February 9, 2023
A Message From The Supervisor:
I wanted to remind folks that we are holding a Lunar New Year celebration this Saturday, February 11, 2023 from 12:00-3:00PM on Ocean Avenue at Unity Plaza. The first 400 attendees will receive complimentary lunch. Join us for a family-friendly event with community resources, local vendors and multicultural performances. Wishing you good health, good luck, and prosperity in the Year of the Rabbit.
We are available by email: safaistaff@sfgov.org or by phone 415-554-6976 (leave a message and we will call you back). You can also check for updates on my Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook .
Please note - if you miss my weekly newsletter, you may find it later on the Board of Supervisor’s website. Click HERE to read past newsletters.
Sincerely,
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Commercial Vacancy Tax
The Commercial Vacancy Tax is a tax on keeping certain commercial space vacant for more than 182 days in a calendar year. The tax filing and payment is due on or before February 28, 2023.
The Office of the Treasurer & Tax Collector has created an instructional video that walks people through the online form, as well as an informational video that provides general information about the tax. You can also download the presentation slides in Español, Filipino and 中文.
For purposes of the Commercial Vacancy Tax, "Taxable Commercial Space" means the ground floor of any building or structure, or the ground floor of any portion of a building or structure, where such ground floor:
- is adjacent or tangent to a Public Right of Way,
- is located in one of the Named Neighborhood Commercial Districts (NCD) or Named Neighborhood Commercial Transit Districts (NCT), as they existed on March 3, 2020; and
- is not Residential Real Estate.
All owners, lessees/tenants, and sublessees/subtenants of Taxable Commercial Space must file a Return regardless of whether the space was vacant in 2022.
We encourage all taxpayers to use 311. TTX has an excellent partnership with 311, and there is a trained group of customer service representatives that specialize in tax matters, and are ready to assist by phone. They also answer questions that are submitted electronically here.
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Help Shape the Future of Active Transportation in SF!
San Francisco is creating a new plan for active transportation — and every person has a role to play in shaping it!
We are excited to share that the Active Communities Plan officially launches this month. Here, you can learn more about what that means, and how you can get involved.
What is the Active Communities Plan?
The Active Communities Plan (ACP) is the first update to the Citywide Bicycle Master Plan since 2009. A lot has changed in the last 13 years. People now use the bike network for all kinds of travel, including scooters, skateboards, powerchairs, and other electric mobility devices. As network use grows, people need better and safer places to ride. Supporting safe, low-carbon travel is more important than ever, but many communities also have concerns about the implications of these changes. We need your input to build a plan that reflects community needs and values and helps prioritize and direct investments.
The ACP provides a 10-15 year roadmap for projects and programs to support biking and rolling in San Francisco. It will expand and improve the existing bike network with recommendations for new protected lanes, Neighborways, or Slow Streets. It will also recommend improvements to bikeshare and scootershare, new device parking, and programs to support and encourage new riders. The co-creation process will be inclusive, forward-thinking and community-driven, resulting in a plan that reflects the needs and vision of all San Franciscans.
What are the goals of the Active Communities Plan?
The ACP will make active transportation safer, more accessible and more joyful for all.
Being able to roll or bike through San Francisco can be an empowering choice when it is inclusive and safe. It avoids vehicle congestion and reliance on schedules. It supports door-to-door trips and, quite often, creates feelings of freedom and joy. Through this plan, we want to ensure that people of all ages and abilities who want to participate in active transportation can choose to do so. Our year-long outreach process will center community input and create a plan that improves transportation options for everyone, advances equity and repairs past harms, builds trust, supports safety, and simply reduces stress in people’s daily lives. We will prioritize engagement with people often not centered in conversations about transportation: people with disabilities, communities of color, young people, seniors, and monolingual residents. With deep collaboration from the outset, we will ensure a broad, diverse range of needs are heard and addressed.
While in-depth outreach and engagement is central to the ACP, there is real urgency behind the plan. Our citywide goals for eliminating traffic deaths and reducing our carbon footprint depend on making active mobility safer and more accessible to all. We’re excited to begin this transformative process and look forward to hearing from you!
How can I get involved?
Outreach for the ACP begins in January and will continue through all of 2023. Every San Franciscan will have the opportunity to participate. While outreach and engagement opportunities will span the whole city, the ACP will center the following equity priority communities: SoMa, the Tenderloin, Western Addition/Fillmore, Bayview-Hunters Point, the Mission and Outer Mission/Excelsior. In each of these communities, the SFMTA is partnering with local organizations that will host and participate in a range of outreach and engagement opportunities to learn more about their unique needs and experiences:
There will also be many opportunities, from interactive websites to community bike audits, for people across San Francisco to weigh in - with The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition providing additional staffing support for our citywide outreach work. To learn more about how to get involved, keep an eye on our website and subscribe to project updates.
For next steps and opportunities to get involved, visit the Active Communities Project Plan page.
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2023 Extreme Weather Equipment Program: Apply Today!
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (SFDEM) is proud to announce the Extreme Weather Resilience Program’s CBO Equipment Project. The goal of this project is to provide community serving organizations with streamlined access to equipment that will help them protect the health and well-being of their staff and clients during extreme weather events.
