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Twin Sisters Help Every Different Via Robust Instances – CBS San Francisco

Sat, 09 Apr 2022 06:41:49 +0000

By Jen Mistrot and Elizabeth Cook

BRENTWOOD (CBS SF) — Sisters can be the best of friends, and Afshan and Uzma Rehman are no exception. So when both found themselves living in a new country, they leaned on each other for support.

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But like most all sisters, Afshan and Uzma have also experienced their fair share of sibling rivalry.

“We fight a lot,” said Afshan with a smile. “We argue a lot. Like, we literally had an argument this morning.”

But the two admit they have never stayed mad for long.

“We were always there to give each other that positivity,” explained Uzma. “To tell each other ‘Okay, you can do this!’.”

Encouragement of each other has seen Afshan and Uzma through some very tough times. The 29-year-old identical twins were born in the United States. They traveled between California and their parents’ native Pakistan before moving to the Middle East in grade school.

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But by the time Afshan and Uzma were teenagers, their father’s violent behavior made home unsafe for the twins and their siblings. So their mom made the difficult decision to bring her family back to the US, where she would raise her children as a single parent.

“For her it was a very tough decision,” recalled Uzma. “It was a very tough decision because it was the four of us being very young.”

“Not having a dad there your whole life,” said Afshan. “Even though he was there in the picture but he never gave us that support.”

Missing their father hurt, but the move was their first hurdle. School came next.

“The way you grow up in Pakistan is very different than here,” explained Afshan. “When you come here as a teenager in your teenage years, you don’t know that teenage life. You don’t know how they are going to treat you.”

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“You get looked down upon,” said Uzma.

“You’re not able to do anything. Oh there was racism. There was like, ‘Go back to your country.’”

But the twins’ country is the United States and California is their home. Both excellent during high school in Brentwood, then graduated from college before launching careers in high tech.

And there have been other great accomplishments and life changes for both women.

During the pandemic, Afshan had a baby and tackled a master’s degree.

“Hectic but I made it out,” said Afshan of the experience.

Uzma kept busy with volunteer tutoring while raising her four year old son.

“I teach him where we come from,” said Uzma of her son. “I teach him where I grew up, how I grew up.”

Both stayed close to each other, offering love, support and friendship.

“We were always there,” said Uzma. “To give each other that positivity.”

The twin sisters want their children to be good friends too. So the pair also stay close to their mom, even when they don’t see eye to eye.

“If me and [Uzma] are fighting my mom does not intervene,” said Afshan with a laugh.

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“She is like, it’s like going to work it out.”

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FHLBank San Francisco providing $1M to help Black dwelling ed

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 09:12:24 +0000

The FHLBank San Francisco is providing a total of $1 million in matching grants to Department of Housing and Development-approved counseling agencies to serve more aspiring and at-risk homeowners in communities of color.

This grant program is called Empowering Black Homeownership and eligible FHLBank San Francisco members that are making their own donations can request a dollar-for-dollar matching grant of up to a total of $125,000. The grants will be given to the housing counseling agencies to be used for HUD-eligible activities during 2022 and 2023, including staffing and marketing, along with pre-and post-purchase counseling services.

While the program has a two-year life span, the FHLB San Francisco is looking “to use [the funding] as quickly as we can,” said President and CEO Teresa Bryce Bazemore. “We’re going to start working with members who are interested in participating, and if we are able to use up all the money in 2022, we will.”

Teresa Bryce Bazemore is the President and CEO of the FHLBank San Francisco

Alex Lowy

However, the FHLBank San Francisco board could decide at any point to add additional funds for the program, she explained.

When Bazemore, who had retired in April 2017 as president of Radian Guaranty, accepted the FHLBank San Francisco job a year ago, she noted much of what she done during her career aligns with the mission of affordable housing, community development and economic development

Last October, the bank teamed with the Urban Institute to create the Racial Equity Accelerator for Homeownership, a two-year, $1.5 million commitment creating an incubator to develop innovations in housing finance.

Both of these programs are what Bazemore termed “voluntary” on behalf of the bank. It has a legal requirement to contribute 10% of its previous year’s net income to its Affordable Housing Program. For all of 2021, the bank reported $287 million in net income.

The voluntary programs are not a part of that commitment.

Housing is considered the primary way to address the wealth gap between Black and white households. A typical Black household has only about 23% of the wealth of a typical white household, an April 2021 Zillow study found. Lower home values and rates of homeownership among the Black population account for nearly 40% of that gap.

“We’re focused on working with counseling agencies that are working in minority communities that are primarily black communities, but there could be a variety of people [of color] who are in those communities and participate in the program,” Bazemore said.

