Episode 57: SFOEWD - Joaquin Torres

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San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development Programs

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So many of the issues that we were talking about back then that might have been considered on the fringe are front and center in every single discussion, every single article, every single news clipping story- Joaquin Torres

Our featured voice in this episode is Joaquin Torres, the former Director of the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development and the new San Francisco Assessor-Recorder. In this special hour-long episode, we wanted to focus on the City and County of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. The Office of Economic and Workforce Development is one of the City Government departments that has a unique mission of working across multiple sectors in our community from economic and community development to workforce training, community benefits, and housing. To accomplish our goal of this deep dive in this episode we feature the voice of Joaquin Torres who over the past decade-plus has been working in the center of all the intersections of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development

Joaquin Torres

Joaquín Torres was sworn in as San Francisco’s Assessor-Recorder by Mayor London Breed on February 8, 2021. Prior to his appointment, Torres served as the Director of the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development since 2018, and has led citywide efforts to mitigate economic hardships on businesses and workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, Torres has leveraged resources across City departments to create opportunities for all, expand support for small businesses and workers, build capacity and stability for locally rooted nonprofits, and maximize equitable economic and social impact for the benefit of San Franciscan communities, residents, businesses and neighborhoods. In pursuit of these goals, OEWD provides city-wide leadership and coordination for workforce development, business development, neighborhood economic development, film, small business, and development planning.

Torres is also the President of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission, leading the oversight body as the Authority and City implement a re-envisioning process to rehabilitate over 3,400 units of public housing with $750 million in improvements, leading to the transfer of ownership to affordable housing providers to best serve low-income communities.

Previously, Torres has served as Director of the San Francisco Invest in Neighborhoods initiative, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, and Liaison to the San Francisco Latino and American Indian communities and to Supervisorial Districts Nine and Eleven. He is a current participant in the Government Alliance for Racial Equity program and serves as Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.). Torres is a graduate of Stanford University and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He lives in the Outer Mission with his wife, Ruibo Qian.

San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development

OUR MISSION
The Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) advances equitable and shared prosperity for San Franciscans by growing sustainable jobs, supporting businesses of all sizes, creating great places to live and work, and helping everyone achieve economic self-sufficiency.

OUR SERVICES
OEWD’s programs are responsible for strengthening San Francisco’s many diverse neighborhoods and commercial corridors, creating a business climate where companies can grow and prosper, and ensuring a continually high quality of life for all San Franciscans.
By providing one point of contact for a variety of essential City programs and services, OEWD’s goal is to ensure that San Francisco will always be what it is today: one of the best places on the planet to live, work and play.
• Business Attraction and Retention: Attracting and retaining businesses, with an emphasis on key industry clusters.
• Small Business Assistance: One-stop resource center providing information and resources for start-ups and expanding small businesses.
• Workforce Development: Overall strategic coordination for the City’s workforce system, including implementing job training programs aimed at providing residents (particularly those with multiple barriers to employment) with access to today’s jobs.
• Joint Development: Managing major public-private development projects to maximize long-term public benefits, including affordable housing, jobs, and economic development, and open space.
• Neighborhood Development: Facilitating the revitalization of commercial corridors in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and creating Community Benefit Districts (CBD) throughout the City.
• Filming and Production: Promoting San Francisco as a film destination to filmmakers and spurring additional City revenue and jobs by attracting and facilitating film productions.
• International Trade and Commerce: Increasing international business opportunities in the City, fostering San Francisco’s award-winning Sister City program, and attracting and expanding international airlines in partnership with San Francisco International Airport.

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Videos

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“I’m very proud of the work that, so many people at OEWD are still doing today. And I know that when they look back on this time, they’re going to be very proud about what they did on behalf of the community, even though it still wasn’t enough, but it’s certainly more than government quite often is expected to do or that people anticipate is willing to do to support people. And that’s what government’s for.”

— Joaquin Torres, Director, SF Office of Economic and Workforce Development

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