After an eight-month pause, court-ordered evictions in San Francisco have resumed, and they’re coming down hardest on some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. The Sheriff’s Department has conducted evictions at 33 addresses across the city since November 2020, according to documents obtained through a California Public Records Act request. More than half — 18 — involved tenants in permanent supportive housing.
Category: Economy & Business
Posted inCity Hall, Coronavirus, Economy & Business, Government & Politics, Health, Homelessness, Housing
70 Hotels Could House the Homeless, if San Francisco Buys
More than 70 hotel owners have said they are willing to sell their properties to San Francisco, and now is the perfect time to buy some of them, homelessness activists said at a press conference Wednesday.
Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Health, Housing, Law & Justice, Public Housing in Private Hands
Hundreds of SF Renters Threatened With Eviction During Pandemic
Landlords have tried to force hundreds of San Francisco renters from their homes during the coronavirus pandemic. From March 1 to Dec. 31, 2020, landlords filed close to half the number of eviction notices as in the same period a year earlier, even as state and federal moratoriums on pandemic-related evictions remain in effect.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, City Hall, Economy & Business
SF Poised to Work on Blueprint for Creating a Public Bank
Jackie Fielder, co-founder of the San Francisco Public Bank Coalition, talked with “Civic” about a proposal that would create a working group to chart a path toward a public bank in San Francisco.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Economy & Business, Labor
‘Deluged’ With Calls From Jobless Constituents, Chiu Pushes EDD Reform
Nine California legislators have proposed a slate of reform bills that would try to address some of the biggest obstacles to getting unemployment benefits to those who are eligible for them. Among them is Assemblyman David Chiu, who represents California’s 17th district, which covers much of the eastern part of San Francisco, and discussed the proposals with “Civic.”
Posted inCity Hall, Coronavirus, Economy & Business, Government & Politics, Health, Homelessness
FEMA to Retroactively Fund All Shelter-in-Place Hotel Costs
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will retroactively reimburse states 100% of the cost for shelter-in-place hotels, dating back to January 2020, the White House announced Tuesday.
The announcement comes less than two weeks after the Biden administration pledged to fully fund hotels used to house homeless people over 65 or with compromised health going forward. Previously, municipalities were responsible for 25% of the costs.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Coronavirus, Economy & Business, Labor
As California Grapples With Unemployment Fraud, Jobless Claimants Struggle
CalMatters, a nonprofit newsroom, has been reporting that the unemployment department is grappling with fraud — and unemployed people are ending up locked out of their benefits. Lauren Hepler, the economy reporter at CalMatters, and Emily Hoeven, who writes CalMatters’ daily “What Matters” newsletter, joined “Civic” to explain how the situation has unfolded.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Economy & Business
With Lockdown Extended Indefinitely, SF Develops New Business Supports
In San Francisco, many of those supportive programs for businesses and workers come through the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. Director Joaquín Torres spoke with “Civic,” a radio show and podcast from the San Francisco Public Press, to talk about how the city is trying to help.
Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Health, News
How to Celebrate New Year’s Eve? For Some, by Earning Enough to Eat.
No fireworks, no parties on the beach, no Golden Gate Park light displays. How is a San Franciscan wanting to celebrate the end of this murderous, soul-sucking pandemic year supposed to have any fun?
You could attend any one of numerous live-streamed events, from comedy shows to live music to bell-ringing ceremonies to vaudeville cabaret shows.
Or, for a brief period, there was the opportunity to drop $100 for an in-person, three-course meal complete with burlesque and drag queen show in the Tenderloin. Except that event was canceled …
Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Government & Politics, Housing, Labor
81% of Residents Receiving Housing Help From S.F. Are Black or Latino
More than four of every five San Franciscans receiving rental assistance from the city have been Latino or African American residents, the groups hit hardest by COVID-19 infections, public records show. Philanthropic donors have poured $31.4 million into the Give2SF Fund, $6.3 million of which is targeted at helping people cover housing costs, according to the fund’s most recent progress report. To date, 1,443 households have been allocated as much as $5.8 million in housing assistance, with the average grant being $4,000.