What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of March 6, 2022:
- Mayor appoints three school board replacements
- The case for CARE Court
- Tiny homes help solve a big problem
- Proof-of-vaccine mandates are over
- Learn your San Francisco politics
- What’s on the ballot this June?
- Our weekly reminder: San Francisco is beautiful
Mayor appoints three school board replacements
After voters overwhelmingly recalled three school board members, Mayor London Breed has appointed three replacements: Ann Hsu, Lainie Motamedi, and Lisa Weissman-Ward.
Ann Hsu worked on the school board recall registering Asian voters and was featured in TV ads promoting the recall. Hsu is the PTSA president at Galileo High School. She also serves on the district’s Citizens Bond Oversight Committee.
Lainie Motamedi “has served in a wide range of district roles, including PTAs and the Public Education Enrichment Fund advisory committee, giving her experience in district budgeting and the impact of policy decisions at school sites,” according to the Chronicle.
Lisa Weissman-Ward is a Stanford University law professor who specializes in asylum and refugee law. She is married to Mayor Breed’s director of Workforce Development.
All three appointees have children in public schools. They will have to run in an open election this November to retain their seats for a full four year term.
The case for CARE Court
Scott Tcheng is an emergency room doctor at several San Francisco hospitals. Every day, he witnesses the horrors of “severe, untreated mental illness or meth-fueled psychosis” and our broken mental health care system. His interview with Chronicle columnist Heather Knight is harrowing.
Trigger warning: a man with a bloody face from eating raccoon roadkill was not held for mental health treatment because the law says his ability to procure food proves he can care for himself. Accounts like this prove we need to change the law so it’s easier to stop the human suffering on our streets. A good start is the CARE Court proposed by Governor Newsom, which would mandate treatment for people in psychosis due to mental illness or addiction.
Tiny homes help solve a big problem
The first step in addressing homelessness is to build more housing. The “tiny homes” concept has finally come to San Francisco.
The simple abodes with locking doors and room for a bed and desk are more humane than letting people live in tents on the sidewalk. Tiny homes provide the transitional housing that is desperately missing. A lot at 33 Gough Street will eventually host 70 tiny homes along with communal bathrooms and a dining room. Read more about it in the Chronicle report.
Proof-of-vaccine mandates are over
The day has finally come! Given our high vaccination rate and declining COVID case count, San Francisco is officially open for business! Mayor Breed announced on Wednesday that you will no longer be required to show proof of vaccine or a negative test to access indoor settings starting yesterday, March 11th.
Please note, though, that the federal mask mandate for public transit is still in effect.
Your Action Plan
Now that you know what’s happening, help us shape what happens next:
Learn your San Francisco politics
Ever wonder why San Francisco is the way it is?
Find out with Joel Engardio’s SF Politics 101 webinar. It provides an entertaining look at the history that shaped San Francisco, while explaining how City Hall and local politics work.
Learn about San Francisco’s journey from the Gold Rush to tech backlash — and every twist in between. The webinar is brought to life with photos and narrative storytelling. It’s designed for all residents new and old who want to better understand the city they love.
Tuesday March 15
7pm to 8pm
Click here to register
What’s on the ballot this June?
The SF Standard breaks down what you’ll see on your ballot this June. It includes seven ballot measures and at least 15 elected offices. Among them are Supervisor Peskin’s attempt to make recalls dramatically harder, which is surprising given the overwhelming support for the Board of Education recall.
Time to pick up the trash
Refuse Refuse founder Vince Yuen wants a trash clean up for his birthday. His favorite pastime is cleaning up the littered streets in San Francisco neighborhoods. Let’s join him for a neighborhood cleanup in the Richmond.
Sunday March 20
10am to noon
RSVP here
Celebrate San Francisco
There’s a lot to love about our city. Here’s what makes it great:
Our weekly reminder: San Francisco is beautiful
We point out what needs fixing in San Francisco because we love the city and want to see it thrive. We are also grateful for all the beautiful places and people that make our city worth saving.
We celebrate the work of architecture photographer Julie Gebhardt, who was featured by SFGate: “She wants you to put down your phones and view everything that San Francisco has to offer. Her photographs are all about being in the moment and noticing the beauty around us.”
People of all ages love car-free JFK
Heather Knight, esteemed columnist for the SF Chronicle, profiles an 80-year-old woman who loves taking her electric mobility scooter on jaunts along JFK now that it is a safe car-free space.
Love the GrowSF Report? Share it
Help GrowSF grow! Share our newsletter with your friends. The bigger we are, the better San Francisco will be.