San Francisco Board approves Internet service gift from Monkey Brains for COVID response

The San Francisco County government meeting held on July 4, 2025, focused on two significant resolutions aimed at enhancing community services through in-kind gifts. The first resolution proposed the acceptance of a gift of Internet access services valued at $173,400 from Monkey Brains, a local independent Internet service provider. This service, which began in March 2020 and will continue through December 2025, was provided at no cost to the city. It played a crucial role in supporting COVID-19 isolation facilities, tent sites for the unhoused, testing stations, and mass vaccination sites.

During the discussion, Supervisor Mandelmann expressed gratitude for Monkey Brains' timely response during a challenging period for the city and requested to be added as a co-sponsor of the resolution. Vice Chair Chan raised a question regarding the retroactive nature of the resolution, noting that it was being presented two fiscal years after the services began. The response indicated that the delay was due to oversight in tracking the services initiated early in the pandemic. The commitment was made to ensure that such delays would not occur in the future.

Following the discussion, the board moved to send the resolution to the full board with a positive recommendation, which passed unanimously with three votes in favor.

The second item on the agenda involved a resolution to retroactively authorize the Office of the District Attorney to accept and expend pro bono legal services valued at approximately $250,000 from the University of San Francisco School of Law's Racial Justice Clinic. This gift, funded by the Vital Projects Fund and Elizabeth Zittrain, supports the District Attorney's work in the sentencing review unit and wrongful conviction unit for the grant term from November 2021 through November 2022.

Public comment was invited for both resolutions, although no comments were received during the meeting. The meeting concluded with a call for the next agenda item, indicating a structured and efficient progression through the topics discussed. Overall, the meeting highlighted the county's efforts to leverage local resources to address pressing community needs effectively.