Two weeks ago, I reported on the decision of the San Francisco Election Commission to not renew the term of John Arntz, by a 4-2 vote, who is completing his fourth 5-year stint as Director of the San Francisco Department of Elections. The one and only reason given by the Commissioners for not renewing his contract was that Arntz did not meet the diversity goals set forth in Mayor London Breed’s racial equity plan, and the Commission wanted to open the process to other candidates in order to fulfill those goals . John Arntz is a straight white male.

The outcry from San Francisco and across the nation was diluvian in nature. Conservative media had a field day poking fun at the Liberal bastion that is San Francisco, as the city by the bay seemed to be plumbing new depths of Woke identity politics. More telling though was the criticism emanating from Left-leaning circles in San Francisco and beyond.

Mayor London Breed herself, whose racial equity plan was cited as rationale for not reappointing the Director said that Arntz:

“Has served San Francisco with integrity, professionalism and has stayed completely independent. He’s remained impartial and has avoided getting caught up in the web of city politics, which is what we are seeing now as a result of this unnecessary vote. Rather than working on key issues to recover and rebuild our city, this is a good example of unfair politicization of a key part of our government that is working well for the voters of this city.”

California Liberal icon State Senator Scott Weiner (D-San Francisco) tweeted:

“When John Arntz took over as Director of Elections, the Department was a mess — remember ballot box tops floating in the bay? Arntz turned it around. It’s now one of our best run departments. Why on earth is the Elections Commission moving to dump this strong elections leader?”

The position of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors—the elected body responsible for funding the San Francisco Election Commission—was also critical of the racially motivated decision to sack Mr. Arntz.

District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin called the move to sack Arntz “Bananas.” More pointedly, Peskin went on to proclaim, “The remarks from Commissioners are ripe for a discrimination lawsuit.”

Yet, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors did not just offer critical commentary, they took it one step further. The San Francisco Elections Commission simply does not have a set budget. Chris Jerdonek, the President of the Commission was informed that the Mayor’s office and the Board of Supervisors would just not provide the estimated $50,000 necessary for the Election Commission to hire a firm to conduct a search for a new Elections Director. The Board of Supervisors was unanimous in their decision. This maneuver in and of itself did not sit well in some circles. Several government advocacy groups confronted the Board of Supervisors with accusations that withholding funds from the Commission was tantamount to interfering in their autonomy which was set in their charter when the Commission was created in 2002.

Jerdonek wrote in an email that not providing funding for a Director’s search would be “undermining” the Commission’s oversight mandate and prevent the Commission from hiring an Elections Director—a responsibility specifically enumerated in that charter.

Election Commissioner Cynthia Dai said:

“Having to beg for the money every five years — it certainly undermines our independence.”

The last time the Commission was funded for and employed a search firm for the Director’s position was in fact twenty years ago when John Arntz was first appointed.

Commissioners said the fact they don’t have funding “highlights a weakness” in the charter. Perhaps so, but arguably the fact that the Commission would relieve a highly qualified and respected public servant of his job simply because he does not check any of the diversity boxes would highlight that the body ought not have any autonomy in the first place.

There are those who have speculated that the real motivation behind the decision to not renew Arntz was based on his apparent recalcitrance to seek out and employ an open-source voting system for San Francisco elections. Open-source voting allows any member of the public to view the code used to ultimately tabulate ballots. And even if Arntz had been slow to embrace this technology for San Francisco, this appears as nothing more than a red herring in order to refocus the public’s view away from the Commission’s blatant race-based motivations.

In a meeting of the Commission on Monday, it became apparent that a combination of the public outcry backing reappointment of Arntz, the risk of a time consuming and costly discrimination lawsuit, and a lack of funding to conduct a search for a new director, has saved John Arntz from the chopping block. The Commission passed a resolution to consider in January renewing Arntz to a new 5-year term as Elections Director, effectively backtracking on an effort to replace him. Language coming from both the Election Commission meeting on Monday and then the Supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday reflected a need and desire to work together to satisfy funding needs of the Commission when they should arise in the future.

Election Commissioner Lucy Bernholz perhaps had the most insightful and meaningful comment at their meeting when she said at Monday’s meeting:

“It is incumbent upon this commission to rectify the damage done by the previous decision as quickly as possible. Not only have we inflicted damage on the department, we’ve made ourselves an unreliable, untrustworthy body, and until we fix that, all of the work we’ve done on other issues is out the window.”

John Arntz has indicated that he will accept a new five-year term as elections director when it is officially offered to him.

In reporting the actions and motivations behind the Election Commission’s shockingly embarrassing announcement recently, I had related my love for the literary tool known as alliteration. I then ascribed to the Commission and those of their ilk the alliterative moniker Loony Left—a term reserved for the most radical of Progressives. In spite of their apparently coerced policy reversal, the San Francisco Election Commission can without a doubt still be considered loony. Yet, their recognition of a looming legal liability and lack of largesse from the Board of Supervisors, has led to a brief encounter with logic and level-headedness. Time will tell just how long that lasts.

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OAKLAND (BCN) – Following a recommendation by the Oakland Planning Commission Wednesday night, the city council will consider whether to certify an environmental report for a new Oakland A ballpark in the city.

The city council will likely consider certifying the final environmental impact report at a meeting in February, city officials said.

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The Planning Commission’s recommendation is just another step toward the city’s final approval or rejection of the Waterfront project.

“(The) recommendation from the planning commission that the final environmental impact report be sent to the City Council for certification is a major win for our entire region and brings Oakland one step closer to building a pioneering waterfront ballpark neighborhood with the highest environmental standards,” said Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a statement Wednesday night.

“For this EIR, our city has provided an extended public comment and review period and has responded in writing to more than 400 comments,” Schaaf added.