Others are also making efforts to improve homeownership rates among people of color, including the Black Homeownership Collaborative’s “3by30” program announced last June.

This week, TD Bank introduced the TD Home Access Mortgage, which aims to increase homeownership opportunities in Black and Hispanic communities in portions of its East Coast retail banking footprint.

It includes a $5,000 lender credit which does not require repayment. Borrowers may use that credit for closing costs or toward a down payment on a home purchase.

“The current housing market is highly competitive, making it exceedingly difficult for potential homebuyers, especially people of color, to contend if they have limited financial resources for a down payment or closing costs,” said Michael Innis-Thompson, head of community lending and development at TD Bank in a press release. “This mortgage offering is designed to ease that burden, provide more equity in the home lending process, and make the dream of homeownership more attainable for Black and Hispanic families.”

But advocates have noted in the past that it’s not just getting a home, it is also having the knowledge and ability to keep it.

“Knowledge is power, and this funding can help ensure that Black homebuyers and homeowners have equal access to all the information they need to feel confident in their own ability to purchase a home or sustain homeownership,” Bazemore said.

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Renton Plumbing Firm Presents Service to Help Different Native Plumbers

Mon, 10 Jan 2022 14:04:49 +0000

RENTON, Washington, Dec. 2, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) – It’s no secret that both the COVID-19 pandemic and unemployment are still wreaking havoc across Washington state. According to Trusted Plumbing and Heating, companies are struggling to find workers to get onto construction sites as homeowners continue to need plumbing services. One job in particular, Directional Drilling Services, is in high demand and not all companies have the tools to get these jobs done.

Trusted Plumbing and Heating, a family owned plumbing company for the greater Renton area, recently sent hundreds of handwritten letters to plumbing companies in King, Pierce and Thurston Counties. In the letter, Trusted offers to help with plumbing jobs that require directional and horizontal drilling, knowing that their help will be of great value to these companies.

“We’re lucky we have our drill. It has made underground drilling a lot less invasive for homeowners, ”says owner Jim Cunningham. “If we can rent our services to other local plumbers cheaply, it’s triple the win – great for homeowners, valuable to us, and helpful to businesses that need a drill.”

Directional drilling is the practice of drilling non-vertical holes – with minimal damage to property. Also known as “directional drilling” or “horizontal drilling”, it also reduces the environmental impact of conventional drilling. These tools are valuable not only to plumbers, but also to building contractors, electricians, and construction companies.

If you are a plumber, contractor, or electrician in need of directional drilling services, don’t hesitate to contact Trusted Plumbing and Heating at https://www.trustedplumbingheating.com/ or call (206) 231-5008 learn more.

News source: Trusted plumbing and heating industry

Related Link: https://www.trustedplumbingheating.com/

This press release is issued by Send2Press Newswire on behalf of the news source solely responsible for its accuracy. To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/renton-plumbing-company-offers-service-to-support-other-local-plumbers/

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SF District Lawyer Chesa Boudin Tweets Help after San Francisco’s Oldest Mosque Vandalized

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:49:02 +0000

Chesa Boudin at a rally in October

From Paige Laver

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Late last week, a beer bottle was thrown through one of the windows of San Francisco’s oldest mosque, rocking members of the local Muslim community.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin tweeted his support for the Muslim community: “I am shocked to learn of this recent attack on the SF Islamic Center. Attacks on our Muslim community and any religious community are unacceptable. There is no place for hatred in San Francisco. There is no place for hatred in California. There’s no room for hatred anywhere. “

Police reported to the San Francisco Islamic Center at around 11:48 p.m. Friday, the San Francisco Police Department said to McClatchy News.

Friday is an important day in the Islamic community, a day of prayer for those who hold services throughout the day.

There were people in the mosque during the attack and one person said he and others heard the sound of glass breaking at the time, police and intelligence reported, although the CBS San Francisco resident reported no one was there was in the building.

Executives serving on the board of directors of the San Francisco Islamic Center said it seldom happens that a crime is committed against their place of worship on the corner of Crescent Avenue and Andover Street in the Bernal Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.

“We are afraid, we were insecure, we did not understand what happened because we have not seen anything like this in our community for a long time,” said Shahbaz Shaikh, a scholar based in the mosque. “We’re part of this community, we’re part of the Bernal Heights community.”

San Francisco police reported that the suspect threw a bottle of beer into a glass window, breaking it, and ran away from the scene.

Shaikh told KPIX that on Sunday a member of the mosque happened to approach the building to return supplies and heard the sound of glass shattering.

