A NEW START: Leland Yee's Plan to Boost the Economy & Get San Francisco Back to Work

By Leland Yee

Since 2008, San Francisco has experienced historic levels of unemployment. With 8.8% of the city out of work, we need a Mayor who will create jobs on day one. The following are immediate actions Leland Yee will take upon assuming office to boost economic activity and put San Francisco to work.

1. Improve small business outreach with dedicated caseworkers


Our small business community is one of the most important drivers of our local economy, and San Francisco can and should do more to support the needs of small businesses. Leland Yee will revamp the city's small business assistance services into an outreach and casework-centered one-stop shop. Every commercial district in the city will be assigned a case manager who will get to know neighborhood businesses and bring their concerns to City Hall. The case manager will be on the street, going door to door, getting to know people who own and operate businesses in his or her area. The case manager would be the point person for small businesses that need help with licenses, permits, city services, or help with expansion plans. Most importantly, case managers will make sure that small business concerns are heard and addressed at the front-end before they grow into problems.

2. Streamline permitting and ease burdensome regulations


We need better services to assist small businesses in navigating complicated permitting processes. There are far too many hoops and fees involved in operating a small business in San Francisco. We must look at where it is appropriate to consolidate or eliminate these costs, so that our small businesses are able to worry about actually doing business instead of navigating our complicated and sometimes inconsistent permitting process. And we should use technology to help streamline the process wherever possible. Leland Yee will also instruct the Office of Small Business to conduct a comprehensive review of the permitting and regulatory climate so we can make our regulations more consistent and less burdensome.


3. Move forward on public works projects


In the face of the economic downturn, San Francisco has renewed our commitment to public works spending, and the voters have approved a number of bond programs to fix our aging public assets. We should expedite the projects that can put people to work right away by streamlining the planning process and working with community stakeholders to build consensus on projects before they get bogged down in lawsuits and political infighting. For every dollar spent on public works the city sees more than a dollar and a half of economic activity. Bond funds for our sewers, our parks, and our libraries are already being spent in our communities, and another $780 million in bond funds are on the November ballot to rebuild our schools and roads. We need to make sure that this money is being spent transparently and in a timely fashion, with improved oversight to ensure that the city is getting the maximum impact.

4. Create an equitable business tax structure that encourages job creation


San Francisco's payroll tax is a disincentive to grow businesses and create jobs. That's the wrong approach in any economy. The city must move away from the payroll tax, which is collected from only 8,000 of the 100,000 businesses in the city, and move toward a gross receipts taxation system that grows the budget pie while making taxation more equitable, and could spur the creation of nearly 4,000 jobs in the next decade and keep companies like Twitter in the City without making exceptions for only one business.

5. Establish a municipal bank


Currently, over $400 million of City funds go to Wells Fargo and Bank of America. These institutions then foreclose on our homes and businesses, destroying jobs and city revenue sources. It's time for San Francisco to create a financial institution that will do the opposite and create jobs for San Franciscans. That's why Leland Yee will establish a municipal bank that will work for the benefit of San Francisco. A municipal bank would operate like the Bank of North Dakota (BND), the nation's only state-owned bank. In April 2011, the BND reported 2010 profits of nearly $62 million, all of which belong to the people of North Dakota. Around half of the BND's profits are returned to the state's General Fund each year. As Mayor, I will work at every level of government to help establish a municipal bank for San Francisco, one that will provide financing for local small business. That means new jobs and more economic growth. And because a municipal bank would work for San Francisco and its residents, all profits would go right back to our City, and not into the pockets of high-paid executives. If North Dakota can make it work, so can San Francisco.

POSITION SAN FRANCISCO FOR THE NEW ECONOMY: FOCUSING ON TECH AND CLEAN ENERGY

Technology can bring us abundant clean energy, new cures, new hope and a bounty of creative applications. San Francisco should be at the center of the economic prosperity that new technology will create + but the City must do more to attract and keep crucial jobs in green energy, high tech and biotechnology. These are the industries of the future + by investing in them now, we can make sure that San Francisco remains at the center of the 21st century economy.

