Margot Smith for Assembly District 14
Thanks Margot. We need more people willing to take a stand for the citizens of California. https://www.margotsmithforassembly.com/
Why Lake Merced RV dwellers aren’t going anywhere anytime soon
By Natalia Gurevich : sfexaminer – excerpt
The new parking restrictions aimed to clear the parade of RV dwellers parked along Lake Merced’s Winston Drive are not going into effect next week as originally planned, city officials confirmed Wednesday.
The decision not to enforce new four-hour parking restrictions came after the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency decided they “were not ready,” Jennifer Fieber, a legislative aide for Supervisor Myrna Melgar’s office, told The Examiner.
The restrictions were scheduled to start next Dec. 19, with SFMTA poised to tow RVs if they were parked in one area for more than four hours, much to the frustration of the people living in the RVs around the lake…
“We are desperately looking for a safe parking site,” said Fieber. “But there’s nothing even close on the horizon.”… (more)
He was assaulted on S.F.’s streets. Why did police make him file a citizen’s arrest?
Opinion By Emily Hoeven : sfchronicle – excerpt
California’s citizen’s arrest process has significant implications for how law enforcement handles lower-level crime. And how victims are treated
Joseph Shapiro heard the screaming first.
But, as the then 68-year-old law firm administrator stepped out of a cab in front of his downtown San Francisco office one morning last October, he didn’t think much about it. He’d recently moved from Pennsylvania to a neighborhood not far from the Tenderloin, where such sounds were commonplace enough that he barely registered them anymore.
Then came the hard crack of something hitting his head — and the sudden, sharp sensation of pain in his skull and shoulder…
Dazed, Shapiro grabbed his phone and called 911. Police arrived on the scene about six minutes later — during which time Shapiro observed the aggressor continuing to scream and threaten people with a broomstick, according to a call transcript I obtained from the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management.
To Shapiro’s astonishment, however, police told him he had to sign a citizen’s arrest form for the alleged offender, identified as 45-year-old Billy Jiles Holdman III of San Francisco, to be taken into custody…
California’s citizen’s arrest process — a little-understood procedure that’s been in place since 1872 — has significant implications for how law enforcement handles lower-level crime.
Under the state penal code, without a warrant, law enforcement officers can’t arrest someone for most misdemeanor crimes unless the offense happens in their presence — or unless a witness signs a citizen’s arrest form…
In a statement, the District Attorney’s Office said, “When we are unable to get in touch with victims or witnesses, we proceed in good faith, and work to advance justice in accordance with professional and ethical guidelines.” The office added, “We only bring forth charges that we can prove.”
For Shapiro, the experience solidified “everything I’ve been hearing about street crime in this city — that it’s not being dealt with.”
“I thought when they replaced the DA … part of this was about finding somebody who was going to pay more attention to street crime,” Shapiro said. “But this happened under the new one, so …”…(more)
S.F. is charging ahead with new conservatorship law as other counties pump the brakes
By Sophia Bollag : sfchronicle – excerpt
As other counties across California plan to delay adoption of a new law that expands involuntary commitment of people with severe mental illness, San Francisco is charging ahead.
The new state law expands the group of people who can be placed into involuntary medical treatment to include people whose mental illness or drug addiction inhibits their ability to keep themselves safe. The law does not change the court process people must go through before they are compelled into treatment, which involves hearings and opportunities for people to argue before a judge that they do not need to be detained or placed in a conservatorship.
Mayor London Breed directed San Francisco departments to start preparing for the new law the day after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it. She told the Chronicle her administration plans to begin filing paperwork to put more people into conservatorships or involuntary psychiatric holds as soon as it takes effect next year.