“We’re not sure what that person’s intention was, you know, we’re scared,” said Zuhaib Siddique, a board member of the mosque. “As a Muslim community we are of course a little scared.”

The police have not identified a motive for the crime but are actively investigating the case.

The bottle not only stained the carpet with beer, but also scattered glass on the floor. Siddique said they are about to order a new window to replace the broken one.

The mosque is getting an updated security system to prevent incidents like this one. Its members have already offered to help with the costs and the neighborhood has expressed support after learning of the crime.

Surveillance tapes showed someone ran away that night, but the footage is not clear enough to identify a suspect, authorities said.

“The community is shaken and we want to take the time to ask the San Francisco police to do their due diligence and really capture the person who committed this crime,” added Shaikh. “In this community they see us not only as Muslim neighbors, but as neighbors and as part of the community.”

Siddique told KPIX on Sunday that the mosque dates back to the 1950s and is one of the oldest in the state of California. Members who have prayed there for decades say they cannot remember another crime like this that happened at the mosque since September 11th. It is not just a place of worship, but an important place for families to gather for celebrations and funerals.

“A prayer center, it’s a community center, it’s a home for Muslims. When we are attacked like this, we feel like our home has been attacked, ”said Shaikh.

As the mosque takes steps to make its members feel safe, community leaders also hope that the suspect will learn more about their community and face the consequences, including responsibility for their actions.

“We hope to open up more dialogue. We hope that the person who did this will one day visit the mosque and sit down with us learn from us, ”said Siddique.

Prayers continued over the weekend and members came all day on Sunday. The employees have masked the window for the time being until it can be replaced.

“This is our home and we will continue as usual,” said Shaikh.

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Parts World Providers’ Growth Continues With Opening of San Francisco Workplace to Assist Booming Know-how Trade

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 14:13:38 +0000

SAN FRANCISCO, July 7, 2021 / PRNewswire / – Elements Global Services, a technology company working to break the barriers to global expansion, today announced the opening of its regional office on the west coast in. known San Francisco, Californiato meet the growing demand for international expansion among tech companies and startups as hybrid and fully dismissed workforces continue to accelerate.

Elements offers global employment solutions in over 135 countries with 18 regional offices worldwide. The San Francisco The office is located at 235 Pine Street in the downtown financial district, an international business hub and home to many of North America most innovative technology companies and start-ups.

“Elements’ new San Francisco office provides a key HR tech partner and resource on the West Coast for companies that want to deploy a more dispersed workforce and expand globally, “said Rick Hammell, CEO and Founder of Elements Global Services. “Our technology simplifies global expansion by overcoming barriers to growth. Regardless of whether it is about overcoming the complexities of rapid staff growth or navigating local compliance worldwide, our ApprovPay and Expandopedia platforms complement our in-house legal, tax and employment advice to help your business move forward in more than 135 countries. ”

Technology and COVID-19 collided to create a new workforce model that would allow companies to expand their network without a typical office location. This has enabled companies to adopt remote or hybrid models and grow their business, which has led to more responsibility, value and demand for HR technology. Elements combines its cloud-based technology with its Direct Employer of Record (EOR) to eliminate the need for multiple providers and deliver a single, platform-based solution.

Elements global HR network knows what it takes to meet business goals while maintaining global compliance and attracting and retaining new top talent. Customers use Enterprise HR technology from Elements, ApprovPay and Expandopedia to simplify their global expansion and HR processes, gain access to new talent and reduce their time to market.

ApprovPay offers an integrated and mature platform fully equipped with the global payroll information and human capital management required throughout the employee lifecycle. Expandopedia streamlines global expansion processes by consolidating the information, tools and documents you need on a single platform.

Elements has a dedicated HR team of 50+ nationalities that can support over 135 countries. As a result, Elements is the only direct EOR provider that can fully engage employees, comply with country-specific laws and regulations, manage global mobility and visas, and pay globally through a single platform.

Elements also offers personalized solutions based on customer needs, including Administrative Services Outsourcing (ASO), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and international consulting solutions to support international payroll and HR compliance. Elements’ OSA provides complete transparency to ensure companies fully understand country-specific laws and regulations such as local taxes, statutory insurance, and minimum wage reforms. Companies seek Elements’ BPO solutions for their superior human capital management strategies and resources, ranging from employee manuals and agreements to leading global administrative tasks that enable them to perform international HR operations.

Elements is the leading provider of direct EOR technology and solutions to industries such as technology and startups, life sciences, nonprofits, government services, education, oil, gas and energy, and financial services.

“Our expansion on the west coast is an investment in our commitment to deliver a single HR technology solution to our customer partners,” said Hammell. “Companies using a single HR tech service provider can achieve measurable results by accelerating time to market and improving efficiency in management and hiring processes.”