“A new waterfront neighborhood will provide a long-term home for our beloved Oakland A’s, 18 acres of beautifully landscaped public parks, 3,000 units with much-needed market price and affordable housing, and more than 25,000 union buildings and 7,000 permanent jobs will bring to our area,” Schaaf said.

Not everyone is as excited as the mayor.

“We’re disappointed,” said leaders of the East Oakland Stadium Alliance, a coalition of groups working to keep the Oakland A’s in East Oakland. “The lack of thorough analysis and inadequate response to public comments from the City of Oakland and the A’s has resulted in a planning commission recommendation that continues to put our community and the port at risk.”

EOSA executives said: “The final EIR does not address significant concerns related to traffic, air quality and pollution remediation, among others, at the proposed baseball field site at Howard Terminal.

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“Given the serious flaws in this document, we hope that the City Council will examine the report with greater care, recognize its obligation to protect our community from harmful development and vote no to certify the EIR,” said EOSA leaders.

But the commissioners have been very supportive of the EIR, Oakland A’s president Dave Kaval said in an interview Thursday, even as the A’s consider moving the team to Las Vegas.

The commissioners commented on the report’s “quality, prudence and robustness,” and two said it was the best EIR they had read, Kaval said.

Regarding baseball, Kaval called the planning commission’s recommendation “probably a solid single” for Oakland. He added that it’s important to keep runners moving.

Oakland needs to take more steps to keep the A in town. A number of documents need to be prepared by the city and sent back to the A’s, Kaval said, stressing that there is now a lot of work for the city court to do.

The A’s are still putting a lot of effort into the possibility of moving the team to Las Vegas. A study found Las Vegas to be a viable market for the A’s, Kaval said.

The next step is deciding on a Las Vegas location for the team, he said, and the A’s now have a handful to choose from.

The chair of Oakland’s planning commission did not respond to a request for comment Thursday morning.

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© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, transcribed or redistributed.

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The Mayor of San Francisco, London Breed, has sworn in the first trans person on the powerful airport commission and its only current LGBTQ member.

In an October 8 press release, Breed stated that Jane Natoli was sworn in on October 7th. The San Francisco Airport Commission is a five-person body tasked with setting guidelines for airport operations. Subject to the approval, amendment or rejection of the board of directors, the commission has the exclusive power to plan and issue revenue bonds for airport-related purposes, according to a press release from the mayor’s office.

Natoli is a bicycle activist who was turned down by the board of directors to a position on the commission of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in August 2020. She was also nominated for the post by Breed, but had to go through the board’s rules committee and then a full supervisor vote. During this debate, many of the progressive overseers raised concerns about equity issues related to the city’s public transport system. Most overseers considered Natoli qualified, but some opposition came from progressive groups, including the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club.

This time it was a mayor’s meeting that the guards had 30 days to respond if they wanted to reject it by a two-thirds majority. That didn’t happen, as Natoli told the Bay Area Reporter that she was officially nominated on August 31st.

According to the mayor’s office, Natoli is an advocate for safe and affordable transit and the LGBTQ + community. She currently serves on the board of directors of the San Francisco LGBT Community Center.

“I am proud to welcome Jane Natoli to the Airport Commission,” said Breed. “She is a leading advocate of reliable transportation and is deeply committed to the fight for the LGBTQ community. I am confident that her perspective and commitment to our city will benefit this commission.”

SFO is in the middle of a $ 2.4 billion renovation project for Harvey Milk Terminal 1, which will gradually open through 2024. Some airlines are already using the terminal, in which exhibits about the life and political career of the late gay supervisor are on display.

Natoli moved to San Francisco in 2013 and became involved in local politics and community organization. Since 2019, Natoli has served as mayor on the Committee for the Supervision of Government Bonds for General Obligations.

Natoli said she was proud to serve the city in her new role. She replaces Rich Guggenheim, who has resigned after many years of service, according to the mayor’s office.

“It is an honor to be appointed to the Airport Commission and I would like to thank Mayor London Breed for the nomination,” said Natoli. “I’m looking forward to bringing not only my oversight experience from other boards and commissions, but also my perspective as a transgender person. San Francisco is an LGBTQ + capital and SFO is the first point of entry for so many people who come and move there, and I want to ensure that SFO is as welcoming and inclusive as possible to all people. “

Trans leaders also praised the move.

“I am proud to see that Mayor Breed has appointed a member of the trans community to such a prestigious commission. As someone who fights for the representation of trans women in leadership positions, I look forward to bringing all of Jane’s positive experiences into the.” Airport Commission, “said Khilynn Fowler, interim director for Trans Thrive at the San Francisco Community Health Center.

Natoli is a financial crime analyst at Stripe, where she specializes in anti-money laundering investigations. She holds a BS from Iowa State University and is a resident of Inner Richmond.

Help keep the Bay Area Reporter going through these troubled times. To support local, independent LGBTQ journalism, you should become a BAR member.

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The Racial and Social Justice Commission in South San Francisco last month approved an action plan to ensure ongoing oversight and accountability for racial and social justice, focus on eradicating racist practices in the criminal justice system, and targeting resources to reduce inequalities .

“The commission was created to bring community members together to set our priorities because we understand that there is a lot of racism, inequality and bias that has created injustice and pain,” said Councilor Buenaflor Nicolas, chairman of the commission. “We have created this Racial and Social Equality Commission to ensure that we continue our efforts and take concrete steps to achieve the desired outcome and to ensure that with this supplement we are committed to reform and justice in all aspects of life here . “In the south of the city.”

It consists of 14 members from community leadership, city administration, education, social welfare, youth and public security.

One of the action steps that have already been implemented from the plan is that a behavioral medicine person accompanies the police in answering calls about mental health problems as part of the district’s pilot program.

It will offer an economic mobility program with support from the county for disenfranchised parishioners, working with JobTrain and the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center to provide vocational training and help for small businesses.

