Advocacy Archives

Category: Advocacy

Restaurant Relief

Governor Newsom Announces CA Tax Relief for RRF Recipients

Governor Newsom Announces California Tax Relief for Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) Recipients

The GGRA has been working hard to get this state relief. We had discussions with Assemblyman Ting’s office, Senator Wiener’s office, and coordinated with colleagues at SF Travel, CAL Travel, representatives from Southern California restaurant groups, the SF Bar Owner’s Association and the CRA.

We could not be more thrilled to have California move so quickly to conform to Federal tax treatment (not taxing these relief grants).

Golden Gate Restaurant Association January 11, 2022 0

AdvocacyPublic Policy

GGRA Requests BART to Immediately Return to Midnight Service

UPDATE: July 1, 2021

Today, BART announced that late-night limited trains will be added from downtown San Francisco July 15-31st and Midnight service will return Monday-Saturday beginning August 2nd.

From July 15 – July 31 on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, BART will run four trains leaving Embarcadero or Civic Center Stations at 11:30 p.m. These trains will serve limited stops after regular BART service ends and are in addition to the special service for A’s night games and the limited service provided for Giants’ night games.

July 15 – July 31 Service Plan:

Train 1 – Embarcadero, Civic Center, 16th Street, Daly City
Train 2 – Civic Center, Embarcadero, West Oakland, MacArthur, Pleasant Hill
Train 3 – Civic Center, Embarcadero, West Oakland, Bay Fair
Train 4 – Civic Center, Embarcadero, West Oakland, MacArthur, El Cerrito Del Norte

Starting on August 2, rather than August 30, service throughout the system will extend to midnight Monday – Saturday.

Find full details here.

The GGRA has been working to bring this urgent issue to the attention of BART, and we are grateful it resulted in an immediate solution. The conversations that happened and the real desire by the BART Board of Directors, BART staff and BART’s labor partners to quickly find a solution is a testament to how we can solve issues by all working together. This move will make it easier to bring back staff and allow us to reopen more of our restaurants to tourists and residents alike.

Thank you to our partners at the Bay Area Council, SF Travel, The Hotel Council of SF, SF Bar Owners Alliance, California Music and Culture Association, and the American Car Rental Association for your support!

June 29, 2021:

The Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA) has requested BART to immediately return to midnight service. Currently, BART’s last trains depart the end of line at 9pm while midnight service is slated to return August 30.

Ending service early prevents hospitality staff from working evening shifts and returning home via a reliable, affordable transportation option, as well as an operator’s ability to hire those who do not have another way to return home after their shift.

Returning to normal service hours would also allow tourists and Bay Area locals who cannot afford the rideshare prices to return home from evening activities.

BART is an essential public service, and extending its hours to midnight is a crucial step in supporting San Francisco employees, residents, and visitors.

You can read GGRA’s letter of support here. This letter was sent to the BART Board of Directors and was co-signed by:

Joe D’Alessandro, President & CEO, San Francisco Travel Association
Kevin Carroll, President & CEO, Hotel Council of San Francisco
Ben Bleiman, Founder, San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance and Chairman, California Music and Culture Association
Sharky Laguana, President, American Car Rental Association

You can also find the Bay Area Council’s letter of support here.

Golden Gate Restaurant Association June 29, 2021 0

AdvocacyEconomic SustainabilityPublic Policy

GGRA Advocates for Permanent Commission Cap on Third-Party Food Delivery Services

San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted on Tuesday, June 22nd to make the temporary 15% commission cap on third-party food delivery services permanent.

In order to avoid a gap between the expiration of the current fee cap and the effective date of this legislation, the Board passed the legislation in its current form. There continues to be work to finalize amendments that will allow operators additional flexibility with third-party delivery companies.

We anticipate these amendments to be formalized July 8th in the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. The final legislation is expected to include:

A permanent 15% commission cap on delivery
Allowance for up to a 3% credit card pass through
Allowance for separate contracts for services outside of delivery such as marketing, consumer discounts, etc.

You can find GGRA’s Support Letter here. We will continue to provide updates as we learn more.

Golden Gate Restaurant Association June 27, 2021 0

AdvocacyPublic Policy

San Francisco Makes Shared Spaces Permanent!

UPDATE: We are thrilled to share that the Permanent Shared Spaces Legislation passed at the Board of Supervisors on July 20th after being supported on the first read July 13th. We would like to thank Mayor Breed for her unwavering leadership on this groundbreaking policy, the members of the Board of Supervisors who supported this, the city departments and their staff for all the hard work to make this come together, and the residents and advocates who worked to share their perspectives.

We’d also like to thank everyone who called in to provide public comment in support of this legislation. This was truly a team effort.

You can find more details in our newsletter here.

Existing permit holders do not need to take action now. The City is assessing new legislation program parameters.

Stay tuned for details on next steps, updated design guidelines, and for when applications open for the permanent program. Keep an eye on the City’s Shared Spaces website for more information in the coming days.

Thank you to our Community Partners for supporting a permanent Shared Spaces program!

Want to learn more about how you can get involved in GGRA’s advocacy efforts to support our local restaurant community? Please reach out to Chhavi Sahni at chhavi@ggra.org.

Golden Gate Restaurant Association April 30, 2021 0

Restaurant Relief

Holiday Support for SF Restaurant Families: Christmas Giving Tree

If you are a San Francisco restaurant or hospitality worker that has been impacted by the effects of COVID-19, you can request to be matched with a San Francisco Secret Santa to provide gifts for your child/children before Christmas.

If you are interested in supporting SF Restaurant Families Christmas Giving Tree, you can learn more about donating here.

Golden Gate Restaurant Association December 14, 2020 0

AdvocacyPublic PolicyRestaurant Relief

Call to Action: Tell San Francisco City Leaders Our Restaurant Industry Needs Help Now!

Restaurant Owners, Operators, & Employees: we need your help!

Tell San Francisco City Leaders that the restaurant industry needs help now by sending GGRA’s pre-written email asking our local government to take action by:

Immediately providing more financial aid to restaurant workers that have been furloughed/laid off, or lost a significant amount of their income from this ban on outdoor dining.
Providing more financial relief for small businesses. We need more financial relief options from the local, state and federal government.
Providing businesses with more time to comply with future health orders. A two-day notice is not enough time for our restaurants to pivot or shut down operations without taking a considerable financial loss.
Providing clear, digestible criteria for making shutdown decisions. Going forward, there needs to be more accessible data explaining why San Francisco is issuing shutdown decisions for certain activities ahead of the State, like for banning outdoor dining.

Please find the directions and email templates in our latest newsletter here and make your voice heard: https://mailchi.mp/ggra/calltoaction-58746

Thank you for support.

Golden Gate Restaurant Association December 10, 2020 0

AdvocacyPublic PolicyRestaurant Relief

GGRA Signs IRC Letter to Congress

Today, the GGRA joined 183 San Francisco restaurants in signing a letter from the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC) urging Congress to pass the RESTAURANTS Act now.

You can find a pdf of the letter here.

Golden Gate Restaurant Association December 9, 2020 0