According to a report by the City Economist, our entertainment and nightlife industries generate $4.2 billion a year, which provides a substantial economic value-- in addition to the cultural value-- to our city. This week, the Land Use and Economic Development Committee approved my legislation to enhance our nightlife and entertainment industries. Specifically, the legislation will simplify permitting for venues (e.g., cafes, art galleries) that want to use a DJ before 10 p.m., allow limited outdoor music in plazas and courtyards, enhance and expand the enforcement powers of the Entertainment Commission, and address enforcement of excessive noise by street performers in areas like Union Square. These are important changes to the Police Code that will foster better access to responsible nightlife, while ensuring that bad actors are appropriately handled and brought into compliance. This legislation will go to the full Board for a vote next week.

Scott with the 2nd grade ballet class at McKinley Elementary

Every election, voters receive a voter guide in the mail filled with important information about the upcoming election, including legal texts associated with each ballot measure. Most of the time, these texts consist of 1-4 pages. However, in our upcoming election, the referendum on 8 Washington will have 500 pages of legal text associated with it, which will cost the city upwards of $1.75 million to print and mail (the Department of Election estimates that each page in the voter guide runs about $3500.)  In order to avoid having these phonebook-sized voter guides sent to every registered voter in San Francisco, I've introduced an ordinance that will allow the Department of Elections to omit any legal text that exceeds 20 pages from the mailed guides. These materials, per my legislation, will be required to be available online, in every branch library and by mail free of charge to any voter who requests it. This legislation will ensure voters continue to have access to all the information they need while avoiding the waste of city resources.

In the early 1990s, the Mission Special Use District (MSUD) was created in response to the proliferation and clustering of problem businesses serving alcohol in the Mission. Controls within the district placed restrictions on alcohol sales and the transferring of liquor licenses. However, the unintended consequences of these restrictions have led to, among other things, freezing in place the very businesses that MSUD intended to address while preventing productive establishments, such as the Roxy Theater, from thriving. To address this, I've introduced legislation -- along with Supervisor David Campos -- to update alcohol controls in the Mission District that support businesses that contribute to the vitality of the commercial corridors while strengthening controls to protect against negative businesses. The area affected by this legislation includes significant Mission District commercial corridors such as Mission Street, Valencia Street and 24th Street. The legislation will also limit conversions of retail spaces to restaurants on a limited stretch of Valencia Street. This legislation will allow neighborhood grocery stores, which currently are barred from selling alcohol, to sell beer and wine; improve the ability of business owners to repair, renovate and make their stores compliant; and allow bars and liquor stores to move within the district, which they currently cannot do without losing their license. In addition, to address the proliferation of restaurants on Valencia Street, the legislation will require that any restaurants planning on moving into retail space on Valencia Street between 15th and 24th Street will have to go to the Planning Commission for approval. These updated controls aim to continue to protect the Mission from the proliferation of negative businesses, while allowing the neighborhood to continue to flourish as the cultural and culinary mecca it has become.

My CEQA Appeals legislation, which will clarify and improve our current chaotic and opaque CEQA appeals process by setting clear and predictable timelines for filing appeals, continues to go through the legislative process as it works its way towards the full Board of Supervisors. My legislation has broad support from various good-government, neighborhood, transit, affordable-housing, and labor organizations. It has also been endorsed by the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Examiner, and the Bay Area Reporter. Both the Planning Commission and Historic Preservation Commission have recommended it. The legislation will be heard at Committee next week, and at that point Supervisor Kim's alternate legislation will also be ripe for a vote. At that point, with both measures before the committee, I'm hopeful that a decision will be made on which legislation to send for the Board for a vote.

Scott with friends, including Supervisor London Breed, at his birthday. (Photo courtesy of Rink Foto)

The legislation that I've sponsored - along with Supervisor Mark Farrell - has been sent to the Land Use Committee for a hearing on new amendments that have been drafted that will hopefully lead to a resolution on this legislation to provide much needed relief for TIC owners, while still maintaining the rights of the few tenants in units that are converted.  A few weeks ago, several of my colleagues (David Chiu, Norman Yee, and Jane Kim) made a first set of amendments that would allow the bypass to go forth only if controls were placed on the future lottery, including a ten-year moratorium on conversions, an increase in owner-occupancy requirements and a ban on the future conversions of 5 and 6 unit buildings.  My concern with these amendments was that we could create a scenario where current TIC owners made a financial decision based on a certain set of circumstances, only to find that the rules had changed on them.  I don't want to trap any current owners who invested in their homes from ever being able to convert.  I'm hoping with the second round of amendments, I will be able to vote to support this much needed relief for struggling TIC owners.

Pedestrian Safety Hearing

Sidewalks and street conditions in many of our neighborhoods don't have the capacity to safely carry our pedestrian traffic. We need to focus on implementing pedestrian safety projects to improve our streets, like the sidewalk widening on Castro Street and the bulb-outs and pedestrian plaza at Dolores and Market. However these projects often get tangled up by outdated codes and interagency bureaucracy. To combat this, I've introduced pedestrian safety legislation that will be heard in a few weeks at the Land Use and Economic Development Committee. This legislation consists of four parts: an ordinance that mandates interagency coordination by creating a centralized Street Design Review Committee; an accompanying resolution calling for city agencies to modernize street code provisions, better coordinate their efforts around public projects, and formulate clear procedures to do so; an ordinance making it easier for developers to build pedestrian safety projects and gift them to the city; and an ordinance amending the Fire Code to ensure that pedestrian safety projects are not unnecessarily impeded by the code's definition of minimum street width.