“We’re renting a space in the middle of the city to make sure it’s accessible, especially to the people who come from the underserved or vulnerable areas of our city, so that this can be the resource for them,” said Nicolas.

And there will be a pilot guaranteed income program, approved by the city council last month, that will provide $ 500 per month to more than 135 eligible families for 12 months.

An office of the Equity and Inclusion Officer has also been established, a special staff position in the City Manager’s Office that will institutionalize accountability, equity and oversee gender outcomes across South San Francisco.

“He or she will do a gap assessment and make sure all departments have the right training and procedures and actions to ensure that everything we do is trying to eradicate inequality in the city,” she said.

It is planned to transform the Youth Advisory Board into a Youth Commission in order to give young people between the ages of 13 and 21 the same rights and duties as the Commission on Race and Social Equality. Contributions from the Youth Commission will be asked for programs that are about to be launched, especially when it concerns the city’s youth, said Nicolas.

The action plan will continue to be reviewed and improved if necessary, she said.

Leading this commission and combating racial inequality is personal to Nicolas. She immigrated to the United States in 1988 with two young children. And she ran for office in 2018 to make a difference.

“As the first Filipina on the city council, it’s a very big responsibility that I have to show. I love this city. I love the country. I’m American, my children, my grandchildren are American now, ”she said. “For me it is very personal that we are on the right path for the future of this country.”

A final report and action plan will be submitted to the city council for review and approval at the August 25, 2021 session.

The commission was established by the city council in 2020 to tackle racial injustice in public safety, barriers to economic and educational opportunities, and access to quality health care. It was inspired to be founded after the murder of George Floyd. Its four overarching goals and accompanying strategies are to create oversight and accountability on issues of inequality, identify and eliminate racist practices and strategies in the criminal justice system, fill resource gaps for colored and other disenfranchised communities, and address equitable land use planning to reduce development Displacement of colored people and citizens from low-income communities.

Members of the commission are Edith Arias; Jeff Azzopardi, South San Francisco Police Chief; Gladys Balmas, San Mateo County Elderly and Adult Services Norm Faria, city manager Mike Futrell; Cheska Ibasan, the youth council; Vanessa McGovern; Hermes Monzon; Pat Murray, member of the Board of Trustees, South San Francisco Unified School District; Vice Mayor Mark Nagales, Councilor Buenaflor Nicolas as Commission Chairman; Kayla Powers; Liliana Rivera from Change SSF; Bobby Vaughn; and Andrea Fernandez as a replacement. The two Management Fellows Tamiko Huey and Amy Ferguson will support the implementation of the action plan.

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Gomez, Donovan

To conserve water under drought conditions nationwide, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission announced Thursday that it is expanding a leak warning program that will notify customers of uninterrupted water usage.

The program now notifies both commercial and industrial buildings as well as apartment buildings if they have been using water continuously for three days, which could indicate a leak.

The program will continue to serve single-family and small apartment buildings as it did before, SFPUC officials said.

“I applaud SFPUC for this proactive move to expand the city’s Leak Alert program at such a critical time,” Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “Given the historic drought, we must do everything we can to fix leaks, protect our water supplies, and cut costs for our residents and local businesses.”

“As long as this drought persists, we need to save the best we can of water, and often that simply means fixing leaky pipes, faucets and toilets,” said Michael Carlin, deputy director general of SFPUC.

In addition to the expansion, the SFPUC will also examine industrial and multi-family houses with more than three units for an increase in water consumption of 50% and more within the last 90 days as well as for peaks in night-time use.

SFPUC officials estimate the Leak Alert program saved 47 million gallons of water in the past fiscal year.

As drought conditions continue to intensify across the state, Governor Gavin Newsom urged all Californians last month to voluntarily reduce water use by 15%.

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Jon Jacobo, a rising political star in San Francisco and an influential affordable housing advocate, resigned from his building inspection commission seat late Friday and took a leave of absence from his nonprofit work after a woman accused him of raping her in a tweet and an extensive online post.

Sasha Perigo, a 26-year-old tenant rights advocate, said she had visited Jacobo at his apartment in the Mission one evening in early April when he forcibly groped and kissed her that night and raped her the following morning. Perigo said she told Jacobo “no” dozens of times during both encounters, and tried to push him off her and block his advances, but that he repeatedly ignored her pleas and persisted.

In a series of tweets on Friday night, Jacobo, 32, said, “My memory of these events is different than her memory. I believed then, as I do now, that our relationship was completely consensual.” He wrote that “every woman needs to be heard” and that he was “deeply saddened by the deep pain being experienced by Sasha Perigo, which she says I caused.”

Jacobo did not respond to requests seeking comment other than to refer reporters to his tweets.

(TW: sexual assault)

I’m heartbroken to share that the man who raped me in April is @Jon_Jacobo.

Prior to my rape, I considered Jon a great friend and a great person, which is why it’s so important for me to come forward.

Please RT and share widely!https://t.co/rKatrJkCuk

— Sasha Perigo (@sashaperigo) August 6, 2021

In the hours and days following the incident, Perigo said she began telling her friends and family that Jacobo had sexually assaulted her and went to San Francisco General Hospital to have a rape kit conducted. Perigo said she didn’t file a police report because of her fundamental opposition to law enforcement and her prior friendship with Jacobo.

But she said that when a friend told her in June about an unsettling experience with Jacobo, she felt compelled to detail her account publicly.

A hospital spokesperson declined to comment on the case, citing patient privacy laws. A spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department also would not comment beyond acknowledging that the special victims unit “is aware of the social media posting and is looking into the matter. Due to the sensitive nature of the allegation, we cannot comment further.”

“I chose to come forward to protect other women from being victimized,” Perigo said. “And to lift the weight of bearing this secret off of my shoulders.”

