March 2026 eNews
*Puede leer este mensaje en español aquí*
Dear friends,
First of all, we’re excited to report that this is our first bilingual eNews! Find the Spanish version here.
March is here and budget season is ramping up at both the state and city levels. In San Francisco, proposed budget cuts are proving disastrous for nonprofits across issue areas, and SDA is being directly impacted. We just learned from the Department of Disability and Aging Services (DAS) that they plan to eliminate our Homecare contract beginning in July — a four-year, ~$144,000/year contract that is only halfway complete. Losing this funding would be devastating, especially at this critical moment for homecare organizing. At the same time, the City has again proposed suspending the $3 million growth allocation for the Dignity Fund, which supports services for seniors and disabled people to live independently. Now is the time to come together and demand that this year’s budget not be balanced on the backs of everyday San Franciscans. Join us with the People’s Budget Coalition tomorrow, Wednesday, March 4, from 10am to 4pm at City Hall for legislative visits advocating for our 2026 budget priorities. RSVP to People’s Budget City Hall Day or email itzel@sdaction.org for more information.
At the end of February, we bid farewell to Ocean Coast, SDA’s Community Organizer who worked on housing and led the Housing Collaborative and SRO Workgroup. We will miss Ocean, but wish them the best in future endeavors, and we know they will continue to be part of the movement for senior and disability justice.
March brings with it many events and opportunities to plug into our campaigns, detailed below! Please note that we will not be having a March General Meeting, but save the date for our April General Meeting on Medicaid Defense, coming up on Thursday, April 9, 10am to 12pm on Zoom and in person (location TBD).
SDA News & Highlights
Tickets available now for Spring Into Action: SDA's 2026 Annual Celebration
Wednesday, May 20, 5:30 to 8pm
First Unitarian Universalist Church & Center of SF, 1187 Franklin St, SF
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Join us for our 2026 annual celebration and fundraiser — a variety show and social with wonderful performers from our senior and disabled communities, food and drink, and good company! We hope you will come, to celebrate SDA's work over the last year and help us raise money to continue our crucial organizing and education work in 2026 and beyond.
Please also consider joining us as a sponsor to share about your organization with our attendees and support SDA. Find sponsorship details here and email Allegra at allegra@sdaction.org for more information or to sign up.
Transit Justice Summit with Openhouse
Wednesday, March 4 & Wednesday, March 11, 11am to 1pm
Openhouse, 75 Laguna St, SF
Join our Transit Justice Workshop series, in partnership with Openhouse. The first session already happened last week, but you're welcome to join for our second and third sessions. We'll talk about what is and isn't working in our transit system, the current budget deficits, what this could mean for seniors and disabled people, the solutions being proposed, and how we can organize together to help build a transit system that works for our communities.
Registration is encouraged but not required, please RSVP to mia@sdaction.org and let her know if you have any questions or access requests.
Join our Accessible Transit Happy Hour!
Thursday, March 19, 5 to 6:30pm
Disability Cultural Center,
165 Grove St, SF
Join SDA and SF Transit Riders for a joint social! Have some light snacks and beverages in the outdoor courtyard, decorate some signs for future actions, and share conversations about how we can collectively make transit more accessible!
SFMTA Community Budget Openhouse: Come give your feedback on the Muni Budget!
Saturday, March 7, 11am to 1pm at the SF LGBT Center, 1800 Market Street
Wednesday, March 11, 5:30 to 7:30pm at the Richmond/Senator Milton Marks Branch Library, 350 9th Avenue
Thursday, March 12, 5:30 to 7:30pm, Virtual meeting online, details on how to join will be posted at SFMTA.com/Budget as they are available
Attendees can drop by at any time during the two hour in person open houses. There will be information stations with different aspects of the budget process.
SDA’s message has been clear: absolutely no service cuts! We need members to show up and echo that message. Can we count on you? If you can make it to one of these two in person meetings or the remote option, can you let Mia know you will be there? Contact mia@sdaction.org.
Mass Meeting and Training
Noncooperation: May Day and Beyond
Saturday, March 14, 9am to 3pm
Mission High School, 3750 18th St, SF
As ICE continues to kidnap and brutalize our neighbors across the country, it is crucial that we are trained and prepared to defend our communities.
Sponsored by Bay Resistance, this mass meeting and training is an opportunity to learn more about noncooperation and get prepared for a day of action on May Day. Together we will:
Build mass participation for May Day.
Take on the corporations working with ICE.
Learn skills to build our campaigns, escalate our actions, and expand our organizing.
Organize our neighbors to fight together against ICE attacks.
Build a united movement to stop these attacks once and for all!
Whether or not you have attended Bay Resistance trainings in the past, this training is the next step we need to put mass noncooperation into practice together for May Day and beyond. Find more details and RSVP to the mass meeting and training here.
Mask distribution with Masks for Equity
The Masks for Equity team created mask boxes for distribution at five SF Public Library branches — Main, Noe, Mission Bay, Western Addition, and Harvey Milk —to make high-quality masks easier to access. By offering masks at local libraries, we aim to support preventative care and, in the long-term, advocate for free citywide mask distribution.
#WeLoveMedi-Cal Valentine's legislative visits
Through our work with the Long-Term Supports and Services for All Grassroots Coalition, we brought a group of homecare workers, Medi-Cal recipients, and advocates to meet with Assemblymember Matt Haney in February. We urged Assemblymember Haney to advocate with his colleagues for revenue measures to fund Medi-Cal amid federal cuts and threats in the state budget proposal.
We will be back at the State Building in the coming weeks, to meet with other state legislators who have the power to change our budget and defend Medi-Cal. If you’re interested in advocating with us and telling your story, please connect with Itzel at itzel@sdaction.org.
Member Spotlight: Natalia
How long have you been involved with SDA and what have you been working on? What drew you to organizing with SDA?
I've been involved for about four years. I've been working on advocating for necessary services. I was drawn to the organization to learn about services available for people with disabilities.
What kinds of campaigns would you like to work on in the future at SDA? What do you want us to win in the next few years?
That we have more employment benefits for people with disabilities
What do you like to do for fun? What do you wish more people knew about you?
For fun, I like to go dancing. Something I'd like people to know is that I enjoy cooking. And I like being involved in organizations and helping out.
Community Resource Highlight: California Connect
California Connect provides communications equipment and services at no cost to persons with disabilities. This program offers a wide variety of devices designed to make communication easier and more accessible. These include:
Phones with large buttons, amplifiers, and visual signalers
One-touch dialing and other accessibility features
Hands-free dialing and speaking devices
Sound amplification tools for use in person, on the phone, or with your favorite devices
AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices, which can be especially helpful for individuals with complex communication needs.
Contact our Peer Advocates today to learn more!
Community News & Events
Alice Wong's Celebration of Life
Wednesday, March 25
11am PST via Livestream
On November 14, 2025, our beloved Alice Wong became an ancestor, and on March 25, there will be a celebration of her life. You can watch via livestream on your own, or host a gathering to watch together with your community. You can find the Alice Wong Celebration of Life toolkit here with more information on the livestream and virtual reception, and resources for hosting your own gathering. Read SDA's tribute to Alice and her legacy here.
Long Covid Defense Series III with MaskTogetherAmerica
Thursday, March 4
1:30 to 6:30pm PT on Zoom
Join Long COVID Defense Series III to honor patients and their allies who are tirelessly advocating for health justice in this historic struggle. This event consists of six Q&A sessions, which will feature an extraordinary international panel of speakers. Register here for Long Covid Defense Series III.
Find a full list of our monthly program meetings on our website's events calendar.
Let’s build this movement together. Donate to SDA today!
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