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Upcoming Events
Civic Center Plaza Holiday Tree Lighting 2024
The annual Civic Center Plaza Tree Lighting event returns December 4, 4-7pm! Add this fun, free, family-friendly event to your holiday calendar. Featuring festive performances led by Boxcar Theatre’s Artistic Director Nick A.
Joy to the City 2024
Don't miss this free holiday event for the whole family, hosted by Code Tenderloin and Assemblymember Matt Haney. Please see the event's website for more details and to RSVP!
Past Events
Presentation: Know Before You Vote! with the League of Women Voters
Join a representative from the League of Women Voters, San Francisco office, who will present reliable, non-partisan information on 2024 ballot measures and how to find reliable online information on your own.
October Commission on the Status of Women Regular Meeting
Join us in person or virtually for our October Commission Meeting. A preliminary agenda will be posted ten days in advance of the meeting, and the full agenda will be shared 72 hours in advance.
Visit the Commission on the Status of Women's website for more details.
Presentation: California Ballot Measures at the San Francisco Public Library
Get the total download on the California ballot measure landscape for the 2024 election from a specialized team of journalists—Emily Schultheis and Will McCarthy, newly appointed POLITICO reporters who are dedicated to covering “California’s deeply impactful ballot-measure campaigns.”
Downtown First Thursdays
On the first Thursday of every month, downtown comes alive with art, music, food, and culture. Enjoy special events, live performances, and exclusive deals from local businesses.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2024 Launch
DOSW Director Kimberly Ellis will be moderating a panel at Black Women Revolt Against Domestic Violence’s day-long summit at the Southeast Community Center. Join us for a powerful day of panels, discussions and more.
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Media
Report: Post-Dobbs abortion demand strains SF providers
San Francisco Examiner: Sept 21, 2024
The reproductive health-care system in San Francisco and the rest of the Bay Area is becoming strained, and some local women still face barriers to accessing abortion services, according to a new report.
'Free Your Mind SF’ campaign shines light on mental health awareness in underserved communities
San Francisco Bayview, October 31, 2024
In a time where conversations about mental health often fall to the sidelines, the Free Your Mind SF campaign steps into the spotlight. This groundbreaking effort combines the power of storytelling, podcasting and social media to confront the mental health challenges faced by underserved and marginalized communities head-on.
SFPD to improve lactation spaces after female officers speak out
Mission Local: Feb 9, 2024
The San Francisco Police Department laid out plans to overhaul some of the areas it has set aside for breastfeeding mothers Thursday in a Public Safety and Neighborhood Services committee hearing.
'San Francisco honored to lead the charge' for abortion rights after Dobbs
San Francisco Examiner: Feb 1, 2024
Bay Area public officials, including DOSW's Dir. Kimberly Ellis, and abortion rights advocates marked the 51st anniversary of the now-overturned Roe v. Wade by gathering this week in San Francisco and reaffirming their commitment to protecting and expanding the region’s access to women’s reproductive health care.
How SF abortion access funding was spent, one year later
San Francisco Examiner: Jul 3, 2023
Funding secured in last year’s City budget to help women access abortion in San Francisco will not be repeated in 2023, but advocates say the money bolstered work that will continue beyond this year.
Press Releases
San Francisco Bolsters Protections for Reproductive Health Clinics with New Legislation
For Immediate Release: November 19, 2024
Media Contact: Dominica Donovan, Office of Supervisor Stefani, dominica.donovan@sfgov.org
***PRESS RELEASE***
SAN FRANCISCO BOLSTERS PROTECTIONS FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CLINICS WITH NEW LEGISLATION
SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed legislation introduced by District 2 Supervisor Catherine Stefani to enhance security at reproductive health clinics citywide. The ordinance extends protective buffer zones surrounding clinics to 100 feet and explicitly defines the impersonation of healthcare workers as harassment, further reinforcing San Francisco’s leadership in safeguarding reproductive rights and patient safety.
The passage of this legislation follows a weekend of intensified hostility at local clinics where agitators attempted to intimidate patients seeking care. Supervisor Stefani condemned these actions, stating, “Access to healthcare is a fundamental right, and San Francisco will not waiver in protecting it.”
New Report Finds Bay Area Abortion Care Infrastructure is Meeting Increased Demand, but the System is Strained in the Post-Dobbs Era
San Francisco, CA – September 17, 2024, the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women (SFD0SW) and the Gender Equity Policy Institute (GEPI) released a new report, Preparing for An Uncertain Future in Post-Dobbs America: A Landscape Analysis of Abortion Care in the San Francisco Bay Area, that investigates the state of reproductive rights and abortion care in the Bay Area through focus groups, expert interviews, and data analysis.
Mayor Breed Announces the San Francisco Reproductive Freedom Act to Safeguard Access to Abortions and Other Vital Services
San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed, along with Supervisors Catherine Stefani, Myrna Melgar and Hillary Ronen, joined leaders and reproductive rights advocates today at the Planned Parenthood of Northern California to announce the San Francisco Reproductive Freedom Act, a new ballot measure put forth by Mayor Breed to ensure the reproductive freedoms and rights of women in San Francisco will remain protected as jurisdictions around the country continue to limit reproductive freedoms.
San Francisco's Inaugural Missing Murdered Indigenous Peoples Dinner
San Francisco, CA - In acknowledgment of this epidemic and in solidarity with affected families, Indigenous Justice, in collaboration with the Department on the Status of Women (DOSW), announces its inaugural MMIP Dinner, scheduled for today, Monday, May 20th, 2024, inside the Main Rotunda of San Francisco City Hall.
San Francisco’s Women’s Policy Summit Offers Glimpse into 2024 Election
San Francisco, CA - The only thing certain about the outcome of the 2024 General Election is that the intersection of gender and politics has almost never mattered more. San Francisco’s Second Annual Women’s Policy Summit - SHIFT Happens, co-hosted by IGNITE National and the Department on the Status of Women, is going to pop the hood on a range of topics around women’s activation in civic engagement and political empowerment in the lead up to the consequential 2024 elections, and will feature a diverse set of voices spanning multiple generations and expertise.
Mayor Breed on International Women's Day
San Francisco, CA – Today, Mayor London N. Breed issued a statement in celebration of International Women’s Day. San Francisco has been a City with a long history of supporting women’s reproductive freedoms and rights, equal pay, and gender inclusivity.
San Francisco Recognizing One Year of the Bay Area Abortion Rights Coalition
San Francisco, CA - Mayor London N. Breed will join Director Kimberly Ellis of the Department on the Status of Women, City and regional leaders, reproductive healthcare service providers, and community advocates to recognize the one-year anniversary of the San Francisco Bay Area Abortion Rights Coalition (BAARC) and its work to ensure access to abortion services throughout the Bay Area.
