We Asked San Franciscans
This article is part of The Bold Italic’s “We Asked San Franciscans” series, where we pose interesting questions to interesting readers. If you have a suggestion for a burning question we should ask, email it to us at info@thebolditalic.com.
The Biden-Harris administration will be (finally) sworn in on January 20— and then immediately contend with all of the scorched pieces that remain after the past four-year-long dumpster fire we’ve all endured.
In case you forgot: We’re in the middle of a global pandemic that’s worsening with each passing day. Climate change remains a growing threat to our very existence in this mortal coil. Millions are out of work, unable to pay rent, or both. Racism and classism are running rampant. There’s now a fucking 321-mile slotted-steel barrier between the United States and Mexico.
When looking at the panorama of problems facing our nation, it’s as disheartening as it is overwhelming to process them all at once. But needless to say: We’ve got to start somewhere — anywhere, frankly. And there’s no better Bay Area cohort to pose the question as to what the Biden-Harris administration should address in its first 100 days than our local activists, community organizers, and culture changers. After all, with Democrats controlling all three branches of government, they should be able to get some shit done.
Here’s what five Bay Area activists told us they want the incoming presidential administration to address first. Like, ASAP.
“In Biden’s first 100 days, the priority is going to have to be the pandemic. Coming out with a strong national strategy for testing and vaccine distribution is going to be critical in helping our country get through the next few months. Once that is in place, creating a roadmap for recovery that includes strong equity measures to both help those communities most impacted by the virus and to help counteract the effects of systemic inequalities that have long plagued our country would be huge.
Biden can also very quickly do as he promised and rejoin the Paris Climate Accord and the [World Health Organization], form a task force to help reunite children separated from their families at the border, get rid of the ban on transgender people serving in the military, undo the budget and funding cuts to critical health organizations that provide sexual health services including birth control and abortions, and roll back those executive orders that have weakened the Affordable Care Act.”
— Honey Mahogany, LGBTQ+ activist and first black transgender person to win an elected post in California
“I’d like to see the Biden-Harris administration move quickly to hold Trump accountable for the wreckage of the last four years — and address racism and misinformation as a national effort. Obviously, it’s vital at this point we vaccinate the population against Covid-19 and strengthen the Affordable Healthcare Act, all while we enact fair tax laws and other policies to immediately lessen the gap between the rich and the poor, including major funding for public schools. It’s important we listen to young activists to deal with climate change; this will be the world they inherit, after all.
Later down the line? Abolish the electoral college and strengthen the voting rights act. Invest in the arts. Our country is traumatized, and the arts can help heal us all.”
— Lena Wolff, Bay Area artist and activist for democracy based in the Bay Area
“These election results were a massive sigh of relief. We have spent most of this year, and the past four as well, trying to normalize our fears, anger, and anxiety. As the country celebrated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s win, we all felt the immense weight of the past four years start to float off our backs — and the first 100 days will be about starting to lift that weight off our backs We are now back at the starting gate — again — and we need to deal with the pandemic.
We need to listen to scientists, practice social distancing and mask-wearing, and continue to make small sacrifices in our personal lives that will better our community now and in the long run. But it’s important we don’t become complacent now, because we need to be ready to hold our elected officials accountable and to distinguish the awful amount of racism and financial disparities that exist in our country.”
— Juanita MORE!, renowned San Francisco drag queen and serial philanthropist
“The promise of change in America is a car crash. Loud and alarming with a detrimental impact. Too many times we hear [some] politicians reiterate issues the people have voiced but they don’t take steps to solve them. In the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris administration, I want to see true monetary aid given to Americans due to Covid-19, as many other countries put the U.S. to shame with their stimulus packages. I want to see people sentenced to prison on marijuana charges freed and those records erased. I want to see the push for and implementation of true police reformation that includes higher education and better solutions to aid the communities they serve as well as higher consequences for police brutality and corruption especially toward Black and Brown people, at the national level. Ultimately, I want to see feet carry out what lips have continuously said during the election and for this administration to work for the people.”
— Porsche Kelly, motivational Speaker and author of 2 Kinds of Fire
“Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic last March, America’s small businesses and their workers have tirelessly served our communities, meeting the many demands of the crisis with bravery and grit. As they go about laying the groundwork for their first 100 days in office, we hope that they will keep close at heart the efforts of those who power our economy and give our communities character. Over the past nine months, SF New Deal has worked with hundreds of local businesses who have collectively distributed more than 1.4 million meals to hungry people here in San Francisco. Across the board, localized solutions are best equipped to center community needs. It’s imperative that the federal government provide financial support to municipalities, rather than attempting to apply a ‘one-size-fits-all’ framework. As they consider the most effective ways to address Covid-19, we hope they’ll advance solutions that simultaneously enable efficient economic recovery while caring for the residents of our nation closest to harm.”
— Lenore Estrada, Jacob Bindman, Jenais Zarlin, and Vinny Eng of SF New Deal
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