Dear neighbors,
As the holiday season approaches, I hope everyone has a moment to enjoy the fall weather and make memories with their loved ones. Some of my favorite November highlights:
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Co-hosted the D11 Health Fair with the Chinese Hospital and the Boys & Girls Club providing free health screenings, wellness resources, vaccinations, and educational resources
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Celebrated Diwali with neighbors on Ocean Ave
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Advanced the Tenant Protection Ordinance through the Planning Commission
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Passed an ordinance appropriating $9.1 million in CalFresh (SNAP) emergency funding with my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors
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Celebrated the holiday season at Youth 1st and the Fire Department's Toy Drives
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Hosted coffee chats to meet with D11 constituents
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Proposed 3 amendments to the Family Zoning Plan to increase requirements for two- and three-bedroom units in new developments, to prioritize 100% affordable housing for SFMTA land, and to remove priority equity geographies from the plan. The first of three amendments passed, ensuring family-sized unit requirements.
Please note the following updates to our office availability for the holiday season and legislative recess. During this time our office will still be reachable, but response times may be slower.
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Thanksgiving Week Schedule:
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Office Closed: Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th
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Legislative Recess (Slower Replies)
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December 17th, 2025 through January 2nd, 2026
Please continue to reach out to my office with questions, concerns, or comments in-person at City Hall, or via phone or email: (415) 554-6975 or ChenStaff@sfgov.org. For more regular updates and resources, check my Instagram: @chyannechensf.
All my best,
Supervisor Chyanne Chen |
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| District 11 Health Fair at the Boys & Girls Club |
| | Diwali Festival on Ocean Ave hosted by the OMI Cultural Participation Project |
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| San Francisco Fire Fighter's Toy Drive at Ocean Ale House |
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My office was horrified to learn that yesterday, a burglary occurred in Ingleside. The suspect was arrested quickly and is currently in custody. SFPD responded to calls for service but despite life-saving efforts by first responders, a resident succumbed to injuries sustained during the incident.
My office will work with SFPD to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our residents. If you have any additional information, please contact SFPD at 415-575-4444. |
Crocker-Amazon Renovations |
On Wednesday, December 12th, the Department of Recreation and Parks and the San Francisco Giants hosted the second community meeting about the Crocker-Amazon Park Renovation. My staff and I attended to engage with and hear from residents who will be most impacted by this project.
Crocker-Amazon Park is a jewel in District 11 and one of our treasured resources. Crocker Park is a point of pride for our community, and one of its greatest resources are all the diverse users, youth, families, and elders that find refuge to play, exercise, socialize, recreate, and enjoy the natural areas.
I am committed to ensure that we work towards a design that remains welcoming and accessible to our neighborhood seniors and families so that all of our District 11 neighbors continue to see themselves in the new park design.
To see the latest iteration of the park plans visit the Crocker Amazon Project Update Page. To share input, questions, or concerns, contact the project manager Dan Mauer at dan.mauer@sfgov.org. |
Boarding Island Construction at San Jose/Lakeview |
🚧 Construction is starting soon for safer boarding islands on San Jose Avenue at Lakeview. Beginning on December 4th, Public Works crews will begin construction. This is part of the SFMTA’s M Ocean View Transit & Safety Project quick-build safety upgrades.
The existing islands will be demolished and the new boarding islands will be wider and longer. With these new islands, train riders will no longer step from or onto the street when using these stops. Construction is expected to last approximately 10-12 days on each island, from 7AM and 6PM every day.
Learn more in the M Ocean View Transit & Safety Project update at SFMTA.com/MOceanView. Sign up for Email or SMS Alert updates HERE.
Expected Timeline (subject to change)
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December 4-16: Southbound (inbound) stop near northwest corner of San Jose & Lakeview avenues (outside of M Stop Deli).
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December 17-29: Northbound (outbound) stop near southwest corner of San Jose & Lakeview avenues.
Muni Service Impacts
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The M Ocean View will continue to operate during construction.
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While each stop is under construction, the stop will be closed. Riders can use nearby stops at San Jose Ave & Farallones St.
Traffic Impacts
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While each island is under construction, San Jose Avenue traffic will be limited. There will be one lane in that direction on the affected block. However, there is no planned impact to traffic in the other direction. Drivers should use caution and be mindful of workers directing traffic.
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While each island is under construction, the driveways to homes directly in front of the islands will be blocked. Construction is expected to last approximately 10-12 days for each island. When construction is completed, these driveways will become accessible again. Residents will continue to be allowed to turn left or right into or out of these drive ways. To do so, they may drive over the boarding island.
Parking Impacts
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There are two planned permanent parking removals at each stop. These parking spots will be removed before construction. Watch out for new signs.
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Additional temporary impacts to parking are also possible. Watch for temporary signs.
