San Francisco, CA
Peskin Introduces Proposal for E-Bike Rebate Program for San Francisco – Streetsblog San Francisco
Flanked by advocates and bike shop owners, Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin announced a proposal to create an e-bike rebate program for San Francisco on the Polk Steps at City Hall. The program would provide a rebate at the cash register for approved e-bikes and would be administered by the San Francisco Environment Department.
“I want to ensure that all San Francisco families, especially those underserved by transit, can access this sustainable way to drop off their kids at school, which makes all our children safer,” said Peskin. “This is an important step toward an inclusive carbon-free future.”
Over 3,500 people wrote to the Supervisors asking for this program through an alert set up by Streets Forward. Executive Director Luke Bornheimer is asking people to continue to follow the action page for updates on how to get and/or stay involved in the campaign as the legislation moves through the Board of Supervisors.
“We’re excited to continue working with public officials to secure funding for the e-bike incentive program and looking forward to getting e-bike incentives in the hands of San Franciscans as soon as possible,” continued Bornheimer.
E-bike rebate programs have been tried in other cities, including Pasadena, Austin, and Denver. E-bikes usage has made bicycling accessible to people who are unable to ride regular bicycles due to age or physical limitations. So far, there’s not a magic-formula or best practice that ensures a program’s long-term survival and there’s been some variety in how programs are administered. In Santa Monica, for example, buyers have to pre-qualify for the program and take a voucher with them when buying a bike. Other programs have people apply for a rebate after the bike is already purchased.
And price is a major barrier for people looking to potentially purchase an E-Bike – even less-expensive ones cost over $1,000 after taxes and fees.
The announcement comes months after a smaller E-Bike rebate program run by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission closed after the popular program ran out of funds. That program saw the PUC partner with six bike shops to provide up to $1,000 in rebate to people that met a certain income requirement. The program didn’t even last a full month, it was active from March 23 to April 20, as demand for less expensive E-bikes overwhelmed the program.
“Our e-bike incentive program will help save San Franciscans money and break down barriers so more people can access e-bikes to improve San Francisco’s air quality and reduce congestion,” said Supervisor Dean Preston, who co-authored the legislation. “This program is a critical part of making our city more livable and equitable by supporting San Franciscans with the transition to an e-bike.”
The full details and funding for the program aren’t known yet, but yesterday’s event outlined goals for the program that include making sure the fund is used by those with the greatest need and allowing for people to donate to the rebate fund (to supplement the city coffers). The goals as outlined in a press statement are
- Accept funds from City appropriations, grants from local, state, and federal sources, and private donations. The program will also be eligible for funding from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA)’s Transportation Demand Management program and the Equity Priority Transportation Program of the Prop L transportation sales tax.
- Use funds for point-of-sale rebates at local retailers for both standard and family/cargo e-bikes as well as adaptive mobility devices for people with disabilities.
- Set a goal of 40% of funds going to low-income communities, communities underserved by transit, and communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution.
- Limit incentives only for fire-safe devices to help San Franciscans replace unsafe devices with safe ones, and advance San Francisco’s lithium-ion safety protections, developed by President Peskin earlier this year.
“The SF Bicycle Coalition is excited to see this program prioritize equity-priority communities. We know these communities bear the brunt of climate change and are incredibly underserved by bike infrastructure and public transportation. An e-bike incentive program would make safety-certified e-bikes more easily available to low-income folks who otherwise could not afford them. This fund is the first step towards dramatically transforming the way people get around in our city, and we look forward to working with the SF Department of Environment on the program,” said Claire Amable, Director of Advocacy at the SF Bicycle Coalition.
The ordinance will have its first hearing later this month, at the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation committee. Creating a program that is equitable and long-lasting can be a difficult task, California’s rebate program has been delayed for over two years. But for people who’s lives will be made easier if E-Bikes become more affordable the city’s willingness to move on their own program is a good step forward.
A California sea lion pup found last week on a San Francisco street corner is malnourished but “active and quite feisty,” The Marine Mammal Center said Monday.
