San Francisco public schools remain closed and students are still distance learning. Three parents of children in the district told “Civic” how they would like schools to reopen. José-Luis Tekun Mejia, Alicia Cruz and Jennifer Sey also expressed concern about the toll that being out of school for nearly a year has been taking on young people and parents alike.
Category: Series
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Aging, Coronavirus, Social Services, Vaccine Distribution
Nonprofit Brings COVID-19 Vaccines to Seniors
Self-Help for the Elderly, has stepped in not just with advocacy for improved access to vaccines, but by bringing doctors who can administer vaccines to the seniors who need them at community centers they already visit. President and CEO Anni Chung joined “Civic” to share how the organization has been vaccinating the seniors it serves.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Back to School, Coronavirus, Education
High School Students Weigh In on Distance Learning, School Reopening
As part of a series of discussions on “Civic” about school reopening and distance learning, high school juniors Alan Terrones, at Gateway High, Adrianna Zhang, at Lowell High and William Axelrod, at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, share their experiences and perspectives.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Economy & Business, Essential Workers, Government & Politics, Labor, Vaccine Distribution
Vaccinations and Hazard Pay Remain Concerns of Grocery Store Union
Grocery store workers are the latest to be eligible for vaccination. As part of our “Essential Worker” series we spoke with Jim Araby, director of strategic campaigns for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 5 about how they are trying to get their 28,000 members vaccinated and why they are fighting for hazard pay during the remaining days of the pandemic.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Bay Area, Community, Coronavirus, Health, Vaccine Distribution
Community Clinics Cross Language, Digital Divides to Distribute Vaccine
North East Medical Services has multiple clinics in San Francisco and around the Bay Area, serving some 70,000 patients at 10 clinics in the region, many of whom are low-income Chinese speakers. Kenneth Tai, chief health officer, and Jessica Ho, government affairs and community liaison for North East Medical Services, talked with “Civic” about their vaccine distribution strategy.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, California, Community, Coronavirus, Vaccine Distribution
Volunteers Built, Run Statewide Vaccine Lookup System
In response to the disjointed publication of information from various clinics, providers and governments, a group of volunteers with some technical skills collaborated to build a statewide resource for finding vaccine appointments, now known as VaccinateCA.
Posted inCoronavirus, Economy & Business, Government & Politics, Health, Homelessness, Housing, Law & Justice, Public Housing in Private Hands, Renters at Risk
Despite Pandemic, New Wave of Court-Ordered Evictions Displacing Poor Tenants
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.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, City Hall, Coronavirus, Essential Workers, Social Services, Vaccine Distribution
Though Eligible for Vaccine, Some Homelessness Response Workers Turned Away
Mary Kate Bacalao, director of external affairs and policy at Compass Family Services and co-chair of the Homeless Emergency Service Providers Association, spoke with “Civic” about how her staff — and other workers in the sector — have experienced the process of figuring out their eligibility for a vaccine and actually getting one.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Health, Vaccine Distribution
SF Nursing Home Reaches Almost Total Coronavirus Vaccination
The vast majority of staff and residents at the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, one of the largest nursing homes in the region, have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. 94% of staff and 97% of residents have received the vaccine. The facility’s director of nursing and clinical operations, Peggy Cmiel, told “Civic” about how that was done.
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.