We have a number of important initiatives on this November’s ballot.  I encourage you to get out the vote on Tuesday, November 3rd or consider voting early at City Hall!  If you are voting in person on Election Day, please look up your polling location here. 

PROP A:  AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOND – YES
One of the most urgent issues facing San Franciscans is the high cost of housing. This $310 million bond would support the creation of middle-income homeownership opportunities building new moderate and low-income housing and the repair of public housing. I hope that Prop. A will be a part of the solution to the housing crisis.

PROP B:  PAID PARENTAL LEAVE FOR CITY EMPLOYEES – YES
Prop. B would make two changes to parental leave policies for city employees: Partners who both work for the city would now each be eligible for the 12-week leave benefit, and those who use parental leave would be permitted to retain up to 40 hours of accrued time off for after their leave is used. If we want families to stay in San Francisco we must support adequate paid time off for parents.

PROP C:  EXPENDITURE LOBBYISTS – NO 
Prop. C would levy new monthly reporting requirements and annual fees on any person or group that spends more than $2500 a month urging others to contact city officials in order to influence a city decision. Prop. C overreaches in targeting nonprofits and individuals, creating a penalty for their participation in the public policy-making process.

PROP D:  MISSION ROCK – YES
This measure proposes to build housing, office, retail and parks on a 28-acre portion of Pier 48 and Mission Rock, most of which is currently a surface parking lot. It would add 1,000 to 1,950 units of housing (including family housing), 40% of which will be affordable, eight acres of parks and a promise to create child care space. It would also restore historic Pier 48 and improve public access to the waterfront. The project would create a great new neighborhood for San Francisco.

PROP E:  REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS – NO 
Prop. E would require all public meetings in San Francisco to be streamed live online and to allow the public to comment remotely. It would also create a process for requiring agenda items to be heard at predetermined times. Several city departments have issued statements of concern about this measure’s ability to be implemented and its unknown and potentially high cost to the public. Although well-intentioned, Prop E could create more problems than it solves.

PROP F:  SHORT-TERM RESIDENTIAL RENTALS – YES
This measure is a response to the growing problems that we are seeing in our neighborhoods with short-term home rentals facilitated by platforms like Airbnb and Vrbo. This measure would put new limits and enforcement procedures on the platforms. Current regulations have not been enforceable resulting in thousands of housing units being taken off the rental market. The wholesale rezoning of the City that was allowed when these activities were legalized needs to be curbed. We need to ensure that fair and enforceable rules that respect our neighborhoods are in place.

PROP G:  DISCLOSURES REGARDING RENEWABLE ENERGY- NO
The proponents of Prop G are no longer supporting this measure and are backing Prop H instead.

PROP H:  DEFINING CLEAN, GREEN, RENEWABLE ENERGY- YES
Prop H is a compromise measure supported by both CleanPowerSF advocates and the Board of Supervisors. Some of the actors that have previously opposed the program are now supporting Prop H. This measure would align the definition of clean, green, renewable energy to be consistent with state law.

PROP I:  SUSPENSION OF MARKET-RATE DEVELOPMENTS IN THE MISSION DISTRICT –
NO ENDORSEMENT

PROP J:  LEGACY BUSINESS HISTORIC PRESERVATION FUND – YES
Prop J will help to preserve the many legacy small businesses that contribute to the rich culture of San Francisco.  Legacy businesses are registered with the City, are 30 years or older, and have contributed to their neighborhood’s history. This measure would create incentives for property owners to extend leases to legacy businesses and create grants to support legacy business owners.

PROP K:  SURPLUS PUBLIC LANDS – YES

INCREASING CHILD CARE

The city is facing a child care shortage that will only get worse with state budget cuts to early care and education.  Supervisor Yee introduced legislation to boost funding that will improve current child care facilities and to implement creative options to have more in-home childcare units in new developments. Supervisor Yee’s proposal will expand the child care requirement on both residential and commercial developments citywide to bring in approximately $5 million for the Child Care Facilities Fund over the next 7 to 10 years.

INGLESIDE LIBRARY GARDEN GRAND OPENING

On September 24th, we were able to present the community with the new Ingleside Library Garden (1298 Ocean Avenue).

Through an innovative partnership between our office, the San Francisco Library, Recreation and Parks, Public Utilities Commission, and the Department of Public Works, an unused piece of land was re-imagined to provide new open space to the neighborhood.

The new design offers public seating and interactive play-to-learn areas for young children.  The Ingleside Library Garden is open to the public and available for use during library hours.  We are working with the library staff and Ocean Avenue Association on upcoming events in this new space.  Stay tuned and drop by to enjoy the garden!