Wildfires and extreme heat events in California have increased significantly over the past several years, causing negative impacts to vulnerable populations in San Francisco. SFDEM has gained access to regional and state funding to purchase and deploy air filters, air conditioners and solar powered charging stations to community-serving organizations so they can protect the health and well-being of clients, staff, and guests during severe weather events.
Program Benefits:
- Streamlined access to air cleaning and cooling equipment at no cost*
- Technical guidance on how to protect the health and well-being of clients and staff during extreme weather events
- Increased connectivity to the City’s emergency response operations during extreme weather and other emergencies impacting San Francisco
*NOTE: Participating agencies are eligible to receive equipment at no cost based on the terms and conditions of the program, however costs related to operation, maintenance and replacement parts are the participating agency’s responsibility.
To learn more about the program, apply, or sign up for a program briefing - please visit their website. The application deadline is Friday, March 17.
If you have any questions, please contact the SF DEM Extreme Weather Resilience Program Team at DEM-SFWR@sfgov.org. |
Greenager Program Accepting Applications for 2023
The Greenager Program is looking for rising 9th and 10th graders who live in or attend a school in the southeast or northeast neighborhoods of San Francisco. This youth stewardship and leadership program is a collaboration between the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department and Port of San Francisco that runs from June through November. The program offers teens a chance to take a leadership role in the community by improving the city’s green spaces, creating place-based projects, and addressing important local issues. General work hours are Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with some weekdays. Compensations is $18.75 per hour.
To be a Greenager, the participant must meet the criteria below:
Live in or attend a school in:
- Southeast San Francisco including Supervisory Districts 9, 10, or 11 (Excelsior, Portola, Bayview, Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, Crocker Amazon, or Potrero Hill, etc.)
- Northeast San Francisco including Supervisory Districts 3, 5 or 6 (Western Addition, Tenderloin, Chinatown, etc.)
- Must be a 9th or 10th grade student in the 2022 school year (Can be a 11th or 12th grader if applying as a 2nd Year Peer Leader)
Completed applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, March 10. For more information and to apply, click HERE.
John Shelley Drive in McLaren Park Community Meeting on February 23
Join us virtually for a community meeting on John Shelley Drive in McLaren Park on Thursday, February 23 at 6 p.m. Provide feedback on the future of John Shelley Drive, including a proposed car-free promenade segment on the western portion of the road. Topics for discussion include a proposed car-free promenade, access and parking, and possible programming; as well as improving pedestrian and bike access on John Shelley Drive East and North. Join the meeting with the Zoom information below.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 891 5067 9630
Passcode: 915430
Dial in: 669.444.9171
Closed Captioning and materials in large print are available upon request by contacting Lucas Tobin lucas.tobin@sfgov.org or (415) 831-6834. Translation during the meeting or of materials can be requested by calling (415) 496-6204 or emailing pete.j.moore@sfgov.org. Providing at least 72 hours advance notice will help ensure availability.
Additional questions? Contact the project manager at brian.stokle@sfgov.org or (628) 652-6611. For more information about the project, click HERE.
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Youth Engagement Survey
The San Francisco Youth Commission Civic Engagement Committee has released a survey to capture San Francisco youth (ages 10-23) engagement in local government and elections. Your feedback is essential to understanding how the city and county of San Francisco can support local youth civic engagement. Please access the survey at bit.ly/youthcommissionsurve y.
Three respondents will randomly be selected to each receive a $50 Target gift card. The survey closes February 18th.
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Artist Emergency Relief Grants
The San Francisco Arts Commission is proud to partner with the Minnesota Street Project Foundation to share information about available resources to assist artists who have recently been impacted by severe weather and flooding.
The Minnesota Street Project Foundation has created an emergency relief initiative to offer financial and infrastructure resources to support artists in the San Francisco Bay Area impacted by the record-breaking rainfall and floods.
Minnesota Street Project Foundation’s Artist Emergency Relief Grants will provide immediate assistance to visual artists with an initial seed fund of $20,000 to provide grants up to $1,000 to cover unforeseen expenses resulting from emergencies that impact artists’ ability to work, including restoration, storage, and temporary studio space.
Grants are awarded based on need.
To contribute to the expansion of the Artist Emergency Relief Grants program and to donate, click here.
Applications are available here and will be accepted and reviewed immediately.
The Minnesota Street Project Foundation recognizes that there are unforeseen circumstances in our community that call for urgent attention. The Artist Emergency Relief Grants help ensure that artists have the capacity and ability to respond effectively to environmental disasters and emergencies.
The program is funded in part from a grant from Minnesota Street Project Art Services.
For all questions, please contact:
Rachel Sample at rachel@minnesotastreetproject.org |
| Lunar New Year celebrations throughout the City including the Lunar New Year parade. Thank you to John, my constituent from the Excelsior, for driving me through the parade in your beautiful car - Happy Year of the Rabbit! |
| I toured the Salvation Army Adult Rehab Center with staff and recovery advocate Tom Wolf. |
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