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San Francisco's new city ID card program not only will give people such as undocumented immigrants, children who don't have school IDs, and seniors who don't have driver's licenses, a way to identify themselves, it is also expected to benefit transgender people.

The card is gender neutral, which will benefit people who have been "stigmatized for so long, this will help open the door to the community to advance in their lives," said Alexandra Byerly, a representative of El-La Program Para Trans-Latinas. "... We can go out and have this ID now and prove that we are someone."

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), who spearheaded the legislation for the program when he was a San Francisco supervisor, said it "shows the spirit of San Francisco, the heart of San Francisco. It shows we can be very, very smart about policy."

Mayor Gavin Newsom, who was not present at the January 15 news conference held to launch the program, said in a statement, "This ID card will make it easier for all San Franciscans to see a doctor, open a bank account, and enroll their kids in preschool."

Eight banks and credit unions that are partners with the city's Bank on San Francisco program will accept the ID card as a primary form of identification to open an account and cardholders can get discounts at more than 30 participating businesses.

Openly gay city Treasurer Jose Cisneros said at the press conference by having the cards and enrolling in Bank on San Francisco, people can avoid hefty fees at check cashing businesses.

Openly gay Supervisor David Campos, who represents the Mission District and came to the United States at the age of 14 as an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, said, "Our state and federal government should be doing something like this," having failed to give people the opportunity to identify themselves.

Diana Oliva of the Central American Resource Center said the card would help people who have lived in San Francisco for a long time but are unable to identify themselves when dealing with law enforcement, social services, and education.

Ammiano put the cost of the ID program at about $1 million, but said that's largely due to start-up costs. He referred further questions to County Clerk Karen Hong. An assistant in Hong's office referred questions to a spokesman for the mayor's office, who did not respond by press time.

The card, available to all city residents, can serve as proof of identity and residency with city agencies and entities receiving city funds, but it's not a driver's license and isn't designed to be used as proof of legal age to purchase alcohol or tobacco. It's also not intended to be accepted by federal agencies for federal identification.

Cards are available by making an appointment at the clerk's office, Room 168 in City Hall, or by calling the city's 311 information line.

Fees are $5 for children 13 and under, $15 for people 14 and up, and $5 for low income and adults 62 and over.

For more information, visit www.sfgov.org/sfcityidcard.

Source: http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=3657