1. Create a green infrastructure bank to fund green projects


San Francisco has the 6th largest green economy in the country, but we can do more to make sure that the clean, green technologies that will bring San Francisco into the 21st century are getting funded. Leland Yee will bring together public funding and private investment to create a green infrastructure bank ready and able to support local green projects. Over half of the Bay Area's clean technology financing firms are located in San Francisco, and with the risks of private investment in the current economy, a green bank would be a win-win for local government and for green investment capital. The State of Connecticut has created a similar program which is expected to leverage many times more private money then the initial public investment. There is private money in San Francisco waiting to be invested in clean energy projects, and the public sector can play a key role in putting that money to work to meet San Francisco's energy needs and to put San Franciscans back to work.

2. Make San Francisco the center of the biotechnology industry


Leland Yee has long supported the biotechnology industry for its many contributions to the Bay Area, both economic and in developing treatments that change lives. As a State Senator, Yee served on the Select Committee on Biotechnology and fought to pass bills to encourage construction of biotech manufacturing plants in California. Yee sees the growth of biotech startups in San Francisco as only the first step in strengthening San Francisco's reputation as a biotech leader. There are more than 51 biotech and life sciences companies in San Francisco, and our ideal location near several world-class research institutions such as UCSF, Berkeley and Stanford presents a unique opportunity to be at the heart of this growing industry. To foster that growth, Yee understands that biotech must be fostered throughout the long, involved process of startup to manufacturer. That's why, as Mayor, Yee will continue to work to attract biotechnology firms to San Francisco and encourage companies ready to expand into manufacturing their products to locate in the city--the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan and Bayview each have available space zoned for these types of facilities, offering a prime opportunity for San Francisco to reinvigorate its manufacturing sector and create good paying jobs for the middle class. Yee will expand biotechnology job training programs such as the City College's Bridge to Biotech, and work with our biotech community to make sure that our workers are ready for the jobs of the future.

3. Create clean energy jobs through CleanPowerSF and GoSolarSF


A bold plan to build renewables and promote energy efficiency will stimulate the economy, put people back to work, and bringing energy costs down. Programs like CleanPowerSF and GoSolarSF can revolutionize the way that the city creates clean, green energy + but only with strong leadership and support from the Mayor's Office. Leland Yee will fight to restore full funding to GoSolarSF, which has produced much-needed green collar jobs with its local hiring directive and more than doubled the number of solar installations on private, non-profit, and commercial buildings in the city over the past three years. Yee will also work with SFPUC to create a CleanPowerSF program that is truly competitive with PG&E and that invests in publicly owned, green generative capacity. A fully renewable portfolio will insulate San Francisco against oil based price shocks and move the city towards its carbon reduction goals.

4. Encourage tech startup incubators


Though San Francisco has made recent efforts to keep large tech businesses like Twitter and Zynga in the city, regulatory burdens are still a disincentive for smaller businesses to startup and grow here. Instead, we need to create an environment where small tech businesses can thrive. The tech-hub at Pier 38 + a cluster of over 20 tech startups located on city property + is a perfect example of what the city should be encouraging. Yet the current administration recently evicted all Pier 38 tenants because of small building code violations, with no contingency plan to fix the minor problems or put any effort into keeping this thriving tech hub intact. That's the wrong move. Yee believes the city should use one if its greatest assets--its real estate--to encourage entrepreneurship and job creation. The city certainly has room in its real estate portfolio to lease out space, and should be encouraging these types of tech incubators to thrive, create jobs, and inject millions of dollars of venture capital back in to our economy--not evicting them.

5. Move forward with tech infrastructure

San Francisco's first responders deserve 21st century tools, but our public safety communications network is stuck in the past. Building the modern network our first responders need has the potential to create hundreds of construction jobs, but going it alone has left the city on the wrong track. The result has been a system riddled with problems + the contract was non-competitive and the proprietary network lacks interoperability with national public safety network standards. Leland Yee will work cooperatively with the federal government and using federal funds to build an open, interoperable network. Building this network in cooperation with the federal government will mean ongoing grant money to maintain it, and holding to open data standards will allow our talented software developers to build new applications and technology tools to support our first responders and recover from disasters.

