for Small Businesses

Many businesses in our neighborhoods have closed or had their operations severely limited so we could stop the spread and crush COVID-19 in San Francisco. That’s why I introduced an ordinance to waive business license and registration fees for small businesses that were ordered to close by the City because of the pandemic, and to refund any such payments that have already been made. Small businesses should not be forced to pay the City for the privilege of operating when COVID-19 has made it all but impossible for them to do business -- we need to stand up for our small businesses and those who keep them running, not view them as a way to collect revenue during hard times. I look forward to the Board of Supervisors’ consideration of my proposal in the new year.

Upcoming Hearings on Recovery and Gun Violence

I have called for two hearings that will be held early next year: one on pathways to recovery for those suffering from addiction on our streets, based on recommendations from the Recovery Summit, and one on the rising gun violence we are seeing in our neighborhoods and across San Francisco, based on a report on gun violence I have demanded of our Budget and Legislative Analyst. As Vice Chair of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, I have been laser-focused on making sure individuals in recovery have a seat at the table when it comes to crafting policy decisions about addiction and mental health, as well as confronting the epidemic of gun violence to the extent we can locally. I will share more information about these two hearings as it becomes available.

Support for Restaurants

I authored a resolution calling on Congress to provide immediate cash relief to San Francisco’s struggling restaurant industry and urging the State of California to allow outdoor dining as soon as possible. We know that the measures required to slow the spread of COVID-19 have unfortunately resulted in severe economic impacts for our City’s restaurants, which employ 60,000 workers. Even with the latest stimulus package, restaurants need immediate subsidies to keep the lights on and keep people employed, and they need to be able to open for outdoor dining as soon as the latest data and expertise deem it safe to do so. The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed my resolution during a special meeting on Tuesday, December 22.

Budget Update

In September, I shared with you why I voted against the Board of Supervisors’ budget proposal: it drained down the City’s reserves and failed to provide enough support to our small business community and newly unemployed neighbors when they needed it most. It gives me no pleasure to say that the City faces a new deficit of over $600 million over the next two fiscal years. These new projections are a self-inflicted wound, and it is extremely disappointing that the City has come to this point. For more information about the City’s budget projections, check out these stories.

Reforming the Behavioral Health Commission

The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed my legislation to reform the Behavioral Health Commission after years of financial mismanagement. To address the crisis on our streets, the City’s primary behavioral health advisory body must be able to do its job. My legislation brings the Commission in line with statewide standards and allows the Department of Public Health to guide us toward a system that actually works for all San Franciscans. Read more here.

The No Graft Act

The Board of Supervisors unanimously passed my No Graft Act, which closes two loopholes that former Director of Public Works Mohammed Nuru used to direct contracts to recipients without any solicitation, documentation, evaluation, or oversight. It creates a new, strict set of rules governing the use of pre-qualified contracting pools and as-needed professional services contracts, which were ripe for abuse. According to the City Auditor, the former Director of Public Works used these tools to issue over 160 contracts totaling over $220 million over the last three years. With this legislation, it is my hope that we can begin to renew the lost confidence in our local government. Click here to read the Chronicle’s article about the No Graft Act.

Reducing Pedestrian Injuries with Red Light Cameras

Red light cameras are an important step towards creating safer streets for all. That’s why I was thrilled that these cameras will be installed at the intersections of Presidio and Masonic as well as Franklin and Lombard, but these two locations are nowhere near enough. After a beloved member of the Cathedral Hill community was killed by a driver speeding through a red light, I advocated for additional cameras at Geary and Gough. The SFMTA has known that this intersection is dangerous for far too long – it’s past time to expand our red light camera program to Geary and Gough. I am waiting for an update from the SFMTA on when a light can be installed.

Palace of Fine Arts Gates

Constituent services are so important to me. When neighbors of the Palace of Fine Arts came to me with concerns of ongoing crime at the Palace parking lot, I immediately began working with Rec and Park and the neighbors to purchase and install new gates at both entrances. Now, whenever the lot is closed, the gates will be closed. In the first month since the gates were installed, we saw a nearly 50 percent reduction in car break-ins. While we still have a long way to go in reducing property crime in the Marina, this is one step as we continue to push for larger-scale improvements.

