June 2012 Newsletter Office Phone: 415-554-6968 Email: scott.wiener@sfgov.org Website: www.scottwiener.com For more regular updates, follow me on Facebook and Twitter:  
Join Supervisor Wiener's SF Pride Contingent! Please join me for the 42nd SF Pride Parade this Sunday, June 24th! See below for the updated day-of details, including date, time and location: Date: Sunday, June 24th Time: 10:00am-1:00pm Location: Main Street (between Market and Mission Streets)* *Please note updated location Friends, families, children and pets are all encouraged to join in the festivities! Please click here to sign-up, and feel free to call the office at (415) 554-6968 with any questions you may have.  | |
Scott's contingent marches up Market Street in the 2011 Pride Parade.
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My Policy Work Budget Update: HIV Funding, Police Academy Classes On June 1, Mayor Lee submitted his proposed budget to the Board of Supervisors. As a member of the Budget Committee, I am now deeply involved in the process of reviewing and finalizing the budget. Mayor Lee, to his credit, proposes to back-fill the entire $7 million federal cut in HIV care and prevention services to the City. I'm extremely grateful to the Mayor for doing this. Mayor Lee also is proposing funding 6 police academy classes over the next two years. This is a huge step forward, since we are in significant danger of a sharp decline in police officers in San Francisco. In the past few years, our department has declined from 2,000 to 1,750 officers, and if we don't hire new officers within the next few years, that number may go down to under 1,300. That would be a disaster for public safety in San Francisco, and I strongly support a robust police academy program in the coming years. And, the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) is proposing a significant increase in maintenance funds, with lack of maintenance being a significant contributor to Muni's inadequate performance. These are all positive signs for our budget. Small Property Owners and Parking Tax: Streamlining the System Unbeknownst to many small property owners, if you rent out a parking spot or two to non-tenants, you are required to pay parking tax. Parking tax applies to any rental of parking spots to non-residents, whether hourly or monthly and regardless of the number of spots. (Parking tax doesn't apply when a landlord rents a spot to a tenant who lives in the building.) It appears that the vast majority of small property owners who rent out spots to neighbors or friends do not pay this tax. Recently, the Treasurer/Tax Collector has commenced enforcement actions against small property owners, sometimes resulting in significant back tax liability in addition to penalties and interest. In addition, the City makes it overly complex to pay the tax, given that the City doesn't distinguish between a homeowner renting out one spot and the Fifth and Mission Garage; all are treated like the latter. To pay the parking tax, you have to fill out a lot of paperwork, purchase a bond, get fingerprinted at the Hall of Justice, pay the parking tax monthly, and pay an annual fee of approximately $1,000, which may be significantly more than the parking tax owed. My legislation, which applies to residential property owners who rent up to 5 parking spaces to people who don't live in the building, will dramatically simplify the parking tax payment process. It eliminates the $1,000 fee as well as the bonding and fingerprinting requirement. It also requires payment of the tax quarterly instead of monthly and requires a simple form rather than complicated paperwork. The legislation also provides a partial amnesty, to encourage people to come forward and begin complying. During the amnesty period, people who begin complying will be required to pay no more than two years of back taxes and will not have to pay interest, penalties, or back fees. This legislation will accomplish the goal of increasing compliance with the law and making it easy for people to do so. Helping TIC Owners: Condo Lottery Bypass Thousands of tenancy-in-common (TIC) owners are struggling in San Francisco, and they need help. San Francisco allows 200 units (approximately 55 buildings) to condo convert each year. Many TIC owners bought their units believing they would be able to convert in 5 or 6 years. It turns out it may take 15 or 20 years to convert. These TIC owners are struggling. Many are under water, they can't refinance, and their interest rates they are much higher than other homeowners. Because TICs tend to be more affordable than condos, many TIC owners are first-time buyers and middle class. Last week, I joined Supervisor Mark Farrell to introduce legislation to provide relief to TIC owners, while protecting tenants. The legislation will allow TICs that are eligible to be in the lottery - i.e., meeting a threshold for being owner-occupied, not having certain kinds of past evictions, such as Ellis Act evictions, and so forth - to pay a significant fee ($20,000 per unit) to bypass the lottery and to convert. The money will be dedicated to affordable housing. Eligible TICs are primarily owner-occupied, but any tenants residing in these buildings will receive lifetime leases. In the regular condo lottery, tenants in the buildings receive a one-year lease and only receive a lifetime lease if they are senior or disabled. This legislation is more protective in providing lifetime leases to all tenants, regardless of age or disability. Everyone - tenants, TIC owners, and others - deserve housing stability. This legislation will help.  | |
Scott, Supervisor Campos and Supervisor Olague are joined by advocates
to restore federal cuts to HIV/AIDS funding.
