Mayor London N. Breed, the San Francisco Superior Court, and Treasurer José Cisneros today announced the launch of MyCitations—a new online tool for people struggling with traffic court debt. The launch of the tool is part of a citywide effort to alleviate the disproportionate adverse impact of fines and fees on people with low incomes and communities of color.

Traffic citations in California can exceed $400. If people cannot pay, a civil assessment of $300 can be added to people’s citations. Research from the Federal Reserve shows that about half of Americans are unable to pay an unexpected emergency expense of $400. The MyCitations tool allows people to look up their traffic citations online, answer a series of simple questions, and submit a request for a possible reduction on the amount owed based on their financial need. In addition to requesting a fine reduction, people can also use MyCitations to request a payment plan, more time to pay, or community service. Using MyCitations can also save people an in-person trip to San Francisco Traffic Court.

As COVID-19 infection rates increase in San Francisco and around the Country, Treasurer José Cisneros encourages San Franciscans to pay their property taxes online and on-time at sftreasurer.org. Paying online or by mail will protect San Franciscans from the spread of COVID-19. The first installment of property taxes is due on December 10th, 2020.

San Francisco collects more than five billion dollars annually from property taxes, and these funds go right back into the San Francisco community, funding essential services like schools, first responders and public hospitals.

“We are eight months into the COVID-19 pandemic, and with cases again on the rise, I want to remind all San Francisco taxpayers that the safest way to pay property taxes is online from the comfort of home,” said Treasurer José Cisneros. “Our online tax payment system is safe, secure and easy to use, and there is no fee if you pay by e-check. Please call 3-1-1 to get assistance with using our online system or to find another safe way to pay.”

Mayor London N. Breed and Treasurer José Cisneros today announced San Francisco will provide $2.5 million in support for entertainment and nightlife venues in the form of additional fee and tax waivers. These businesses have been in large part unable to open due to COVID-19 and need assistance now. Waiving license and business registration fees and taxes for these businesses is part of Mayor Breed’s efforts to support San Francisco’s economic recovery, as is aligned with the policy recommendations from the Economic Recovery Task Force.

“We need to do more to support those businesses that contribute to San Francisco’s unique and vibrant culture, which is a cornerstone for our economic recovery as a city,” said Mayor London Breed. “As we recover and keep up our progress on reopening, we want to make sure these businesses are still around to bring music, performances and excitement, as well as provide jobs for so many. Entertainment and nightlife are such an important part of why people live and visit our city, and we hope these additional fee waivers reduce some of the financial stress they’re experiencing.”

Treasurer José Cisneros and Public Defender Mano Raju applaud Governor Gavin Newsom’s passage of The Families Over Fees Act through signing Assembly Bill 1869, a first-in-the-nation bill to end the harmful and costly collection of 23 administrative fees imposed against people in the criminal legal system. The bill takes statewide reforms first enacted in San Francisco to eliminate “high pain, low gain” fees that pile debt onto people who cannot pay it, drive people deeper into poverty, and create barriers to their successful reentry.

“Charging very poor people fees to cover our government’s administrative costs makes no fiscal sense. These Californians have already paid their debt to society, and by eliminating this debt burden, we are providing vulnerable communities with a real second chance,” said Treasurer José Cisneros, who founded  The Financial Justice Project to assess and reform how fines and fees impact San Francisco’s low-income residents and communities of color.