Last Monday, sf.citi polled you, our community, about what content you would like to see in our weekly digest. An overwhelming majority of respondents said they would like to see both COVID-19 and community updates. On this, we are more than happy to deliver. Every week, we will continue to provide the latest COVID-19 news and resources from our local tech industry, as well as significant community updates here in San Francisco.
On June 23, join sf.citi and Laurie Thomas, Executive Director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA), for a discussion about the effects of COVID-19 on San Francisco’s restaurant and food culture. We’ll explore how San Francisco restaurants have adapted to the pandemic, the challenges they face while reopening, and how the experience of dining out may never be the same.
Register for Our COVID-19 Restaurant Discussion
- 52,448 confirmed cases in California
- 5,082 confirmed deaths in California
- 17,334 confirmed cases in the Bay Area
*As of 9:00am PT on 6/15
COVID-19 Updates from the SF Tech Community
UPDATES FROM THE TECH COMMUNITY
We are sharing the latest COVID-19 tech resources, as well as actions taken by our members to promote racial justice and equality here in San Francisco and beyond.
- Airbnb launched Project Lighthouse, a groundbreaking initiative to uncover, measure, and overcome discrimination on the Airbnb platform. To develop its anti-discrimination policy, Airbnb worked closely with civil rights organizations such as Color Of Change and Upturn.
- Learn about the nearly 100 steps Alaska Airlines has taken to keep customers safe and healthy while traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company is also celebrating Pride month virtually—learn how here.
- AT&T announced four actions it will take to advocate for racial equality and law enforcement reform. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson agreed to lead a new Business Roundtable (BRT) committee of top CEOs to push for policy changes. AT&T’s WarnerMedia, meanwhile, is elevating stories about racism and lack of racial equality—you can watch Just Mercy about the life of civil rights attorney Bryan Stevenson for free through the month of June.
- Comcast announced a $100 million, multi-year plan to “fight injustice and inequality against any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or ability.” This includes implementing mandatory and company-wide anti-racism and anti-bias training, using Comcast platforms to shed light on issues of race, and addressing digital inequities.
- Google is hosting its summer internship program virtually due to COVID-19. Thousands of interns are participating from countries around the world, and many will focus on open source projects.
- Instacart is investing $1 million to support actionable change around systemic inequality, particularly toward the Black community. This includes donations to Feeding America and Food Banks Canada as they combat food insecurity, an issue that disproportionately affects communities of color.
- Lyft is making Juneteenth an official company holiday.
- Postmates is waiving delivery fees for meals ordered from its Black-Owned Restaurant collection through the month of June.
- Uber Eats allows you to find Black-owned restaurants in your area. And you will not be charged a delivery fee when ordering from a Black-owned restaurant.
More Tech Resources for COVID-19
UPDATES FROM THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
- On June 12, Mayor Breed announced that $1.65 million in funds from the San Francisco Soda Tax will help provide emergency COVID-19 food relief. The funds generated by San Francisco’s Sugary Drinks Distributor Tax—more commonly known as the Soda Tax—will be used by the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market to purchase foods for community groups that are distributing meals to their members. Funding will also go to the San Francisco Unified School District so it can continue providing meals for students.
- On June 11, San Francisco’s Stay Home Order was amended to allow additional businesses to resume operations. These include outdoor dining service, professional sports games without spectators, outdoor fitness classes, and indoor household services, among others. The updated health order also allows special outdoor gatherings which are subject to certain requirements, such as maintaining six feet of distance and limiting gatherings to 12 people or less.
- On June 11, Mayor Breed announced a roadmap to reform San Francisco’s police department. She outlined four priorities: (1) demilitarize the police by banning the use of military-grade weapons against unarmed civilians; (2) develop a systematic response to reduce the need for police to be first responders for non-criminal situations; (3) address bias and strengthen accountability through trainings and independent investigations; and (4) invest in programs and organizations that serve marginalized communities.
- On June 9, Mayor Breed announced that San Francisco restaurants may begin outdoor service starting Friday, June 12. To do so, many restaurants applied to participate in the City’s Shared Spaces program, which allows them to use adjacent public spaces for pick-up and outdoor dining.
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 June 8, Governor Newsom announced that BYD North America has received certification from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to produce N95 masks for the state of California. BYD will produce and ship 150 million N95 masks to the state for distribution to health care workers and others requiring respirator-style masks. The contract will also ensure California has a sufficient supply of masks going forward.
To stay up to date with all State of California updates, follow the California Department of Health’s updates here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- Support both our local restaurants and our Black community by ordering from Black-owned restaurants. The San Francisco Chronicle developed a list of 200 Black-owned restaurants, caterers, and pop-ups in the Bay Area.
More Ways to Help with COVID-19 Relief
GRATITUDE AMID COVID-19
sf.citi would like to recognize the many courageous San Franciscans holding our City together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Which other San Francisco heroes need recognition during these challenging times? Let us know by tagging sf.citi on Twitter (@sfciti ) or Instagram ( @sf.citi) and using the hashtag #OneCitySF, or by filling out the form below.
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