City Administrator's October 2021 newsletter

Celebrating Latinx Heritage Month!

To celebrate Latinx Heritage Month, the City Administrator’s Office invited D7 Supervisor Myrna Melgar, the first Jewish Latina supervisor of San Francisco, to join City Administrator Carmen Chu for an intimate conversation on racial equity and women in leadership. During the event, City Administrator Chu and Supervisor Melgar shared their experiences growing up in immigrant families, the challenges they overcome as women of color, and their visions to improve equity and inclusion in San Francisco. Supervisor Melgar also shared some of her favorite Latinx-owned local businesses! Watch their conversation here.

Small Business Summit: Everything you need to know about doing business with the City 

Last week, the inaugural San Francisco Small Business Summit, hosted by the City Administrator’s Office provided a holistic review of doing business with the City. During the two-day virtual summit City staff and experts explained how the City procures goods and services, where to find upcoming opportunities, and compliance requirements for suppliers. If you happened to miss it, you can find more information and the recording of the two-day event here.   

We want to thank our presenters, the Office of the Controller, Office of Economic and Workplace Development, Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, Contract Monitoring Division, Office of Contract Administration, SF International Airport, Public Utilities Commission, Port of San Francisco, Recreation and Park Department, Municipal Transportation Agency, Department of Public Works, and their staff for partnering with us to make this event successful! 

Up to $2000 for storefront repair from vandalism 

The Storefront Vandalism Relief Grant Program was launched recently to offer up to $2,000 to help small businesses repair damages resulting from vandalism. If your business experienced physical damage to its storefront, visit oewd.org/VandalismRelief for more information. The grants are available on a first-come-first serve basis.

Community Challenge Grants: Applications open Oct. 20 

Since 1991, Community Challenge Grant (CCG) has partnered with hundreds of organizations to improve spaces in neighborhoods throughout the City, including the Welcome to Portola signage, Glen Park Greenway Oak Woodland & Trail, Alemany Farms, City of Dreams Garden, Sunset Boulevard, Butterfly Corridor Medians, Sunrise Mosiac Stairs, and Hidden Garden Stairs .  

CCG’s annual grant application will open on October 20! Non-profits, schools, business groups, and community organizations are encouraged to apply by the deadline on December 3. Learn more at sfccg.org. 

Get vaccinated at school 

Great news! Over 88% of San Francisco residents ages 12 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. To make vaccines more easily accessible to youth and families, the City launched four additional vaccination clinics at SFUSD schools.  

• Sunset Elementary  - 1920 41st Ave in the Sunset 

• Balboa High School - 1000 Cayuga Ave in the Excelsior 

• McCoppin Elementary - 651 6th Ave in the Richmond  

• Malcolm X Academy - 350 Harbor Road in the Bayview 

Vaccines are available for free to everyone 12 and older regardless of insurance or immigration status. Appointments are not needed. Learn more here. 

City awards over $12M in funding to arts organization and community festivals 

Every year, Grants for the Arts (GFTA) funds over 250 arts organizations. This year, Mayor London N. Breed and City Administrator Carmen Chu announced over $12 million in grants for non-profit arts and cultural organizations. The grants will provide general operating support for arts and cultural programs, including parades and festivals, which help bring people together and are key to reviving the City’s cultural vibrancy and economy. GFTA strengthened its focus on equity in its funding process to better support arts activities that reflect the diverse experiences of the City’s peoples, including BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. Read the press release here. 

CIO 100 Award: Supporting student learning 

San Francisco has received the 2021 CIO 100 award for supporting student learning through the pandemic by setting up neighborhood community hubs and expanding high-speed internet in public housing. In September 2020, San Francisco launched the Community Hub Initiative. By coordinating with City and community partners, the Department of Technology set up and repurposed broadband fiber cable connection points and installed high-speed internet at the Community Hubs. Read more here. 

Certifying LBEs to strengthen local business community 

San Francisco’s small businesses are the backbone of our local economy and neighborhoods. However, they often experience higher costs than large businesses and businesses operating outside of the City, leading to a disadvantage when compared in competition.  

The Contract Monitoring Division (CMD), a part of the City Administrator’s Office, supports local small businesses in the City’s contracting process by implementing and enforcing the Chapter 14B Local Business Enterprise Ordinance. Through certification and monitoring of Local Business Enterprises (LBEs), CMD helps small businesses stay competitive in the City’s bidding process, including through “bid discounts” or “rating bonus points” when bidding as Primes and by setting aside certain contracts for bidding by Micro certified firms. To date, CMD has certified over 1180 LBEs. Find out how to become a certified LBE by watching CMD’s “LBE Certification” workshop at the Small Business Summit.  

CMD regularly organizes trainings and info sessions and provides technical assistance to small businesses to address disparities in public contracting and help them meet City requirements. Learn more here.