Happy Lunar New Year of the Ox!   

This is the first edition of our monthly District 7 newsletter.  I hope to communicate our progress on issues important to the community, updates on City Services, events and developments in the neighborhoods of D7.  I hope you find it helpful and informative. 

We would also like to use this newsletter to share the achievements, events, celebrations and challenges of our community – like a district bulletin board.  If you or your neighborhood association has an item that you’d like to share with the larger D7 community, please send it to melgar.staff@sfgov.org.   

Our office at City Hall is still closed to the public due to COVID, but we are working remotely.  The District 7 team includes Jen Low, Chief of Staff, Lila Carrillo and Megan Imperial, Legislative Aides, and Jennifer Fieber, Administrative Aide.   

May this new year bring you and your family good health and prosperity, and may we all work together to get our neighborhoods and our city back on track to recovery from this pandemic.   

Sincerely,

Myrna

COVID-19 UPDATES

Vaccine Updates - San Francisco is currently vaccinating: 1) frontline healthcare workers and 2) those 65 years and older.  

The vaccine is one of the most important ways to end the pandemic. It is very safe, and highly effective. However, regardless of whether you have received the vaccine or not, you can also do your part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep others safe by staying home, staying 6 feet apart while outside, and wearing a face covering.

Vaccines are free to people who live and work in San Francisco even if you do not have insurance! Supply remains limited and unpredictable, so please be patient when seeking an appointment. Even if you are eligible, there may not be a dose available right now.

Please see a new public dashboard from DATASF showing race/ethnicity and age of vaccine recipients that is now live at on the website: https://data.sfgov.org/stories/s/COVID-19-Vaccinations/a49y-jeyc

On February 4, 2021 Supervisor Melgar held a Virtual Town Hall with Department of Public Health’s Katy Tang and the Neighborhood Empowerment Network to answer many of your vaccine questions. View the video.

While we wait for our vaccines, please continue to do your part to keep yourself and our community safe -  wear facial coverings, avoid gatherings, maintain physical distancing, practice regular hand-washing. We worked hard together to flatten the curve before, and I can’t stress enough how critical our actions are in the coming days and weeks. We are all counting on each other to do our part.
 

FREE MUNI AND PARATRANSIT TO VACCINE APPOINTMENTS

Starting on Tuesday, February 23, Muni and Paratransit will be free for those traveling to get vaccinated for COVID-19. This includes trips in both directions. The SFMTA is also providing additional access to taxi service for those who use the Essential Trip Card.

These rides are good for trips to the city-sponsored high-volume vaccine sites, hospitals or anywhere else that is offering vaccines. More information on the city-sponsored sites as well as directions on how to get there can be found on the city vaccination website.

We know that getting San Franciscans vaccinated is the city’s highest priority. This program is designed to eliminate transportation and cost barriers to receiving this life-changing vaccine.

How to Ride on Muni

Use our trip planner or service map to find the best way to get to your vaccination destination. Simply catch the bus and head to where you need to go. Please have your vaccine appointment confirmation or instructions ready in case SFMTA staff asks to see your proof of payment.

Paratransit

Paratransit rides on SF Access van service to and from vaccination appointments will be free for eligible participants. Paratransit van riders must call to make a trip reservation and indicate that they are going to get their COVID-19 vaccine. Staff will make a note in their records to alert the driver that the rider does not need to pay a fare for their trip.

Paratransit taxi riders will have $60 loaded onto their taxi debit card, which will be valid for up to six months, to get to and from their vaccine appointment. Funds should be available starting next week. If you are a paratransit taxi rider and have a question about the value on your card or want to confirm if the additional value has been added, you may call 415.351.7000 or check your card’s transaction history on the SF Paratransit Taxi online portal. 

More information can be found on the SFMTA Paratransit website .

Essential Trip Card

The Essential Trip Card (ETC) already subsidizes about two to three round trips by taxi per month per older adults (persons 65 and older) and people with disabilities. Eligible participants pay 20% of the taxi fare for essential taxi trips. To pay, each rider is issued an ETC debit card, which they can load with value every month. If ETC participants think that the cost of their trips to vaccine appointments will require more funds than they can currently load each month, they can add $60 of additional funds, at the cost of $12 to the rider, one time only. Existing ETC customers can add this new value on-online, by phone or by mail, same as usual. New applicants can sign-up by calling 311.

Wawona and Vicent Street Stormwater and Water Main Replacement Plans Are Underway

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) operates a combined sewer system that collects and treats San Francisco’s wastewater (sewage and stormwater). Our Sewer System Improvement Program (SSIP) is upgrading and modernizing our system to ensure we can continue to protect public health and the environment now and into the future. 

The intersection does not meet the citywide design standards for stormwater management and has been susceptible to flooding associated with moderate and heavy storms. The Wawona Area Stormwater Improvement and Vicente Water Main Replacement project will bring this area up to the citywide design standard for stormwater management and reduce the risk of flooding in the area of 15th Avenue and Wawona Street. This project will install a new sewer pipe under Vicente Street, from Wawona Street to 34th Avenue. The project will also replace the aging water transmission and distribution mains on Wawona Street, 15th Avenue, and on Vicente Street west of 19th Avenue. 

It is important to note that even after project completion, this area will still be at risk of flooding during heavy rains. For more information on stormwater management, visit sfwater.org/rainreadysf. 

To minimize disruption from construction and staging to the surrounding community, the SFPUC is coordinating with other large projects in the area including the L-Taraval Improvement Project and the 19th Avenue Improvement Project. 

Did you know that you can be reimbursed for making property improvements that help protect against flooding? 

The SFPUC Floodwater Management Grant Assistance Program (“Grant Program”) was launched in 2013 to help property owners in San Francisco minimize the risk of flooding on their properties due to heavy rainstorms.  Learn more at: https://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=681

COMMUNITY NEWS

San Francisco Housing Expo 2021 - three day online event starts March 4th!!