Community updates

by Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer

Dear neighbors,

Happy 2019! I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and was able to spend some time relaxing and visiting with friends and family.

Please note that the 10-year extension of the Outside Lands Music Festival contract will be heard at the full SF Recreation and Park Commission meeting on Thursday, Jan. 17, at 10 a.m., at City Hall, Room 416. You can also email the commission with your comments at recpark.commission@sfgov.org.

In the district – One Richmond

Last year, we officially launched the #OneRichmond initiative after spending several months doing focus groups and surveys with neighbors to talk about what unifies us as a neighborhood. We all agreed that in the Richmond we’re inclusive, we take care of each other, we take care of the Richmond and we shop and eat locally, which is what One Richmond is all about!

We are excited to be partnering with the Richmond District Neighborhood Center to continue growing this neighborhood initiative and will have some big announcements soon, so stay tuned!

To get involved or learn more, email naomi@richmondsf.org or visit the newly upgraded website at http://www.OneRichmondSF.org.

Project Homeless Connect

In response to the growing problem of homelessness, I allocated $50,000 in this year’s budget to fund mobile homeless services from Project Homeless Connect (P.H.C.). The P.H.C. will have its red van in the neighborhood once a month to help connect our unhoused neighbors with the care they need to get back on their feet. To learn more about P.H.C., visit its website at www.projecthomelessconnect.org.

Central Richmond traffic calming

In partnership with my office, the SF Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA) will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting for the Central Richmond Neighborhood Traffic Safety Project. It will be held at the Richmond Recreation Center (251 18th Ave.), on Jan. 14, at 6 p.m. The Town Hall will provide an opportunity for community members to comment on designs proposed to improve safety for people walking, biking or being dropped off at schools in the central Richmond.

Proposed traffic safety improvements include speed humps, high visibility crosswalks and pedestrian refuge islands.

For more information, go to the website at http://www.sfmta.com/projects/central-richmond-trafficsafety-project.

Vacant storefronts

After holding a hearing on vacant storefronts and discovering that our current enforcement system is completely inadequate, I have introduced legislation to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of our vacant storefront registry.

Only 40 vacant storefronts have registered and paid a registration fee in the last 12 months despite there being thousands of vacancies across the City. My legislation removes a loophole in our vacancy ordinance, which has resulted in long-term vacancies not being registered solely because a “for lease” sign was placed in the window. It also adds a penalty fee and stricter enforcement for those who do not register.

The enforcement mechanisms in this legislation are vital to addressing our vacancy problem head on and complement ongoing efforts to streamline permitting and increase retail flexibility so our small businesses can thrive.

To learn more, contact Ian Fregosi at Ian.Fregosi@sfgov.org.

Community Opportunity to Purchase Act

In December, I introduced legislation to establish the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), an innovative policy designed to stabilize our diverse communities in San Francisco by preventing displacement and preserving affordable housing.

The legislation accomplishes this goal by granting qualified affordable housing nonprofits a first-right-to-purchase multi-family residential buildings and vacant lots for the purpose of creating and preserving permanently affordable housing.

To learn more, contact Ian Fregosi.

Office of Equity and Inclusion

My office is working to draft legislation to create an Office of Equity and Inclusion, to focus on analyzing the city and county’s hiring practices, promotional practices and job retention – and overall to understand how discrimination by race and gender impacts the city work force, as well as city services.

We are working with the budget and legislative analyst on an assessment of how other cities are addressing this issue, to help guide our local practices around equity and inclusion.

To learn more, contact Chelsea Bollard at Chelsea.boilard@sfgov.org.

Public bank for public good

For more than a year, I have been advocating for a plan to create a public bank in San Francisco that could pull local tax dollars away from large corporate banks and then reinvest them in local priorities, like affordable housing development and small business support.

In December, we heard a presentation from the SF Treasurer’s office on its progress to develop financial models towards the creation of a SF public bank, and in January that report will be finalized. I am determined to continue to advance this work in 2019.

To get involved, contact Chelsea Boilard.

Checkout-free stores; protection of customer privacy

I introduced an ordinance to address the emergence of checkout- free retail technology that utilizes video cameras and sensors to monitor customers’ movements and interest in products.

This new way of shopping has also introduced an advanced type of customer surveillance that could impact customer privacy.

We think it is important that everyone is aware of what information is gathered and how that information is used and sold.

Use of red lanes

I also held a hearing regarding the use and access of transit only red carpet lanes across the City. Currently, we see tour buses, tech shuttles and casino buses all jostling with Muni buses in our transit only lanes. As San Francisco grapples with transit reliability, we need to ensure that transit only lanes are protected for the 750,000 transit riders that depend on Muni.

My office will be working with the SFMTA to prioritize public infrastructure for public transit to address this issue.

To learn more, contact Angelina Yu at Angelina.Yu@sfgov. org.

We expect 2019 to be a busy year, but an exciting one too. As Richmond residents, I want everyone to ask themselves: “Have I done a #OneRichmond thing today?”

San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer represents District 1.