Press Releases

Renovation keeps SF’s rail history alive in the Excelsior

San Francisco, CA -- Work is complete on a meticulous renovation of the Geneva Car Barn and Powerhouse, part of San Francisco’s railway history in the Excelsior District, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced today.

The historic landmark will open to the public as a hub for creativity, performance, youth arts education and community connection when health orders allow. In the meantime, Performing Arts Workshop, Rec and Park’s programming partner, is offering online arts education.

The $14 million project represents the first of two phases of improvements to the Geneva Car Barn and Powerhouse, which is made up of two adjoining structures that served San Francisco’s first electric streetcars: the single story, 3,000-square foot Powerhouse and the two-story, 13,000-square foot office building known as the Car Barn.

Rec and Park and Public Works broke ground on Phase 1, a complete renovation of the Powerhouse portion in 2018. The building’s antique doors and windows have been restored, and glass flooring showcases its historic basement and tunnels. The renovated building is now earthquake safe and outfitted with storefront doors, a new roof, improved entrances, and new mechanical and electrical systems. The ADA-accessible venue boasts an office and green room, a floor with radiant heat, and audiovisual equipment.

While the Geneva Car Barn and Powerhouse is under the jurisdiction of Rec and Park, the renovation and activation of the space is part of a multi-agency coalition which includes the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD), the Office of District 11 Supervisor Ahsha Safai, Public Works, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Planning Commission and the San Francisco Arts Commission. The renovation was made possible by the 2012 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond Parks Bond, state funding advocated for by District 19 Assemblymember Phil Ting, the City’s general fund, and Historic Preservation and New Market Tax Credit Funds and grant funding through the partnership with the Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST).

“I’m thrilled to see the completion of the Geneva Car Barn project, creating a place to nurture and inspire generations of local talent. It’s important to invest in the arts, and I’m proud to have championed $3.5 million in state funding that helped transform this historic landmark into a community treasure,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), chair of the Assembly Budget Committee.

Sacramento - Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement after the passage of the 2020-21 state budget:

Now is not the time to slash services, especially when Californians need their government the most. We learned from the Great Recession that deep cuts can prolong economic recovery and have no desire to repeat that. The 2020-21 spending plan approved today aptly weighs compassion for struggling residents with our duty to balance the budget. Some tough cuts were unavoidable, but I’m proud our budget protects priorities like education, healthcare and vital safety net programs – all while maintaining the necessary resources to fight the COVID-19 pandemic with additional legislative oversight. The federal government must next follow through with more fiscal relief for states. This partnership will be key to California’s rebound.

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Package of legislation aims reduce homelessness and ensure funds are used efficiently 

Sacramento, CA--A package of bills proposed by California lawmakers to tackle California’s homelessness crisis passed the California State Assembly this week. The proposals aim to establish aggressive new strategies, ensure accountability, and increase funding to address homelessness.

On any given night, more than 150,000 Californians experience homelessness, and the state has the highest rate of unsheltered homeless individuals in the nation. Even as people are housed, more are falling into homelessness. In Los Angeles County, for every 133 people housed, 150 fall into homelessness. In Oakland, for one person housed, two more become homeless. In San Francisco, for every one person housed, three become homeless. 

As COVID-19 continues to impact communities around the state, the need to comprehensively address homelessness has only become more urgent. With more than a quarter of California’s workforce unemployed, individuals who were already facing precarious financial situations have become more susceptible to falling into homelessness. With troubling outbreaks in unhoused communities across the state, COVID-19 has been especially dangerous for those experiencing homelessness.

The bills that moved forward this week seek to address homeless on a number of fronts, ranging from requiring accountability to implementing bold new strategies to speeding up construction of shelters.   

While many localities have tried mightily to increase their emergency shelter capacity, cities still run into roadblocks like lengthy approval processes and slow construction. Assembly Bill 2553 by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) would address this by giving localities flexibility to expedite the construction of shelters. AB 2553 expands and builds off of the successful emergency shelter pilot program passed in 2017.

“The key to getting emergency shelters up and running quickly is flexibility,” said Assemblymember Ting. “Cities and counties cannot afford delays when homeless individuals and families need a roof over their heads now. With my bill, local leaders will be able to overcome hurdles that can slow construction when time is of the essence.” 