Noise Impacts
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There may be some noise during brief excavation work
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🖊️Changes to Medi-Cal Benefits
Due to State budget changes, there are changes coming to some people’s Medi-Cal benefits. As of January 1, 2026, patients with certain immigration statuses will no longer be allowed to enroll in Medi-Cal. However, if you enroll before December 31, 2025 you can STAY on Medi-Cal indefinitely. It is also important that people currently receiving Medi-Cal make sure they renew their enrollment when it’s due and don’t lose their insurance.
For more information visit:
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Online: BenefitsCal.com
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By phone: (415) 557-5000
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In person at an SFHSA Service Center: 1235 Mission Street | 1440 Harrison Street | 3120 Mission Street | 2 Gough Street for older adults and people with disabilities
If you receive care or want to receive care from a Community Health Center, you can go there for assistance. To find a Community Health Center, visit HERE.
Some Dental Benefits end for some immigrants on June 30, 2026. While people with certain immigration statuses who enroll before December 31, 2025 can stay on Medi-Cal, they will no longer be eligible for most dental benefits after June 30, 2026 (except for pregnant people and children, who will still be eligible). To check which immigration statuses will be impacted, visit HERE. For more detailed information about upcoming changes, visit HERE.
Emergency care, including emergency dental care, will still be available.
📚 SF Rec and Park Community Opportunity Fund
The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department is accepting applications for the Community Opportunity Fund (COF) from January 2026 through March 2026. The Community Opportunity Fund is a citywide capital involvement program funded by General Obligation Funds that provides an opportunity for neighbors, community groups, park advocates, and partners to nominate their park project ideas for funding.
This is the COF's sixth application cycle and the City has allocated $6 million from the 2020 Health and Recovery Bond for this round of project awards. Awards of up to $1.5M will be offered for large projects and up to $500K for small projects
Please visit the program's website for more details about the program. If you would like to receive further updates on the Community Opportunity Fund (COF), please select updates for "Rec Park Improvements | Initiatives: Community Opportunity Fund (COF)" HERE.
🚧 Mission and Geneva Ave Infrastructure Improvement Program
The Mission Street and Geneva Avenue Infrastructure Improvement Program is Segment III of work. Work is currently happening on Mission Street, between Russia Ave. and Theresa St. This will last approximately 11 months from January 2025 to February 2026. Sewer service will not be interrupted during replacement of the sewer main, so household/business plumbing can be used as usual. The allowable work hours are: Monday-Friday from 7AM to 5PM, Saturday and Sunday from 8AM to 6PM. Please note weekend work is allowed, but none is anticipated at this time. Sign up for e-updates for notification of scheduled weekend work.
This scope of work will include sewer main replacement and rehabilitation work, curb ramp and pedestrian bulb-out installation, transit bulb-outs, Auxiliary Water Supply System (AWSS) settlement monitoring work, electrical and traffic signal upgrades, concrete street base replacement work (concrete roadwork) and pavement renovation.
Please visit www.sfpublicworks.org/Mission-Geneva for additional information. To sign-up to receive electronic updates during construction, please click HERE.
🚗Excelsior Residential Parking Permit
asd The request to extend the existing Area “V” Residential Parking Permit (RPP) to various blocks in the Excelsior, has been initiated by residents in the area. The SFMTA is conducting an online petition for residents of the proposed RPP blocks. Petitions of support must be received from a minimum of 50% of residential units on each proposed block (defined as both sides of the street, between two cross-streets) to initiate the change. This petition allows residents to express their support or opposition to residential parking for their block.
Find more detailed information about the Excelsior RPP and the survey HERE.
If you are interested in initiating an RPP request in your neighborhood, find more details about the program HERE.
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☔Rain and Storm Readiness
With upcoming moderate to heavy rain in the forecast, here are some reminders and resources to prepare for the storms:
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Sign up for AlertSF to receive real-time emergency alerts by texting your ZIP code to 888-777.
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Pick up free sandbags from the San Francisco Department of Public Works.
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Report sewer emergencies or service problems such as clogged storm drains, street flooding, or wastewater odors to the City’s 311 Customer Service Center (sf311.org or the free mobile app will be faster or call 3-1-1).
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Help out by joining our Adopt a Drain and Rain Guardian programs.
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Visit sfpuc.gov/rainreadysf for additional resources and sf.gov/severe-storms for more storm safety tips.
🍎 SNAP Benefits Restoration, Emergency Grocery Card Program
Following lawsuits filed by California and other states, California CalFresh recipients are beginning to see the immediate restoration of their full benefits on their EBT cards.
The Emergency Grocery Card Program will continue to be available for San Francisco CalFresh recipients as a one-time emergency prepaid grocery card.
CalFresh recipients were mailed a letter from SFHSA on November 3, 2025 with grocery card details and a unique activation code. The activation code lets CalFresh recipients use a virtual card immediately, or they can request a physical card which arrives in about seven days.
