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

By Olivia Wynkoop
Bay City News
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.
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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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.

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.
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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.

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.
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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