Jacobo’s response on Twitter included an announcement that he was resigning his position on the Building Inspection Commission and that he was taking a leave of absence from “work.” A Mission District native, Jacobo is a policy director with the South of Market nonprofit Tenants and Owners Development Corporation, known as TODCO.

I believe every woman needs to be heard. I believe every victim of trauma needs to be heard, and the process of speaking out is a part of healing and justice. And I am deeply saddened by the deep pain being experienced by Sasha Perigo, which she says I caused.

— Jon Jacobo (@Jon_Jacobo) August 7, 2021

Last year, he worked as a press secretary in the Latino community for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, and rose to greater prominence as the chair of the health committee on the San Francisco Latino Task Force, helping to lead coronavirus testing efforts in the Mission and drawing attention to racial disparities in infections and aid.

He said he was stepping away from his work “for the sake of the community, which I owe so much, and to avoid distraction from the important work of addressing and preventing the spread of COVID-19 which has been my mission this past year.”

His response came as the allegations spread quickly through the tight-knit affordable housing advocacy community and City Hall, where Jacobo had been widely expected to run for a Board of Supervisor seat in 2024, when District 9 Supervisor Hillary Ronen termed out.

“My thoughts go out to the victim for her courage and bravery for speaking out on this awful situation that no one should ever experience,” tweeted District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton prior to Jacobo’s resignation. “These are very serious allegations against a City Commissioner. My office is conferring with the City Attorney on legal options.”

My thoughts go out to @sashaperigo for her courage and bravery for speaking out on this awful situation no one should ever experience. I have asked @Jon_Jacobo to immediately resign from the DBI Commission, which he was already planning to do, or the BOS will take swift action. pic.twitter.com/rypsTXgZ4g

— Shamann Walton (@shamannwalton) August 7, 2021

The Chronicle interviewed Perigo Friday and spoke to two friends who Perigo told about the alleged assault in the ensuing hours and days. Reporters also reviewed contemporaneous journal entries in which Perigo described the alleged assault and her efforts to work through the emotional trauma it had caused, as well as text messages between Perigo and Jacobo and Perigo and her friends and other documentation that was consistent with her account.

Perigo publicly posted portions of these documents, including a part of her discharge paperwork from the hospital following the rape kit and a letter from the Police Department’s Special Victims Unit, in a Google Doc she shared online Friday titled “A Prominent San Francisco Politico Raped Me. He Can’t Have Any More Victims.”

Perigo told The Chronicle she met Jacobo in November 2019 when she was writing a column for the San Francisco Examiner focused on the housing crisis and interviewed TODCO head John Elberling.

Perigo, who does communications and organizing for Tenants Together, a statewide tenants rights organization in San Francisco, said she had admired Jacobo’s reputation in the housing advocacy world. That day, Perigo said, she and Jacobo struck up a conversation about Marin County and how affordable housing could be built on parking lots. Perigo, who grew up in Marin County, was passionate about trying to improve the enormous housing disparities in that area. She said she instantly felt a connection to Jacobo.

“It was really cool to meet Jon, who I had admired a lot, and to hear him talking about the issues I cared about so much,” Perigo said. “I looked up to him.”

Perigo said their initial connection turned into a friendship. The pair had sex in November 2020 once, and “sexted off and on for a while afterwards,” Perigo wrote in her online post. But Perigo said she broke it off in February, telling Jacobo that she preferred to be platonic friends.

Jon Jacobo at the Latino Task Force Resource Hub in San Francisco in November.

Lea Suzuki/The Chronicle 2020

Perigo said she had remained friends with Jacobo when, on April 3, he invited her to hang out. Perigo agreed, but she emphasized that she did not want to engage in anything sexual. They decided to meet at Jacobo’s apartment that night to talk and have some drinks, according to a text thread shared with The Chronicle.

“(Also I don’t think this was your expectation but just to be sure, I started seeing someone so I’m not looking to hook up!)” Perigo texted Jacobo around 10 p.m. Jacobo hit a heart button in response and texted back, “Thanks for the heads up! That’s important and sad news.” He followed up with a laughing emoji.

An Uber receipt provided to The Chronicle indicates Perigo arrived at Jacobo’s Van Ness apartment at 11:51 p.m. She also texted her friend Rebecca Peacock that night before she left, saying she was going to meet up with Jacobo but had established that their relationship was platonic.

Perigo said that after she arrived at Jacobo’s apartment they talked for hours, sharing personal stories, while having a few drinks. At around 4 a.m., Perigo said, she told Jacobo she was going to get an Uber home, but he offered to have her sleep over.

Perigo said she agreed to sleep in a bed with Jacobo and told him they could cuddle. But she said she reinforced that she did not want anything sexual to occur.

Almost immediately upon laying down, however, Perigo said Jacobo forcibly kissed her and put his hands inside her shirt and pants, forcibly groping her breasts and buttocks while she told him “no,” and that she was uncomfortable. She said she tried to push his hands away from her but that Jacobo persisted for around 45 minutes, ignoring her demands that he stop. She said she was so stunned by what was happening that she remained in the bed.

“I said ‘no’ dozens of times,” Perigo told The Chronicle. “I knew he was assaulting me, don’t get me wrong, but I didn’t want to rock the boat … and I didn’t want to think that about him.”

Perigo said she then brought up her boyfriend, and that she didn’t want to cheat on him. She said Jacobo finally stopped, but asked if he could masturbate. Perigo said she told Jacobo “no,” and that he would have to go into the bathroom, or she would leave. She said he didn’t and they both fell asleep.

In the morning, Perigo said, they woke up around 8:30 a.m. She said Jacobo again started forcibly kissing her and groping her breasts and buttocks as she told him “no” and tried to push him off her.

