Author: Alfredo Casuso

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Friday, December 17, 2021

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

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MAYOR LONDON BREED DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN THE TENDERLOIN

Official Declaration allows the City to waive bureaucratic hurdles to quickly implement crucial parts of the Mayor’s Tenderloin Emergency Intervention Plan

San Francisco, CA — Today Mayor London N. Breed declared an official State of Emergency in the Tenderloin, allowing the City to waive certain laws to quickly address the crisis of people dying of drug overdoses on the streets of the neighborhood as part of the Mayor’s Tenderloin Emergency Intervention Plan. Similar to the City’s COVID-19 Declaration of Emergency, this action will eliminate bureaucratic barriers, allowing the City to quickly respond to the conditions relating to the health and safety of the people in the Tenderloin. The overdose problem has worsened, particularly over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the recent rapidly deteriorating conditions in the Tenderloin caused by the opioid crisis put the lives of San Franciscans in serious risk.

The Emergency Declaration allows the City to expedite the implementation of emergency programs like waiving rules around contract procurement and waiving zoning and planning codes to quickly open a temporary linkage site where people with substance use issues can receive behavioral health services and get off the street. The Emergency Declaration will apply to actions taken within the boundaries of the Tenderloin Police District.

“The situation in the Tenderloin is an emergency and it calls for an emergency response,” said Mayor London Breed. “We showed during COVID that when we’re able to use an Emergency Declaration to cut through the bureaucracy and barriers that get in the way of decisive action, we can get things done and make real, tangible progress. We will use that focus and coordination to disrupt the illegal activity in the neighborhood, to get people the treatment and support they need, and to make the Tenderloin a safer, more livable place for the families and children who call the neighborhood home.”

The Declaration of Emergency must be ratified by the Board of Supervisors within the next seven days, and will exist for no longer than 90 days.  

“We are losing over two people a day to drug overdoses, mostly to fentanyl, and mostly in the Tenderloin and SoMa. This is a public health emergency demanding a crisis level response, with massive urgency, coordination, and determination to confront this epidemic. We’ve demonstrated during the pandemic that our city can step up with solutions to match the scale and threat of a deadly epidemic. We need an emergency response for drug overdoses, with immediate rapid crisis intervention, outreach and coordination on our streets, with expanded treatment and detox.  We have to act now with everything we have to save lives. This official declaration of an emergency will give us the tools we need to respond with the speed and scale required,” said Supervisor Matt Haney.

The Tenderloin Emergency Intervention plan is a three-phased approach to creating a healthier, safer neighborhood. The first phase, which has been underway, has included critical problem definition, neighborhood assessments, community stakeholder engagement, targeted enforcement interventions, and infrastructure improvements. The second phase, which began earlier this week and will continue through the beginning of 2022, focuses on direct intervention for the most destructive problems facing the Tenderloin. The State of Emergency will allow operations during this phase to be more quickly implemented, including prioritization of connections to existing social and health services, more coordinated enforcement and disruption of illegal activities, and streamlined infrastructure response and improvements. The final phase of this intervention focuses on transitioning to sustained operations, which will help keep streets safe and accessible for everyone who calls the Tenderloin home. 

 “In an emergency, people need resources immediately not months from now. An emergency declaration allows San Francisco to cut through the red tape and obtain the contracts, resources and personnel to address the crisis conditions in the Tenderloin,” said Mary Ellen Carroll, Executive Director, San Francisco Department of Emergency Management. “We only have to look at our COVID response to see how an emergency declaration allowed us to quickly lease hotels, hire critical staff and establish testing and vaccine sites. Today’s action will expedite the opening of a linkage center and other essential resources.”

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media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com 

THE MOUNTAINTOP Continues 14^th Season for Dezart Performs
January 14 – 23, 2022

Olivier Award Winning Play by Katori Hall Reimagines
Martin Luther King, Jr. on last day of his life

www.dezartperforms.org

13 December 2021 – Palm Springs, CA:  It’s April 3, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has just delivered his iconic – and final – speech.  It’s his last night on Earth and the first day on the job for a very unusual housekeeper named Camae.  For playwright Katori Hall it’s the opportunity for a fantastical, moving and prophetic two-step tour-de force for actors Shanté DeLoach and Cortez Johnson. The 2010 Olivier Award winning drama ispresented by Dezart Performs (www.dezartperforms.org)January 14 – 23, 2022 at the Pearl McManus Theatre in downtown Palm Springs.