PROTECT MIDDLE CLASS UNION JOBS

Revitalizing our economy starts with drawing a line in the sand and protecting middle class jobs. Union jobs are the backbone of San Francisco's economy, and the city has a long history as a union town. We cannot cut our way to economic prosperity and we must maintain union jobs in order to stop the erosion of our middle class.

1. Protect public sector jobs


Private sector economic growth is being offset by cuts to the public sector at the state and local level, resulting in no change to our unacceptably high unemployment rate. Public agencies are the largest employers in San Francisco + we can't put San Francisco on the road to economic recovery until we stop hemorrhaging public sector jobs. Five of the City's ten largest employers are in the public sector, and the City and County of San Francisco directly employs one in twenty of the city's workers. As Mayor, Yee will protect public sector workers + putting an end to budgets being balanced at the expense of our workers. Yee will stop "golden parachutes" and other waste on top administrators to ensure rank and file workers are protected and critical services are provided to the residents of San Francisco. Finally, he will work to ensure that all city facilities utilize union companies through devices like contract pre-qualifications and project labor agreements.

2. Save jobs at the new CPMC hospital


The new California Pacific Medical Center should be built, but we have to make sure that the project benefits the community and that it retains union jobs. Building the new CPMC has the potential to create both temporary construction and permanent healthcare jobs for San Francisco. We must make sure, however, that projects like CPMC move forward in cooperation with our union workers; and we must make sure that any deal reached with CPMC keeps St. Luke's open. As Mayor, Yee will not let new construction act as an excuse for a race to the bottom on worker rights, which only serve to depress wages, punish workers and patients, and replace living wage, benefited jobs with substandard wages and part-time work.

3. Oppose privatization and contracting out


Replacing public jobs that pay a livable wage and benefits with non-benefited contract positions depresses the local economy and hurts San Francisco's ability to provide services. Leland Yee has consistently fought privatization of government services. Yee opposed every privatization and contracting-out effort put before him as a legislator in Sacramento, including efforts to privatize elements of our corrections system and court services; as well as UC and CSU proposals to contract out for maintenance, busing, and certain trades. Yee opposed contracting with private security at San Francisco General Hospital, because private firms would be ill-equipped to provide the highly specialized training and experience with sensitive patient populations SFGH requires. As Mayor, Yee will advocate for public workers and will never support replacing middle class public jobs with low wage, non-union positions.

4. Enforce our labor standards


While on the Board of Supervisors, Leland Yee helped to pass the law creating the Office of Labor Standards Enforcement, and while the intentions of the office remain good, the OLSE needs reform. The office is overstretched, and since the adoption of the Health Care Security Ordinance, the Office's responsibilities have far exceeded the department's staff and organizational capacity. Enforcement of prevailing wage requirements is one area that has suffered as a result. In the Senate, Yee passed legislation to ensure prevailing wage on all public sector construction projects. As Mayor, Yee will ensure that the OLSE is adequately funded, and stops being treated like a political football so that it can carry out its critical mission.

5. Make the Local Hire Ordinance work for San Francisco

It is important to provide job opportunities to hardworking residents in San Francisco + it is a key component to keeping families here and making our city livable and affordable. As Mayor, Yee is committed to working with the various stakeholders to ensure the current local hire ordinance does not have an adverse impact, and he will push for changes if necessary. The current Local Hire Ordinance delegates a great deal of authority to the Office of Economic and Workforce Development and also imposes a real responsibility upon the City to ensure its training programs produce enough skilled workers to meet local hiring thresholds. The City must make every effort to train or re-train and place workers before assessing penalties on contractors for not meeting local hiring requirements. The existing CityBuild Academy is a good start at pre-apprentice training, but as local hiring requirements scale up, the City will need to produce far more trades men and women. Yee is committed to doubling the current graduate output at CityBuild in his first year as Mayor.

SAN FRANCISCO AS THE CENTER OF THE BAY AREA: TOURISM & NIGHTLIFE AS ECONOMIC DRIVERS

Tourism and nightlife are two important economic drivers for San Francisco. In 2010, the city welcomed 16 million visitors, generating $485 million in taxes and supporting over 67,000 jobs. When the North Panhandle was crime-ridden, the restaurants and bars moved in and started a trend improving the community. These are the kind of businesses we need to support. As Mayor, Yee will work to expand the tourism industry, which will boost economic activity and create more jobs for San Francisco residents. He will recognize the nightlife industry as a huge contributor to the city's economy and will work with them to ensure they continue to prosper.