This week we held our first community meeting to discuss the new plans for Noe Courts. Up for review are plans to renovate the bathrooms - which have already been funded through the 2008 Parks Bond - and a broader strategy to improve the park, part of which will be funded through a grant secured by the Friends of Noe Courts. At the community meeting last night, representatives from Rec and Park and DPW described the bathroom project and presented maps on the current conditions of the park. After this, meeting attendees broke out into working groups so that neighbors could share their ideas and hopes for the park. There will be another meeting in about a month when City staff will return with concept plans drawn from last night's community suggestions. For those who want to find out more about the project, you can contact the Recreation and Parks Department project manager Marvin Yee at [email protected].

To celebrate Small Business Month, Supervisor Katy Tang sponsored legislation that the full Board passed, to provide assistance to small businesses seeking to replace their store awnings and signs. Under this legislation, awning replacement and pedestrian level lighting permits for small businesses will be waived for the month. For more information, please contact the Department of Building Inspections at (415) 558-6088 or visit www.sfdbi.org.

Summer is almost here. Once again, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department offers summer programs with hundreds of classes for the entire family, including Zumba and fitness classes, singing and dancing for adults 55 and older, and swim lessons for kids. You can register by going to www.SfRecOnline.org or visiting the McClaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park (831-6800) or one of the neighborhood registration sites, including at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, the Harvey Milk Center for the Arts, the Randall Museum, and the Upper Noe Recreation Center.

Small Business Week at the Board of Supervisors
 This week at the Board of Supervisors, I honored the owners of the Castro bars QBar, Midnight Sun, The Edge, and the soon-to-open Beaux.  These owners -- Tim Eicher, Jeff Eubanks, Rob Glijum, Rob Cotterman, and John Bellemore -- have been great business owners who have brought new energy to the neighborhood bar scene and have been generous community partners. I applaud them for their success.

Scott with owners and employees of QBar, Midnight Sun and The Edge.

Community Events

NERT Training

The San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) is free training from the San Francisco Fire Department in how to help yourself and your neighbors prepare for and respond to a disaster by working together. The 20-hour training taught by First Responders includes personal preparedness, light search and rescue, disaster medicine, shutting off your utilities, and how to participate as a member of a neighborhood response team. NERT also offers continuing training for graduates and activities that support building robust neighborhood teams. For more information, visit the NERT website at http://sfgov.org/sffdnert, or contact Lt. Erica Arteseros at (415)970-2022 or [email protected].

The Castro CBD's Annual Social is a great opportunity to talk with your friends, neighbors and colleagues about all the changes happening in the Castro! Meet your CBD's Board of Directors, learn about improvements to the neighborhood and meet community leaders. For more information, contact Andrea Aiello at [email protected] or (415) 500-1181.

BLISS will feature both a live and silent auction, entertainment that includes Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Spencer Day, and the dance company Na-Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu. The funds from this event directly support Maitri Compassionate Care programs. Maitri provides compassionate residential care to men and women in need of hospice or 24-hour care and cultivates the deepest respect and love for life among its residents and caregivers

In honor of Harvey Milk's birthday, the GLBT History Museum will be offering free admission to all visitors and providing special Milk-related productions and materials. Docent tours of the museum highlighting the life and times of Milk will be offered every hour on the hour. Teachers, professionals, and student groups can schedule tours for students by contacting [email protected].

Books Inc. is hosting a special reading event at their Market Street location. "An Archive of Hope" assembles in one volume a substantial collection of Harvey Milk's speeches, columns, editorials, political campaign materials, open letters and press releases. In attendance will be the editors of the book Jason Edward Black and Charles E. Morris III, Milk's former speechwriter Frank Robinson, and his photographer and friend Danny Nicoletta.

 

Scott riding down Market Street on Bike to Work Day

At EVNA's public meeting, there will be a panel discussion on crime in the Castro, a presentation by DTNA President Pat Tura on the new Formula Retail guidelines, and presentation by representatives of Chipotle on their plan to move into the former Home Restaurant space, as well as from opponents of the project.

Neighbors to Valencia Gardens have voiced concerns about violence and safety issues on the surrounding streets, including Guerrero Street. To discuss these concerns and strategies being employed to combat them, please join me, neighbors and representatives from the Police Department, the District Attorney's Office, the Housing Authority, Mission Housing and the property managers of Valencia Gardens at the Baha'i Faith Center on May 30th.

Betsie Miller-Kusz removing the graffiti on murals on Market Street.  Betsie is the original artist of these beautiful murals.

Come join me for a fundraiser at Hi Tops to benefit the Dyke March. There will be a suggested minimum donation of $20 at the door which will include drinks and food for two hours. For more information contact Dana Gleim at [email protected].

My office and the UCSF Department of Dermatology are hosting a free skin cancer screening day at the Castro Mission Health Center. Insurance and appointments are not required. UCSF fully ascribes to the Americans with Disabilities Acts, so if you require accommodations please contact the Community and Government Relations Office at (415) 476-3206 or at [email protected].

Glen Park BART Parking Lot (Bosworth and Diamond)

The Glen Park Farmers' Market runs every Sunday from March 31st to November 24th. Click here for more information.  
 

Noe Valley Farmers' Market

24th Street (between Sanchez and Vicksburg Streets)

The Noe Valley Farmers' Market is a year-round California certified farmers' market operated primarily by community volunteers and run in partnership with the Noe Valley Ministry. Click here for more information.

Scott at a Giant Sweep event with City staff

Learn how to ride a bike, practice road safety, develop good traffic skills, bike while pregnant, bike with your child/toddler and much more. Workshops fill up quickly and are offered throughout the year.  Click here for more information

Friday, June 7th
10:00am-12:00pm
City Hall, Room 274
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102

Saturday, June 8th
10:00am-12:00pm
Cafe XO
1799 Church Street
San Francisco, CA 94131