“There are 54 years but sadly many similarities between April 1968 and now,” says Michael Shaw, Dezart Performs founding artistic director who is also directing the production. “The issues of race, equity, justice that Dr. King fought and marched for are still will us. In her own way, Katori Hall is as eloquent in her words as was Dr. King in his.”

Not only because of its timing as his final public appearance, but because of its Biblical scope and cadence, Dr. King’s “Mountaintop” speech is considered one of the greatest of the 20^th century. Given in defense of the Memphis, Tennessee sanitation workers strike, it has come to symbolize the over-arching and centuries long struggle for racial equity in the United States. Deeply rooted in that history, Katori Hall has crafted a play that tackles the legacy of one of America’s seminal icons and presents him in all his glorious and flawed humanity. When Dr. King first meets Camae, it is over a hidden flask of alcohol and shared cigarettes: specifically humanizing elements. Also, the language of THE MOUNTAINTOP is at once eloquent and earthy, as grounded in Hall’s Tennessee heritage as King’s soaring rhetoric is based in religion and philosophy.

THE MOUNTAINTOP follows the opening show for the esteemed Dezart Performs, GIRLFRIEND, the first ever musical for the company and its first outdoor dinner theatre production, mounted at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheatre. Next is Heidi Schreck’sdramatic exploration of compassion and forgiveness as seen through the eyes of a nun in a Bronx soup kitchen, GRAND CONCOURSE (March 4 – 13). Rounding out the calendar is the one-person comedy/drama EVERY BRILLIANT THING (April 1 – 10) by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe and directed by Deborah Harmon. EVERY BRILLIANT THING was originally the final production of the 2020 Season, delayed by COVID.  Individual tickets are now on sale for shows. Season packages for Dezart Performs’ Pearl McManus Theater productions are also on sale online at www.dezartperforms.org or by calling (760) 322-0179

“For the health, safety and well-being of our patrons, staff and artists, Dezart Performs’ COVID-19 policy requires guests to be fully vaccinated,” reminds Shaw. “Upon arrival at all events, guests must present a photo ID along with proof that they meet the CDC definition of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19, either in the form of a physical vaccination card or a photo of the card. Also, mask must be worn indoors at all times, except when eating or drinking.”

Shaw and the company stress, that this policy is subject to changes at any time, in accordance with local, state and federal guidelines. Please check the Dezart Performs website for current policy guidelines before attending any scheduled performance date.

Dezart Performs, one of the Coachella Valley’s preeminent theatre companies, recognizes that the performing arts enrich the life and culture of a community, promote greater understanding and provoke insightful discussion. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theatre company, its mission is to provide an artistic home for bold and cutting–edge plays, creating an atmosphere of artistic growth for actors, writers, and directors who uniquely contribute to the diverse theatrical environment in the Coachella Valley.

All performances take place at the Pearl McManus Theater (at the historic Palm Springs Woman’s Club) 314 S Cahuilla Road, Downtown Palm Springs. Tickets may be purchased online at www.dezartperforms.org, or by calling (760) 322-0179. Showtimes are Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm and 7:30pm; Sundays at 2pm. 

14^th Dezart Performs Complete Season Listing

THE MOUNTAINTOP

January 14-23, 2022

Written by Katori Hall

Drama

Directed by Michael Shaw

Pearl McManus Theater

2010 Winner, Olivier Award for Best Play

A re-imagined depiction of Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth set entirely in Room 306 of the Lorraine Motel on the eve of his assassination in 1968. After delivering his famous “I’ve been to the mountaintop speech”, King goes to the Lorraine Motel to rest. His world is spun on his axis when he meets Camae, a young, feisty and foul-mouthed maid, who delivers his room service. 

