PHDC MEMBERS' NEWSLETTER
ISSUE #77  MAY, 2015
Dear , PHDC logo

Perhaps not unexpectedly, but appallingly in light of the fabulous riches this city seems to be generating for some, our beautiful meeting venue, the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, is struggling to keep the lights on and the doors open. Because of this, they want to more than double PHDC's meeting-room rent.

The club will not be able to afford such a thing unless we expand our membership. So here's how you can help: please, consider supporting PHDC by joining us for calendar year 2015 now. Members' dues are crucial to our continued existence. Thanks.

Joni Eisen, President
Two activism ops TODAY
Expenditure lobbying is money spent to reach the public to urge them to call, write or visit City Hall on behalf of a special interest. Right now none of those costs are disclosed to the public. Ethics Commissioner Peter Keane is introducing a disclosure proposal for the Ethics Commission to place on the November ballot directly. Four commissioners would have to agree to it, and Ethics staff is trying to slow if not stop this process. PHDC ally, Friend of Ethics' Larry Bush, asks that anyone interested in good government, transparency, and the influence of big money on decision-makers please send an email in support of the intent of this, and for action for the November ballot, to: [email protected] (Paul Renne, Commission chair) and Peter Keane [email protected] Here's the memo outlining the issues, plus the draft language. If you can show up, great: Today, 5:30pm, City Hall Room 416.

Supervisor Campos's temporary moratorium on luxury housing in the Mission. Attend the SF Democratic Central Committee meeting tonight and urge them to pass a resolution in support. Build-it-all-no-matter-how-high-end groups SF Bay Area Renters Federation and GrowSF (exactly the type of group whose spending and funders the Ethics proposal above would expose) are urging people to come speak in opposition. There's a thoughtful piece in today's Examiner by DCCC member Matt Dorsey: "S.F. Democrats should support Campos moratorium."  You can also sign on to a letter of support here. Today, 7pm, 455 Golden Gate Ave.

No PHDC meeting June 2nd - why not?

We simply tried to organize the June 2nd meeting insanely late, forgetting about the holiday weekend. So we're taking a little break, and our next meeting will be Tuesday, July 7th at 7pm. At the Neighborhood House,  we hope.

See below for what's in the works for the Club.

P.S. If you want something exciting to do June 2nd - the day the Supervisors vote on the Mission Luxury Moratorium - be part of Plaza 16 Coalition's The Mission Takes City Hall Part 2!
Looking forward
Between now and the election in November, expect PHDC to be involved with and presenting: 
  • Black Lives Matter panel discussion
  • Sheriff candidate debate
  • City College update/panel
  • "Shop Local" Silent Auction & Party
  • Water/drought panel
  • Voter registration at Sunday Streets and the Potrero Hill Festival
  • Endorsement meeting with candidates and propositions pro and con
and probably more...watch for it!
June 22: Congressional Climate Message Day
U.S. CapitolTwo years ago, PHDC was the first organization in the City to endorse Citizens Climate Lobby's proposal for a carbon fee and dividend - taxing CO2 emissions at the point of entry, and returning all the money to U.S. households.Nine hundred Citizens' Climate Lobby volunteers - including yours truly - will be meeting with elected officials on Capitol Hill on June 23, lobbying for such carbon-pricing legislation to address climate change.

Our meetings can be even more successful if you contact your one Representative and two Senators the day before - June 22 - and declare your support for congressional action on climate change. You can contact your members of Congress by calling, emailing, or Tweeting them. Sign up for an email or text reminder here. Scroll down the page for legislators' contact info, and tips on what to say. Thanks!

Panel on the future of public housing on the Hill

This past Saturday PHDC co-sponsored, with Potrero Hill Archives Project, Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, and BAYCAT, Potrero Hill in Focus: What's the Future of the Hill's Public  Housing? The BAYCAT video was followed by a lively panel discussion and even livelier audience Q&A. Some questions were answered, some not. Panelists were, left to right:  (left to right in photo by Peter Linenthal) Housing Rights Committee's Dani Johnson, Hope SF's Malik Looper, SF Housing Authority acting director Barbara Smith, Bridge Housing's Emily Weinstein, and Potrero Terrace and Annex Tenant Association officers Monica Ferrey and John Smith. Moderator was Tony Kelly.
May 5th meeting followup
Erick Arguello & Edwin Lindo
Erick Arguello and Edwin Lindo of Calle 24 in the Mission described the widespread displacement of long-time residents & businesses by skyrocketing rents, and legislation introduced by Supervisor Campos earlier that day to place a 45-day moratorium on market-rate housing in that neighborhood. PHDC voted to endorse the "No Monster in the Mission" campaign, thereby joining the Plaza 16 Coalition.

 


Jacie Rowe Jacie Rowe (right), Northern California organizer for Compassion & Choices, discussed SB 128, the End-of-Life Option Act (Wolk, D-Davis, and Monning, D-Carmel), which would allow terminally ill Californians to request medication to bring about a peaceful death if their suffering becomes unbearable. PHDC passed a resolution of support and subsequently sent a letter to legislators.


This year marks a half-century of Medicare: America's universal, public health plan for seniors age 65 and up. Jonathan Meade from SEIU 1021, part of Healthy California, a coalition of which PHDC is a member, invited PHDC to join the July 30th rally in Oakland.

 


Potrero Hill Democratic Club