Earlier this year, Elements Global Services announced the relocation of the headquarters of Barcelona, Spain to Chicago, Illinois. With the opening of the San Francisco Elements has a physical presence across the West Coast, Midwest and East Coast. Further branches will be opened shortly.

About Elements Global Services
Elements Global Services is a global technology company focused on software that transcends national borders and simplifies a company’s ability to grow its business, engage employees, manage compliance, and pay globally. Headquarters in Chicago, Elements provides 100% direct Employer of Record services to clients in over 135 countries based on proprietary HR technology that simplifies everything from payroll, benefits and human capital management to HR outsourcing, local compliance and Visa & Mobility .

Visit www.elementsgs.com or connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Media contact information
Octavia Geraghty
[email protected]
415.385.2093

SOURCE Elements Global Services

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San Francisco Fed’s Daly: Wholesome economic system wants much less assist

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 18:21:08 +0000

WASHINGTON — With interest rates ultra-low even as the U.S. economy swiftly improves, Federal Reserve officials are divided over how quickly they should adjust their policies.

Should they begin to withdraw their extraordinary support for the economy relatively soon? Or should they hold off until the job market has moved closer to full health?

The Fed’s policymakers do agree on one thing: The economy is strengthening faster than they had expected.

In an interview this week with The Associated Press, Mary Daly, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, offered up her own perspective. The economy, Daly suggested, “is really shaping up nicely right now” and is “able to start functioning more and more on its own, which means we can withdraw a little bit of our accommodation.”

Yet she remains cautious about pulling back on the central bank’s support, noting that “we’re far from full employment,” one of the Fed’s central goals.

On Friday, the government reported that employers added 850,000 jobs in June, the largest gain since August and a sign that the economic recovery remains in solid shape. Yet the unemployment rate ticked up from 5.8% to 5.9%, still far above the pre-COVID level of 3.5%.

Some other regional bank presidents have signaled that they want to start dialing back the Fed’s support in the coming months. The Fed has pinned its benchmark interest rate — which influences the cost of borrowing for consumers and businesses — at zero since March 2020, when the viral pandemic erupted.

The central bank is also buying $80 billion a month in Treasurys and $40 billion a month in mortgage-backed securities in an effort to keep longer-term rates low and encourage more borrowing and spending.

On Wednesday, Robert Kaplan, head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, told Bloomberg News that he favored starting to reduce those purchases “sooner rather than later.”

“If we take our foot off the accelerator gently now,” Kaplan said, “we’ll have more flexibility down the road to avoid more abrupt action or severe actions in the future.”

James Bullard, president of the St. Louis Fed, and Raphael Bostic, head of the Atlanta Fed, have expressed support for raising the Fed’s short-term rate next year — well before Fed policymakers as a whole have forecast that they will do so.

Since December, the Fed’s official stance has been that it needs to see “substantial further progress” toward its dual goals of full employment and annual inflation modestly above 2% before it would start reducing its bond buying.

“There is strong and visible disagreement surrounding … tapering and Fed rate liftoff amongst (Fed) members,” Kathy Bostjancic, chief U.S. financial economist at Oxford Economics, wrote in a note to clients. “It leads to confusion regarding policy direction.”

Daly, one of the voting members this year on the Fed’s rate-setting committee — a role that rotates among the regional bank presidents — discussed these issues and her view of climate change in the interview. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

___

Q. IN JUNE, FED POLICYMAKERS SIGNALED THAT A FIRST RATE HIKE COULD OCCUR IN 2023, AFTER PREVIOUSLY PREDICTING A HIKE WOULDN’T OCCUR UNTIL LATER. DID YOU CHANGE YOUR PROJECTION FOR A HIKE?

A. Let me start by saying I am growing more and more optimistic about the recovery in the economy. The vaccination pace has been faster than I thought, and the response of consumers and businesses to the newfound freedom has really been remarkable. It tells me that people are ready to re-engage, so this all bodes well for the economy, and I remain very bullish about the outlook. The projections are now three weeks old, and I wouldn’t want to go back in time and think about those. I’m looking forward: How persistent will the momentum be? Will there be additional risks that come on to our shores from the global economy still struggling with the pandemic?

___

Q. IF THE ECONOMY IS IMPROVING FASTER THAN EXPECTED, HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOUR VIEW OF FED POLICY?

A. Well right now, it’s affecting when I think we should start talking about our asset purchase plans, and we’re ready to start discussing the time of tapering bond purchases, the pace of tapering, the composition of tapering, all of those things are now on the plate. And I think that’s appropriate.