The sea lion, believed to be about 10 months old, had apparently wandered into city’s Outer Sunset neighborhood and was discovered early Thursday morning, authorities said.
The pup was spotted near 48th and Irving Streets, one block from Ocean Beach and Sunset Dunes park. A trained responder from the Marine Mammal Center was joined by San Francisco park rangers and police officers to safely corral the pup, now named ‘Irving’, into a carrier crate.
Dubbed ‘Irving’ by his rescuers, Irving weighed in at 40 pounds and is considered malnourished, the Marine Mammal Center said.
“The sea lion is active and quite feisty which is a positive initial sign in terms of general behavior,” the center said in a news release on Monday.
During an exam by veterinarians, a series of blood samples were also taken to determine whether there’s any underlying ailment.
Irving is being tube fed a fish smoothie blend two times per day to boost hydration and weight; offers of whole herring will also begin shortly.
The quick actions by police, recreation and parks staff and Ocean Avenue Animal Hospital gave the young sea lion a second chance at life, said Lauren Campbell, animal husbandry manager at The Marine Mammal Center.
“As a roughly 10-month-old pup in his first year of learning how to forage on his own, this animal has a long road to recovery due to his severe malnutrition,” Campbell said. “We are hopeful that in the coming weeks with continued specialized care that this pup starts to make positive strides toward recovery and release.”
Irving will be held in the Center’s Intensive Quarantine Unit until clearing medical protocols, before likely being transferred this week to a traditional rehabilitation pool pen. A long-term prognosis and potential release timeline are not currently known.
After Sunday’s 3-0 loss to the Washington Nationals, the San Francisco Giants headed back to the West Coast. They’re going back to the Bay Area, too.
The Giants have a date with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game series at Oracle Park starting Tuesday night.
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So, San Francisco probably wanted to get out of Washington, D.C., with a win. That didn’t happen at Nationals Park on Sunday afternoon.
Nationals reliever Andrew Alvarez, the third pitcher used by the team on Sunday, picked up the victory with 4 1/3 innings of work. Giants starter Robbie Ray absorbed the loss, falling to 2-3 this season.
Ray worked six innings, giving up seven hits, three runs (all earned), walking one, and striking out seven Nationals. If the Giants’ offense had found a way to tack on some runs, then Ray’s outing wouldn’t have looked so bad.
The Giants’ bats, though, had eight hits. The big number for Giants manager Tony Vitello to look at in the box score after this one was, well, pretty big. San Francisco left 10 runners on base on Sunday, going 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position. This indicates that San Francisco had plenty of opportunities to score some runs.
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They just didn’t get the job done.
Let’s go to the bottom of the fifth with the Giants and Nationals in a scoreless tie. With nobody out, the Nationals’ Keibert Ruiz connected for his third double this season. Nasim Nuñez scored to put Washington up 1-0.
With one out, Curtis Mead sent a Ray pitch over the left-field wall, a two-run blast that gave the Nationals a 3-0 lead.
San Francisco had a scoring threat in the top of the eighth inning. With runners at first and second base and nobody out, Casey Schmitt grounded into a double play. Matt Chapman, who was on second base, went to third. But the Giants were unable to bring him home.
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Rafael Devers and Drew Gilbert went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Giants, producing half of the Giants’ hits.
The Giants fall to 9-13 this season, sitting in fourth place in the National League West Division. The Nationals’ record goes to 10-12, good enough for third place in the National League East Division.
All eyes now turn toward Oracle on Tuesday night. It’ll be a chance for two longtime rivals to renew their rivalry.
Baseball fans know that the Giants-Dodgers matchups usually are must-see TV.
That’s probably going to be the case once again as Giants fans watch their team battle the Dodgers. Those lucky to have tickets to the three-game series at Oracle Park will show up in Giants colors, hoping to see Los Angeles head back to Southern California with either a series loss or a Giants’ sweep.
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Buckle up, Giants fans. It’s about to get rowdy at Oracle Park.
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