City Administrator's April 2022 newsletter

San Francisco skyline on clear day

Be Earthquake Ready!

April 18 marks the 116th anniversary of the Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. To better prepare San Francisco for earthquakes and improve the resiliency of the City, the Office of Resilience and Capital Planning coordinates with other City agencies and industry stakeholders to progress the Earthquake Safety Implementation Program, a 30-year program to reduce San Francisco’s most significant earthquake impacts. Learn more about this program here

Today, there is a 3 out of 4 chance of a damaging earthquake in the Bay Area in the next 30 years. Make sure you and your family are prepared for an earthquake with these tips. For more helpful tips, click here.

  1. Secure your space by identifying hazards and securing movable items.
  2. Plan to be safe by creating a disaster plan and deciding how you will communicate in an emergency.
  3. Organize disaster supplies in convenient locations.
  4. Minimize financial hardship by organizing important documents, strengthening your property, and considering insurance.
Overhead image of red transit-only lanes on Van Ness Avenue

News from City Hall

City Administrator's New Website on SF.gov

The City Administrator’s Office is excited to launch our new webpage on San Francisco’s one-stop website. Sf.gov is available in multiple languages and is ADA accessible, mobile-friendly, and secure. It allows visitors to easily find the services and information they need from our Office’s wide range of divisions. Visit us today at sf.gov/departments/city-administrator to find out more about the City Administrator’s Office.  

On the new website, you can now read this newsletter in ChineseSpanish, and Filipino

 

2nd COVID-19 Booster Available Now

The Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and Center of Disease Control (CDC) now recommend a 2nd booster dose for higher risk individuals, including: 

  • people ages 65 years and older
  • people ages 50 years and older with underlying conditions
  • people ages 12 years and older with moderate to severe immune compromise

You can find more details regarding the SFDPH vaccine update here. To find a vaccine site near you, visit sf.gov/get-vaccinated-against-covid-19 or call the COVID Resource Center at 628-652-2700. 

 

Coyotes in the City

Now through the fall is typically coyotes’ birthing and pup rearing season. Coyotes can be more protective and assertive during these months. San Francisco Animal Care & Control partnered with Recreation & Park and Project Coyote to host a virtual workshop about what to do if you encounter them. Watch a replay of the event here.

Here are some safety tips for you: 

  • If you encounter a coyote, don’t run. Walk away.
  • Don’t let your dog interact with a coyote. Pick up small dogs and keep your dog on a leash if coyotes are present.
  • Never let a coyote come between you and your child or pet.
  • Carry a cane/stick, an air horn, or a whistle with you on walks.
  • If a coyote approaches you – shout, wave your arms, and stomp your feet to startle the coyote and encourage them to move away.  

 

Bus Rapid Transit System Opens on Van Ness Avenue

The City’s first Bus Rapid Transit system opened this month on Van Ness Avenue, improving transit service and addressing traffic congestion along the busy corridor. New improvements include eye-catching red transit-only lanes, accessible pedestrian crossings, newly furnished bus boarding platforms, sidewalk extensions, and more to make the corridor a safer, more enjoyable place for transit riders, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

Performers in colorful cultural garb dance along parade route

Resources for Small Businesses and Nonprofits

Grants for the Arts Now Accepting Applications - Due May 13, 2022

Applications are now open for Grants for the Arts (GFTA) Fiscal Year 2023 grant cycle. GFTA promotes the diverse and unique communities of San Francisco through equitable grantmaking, providing general operating support grants for nonprofit arts and culture organizations. Last year, GFTA provided over $11 million to approximately 250 arts and culture organizations. 

This year's application is more streamlined and easier to complete. To learn more or to register for GFTA's upcoming grant application workshop on May 4, 2022, click hereApplications are due on May 13, 2022. 

 

Submit Checklist for Accessible Business Entrance Program Before June 30, 2022

The Accessible Business Entrance (ABE) program ensures that San Francisco businesses welcome everyone by helping property owners follow accessibility laws. If a building has a business that serves the public, the property owner must provide a main entrance that is accessible to people with disabilities. An accessible business entrance is free of steps, slopes, excessively heavy doors, overly narrow entryways, or other structural barriers.  

Commercial property owners of public-serving businesses need to confirm that the primary entrances are accessible to people with disabilities by June 30, 2022. Begin today at sfdbi.org/ABE

Accomplishments

City Program Provides Startup Capital for Small Business Owners

The Contractor Accelerated Payment Program (CAPP) was established in 2019 to help small businesses secure capital loans up to $250,000 to win and complete construction contracts with the City.  

Administered by the Contract Monitoring Division with seed funding from the San Francisco Community Investment Fund, CAPP provides working capital loans to certified Local Business Enterprise contractors who might not otherwise qualify for a loan with a commercial bank. The program aims to support local small businesses succeed in building capital and skills to secure commercial business loans in the future. 

The first CAPP participant recently completed their City construction project! Throughout the process, the company received funding and technical assistance, including support with underwriting, document preparation, payroll, insurance, and union benefits, to help ensure the success of the project and set them up to compete in the future. CAPP is a subprogram of the Contract Monitoring Division’s Contractor Development Program. Click here to learn more. 

 

SF Chief Information Officer Recognized as GovTech Top 25 Leader

San Francisco’s Chief Information Officer Linda Gerull was recently named one of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, & Drivers by Government Technology magazine. The list recognizes leaders who are advancing state and local government into the future.  

As CIO, Gerull directs the Department of Technology and leads a team of 240 to provide innovative, secure technology solutions to City departments and the public and reduce the digital divide. Through its Fiber to Housing program, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, the Department of Technology has delivered free high-speed internet to over 8,000 affordable housing units. The Department’s work is essential to ensuring efficient delivery of government services and advancing digital equity citywide. 

City Administrator Carmen Chu, 311 Director Nancy Alfaro, and 311 employees celebrate the 15th anniversary of the City's customer service center.

Agency Spotlight: SF311

SF311 Celebrates 15 Years of Service

SF311 is the City’s primary customer service center, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via phone (with translation services in over 200 languages), webmobile app, and social media. This year, SF311 celebrates its 15th anniversary. Over the past 15 years, SF311 has answered over 23 million calls and facilitated over 6 million service requests. Today, over 75% of all service requests are submitted by mobile or web, allowing for easy submission of photos and real-time case tracking.   

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, SF311 played an important role in providing information related to testing, vaccination, food, and most updated health guidelines. Since the Shelter in Place Order started in March 2020 , SF311 answered over 80,000 calls related to rapidly changing COVID-19 information and developed a system to report and respond to COVID-19 health violation complaints.  

Recently, SF311 has started partnering with Community Benefits Districts (CBDs) to funnel pre-identified cleaning service requests to CBD workers to improve efficiency. Through the SF311 Connected Worker App, CBD workers can now view open cases near them in real-time and address them right away to avoid duplicative dispatching of resources therefore shortening resolution times for requests. 

Last updated May 19, 2022

Department