sf.citi is committed to providing ongoing updates about the latest community news and resources from the San Francisco tech industry and beyond.
This Wednesday, July 29, join sf.citi and President of the San Francisco Board of Education, Mark Sanchez, for an informative conversation about the impact of COVID-19 on California and San Francisco schools. You’ll learn how our schools are grappling with the new challenges presented by COVID-19 and what students, staff, and parents can expect in the year ahead.
Register for Our COVID-19 School Discussion
- 452,848 confirmed cases in California
- 8,453 confirmed deaths in California
- 48,467 confirmed cases in the Bay Area
*As of 9:00am PT on 7/27
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 teamed up with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) to host a five-day summer festival featuring over 100 interactive online experiences with Olympians.
- Google committed $115 million of a $250 million investment fund to help build 24,000 units of affordable housing in the Bay Area by 2029. $50 million of Google’s latest affordable housing allocation will go to local nonprofit Housing Trust Silicon Valleyto create about 4,000 affordable housing units.
- Google.org, meanwhile, announced$4 million in new grants to Bay Area nonprofits working to solve are homelessness, including Larkin Street Youth Services, Abode Services, and Sunnyvale Community Services (SCS).
- Last year, Slack piloted Next Chapter, an apprenticeship program to bring formerly incarcerated individuals into highly skilled engineering roles. The pilot was a success with all three apprentices now working at Slack as full-time engineers. This year, eight more apprentices will start the program. Dropbox and Zoom have also joined and are launching Next Chapter within their own organizations.
UPDATES FROM THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
- Last week, Mayor Breed and the Board of Supervisors reached an agreement on an amended gross receipts tax (GRT) increase on the San Francisco tech sector. Speaking to GeekWire, sf.citi Executive Director Jennifer Stojkovic explained how the rise of remote work—combined with the GRT measure and additional business taxes on the November ballot—could drive tech away from metropolitan hubs like San Francisco and Seattle.
- On July 23, Mayor Breed announced the creation of 40 Community Learning Hubs to support distance learning for up to 6,000 San Francisco students. The City will transform recreation centers, libraries, cultural centers, and other facilities across San Francisco into Community Learning Hubs. They will provide full-day, in-person programming to support students, especially those from low-income households with limited access to technology.
- On July 22, Mayor Breed announced new COVID-19 testing strategies and expansion to address the surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in San Francisco. San Francisco’s CityTestSF site at the Embarcadero will add 400 new appointments per day. Two new mobile testing sites, and one new long-term testing site in the southeastern part of the City, will also be added to increase San Francisco’s testing capacity.
- On July 21, Mayor Breed announced a plan to fund San Francisco’s Homelessness Recovery Plan to provide more housing and shelter for homeless individuals during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the next two years, the City will make 6,000 placements available for people experiencing homelessness, including 4,500 placements in permanent supportive housing.
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 July 24, Governor Newsom announced new safeguards for California workers at highest risk from COVID-19. The state is allocating funds to local public health departments and community-based organizations to assist with supportive services for isolation and quarantine. Governor Newsom is also expanding California’s #WearAMask and #StoptheSpread campaign to inform more Californians about ways to reduce the risk of COVID-19 at work and at home. Finally, the state released a COVID-19 Employer Playbook to guide businesses on safely reopening.
- On July 22, Governor Newsom announced that he is increasing California’s stockpile to 100 million N-95 respirators and 200 million surgical masks by early fall to keep up with rising COVID-19 cases. To achieve this goal, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services entered a new contract with BYD North America to produce 120 million N-95 respirators and 300 million surgical masks.
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.
- Code Tenderloin focuses on removing barriers to long-term employment for marginal populations living in and around San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. Founded in 2015, Code Tenderloin offers free, volunteer-led job readiness programs that teach both hard and soft skills. The organization also helps its clients find housing and enroll in the Public Defender’s Clean Slate Program to expunge criminal records. Consider donating your resources or time and expertise to Code Tenderloin.
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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