It is appropriate to consider tapering asset purchases later this year or early next year. I really see the economy as being able to start functioning more and more on its own, which means we can withdraw a little bit of our accommodation. Of course, not the majority of it. Because we’re still not near our full-employment goals.

___

Q. DO YOU SEE INFLATION READINGS, NOW ABOVE THE FED’S 2% TARGET, AS ESSENTIALLY MEETING THE GOAL OF PRICE INCREASES MODERATELY EXCEEDING 2% FOR SOME TIME?

A. Let me just talk about what I mean by average inflation of 2%. That is average inflation that is sustainable of 2%. So temporary movements, either really high up or really far down — that’s not something I can count on as delivering price stability to the American economy. I wouldn’t put very much weight on that. What I’m looking for is sustainable, underlying inflation of 2% on average, and that is price stability.

___

Q. SOME OF YOUR COLLEAGUES ARE TALKING ABOUT CUTTING BACK ON PURCHASES OF MORTGAGE SECURITIES MORE QUICKLY THAN TREASURYS, BECAUSE HOUSING IS HOT AND DOESN’T NEED THE FED’S SUPPORT. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

A. Should we think about mortgage purchases differently than we think about more Treasurys? Possibly, but I think those are open questions, because mortgage-backed securities are also keeping longer-term rates low. You can see the strong housing market has really helped people, not only in purchasing homes. But the thing that people often forget is that it helps people refinance. When people refinance, they get a lower interest rate. They have more money in their pocket, it supports consumer spending, it can support the overall economy.

Both Treasury and mortgage bond purchases contribute to overall financial accommodation, financial markets being supportive of economic recovery, and that’s why you can’t simply say, ‘Well, the housing market’s strong, let’s pull them away.’ It’s a little more complicated than that. How much is it supporting overall lower rates, not just this housing market?

___

Q. WHAT’S YOUR INFLATION OUTLOOK?

A. I think the most likely scenario is one where we trend back down to what I think of as the underlying pace of inflation, and that’s the 1.8%-1.9% rate. And so I would expect with the improvements in the labor market, the resolution of these supply bottlenecks and temporary factors, that we would look at an inflation rate of 1.9%, maybe 2%, in 2022 and 2023.

___

Q. HOW DO YOU VIEW THE FED’S ROLE ON CLIMATE CHANGE?

A. When people say the Fed’s role, they often think of it as, we’re going to do climate policy or we’re going to be active in this space of changing how climate evolves. And I would say that’s not true. We don’t have those levers to pull. Those are for our elected officials. But the evolution of the economy depends very much on the evolution of the climate. You saw the record temperatures in the Pacific Northwest. A friend of mine actually had his transmission overheat, he was just driving his regular car. So imagine you’re using trucking, you’re depending on transportation services. These are real challenges.

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Jimmy Garoppolo has ‘vital assist’ inside San Francisco 49ers group

Sun, 30 May 2021 21:57:05 +0000

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was thrown for a round earlier this off-season as his organization climbed from 12th choice to 3rd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

By this point, it was pretty clear that San Francisco’s brass had lost confidence that Garoppolo would stay sane. The clear goal was quarterback. Then, in late April, the 49ers pulled the trigger by choosing the North Dakota state’s Trey Lance product as their third choice.

The setting here was the huge bounty general manager John Lynch and Co. given to the Miami Dolphins in the aforementioned deal. This included two future selections for the first round and a third round for 2022. At this point, Jimmy Garoppolo was also exposed to trade rumors.

Now that things have subsided on that front, and it’s less than two months before training camp begins, it is starting to look like Garoppolo will be staying in the Bay Area. He’ll also be competing with Lance for the starting job this summer.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (h / t Bleacher Report), there is still strong support for Garoppolo in the 49ers organization.

“I was told that Garoppolo still has significant support in the 49ers building,” Fowler reported on Sunday. “You have the feeling that when he’s in the lineup, he’s healthy. We win.”

This could very well be a PR spin at the front of the 49ers. The commercial market for Garoppolo has deteriorated significantly after the New England Patriots (Mac Jones) and Chicago Bears (Justin Fields) drafted quarterbacks in the first round of drafting. The Denver Broncos’ status as frontrunner for Aaron Rodgers adds another layer to that.

Should the San Francisco 49ers trust Jimmy Garoppolo?

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

There are a number of factors to consider here. When Garoppolo has been the spotlight in San Francisco since it was acquired by New England in mid-2017, he has only won. The same cannot be said of the plethora of mediocre quarterbacks Kyle Shanahan threw out there during that time.

