City Administrator's September 2021 newsletter

Hello San Franciscans!

I am very excited to reconnect with you by launching this community newsletter as San Francisco City Administrator. More than half a year ago, I took on this new position with tremendous gratitude and pride. It is an honor to work with all of our staff in the City Administrator’s Office to serve you through the COVID-19 pandemic, including securing over 90 million pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), reopening City Hall services, and stimulating our convention and tourism activities. 

As we continue to hear the good news of the Delta variant cases trending down in the Bay Area, small businesses are still struggling and some are seeking new opportunities to work with the City. Growing up in my parents' restaurant, I understand how difficult it is to run a business day-to-day, not to mention navigating the City's complex contracting process. At the City Administrator's Office, we play a key role in the coordination, oversight, and technical support for those doing business with us. On October 5-6, we will host a virtual two-day Small Business Summit to share guidance for small businesses on doing business with the City and navigating the contracting process. Learn more by visiting sf.gov/2021bizsummit.

Meanwhile, I am thrilled to continue a cherished tradition, the W Challenge, as San Francisco's City Administrator. On August 26, we celebrated the 4th W Challenge on Women’s Equality Day. Joined by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Mayor London Breed, and numerous state and city leaders, we launched the 2021 W Challenge together to encourage all eligible women to vote! Watch the video here.

If you have not already submitted your ballot, don't forget to do so by tomorrow, September 14! The Voting Center at City Hall will be open on Election Day from 7am to 8pm for in-person voting and ballot drop-off. You can also drop it off at a blue USPS mailbox, but make sure you sign the envelope and check the collection times. Your ballot return envelope must be postmarked by Election Day.

I hope this newsletter can help bring you news and resources from City Hall. I look forward to connecting with you in-person soon! 

Sincerely,

Carmen Chu

City Administrator

For those who may not be as familiar with the City Administrator's Office, we have produced a brief video to explain our wide range of services. Watch our video here and learn more about us here.

Small Business Summit (Oct 5-6)

At the City Administrator's Office, we recognize that successfully securing opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco is a complex process that can be difficult to navigate for small businesses. We invite you to join the City Administrator’s Small Business Summit, a virtual, two-day event that aims to demystify this process for local small businesses and suppliers. Learn how the City procures goods and services, where to find upcoming opportunities, and about compliance requirements for suppliers. The Summit will also feature tailored technical assistance workshops, including responding effectively to solicitations and how to become a certified Local Business Enterprise (LBE). RSVP at sf.gov/2021bizsummit.

Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERTC)

Speak to your CPA to help your business maximize the value of the ERTC today! Employers impacted by the pandemic can now take advantage of the ERTC against federal employment taxes via qualified wages paid to their employees. ERTC can be claimed retroactively. Learn more now by visiting oewd.org/ERTC.

Fight the COVID-19 Variants. Get Vaccinated!

Getting vaccinated remains the best way to protect you and your loved ones against COVID-19, including the more transmissible Delta variant and other variants.  Vaccinations are safe, free, and widely available to all individuals 12 and older.

Vaccination Proof for Indoor Services: To protect against the spread of COVID-19, high-contact indoor establishments such as bars, restaurants, clubs, theaters, and gyms and fitness centers are required to obtain proof of vaccination from their patrons and employees 12 and older in order for them to go inside these facilities. Proof of vaccination is also required for attendees 12 and older of large indoor events with 1,000 people or more. Learn more here. 

Free COVID-19 Testing: Appointments and drop-ins are now available at citywide testing sites. Visit here to find one near you.

Tax Credits for Nonprofits and Businesses in Underserved Communities

This month, the City received $50 million in New Market Tax Credits from the US Treasury to support non-profit organizations and projects in historically underserved neighborhoods. This investment represents the largest distribution of New Market Tax Credits the City has ever received and will help fund critical construction projects and investments in communities hit hardest by the pandemic. The San Francisco Community Investment Fund (SFCIF) reviews applications for the credits on a rolling basis. Learn more here. 

San Francisco has been at the forefront in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic since the beginning. Our City's early and aggressive approach has received national recognition through multiple awards:

SFGovTV Takes Home 23 Awards

Throughout the pandemic, San Francisco Government TV (SFGovTV) has produced timely multi-lingual videos to promote health practices in response to COVID-19 in addition to broadcasting live press conferences, public meetings, and other events. As a result, SFGovTV received a total of 23 awards from the States of California and Nevada Chapter - National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (SCAN NATOA). The SCAN STAR Awards, which recognizes excellence in government programming in California and Nevada, also known as the "Emmy Awards" in government productions, presented six 1st place awards, six 2nd place awards, and eleven 3rd place awards to SFGovTV to recognize their commitment to public service. 

COVID-19 Outreach Wins Civic Design Award

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the City has created multilingual and visually appealing outreach materials to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus by educating our residents from different communities. These original graphics can be seen all around the City, with 3 million copies in distribution. The San Francisco Design Week Awards, an international competition covering all fields of design, recognized our team's efforts to create consistent design and language that helped reassure the public that information was from official sources. The team was praised for its bold, high contrast colors and simple messaging. Choosing clear, recognizable icons contributed to the success of this work as data shows 40% of San Franciscans speak languages other than English at home. Learn more here.

Moscone Center Earns GBAC Star Accreditation 

The Moscone Center has successfully completed the Global Biorisk Advisory Council’s 20 GBAC STAR program elements, each with its own specific performance and guidance criteria, which has earned the Moscone Center the highly coveted and universally recognized GBAC STAR accreditation. This is an important milestone in the City’s tourism industry’s process of rebuilding convention business in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. GBAC STAR is the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation for facilities.  Learn more here.

New 65,000 sq. ft Animal Shelter at 1419 Bryant St.

The Animal Care & Control’s new state-of-the-art shelter is now open to serve the thousands of domestic and wildlife animals that come through the doors every year.

Doubled in size, this seismically safe building includes a modernized veterinary suite, expanded play and training areas for animals, and larger education spaces. Before the move, Animal Care & Control had been operating out of a former Depression-era warehouse at 1200 15th Street that lacked adequate space for the animals, staff, and volunteers. 

View the virtual video celebration marking completion of the Animal Care & Control project here.