Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods
Advocating for a healthy city
By Julie from the Exploratorium
Click the Link to view the video if it doesn’t come up on your screen:
https://www.exploratorium.edu/video/how-does-soap-inactivate-coronaviruses
Coronaviruses are surrounded by the same type of membrane that surrounds human cells. Learn how disrupting this membrane with soap or alcohol inactivates the virus. Find out more about the science of COVID-19 with the Exploratorium Learning Toolbox.
Respiratory Therapist – How to treat a Virus at home.
By Dominic Fracassa : sfchronicle – excerpt
Three new mobile COVID-19 testing sites will open in San Francisco next week, as health officials race to expand testing capabilities ahead of a predicted surge of patients in the coming weeks.
San Francisco will have seven drive-through or drop-in testing sites operating once the three new locations become operational by the end of next week, though some of those locations are reserved only for health care employees and first responders.
The first two new sites are set to open early next week…One site will be in the Outer Sunset and one in Chinatown.
The third new mobile testing site, operated by the private health care network Brown & Toland, will open near Oracle Park by the end of next week…
All of the new sites will require a doctor’s referral before patients can be tested. Public health officials have stressed repeatedly that, because testing resources are limited, only people who meet certain criteria are eligible for testing…(more)
Press Release:
Governor Newsom Takes Executive Action to Establish a Statewide Moratorium on Evictions
The order is effective immediately and will apply through May 31, 2020
Builds on the Governor’s previous executive action authorizing local governments to halt evictions
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued an executive order banning the enforcement of eviction orders for renters affected by COVID-19 through May 31, 2020. The order prohibits landlords from evicting tenants for nonpayment of rent and prohibits enforcement of evictions by law enforcement or courts. It also requires tenants to declare in writing, no more than seven days after the rent comes due, that the tenant cannot pay all or part of their rent due to COVID-19.
The tenant would be required to retain documentation but not required to submit it to the landlord in advance. And the tenant would remain obligated to repay full rent in “a timely manner” and could still face eviction after the enforcement moratorium is lifted. The order takes effect immediately, and provides immediate relief to tenants for whom rent is due on April 1st.
Today’s action builds on Governor Newsom’s previous executive order authorizing local governments to halt evictions for renters impacted by the pandemic.
A copy of the Governor’s executive order can be found here and the text of the order can also be found here.
This page will be used to link any important documents pertaining to COVID-19: https://discoveryink.wordpress.com/covid-19/
During the Pandemic we will be posting related links on the above page. We will not cover the news that everyone sees daily. We will post links to the legislation that is being passed as a result of the pandemic and try to add to the details on how to work within the system.
During the March 17 Board of Supervisors Meeting plans were made to set up a remote meeting system that overrides the Brown Act. Questions were raised by Supervisor Peskin and others regarding pubic participation rules and power shifts within local governments. A number of questions could not be answered at the meeting and we requested notice on the answers after the meeting. We can share the link to the information here as it came to us from Angela Calvillo and Eileen McHugh. Thanks to everyone who helped us.
On behalf of the Clerk of the Board I am sending you a link to the City Attorney’s memo you are seeking. Please find the memo here: https://www.sfcityattorney.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Public-Memorandum-Legal-Authority-of-the-Mayor-Health-Officer-and-Board-of-Supervisors-in-an-Emergency.pdf If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. eileen.e.mchugh@sfgov.org / www.sfbos.org
Since the Emergency Declaration at two supplements have been signed by the Mayor. One of them that concerns rents and utility services is here: https://sfmayor.org/sites/default/files/SupplementalDeclaration2_03132020_stamped.pdf Details on the “rent moratorium” are laid out in pages 4-6. It appears that tenants must take action to communicate their circumstances to the landlord within 30 days after the rent was due. There is also some language about the utility bills etc. Read the document to see how it may apply to you. Don’t just assume the media reports are correct as they may be leaving out details you need to protect yourself.
OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON SFMTA BUDGET. With declining transit ridership (before and after Covid-19), focus on simpler/ citywide transit improvements. No more boondoggles.
https://www.sfmta.com/projects/meeting-transportation-needs-growing-city-sfmta-budget-fiscal-years-2021-2022
Tell them what you think is important now!
For the duration of the current public health emergency related to COVID-19, we are responding by making important changes to key SFMTA operations. This is an evolving and challenging situation, and it’s reasonable to have questions. That’s why we created an up-to-date resource to help you keep up with changes that currently include:
To get the most up to date information, please check our regularly updated webpage at SFMTA.com/COVID19.