1. Make the America's Cup work for the entire city


The America's Cup is expected to bring over 2.5 million visitors to San Francisco--infusing the city with an influx of economic activity and creating nearly 9,000 jobs. As Mayor, Yee will ensure every neighborhood in the city--not just those on the waterfront--stand to benefit. He will ensure the America's Cup "People Plan" includes concrete commitments for transportation options from viewing sites to and from business districts across the city to guarantee those 2.5 million visitors can enjoy all that San Francisco has to offer. He will also coordinate with local businesses to make sure each neighborhood is prepared for tourist activity and armed with a plan to promote all their diverse communities have to offer.

2. Promote our neighborhoods as destinations

Every San Francisco neighborhood should be able to promote their attractions and events, especially in preparation for the America's Cup. As Mayor, Yee will work with DPW and Muni to improve signage and advertisements so neighborhoods can easily attract tourists and residents to local events. Yee will also streamline the process for organizing large events like street fairs or festivals rather than make organizers swim through a myriad of hearings, paperwork, and permitting. Yee will cut the red tape and develop a master use permit policy to make it easier for organizations to sponsor recurring neighborhood events. San Francisco is known for our diverse neighborhoods, each with their own culture and appeal--we should make sure they have the tools to really thrive.

3. Keep the 49ers in San Francisco


The 49ers were San Francisco's first professional sport team + and they belong in San Francisco. We shouldn't let soured relationships between the 49ers and former city officials jeopardize the continuation of football tradition in San Francisco. We need a Mayor who is committed to reopening formal discussions and working with the 49ers to put together a package that makes sense for the city and the organization. A successful package would consist of the incentives in the Hunter's Point redevelopment plan, such as preparing a stadium site, Lennar contributing $100 million toward its construction, and providing a 30-year rent free lease. Senator Yee has already expressed his commitment to the team's representatives to locate the funding sources to make this project a reality. As Mayor, Yee will move this project forward so that in five years, we can enjoy the 49ers playing in Hunter's Point and benefit from the jobs and tax base that come along with the new stadium.

4. Ensure High Speed Rail serves San Francisco


Building 21st century infrastructure is crucial to San Francisco's future. California's High Speed Rail system is one of those critical projects which will ease congestion on major highways and significantly reduce pollution and carbon from flying and driving. It is imperative that the High Speed Rail begins and ends at the Transbay Terminal + not only for the thousands of jobs, but also to ensure as many riders on public transit as possible and to serve more tourists from Southern California.

5. Nightlife as an economic driver

Visitors spend about $8 billion in San Francisco every year, and the city's vibrant nightlife, entertainment attractions, and world-renowned restaurants draw in much of that revenue into the city. But there's more we can do to let the "other 9 to 5" thrive and generate even more activity into our local economy. As Mayor, Yee will work with the SFPD, the Entertainment Commission, the ABC, bar owners, and neighbors to bring consistency to the way noise ordinances are administered so venues aren't caught between conflicting local and state statutes. Yee will also work with bar and club owners to propose a pilot program of rotating staggered bar closings--an innovative strategy that London has shown can decrease the last-call binge drinking, disperse the influx of 2:00AM crowds on the street that often lead to violence, and ease the standard spike in demand for taxis and public transit when supply is particularly scarce. Yee will also work with BART and Muni to move forward on extended late night service on the weekends. Though required maintenance usually shuts down the entire system for most of the night, by running a single-tracking system the same way the DC Metro system does, we could run limited rail service for longer hours and still maintain the system. BART and Muni need to move in that direction to grow into a true metro rail system, not the limited-service commuter train it was designed to be 50 years ago.

