June 2026 eNews
Dear friends,
We are writing to you this month from the throes of budget season, as we prepare for a San Francisco budget Week of Action next week (please join us; see below!), and we push the California Assembly to reject cruel Medi-Cal cuts at the state level.
We are excited to share that we have hired a new Community Organizer, Eva Mas, who will be officially starting at the end of July. At the same time, we are now hiring a Communications and Operations Manager to replace our current Communications Manager Grace Clark, who has moved out of state but will stay with SDA virtually through the summer.
We are heartbroken to share that SDA member Denise Dorey passed away last month. Denise was a longtime member who took leadership on outreach, was a constant presence at General Meetings and rallies, and formed close bonds with many in our SDA community. Denise was guided by a sense of social justice in her actions. She was a strong supporter of free wheelchair repair clinics; many of those who benefited from them said they had received the flyer from Denise. She paid close attention to initiatives focused on mental health and transit justice, and above all, she supported efforts to improve conditions in SROs, as she herself had lived in one. She will be deeply missed, and we hope to share more soon about her life and legacy, and how we can come together to celebrate her and remember her life.
SDA News & Highlights
We’re hiring a Communications & Operations Manager!
Are you interested in using your communications and storytelling skills to help power the senior and disability movements in San Francisco? Come work for SDA! We are now hiring a full-time Communications and Operations Manager to join our team. Learn more about the Communications & Operations Manager role and how to apply here.
Join the SF Budget Week of Action next week!
Mayor Lurie released his budget last week, which still includes many of the cuts that were announced earlier this year by city departments. While some cuts to LGBTQ+ and immigrant services have been restored, the vast majority of the cuts still stand, including $8.9 million in cuts to senior and disability programs like SDA. However, there’s still time to fight back! Join the People’s Budget Coalition for a Week of Action next week, to keep pushing for more restorations!
Children, Youth, Families, Seniors, People with Disabilities Day of Action Monday, June 15, SF City Hall.
10:30am: Meet outside the Mayor’s Office for a Wizard of Oz action. Have a Heart, Use Your Brain, Show Some Courage, and JUST SAY NO to these cuts!
12 to 1pm: Meet by the steps of City Hall on Polk Street for a cultural celebration centering families, elders, disabled people, and domestic workers, featuring a performance by the Domestic Workers Choir.
Budget Action Day for the full People’s Budget CoalitionThursday, June 18, SF City Hall
9 to 9:45am: Meet in North Light Court for caroling to the Board of Supervisors
10 am to 12:30pm: Meet by the steps of City Hall on Polk St for a Renegade Resource Fair and Community Art Build. The morning will include cultural performances, sign and poster making, popular education, community resources, and a picnic.
PRIORITY — 12:30pm: Meet outside City Hall Room 250 for a press conference as we come together to demand a budget that protects essential services, restores cuts, and invests in the people who make San Francisco possible.
And save the date for Public Comment Day on Wednesday, June 24!
Access Info for City Hall actions:
There is a wheelchair accessible entrance to City Hall along the South side of the building on Grove St
There are elevators in City Hall that people can use to get to the second floor
This is a coalition event bigger than SDA but we will bring masks to distribute and we ask that everyone in our contingent wear high-quality masks (N95/KN95/KF94 or better). However, be aware that not everyone within City Hall will be wearing a mask.
Join our June General Meeting on immigration
Thursday, June 11, 10am to 12pm at SDA’s office (222 8th St, SF) and on Zoom
Our June General Meeting is dedicated to the immigrants and migration experiences. We will talk about anti-immigration sentiments and myths; the historical trajectory of immigration waves and how they relate to US sanctions and interventions in countries where we get a lot of immigrants from; real life experiences of who are immigrating/seeking asylum/refuge; Cuba as a case study of resistance and oppression. We'll also discuss what’s happening today and what we should organize instead.
Find more information and register here for the June General Meeting.
Defend Medi-Cal against cruel budget cuts
On May 14, the Governor released the State Budget May Revise, which includes reinstating the asset limit for senior and disabled Medi-Cal recipients at $2,000, and further harms immigrant communities by making their healthcare more costly and harder to retain. These changes to Medi-Cal are cruel and unacceptable, and we’re fighting hard against them!
