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Legislation to Allow Private Overdose Prevention Sites to Open OKd by S.F. Board of Supervisors

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved legislation introduced by Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen that opens the door for non-profits to operate drug overdose prevention sites in San Francisco with private funding. Tuesday’s vote removes a recently identified permitting barrier to moving forward with a non-city funded overdose prevention program while the City waits for federal guidance on whether it can fund such programs with public dollars. 

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Mayor London Breed
Mayor London Breed

Legislation authored by Mayor Breed and Supervisor Ronen builds on the City’s larger efforts to curb drug overdoses and save lives 

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved legislation introduced by Mayor London Breed and Supervisor Hillary Ronen that opens the door for non-profits to operate drug overdose prevention sites in San Francisco with private funding.

Tuesday’s vote removes a recently identified permitting barrier to moving forward with a non-city funded overdose prevention program while the City waits for federal guidance on whether it can fund such programs with public dollars.

While federal and state legal issues on publicly funded overdose prevention sites in San Francisco are yet to be resolved, the City has continued conversations with leading non-profits around opening a privately funded site.

As part of this process, the City identified a significant issue to be addressed for a privately funded site to move forward. To address this issue, Breed and Ronen introduced legislation last month to repeal the 2020 permitting structure; the Mayor asked President Peskin to expedite the ordinance so that the City could adopt it as soon as possible.

“This legislation is part of our work to bring down the number of fatal overdoses and tackle the challenges driven by fentanyl head on,” said Breed. “We will continue to work with our non-profits partners who are trying to open overdose prevention sites, fully implement our health strategies to help those struggling with addiction in our streets, and work with law enforcement to close the open-air drug markets.”

“Repealing this ordinance would eliminate a burdensome permitting structure to opening overdose prevention sites,” said Ronen, District 9 Supervisor. “We need solutions to open-air drug use and chaotic conditions on the streets. Overdose Prevention Sites are a proven solution to these problems and save countless lives.”

In 2020, the Board of Supervisors approved legislation establishing a permitting structure for city-funded overdose prevention programs. As written, this law did not allow for any overdose prevention program to open until California authorized the City to do so, whether it’s funded by the City or by private resources.

Since that law was enacted, non-profits in New York have opened overdose prevention sites without public funding, and various non-profits in San Francisco have expressed interest in doing the same. San Francisco’s current law would not allow them to do so.

San Francisco will continue to move forward innovative solutions to help people struggling with substance use disorder and further reduce the number of fatal overdoses as part of the City’s comprehensive overdose prevention plan. The plan includes expanding access to substance use treatment and services, such as recovery programs and medicated assisted treatment, doubling the distribution of naloxone in the next three years, increasing social support for people at risk of overdose, and improving the conditions in communities where drug use occurs.

The overdose prevention plan also incorporates the establishment of wellness hubs as a cornerstone of the City’s efforts to reduce fatal overdose deaths. These sites will provide overdose prevention services and resources, services to improve health, and linkages to treatment.

“Wellness Hubs are a vital part of the San Francisco Department of Public Health strategy to reduce overdose deaths,” said Dr. Hillary Kunins, director of Behavioral Health Services. “Wellness Hubs will improve the health and wellness of people who use drugs by offering tailored services that reduce risk of overdose death, and offer or connect people to services like treatment for substance use and mental health concerns, medical care, benefits, and more. Today’s vote will help us move forward with this important, lifesaving work.”

“The opioid epidemic continues to take an immense toll on our City and claim the lives of far too many San Franciscans,” said City Attorney David Chiu. “To save lives, I continue to support a non-profit moving forward with New York City’s model of overdose prevention centers. Repealing this ordinance is one step towards that goal.”

Bay Area

Gov. Newsom Requests Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for Counties Impacted By Storms

Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a request Tuesday for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for nine California counties, including Monterey County. If approved, the move will pave the way for federal aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be provided to local governments and individuals impacted by storms in February and March.

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Monterey County Sheriff, Tina Nieto, provides California Governor Gavin Newsom an update on the Pajaro River levee repair near the township of Pajaro, Calif., in Monterey County on March 15, 2023. Floodwaters breached the levee around midnight on March 10, 2023. (Ken James/California Department of Water Resources via Bay City News)
Monterey County Sheriff, Tina Nieto, provides California Governor Gavin Newsom an update on the Pajaro River levee repair near the township of Pajaro, Calif., in Monterey County on March 15, 2023. Floodwaters breached the levee around midnight on March 10, 2023. (Ken James/California Department of Water Resources via Bay City News)

