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Mayor Breed and city agencies brief commission on COVID-19 measures: eviction moratoriums, hiring push for nurses, parking and dispensary guidance
Summary
At the Building Inspection Commission meeting, Mayor Breed and city officials described COVID-19 actions including moratoriums on residential and certain commercial evictions, deferral of business taxes and licensing fees, a relief fund, expedited hiring of about 100 registered nurses, SFMTA's approach to parking enforcement, and DPH guidance allowing dispensary pickup/delivery.
Mayor London N. Breed and several city officials used the Building Inspection Commission meeting on March 18, 2020, to brief commissioners on the city's initial COVID-19 response measures.
The mayor said the city had issued a broad stay-at-home order and welcomed broad compliance; she announced a moratorium on residential evictions and a related directive on commercial evictions to help businesses. Officials said the commercial-eviction directive applies to businesses with gross receipts up to $25,000,000. The city also deferred business taxes and licensing fees until February 2021 and launched a relief fund for small businesses and residents affected by income loss during the crisis.
Jeffrey Tumbleton, director of transportation, told the commission the SFMTA would continue to enforce parking meters to preserve neighborhood commercial parking availability, while waiving certain street-sweeping tickets for people who were quarantined.
Dr. Susan Phillips, deputy health officer and director of disease prevention and control for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, clarified that cannabis dispensaries could remain open for pickup or delivery as essential medical services but that on-site consumption was not allowed. "People who require cannabis for medical purposes will be allowed and permitted to use home delivery services or pick up from dispensaries around San Francisco," she said.
DPH and the mayor's office said they were expediting hiring of health-care workers: an invitation-only hiring fair at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital was planned with the goal of filling about 100 RN vacancies across areas such as emergency and intensive-care units. Officials described efforts to coordinate PPE distribution across health systems and to prioritize front-line staff.
Police Chief Bill Scott said the SFPD conducted bar and restaurant checks on the order's first night and emphasized voluntary compliance; he noted noncompliance is a misdemeanor but said enforcement would be a last resort.
City officials said they would continue to publish fuller details and guidance on agency websites and that the city's emergency and philanthropic partners were coordinating relief and outreach.
The briefings were given amid a longer agenda that included the DBI ordinance and personnel action; commissioners and members of the public raised follow-up questions about testing, PPE and surge planning during the meeting.
