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Residents enjoying coffee and conversation at La Promenade Caf�. |
Please join me at 11:00AM on Monday, February 10
th at La Promenade Caf� (formerly Zephyr Cafe) at 3643 Balboa St. at 38th Ave., for an opportunity to discuss important community issues and provide me with your insights about the District. I look forward to chatting with you.
For more information please contact Peter Lauterborn from my office by email at [email protected]
or by phone at (415) 554-7411.
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No appointment is necessary for kids ages 4-17 to visit
the UCSF School of Dentistry (707 Parnassus Ave)
on February 8th (9am-4pm) for free services including:
- dental screenings
- fluoride treatments
- dental sealants
For more information:
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Clement Street Farmer's Market
In June of 2013 years of effort by my office and neighborhood leaders, such as the Clement Street
The market runs on Clement Street from 2nd Avenue to 4th Avenue every Sunday from 9am until 2pm, closing off both blocks to cars (including parking). Attendance is routinely high, even on the foggy days that the Richmond District is known for.
The market features a wide range of local products, including eggs, milk, cheeses, and meats, plus children's activities, and live music. The market also provides matching dollars for "food stamp" users that make healthier food more affordable to more people. The market has been approved summer 2014.
If you have any questions or or comments about the market, please contact Peter Lauterborn from my staff at 415.554.7411 or [email protected]
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Add Murals via City's StreetSmARTS Program!
It's that time of year when Department of Public Works (DPW) and the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) begin working diligently to secure StreetSmARTS walls.
Last year, we worked with Green Apple Books to install a new mural on their Clement storefront. It's a great way to beautify the neighborhood!
| | Unveiling the murals above Green Apple Books! |
If you know of any property owners that suffer a high rate of vandalism, please let us know so that we can contact them to find out if they would be interested in being part of the StreetSmARTS mural program. It would be great to find walls in each district of San Francisco.
For the StreetSmARTS program, we look for highly visible walls which are frequently tagged by graffiti vandalism by adding beautiful murals and curbing the ugly vandalism.
The StreetSmARTS program looks for highly visible walls that are frequently tagged with graffiti. To combat the tagging, the StreetSmARTS program covers the walls with beautiful murals designed by local artists.
If you know of an interested property owner, please contact:
- Tyra Fennell (SFAC) 415-252-2597
- Gretchen Rude (DPW) 415-695-2014
- Jimmer Cassiol (DPW) 415-641-2625
In addition, the SFAC is hosting a StreetSmARTS artist information session at SOMArts on Thursday, February 6th, 6:00-8:00pm.
I invite you to contact Peter Lauterborn from my office for information on the process. You can reach him via email [email protected] or phone: 415.554.7411
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Beautiful murals hanging above the bookstore.
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Train for the American Heart Association's Half-Marathon!
 Ch eck out the American Heart Association's half-marathon training program for runners and walkers. The program starts up on 2/8, with training locations throughout the Bay Area. A modest fundraising minimum is required.
Walking is a great first step to becoming heart healthy, and the money raised will be spent on local community education, policy outreach, and medical research.
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Celebrate the Restoration of Mountain Lake Park!
After months of work, Mountain Lake Park has undergone a beautiful transformation! To celebrate this, the Presidio Trust will be holding a Volunteer Day on February 8th from 9AM - 2:30PM.
In the morning, volunteers will help to plant native plants as part of the restoration process. After lunch, other activities will be available, including guided walks around the lake.
You can find more information on the Presidio Trust website.
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Introduction of Unified Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax Measure
 | | Dr. Lawrence Cheung, myself, and Supervisor Cohen at a recent press conference for the introduction of the unified soda tax measure. |
As a father I know our families need help when they live in environments saturated with sugary drinks that are aggressively marketed everywhere children turn. And I share our collective desire to make San Francisco better for families and to continue to be a city that protects our public health and allows all neighborhoods to thrive.
Working with a broad and diverse community coalition of community leaders, parents, and medical professionals, I have introduced a unified measure to implement a tax of two cents per ounce on the distribution of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages in San Francisco at a full board meeting.
The funds from the tax -- cosponsored by Supervisors Scott Wiener, Malia Cohen, John Avalos, David Chiu -- will be dedicated to fund City and public school nutrition, health and physical activity programs that will address the impacts of diabetes, obesity and other negative health effects associated with consumption of sugary beverages.
We as city leaders have a responsibility to combat the epidemic of diseases related to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. This tax will drive down consumption of sugary beverages and provide funding for programs that improve the health of everyone in our city. To defeat the beverage industry, we are going to need a broad coalition of supporters, including at the Board of Supervisors. The support for this measure shows that we can all come together to unite around an important common cause - the health of our city and our communities.