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Focusing on our Streetlights Streetlights are a key part of our infrastructure. They improve public safety by preventing crime and accidents, and they make streets livable and walkable at night. Our streetlight system, which is maintained in part by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and in part by PG&E, is aging and has significant needs. Lights frequently fail, and it takes too long to repair them. In addition, our streetlight system is primarily focused on lighting roads for cars instead of lighting sidewalks for pedestrians. When a street has a street tree canopy, that may result in the light not reaching the sidewalk. Several weeks ago, I convened a hearing on the subject - including PUC, PG&E, 311, and various other agencies - to discuss the state of our streetlight system, to understand the complaint and repair process, and to evaluate how to improve the system. The hearing was very informative and articulated a number of improvements that can occur soon, including better record-keeping, faster response to outages, and a better focus on replacing street-focused lights with pedestrian-focused lights. I'll continue to work on this issue with the various agencies, with a goal of improving the system for everyone. Adoption of Regional Transportation/Housing/Jobs Plan As a member of the regional Metropolitan Transportation Commission - the 16-member body that oversees much of the transit planning and funding in the Bay Area - I was involved in the long-term planning process for the future of transportation, housing, and jobs in the Bay Area in coming decades. In May, we adopted the plan, which will help guide us in our transit investments and ensuring that housing and job development are transit-oriented so that we don't exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions. I look forward to implementation of the plan, focusing on maintenance of our existing transit system, and making smart investments for expansion of the system. Police Code Cleanup: Repealing Outdated Provisions We pass many laws in San Francisco, addressing the needs of our City. At the same time, we need to continually evaluate our existing laws and amend or repeal those that no longer serve our needs. Last week, I introduced legislation to repeal six outdated provisions in the Police Code. For example, it's currently illegal to tie a dog to a streetlight or street tree, the code sets the price (ranging from 25 cents to a dollar) for carrying luggage for people in different parts of the city, and the code prohibits vendors from selling food inside another person's restaurant or bar even with the permission of the owner. Repeal of these laws is overdue. Improving Taxi Service Since taking office, I've prioritized working with the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) to improve taxi service in San Francisco. We have an inadequate number of cabs, our dispatch system is disorganized, and the system's technology isn't where it needs to be. Last week, I convened the quarterly hearing on taxis that I began calling last year. At the quarterly hearing, MTA described what it had been doing over the past few months to move forward with improved cab service. MTA is currently conducting a demand study to determine how many additional cabs are needed. MTA has also been making improvements in credit card payments and other aspects of the system. Although I continue to be frustrated with the slow pace of improvement, I am cautiously optimistic that we are moving in the right direction. Understanding the Needs of our LGBT Seniors The Board of Supervisors recently passed legislation I authored (along with my colleagues Supervisors David Campos and Christina Olague) to require an analysis, with policy recommendations, of the needs of our growing LGBT senior population. This process will help us understand, for example, how to cope with a growing senior HIV-positive population, how to ensure that senior facilities and programs are sensitive to the needs of LGBT people, and how to address the fact that LGBT seniors are less likely to age without the support of adult children. The application process for the task force that will do this work is likely to begin in early to mid-July. If you know of good candidates, please let my office know.  | |
Scott presents a commendation at the Noe Valley Merchants & Professionals Association awards.