“Funny and emotionally charged… a powerful, poetic take on [King’s] legacy.” -Philip Brandes, Los Angeles Times

“Intriguing, shocking, funny… a stunning evening.” – Dale Reynolds, EDGE Los Angeles

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GRAND CONCOURSE

March 4-13, 2022

Written by Heidi Schreck

Directed by Michael Shaw

Drama

Pearl McManus Theater

2015 Lucille Lortel Award Nominee

Having dedicated her life to religious service, Shelley runs a Bronx soup kitchen with unsentimental efficiency, but lately her heart’s not quite in it. Her brisk nature masks an unsettling fear that her efforts are meaningless. When Emma – an idealistic but confused college dropout – arrives to volunteer, her reckless mix of generosity and self-involvement pushes Shelley to the breaking point. 

“Insightful with a moving, even shocking epiphany.” – Huffington Post

“[Heidi Schreck] writes fluid, natural dialogue and creates detailed characters that offer generous opportunities for actors… the words have the ring of plain truth.” – The New York Times

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EVERY BRILLIANT THING

April 1-10, 2022

Written by Duncan Macmillan, with Jonny Donahoe

Directed by Deborah Harmon

Comedy/Drama

Pearl McManus Theater

You’re six years old. Mom’s in the hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for. 1. Ice cream. 2. Kung Fu movies. 3. Burning things. 4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose. 5. Constructions cranes. 6. Me. You leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own. A play about depression and the lengths we will go for those we love.

“A heart-wrenching, hilarious play…One of the funniest plays you’ll ever see about depression—and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop!” —The Guardian

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Friday, December 10, 2021

Contact: Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org

*** PRESS RELEASE ***

MAYOR LONDON BREED ADVANCES HISTORIC HOMELESSNESS RECOVERY PLAN WITH FOUR NEW INNOVATIVE PROJECTS

New projects will add shelter for up to 430 people and nearly 200 units of permanent supportive housing

San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today announced the City is moving forward with four new projects that will provide shelter for up to 430 individuals and permanent housing for 194 residents who are currently experiencing homelessness.

As part of Mayor Breed’s bold Homelessness Recovery Plan, the City has committed to acquiring or leasing 1,500 new units of Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) and expanding shelter options for people living outdoors. There is an unprecedented confluence of local, state, and federal funding sources that provide the unique opportunity for significant investments in new permanent housing and shelter options.

This strategy brought online over 360 units of supportive housing through the 2020 Homekey Grant Program, and this Fall, the Board of Supervisors authorized The Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) to acquire and convert three more existing properties into supportive housing in Districts 11, 9, and 6, which will add an additional 237 units. 

To continue to build toward these goals, the City is announcing the following proposed four new projects:

• In partnership with the non-profit provider Urban Alchemy, master lease the property located at 711 Post Street to operate a new semi-congregate shelter for adults
• In partnership with Tenderloin Housing Clinic, fund a master lease and operations of the Garland Hotel located at 505 O’Farrell to add 80 units of affordable housing with onsite social services 
• Convert the Baldwin Hotel, located at 74 6^th Street, from its current use as supportive housing to approximately 180 units of non-congregate shelter for adults
• Proposed acquisition of the property located at 835 Turk Street to add up to 114 units of Permanent Supportive Housing in District 5

“We’re continuing to push forward in implementing our ambitious Homelessness Recovery Plan, which is the largest expansion of new Permanent Supportive Housing in over 20 years. These new projects will allow us to provide shelter for up to 430 individuals and permanent housing for 194 residents who are homeless in San Francisco,” said Mayor Breed. “We’re creating the places we need for people to get the housing and care they need so we can address the challenges we see on our streets and make a difference in the lives of people facing homelessness.”

“These four innovative new and exciting projects demonstrate and help fulfill the vision of Mayor Breed’s Homelessness Recovery Plan,” said San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, executive director, Shireen McSpadden. “We know that housing is the solution to homelessness. By continuing to expand access to housing, and new shelter models we can stabilize more homeless residents in our community.”