With Jimmy Garoppolo from: 22-8
With other starting quarterbacks: 7-27

These are some eye-opening divisions. It’s also important to note that Garoppolo is rightly less than 16 months away from leading San Francisco to a Super Bowl appearance. This cannot be lost in the dialog.

Even then, it’s about keeping the quarterback healthy. He has missed 23 out of 48 possible injury games in the last three seasons. This included a torn ACL in 2018 and multiple ankle injuries that limited the 29-year-old quarterback to six games in 2020. This resulted in San Francisco acting primarily for Trey Lance.

It’s not an either-or scenario for the San Francisco 49ers

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

This is something that is not getting enough attention as the 49ers prepare for a 2021 season in which they are expected to battle for a title.

Garoppolo will offset $ 26.38 million against the cap in 2021. The 49ers can save a ridiculous $ 23.6 million by releasing or bargaining the veteran. It has led to speculation that it will be moved.

With that said, San Francisco budgeted Garoppolo’s cap hit ahead of the free agency. It doesn’t feel like restructuring this contract that would tie the quarterback financially with the 49ers beyond the next season.

Rather, the more likely scenario here is that Garoppolo beats Lance for the starting job during training camp, with the rookie being used in certain packages. It’s somewhat similar to what we saw with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick in 2012 before he finally took the starting job and led San Francisco to the Super Bowl.

Some might conclude that the 49ers’ interest in a blockbuster deal for Julio Jones would change the momentum on that front. I’m not sure. San Francisco can create enough leeway to acquire the Pro Bowl wide receiver without having to restructure Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract or leave him entirely.

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San Francisco Jails Provide Small Month-to-month Allowance to Incarcerated Individuals With out Monetary Help

Tue, 18 May 2021 22:28:07 +0000

Individuals detained in San Francisco prisons are provided with basic toiletries, but can also use funds sent by family members to purchase additional items from the commissioner. About a third of the prison population receives no outside assistance, according to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department.

A $ 10 monthly allowance doesn’t seem like much, but those funds can actually make a world of difference, said Paul Briley, a policy officer with the Legal Department for Prisoners with Children.

“While I was imprisoned, I had no one to put money in my books,” he said. “From what I’ve heard from people, this would mean the world to them. They have no support, they are lonely. You could buy good deodorant. I heard a person say they could buy slippers in the shower. “

The program was funded by the Financial Justice Project, an organization the city launched in 2016 to help reduce the impact of fees and fines on low-income residents and color communities. It builds on previous efforts in San Francisco to ease the financial burden on people in custody.

In July 2020, San Francisco regulators passed the People Over Profits Ordinance, which banned city jails from charging excessive charges for phone calls, police articles, and other services. The legislation made phone calls in prisons free and cut the price of commissioner’s articles by an average of 43%.

And while this was an important change, Briley said, buying things from the commissioner didn’t help people who still lacked the money. This inequality was particularly evident during the pandemic when many detainees were unable to purchase essential toiletries, leading proponents to push for the allowance.

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Distant Depositions: One Yr Report Card and What to Count on Transferring Ahead | U.S. Authorized Assist

Fri, 16 Apr 2021 20:31:01 +0000

[author: James Drimmer]

A little over a year has passed since the COVID-19 pandemic led the legal community to look to remote depositions to fuel litigation. In the months following the first shift, I wrote two blogs about remote deposition. The first focused on the details of removed deposits and how to perform them, as well as best practices for preparation. The second looked at how things went after six months with remote access. This blog examines how remote deposition has evolved in widespread practice in relation to a “note” after a full year of widespread practice, and further anticipates how things will evolve from here, including the introduction and use of remote technology for dispositive procedures such as arbitration, arbitration and now even legal proceedings.

Predictions about remote stay technology appear accurate – Note = A.

Saying the words “new normal” when it comes to remote debris is just … well, 2020. It is no longer time to recognize that debris should now be recognized as “normal” in this way. The uniform acceptance of distant deposits was certainly the minority’s early prediction. Their opinions have been tacitly rejected by their peers on the grounds that the “distant matter” will go away as soon as we can get back to face-to-face procedures. When everyone finally realized that the delay in legal disputes could possibly take an undefined and lengthy time, many lawyers stepped in with both feet. Everyone has accepted one or more invitations from remote deposit providers in their inbox to test the options available. You tried and guess what? It worked! ”Expected problems and practical challenges regarding the handling and connectivity of exhibits have been addressed, addressed and resolved by knowledgeable vendors – and the process now seems smoother than ever. It is an exaggeration to say that at this point everyone is out of it more technological View “understands.” However, the awareness and visibility of the remote separation process has made it accessible to even the most technologically demanding people.