6. Assign city caseworkers dedicated to nightlife and restaurants


Restaurants and bars are key to revitalizing neighborhoods and boosting their economic vitality. But right now there is too much red tape. In order to apply for a permit to operate a bar, you must currently be paying rent on the property. Then the permit process is dragged out, which means owners can end up paying 6 months rent for business that isn't yet operating. Part of the reason the permit process is cumbersome is that there are a myriad of different city agencies that owners must navigate. This leads to bars hiring high-priced consultants, which only drives up the cost of doing business in San Francisco. The City should be helping, not hindering, business owners' ability to open economically viable establishments. As Mayor, Yee will dedicate caseworkers to the nightlife industry to help simplify the permit process and develop a successful community relationship.

7. Draw the filmmaking industry to San Francisco


The San Francisco Film Commission has recently reported that the last fiscal year experienced a significant increase in the number of shooting days, the number of permits issued, and the money collected from permits. Part of San Francisco success in attracting production companies is due to the Film Commission's rebate program. The Scene In San Francisco rebate program was developed to make San Francisco a more competitive locale in the filmmaking industry, and in turn establish a stronger entertainment industry. Since 2006, the program has been successful in increasing the number of residents employed in the filmmaking industry, including over a 1,000 in the past year alone. As Mayor, Yee is committed to supporting this program, including extending it in 2012 when its funding runs out.

8. Help the next generation of artists


Creative economies - fostered by a vibrant arts scene - are essential for the revitalization of neighborhoods, like Mid-Market. However, affordable spaces for practice and collaboration are exceedingly difficult to find and, thus, San Francisco is losing too many young artists. As Mayor, Yee will encourage the Redevelopment Agency to consider the needs of musicians and the arts community in land use decisions + providing sorely needed space for artists and musicians. Yee will also support expanding arts incubators to musicians so that we can provide much needed practice space and recording equipment and, ultimately, promote Francisco's unique cultural and music scene.

KEEP SAN FRANCISCO AFFORDABLE

People who work in San Francisco should be able to live here, too. For most San Francisco families today that's fantasy, not reality. Redevelopment tools have played a vital role in re-purposing areas throughout the city to meet the jobs and housing needs of a 21st century economy. Affordable housing is an economic engine + creating immediate jobs and attracting people to San Francisco to live and work here.

1. Keep the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency working


The recent record of San Francisco's Redevelopment Agency in providing jobs, housing, and being an engine for economic stimulus is strong. While agencies in other parts of the state have drawn down redevelopment funds only to squirrel them away, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency (SFRA) has put tax increment dollars to work for its citizens. Our RDA has put San Franciscans to work and helped provide critical funds for our public schools. But with recent state actions to shutter redevelopment agencies, which Yee adamantly opposed, San Francisco needs a Mayor who will make sure redevelopment continues to play an important role in our City's economic development. If legal efforts to overturn the State's decision are unsuccessful, Yee will work with other mayors across the state to pass legislation to restructure and restore redevelopment agencies. Yee will also look to partially fund some projects - such as libraries, parks, and roads - through a citywide Infrastructure Financing District (IFD).

2. Redevelopment projects mean jobs and affordable housing


Redevelopment tools have played a vital role in repurposing areas throughout the city to meet the jobs and housing needs of a 21st century economy. Each of San Francisco's current redevelopment projects are expected to create 2,000 to 20,000 permanent new jobs and thousands of affordable housing units. That's why Yee supports not just moving forward with redevelopment, but moving forward in the right way. That means securing funding for the economic revival of Visitacion Valley, ensuring affordable housing promises are kept at Treasure Island, addressing environmental concerns throughout the Bayview Hunter's Point project, supporting the developments being made in Mission Bay to provide an incubator for the biotech industry and adding to San Francisco's downtown with the Transbay Terminal project. The affordable housing set asides from each of these projects - including the 30 percent affordability requirement at Treasure Island, which Yee voted to reinstate from 25 percent - are critical to ensuring workers can live here. But most importantly, all of these projects will help San Francisco get back to work. Leland Yee will move redevelopment forward--in the right direction.