On May 26, we joined the California Disability Leadership Alliance for a Day of Action in Sacramento, alongside the Long-term Supports and Services for All Grassroots Coalition, Canary Resistance, and many other organizations and communities from all across the state. We joined together to push Assemblymembers to defend Medi-Cal. First we rallied at the steps of the Capitol, then marched over to meet with the offices of Senators Becker and Weiner. We made it clear that the proposed changes to Medi-Cal are dangerous and unnecessary!
So far, the Senate has rejected the worst of the cuts proposed in the May Revise, such as the reinstatement of the asset limit. Unfortunately, the Assembly has not rejected it, but we still have time to push them. If you’re interested in joining us for the next lobby day in Sacramento, connect with Itzel at itzel@sdaction.org. If you’d rather do some phone banking or emailing, please reach out as well. Any action of support is helpful as we near the close of this year's budget process!
Take our community input survey
There’s still time to fill out our community input survey on your experiences with SDA and communication preferences — open until June 15! Whether you're a member, participant, ally, or supporter, we need to hear from you. Take the survey today!
As a grassroots organization, our power is in our people. Please tell us how to reach you so you can show up in the critical campaigns we're working on now.
The survey takes approximately 15 minutes, and responses are completely confidential and anonymous. If you opt in, you'll be entered to win a gift card to Safeway, Rainbow Grocery, or Suspiro Coffee in SoMa. You don't need to be an official SDA member to participate.
Need help or prefer to complete it by phone? Call or email Grace at 415-636-6410, grace@sdaction.org.
Save the Date for a Citywide Tenant Assembly — August 15
Organized by SF Anti-Displacement CoalitionTime and location details to come! Email organize@sfadc.org to keep in touch.
Resource Highlight: Safer Together
Safer Together is a Bayview-based organization that offers community health programs to increase equitable access and use of free tools and resources to San Francisco community members. Check out their program offerings below.
Safer air: DIY air filters, air monitors, asthma Remediation Services, home assessments, Medi-Cal enrollment assistance
Safer care: Narcan training and harm reduction, support group, street outreach
COVID testing on-site in the Tenderloin, Chinatown, and Daly City
Learn more about Safer Together or sign up here!
Community News & Events
Senior and Disability Empowerment Training
Wednesday and Thursday, July 1 and 2, 9:30am to 3:30pm, First Unitarian Universalist Church of SF (1187 Franklin Street)
Community Living Campaign and the Dignity Fund Coalition are putting on a free empowerment training for seniors and disabled people.
During the course of the training, you will learn how to:
Assess your personal leadership style
Create effective meetings
Develop an organizing campaign
Take your issues to policymakers and the media
Improve your public speaking skills
Celebrate with others what you have accomplished
For more information, email info@sfdignityfund.org or call 415-821-1003 ex.115. Sign up for the empowerment training here.
Visit the International Queer Women of Color Film Festival
Friday, June 12 through Sunday, June 14
The free International Queer Women of Color Film Festival (QWOCFF) is coming up soon, the weekend of June 12 to 14 at San Francisco's historic Presidio Theatre (99 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco, CA). Learn more about QWOCFF and reserve tickets here.
This year’s festival, We Resist, and We Roll, features powerful films by queer women, nonbinary, transgender, and gender nonconforming filmmakers of color.
Admission is free. RSVP in advance is recommended.
Accessibility includes:
Audio description for all films
Open captions for all films
ASL interpretation
Braille venue map
Wheelchair and mobility access
Fragrance-free seating
Body-friendly seating
Service animal seating
KN95+ masking required environment
Crisis counselors on site
Additional accessibility and care supports
Transportation information is available, including public transit options, parking and rideshare information, and a free East Bay shuttle on Friday, June 12 and Sunday, June 14. Shuttle space is limited and includes wheelchair availability.
Declaration of Independence from the Medical-Industrial Complex
On this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the National Singer Payer (NSP) movement has launched a Declaration of Independence from the Medical-Industrial Complex.
On October 14 at 8 pm Eastern, join NSP, elected officials, and candidates in a virtual National Town Hall, to declare our independence from the medical-industrial complex and demand the passage of a comprehensive, universal, national Medicare for All, free from profit.
Find a full list of our monthly program meetings on our website's events calendar.
Let’s build this movement together. Donate to SDA today!
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