October 2026 eNews
SDA News & Highlights
We are excited to welcome Mika Bukowski to SDA as our new Communications and Operations Manager.
Mika's role is to amplify SDA's impact, activate action, and reach new supporters. She joins us from a reproductive justice organization, and she's excited to continue working toward collective liberation.
You can connect with Mika at mika@sdaction.org.
Action Alert
Our Homes, Our Rights: Action Hour for Community Integration
Our right to live in our own homes and communities is under attack, and we must act now to defend it.
Last week, a federal court approved an agreement between the federal government, Texas, and four other states that removes key community integration provisions from HHS’s Section 504 regulations. We will not allow this.
What: A virtual action hour for community integration to push CA Attorney General Rob Bonta to sign the Commitment to Community Integration for People with Disabilities.
When: Wednesday, October 14 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM PT
Where: On Zoom. Click here to register here for the event.
More info: Hand in Hand LTSS4ALL and DREDF will host an interactive Action Hour to defend the right of people with disabilities to live and receive care in our communities. DREDF Executive Director Michele Uzeta will break down the federal threats to community integration, recent developments, and what's at stake. Then, we'll take action together by calling and emailing California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
DREDF will provide everything you need—scripts, contact information, and support. No advocacy experience needed. CART and Spanish interpretation will be provided. You can share additional access requests when you register.
November Election
The stakes are high in the upcoming election—with transit, housing, and much more on the ballot. These are critical issues for seniors and people with disabilities. Your vote matters for our communities.
Click here to view the SDA voter guide
Want to take action this election season? There are many ways to get involved with our organizing teams:
Housing 🏘️
San Francisco is in a rent emergency. But tenants are organizing for change.
SDA is a member of the SF Anti-Displacement Coalition, and we’re fighting to stop evictions, lower rents, and put tenants over profit. Here's how you can help:
Click here to read our coalition's open letter to San Francisco tenants to learn what we're organizing for and how you can get involved.
Rally for tenant-led solutions to the rent emergency on Monday, October 5, 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM at 907 Valencia. See the rally details on Instagram.
More ways to get involved:
Join phone banking and door knocking opportunities with Housing Rights Committee, one of our partner organizations:
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Thursdays
Phone banking: 5:30 - 8:00 PM (Please bring your own phone)
Door knocking: 5:30 - 8:00 PM
Saturdays
Door knocking: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Location: Housing Rights Committee of SF, 1212 Market St.
Whether you can join for one shift or several, we’d love to have you participate. If you’re interested, email Maria: maria.i.zamudio@gmail.com
Transit 🚊
We are looking at severe, unprecedented consequences for seniors and people with disabilities if we do not pass Proposition H and the regional measure RTM.
For BART, the impacts we expect to see include as many as fifteen stations closing, a 63% reduction in service, a 30% increase in fares, and all servicing ending at 9pm.
For Muni, up to 20 bus lines could be cut and wait times on other Muni lines would be doubled. This means that if you typically wait ten minutes for the next bus, you would have to wait twenty minutes—and the bus would be so crowded, it would likely be impossible to find a seat. This presents a critical safety challenge for seniors and people with disabilities.
Muni would also likely eliminate the free senior and disabled passes that SDA was instrumental in securing over a decade ago. We are so close to the finish line, but it’s still a close race—and we need all the help we can get.
Here are SDA-led outreach opportunities to spread the word about Proposition H and RTM:
October 4
Flyering at Alemany Farmers Market 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Flyering at Castro Street Fair 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
October 11
Flyering at Inner Sunset Flea Market 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
October 14
Phonebanking at SDA
October 24
Flyering at Diwali Night Market
Canvassing with RTM and H Campaign
October 10
Canvassing in Sunnyside
More events will be sent out in the coming weeks.
To RSVP for transit events, please email mia@sdaction.org. You can also get more information at the Connect Bay Area Luma.
October General Meeting
We hope you will join us at our October General Meeting, where we will share important information on the upcoming election and how we can protect our vote.