3. Champion an affordable housing bond and enforce inclusionary housing requirements


The availability of affordable housing is one of the most important issues San Francisco faces. It's essential that we look at ways to increase the affordable housing stock so that families can live and work in San Francisco. To do that, San Francisco needs a stable long-term stream of local affordable housing funds--but San Francisco hasn't been able to muster the 2/3 vote required to pass a housing bond since 1996. That's why Yee will champion a new affordable housing budget set-aside that the City can bond against + creating a revenue bond for affordable housing rather than the traditional GO bond. It's the same way we finance libraries in San Francisco, and it's an innovative approach to create a necessary stream of dedicated funding for affordable housing and first-time homebuyer programs. Additionally, Yee will enforce inclusionary housing requirements for every development project in San Francisco, and will push developers to go beyond the standard practice of providing 15-20% affordable housing. Though the city has a long way to go to reaching its goal of 60% affordable housing, these are meaningful steps towards building housing for our working San Franciscans and their families.

4. Support transit-oriented development to attract workers to San Francisco

Encouraging affordable family-sized units and density along transit corridors will make it easier for all families to live and work in San Francisco. Through the Better Neighborhoods Program, the City has been pursuing transit-oriented development, which includes using an extensive community involvement process to redevelop areas around BART stations. The resulting improvements are designed to better integrate the stations into the surrounding neighborhoods and increase access to goods and services around the stations, increasing ridership and improving neighborhood services. Where increased density can be sustained, Leland Yee supports development as an important part of city-wide efforts to ensure sustainability and livability of San Francisco neighborhoods.

LIFT UP IMPOVERISHED COMMUNITIES

1. Support local businesses, especially in disadvantaged areas


Ensuring public contracts support local and disadvantaged business enterprises is critically important, especially in tough economic times when small business are struggling to keep their doors open. That's why Yee is supportive of recent changes to the City's Administrative Code that will increase local contracting requirements. San Francisco should do everything it can to make sure the City's contracting dollars are supporting historically disadvantaged businesses. As Mayor, Yee would work with the Human Rights Commission and our City's legal team to ensure all local businesses get fair treatment in city contracting. To monitor that progress, Yee will have regular meetings with the Commission regarding compliance and demand reports are issued regularly.

2. Support economic development for microenterprises

Economic Development Initiatives like Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) and Visitacion Valley Business Opportunities and Outreach to Merchants (VVBOOM) have been hugely successful in building connections between businesses, residents, and service providers. As Mayor, Yee will support and expand these initiatives, which will continue to revitalize the city's diverse commercial corridors. That means finding more ways to help local entrepreneurs start businesses here in the city so they can hire more local residents. Yee will encourage innovative micro-business models like incubators and temporary pop-ups in otherwise vacant storefronts. Incubators will nurture the next generation of San Francisco businesses, while pop-ups can get up and running fast, putting idle storefronts and workers together. Leland Yee will commit to supporting new business at every level, helping new businesses get started and providing existing businesses the tools they need to grow and thrive.

3. Revitalize Mid-Market


Market Street was once the cultural center of San Francisco, and with the right leadership it can be again. The neighborhood has been plagued with problems + empty storefronts, blight, crime + but has recently seen the sparks of a revival. Historic office spaces are beginning to attract businesses to the corridor, and the neighborhood arts scene has seen strong growth. Efforts to revitalize the neighborhood have reached a critical point, and proven leadership in City Hall can keep this momentum from dissipating. Leland Yee will support revitalization efforts, including a Mid-Market Arts District. Supporting and expanding temporary programs proven successful at easing blight, like Art in Storefronts, can keep the neighborhood on track as we move forward with development. Expanding public space, pedestrian space, and bicycle corridors will create an inviting, walkable space; while the construction of mixed income housing will stop the neighborhood from emptying out at 5pm.

4. Ensure Lennar delivers on its promises to the Bayview

The potential for job creation and economic recovery cannot outweigh public health and environmental justice concerns. It is unacceptable that for decades the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhoods have lived with a disproportionate share of environmental hazards. A recent UCSF study showed hospitalization rates for asthma, emphysema, and congestive heart failure in the Bayview are four times the state average. Yee has shown his commitment to environmental justice by demanding complete cleanup of the Hunters Point Shipyard, which will improve health and lower costs for low-income families and communities of color--those most impacted by the rising costs and health hazards brought on by global warming. As Mayor, Yee will make sure Lennar delivers on its promises because every community deserves environmentally-safe development.

