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In a year like no other, sf.citi invites you to spread holiday cheer in San Francisco by participating in our One City Gives Virtual Holiday Giving Campaign that ends this Friday, December 11. Join us—from the comfort of your home—in this year’s edition of One City Gives and support the work of three San Francisco nonprofits: Meals on Wheels San Francisco, Larkin Street Youth Services, and Compass Family Services.
- 1,351,199 confirmed cases in California
- 19,938 confirmed deaths in California
- 166,895 confirmed cases in the Bay Area
*As of 9:00am PT on 12/7
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.
- Airbnb launched Airbnb.org, an affiliate nonprofit inspired by the company’s Open Homes program that will focus on facilitating temporary stays for people in times of crisis. Airbnb.org will begin by expanding partnerships with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) to house frontline workers supporting communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. In other exciting news, Airbnb will make its stock market debut this Thursday targeting an IPO valuation of $42 billion with shares expected to list between $56 and $60 per share.
- Google has begun “resilience training” among its employees to support their mental wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to offering periodic “reset” days, Google expanded its counseling programs and launched weekly instructional videos from athletes, coaches, and psychologists to help Google employees mitigate mental stress.
- Salesforce acquired Slack in a $27.7 billion deal. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff described the acquisition as a “match made in heaven,” explaining, “Salesforce and Slack will shape the future of enterprise software and transform the way everyone works in the all-digital, work-from-anywhere world.”
UPDATES FROM THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
- On December 4, Mayor Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax announced that San Francisco will join several other Bay Area counties in voluntarily implementing California’s Regional Stay at Home Order to help stabilize surging COVID-19 cases. Although the City has not yet met the threshold (less than 15 percent capacity in ICU beds) that triggers the Stay at Home Order, San Francisco joined Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Santa Clara, and the City of Berkeley in preemptively implementing heightened restrictions to flatten the curve of COVID-19 cases. The Stay at Home order went into effect on Sunday, December 6 at 10:00pm and will remain in place until January 4, 2021. During this time, San Francisco will close all personal services, outdoor dining, outdoor playgrounds, outdoor museums, zoos and aquariums, drive-in theaters, and open-air tour busses and boats. Outdoor gyms and fitness classes must be limited to a maximum of 12 people at a time, while grocery stores and other indoor retail must reduce capacity to 20 percent.
- On November 30, Mayor Breed announced the opening of the Interfaith Winter Shelter Program, which will increase shelter capacity for people experiencing homelessness during the winter season.
- On November 30, Mayor Breed issued a statement regarding the resignation of San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) General Manager Harlan Kelly after being charged by the FBI for honest services wire fraud. Of the allegations against Kelly, Mayor Breed said they are “disturbing and unacceptable for anyone serving in our government, let alone the leader of one of our largest departments.”
- On November 30, Mayor Breed announced the launch of the first phase of San Francisco’s Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT) pilot program. Part of the City’s efforts to offer alternatives to police response, the San Francisco Street Crisis Response Team will begin responding to 911 calls for people experiencing behavioral health crises.
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 3, Governor Newsom announced a regional Stay at Home Order that will be triggered if Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity drops below 15 percent in a given region. If ICU capacity falls below 15 percent in one of the five California regions, the region will have 24 hours to implement the Stay at Home Order. Under the order, playgrounds, personal care services, movie theaters, bars, wineries, amusement parks, and several other sectors must close. Indoor retail and shopping centers must be limited to 20 percent capacity, restaurants can offer take-out only, and overnight stays at campgrounds will not be permitted, among other restrictions. The Stay at Home Order ends for a county if the corresponding region’s ICU capacity projected out four weeks (from three weeks since the Stay-at-Home Order started) is above or equal to 15 percent.
- On December 1, Governor Newsom announced the release of the Master Plan for Early Learning and Care: California for All Kids, the state’s research-based roadmap for building a comprehensive and equitable early learning and care system over the next decade. The roadmap identifies key policy goals to ensure that all California children can thrive. Some of the recommendations outlined in the plan include improving access to paid family leave, providing universal preschool for all 4-year-olds and income-eligible 3-year-olds, and supporting the development of dual language learners.
- On November 30, Governor Newsom announced several initiatives to support businesses impacted by COVID-19 restrictions. The state will offer temporary tax relief by implementing an automatic three-month income tax extension for taxpayers filing less than $1 million in sales tax, extending the availability of existing interest and penalty-free payment agreements to companies with up to $5 million in taxable sales, and providing expanded interest-free payment options for larger businesses. The Governor also announced the creation of a $500 million COVID Relief Grant—updates will soon be available here. Finally, the Governor announced the opening of the California Rebuilding Fund, which makes available $25 million to help impacted small businesses.
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.
- Compass Family Services helps unhoused and at-risk families in San Francisco achieve housing stability, economic self-sufficiency, and well-being. Founded in 1914 ahead of the 1915 World’s Fair, Compass Family Services has been serving San Francisco’s most vulnerable population for more than a century. 90 percent of families who complete the organization’s housing programs achieve lasting success. Compass Family Services is also one of the three nonprofits supported by sf.citi’s One City Gives holiday giving campaign. Help further Compass Family Services’ mission to increase housing stability for unhoused and at-risk families in San Francisco by participating in One City Gives, signing up to volunteer, or making a donation.
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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