Past Projects (2015-2021)

Smoke Free Low Income Housing

As part of the Community Action Model (hyperlink to Community Action Model subpage), the Youth Leaders worked with local low-income properties to help expand access to affordable smoke-free living spaces. YPL advocated expanding access to healthy and affordable housing for low-income families by advocating for voluntary smoke-free policies with local owners and property managers.

Key takeaways from 2017 research

Smoke-free policies are the best way to protect residents and staff from the hazards of secondhand smoke in their homes and workplaces. Landlords in California have the right to prohibit smoking anywhere on their property because no one has a “right to smoke.”

Access to smoke-free housing should be a right for all families living in San Francisco, not a privilege, but low-income families are struggling to keep up with the city’s historically expensive housing market.
89% of surveyed low-income tenants in San Francisco support adopting smoke-free policies where they live

Minimum Pack Pricing for Tobacco Products

In 2020, YPL collected and synthesized data to gauge public opinion to advocate for policies that would protect them from Big Tobacco industry targeting.

There is a direct link between tobacco pricing and its impact on public health. When tobacco costs more, fewer people start smoking and more people quit. For example, a 10% increase in price could reduce tobacco use by up to 4%. In San Francisco that would be about 35,000 people (4% of 875,000).

YPL advocated for two strategies that would complement state and federal excise taxes: (1) a minimum price for cigarettes and other tobacco products, and (2) a prohibition on industry discounting tactics. Our youth polled 364 people in San Francisco across 20 neighborhoods, asking both youth and adults for their thoughts on price control policies for tobacco.

Out of 150 adults, 83% supported a policy restricting discounts, while 81% supported setting a minimum price for all tobacco products in San Francisco.

Out of 214 youth aged 16-24, 82% supported a policy restricting discounts, but only 47% supported setting a minimum price for tobacco products.

Conclusion

Regardless of age, ethnicity, or zip code, the majority of San Franciscans believe tobacco companies target youth and that the city should have pricing regulations for tobacco products.

We believe the difference in support for minimum pricing policy between youth and adults is due to youth being less familiar with economics and public policy than educated adults.

Underneath the above text, please embed the following video: Minimum Pack Size Policies, 2020

Undocumented Rights for San Franciscans
(2017-2021)

The Youth Policy Leaders Undocumented Rights Campaign is a youth-led initiative that creates, translates, and distributes resources and support to undocumented youth and their families in San Francisco. YPL youth leaders have roots in San Francisco’s vibrant and diverse immigrant community. Their mission is to help them find a voice through advocacy and service.

Today’s undocumented immigrant community faces an insecure future and an alternative reality in the United States, where they do not have equal access to resources and opportunities to learn and work. Although San Francisco and the State of California have additional protections for undocumented immigrants, there is still a long way to go.

The best defenses for members of the undocumented community are education and advocacy, and advocacy by documented allies. YPL youth participants are busy designing curriculum, conducting outreach, and facilitating their workshops in multiple languages to accommodate monolingual speakers.

Through the Undocumented Rights Campaign, YPL is helping some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable residents speak out, and fight for social justice.