What: SDA General Meeting
When: Wednesday, October 14, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Topic: We will have a training on what’s happening with the election, what we can do to protect our vote, as well as a final push on transit measures.
Where: San Francisco Disability Cultural Center (165 Grove Street, San Francisco, across from City Hall) and on Zoom
Access: The Disability Cultural Center is wheelchair accessible (all on one floor, with large bathrooms) and has an outdoor patio space where it’s possible to watch the meeting from. We will provide breakfast and lunch outdoors. Masks (KN95, N95, or better) will be required inside, and provided. Spanish interpretation will be provided. Please share any other access and interpretation requests when you register.
Click here to register for the October General Meeting.
More info: The federal administration is already changing the rules, intimidating voters, and laying the groundwork to undermine the November elections. If they deploy ICE or federal forces to intimidate voters, seize ballots, refuse to count the votes, or refuse to certify the results, we need to be ready to use noncooperation strategies to stop them.
Bay Resistance has trained 800 people to respond so far. We’ll discuss strategies we can all use. We need people to pass out flyers, make food, give people rides, wear blow up frog costumes, play music and have a party in front of a key location, and we’re working on plans for creative actions that work for all of our bodies!
Additionally, we’ll have a final push on transit measures for the election.
Photo of Tina Martin with Nancy Pelosi shaking hands
September Organizing Recaps
SDA Member Op-Ed
SDA member Tina Martin, who has relied on Muni since 1966, wrote an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle about her love of transit and why we all need to come together to vote Yes on H and Yes on RTM.
Starting a Tenant Association
Earlier this week, SDA community members joined tenants and organizers for a How to Form a Tenant Association training with the Anti-Displacement Coalition. We were excited to see so many members of the SDA community show up to learn, share experiences, and strengthen their organizing skills.
Participants practiced tools for talking with neighbors, identifying shared concerns, and forming tenant associations. They left prepared to begin organizing in their own buildings or continue building their skills to support communities impacted by landlord negligence, unsafe conditions, and other housing issues.
You can get involved in our housing organizing by joining the Housing Collaborative mailing list or contacting Eva for more info: eva@sdaction.org.
Resource Highlight
Tune Up Tuesday: Mobility Aid Repair
Join the Disability Cultural Center for a mobility aid repair event!
What: Mobility aid repair event
When: Tuesday, October 6 | 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Where: San Francisco Disability Cultural Center (165 Grove Street, San Francisco, across from City Hall) and on Zoom
Access: The Disability Cultural Center is wheelchair accessible (all on one floor, with large bathrooms) and has an outdoor patio space where it’s possible to watch the meeting from. The event will include ASL on call and captions. Masks are required inside.
More info: Liz Henry and Olga Prilepova from Grassroots Open Assistive Technology, and Vincent Lopez from the ILRCSF Wheelchair Repair Program, will be at the DCC to help give your wheelchair, powerchair, scooter, rollator, walker, or other mobility gear some love! We’ll have all the tools and accessories. Technology is power, and tech support is love!
Click here to register for Tune Up Tuesday
Member Perspective
"Volunteer Work with Every Meal"
Longtime SDA Member Tina Martin shares her perspective on plant-based eating and its connections with social justice.
Tina also shared about an upcoming event:
What: San Francisco VegFest, a joyful celebration of plant-based living that inspires people to embrace a more ethical, healthy, and sustainable way of life.
When: Saturday, November 14 | 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: Event Center of Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption (1111 Gough Street, San Francisco, CA)
Click here to read “Volunteer Work with Every Meal”
Community News & Events
Disability Night Out
What: A national day of collective presence—where people with disabilities, their families, and allies dine out nationwide, on the same day, not hidden, not waiting for an invitation, just present in public life.
When: Saturday, October 10 | 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM (your local time)
Where: Wherever you want to go, on your own terms – wherever's realistic for you is perfect.
Take your seat at the table. Thousands of us, in thousands of restaurants, all at once—a shared action that says "we're here," that will add up, restaurant by restaurant, to real accessibility improvements.
Click here to learn more about Disability Night Out
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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