The proposed master lease of 711 Post Street would provide temporary, semi-congregate shelter for adults experiencing homelessness through 123 units that include single, double, and quad units. The property is ideal for this new shelter model as it provides many amenities, including small sleeping rooms, bathrooms and showers on each floor, community lounges, lobby and front desk, commercial kitchen and dining space, and ADA chair lift at the entrance. 

The semi-congregate shelter program that HSH is proposing would be operated by Urban Alchemy and would include meals for guests as well as dedicated Urban Alchemy staff practitioners supporting street activation along Post Street.

“The Urban Alchemy approach works because it is holistic. We embrace our unhoused neighbors who need safe spaces, and we embrace the neighborhood, so the quality of life improves for everyone,” said Lena Miller, CEO of Urban Alchemy that runs shelters throughout California. “The 711 Post model is exciting, and we’re committed to delivering our trademark success – a stable shelter with resources for those in need and a neighborhood of cleaner, safer streets.”

Additionally, in partnership with Tenderloin Housing Clinic (THC), the City is proposing to lease the Garland Hotel at 505 O’Farrell for use as permanent housing. The property has 80 units, an elevator, private bathrooms, private kitchenettes, is in close proximity to public transportation, and has been recently renovated.

Tenderloin Housing Clinic has extensive experience operating PSH and will be the leaseholder, operator, and service provider.

A third proposed project will convert the Baldwin Hotel from Permanent Supportive Housing to a non-congregate shelter. The Baldwin Hotel is currently a PSH Program, but the small rooms and lack of private bathrooms have been challenging to operate. The approximately 100 existing tenants at the Baldwin will have an opportunity to move with their current service provider (THC) to the Garland Hotel or another comparable PSH site. Once tenants are relocated from the Baldwin, the Site would be re-opened as a non-congregate shelter as part of HSH’s temporary shelter portfolio, supporting the expansion of non-congregate shelter models that have been successful during the COVID-19 pandemic through the Shelter-in-Place (SIP) hotel program.

“It’s a huge improvement for the Baldwin residents,” said Tenderloin Housing Clinic executive director, Randy Shaw. “We thank Mayor Breed and HSH for seizing the opportunity to lease one of San Francisco’s finest SRO hotels into the permanent supportive housing program.”

The service provider of this non-congregate shelter has not yet been identified, and the shelter program is anticipated to open in the Spring/Summer of 2022. 

The final proposed project is to purchase the property at 835 Turk Street in District 5 and convert it to Permanent Supportive Housing with up to 114 units with private bathrooms. The building will provide affordable homes with onsite social services to help tenants gain and maintain housing and stability. The Site will have staff, professional property management, and support services. The property is currently a residential hotel with high vacancy and includes generously sized rooms with private bathrooms, a lobby, dining room, and parking garage.

Through these four exciting, proposed projects, the City will add semi-congregate shelter for up to 200-250 guests, 194 new units of supportive housing, and approximately 180 new units of non-congregate shelter.

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San Francisco Police Department’s Union Square Safe Shopper deployment resulting in dramatic drop in holiday-related retail crime 

Beefed-up police staffing, targeted strategies in the wake of Nov. 19 brazen mass robberies are showing impressive results in reducing assaults, burglaries and larceny/theft incidents 

SAN FRANCISCO (Dec. 9, 2021) — Newly implemented crime-prevention strategies and beefed-up deployments of police resources in the wake of organized gang robberies in and around Union Square on Nov. 19 have resulted in significant reductions in retail- and holiday-related crime, according to a report released by the San Francisco Police Department. 

SFPD Captain Julian Ng, who commands the Central Station police district that includes Union Square, Chinatown and North Beach, presented the update to a meeting of the Union Square Alliance yesterday showing sharp drops in incidents of assault, burglary and larceny/theft for the period Nov. 20 through Dec. 6 compared to the preceding 16-day period. The report detailed the crime prevention and deterrence plan, which included a situational analysis, deployments and early results from the Union Square Safe Shopper program. 

