sf.citi is committed to providing you ongoing updates about the latest community news and resources from the San Francisco tech industry and beyond.
Please note that this will be the final sf.citi Community Update of 2020. We’d like to congratulate all of you, our readers, for making it to the near end of a very tumultuous year. We’ll resume our weekly community updates about the tech industry and San Francisco in early 2021—stay tuned!
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- 1,573,639 confirmed cases in California
- 21,045 confirmed deaths in California
- 189,952 confirmed cases in the Bay Area
*As of 9:00am PT on 12/14
COVID-19 Updates from the SF Tech Community
UPDATES FROM THE TECH COMMUNITY
We are sharing the latest COVID-19 resources from the San Francisco tech industry, as well other community-minded initiatives pioneered by sf.citi members.
- Last Thursday, Airbnb became a public company. The company invited Airbnb hosts in every time zone to partake in a virtual bell-ringing ceremony to celebrate the occasion.
- Cruise has deployed its self-driving cars—with no backup driver at the wheel—on the streets of San Francisco. The company will begin testing up to five of its fully electric, autonomous vehicles in the Sunset District before expanding to other neighborhoods. Initially, there will be a driver in the car, though not behind the wheel.
- Facebook launched the Community Housing Fund and designated $150 million to build at least 2,000 homes for the Bay Area’s lowest-income residents. The fund is California’s largest private fund dedicated to creating housing for extremely low-income families and is part of Facebook’s $1 billion housing commitment announced last year.
- Microsoft is using its technology and partnerships with public- and private-sector organizations to support the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in an efficient, equitable, and safe manner. Microsoft Consulting Services has developed the Vaccination Registration and Administration Solution (VRAS), which helps assess, register, and schedule vaccine distribution, as well as track and report immunization progress.
UPDATES FROM THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
- On December 10, Mayor Breed announced the launch of MyCitations, an online tool that allows people to request a possible reduction on the amount owed in traffic citations based on their financial need. People can also use MyCitations to request a payment plan, more time to pay, or community service.
- On December 7, Mayor Breed announced three new measures to help San Francisco small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in light of the new Stay at Home Order. First, the City will extend the deadlines for businesses to pay their annual 2020 and 2021 Unified License Fees, which account for a large majority of the licensing fees businesses incur. Second, businesses that either hold or have applied for a Shared Spaces permit are eligible to receive up to $5,000 in reimbursement from the City. Finally, the City is launching the San Francisco Latino Small Business Fund to expand the San Francisco Hardship and Emergency Loan Program (SF HELP) and provide zero-interest loans of up to $50,000 to approximately 80 small businesses.
To stay up to date with all City of San Francisco updates, follow the Mayor’s updates here.
UPDATES FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
- On December 7, Governor Newsom announced the statewide launch of CA Notify, an exposure notification tool developed in partnership with Google and Apple to track and reduce the transmission of COVID-19. Beginning Thursday, December 10, Californians can opt in to receive notifications informing them if they have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. CA Notify does not collect device location to detect exposure and does not share a user’s identity.
To stay up to date with all State of California updates, follow the California Department of Health’s updates here.
SUPPORT OUR SAN FRANCISCO COMMUNITY
Every week, sf.citi will feature a different San Francisco nonprofit and share ways you can support its mission and work.
- On December 19, tune into The Independent Venue Alliance’s webathon fundraiser, Because The Night II – All We Want for Christmas is Live Music. The Independent Venue Alliance supports independent music venues in San Francisco as they weather the COVID-19 crisis. The webathon fundraiser on December 19 will not only provide holiday entertainment and live music (remember that?!), but it will also raise money for independent venues across the City. If you love San Francisco’s live music scene and culture, watch and donate to Because The Night II – All We Want for Christmas is Live Music on December 19, which will stream via Light Rail Station at 7:00 pm.
Would you like to be featured in a future sf.citi community update? Tell us about your work in San Francisco by emailing jacqueline@sfciti.org.
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