Perigo said she continued to tell Jacobo “no” while he pulled her pants off, forced oral sex on her and then raped her. Perigo said she froze in shock.

“A few minutes in, my emotions caught up with me, and I could no longer deny what was happening,” Perigo wrote in her online post. “I told him I was uncomfortable and that I wanted to stop. He ignored my request, and proceeded to finish inside of me. At no point had he asked if I wanted to use a condom.”

Perigo said she went to the bathroom and then came back and laid next to him. “I think I was looking for some warmth in that moment because I didn’t want it to be this moment where my friend was so vicious to me,” Perigo told The Chronicle. But she said Jacobo exclaimed, “That was fun!” and asked her if she wanted to go on vacation with him to Cabo San Lucas.

Perigo took an Uber back to her apartment at about 10 a.m. that morning, according to a receipt she provided The Chronicle. Once at home, she said she fell asleep for several hours. When she woke up, Perigo said she began telling her friends and family about what had happened, as well as writing about the incident in a journal.

“Jon Jacobo raped me this morning,” she wrote in a handwritten diary entry dated April 4 that she shared with The Chronicle. “I feel completely empty and very, very alone.”

At around 5 p.m. on April 4, Perigo texted a friend: “So I took my friend Jon up on an offer to hang out last night to get my mind off things and slept over, making very clear that I was just crashing there and was 0% interested in hooking up because I was seeing someone.”

“He raped me this morning,” Perigo wrote in the text thread she shared with The Chronicle, which she partially redacted.

“That’s disgusting,” the friend wrote back. “What the f***.”

As of early Saturday, The Chronicle had not been able to speak to the friend.

Peacock told The Chronicle that Perigo confided on April 4 that Jacobo had sexually assaulted her after she went to his apartment to hang out.

“She described this relentless experience of saying, ‘No, no, no. The things you’re trying to do with me, I’m not interested in it,’” Peacock said. “She got so overwhelmed with it all.”

On April 5 at around 3 p.m., Perigo texted Jacobo, confronting him about the alleged sexual assault, according to a text thread Perigo posted online and a more extensive version that she shared with The Chronicle.

“You ignored dozens of nos — you literally made eye contact with me and took my pants off AS I WAS TELLING YOU NO … I’m not sure what you think rape looks like, but it looks like this,” she wrote.

“Reading this hurt deeply, that you even feel this way is heartbreaking,” Jacobo texted back, adding that he had tried to call her.

Later that day, after consulting with Peacock and other friends, Perigo went to San Francisco General Hospital for a sexual assault examination, allowing medical personnel to take samples to analyze for DNA evidence, according to Perigo, Peacock and discharge paperwork that Perigo provided The Chronicle.

Perigo, who said she is a part-time student at Stanford finishing a degree in computer science, said she did not file an accompanying police report because her work in advocacy and tenants rights has given her a deep distrust of law enforcement as a path toward justice. She also said she had no interest in enduring a retraumatizing reporting process and a potential legal case.

“A lot of the work I met Jon through was also anti-police brutality work,” Perigo said. “I consider myself an abolitionist and support defunding the police.”

In the following weeks, Perigo experienced worsening depression and had trouble getting out of bed and going to work or any events where she might encounter Jacobo, according to Perigo, Peacock and Perigo’s journal entries.

Peacock said the change in her friend was noticeable. “It really debilitated her,” Peacock said. “She’s had a difficult time getting out of bed most mornings. It’s been really, really hard. I wish I could just snap her out of it.”

On April 15, Perigo agreed to meet Jacobo in person in Golden Gate Park the following day to discuss the incident, according to text messages she shared with The Chronicle and friends she later told about the meeting. Perigo said another friend accompanied her to the meeting, but Perigo declined to provide the friend’s identity, saying the friend had requested anonymity.

“The conversation seemed to go well,” Perigo wrote in her online post. “He cried his way through it, admitted wrongdoing, and told me he’d started therapy. We said our goodbyes and have not talked since.”

In his tweet on Friday, Jacobo wrote, “In April, we attempted a restorative process and I will continue to work to understand why and how she feels I caused her harm.”

On April 22, a San Francisco police sergeant with the Special Victims Unit wrote a letter to Perigo saying they had “developed a DNA Profile” from the swabs that were collected during her medical examination. “The DNA was entered into a national DNA Data Bank and may identify the involved suspect,” the sergeant wrote.

The sergeant said that as of that date, Perigo had not followed up with an investigator about the incident, but referred her to the Special Victims Unit address if she wanted to proceed.

At the time, Perigo said, she was still grappling with the emotional trauma from the incident. She said she was regularly going to therapy and unable to go to work. “In some ways it feels like Jon ripped apart and dismantled me as a person,” Perigo wrote in a journal entry dated April 23. “Who am I? How do I relate to the world? I’m floating.”

Then, shortly before her birthday in early June, Perigo said she told a younger friend that Jacobo had raped her. Perigo said the friend relayed that she, too, had a concerning experience with Jacobo. Perigo said she did not ask the woman for more details. Perigo referenced the conversation with the younger friend in her online post.

Perigo said she resolved to pull together her allegations about Jacobo and post them online to warn other women. Perigo said she wrote a draft of the public post in June, but was unable to fill out the details of the sexual assault because it was too traumatizing to relive.

In early August, Perigo completed the post, and she tweeted it out on Friday at 8:59 a.m.

“One of the reasons I kept this story to myself for so long is that I didn’t want to hurt Jon by coming forward. I cared about him deeply, and I’ll forever be heartbroken that someone I once admired could violate me in this way,” Perigo wrote. “But moving on means accepting that Jon isn’t the person I thought he was. I need to free myself from the burden of shielding him from consequences.”

Cynthia Dizikes and Matthias Gafni are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: cdizikes@sfchronicle.com, matthias.gafni@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @cdizikes @mgafni

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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) – In light of arid weather conditions across California, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on Thursday urged irrigation customers and city departments to voluntarily reduce their water use by 10 percent.