SACRAMENTO— Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood), and Budget Committee Chairs, Senator Holly J. Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) and Assemblymember Phil Ting (D- San Francisco) announced today an agreement has been reached between the Senate and the Assembly on the proposed 2020-2021 state budget.

The joint legislative plan builds on the Governor’s framework to further protect jobs and preserve vital services, while recognizing the sober economic outlook facing California. Acknowledging the strong likelihood of additional federal relief, the plan would use reserves to avoid overcutting now, while still keeping reserves on hand for the future, and ensuring full funding of K-14 schools. The plan also increases legislative oversight on COVID-19 spending, recognizes that employee groups are engaging in the collective bargaining process with the administration, and encourages health plans to engage with the administration in discussing options that may be needed in the months ahead.

“The joint legislative budget agreement shows our commitment to helping all Californians through the tough times brought on by COVID-19,” said Ting. “We prioritized vital safety net programs and restored many proposed cuts because we cannot leave working families behind, as we forge a path to economic recovery. This shared fiscal plan gives us momentum to pass a balanced, on-time budget by the June 15th deadline.”

“Our economy has been pummeled by COVID-19, but thanks to a decade of pragmatic budgeting, we can avoid draconian cuts to education and critical programs, or broad middle-class tax increases. Californians are counting on us to make the right call at the right time. Working families who still have jobs but need the state’s safety net are relying on us to budget carefully so that our state, and all who live here, can rebound,” said Atkins. “This plan builds off the spirit of Governor Newsom’s proposal, and will set our state on a path of economic recovery, while avoiding actions that would further harm Californians.”

“The key budget goal is preserving programs serving those who are most vulnerable. Nevertheless, all the budget plans being discussed acknowledge the possibility that more difficult cuts will be necessary, due to COVID spending needs and weak revenues,” said Rendon. “This will be especially true if Washington, D.C. doesn't step up. The Legislature is prepared to work closely with the Governor to achieve California's goals. That's how, over the past decade, we built the large budget reserve that now helps us face the fiscal crisis.”  

“Although we worked with an abbreviated timeframe, the integrity and responsibility of our proposal has been maintained. Everyone has stepped up to the plate to make sure we do not make conditions worse. The Administration had a tough job, working with a $54 billion shortfall; we used their proposal with a couple of key differences. We still have a lot of work to do but we are aware the June 15 budget deadline will not be our last action this year due to the ongoing devastating impacts of COVID-19,” said Mitchell.

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   Update: To view an archive of the Virtual Roundtable, please click here.

As the Assembly begins hearings on the state’s 2020-21 fiscal plan, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, is holding a virtual roundtable to preview the work ahead to close an estimated $54 billion deficit. Joining the discussion will be Assembly Budget Committee Vice Chair, Assemblymember Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) and Legislative Analyst, Gabriel Petek.

            WHEN:            Monday, May 18

            TIME:              10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

            LINK:               Facebook.com/PhilTing SF

Schedules and audio/video links for budget hearings during the week of May 18 can be found here.

Sacramento - Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement about the Governor’s May Revision for the 2020-21 state budget:

“We have learned from this COVID-19 pandemic that swift, decisive action saves lives – every day, every minute, matters. Countries, states and cities that moved quickly have seen the benefits and those that delayed have suffered dire consequences. We must act as urgently to help our residents who don’t have the means to weather the loss of a paycheck.

Before this pandemic, with most Californians working, we knew many families were unable to save even $400. Since this economic downturn, more than 4 million Californians have applied for unemployment. California must focus its fiscal resources to ensure those families are housed and economically stable. If we are asking people to stay at home, we must commit to keeping a roof over their heads. Support from the federal government will be critical, but we must chart our own course and make bold, creative decisions now to protect working families – otherwise, we will have to spend significant state resources to help them in the future.

The Governor’s May Revise explores many tough choices and is a good starting point for our budget discussions. I look forward to spending the next month working with our Speaker and my fellow Assemblymembers, the Senate and the Governor to deliver a balanced, on-time budget by June 15^th.”

The Assembly Budget Committee released a preliminary analysis of the Governor’s budget proposal on its website.

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Sacramento - Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco), Chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, released the following statement about California’s latest fiscal outlook from the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO):

We’ve known the impacts of COVID-19 to our state budget would be staggering, given the resources needed to respond to the pandemic. Fortunately, California built up its Rainy Day Fund and reduced debt over the last decade in preparation for the unexpected. Such vigilance has allowed the state to quickly address urgent coronavirus needs in real time.