Seacliff Streetscape Improvements

On warmer days, visitors from all over pass through the narrow streets of Seacliff to access Baker Beach. After hearing concerns about street safety from the surrounding neighbors, I advocated for new safety measures in line with the Baker Beach Green Streets Project. With larger plants installed in the new rain gardens, shorter crosswalks, and more visible curbs, we are well on our way to creating safer Seacliff streets.

Standing Up for the First Amendment

We must remain laser-focused on protecting the Constitution, because we have learned over the past four years just how fragile it can be. When my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors tried to use their power to intimidate the Marina Times, I stood in opposition and stopped them. Since 2012, the Board has designated the Marina Times a neighborhood outreach periodical, and we were set to renew its advertising contract once again this year, until seven of my colleagues voted to single out the publication based on its editorial content. The First Amendment, however, prohibits the government from taking such action. After my strenuous objections, the contract was renewed the following week – unanimously. For more information, click here.

IN THE COMMUNITY

Luke’s Local on Union Street

I was thrilled to join Luke Chappell for the grand opening of Luke’s Local on Union Street! It was incredible to be able to celebrate a new small business at a moment when our neighborhoods and our small businesses are struggling. Between finding a space and permitting, this opening was the culmination of years of work to bring a full-service grocery to Cow Hollow, and it provides a model for how to chart our path to recovery.

Presidio Y Tree Lighting

The Presidio Y Tree Lighting is one of my favorite holiday traditions! Although I am sad that we were not all able to gather together as a community, I was thrilled to be able to join Executive Director Lara Hitchcock for a virtual ceremony to kick off this year’s holiday season. Check out our video here, and come see the tree at the corner of Lincoln and Funston with your household when you can!

Delivering Meals with “Adopt-A-SF-Restaurant-Family”

I was honored to help deliver food alongside Kristen and Nika from “Adopt-A-SF-Restaurant-Family” to essential workers and their families. The recent closure of outdoor dining is hitting our restaurant employees incredibly hard and many of our neighbors are in need of assistance. “Adopt-A-SF-Restaurant-Family” is an incredible effort started by Marina resident Kristen Raymond to connect impacted restaurant families with food and financial assistance. In just 12 days, they reached 621 families, providing 1,800 gifts for children, thanks to the hundreds of volunteers who helped them with time and donations. It’s grassroots efforts by neighbors like this amazing woman that will help lift our City out of this crisis.

Veterans Day with Swords to Plowshares

It is so important to honor our veterans and their service to our country. As John F. Kennedy said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” On Veterans Day, I had the opportunity to deliver over 1,000 masks and an assortment of personal protective equipment to the Swords to Plowshares Veterans Academy in the Presidio, where I was honored to meet Brian and learn about his service. Thank you to all our nation’s veterans – including Brian and my father, who served in Vietnam – for all you have done for us!

Italian American Heritage Month

As a proud Italian American, I was honored to stand alongside our City’s many Italian American community leaders in November to raise the Italian flag, celebrate the lighting of Washington Square Park, and kick off Italian American Heritage Month. I look forward to the day when we can once again gather for our annual parade and celebration. But, for now, I am thrilled that we were able to safely come together in this way to honor the countless contributions of Italian Americans to San Francisco.

Marina Degaussing Station

The renovation of the Marina’s Degaussing Station is finally complete! The historic site is now home to the new Harbor Master’s Office. When we have recovered from the pandemic, the site will serve as a centralized information hub for marine traffic and will also be a vibrant center for residents and tourists alike to appreciate the history of the beauty of the Marina.

Prop 19 Presentation with Assessor Carmen Chu

Join Community Living Campaign and Assessor Carmen Chu on January 14 at 1 pm to learn more about how Prop 19 affects senior homeowners. While this new law mostly expands property tax benefits for these seniors and victims of natural disasters, it also includes provisions which significantly limit tax benefits for families who plan to pass property from parents to children. Assessor Carmen Chu invites senior homeowners to join her for a presentation to learn more about the impacts of this new law on your family home and your property taxes. Click here for more details.

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