Bay Area

San Francisco: City Offers Tax-Filing Assistance to Help Residents Claim Credits

City officials are offering free tax-filing assistance for San Francisco residents who meet two requirements: they have with incomes below $60,000 and they are eligible for city tax credits. The program will be run through city’s Human Services Agency and offer help at two in-person locations, as well as at dozens of partnering nonprofits, including the United Way Bay Area, John Burton Advocates for Youth and San Francisco Independent Living Skills Program/First Place for Youth, according to an announcement from the mayor’s office.

Published

3 years ago

February 26, 2023

Oakland Post

: The tax centers will be available to help residents file taxes with the city regardless of citizenship status. Tax credits of up to $250 -- such as the San Francisco Working Families Credit -- are available to help with childcare, rent and other expenses.

City officials are offering free tax-filing assistance for San Francisco residents who meet two requirements: they have with incomes below $60,000 and they are eligible for city tax credits.

The program will be run through city’s Human Services Agency and offer help at two in-person locations, as well as at dozens of partnering nonprofits, including the United Way Bay Area, John Burton Advocates for Youth and San Francisco Independent Living Skills Program/First Place for Youth, according to an announcement from the mayor’s office.

The Human Services Agency locations will be at 170 Otis Street, which can be reached at (415) 209-5143 and at 3120 Mission Street, which can be reached at (415) 487-3240.

The tax centers will be available to help residents file taxes with the city regardless of citizenship status. Tax credits of up to $250 — such as the San Francisco Working Families Credit — are available to help with childcare, rent and other expenses.

“A lot of people that were impacted by the pandemic are still struggling to make ends meet because of rising costs of living and our economy,” Mayor London Breed said in the announcement. “San Francisco’s free tax prep service not only helps eligible individuals file their taxes at no cost, but it also helps families apply for other refunds and tax credits, like the Working Families Credit, which can make a real difference for families trying to stretch their dollars to the end of the month.”

Trent Rhorer, executive director of Human Services Agency, said tax credits are one of the most effective anti-poverty tools in the nation.

“Our clients and many community members aren’t required to file their taxes–but they have a great deal to gain if they do file,” he said.

Millions of Californians don’t file taxes each year, leaving billions of dollars in tax credits unclaimed, according to the announcement.

More information about the program can be found at FreeTaxHelpSF.org.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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ThomasHughes/BCNFoundation0501a02/21/23

CONTACT: Mayor’s Office of Communications mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

3 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.