A colleague recently reported on LinkedIn about the lifting of some COVID-19 restrictions. He was pleased to see some of his clients in person in his office for the first time in over a year and to give a personal presentation over lunch. What was the topic for this “face-to-face” meeting? Ironically, remote deposits! Even if we reopen our offices to do business in person, this is anything but a retreat to old methods. This is back to the future in all its glory. Based on the foregoing, we can expect the removed deposit to remain here, and those who predicted it would appear to have been entirely correct. Grade = A.

Some less obvious practical advantages and disadvantages of remote separation – Grade = B +

Some obvious advantages to remote separations are the extreme flexibility that has been added to the process for all participants, including lawyers, witnesses, and court reporters. This flexibility also leads to cost savings for everyone involved, with fewer travel-related costs. Likewise, there are equally obvious drawbacks to the process that can never really be overcome, such as assessing the credibility and conduct of a witness that lawyers benefit from personal observation. There are some interesting and less obvious subtle benefits and burdens to the process that everyone should consider, including the increased courtesy between attorneys, the unique helpful application that remote segregation provides for certain types of cases, and the handling of the new concept emerging the zoom fatigue.

In order for remote depositions to work, an increased level of cooperation is required from all parties to the proceedings. As a result, when filing a deposit remotely, it is easier for lawyers to collaborate than with a face-to-face procedure. Exhibits are often swapped out in advance, schedules worked out in advance rather than one-sided notice of debris, and attendees must work with third party witnesses to ensure they can appear. These budgetary issues are now very cooperative matters. While in the past such planning problems were often the subject of game art. Well, that kind of capricious jockeying for position has no place in this new, aged arena for the discovery of distant facts. Even during the proceedings, lawyers have to behave more collegially than ever. One of our clients recently described the level of professionalism and courtesy shown by all lawyers in his most recent multiple remote separations case. Although the case was controversial, he mentioned that all opposing lawyers were paying so much attention to each other as if there were technical difficulties or if one party lost their connection they would shut down the case immediately so that the lawyer could be reconnected and avoid it any ex parte communication with the witness.

In addition to being more courteous, remote tipping is especially helpful in certain cases that you may not expect. For example, the document-intensive case is now safer from a health point of view and less complex thanks to the use of a remote procedure. The security issue is obvious as lawyers, witnesses, and reporters don’t have to constantly pass documents back and forth to risk a possible COVID-19 infection. It also makes the process smoother because witnesses can be referenced directly to sections of documents on the screen instead of the witness looking through a hard copy. Every attorney has had the experience of handing a document to the witness during a deposit and referring it to a specific line or paragraph on a specific page. What happens? Invariably, the witness takes the document from the attorney, turns the pages, compares sections, sometimes over long periods of time, and reviews the material so that he or she is not caught off guard by the question at hand. Opposing attorneys are quick to raise objections asking for the witness to be given the opportunity to “review the entire document.” In these remote proceedings, when a subsection of a document is displayed on a screen, be it psychological or otherwise, neither the opposing attorney nor the witness argue about its authenticity or the ability to read the entire document. This is a tremendous advantage in jurisdictions where the ability to depose a witness is subject to time limits and where there is a lot of material to discuss.

One drawback to the world of remote separation is the growing authority over zoom fatigue and the tedious effects of video calls. This is not ideal in an environment where, as a lawyer, you want your witness or client to put their best foot forward and appear sharp, present and engaged. Since video calls put a special strain on our cognitive abilities, the witness and attorney must take this effect into account. A recent study published by Stanford University observed that zoom fatigue occurs because video calls make unnatural and excessive eye contact. You see yourself all the time and how you appear on camera as you speak. Their mobility is restricted and the cognitive load during video chats is much higher. All of this results in the higher level of concentration required for the Witness to communicate effectively in the deposit environment, which is already a nerve-wracking and highly unnatural experience. This challenge results in the attorney taking additional time and action to offset the effect of zoom fatigue in preparing his witnesses for testimony, and the attorney who does not take the time does so at their own risk.

Practitioners should weigh these subtle pros and cons when considering remote deposition. Since the news is not all good, these matters deserve a solid but incomplete note. Note = B +.

Arbitration, banking and … litigation? – Degree = TBD

It was not a problem that shortly after the widespread adoption of distant testimony, the litigants used the same technology for mediation and even trial. In recent times, entire arbitration proceedings with full testimony, the introduction of exhibits and arguments have been conducted almost every day. Remote technology has performed well in these dispositive procedures, and now cases can be advanced through arbitration rather than legal proceedings, while pandemic issues such as vaccine distribution and security measures in local courthouses take care of themselves.