According to the agency, the SFPUC’s water reservoirs are currently filled to 76.8 percent of their maximum storage capacity – slightly less than the historical average of 81 percent at this time of year.

SFPUC’s water comes from a variety of sources, including Hetch Hetchy Reservoir near Yosemite and five other reservoirs in the Bay Area. It serves around 2.7 million customers across the Bay Area.

“This is the second dry year in a row for the state of California and we must do all we can to get the most out of our water supplies if this trend continues,” Mayor London Breed said in a statement. “San Francisco is a leader in water conservation thanks to our innovative water policy and strong management, but we need to look ahead. The steps we are now taking to use our water wisely will help us become more resilient and weather future dry years. “

According to SFPUC, Franciscans use an average of 42 gallons of water every day, one of the lowest rates in California.

Even so, the SFPUC’s request to its 1,600 irrigation customers, who rely on SFPUC to irrigate their landscapes to reduce their consumption by 10 percent, is to ensure that water in the agency’s reservoirs and aquifers will last during the prolonged dry spell.

“We are fortunate to have multiple sources of water supply, which makes our system more resilient in dry years,” said Michael Carlin, acting general manager of SFPUC. “However, we don’t know how long this dry weather will last. We also want to support our communities as we recover from the devastating effects of this pandemic. Because of this, we are calling for small changes for irrigation customers that can make a big difference in the expansion of our water supply. “

To further encourage customers to use water efficiently, the SFPUC offers free irrigation studies and landscape assessments on site. Grants; and a program that informs customers about possible leaks.

In addition, the agency offers indoor water conversation assistance, including free replacement of old toilets. Discounts for water-saving washing machines and other devices; and individual home and business consultations.

SFPUC customers who pay their bills online can also track their water usage daily or even hourly at www.myaccount.sfwater.org.

For more information about the programs and services offered by SFPUC, residents can visit www.sfpuc.org/savewater.

Copyright © 2021 Bay City News, Inc.

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Mayor London Breed has focused on helping San Francisco small businesses in their plans to recover the city from the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of it, she introduced the Small Business Recovery Act in March, calling it a crucial step in easing the path for opening new businesses and adapting existing businesses as a means of survival.

Despite the strong support from the business community and the mayor’s office, the legislation was hardly pushed ahead with a positive recommendation by the planning commission on Thursday evening with a vote of 4: 3.

The Small Business Recovery Act builds on Proposition H, passed by voters in November 2020, to streamline the city’s approval process and free many small business owners from the costly fees, review times, and generally complicated red tape that can deter some from to open a business altogether.

The legislation includes a number of changes to the Business and Tax Regulations Code and the Police Code that will extend the benefits of Prop. H – namely a 30-day guaranteed permit processing window and reduced public notice requirements – to ground floor businesses in a wider area of ​​?? Zones expand categories, not just within city districts.

It also allows a company to transition more easily into free space that was previously occupied by a company of the same type. guarantees a 90-day conditional approval process for bars and nightlife entertainment; enables companies to use their physical spaces for more than one purpose, e.g. B. for sharing a kitchen or adding a roof terrace; extends the opening hours of entertainment venues where live performances can take place; and nullifies the need for one-time performance permits.

Support is predictably coming from some of San Francisco’s most dedicated hospitality and recreational players, including the Golden Gate Restaurant Association, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, and the Union Square Improvement District.

“Our attitude towards our city needs to change,” said Sharky Laguana, president of the Small Business Commission, who testified in his capacity as a small business owner during a public comment.

Planning commission members who voted against were not against the ordinance in theory, but said the city was moving too fast for such a complicated law. Instead, they urged officials to devote more time to public relations and to conduct an improved analysis of the potential impact.

Calling the legislation “simplifying” some of the challenges small businesses face, Commissioner Kathrin Moore unsuccessfully proposed a sequel to allow more time to resolve “loose ends” and adapt legislation to specific neighborhoods.

Others, who called to testify during a public comment, cited a litany of reservations, including nocturnal residential noise; Lack of equity in implementation; and the perceived limits of community input for new projects.

Proponents of the legislation, meanwhile, countered that an “urgent crisis” facing local merchants and their workers requires action, even if imperfect.

“We don’t have the luxury of spending a lot of time analyzing trying to find the perfect policy that will perfectly handle everyone’s problems,” said Laguana. He also acknowledged that “there may be things we need to change and fix,” but remained steadfast in his belief that it is important to take those steps now.

The proposed regulation will next be heard before the Board’s Land Use and Transport Committee. A hearing is not yet planned.

cgraf@sfexaminer.com

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The San Francisco Human Rights Commission (HRC) is accepting proposals for “The Dream Keeper Initiative” – formally known as the City Reallocation Fund – under which $120 million from the San Francisco Police Department and Sheriff’s Office budgets is being redirected to nonprofits that serve the Black community.

“We know that to actually see true lasting change we need to focus on helping entire families, from early education for kids, to job training and workforce support for their parents, and serve communities that have been systematically harmed by past policies,” said Mayor London Breed.

Half the cash, $60 million, will be spent over the next two years. “Whether the money will be spent this fiscal year or this calendar year will vary depending on when funds are released. They might run over fiscal and calendar years. For instance, grants starting before June 20, 2021 will mostly likely cross over into 2022,” said Sheryl Davis, San Francisco Human Rights Commission executive director.  

Roughly $15 million will be spent to promote community health and well-being, through restorative justice, food security, and Black home ownership programs. Another $7 million will be used to create a guaranteed income program.  Six and a half million dollars will be dedicated to tracking expenditure outcomes and impacts.  Six million dollars will go to Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) training and development programs for youth and adults, supporting preparation program stipends, higher education financial incentives, and arts opportunities. 

