AGENCY SPOTLIGHT way possible .
Shamann Walton : Another example of programs that create real opportunities for career pathways is a high-level internship experience that we set up for high school juniors and seniors from zip codes 94124 and 94134 with architecture and engineering firms in the areas of Communication , Architecture , Engineering , Accounting and Government Relations . Many of the internships are with firms that bid on our projects . This program has been going on for 8 years now and we ’ ve seen some interns graduate as Civil Engineers and some working for the City and County of San Francisco . We always provide work experience opportunities , but this is really high level . Some of the young people had to travel all the way to Concord to intern with Black & Veatch and a few of the other participating firms .
Ingrid Merriwether : That in and of itself is great exposure because absent that kind of opportunity , some young people don ’ t even leave their immediate community all that often . It ’ s smart because the City is going to be spending these contracting dollars anyway , so you ’ re going to get the biggest bang for the buck when you inculcate some of these other practices that have legacy benefits . I know that you ’ re also a big advocate for building more affordable housing in your district and that seems like another avenue to achieve some of these goals around inclusivity , since general construction provides many opportunities for local hires and small local contractors . Are you happy with how inclusivity is being integrated as these housing projects come to fruition ?
Pier 70 and the
Power Station achieving 30 %+ affordability on all private sector projects , that ’ s something that we are excited about . The
Homeless Prenatal Program is going to be building an affordable housing project right next to where they ’ re located . We are working to ensure that the
Muni Bus Yard Trail RFP includes a high affordability percentage .
It ’ s important to understand that some developers and contractors do a better job of making sure that affordability is a priority . We have to do everything we can from a policy standpoint to attract those kinds of developers and contractors . I ’ m going to continue to push for affordability as much as I can because we have lost so many Black and lower-income residents in San Francisco that we need policies in place to help maintain what we have left of these communities .
Ingrid Merriwether : Making more affordable housing available so that people aren ’ t forced to leave , providing training and educational pathways to allow folks to earn a decent income , and offering programs and services to help small businesses succeed are all key components to the long-term viability of our communities .
We ’ re excited to have added some new components to the Contractor Development Program to provide additional support for our local small contractors , one of which helps address true access to working capital – the lack of which is a major barrier to their participation in public contracts . As you know , the way that the City or any public agency works , contractors have to wait a minimum of 60 days before getting paid for the work they ’ ve completed , so they have to find a way to fund the cost of performing the work out of their own pockets . For subcontractors , the wait time before getting paid can be even longer than 60 days . In our opinion , this is the single biggest factor determining the sustainability of a small
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