Thank You, Phil Ting

I want to take a moment to say THANK YOU to Assemblymember Phil Ting as his final term comes to an end this month.

Last month, my colleagues on the Board of Supervisors and I presented a special commendation to thank Assemblymember Ting for his incredible service to San Francisco. I was honored to recognize him in the Board chambers, and even more honored to have worked alongside him to deliver for the Richmond District and so many of our communities these past four years.

Assemblymember Ting has worked for San Franciscans for decades. In 2004, he was appointed as the San Francisco assessor-recorder by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom, serving in that role until he was elected to the Assembly in 2012. As assessor-recorder, Phil Ting conducted the country’s first study of mortgage fraud, leading to the discovery of widespread mortgage industry abuse in San Francisco foreclosures and beyond. In the Assembly, he continued his fight for everyday San Franciscans. He has passed consequential legislation over his 12 years in office:

• Advancing environmental protection laws.

• Expanding gun control measures.

• Creating LGBTQ-friendly regulations.

• Helping to rebuild trust between community and public safety agencies through expanded transparency.

• Advancing food security and access to healthy foods.

• Protecting the integrity of higher education by banning legacy admissions.

But I believe it’s his work as the California Assembly budget chair that has made the most lasting impact on San Francisco.

During the pandemic, with the rise in anti-Asian sentiment, violence and hate speech against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, Assemblymember Ting created the API Equity Budget as part of the California 2021 State Budget. California allocated $156.5 million to enable non-profits and community-based organizations to provide more resources to victims, including legal services, health and mental care, and victim compensation. We have seen this money directly impact our San Francisco communities.

In 2022, the Board of Supervisors passed my legislation to create an API Equity Fund to help acquire property or make capital improvements to expand the work of API-focused non-profits. Assemblymember Ting expanded on this work, finding state funding to amplify the API Equity Fund, further expanding Community Youth Center (CYC), Self-Help for the Elderly, Chinese Cultural Center, the API Culture Center and KulArts, the Richmond Area Multi-Services (RAMS) Center, the renovation of the Japantown Peace Plaza and so many more projects throughout San Francisco

This past month alone, we had three groundbreaking ceremonies for API Equity Fund beneficiaries – the API Culture Center and KulArts, the Bayanihan Equity Center and the Southeast Asian Development Center. All three organizations were able to find a permanent home and expand their community-serving space by leveraging local investments like the API Equity Fund with other fund sources, all thanks to the support of Assemblymember Phil Ting.

Even, and especially, in a time of budget deficits, we have to be smart with our public dollars. Assemblymember Ting had the vision to know that stabilizing our critical community services is what guarantees that our communities will have the services they need for generations to come, no matter the economic outlook.

So, while I will miss my mentor, Phil Ting, in the Assembly, we will see him everywhere in San Francisco; when we pass the Japantown Peace Plaza, seek services from RAMS, or enjoy a show at KulArts, we have Assemblymember Ting to thank. And we will continue to see his amazing investments in our community come to fruition for years to come.

I know he will continue to serve San Francisco as he has his whole career, but for now, I just want to say, thank you, Assemblymember Phil Ting, for always uniTING and fighTING for our community.

Connie Chan represents District 1 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She can be reached at 415-554-7410 or chanstaff@sfgov.org.