Ingleside Library Garden
1298 Ocean Avenue

SHARED SCHOOLYARD PROJECT COMES TO COMMODORE SLOAT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Shared Schoolyard Project is a partnership between the City, the School District, and local community members to make schoolyards accessible to the public on weekends.

Commodore Sloat Elementary is now part of the Shared Schoolyard Project. On weekends, the schoolyard will be made available to the children and families in the neighborhood offering a safe, open space to play. More District 7 schools will also be joining the initiative in coming months. For more information, please visit www.sfsharedschoolyard.org.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Alice Fong Yu Alternative School.

Alice Fong Yu Alternative School is the nation’s first Chinese immersion public school that offers a prestigious academic program for grades Kindergarden to 8th grade.

In 1984, a group of parents helped to create the city’s first Cantonese immersion program in West Portal Elementary School. With the leadership of Liana Szeto, the program blossomed and in 1995, Alice Fong Yu Alternative School was born.

The school was recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School and received a California Distinguished School Award in 2012.  Earlier this month, Supervisor Yee joined many City and State leaders to celebrate the school’s 20th anniversary with the parents, teachers, and students.

Please welcome our new District 7 Youth Commissioner, Jessica Calderon. Jessica is a resident of Parkmerced and is a student at City College of San Francisco.  Jessica also works at Project WHAT!, a youth-led organization that develops leadership skills and job opportunities for teens that have experienced parental incarceration. The San Francisco Youth Commission is a chartered body of 17 youth between the ages of 12-23 that reside in San Francisco. The Youth Commission offers recommendation on legislation that affects youth and offers policy priorities for the City’s budget.

This year, we are also excited to announce the creation of District 7’s first Youth Council. In collaboration with our District 7 Youth Commissioner, this group of young people from our district will be involved with projects and initiatives to benefit the community

Youth Council Members (left to right):
Lily Zhong (Lake Merced)
Dana Wu (Merced Manor)
Jeffrey Chin (Inner Sunset)
Chanun Ong (Miraloma)
Miriam Lustig (Forest Hill)
Alexander Yeh (Merced Manor)
Jessica Rauch (Westwood Park)
Owen Fahy (West Portal; not pictured)
Oliver York (Twin Peaks; not pictured)

These young leaders are passionate and dedicated to improving the world around them. We are grateful that they call District 7 home.

COMMUNITY FLEA MARKET

Sunday, October 18, 2015
11am-5pm, Irving St (9th/10th Ave)
Information & seller application here

Come join us at a big flea market in the street! Mingle with neighbors as you explore bargains. Or come and sell your old stuff at this fun community event.

Kids’ activities, food, and more will also be available.

ST. ANNE’S ANNUAL HARVEST FESTIVAL

Friday, October 23, 2015 to Sunday, October 25, 2015

Remember when you didn’t need electronics to have a good time?  Time for the kids to put down the tablet, get off the computer, go out of the house and have some fun– for real!

The Festival features indoor and outdoor entertainment for the whole family; old-school carnival games, live acts, outdoor Giant Slide & Obstacle Course, pumpkin patch and farmer’s market.  For the Foodies, we’ll have food trucks and gourmet meals featuring an Oktoberfest Dinner on Friday Night and a BBQ Lunch on Saturday!

COMMUNITY MEETING ON LAKE MERCED WEST (formerly operated by the Pacific Rod and Gun Club)

COMMUNITY MEETING ON COYOTES IN SAN FRANCISCO

DISTRICT 7 PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING KICK-OFF MEETING

Thursday, November 12, 2015
7:00pm
West Portal Playground Clubhouse, 131 Lenox Way

District 7’s 3rd Annual Participatory Budget is ramping up. Please join us for the Kick-Off meeting to learn more about this year’s process and to get your questions answered. 

Participatory Budgeting allows community members of our District to apply for mini-grants to improve the neighborhood. All final projects are selected by District 7 residents.

If you would like more information, please contact Matthias Mormino at Matthias.Mormino@sfgov.org.

• Children should be accompanied by adults at all times.
• Bring a flashlight to help lead the way. If possible, young children should trick-or-treat during daylight
• Be sure to always use crosswalks and to look both ways before crossing the street.
• Make costumes easily visible to drivers. Use glow-in-the dark or reflector strips to help visibility.
• Take off masks and costume pieces that impair children’s vision or mobility.
• Inspect all candy before eating. Report any suspicious candy to your local Police Station.

Friday, October, 23, 20153:00pm to 9:00pm

Join us for Scaregrove, our wild Halloween event at Sigmund Stern Grove, on Friday, October 23, from 3 to 9 p.m.  This family-friendly event features carnival rides, a haunted house, costume parade, live entertainment, food for sale and more!  Cost is $8 per person; children under 2 are free.  Generously sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and Zynga.org, with support from Recology and the Stern Grove Festival.