Judicial Watch: Records Show San Francisco Prioritizes Tax Money to Black/Latino Transgenders in Guaranteed Income Program

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today it received 1,719 pages of records from the City of San Francisco showing the city prioritizes tax money for black/Latino transgenders (biological men) in a program which distributes free money to transgender individuals. The records show that the taxpayer-funded “Guaranteed Income for Trans People” (GIFT) program also allowed illegal aliens to apply; allowed people who “engage in survival sex trades” to apply; and the use of the funds by participants is virtually unrestricted.

Judicial Watch obtained the records through a November 18, 2022, California Public Records Act (CPRA) request to the San Francisco Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector for:

Records and communications regarding the application and approval process for transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and intersex individuals receiving Guaranteed Income for Transgender People (GIFT) benefits.

Records identifying the legality or constitutionality of using transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and intersex status as a factor in deciding who receives GIFT benefits.

Judicial Watch filed a follow-up request with the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector on January 10, 2023, for:

Records and communications regarding the administration of funds to participants of the Guaranteed Income for Transgender People (GIFT) benefits.

Records and communications regarding the development of eligibility requirements for GIFT benefits.

Records and communications regarding financial literacy services and workshops associated with the GIFT program.

Mayor London Breed announced the launch of the Guaranteed Income for Trans People (GIFT) program on November 16, 2022. The mayor’s office stated in a press release that the city will “provide low-income transgender San Franciscans with $1,200 each month, up to 18 months to help address financial insecurity within trans communities.”

The program began disbursing funds in January 2023.

An undated document from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, titled “Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development Pre-paid Card Policies and Procedures,” states:

Selected participants in this program will identify as transgender and extremely low-income (<30% of Area Media Income, approximately less than $28,000 per year for a household of one person). Within this population, there will be a specific focus on Black and Latinx transgender women. A monthly $1,200 stipend will be provided to participants so they may focus on their basic physical and mental health and wellness without worrying about income. Pre-paid cards are being utilized because some participants may not have bank accounts.

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[The Mayor’s Office] will purchase Pre-paid cards with funding supported by the General Fund and dedicated specifically for the Transgender Basic Income pilot program.

A March 2022 city document sets the program’s intended opening date as October 2022 and is titled “Guaranteed Income Program for Transgender People.” It details the criteria for guaranteed income eligibility and sets race and sexual identity quotas:

The collaborative leading this program will focus on a target population of low-income transgender, non-binary, gender nonconforming and intersex (TGI) individuals residing in San Francisco County. The program will prioritize enrollment and retention of BIPOC [Black, Indigenous People of Color] trans and nonbinary people who also engage in survival sex trades, living with disabilities, elders, living with HIV/AIDS, undocumented, monolingual Spanish speakers, formerly incarcerated, and unhoused and marginally housed. [Emphasis in original]

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We will work collaboratively to create equity guidelines for enrollment, centered on the reality of how racism disproportionately disadvantages BIPOC, black trans women, and undocumented monolingual Spanish speakers. The program enrollment will ensure the 55 participants is 66% BIPOC, at least 30% Black Trans Women, and at least 20% Latinx Trans Women.

Lyon-Martin Health Services will provide wrap-around peer-led services such as gender affirming primary medical and holistic care, gynecological and sexual health care, mental health services, case management, crisis response services, financial literacy training and workforce development services, and outreach and harm reduction services, to the enrollees. [Emphasis in original]

A November 2022 email chain among San Francisco government and Treasurer & Tax Collector’s Office (TTX) officials has the subject line “DRAFT — ReliaCard FAQ for GI [guaranteed income] recipients,” which includes concerns about the use of legal names (“dead” names) versus aliases (chosen names):

Thanks! This looks great. I’d like to see if we can provide more nuance and explanation around the legal name question as this will be very important for the transgender pilot. My understanding is that the city will allow a provider to enroll participants using their chosen name vs legal name and it may be very challenging for someone to put their dead name on the card. So I think we can provide more context – “when you use the card in person you may be asked to verify your id. If you don’t have id that matches the name on the card, you could be turned away.”

A February 2022 email from Kimmie Wu in the Treasurer & Tax Collector’s Office to her supervisor, Tajel Shah, details how the office hired a firm to push “diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging” training and hiring:

TTX [Treasurer & Tax Collector’s Office] has hired a firm to advance our Racial Equity initiative. TTX has budgeted for these costs. Scope of the work includes the following:

A. Executive Leadership Team Assessment and Training

1. Racial equity assessment – Assess leadership competencies in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. This assessment should be leveraged to develop capacity building and lead to clear recommendations that help leaders lead with equity in mind.

2. Customized facilitated learning sessions – Work with the varying levels of comfort and practice with concepts of structural and organizational equity including: coaching around racial equity in supervision and program delivery design, customer service, decision-making processes, communications and daily practices.

B. All Staff Training Sessions

1. Department wide training – Facilitate one to two Department-wide Racial Equity trainings for All Department Staff. The content will be based on discussions with the Core Team and the consultant assessment of the Department’s racial equity journey.

C. Restorative Justice Dialogue and Reflection

Facilitate restorative justice conversations in order to provide insight on how systemic and historic issues of racism and bias are inherently part of conversations, which is therefore limiting full participation and reflection on how work environments and systems of communication (Human Resources/Discipline/Performance) are being heard/interpreted. Garner insights from key conversations to alleviate immediate issues as well as reflect on changes to be made, which may include training.

D. Hiring, Recruitment, and Promotion Strategy

1. Address specific job classifications that lack racial diversity, including Managers, Administrative Analysts, Accountants and Auditors. The consultant shall develop recommendations for identifying barriers to application and employment within these job classifications with the aim to broaden diversity and inclusion throughout the hiring and employment cycle. Recommendations may be shared with the Central Department of Human Resources and/or Civil Service. The consultant will also interview the teams to identify group norms and biases within the sections that inhibit full participation by staff.

2. Review current hiring and recruitment policies and make recommendations to ensure they align with ORE’s racial equity framework. The consultant will make recommendations to broaden recruitment strategies to increase diversity in candidate pools.

3. Review current employee assessments tools and surveys and recommend the inclusion of questions to gauge sentiment on the department’s effort to address diversity and inclusion. The consultant will evaluate current exit interviews and recommend changes to questions to ensure a racial equity lens is applied.

4. Review any current candidate exit interviews and propose new questions to gauge sentiment on the department’s effort to address diversity and inclusion and to solicit any feedback or recommendations in this area.

E. Core Team Racial Equity Capacity Building

1. Customized learning sessions on racial equity leadership & facilitation – interactive workshops and learning sessions that build capacity to lead with equity through dialogue, analysis and reflection. The sessions should build a foundational understanding and framework for racial equity in the workplace and basic terminology and definitions. The learning sessions must help the Core Teams to push beyond this shared understanding to address topics such as: the role of team members in leading organizational antiracist changes and make recommendations to transform practices that are heavily influenced by white-supremacist culture and practices. The learning sessions should add dress the specific racial equity work to be done by the cohort within the department building on the racial equity plan.

2. Coaching, facilitation & technical assistance on racial equity plan implementation – Operationalizing the Racial Equity Action Plan as well as provide the Team with tools that help foster inclusion and racial equity across the Agency. The consultant will also provide coaching and support racial equity working groups including: barriers to hiring, supplemental questionnaires, minimum qualifications, etc.

“These disturbing new documents confirm how, among other leftist extremist policies, San Francisco is abusing tax dollars to give cash to individuals based on race and transgender quotas,” stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton

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