Bay Area

Supes Introduce Resolution to Keep Port Shelter Site Open for Unhoused Residents

At Tuesday’s meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton called a plan to close 118 shelter beds at the Port of San Francisco a “travesty.” Walton, with the support of four other supervisors, introduced a resolution calling on the port and the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) and its oversight commission to keep the facility known as “Site F” open and operating.

Published

12 months ago

May 12, 2023

Oakland Post

Trailers located at “Site F” on property of the San Francisco Port Commission in San Francisco, Calif. on Feb 22, 2023. Site F provides shelter for 118 people experiencing homelessness.

By Joe Dworetzky
Bay City News

At Tuesday’s meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton called a plan to close 118 shelter beds at the Port of San Francisco a “travesty.”

Walton, with the support of four other supervisors, introduced a resolution calling on the port and the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) and its oversight commission to keep the facility known as “Site F” open and operating.

Walton said that the agreement between the port and HSH to wind down and close the site amounted to “forcing homelessness by our very own city departments.”

He noted angrily that the closure would mean that “over 100 people, mostly black, mostly minorities, will be put out on the street with no alternative placement and be evicted by the Port and the [HSH] and sent right back to the street.”

The resolution is a response to an agreement negotiated between staff members of the port and HSH that ends new intake at the site by October 2 and commits to a full closure by the end of the year.

The agreement was previewed for the Port Commission at a meeting on April 11. At that time, port staff said they would return to the commission with the agreement for final voting on April 25, although the agreement was not discussed when the commission met on that date.

Port staff said it would be considered May 9.

Site F was originally set up during the pandemic and was to close at the end of the public health emergency. Although the emergency declaration ended on February 28, the site has continued in operation while the port and HSH negotiated over what would happen with the site.

HSH sought a two-year extension, but the port pushed HSH to present a detailed wind-down plan with specific milestones that would assure that the site was being closed to the port’s satisfaction.

The agreement comes at a time when the city is facing an acute shortage of shelter beds. A federal judge has enjoined the city from clearing tent encampments because there are not enough shelter beds available for the city’s unsheltered population. Testimony in that litigation showed that the city-wide shortfall of shelter beds exceeds 4,000.

Walton’s resolution was co-sponsored by Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Dean Preston, Aaron Peskin and Ahsha Safai.

Walton’s office said they expected the resolution to be considered on May 9th. There are a total of 11 supervisors, so with one more vote in addition to the co-sponsors, the resolution would likely pass.

HSH declined to say whether it would support further discussions to keep the site in operation beyond the wind-down period.

However, Deborah Bouck, a spokesperson for HSH said on Tuesday in response to an email request for comment that the department “is already working to assess everyone at the site for housing and will be matching people to the most appropriate available housing in our system and in the community. For anyone who may not be eligible for housing placement we will ensure they have a placement into other temporary shelters in the district.”

Justin Berton, a spokesperson for the Port said, “The temporary site is located in the heart of a busy industrial area and is not suitable as a long-term place to live…. We will continue to work with all stakeholders for a coordinated wind-down that puts the well-being of the residents first and eventually returns industrial land for industrial use.”

While the port is run separately from the city, Mayor London Breed appoints- and the Board of Supervisors confirms- the members of the commission.

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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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

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

Published

1 day ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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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

5 days 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

7 days 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.”