Want to learn more or get involved? Contact my aide Peter Lauterborn by phone (415.554.7411) or email ([email protected]).
Informative links:
- Budget & Legislative Analyst Report
- SF Chronicle article
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Developing New Pro-Tenant Legislation
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Standing united at a recent tenant tenant legislation rally among fellow city tenant rights advocates and leaders.
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The Richmond/Haight Tenant Convention on January 18th brought tenants, activists, and organizers together to continue brainstorming and planning legislative and direct responses to our eviction crisis.
Among the intriguing ideas discussed and promoted at the meeting were: Monitoring and regulating tenant buyouts; mandating that existing tenants get a "right of first refusal" when a building turns into Tenancies In Common or TICs; and mandating that legalized in-law units be treated as rent-controlled units that can't be subject to Ellis Act evictions.
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Speaking in support of tenants rights at the rally!
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Along with tenant and community groups, I am following up on creating an anti-speculator transfer tax that would cut into the profit made by real estate speculators. Out of town speculators are buying property, evicting the tenants, and then flipping it quickly as TICs to make a big killing. We intend to tax a large percent age of the profit made from a sale of property if the building has only been owned for a short period of time before it is sold again.
These engaging and empowering tenant conventions will culminate in a Citywide Tenant Convention at Noon on February 8, at the Tenderloin Community Elementary School, 627 Turk Street, that will bring the best of these ideas to the Board and to the ballot in November.
For more information please contact my aide Nick Pagoulatos at (415) 554-7412 or [email protected]
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Transportation Improvements Moving Forward
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Leading a 5 Fulton Limited community meeting with Richmond District neighbors and SFMTA staff.
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2013 was a great year for transportation improvements in the Richmond District, including the successful launch of the 5 Fulton Limited! 2014 brings additional opportunities to keep the momentum going!
Rapid transit for Geary is ready to take its next step. This summer, the proposal for rapid service on Geary should be finalized. Working with transit riders, including the Go Geary coalition, we have created a proposal that preserves all parking in the Richmond, in addition to providing up to 30% shorter travel times and enhancing pedestrian safety.
The Richmond is currently the only major neighborhood in the City without rapid transit service, so I have worked hard to accelerate the delivery date for a Geary rapid transit line from 2020 to 2018. As we continue to finalize the details, please share your thoughts and suggestions with my staff.
We are also working to secure funding to improve safety for everyone by supporting the Pedestrian and Bicycle Strategies and by finding new, fair funding sources for MUNI.
For more information on these or other transportation issues, please contact Peter Lauterborn from my office by email: [email protected] or phone: (415) 554-7411.
 | Visualization of proposed rapid transit on Geary by showing a future station at 17th Ave.
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Encouraging Stronger and More Just Economic Growth
Everyday San Franciscans are struggling to survive economically. While the retail and food service industries are important employment sectors for working class residents of the Richmond District and the City, job quality in these fields tends to be very poor. Workers, a high proportion of whom are people of color, immigrants, and young people, often face low wages, part-time work, and poor or non-existent benefits.
For these reasons, I am developing legislation that will require chain stores to comply with existing "living wage" standards. They would also be required to comply with the City's higher healthcare spending and paid time off requirements.
In addition, these chain stores would have to pay a small business impact fee that would go into a small business mitigation fund, which would be used to support small businesses and level the playing field with chain stores and restaurants.
This legislation is meant to work in conjunction with the across the board minimum wage increase effort that is currently under way. I am talking with other members of the Board and with community stakeholders to make sure that such an increase is thoughtfully implemented and does not adversely impact our vital small businesses.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the grassroots campaign that raised San Francisco's minimum wage, and I intend to continue that legacy by working toward fair and just economic growth for the Richmond and for the City.
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Upcoming Transit Effectiveness Project Meeting
SFMTA Needs Your Input! The SFMTA is currently working on its Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) and would like your input. The goal of the TEP is to make Muni work better by restructuring services and changing priorities on heavily used Muni lines. For the TEP to work, the SF MTA needs community involvement. Come to the meeting on proposed service changes, which is being held at 6:00p.m. on Wednesday, February 12th at the Richmond Police station (461 6th Avenue). This meeting is a great opportunity to share your views on the proposed changes to several routes that run through the Richmond, including the 2, 28, 28L and 38L. For more information: Community Meeting on Proposed Service Changes (Routes 2, 28/28L, and 38L)
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I really want to hear from you about what we can do to make the Richmond District more liveable for everyone. Please contact me at any time, and we will get back to you very shortly.
City Hall Office:1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 284San Francisco, Ca 94102-4689E-mail: [email protected] (or, just reply to this e-mail!) Phone: 415-554-7410Fax: 415-554-7415
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