By Thomas Hughes
Bay City News
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent a request Tuesday for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for nine California counties, including Monterey County.
If approved, the move will pave the way for federal aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be provided to local governments and individuals impacted by storms in February and March.
In addition to Monterey County, the request included Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, along with Calaveras, Kern, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Tulare and Tuolumne counties.
Four other counties were added to a previous emergency declaration from the governor, including Alameda, Marin, Modoc and Shasta counties.
“Over these past months, state, local and federal partners have worked around the clock to protect our communities from devastating storms that have ravaged every part of our state. We will continue to deploy every tool we have to help Californians rebuild and recover from these storms,” Newsom said.
If approved, aid from FEMA can be used for individual housing assistance, food aid, counseling, medical and legal services. It will also cover some storm-related costs like debris removal.
The Monterey County Board of Supervisors has requested additional state aid to help undocumented residents receive direct assistance that they aren’t eligible for from FEMA.
The governor said in a press release that funding from the state’s Rapid Response Fund would be made available to those residents and will ensure that families with mixed immigration status can access federal aid.
A local resources center opened Wednesday at the Watsonville Veterans Memorial Building at 215 E. Beach St. The center will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through April 7. The center is staffed with personnel from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Monterey County emergency staff who will help guide Monterey County residents through the recovery process.
An eviction moratorium was passed by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will provide limited eviction protection for residents who lost income because of the storms. If the Presidential Disaster Declaration is approved, FEMA assistance could help some eligible residents receive money to help pay rent, which will not be forgiven during the moratorium.

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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Activism

20 Years Later, Breast Cancer Emergency Fund a Testament to Faith Fancher’s Enduring Legacy

When a woman is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, chemotherapy and radiation often make her too weak to work. If she is working a low-paying job or unemployed, the mounting bills can become overwhelming. For 20 years, the Women’s Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) has provided a lifeline. The Berkeley-based non-profit organization administers the Faith Fancher Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, which gives cash grants of up to $595 to low-income women in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties who are battling breast cancer.

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Faith Fancher, a KTVU reporter, died of breast cancer in 2003.
Faith Fancher, a KTVU reporter, died of breast cancer in 2003

By Tammerlin Drummond

When a woman is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, chemotherapy and radiation often make her too weak to work. If she is working a low-paying job or unemployed, the mounting bills can become overwhelming.

For 20 years, the Women’s Cancer Resource Center (WCRC) has provided a lifeline. The Berkeley-based non-profit organization administers the Faith Fancher Breast Cancer Emergency Fund, which gives cash grants of up to $595 to low-income women in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties who are battling breast cancer.

Grant recipients have used the money to help pay for food, utilities, rent, car insurance, medical co-pays and other necessities. One woman who was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer said she used her $595 grant to buy an oxygen concentrator.

“You could say the air I breathe is because of your generosity,” she said. “I am so incredibly grateful to you and am feeling better every day.

The fund is named in honor of Faith Fancher, a popular television reporter at KTVU who died in 2003 after a valiant battle against breast disease, the web site says. Fancher saw her own cancer as an opportunity to use her public profile to raise awareness and educate others about the importance of early detection.

Fancher founded an organization called Friends of Faith that was dedicated to raising funds for low-income women with breast cancer.

It was 20 years ago this March that Fancher first approached the Women’s Cancer Resource Center about setting up an emergency grant program for women going through breast cancer treatment.

One of the earliest recipients was a 50-year-old homeless woman who used her $595 grant to pay for moving costs into housing she could afford.

“Faith understood the financial burden that low-income individuals faced when diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Dolores Moorehead, who oversees the fund at the WCRC. “This was the first fund dedicated to financial support being offered in the East Bay.”

Over the past two decades, the Faith Fancher Breast Cancer Emergency Fund has given out $992,000 in one-time cash grants. There have been 2,500 beneficiaries, including women and some men with breast cancer.

Ricki Stevenson, a founding member of Friends of Faith, reflected on Fancher’s legacy and the enduring impact of the emergency fund that she created.

“It says that Faith continues to be a presence and it wasn’t just about her,” Stevenson said. “It was so all of the other sisters who come behind us they now have help even though they don’t have the same resources.”

Rosie Allen, another founding member of Friends of Faith, said Fancher left a lasting impact. “Twenty years later Faith is no longer with us, but the breast cancer emergency fund lives on and the need is even greater than ever.”

The Friends of Faith used to host an annual 5K walk/run at Lake Merritt to honor Fancher after she died. It raised funds for the emergency fund and other Bay Area non-profits that provide services to breast cancer survivors.

After Friends of Faith disbanded in 2017, the To Celebrate Life Foundation, former Friends of Faith board members and community members have continued to support the breast cancer emergency fund.

Shyanne Reese used her grant to help pay her rent while she was going through breast cancer treatment.

“I often reflect on how I wish I could share with Faith the impact her life and friends made on me in a non-judgement environment, relieving the financial stress of simply paying the rent so that I could focus on healing,” Reese said.

“With your support, we are able to continue this fund and support our community members when they need us most, said WCRC Executive Director Amy Alanes.

To donate to the Faith Fancher Breast Cancer Emergency fund, visit https://tinyurl.com/FaithFancher.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of March 29 – April 4, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 29 – April 4, 2023

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 29 - April 4, 2023

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