The SFMTA is also taking proactive measures to minimize the risk of exposure for employees and customers and to ensure that our transportation system works for people when needed – like when residents need to make a grocery trip or when a healthcare worker needs to go to their job.
We all should continue to follow public health guidance
The current “Shelter in Place” Public Health order could be extended. And we are preparing. Thank you for your support and your patience.
SFMTA Updates: SFMTA.com/COVID19
Citywide Updates: sf.gov/topics/coronavirus-covid-19
By Francesca Mari : nytimes – excerpt
Hundreds of thousands of single-family homes are now in the hands of giant companies — squeezing renters for revenue and putting the American dream even further out of reach… (more)
The (above) New York Times article states that private-equity firms have grabbed roughly $60 billion worth of single-family homes. Although, the strategy of the investors, described in the article, has been somewhat different (it seems they have bought distressed homes) than what their strategy would be if they bought up single-family homes in order to convert them to triplexes as allowed by SB-773, it shows that private-equity firms have a strong appetite for single-family homes.
Per our attached list of problems with SB-773: “By prohibiting local agencies from requiring a homeowner to live on the premises, SB-773 incentivizes large-scale investors to buy up single-family homes, convert them to triplexes and then operate them as commercial enterprises. Over time, as supply of single-family homes diminishes, the price of single-family homes would rise more rapidly for residents.”
Recap About Senate Bill 773:
SB-773 is a “clean-up bill” and corrects chaptering errors in accessory dwelling unit (ADU) legislation enacted in 2019 (AB-68, AB-881, SB-13 and others). The bill combines all the ADU legislation enacted last year into one bill. It passed through the State Senate on January 27th and is now being heard by the State Assembly Rules Committee.
We believe that amendments to the bill could correct much more than just chaptering errors. This is an opportunity to amend the flawed ADU bills that were signed into law last year. All further comments about SB-773, also apply to the other newly enacted ADU bills.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Junior Accessory Dwelling Units (JADUs) can be very beneficial. However, by requiring ministerial review and stripping away local control of land use and local development standards related to second units, SB-773 goes too far. This is particularly true in high fire risk areas.
This detrimental bill eliminates single family zoning and enables the transformation of beneficial accessory dwelling units (second units and granny flats) into overcrowded multifamily triplexes with potentially multiple adverse impacts.
Besides other mandates, SB-773 requires local agencies to approve detached ADUs that exceed the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), provided the ADU is 800 square feet or less, 16 feet or less in height, and 4 feet or more from the rear/side property lines.
In addition, SB-773 prohibits cities and counties from requiring additional off-street parking spaces in any of the following instances:
(1) The accessory dwelling unit is located within one-half mile walking distance of public transit. [**SB-773 defines ‘Public transit’ as “a location, including but not limited to, a bus stop or train station, where the public may access buses, trains, subways and other forms of transportation that charge set fares, run on fixed routes, and are available to the public.”]
(2) The accessory dwelling unit is located within an architecturally and historically significant historic district.
(3) The accessory dwelling unit is part of the proposed or existing primary residence or an accessory structure.
(4) When on-street parking permits are required but not offered to the occupant of the accessory dwelling unit.
(5) When there is a car share vehicle located within one block of the accessory dwelling unit.
(6) When homeowners convert garages to new housing.
Best regards,
Sharon
By Roland Li : sfchronicle – excerpt
A San Francisco ballot measure to put new limits on office development was holding a hefty lead Tuesday night.
Proposition E, which would tie allowable office construction to the amount of affordable housing built in the city, was ahead 55% to 45% with 100% of precincts reporting. The measure needs a simple majority to pass, but an unknown number of mail-in ballots were still outstanding.
A San Francisco ballot measure to put new limits on office development was holding a hefty lead Tuesday night.
Proposition E, which would tie allowable office construction to the amount of affordable housing built in the city, was ahead 55% to 45% with 100% of precincts reporting. The measure needs a simple majority to pass, but an unknown number of mail-in ballots were still outstanding.
Nonprofit sponsor Todco sought to reduce office growth if the city failed to meet state affordable housing goals, where it has consistently fallen short…
“The commercial sector is growing so fast because of the boom,” John Elberling, executive director of Todco, previously said. “We’re not keeping up with the housing needs of all the new workers that are flooding into the Bay Area.”
Under 1986’s Proposition M, the city can approve only 875,000 square feet in large office projects each year, with unused space rolling over to the next year. Prop. E would reduce the amount of office space that can be approved by a percentage equal to the city’s shortfall in issuing building permits for affordable housing… (more)