5. Bridge the gap between homelessness and workplace success

Homeless individuals face disproportionate barriers to employment and climbing out of homelessness is virtually impossible for those without a job. To adequately address these barriers for our homeless communities, we must provide robust social services, provide workforce development and job training opportunities and advocate for real housing solutions + the largest barrier to unemployment for this population. As Mayor, Yee will advocate for opportunities for homeless individuals to bridge the gap from homelessness and unemployment to workplace success, like adding flexibility to shelter curfews and lines for beds to make 9-to-5 employment opportunities more accessible. For those with limited skills or experience, opportunities for jobs that pay a living wage are very limited. Workforce development and job training programs provide homeless individuals with the skills to find and maintain employment. The OEWD currently partners with non-profits to provide job readiness services + providing individuals with job training and placement services or the opportunity to enroll in one of the city's job readiness programs. Yee will ensure these partnerships continue and prioritize job training programs for the chronically homeless or those at-risk of being homeless--because San Francisco should be a place of success for all.

INVEST IN EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIPS

Ensuring that San Francisco increases its investment in workforce development is crucial in getting our city back to work. Workforce development programs decrease unemployment, increase tax revenues and building stronger communities. The best way to improve our economy is to ensure we have a well-prepared workforce + beginning with education and job training programs.

1. Ensure adequate pathways to college

Ninety percent of the fastest growing jobs in America require a specialized training or a college education. Programs like SF Promise, Gateway to College, Bridge to Success and Bridges to Baccalaureate are great examples of successful partnerships between the City, school district and higher education institutions. Additionally, we must provide our students with the tools necessary to make educational and vocational decisions. The California Career Resources Network works to provide students and schools with the needed resources to explore career opportunities. Yee has fought to continue funding of this organization because of his belief that students deserve guidance as they make life-altering decisions, like the choice to attend college. As Mayor, Yee will continue his long-standing record of support for programming, like the California Career Resources Network, that allows students to explore career opportunities and provides the foundation for solid educational and vocational choices.

2. Provide students with the tools needed in the tech industry

San Francisco is a hub for the tech industry, but we don't do enough to prepare our students to enter into this market. Our students need more than basic computer applications + they need advanced programming and coding courses in middle and high school to provide them with a solid foundation for careers in the tech industry. Collaboration with the tech industry to provide courses, internships and job shadowing opportunities can help to bridge the gap that is keeping our students out of the marketplace. Yee has supported and coauthored legislation to provide high school tech programming; he'll fight to ensure state funding continues and will work to expand access in the city.

3. Encourage internship opportunities


Internships provide invaluable work experience and exposure to job opportunities. Yee will connect students at SFSU and CCSF with internships and job training programs at local businesses, tech companies, and biotech labs to prepare for professional careers in growing industries. Yee will support The continuation of the Department of Public Works' many internship programs, including Project Pull, YouthWorks and the Summer Youth Program to provide positive work experience and job exposure for the future leaders in our city. Yee will also support the School-to-Career Partnership, a joint effort of business, education and community leaders that works to improve college and career opportunities for all San Francisco students by integrating classroom learning with work-based learning. Key collaborative partnerships like these programs are models for what we can provide students at every school in San Francisco.

4. Promote educational attainment in at-risk communities


A high school diploma, or GED, opens doors in the workforce. Individuals with a high-school diploma have greater earning capacity and face lower unemployment rates. GED+ is an OEWD program providing support for at-risk individuals who have had difficulty completing traditional GED courses. It motivates students to go beyond the GED by including assistance with college preparation, job readiness training and instruction on life skills. As part of his community schools model, Yee will support programs like GED+ that lead to GED completion, provide life readiness skills and promote pathways to college.

5. Forge a collaborative partnership between City College and the City


San Francisco does not currently work collaboratively with City College in any real capacity. Forging an official partnership could yield incredible benefits to the community and students, such as around cultural events, sharing meeting and class space, and establishing service-learning initiatives. The Office of Economic and Workforce Development currently works with City College in the Bayview to provide and promote job recruiting and job training programs--expanding this throughout San Francisco would benefit the students and our workforce.