San Francisco Chief of Police William Scott noted that the statistics bear out what he has been hearing from visitors, shoppers and business owners all around the City, and what he has seen reported in local news stories. A recent San Francisco Chronicle report quoted multiple sources saying that the new deployments “make us all more comfortable and safe.
“I’m grateful to Captain Ng for his leadership in the Central District and I’m incredibly proud of our police officers, from all across the city, for how they’re responding to serve San Francisco,” said Chief Scott. “Our officers are stepping up at a very challenging time, given the many concerns we’re hearing from San Franciscans that range from neighborhood safety to our City’s economic recovery. At the San Francisco Police Department, we’re committed to doing our part to bring San Francisco back — better and safer — and we’re grateful to have the support of City leaders like Mayor London Breed and our Board of Supervisors to do our jobs effectively.” 

About the San Francisco Police Department:
The San Francisco Police Department stands for safety with respect for all. Hailed by the New York Times as a major city department “where police reform has worked,” SFPD continues to break ground with its voluntary Collaborative Reform Initiative and its work on Mayor London Breed’s ambitious Roadmap for Police Reforms. Since 2018, the department has worked in partnership with the California Department of Justice to implement 272 recommendations that aspire to make SFPD a national model of 21st Century policing. Follow our progress at https://sanfranciscopolice.org/reform. 

media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com ​

Palm Springs Seeks Sister City
Local Business Leaders to Explore “Boost to Tourism”

6 December  2021 – Palm Springs, CA: With an eye towards building air bridges, economic and cultural ties and boosting tourism visibility, a group Palm Springs residents and business owners have spent the last 18 months exploring something new: A Sister City for Palm Springs. Now, with a newly l launched   Facebook page and following a series of community meetings, the group is ready to move to the next step: actual selection of a Sister City.

“Palm Springs is an international destination with an international brand,” said Jeffrey Bernstein, owner of Destination PSP and a board member for the Palm Springs Hospitality Association and Visit Greater Palm Springs.“This is a perfect time to begin exploring a sister city for Palm Springs as we look for creative and practical ways to revitalize our economy in the continuing wake of COVID 19.”

Bernstein, who spearheaded the concept, first presented his idea at a meeting of the Palm Springs City Council in 2019 just before the outbreak of COVID.   Soon thereafter, Bernstein drew in the participation of other local business and community leaders who have spent the last year as an all-volunteer effort, organizing the group and joining Sister Cities International, the governing body for such civic partnerships.  During the last year, the group has been comprised of Lauri Kibby, David Eugene Perry, Willie Rhine,  Ann Sheffer,  Peggy Trott and Al Jones who co-chairs the committee with Bernstein. In the coming weeks, this organizing committee will take the form of a coordinating committee to present its findings to the City of Palm Springs  as to options for the best possible match for an international Sister City and a domestic “Friendship City.” 

“Now is the perfect moment to explore a sister city for Palm Springs,”said Jones, former Chair of the Palm Springs International Airport Commission, board member for Dezart Performs  and former Presidential appointee to The Congressional Advisory Committee on Student Financial Aid by both George Bush and Barack Obama. “As challenging as the last almost two years have been, in 2022 we have the opportunity to expand, improve and diversify our tourism base. A sister city program is a great tool for that, especially with the recently announced new flights, both new destinations and new airlines for the Palm Springs International Airport.”

Over the next few weeks, Bernstein, Jones and Perry will speak with representatives from the Sister Cities International, the nonprofit that coordinates such relationship, to outline the process for setting up an official program. Created by President Dwight President Eisenhower during the 1956 White House conference on citizen diplomacy, the organization was envisioned as a hub of peace and prosperity by creating bonds between people from different cities around the world.

The Committee is seeking members of the public who live in Palm Springs interested in becoming volunteers with the Sister City initiative.  Volunteers must be willing to commit time to the goal of developing a long-term relationship with an international and domestic city. There will be multiple opportunities to serve on committees that will be established to support the Palm Springs Sister City program, e.g., fundraising, cultural programs and exchanges,  professional/technical, trade and commerce, hosting, and education and youth exchange committees.  Individuals interested in participating in this initiative should send a letter of interest along with resume to allisongjones@gmail.com.

Plans for involvement of, and a presentation to the greater community will be forthcoming to ensure stakeholder participation and support.