In addition to our regular COVID-19 updates, we are providing information about how San Francisco and the tech industry have responded to widespread calls for reform around racial justice .
Voting is one of the most powerful ways to make your voice heard and demand change. In light of recent protests against racism and police violence, we believe voting is more important than ever. Join sf.citi and California Secretary of State, Alex Padilla, on June 9th to learn how COVID-19 will make voting in the 2020 Presidential election look different than in years past. We’ll discuss how COVID-19 has forced election officials to rethink the way people vote, candidates to behave more like Instagram influencers, and campaigns to stall altogether.
Register for Our COVID-19 Election Discussion
- 130,936 confirmed cases in California
- 4,632 confirmed deaths in California
- 15,510 confirmed cases in the Bay Area
*As of 9:00am PT on 6/8
COVID-19 Updates from the SF Tech Community
UPDATES FROM THE TECH COMMUNITY
This week, we are sharing the latest COVID-19 tech resources, as well as actions taken by our members to support our Black community and promote racial justice here in San Francisco and beyond.
- Airbnb committed to donating $500,000, as well as matching employee donations, to the NAACP and Black Lives Matter.
- AT&T extended its commitment not to terminate service or charge late fees through June 30th for customers unable to pay their bills due to COVID-19. Customers can submit a waiver to notify AT&T of their inability to pay here. The company is also automatically increasing mobile hotspot data by 15GB a month for each line on an unlimited plan and keeping public Wi-Fi hotspots open through June 30th.
- Dropbox CEO Drew Houston donated $500,000 to Black Lives Matter. The company will also match employee donations throughout the month of the June to the following organizations: Black Lives Matter, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and the National Urban League.
- Funding Circle has a growing list of COVID-19 resources to help small businesses navigate the pandemic, including important and updated information about the Paycheck Protection Program (you can still apply for a loan).
- Google.org made a $12 million commitment to fund organizations working to address racial inequity, starting with $1 million grants to the Center for Policing Equity and the Equal Justice Initiative.
- Lyft is providing $500,000 in ride credit to national civil rights organizations working to facilitate “essential transportation and equitable access during the recent crises,” including the National Urban League, the NAACP, the National Action Network, and the National Bail Fund Network.
- Optimizely CEO Jay Larson encouraged Optimizely employees to donate to organizations fighting for racial justice and equality, as well as call upon their city leaders to implement the #8cantwait policies to decrease police killings.
- Pinterest is using its platform to elevate content and resources about racial justice and represent people from diverse backgrounds. The company is also donating 25,000 shares of stock and $750,000 in paid media to organizations that support racial justice.
- Salesforce’s Black Employee Resource Group led Leading Through Change, a conversation about how to take action against racial injustice.
- Twitter curated a list of mental health resources for those fighting for justice, particularly among the Black community.
- Uber UK launched a Work Hub to connect drivers with other temporary work opportunities to supplement their Uber earnings, which hav been hard hit by COVID-19. The Work Hub already exists in the United States, which presents drivers with work opportunities across Uber platforms, as well as with other companies.
- Verizon Foundation has committed $10 million to seven social justice organizations.
More Tech Resources for COVID-19
UPDATES FROM THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
- On June 5, Mayor Breed, Board President Norman Yee, and District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai announced the creation of a new grant program to support Family Child Care (FCC) educators. Recognizing that many family child care educators have suffered financially from COVID-19, the Office of Early Care and Education (OECE) will use $1 million in funding from Give2SF to create a Family Child Care Emergency Operating Grant program. More information about the program and how to apply will be available here.
- On June 5, Mayor Breed and Director of Health Dr. Grant Colfax issued new public health guidance for safe social interactions amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. San Francisco’s Stay At Home order is still in place, and City leaders maintain that staying home is the best way to prevent people from getting/spreading COVID-19. For those that are expanding their social interactions, however, here are some guidelines—meet outside, wear face coverings, and minimize contact.
- On June 5, Mayor Breed and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) announced the City will resume street cleaning enforcement beginning Monday, June 15.
- On June 4, Mayor Breed and District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton announced plans to redirect resources from the San Francisco Police Department to support our Black community in the upcoming budget. The process will be guided by input from the local community and the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.
- On June 4, Mayor Breed and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development announced additional financial support for San Francisco small businesses. Small businesses can now apply for $6.5 million in funds from San Francisco’s Small Business Resiliency Fund and the Hardship Emergency Loan Program (SF HELP). Over 300 local businesses will receive support in the form of grants and zero percent interest loans.
- On June 3, Mayor Breed announced the curfew on San Francisco would be lifted at 5:00am on June 4 to “facilitate any and all peaceful demonstrations.”
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 5, Governor Newsom announced his support for new policing and criminal justice reforms. After a week of demonstrations demanding justice for George Floyd and others killed by law enforcement, Governor Newsom called for the creation of new standards for crowd control and use of force in protests. He is also working with the state legislature to ban the carotid hold and other similar techniques in California.
- On June 3, Governor Newsom signed an executive order to ensure safe in-person voting opportunities for the General Election on November 3, 2020. This comes in addition to an executive order signed earlier this month requiring mail-in ballots to be sent to all California voters ahead of the election.
To stay up to date with all State of California updates, follow the California Department of Health’s updates here.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
- CVKey Project, a nonprofit working to help our communities safely reopen during the COVID-19 crisis, is looking for engineers! Can you offer your expertise? Learn how CVKey Project piloted its health verification app with the University of Kansas.
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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