As we begin work on a new budget, the LAO’s analysis is no surprise. While there are slight differences with the Department of Finance over the size of the deficit, either way you slice it, we have a significant shortfall to bridge over the next few weeks. All options will be on the table.

We recognize Californians will need help with economic recovery, but we must also fulfill our duty to balance the budget. Like many households, we now face some tough choices ahead, amid declining state dollars and increasing demand for programs and services. Revenue options and expenditure reductions will be explored at the same time.

The 2020-21 fiscal plan is just the beginning of our adjustment to the state’s new financial reality. But California is resilient, and I am confident we will rebound.

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Assemblymembers David Chiu and Phil Ting and State Senator Scott Wiener sent a letter to California Labor Secretary Julie Su about the growing number of constituents unable to or have yet to receive unemployment benefits. The San Francisco delegation expressed concerns over delays in processing claims, causing needless financial strain on families. Members also encouraged the state to fix systemic computer problems and improve inefficiencies that could speed the time in which Califiornians receive their payments. You can read the entire letter here:  EDD Letter to Secty Su May 2020 

Sacramento – A beloved leader in the Bay Area’s Filipino community may soon have a highway segment named after her. The Assembly Transportation Committee today approved ACR 165, a resolution by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) that designates the Daly City portion of State Route 35 as the Alice Peña Bulos Memorial Highway.

“Every May, we celebrate Asian Pacific Heritage Month to commemorate the important contributions Asian and Pacific Islander Americans have provided our country,” said Ting.  “With this in mind, it is my honor to recognize Alice Peña Bulos, who is considered the Godmother of Filipino American politics and empowerment.  Her career in community organizing epitomizes leadership not just in the Filipino community, but also throughout the state of California. I am proud to represent the district where Bulos’ activism was rooted and her legacy lives on.”

Bulos was born on March 31, 1930 in the Philippines. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in social and behavioral science at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila where she later served as professor and chair of the Department of Sociology.  In 1972, she and her family moved to San Francisco and later to Sacramento. Over the span of four decades, Bulos dedicated herself to empowering generations of Filipino Americans to amplify their voices through civic participation. Her influence includes serving on the Filipino American Caucus for the California Democratic Party, the National Filipino Women’s Network, and the National Asian Pacific Democratic Council.

“Throughout her life, ‘Tita Alice’ was committed to opening doors for young Fil-Ams who wanted to enter public service and politics but did not see themselves represented in those places of power. While she is no longer with us, her memory lives on in her family and the numerous friends, supporters, and pupils she inspired over her decades of service,” said the Filipino American Democratic Club of San Mateo County, whose members include Daly City and South San Francisco Council members, as well as other prominent San Mateo County Filipino American leaders.  

ACR 165 has a few more stops in the legislative process. If it’s signed into law, supporters may raise money for the cost of signage. Non-state funds are required for the creation of all memorial highway signs.

Photo Courtesy: Filipino American Democratic Caucus

SACRAMENTO— Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D- Lakewood) announced today that the Assembly has scheduled its first Budget subcommittee hearing focused on the state’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Assembly Budget Subcommittee 6, chaired by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D- San Francisco), will meet on Monday, April 20, at 10:00am in Room 4202 in the State Capitol.

The hearing will include oversight and assessment of California’s COVID-19 expenditures, including the use of the emergency funds approved by the Legislature in March.

“These are unusual circumstances for the Legislature, but it is our role to oversee and ensure the efficient and effective spending of California tax dollars,” Rendon said. “Now, more than ever, it’s critical that we do so.”

“California has worked hard over the years to craft responsible budgets that built up our rainy day fund. Now that we need to dip into it, we must make sure we’re spending the money wisely because that rainy day is looking more like a rainy season, and may stretch even longer. The best way to keep tabs on our COVID-19 expenses and weather this pandemic is through robust accountability efforts. It is the responsibility of the Legislature to make sure resources are reaching all parts of the state and provide careful oversight of spending, just as our constituents at home are doing the same with their own personal budgets,” said Ting.

The Capitol will be open for attendance of this hearing. Given the statewide stay-at-home order, and guidance on physical distancing, seating will be very limited for press and for the public. All are encouraged to watch the hearing from its live stream on the Assembly’s website.

The method of participation in public testimony during this hearing will be announced closer to the hearing date, but will include an online option to support physical distancing and public health.