Our wisest long-term investment is not in the dirty polluting fossil fuels from the past, but in the clean energy of the future.
London Breed
We need more housing in San Francisco, plain and simple, and we especially need more affordable housing for our low-income households, seniors, teachers, formerly homeless people, veterans, and middle-income residents.
Every day on our streets there are people who are facing a combination of homelessness, mental illness, and addiction. Each of these conditions is challenging alone, but when experienced at the same time it creates a downward spiral that makes it even more difficult for the person to get treated and housed.
To our health care workers and essential employees: Thank you for everything you are doing.
In San Francisco, our diversity is our strength.
We can't keep limiting ourselves when it comes to housing. Affordable housing and teacher housing are too crucial to let the failed policies of the past get in the way.
Burdensome fees have made it harder for people to exit the criminal justice system.
By providing every student with a quality education, and the materials they need for class and to do their homework, we can help students from all backgrounds learn and thrive.
Both San Francisco and New York are taking bold, sweeping action to reduce emissions, make our infrastructure more resilient and improve the health of our people. We are also leading the charge against those who continue to deny the existence of climate change.
Homelessness isn't just an issue in San Francisco. It's an issue throughout California and up and down the West Coast. We need to support policies that address our twin troubles of housing affordability and homelessness at the state-level.
I will fight for affordable housing for teachers, police, fire fighters, and families in all our neighborhoods.
As a kid growing up in public housing, I didn't always get show up at the first day of school with a new backpack full of supplies. Having the school supplies I needed would have made me feel more prepared and ready to learn.
In my sophomore year of high school, I watched my friend Loretta leave in a U-Haul headed for Oakland. She and her mom had been tenants in a nearby apartment, forced out by rent they couldn't afford anymore.
While it's absolutely important that we build housing for our low-income residents, when we are talking about opening up hundreds of sites for housing, we should be trying to build affordable housing for all of our residents struggling to pay rent. That means housing for teachers, for nurses, for janitors.
Walking the streets of San Francisco can be a frightening, demoralizing, even an unhealthy experience for residents and tourists alike.
As someone who grew up in public housing, I've known these conditions.
No family should feel they need to leave San Francisco to find a great public education.
We can't solve the issues of homelessness without more housing.
Young people experiencing homelessness often have a difficult time accessing services, including shelter, medical care, and employment. This is due to the stigma of their housing situation, lack of knowledge of available resources, and a lack of services targeted to young people.
When I was in college, the bell tolled for us. Just as my grandmother, the woman who had cared for me all my life, started needing me to care for her, we were told our home was being torn down, and we would need to find another place to live.
We need to reform our land use policies to build more housing in urban centers and near transit.
Our young people need safe, permanent housing, so they can focus on their education or job, live healthy lives, and pursue their interests - without fear of where they'll sleep at night.
There must be real consequences for those who commit crimes in our neighborhoods.
I grew up in Plaza East public housing in the Western Addition, five of us living on $900 per month. 'Recycling' meant drinking out of old mayonnaise jars.
Children who attend high-quality early care and education programs before kindergarten perform better on assessments of reading and math skills and socio-emotional development. However, since early care and education programs are so expensive, low-income families face significant barriers.
We have to cut the red tape, eliminate barriers, and reduce bureaucracy - for all housing, for everyone.
Costly jail calls and high commissary fees have forced families to choose between paying their bills and talking to their loved ones who are serving time, adding further costs to an already difficult situation.
Businesses have played an important role in advancing nondiscrimination protections across the county because they have recognized that inclusion is the right thing to do and fairness and equality are good for business.
As a young girl growing up in poverty, I know firsthand how much a paycheck from a summer job can make a difference.
Every student should be able to start the school year with the supplies they need, and shouldn't feel left out if their family is unable to afford a new backpack, notebooks, and pencils.
Despite my work, I know some in politics will never support me. I see them distort my record.
If there was a street synonymous with San Francisco, it's Market Street. It is the everyday backbone of the City, with hundreds of thousands of people traveling along it on foot, bike, bus, or streetcar. It's where we gather to celebrate our victories and protest injustices.
As a child, I walked with my friends to Rosa Parks Elementary and then to Ben Franklin Middle School. I rode Muni to Galileo High School. And thanks to amazing teachers who believed in me and supported me along the way, I was able to matriculate to another public school: the University of California at Davis.
As investments and as an energy source, fossil fuels have nowhere to go but down.
As the COVID-19 situation evolves, we need to make sure we have enough medical professionals to care for people in need.
We need to improve our public transportation and invest in physical infrastructure changes so that people can safely choose alternatives to driving like walking, riding a bike or even, yes, electric scooters.
I want to make sure we are spending wisely and using our resources effectively to address the issues facing San Francisco, while reaching residents throughout our entire City.
I've lived in poverty.
I've seen my friends, my community forced from the city I call home.
The voters have been very clear that we need to address the homelessness and housing crisis that is affecting our City, and I remain focused on solving these issues.
We are fighting for an affordable, diverse community where all of us can thrive.
Fighting for tenants' rights has never been about political posturing for me. It's very personal. It's why I fight for everyone who's struggling to stay in San Francisco.
If we are ever going to fix our housing affordability crisis, we have to make significant changes to how we plan and construct, and we have to be open to solutions that make it easier and faster to build much-needed housing.
We want to make sure that anyone facing eviction has access to high-quality legal representation.
We need a coordinated, citywide approach to make sure that everyone in San Francisco is sheltered and has access to the care they need.
When I was growing up in San Francisco, one of the experiences that changed my life was my first paid internship - a summer job at The Family School.
Money should never be a barrier to whether or not a young person is given the opportunity to succeed.
Youth should have access to paid internships or jobs year-round, so they can keep developing important skills and earning income.
Students should feel excited and prepared for the new school year.
In San Francisco, we strive to be a beacon of progressivism for the rest of the country and the world, whether it is leading the way on gay marriage, immigrants rights, or combating climate change.