However, the next piece of the puzzle to consider is how remote jurors will conduct legal proceedings. Is that even possible? There are so many points to consider: presence of jurors, attentiveness from jurors, court rules, who handles the technology and is responsible for it, etc. While virtual banking trials have already taken place because they are practically the same as arbitration, the judicial process is very much much a new concept. There have been isolated reports of virtual trials taking place in New Jersey on brief matters. Riverside County California recently enacted local court rules for conducting trials against virtual jurors displayed in its courthouse. At least one case recently settled prior to trial in San Francisco County conducted a hybrid Voir Dire in which the jury was placed in a virtual “jury box” and interviewed while the rest of the pool watched the interview. When the jury was released, others were put into the virtual “box” to complete the interview.

It is unclear how these early experiments with virtual jury processes will go. There are many concerns about the jury’s attention, divided between the court and what is going on in their immediate vicinity. Time will tell and we will surely report on it as soon as more data and practical experience on the subject is gathered and analyzed. Therefore we can only rate this problem as “to be decided”. Note = TBD.

Conclusion

The widespread success of using remote technology to conduct legal proceedings such as depositions, hearings, and now even legal proceedings is a welcome improvement in the legal landscape. All actors in the system will feel the efficiency that comes from greater flexibility in planning the lowered cost barriers that arise when lawyers are not limited to litigating in person. This in turn will give more people better access to our legal system, which can only be good. We look forward to future technological advances and their application to other procedures such as legal proceedings. The future of remote access is certainly looking bright and deserves an “A” in this sense. Grade = A..

The post Distant Depositions: One Yr Report Card and What to Count on Transferring Ahead | U.S. Authorized Assist appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

South San Francisco launching group assist initiatives |

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 22:51:01 +0000

Cultural literacy should be a focus for new programs in South San Francisco that aim to improve responses to people with mental health problems or improve communication with disenfranchised communities, officials said.

The South San Francisco Mayor’s Commission on Racial and Social Justice met on Monday, January 25, to discuss some burgeoning initiatives launched in 2021 that focused on mental health and outreach.

The commission formed from the Social Justice Movement after the assassination of George Floyd has been researching possible ways to make South San Francisco a fairer community over the past few months, and some of these programs are about to be launched.

An initial effort is the city’s participation in a collaboration with San Mateo County officials and Stanford University experts, which embed mental health experts on calls that would normally provide a response from police officers.

South San Francisco was among the local jurisdictions of San Mateo, Redwood City, and Daly City where a psychiatrist will work to assist those who have problems that deserve special care.

City Administrator Mike Futrell expects work to begin in June. After a thorough hiring and training process, the response staff must also improve the dispatchers’ skills to determine which calls require a mental health specialist.

While acknowledging that the process that led to the launch of the program might be too deliberate for some, Futrell was impressed with the urgency partner agencies showed in developing and approving the proposal.

Vice Mayor Mark Nagales agreed and appreciated the rapid action taken by city officials and the Commission in implementing the program.

“We saw the importance of this issue and we made rapid progress,” he said.

The call for specialists to be embedded has become increasingly common over the past year as proponents claimed that police officers often lack the training to best serve people with mental health problems.

For his part, Futrell believed that successful implementation of the project could ultimately lead to fewer unnecessary emergency responses to police calls, which could ultimately save the city money on top of the social benefits provided.

In order for the program to be of a high standard, Commissioners noted that care should be taken to ensure that the hired clinician understands the community he is serving in the hope that cultural literacy will lead to better results.

To this end, some commissioners suggested that a person with mental health problems would be more willing to accept offers of help from someone who looks like them and speaks their language.

Similarly, the commissioners made the same proposal when officials launched a community ambassador program to improve the reach of communities that need help but have traditionally not asked for it.

The program, supported by the South San Francisco Library, is designed to help disenfranchised communities navigate the variety of public resources available, which some can find difficult to access.

Library director Valerie Sommer said the one-year pilot program, which starts this summer, will educate and empower residents, with the hope of also improving lines of communication between the community and town hall.

To achieve these goals, the Commissioners recommended ensuring that the ambassadors can speak a variety of languages. know how to use relationships with existing community organizations to encourage participation; and reflect on the communities they want to reach.

The distrust of government organizations fueled by former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric and policies should also be recognized, commissioners said. To mend that relationship, commissioners said ambassadors should be experts in dealing with disenfranchised residents.

“To buy in, you need someone who understands the community,” said Nayeli Bernal, a consultant hired to facilitate the discussion.

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