Bay Area

Mayor Wants to Keep Street Ambassador Program, Add Retention Bonuses for Police to Keep Streets Safer

San Francisco Mayor London Breed told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that keeping street ambassador programs and adding supplemental funding for police and prosecutors will contribute to the city’s efforts to make its streets safer. Breed requested the policymakers to support a series of actions that intend to increase public safety

Published

1 year ago

March 14, 2023

Oakland Post

Breed mentioned that many of the community ambassadors who are part of these programs are people of color who were formerly incarcerated or homeless.

By Olivia Wynkoop
Bay City News

Breed requested the policymakers to support a series of actions that intend to increase public safety.

One is extending the current contract for street ambassador programs put on by Urban Alchemy and Mid-Market Ambassadors in the Tenderloin and Downtown neighborhoods. Set to be reviewed at Wednesday’s Budget and Appropriations Committee meeting, the programs work to welcome visitors and assist pedestrians.

Breed mentioned that many of the community ambassadors who are part of these programs are people of color who were formerly incarcerated or homeless.

“When we talk about alternatives to policing, they are a perfect representation of what we’re trying to do,” Breed said. “Not only do they serve as non-police presence on the street, but they also train and uplift people who deserve a second chance.”

Breed also asked the board to quickly advance a $26.7 million budget supplemental she proposed in February that would fund police overtime and hire more prosecutors in San Francisco’s District Attorney’s Office.

The supplemental would work as a quick fix to the city’s severe police staffing shortage, deploy retired police ambassadors for beat patrol presence and hire more attorneys that can tackle fentanyl drug dealing cases, she said.

The San Francisco Police Department cited that between 2021 and 2022, it saw an overtime increase of 121 percent in order to respond to basic needs and have a greater presence in Downtown.

“This is about public safety right now. I know we need long-term strategies to address our significant staffing shortage, and we are working on that,” said Breed. “But every day, I hear from residents — and I’m sure you all do too — and small businesses who want us to do more around public safety. I’m hoping that we don’t continue to delay.”

Breed also said she’s introducing a three-year contract with the police department to offer retention bonuses and recruitment incentives to keep seasoned officers and onboard new ones. The contract would make the police department have the highest paid starting salary in the region.

Breed said police staffing is a national crisis.

“It’s one we have to tackle aggressively with local solutions,” she said.

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: Image(s) related to this story can be obtained from the following Bay City News Service web link(s):

https://www.baycitynews.com/images/20221122-BCN-UNIONSQUARE-8.jpg

San Francisco Mayor London Breed joins a flock of city and business leaders to launch a strategic plan to bring Union Square back to life on Nov. 22, 2022. (Olivia Wynkoop/ Bay City News)

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

6 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”