Five million dollars will be spent to increase municipal employee diversity, by improving human resources infrastructure to expand Black participation in civil service jobs, particularly in underrepresented roles. Programs that support families and address youth academic and social-emotional learning needs within a cultural and racial equity context will receive $3.6 million, to pay for literacy and early education programs and family engagement, offering families resources, workshops, and access to services. 

Three million dollars will be spent to support Black-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs, with business development, technical assistance, and anti-displacement services. Art and cultural nonprofits in low-income and Black communities will be provided $2.1 million, to help Black-led and Black-serving creatives – theater companies, artists, and artist collaboratives – build the organizational capacity needed to compete for grants. Two million dollars will be spent to create culturally affirming spaces; commercial corridors in historical Black neighborhoods and incubation hubs for small businesses and community groups, where Black cultural events can be held. 

“We are working with several partners and academic institutions to do evaluations and case studies on this project,” Davis said.  She added that the community stressed the need to be able to pilot new ideas and learn from failures.

The first funding round, $687,500, will go to organizations that serve the Black trans community. OEWD will distribute another roughly $250,000 to organizations that assist Black-owned small businesses and entrepreneurship. 

African Americans who have been virtually meeting – including Black San Franciscans, municipal workers, those with historical ties to the City, and individuals who own, operate, or work at businesses in San Francisco – have proposed that funding be allocated to Black theater groups that stage productions that inspire and unite the Black community. Organized under African American Theatre Alliance for Independence, the African American Shakespeare Company, PUSH Dance company, AfroSolo Theater, Cultural Odyssey, and SF Recovery Theater want support for such productions as “Don’t Drop Dead On Stage: A Musician and Performing Artist Survival Guide,” conducted by composer, musician, and arts business specialist Idris Ackamoor; and “Mask Up: We Wear Masks to Save Our Lives,” an online feature by AfroSolo to be presented on Facebook and Instagram. 

The second round of grants will focus on programs which address public safety, provide mental health services, and support youth, seniors, and formerly incarcerated individuals.

“Shortly after that, there will be a call for proposals from organizations that promote home ownership, early education, and provide opportunities for family engagement. It is exciting to see organizations receive funding as folks come together and continue community meetings,” said Davis.

District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, who serves as Board of Supervisors president, said he and Mayor Breed want Black-led organizations to dictate how resources are distributed from the City Reallocation Fund.

“I consider this to be our first step toward reparations. We are looking at this through a lens of equity. The funding is providing resources for people to thrive and see positive outcomes,” said Walton. “We have to work together to make sure the outcomes are real and are acknowledged.”  

Through online conversations, African Americans defined funding categories and a grant schedule. Meetings were held in June and July, and at least once weekly between September and November, hosted by the Human Rights Commission. Occasionally, San Francisco Police Department officers participated in the gatherings, as Black community members or to listen to concerns about law enforcement practices. 

Sergeant Michael Andraychak, SFPD public information officer, said recommendations from the Alternatives to Policing Steering Committee, a group formed by Mayor Breed last fall, were designed with community involvement in mind rather than from a law enforcement perspective. 

“The Department’s participation thus far involves providing historical background, interpreting police data, and public safety concerns. This group is very enthusiastic about creating a system that would address calls for services which had been traditionally handled by the police.  The approach is a holistic one, looking at socioeconomic issues, equity and inclusion, law reforms, housing, underserved communities, and systems of care already in place, among other challenges,” said Andraychak. 

Nancy Crowley, San Francisco Sheriff’s Office communications specialist and media spokesperson, said her agency is committed to the City’s Racial and Social Equity Action Plan, which mandates that municipal expenditures be driven by equitable outcomes and accountability. SFSO has developed its own plan, Sheriff’s Alliance for Equity, which calls for advancing equity by reducing racial and ethnic-based disparities in SFSO’s activities. 

Phelicia Jones, founder of Wealth and Disparities in the Black Community, a grassroots organization that advocates for police accountability and reform, wants more resources to be dedicated to the Black community. 

“One hundred and twenty million dollars spread out over two years, during a pandemic, is not going to create equity for all the disparities Black San Franciscans are suffering and have suffered in the past. The concerns that the Black community faces are long-term hardships. This is a work in progress,” said Jones. “They have known that Black folks have been concerned about these problems for decades. We want to see changes in how SFPD and SFSO do their jobs as soon as possible. A number of departments, including the Department of Public Health, Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families, and the Human Services Agency, have not done a good job of being equitable to the Black community. They have failed to provide adequate services for Black San Franciscans. Funding community organizations that can provide necessary services is appropriate.”  

Melissa Hernandez, a member of the No New SF Jail Coalition, roughly 25 San Franciscans who want less policing and closure of the San Francisco County Jail, wants grants to be directed to help people with criminal convictions find housing and jobs. 

“Right now, the jail is a hotbed for infection. The goal is to help people receive re-entry services that are meaningful and help them stay out,” said Hernandez.

“We borrowed against reserves to provide cash grants for shelter, food, and necessities for members of the Black trans community,” said Aria Sa’id, co-founder and executive director of The Transgender District, a nonprofit that serves the Tenderloin. “We are currently working to provide financial assistance, cultural programming, and funding for entrepreneurship and development among members of the Black trans community.”

The Human Rights Commission provided The Transgender District with funding in 2020. Over the next three years The Transgender District wants to establish a shower program, offer free laundry facilities, and create a wellness center on Sixth Street.

Participating in the HRC-hosted meetings helped Sa’id realize that the Black community is supportive of trans people. “It has been endearing and heartening to see Black women who do not identify as trans stand in solidarity with us. There have been so many people who have spoken out for us, offered financial support, and shown themselves to be allies and advocates. I was apprehensive at first. Going to the meetings has shown me that we are in this together,” said Sa’id. 