This is a one-time program for November. For your GiveCard to remain valid, you must activate it by December 31 and use all the funds by March 31, 2026.
For information about CalFresh and the Emergency Grocery Card Program, visit these two pages created by SFHSA: SFHSA.org/CalFreshAid and SFHSA.org/CardFAQ
🍃Bay Area Air District's "Clean Cars for All" Program
The Bay Area Air District’s Clean Cars for All Program recently relaunched with new funding. The program provides up to $12,000 for eligible residents to retire their old vehicle and replace it with a new or used electric, plug-in hybrid, or fuel cell electric vehicle. The Air District launched the program in 2019 as part of a broad effort to ensure clean air vehicles are affordable options for residents across the Bay Area.
Applicants must live within the Air District’s jurisdiction and meet income limits based on household size. The highest incentives are available to participants living in disadvantaged community census tracks. For more information or to apply for Clean Cars for All, visit www.baaqmd.gov/cleancarsforall
🎨 World Arts West Grants Accelerator Program
The World Arts West Grants Accelerator Program (GAP) is a year-long, cohort-based mentorship and training program designed to support cultural artists and organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area who are historically excluded from traditional philanthropy. GAP provides hands-on training, peer learning, and one-to-one coaching to support participants to successfully apply for and secure foundation and government grants. The program is free of charge for all participants.
Applications are due by Sunday, November 30, 2025. You can find the application HERE.
🖼️ Visit Museums for FREE
Through the City’s Museums for All program, San Francisco residents with EBT or Medi-Cal cards can get free or reduced admission to more than 25 local museums and cultural centers!
Visit the San Francisco Museums for All page to find out which museums are participating, and to learn how to get free tickets.
📈Workshop: Profitability Boost For Existing Storefronts and Restaurants
The Renaissance Center is hosting a 2-part workshop on boosting profitability for restaurants and storefronts at the Excelsior Library (4400 Mission St) on December 18th and December 15th from 12:30-3:30pm. Learn proven strategies to boost sales, cut costs, and elevate your storefront or restaurant. Register as you walk in or using the link HERE. |
🍃 Join the Civic Joy Fund, Refuse Refuse, SF Public Works, and the community for the Excelsior Clean Up on Saturday, November 29th! Cleaning will occur from 11:00am to 12:00pm around the neighborhood. Volunteers will meet at the Recovery Room (4528 Mission St) to grab our supplies and group up. There will be a food and beverage stipend included at the end of the shift. For more information and to sign up, visit
HERE.
🚩The SF Fire Department Neighborhood Emergency Response Team is hosting a Map Your Neighborhood Class on Tuesday, December 2nd from 6:30-9:00pm at the St Francis Episcopal Church (399 San Fernando Way).
This class will teach neighbors how to take care of each other, prepare emergency response plans, and what steps to take to minimize damage and protect lives in the event of an earthquake. At this training, you will receive a “Map Your Neighborhood” booklet. Join us in emergency preparedness and RSVP HERE.
🎁Youth 1st is hosting the OMI-Lakeview Annual Holiday Extravaganza on Friday, December 12th from 2:00-5:30pm at the Merced Heights Playground (801 Shields St). Celebrate the holiday season with toys, food, raffles, bounce houses, face painting, treats and more!
🎄 Come join the last Excelsior Night Market of the year on Friday, December 12th from 5:00-10:00pm at the Norton Street Parking Lot to celebrate Christmas and the holiday season. Enjoy a variety of fun events, delicious food, live music, and great community vibes.
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RSVP on Eventbrite to attend the Night Market and you will be eligible for a raffle to win a pack of gift certificates for neighborhood businesses worth up to $200 in prizes.
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Know a local vendor or performer? Have them apply to participate. There is no fee to vend and entertainers can be compensated.
🙌 Gather and celebrate Kwanzaa on Monday, December 29th from 6:00-9:00pm at the Minnie & Lovie Ward Rec Center (650 Capitol Ave) with neighbors in love, light, and unity. The celebration will be filled with laughter, good food, deep roots, and warm community energy. Visit the OMI Cultural Participation Project on Instagram for more information to come. |
San Francisco’s controversial upzoning plan for housing nears finish line
San Francisco Examiner - November 18, 2025
“As a mother, a daughter, and elected representative, it pains me to see my colleagues on the Land Use Committee vote down and table critical equity amendments to the rezoning plan that are pro-affordability, pro-tenant, and pro-working families,” Chen said.
“San Franciscans are not asking us to solve a math problem, they are demanding that we not incentivize displacement and that we deliver real affordability,” she said. “At the end of the day, we must work towards thoughtful, affordable, infill development without displacement to serve our teachers, bus drivers, janitors, firefighters, and everyday San Franciscans. That means doing no harm, honoring our commitments to equity communities, and maximizing our tool box to deliver real affordability.” |
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