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Caring for our Urban Forest I continue to be involved in efforts to improve how we approach maintenance of our urban forest. I don't like the fact that property owners are expected to maintain street trees that they may not have planted, may not want, and may not know how to care for properly. Our park trees also have significant needs. The Urban Forest Master Plan is about to be released, and I'll be holding a hearing on the plan after its release. This will help move us in a good direction in terms of rethinking how we care for our city's trees. Click here for recent coverage on the subject. Ensuring Access to Medical Cannabis: Asking the Feds to Stop Interfering For more than a decade, medical cannabis has been legal in California. San Francisco has a strict zoning and regulatory system for medical cannabis dispensaries. For years, the federal government cracked down on these dispensaries despite their compliance with California and San Francisco law. President Obama, in 2008, stated that his administration would not go after dispensaries that comply with state law. Recently, however, the federal government has done just that and threatened the very existence of medical cannabis in San Francisco and California. I joined my colleagues Supervisors Campos and Olague in authoring an op ed asking the President to reverse course. Puppy Mills: Encouraging Adoption from Shelters and Responsible Breeders San Francisco's shelters have many dogs available for adoption. In addition, there are many responsible breeders in the area. However, many dog owners unintentionally purchase dogs that come from puppy mills, where dogs are bred in awful conditions. I worked closely with the SPCA to craft a resolution, which the Board of Supervisors adopted, encouraging people to carefully investigate the source of dogs they are considering purchasing and to avoid puppy mills. I look forward to continuing to work with the SPCA and others to educate the public about this important issue. USS Harvey Milk and Harvey Milk Plaque: Resolution Passed and Plaque Restored! I'm proud to hold Harvey Milk's seat on the Board of Supervisors. Although there will never be another Harvey Milk, I know it's important for me to keep him and his values in mind as I work to improve San Francisco and our neighborhoods. You may recall that last year, someone stole the Harvey Milk biographical plaque at Castro Muni Station. Last month, as part of Harvey Milk Day festivities, we unveiled the recreated plaque. The Board of Supervisors also adopted a resolution I authored to support a Congressional request to the Secretary of the Navy to name a naval vessel "U.S.S. Harvey Milk." Harvey Milk was a naval veteran of the Korean War and although he was opposed to the Vietnam War, he understood the importance of military service as an option for young people. Particularly given the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, moving this request forward with support in San Francisco is very appropriate.  | |
Scott unveils the recreated plaque at Harvey Milk Plaza.
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Community Updates
Tragic Murder in Diamond Heights Last week, Diamond Heights resident Steven "Eriq" Escalon was murdered in his home on Diamond Heights Boulevard. The police are aggressively investigating the murder, and few details are publicly available at this point. I'm in close contact with SFPD about the crime and investigation. Below is a photo of a flier with additional information. Please make sure to contact the police if you have any knowledge that would help the investigation.
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SFPD flier seeking information about Eriq Escalon's death.
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Parks Update Graffiti at Dolores Park and Duboce Park I recently had the honor of helping cut the ribbon on two exciting park projects, specifically, the new Dolores Park Playground and Duboce Park Youth Play Area. These new, beautiful facilities will help make our parks kid-friendly and keep families in San Francisco. Both facilities are tremendously popular. Unfortunately, almost immediately after the playgrounds opened, they were vandalized, including with graffiti. I find this totally unacceptable, and we need more consistent law enforcement action against taggers. It also points to the need for more park patrol officers. Rec & Park currently has almost no park patrol staffing for its many citywide safety needs. We need to prioritize this staffing during the budget process. Parks Bond I continue to help lead the parks bond toward the ballot. The bond has capital funding for many important projects, including playgrounds, dog play areas, replacement of failed irrigation systems, recreation center rebuilds, and grants for community-driven projects. I look forward to working to move this critical bond forward.  | |
Children play at the Duboce Park Youth Play Area.
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Pink Triangle Installation - Volunteers needed!
Volunteers are needed to help install the huge one-acre Pink Triangle for Pride Weekend on Twin Peaks. Help is needed to both set it up on June 23rd in the morning - and/or - take it down on June 24th in the late afternoon. Even just an hour on either day (or both) will be a huge help!
Set Up:
Pink Triangle - Installation
Saturday, June 23rd
Installation from 7:30am-10:00am
Commemoration Ceremony at 10:30am
Take-down after parade:
Pink Triangle - De-installation
Sunday June 24th
De-installation from 4:30pm-8:00pm
Volunteers: Bring a hammer and gloves. Wear closed-shoes, sandals are not recommended. Wear sunscreen. Fashionable Pink Triangle Tee-shirts will be provided to all who help.
To sign up, please contact Patrick Carney at (415) 726-4914 or pat724car@gmail.com
Click here for more information Duboce/Valencia Fire Relief On May 6th, there was a 4-alarm fire in the apartment buildings on the corner of Valencia Street and Duboce Avenue in San Francisco. Sadly, 37 residents lost their homes and many of them are having a difficult time finding replacement housing. Nearby neighbors and other community members worked with the Community Living Campaign to set up a collection fund for fire survivors that will go directly to the displaced residents. To donate, please click here. Click here for more information Mission Beacon Awards Mission Beacon Community Center located in Everett Middle School is starting summer with an exciting program. The Beacon's program is filled with experiential field trips and project based learning. In July, the Beacon will be taking 10 inner city youth on a college tour to Washington D.C. Visits will include Georgetown and Howard Universities. Mission Beacon was acknowledged for their commitment to youth development. Loco Bloco presented the Mover and Shaker award and SF State La Raza Student Organization recognized the Beacon for their outstanding efforts to provide a safe and welcoming environment to San Francisco youth.  | |
Mission Beacon students enjoy a day of sailing!
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