News

City of San Francisco, French Consulate & Grace Cathedral Announce Public Solidarity Concert for the Notre-Dame de Paris

Monday, April 22, 2019

Today Mayor London N. Breed, the French Consulate and Grace Cathedral announced a solidarity concert for the Notre-Dame de Paris will be held on Monday, April 29th at 6 pm that is free and open to the public. The concert will take place at Grace Cathedral and will include performances by the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Opera, American Bach Soloists, Johann Vexo, the organist from the Notre-Dame de Paris, and others.

“San Francisco is proud to stand in solidarity with the people of Paris, our sister city, and the world to celebrate the beauty, spirit and resilience of Notre Dame de Paris,” said Mayor Breed. “Watching Notre Dame burn was devastating, just as it was also horrible to witness a series of historic Louisiana churches burnt in recent arson attacks. Our houses of worship hold a special place for our cities and our people, and we are proud to support the people of Paris as they begin the work to rebuild the iconic monument in the heart of their city.”

“Watching Notre Dame de Paris engulfed in flames was a shock for all Paris lovers,” said Emmanuel Lebrun-Damiens, Consul General of France. “Beyond a monument and an architectural masterpiece, it is a part of the world history of art and our common identity that was being damaged. I am very grateful to San Francisco Mayor London Breed for the organization of this concert at Grace Cathedral and would like to acknowledge all the many ways of support that we have received during the past week. This concert will allow all of us to find comfort in the beauty of music, and the strength to move on to the phase of reconstruction of our beloved cathedral.”

Mayor Breed Announces Plan to Power Downtown San Francisco with 100 Percent Renewable Electricity

Monday, April 22, 2019

Mayor London N. Breed today commemorated Earth Day by announcing a plan to transition private commercial buildings of 50,000 square feet and larger to 100 percent renewable electricity. Almost half of San Francisco’s citywide emissions come from buildings, and half of those emissions come from the commercial sector. San Francisco has already reduced its greenhouse gas emissions 36 percent below 1990 levels.

The new clean electricity requirement will be the first in the nation and will reduce emissions from the City’s largest commercial buildings by an additional 21 percent to accelerate San Francisco’s drive towards 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Joining Mayor Breed for this announcement were representatives from the Sierra Club and local environmental organizations.

“San Francisco has always been a national leader when it comes to sustainability, but we know that the reality of climate change requires us to go further,” said Mayor Breed. “Transitioning our large buildings to 100 percent renewable energy is an important step to continuing the progress we have made with CleanPowerSF towards making San Francisco an even more sustainable city.”

The plan calls for the City’s largest commercial buildings to procure 100 percent renewable electricity from any of the City’s electricity providers by 2022. Then, starting in 2024, additional buildings would be subject to the requirement, eventually encompassing all commercial buildings 50,000 square feet or larger. The requirement is currently phased-in chronologically to ensure adequate renewable electricity is available for procurement:

Mayor London Breed Swears In 32 Appointed Commissioners

Monday, April 22, 2019

Mayor London N. Breed today held a ceremonial swearing-in for 32 commissioners she has appointed or re-appointed to various City commissions and boards. These commissioners represent a wide variety of lived experiences and expertise, and continue Mayor Breed’s commitment to equitable representation and diversity in City government.

“These commissioners and board members are tasked with not only addressing some of the most important issues facing our City, but also identifying challenges we will face in the future,” said Mayor Breed. “In order to effectively do this, we need to make sure that all San Franciscans are represented, which is why we have appointed qualified, committed individuals who represent the diversity of San Francisco.”

To date, Mayor Breed has appointed or re-appointed 75 commissioners to help address the issues facing San Francisco. Over 60% of her appointees are women, and a majority are people of color. Four of the commissioners sworn-in today are from the LGBT community.

Mayor Breed Appoints Dr. Anton Nigusse Bland to Serve as Director of Mental Health Reform

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Mayor London N. Breed today appointed Dr. Anton Nigusse Bland to serve as Director of Mental Health Reform. In this new role created by Mayor Breed, Dr. Nigusse Bland will be responsible for reviewing how San Francisco provides mental health and substance use services to homeless individuals, and making recommendations on how to reform the system.

Mayor Breed announced the creation of this new position during her State of the City Address. Dr. Nigusse Bland is a UCSF psychiatrist who currently serves as the Medical Director for Psychiatric Emergency Services (PES) at Zuckerberg San Francisco General. In his new position, he will report to Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco’s Director of Health.

“I am proud to appoint Dr. Anton Nigusse Bland to serve as San Francisco’s Director of Mental Health Reform. It is no secret we face serious challenges around mental health in our city, and while I am committed to expanding our mental health and substance use stabilization beds, we must also make sure that we are utilizing our resources effectively and not letting people fall through the cracks,” said Mayor Breed. “Dr. Nigusse Bland will bring his extensive history working in San Francisco’s mental health system to help us reform and improve our approach to getting people the help they need.”

Mayor Breed Announces $25 Million Donation to Help Realize India Basin Project

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Mayor London N. Breed today announced a $25 million donation from the John Pritzker Family Fund to support the India Basin Park Restoration Project. The gift is the single largest private donation in history to a San Francisco park and will kickstart the remediation, community engagement, design and construction phases of the project, which will renovate three City-owned sites to create a unified waterfront park space in San Francisco’s southeastern neighborhood.

“This park is an important investment in the Bayview Hunters Point community and a big step in creating equity when it comes to healthy neighborhoods in our city,” said Mayor Breed. “All San Franciscans deserve a beautiful, safe place to gather, exercise and play. This donation will help achieve a measure of environmental justice for our southeastern neighborhoods and create a beautiful new space for generations to come.”

The India Basin Restoration Project consists of the renovation of a vacant industrial lot at 900 Innes Avenue, as well as underutilized park areas at India Basin Open Space and India Basin Shoreline Park. The project will unite the three sites into a 10-acre park designed to connect the Bay Trail and provide recreational activities for residents and visitors. The project also includes the restoration of tidal marsh and wildlife habitat, and an Equitable Park Development Plan to provide jobs and workforce development opportunities for local residents.

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