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Committee advances $1.9M Chinatown restaurant relief appropriation to special Board meeting
Summary
The committee voted to send a supplemental appropriation of $1.9 million from the COVID contingency reserve to the full Board at a special Jan. 19 meeting, part of a roughly $2.5M package to support Chinatown restaurants, SRO residents and food security amid COVID-19 impacts.
On Jan. 13 the Budget & Finance Committee advanced a supplemental appropriation to support Chinatown restaurants, small food businesses and food security for SRO residents. Supervisor Aaron Peskin introduced the item and said it is part of a roughly $2.5 million package that combines the $1.9 million supplemental appropriation (requested from the COVID contingency reserve), $600,000 in other sources and initial private contributions (including $100,000 from the Chinatown Community Development Center) to revive and expand a Feed & Fuel-style program.
Peskin and Human Services/Department of Disability and Aging Services staff described the proposal’s dual aims: provide immediate relief to food-service businesses (restaurants, cafés, bakeries and specialty shops) while delivering meals to seniors and low-income SRO residents to reduce communal-kitchen transmission risks. HSA staff said they can execute contracts quickly and that the city had identified $500,000 in COVID food budget funds that can be shifted to support the program in the near term; the office also proposed seeking CDBG and other reimbursements and private fundraising to backfill the contingency reserve over time.
The hearing drew robust public-comment support from Chinatown-serving organizations, neighborhood leaders and business owners (Chinese Culture Center, Chinatown CDC, SF New Deal, Chinese Progressive Association and dozens of callers) who described steep revenue losses, high SRO density, food insecurity among seniors and language/access barriers to federal relief. Callers urged immediate action to preserve Chinatown’s businesses and cultural fabric and to protect vulnerable residents.
Committee members expressed strong support and asked staff to pursue alternate funding sources where possible to minimize use of reserves. Supervisor Mar moved to send the item to the full Board at a special meeting on Jan. 19; the committee recorded a unanimous 3–0 vote (Vice Chair Safaie, Member Mar, Chair Haney). The Board will consider the supplemental appropriation at the special meeting.
