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. 

Mayor London N. Breed, Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, and Treasurer José Cisneros announced that all phone calls from county jails are now free, effective today. San Francisco County is the first in the country to permanently stop generating revenue from incarcerated people and their families through phone calls, commissary markups, or other services. In providing free phone calls, the Sheriff’s Office negotiated a first-in-the-nation fixed rate contract with GTL, a jail phone service contractor, to ensure the lowest possible cost to the City and taxpayers.

“When people are in jail they need to be able to stay connected with their family without being concerned about how much it will cost them or their loved ones. Being able to stay in touch with family is always important, but it is even more critical during a health emergency like COVID-19,” said Mayor Breed. “This change is an important continuation of our efforts to reform fines and fees that disproportionately impact low-income people and communities of color. This has truly been a team effort, and I want to thank everyone who contributed to this work for their dedication and advocacy.”