San Francisco Chronicle: "A Voice of Reform"

In a recent editorial about the City Charter amendment process, the San Francisco Chronicle referred to me as "a voice of government reform." You can read the entire editorial here. 

San Francisco Weekly Profile

This week, the San Francisco Weekly did a cover story about my work on the Board.

Scott with students from the Children's Day School at the launch of Giant Sweep, an anti-litter campaign launched by the City and the San Francisco Giants.

Policy Work 

Soft Story Retrofit Legislation Introduced  

I recently introduced legislation, which I'm co-sponsoring with Mayor Lee and Board President David Chiu, which will require mandatory seismic retrofitting of certain soft-story buildings. These retrofits are essential for preserving our housing stock in a major earthquake. If these buildings collapse in an earthquake, many people will be displaced.  Moreover, when the buildings are replaced with new construction, the units will no longer be rent-controlled.  The legislation applies to all soft-story wood frame buildings three stories or higher, with five or more residential units, and constructed before 1978. This works out to somewhere between 2,800 and 3,000 buildings, which house approximately 58,000 residents. The next big earthquake will come - it's not a question of if - and we need to take steps to minimize damage and displacement.

Scott with children from a local daycare who came to his City Hall office to deliver Valentines (see below)

HIV Budget Hearing

I recently called for a hearing, along with my co-sponsor Supervisor David Campos, on the budget picture for HIV services in San Francisco, including federal and state budget cuts and how we as a city can compensate for these cuts in our local budget. Ensuring continued funding for HIV services is critical to our health as a city. Last year, I fought hard to restore $7 million in federal HIV cuts in our city budget, and this year I will do the same. The hearing will occur at the Budget Committee in the next month or so.

Tenancy-In-Common Reform Legislation 

I'm co-sponsoring, with Supervisor Mark Farrell, tenancy-in-common (TIC) reform legislation, which will provide relief to TIC owners who are caught in the condo lottery and facing significant financial hardship.  The legislation was heard in committee on January 28 and will be heard again on February 25.  Negotiations are underway to achieve a compromise that can pass at the Board of Supervisors. Under the legislation, TIC owners who are in the condo lottery - and to be eligible, a building must be owner-occupied and cannot have had any Ellis Act evictions - can pay a $20,000 fee per unit and convert to condos. These accumulated fees, which are estimated to be in the millions, will be used as a dedicated revenue source for affordable housing development. Only buildings that are already in the lottery can participate in this legislation.  About 85 % of the units at issue are owner-occupied, and the small number of tenants who live in the units will automatically receive lifetime leases - i.e., they cannot be evicted except for the usual causes under rent control and cannot have their rent raised more than rent control allows.

To read my statement about the legislation, including misinformation being circulated about it, click here. To read my editorial in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, click here.

Street Furniture Hearing 

Better Market Street Hearing

The Better Market Street Plan is a visionary effort to transform Market Street east of Octavia Boulevard and to make it the inviting and vibrant street it should be and used to be.  The Plan has had a number of delays, and it was recently announced that bike access may be altered, with a focus on biking on Mission Street instead of Market Street. As a result, I called for a hearing to receive an update on the plan and its timing, as well as these recent changes. 

Twin Peaks Tavern Named Historic Landmark
Recently, the Board of Supervisors passed legislation that I sponsored declaring Twin Peaks Tavern a historic landmark. I invited the owners of the Tavern to join the ceremony where Mayor Ed Lee signed this into law. As the first known gay bar to feature full length open plate glass windows, the Twin Peaks Tavern has been a visible beacon in the LGBT movement for over 40 years.  Today it is a gathering place where everyone joins together to celebrate our community. Congratulations to the Twin Peaks Tavern for this great honor.

Scott with the owners of the Twin Peaks Tavern and City officials as Mayor Ed Lee signs the Twin Peaks Historic Landmark legislation into law.