Tuquan Harrison, HRC LGBTQI+ advisor, who oversees implementation of policies and funding to support the City’s LGBTQI+ community, said The Transgender District was one of several Black trans-led and serving organizations that HRC supported. 

“The HRC also provided TGI Justice Project and several other organizations with funding, with about $200,000 going to support the Black transgender community and transgender communities of color in San Francisco. These organizations are doing so much to help people remain housed during the pandemic and disperse funds in an equitable manner that the City is learning from them,” said Harrison.

“They can’t fall back on “business as usual” practices,” said Geoffrey Grier, director of SF Recovery Theater, a grassroots organization of actors that stage productions that encourage salvation and hope. “There is the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Black community has been in a social pandemic. Individuals and neighborhoods are suffering because of racism and injustice. Changes need to come now.” 

Grier, who has trained SFPD officers in crisis intervention, said law enforcement agencies prefer to conduct in-house exercises. “To do a fair training, you need to have a neutral third party. The unwillingness to have outside and community input has worked to their detriment. After all these years, we find ourselves here, with George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black people killed by law enforcement officers,” said Grier.

Ebon Glenn, director of operations for the San Francisco African American Arts and Culture District (SFAAACD), is pleased that the Black community is brainstorming how to utilize resources, particularly as dedicated to the arts, which “…is self-expression. It’s a way to be able to be heard and in some instances, to have your statement be immortalized on a mural or through a poem that could be a historical document. The arts allow the expression of positivity, unity, and togetherness, that drafting of a positive narrative.” 

 SFAAACD, which has created murals and banners in Bayview, doesn’t intend to apply to the City Reallocation Fund. It receives monies from the Transient Occupancy Tax. Glenn, who participated in the HRC-hosted meetings, said he hopes arts organizations will create work that’s culturally competent, accurately represents the Black community’s history and ethos; intentional, and share significant Black social and historical events. 

“If you put the money in the hands of the right organizations, we could see those dollars go directly to work, funding artists to beautify our neighborhoods, nonprofits that organize youth talent shows, and more,” said Glenn. 

Edward Hatter, Potrero Hill Neighborhood House executive director, wants funds to be used to hire counselors and therapists of color to speak to low-income youth. 

“There has been violence, a lot of shootings during the pandemic. Almost all of the referrals have been to white counselors. Young people clam up when encouraged to talk to someone who doesn’t look like them and doesn’t have training in how to talk to them,” said Hatter.

The number of homicides in San Francisco has risen over the past two years, from 41 in 2019 to 47 in 2020, though in Bayview-Hunters Point the number declined from 14 to 13 over the period. According to the California Partnership for Safe Communities, a violence prevention organization that closely examined all 162 homicides in San Francisco from January 2017 to June 2020, the key to reducing street violence is to “focus on and invest” in a small number of “groups” that have committed the majority of homicides and shootings over the last 3.5 years. 

Hatter said that having many types of services in one location, as offered at Potrero Block X, in the Annex-Terrace housing complex, isn’t helping residents.

“Even during the pandemic, having all the services right where you live is contributing to that “8-block syndrome.” People are not being motivated to unlock themselves from a tight radius. This becomes crippling,” said Hatter. 

“On-site services are a safeguard against displacement, as they provide residents with access to services they need while reducing challenging barriers such as transportation, time and cost,” retorted Damon Harris, vice president of community development for Bridge Housing, which manages Potrero Block X. 

Delia Fitzpatrick, program liaison for Our Kids First, an afterschool program offered at Longfellow Elementary, Guadalupe Elementary, and Denman Middle schools, believes that mental health services for youth will help the Black community as a whole. 

“Strong personal connections help children of color throughout their lives. Counselors and social-emotional training is important, especially during the pandemic. The children can’t play, hug, and talk face to face with people outside their household right now,” said Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick said having online HRC meetings made it easier for her and other childcare professionals to join the larger conversation. “Before the pandemic, it was hard to get Downtown. I had to deal with parking, traffic, and public transportation issues. I needed so much time to get to a meeting, but I was also often needed onsite. With a virtual meeting, I can take time to be a part of the conversation and be visible,” said Fitzpatrick.

Felisia Thibodeaux, executive director of the Southwest Community Corporation, a nonprofit located at 446 Randolph Street which serves older adults and persons living with access and functional needs – concerns obtaining goods and services – in Lakeview-Ocean View, Merced Heights, and Ingleside said funding is needed for outreach to seniors who may be isolated.

“The Black community has been severely affected by racism. The time is now for funding to be directed to communities serving Black seniors and Black-led organizations in marginalized communities,” said Thibodeaux.

Southwest Community Corporation conducts wellness checks in person and by phone. “When we call, they say they are okay. When they open the door, we see what we couldn’t hear over the phone. Our seniors are disheveled and not eating well. They appreciate a conversation and additional resources, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, hygiene and cleaning supplies, and adult diapers. Since the pandemic began, we increased the number of seniors we serve from 40 to close to 200, based on community referrals,” said Thibodeaux.

“These funds will start to reverse the harm done to the Black community,” said Gina Fromer, chief executive officer of Children’s Council of San Francisco, a nonprofit that provides services to families and early childhood educators. “When we reinvest in early childhood education, better health outcomes, and systems that support Black children as they grow, the need for policing in our communities will start to go down.” 

Fromer, a sixth generation San Franciscan who grew up in Bayview, said there’s power in the conversations that the Black community is having.  “We’re able to speak our minds about where funding goes and what we need to accomplish. I’ve learned that if I can’t do something, another individual or organization will. Our collective impact of directing where the money goes and evaluating the changes it makes is bigger than the $120 million. The meetings, and our commitment to change, are restructuring, reestablishing, and reenergizing the City’s Black community,” said Fromer. 

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