Community Updates

By Sandra Lee Fewer

Dear neighbors,

It’s summer time! On May 16, we officially opened the One Richmond office located at 802 Clement St. More than 100 neighbors joined the #OneRichmond community that day by signing on to the pledge: In the Richmond we’re inclusive, we take care of each other, we take care of the Richmond and we shop and eat locally. If you haven’t done so already, join our community by signing on at OneRichmondSF.com. 

Be sure to mark your calendars for the next big event: the One Richmond Summer Celebration will be held on Saturday, July 13, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Argonne Elementary School (18th and Cabrillo). Just like the One Richmond community kickoff last year, this free party will feature free food, music, performances, a community resource fair filled with One Richmond opportunities, activities for kids and fun for all ages. Come do your #OneRichmond thing by joining your neighbors for a few hours of community building fun!

In the Neighborhood 

In May, I was proud to co-host the annual Richmond Community Health Festival for another successful year. More than 500 residents accessed health and dental screenings, hearing tests, measured their blood pressure, tested their blood sugar and attended trainings on disaster preparedness. Thank you to all our exhibitors for offering so many resources to the community. 

I was honored to kick off Asian Pacific American Mental Health Week with Richmond Area Multi-Services (RAMS) at its conference to address the mental health needs of our Asian population. May was also Asian American Heritage Month and City Hall celebrated with lion dancers and a community celebration. I was proud to co-sponsor legislation to recognize the participation of more than 20,000 Chinese Americans that helped build the Transcontinental Railway, which celebrated its 150th anniversary.  

I had a great time at the Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO) annual party to kick off Affordable Housing Week. Thank you to CCHO for honoring me and my office for our work to achieve a unanimous passage of the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA). We could not have done it without all of the affordable housing advocates. 

Congratulations to the Western Neighborhoods Project on its 20th anniversary celebration. I’m glad I was able to attend all of these celebrations as well as San Francisco Village’s seventh annual “Transforming Lives and Community” luncheon. They do so much to build a senior community that is connected, supported and appreciated so our aging population can live full and healthy lives; I’m so glad they have a permanent home in my district.

Many thanks to all the neighbors who got up early and joined our D-1 contingent for Bike to Work Day – thanks to the Bicycle Coalition for organizing this great annual event. Thank you also to Walk SF for launching its new program “Playground2Playground Family Walk” and organizing a lovely walk from Cabrillo Playground to the “blue boat” playground across Golden Gate Park. I had a wonderful evening at the annual SF Council of District Merchants awards dinner. Many thanks to David and Shlomit Heller for inviting me to sit at their table. Congratulations to all the awardees.

I participated in a great panel discussion on the housing affordability crisis hosted by Faith in Action at St. James Church in the Inner Richmond. It was a well-organized and well-attended event that included thoughtful dialogue from all the panelists about how we got here and what we can do to solve this issue. I also spoke to the executive board of the Planning Association for the Richmond (PAR) about all things happening in the neighborhood and inside City Hall. What an amazing turnout of volunteers we had doing their #OneRichmond thing by planting 88 trees/sidewalk gardens across the Outer Richmond with Friends of the Urban Forest. Even the atmospheric river didn’t dampen the enthusiasm and energy.

Thank you also to everyone who participated in #FewerPotholes2.0 by reporting potholes throughout the Richmond. Throughout the month of June, Public Works will be repairing all of the potholes reported by neighbors. Please report any additional potholes to Angelina.Yu@sfgov.org; let’s get ‘em filled!

Inside City Hall

Budget Season

In January 2019, I was appointed chair of the Budget and Finance Committee for the Board of Supervisors. As we head into the board’s budget season during the month of June, I am committed to a transparent and accessible budget process that works to address the priorities of both the board and the public. For information about upcoming hearings, please contact Chelsea Boilard in my office: (415) 554-7413 or chelsea.boilard@sfgov.org.

Office of Racial Equity

In May, I introduced legislation with SF Supervisor Vallie Brown to create an Office of Racial Equity, which would be the first of its kind in San Francisco. By passing this legislation, we will be following in the footsteps of dozens of cities across the country that have committed to addressing racial disparities in public health, housing, employment, public safety and more. I am so proud to have authored this legislation and I look forward to its passage.

APA Heritage Month

I was so proud to recognize our D-1 neighbor, Reverend Harry Chuck, as our honoree for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Harry is an inspiration and an institution through the decades of service and relationships he has fostered in the community. As the co-director of the powerful documentary “Chinatown Rising,” Harry is also being celebrated as a filmmaker telling the powerful stories of civic engagement and activism that has shaped an entire neighborhood and generation of movers-and-shakers.

Community Announcements

If you’re looking for a #OneRichmond opportunity, you’re invited to join us for a monthly work party on the Presidio Greenbelt. There will be opportunities for trash clean up, garden maintenance, pruning and planting. We meet rain or shine at the southwest corner of Geary Boulevard and 14th Avenue on the first Saturday of every month, from 9 to 11 a.m. Supplies, tools and gloves will be provided. For more information, please contact Naomi Hui at Naomi@richmondsf.org or at (415) 941-7765. 

Have you done your #OneRichmond thing today?

San Francisco Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer represents District 1.