Community Updates   

Public Safety Meetings and Hearing

Recent crime trends in the district are of great concern to me and to many others.
On January 28th, I held a public safety meeting for the Castro/Upper Market area where representatives from Mission, Park and Northern Police Stations, the District Attorney's Office, SF Safe, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and community organizations discussed crime trends and prevention strategies.  On Tuesday February 19th, I will be convening a similar meeting for the Noe Valley and Glen Park neighborhoods. The meeting will take place at Horace Mann Middle School at 7:00pm. For more details, please contact my office at (415) 554-6968.  I also held a hearing on street and transit robberies -- especially those related to smartphone and tablet robberies - at the Board of Supervisors. At this meeting, the police, Muni, and the District Attorney's Office reported on the uptick in this type of robbery, on our streets and on our trains and buses.

Scott speaking at the Castro Street Design workshop on January 23rd.

Scott with Residents for Noe Valley Town Square members Todd David, Peter Gabel, Leslie Crawford, Nisha Pillai, Christopher Keene, and Kate Sherwood

The much-anticipated renovation of Dolores Park is finally moving forward.  After nearly a year of environmental review, Recreation and Park staff presented a slightly revised design to the community at a February 6th open house.. The lack of significant changes after a year of environmental review is a testament to the thoughtfulness and balance of the community's design plan.  It also speaks to the inspired work of the project team. Under the phased construction plan, the project will take place in two six month stages beginning in Fall 2013.  For the first six months, the southern half of the park will be rehabilitated, with the northern half remaining open.  In the second stage, beginning Spring 2014, the northern half of the park will be rehabilitated, with the southern half open.  The new Helen Diller Playground will remain open throughout construction.    

Scott with Donna Sachet, Lawrence Crickenberger, and Josephine Lott at an event honoring Stu Smith for his work as Board Chair of Shanti

Scott at the African-American Read-In at Fairmount Elementary School

Scott with President of the Glen Park Merchants Assocation Ric Lopez. who won an award from the Council of District Merchants Association

Discover Hidden Staircases of the Castro with WALK SF

Saturday, February 21

10:00am-12:00pm

Mollie Stone's Market

Neighborhoods are part of our daily lives. At the heart of every neighborhood are its people, and at the heart of each person is a home. Who are the people who built San Francisco's neighborhoods?  What held the neighborhood together?  What happens to a neighborhood when people are struggling?  How do we rebuild a neighborhood? To discuss these issues and more, join a breakfast discussion led by Charles Fracchia, Founder and President Emeritus of the SF Museum and Historical Society and David Baker, Architect and Urbanist at David Baker + Partners. For more information on the February Breakfast including how to purchase tickets, click here.

Scott at the ALRP 30 Years of Justice from the Heart Campaign Kickoff Party with Bill Hirsh of AIDS Referral Panel. To find out more about the campaign go to www.alrp.org

Students can run to represent their peers on the School Board. Applications are due February 22 at 5:00 pm. Current Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors can apply. For more information, click here or contact Judson Steele at SteeleJ1@sfusd.edu or 314-1225

District 8 Friends of the Urban Forest Planting

Saturday, February 23rd

9:00am-1:00pm

3720 23rd Street (at Dolores)

Please join me at this neighborhood tree planting where, with the help of Friends of the Urban Forest, we will be planting street trees in the district. Friends of the Urban Forest helps individuals and neighborhood groups plant and care for street trees and sidewalk gardens in San Francisco. This "green infrastructure" improves the city by beautifying neighborhoods, cleaning the air, raising property values and reducing polluted stormwater runoff. Since 1981, FUF has planted more than 47,000 trees, totaling 43% of San Francisco's street tree canopy.

  

Chinese New Year Festival and Parade

Saturday, February 23rd

6:00pm-8:00pm

Starts at Market Street and 2nd Street

A San Francisco tradition since just after the Gold Rush, the parade continues to delight and entertain the many hundreds of thousands of people that come to watch it on the street or tune in to watch it on television on KTVU Fox 2 or KTSF Channel 26. Nowhere in the world will you see a lunar new year parade with more gorgeous floats, elaborate costumes, ferocious lions, exploding firecrackers , and of course the newly crowned Miss Chinatown U.S.A. and her court.

  

Scott and Supervisor London Breed