The new law, SB43 by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, was sponsored by psychiatric organizations and other health care professionals who said it would get a small but troubled group of people off the streets and into treatment…(more)
He’s become a political influencer in S.F. Now he might run for mayor
By Joe Garofoli : sfchronicle – excerpt
Since opening shop five years ago, Manny Yekutiel has rallied patrons of his eponymous Mission District civic engagement space to raise $10 million for Democrats around the country. More recently, he helped to create the Civic Joy Fund, whose $2 million endowment is focused on revitalizing San Francisco with everything from volunteer trash cleanups to last weekend’s citywide drag shows.
Soon, though, Yekutiel may be more focused on spotlighting one particular cause: his own.
“I’m thinking about running for mayor,” Yekutiel told me. He said he will make a final decision on New Year’s Day, 10 months before voters will decide whether to reelect London Breed or go in another direction…(more)
Valencia business owners protest center bike lane
By Will Jarrett : missionlocal – excerpt
On Tuesday, some 40 protesters briefly occupied the controversial Valencia center bike lane outside Blondie’s Bar, just south of 16th and Valencia streets.
The crowd, composed of business owners, local residents, and a handful of cyclists, took turns decrying the lane as people on bikes shuffled around them. Several brandished signs calling on Jeff Tumlin, director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), to resign. The occasional car honked its support.
“We’ve been in business for 33 years, and this was the worst six months we’ve ever seen,” said Nikki DeWald, owner of Blondie’s Bar and a director of the Valencia Corridor Merchants Association. “We love bikes, but not this bike lane.”
Anger at the trial lane, which spans from 15th to 23rd streets, has been brewing since before construction began in April. Business owners have expressed frustration at the loss of roughly 70 parking spaces, and new limits on turning for cars. Some cyclists are also upset, saying that the design turns the road into a “bicycle freeway” that is difficult and unsafe to navigate.
And store owners have begun to organize: Walk along Valencia Street, and you will likely spot several pink-and-white posters emblazoned with the message, “This Bike Lane is Killing Small Businesses and Our Vibrant Community.”
Objections continued at SFMTA meeting
The Valencia Street protest was followed by an SFMTA Board meeting, where public comment was filled with frustration directed at the center bike lane. But although many voiced their objections, there was little consensus on what should be done to remedy the situation.…(more)
The housing crisis Scott Wiener created
By Tim Redmond : 48hills – excerpt
This 50 story tower planned for 2700 Sloat next to a half-empty brand new housing complex is being blamed on Scott Wiener. He is up for re-election and opposed by three people so far: Cynthia Cravens (D), Yvette Corkrean (R), and Jingchao Xiong (recent immigrant form China)
Demolitions. Displacement. And zero new affordable housing. That’s the bill the state senator got passed, and the supes have to deal with it this week.
On KQED news Sunday night, a reporter announced that “housing advocates” in San Francisco were pushing the Board of Supes to approve the mayor’s housing legislation this week.
The reporter quoted one person, from Habitat for Humanity, which is a fine organization but has never been involved in local housing politics and isn’t a member of the Council of Community Housing Organizations, which has serious problems with the bill.
Nobody from CCHO, from the Race and Equity in All Planning Coalition, or from the Anti-Displacement Coalition, made the cut…
In all of the news media coverage about the issue, there’s been little discussion about the role Wiener has played in essentially screwing his own city. But the Wiener bill, and the Newsom administration, with the apparent support of Breed, are pushing toward the point where developers will have what’s called the “builder’s remedy,” which means anyone can build anything they want, including demolishing existing rent-controlled housing, without any public input.
Breed, with the support of almost all of the local news media, is trying to blame the supes for delaying or seeking to amend her legislation. And if the supes don’t go along with everything the state is asking for, the Yimbys and the mayor will blame them when a 50-story tower that Wiener and the Breed Administration say they oppose starts construction near Ocean Beach…(more)
This is literally a case of convicted felons moving into San Francisco to take over our beachside community. (Details on sonsf.org)
KQED has lost its local charm and the respect from the community they seek to serve. They bought the “build the perfect place” Kool-Aide and spent a bundle on their new digs. Their funding and programming are suffering. Too bad they did not take a serious stab at a real discussion about the state bills that are pushing homeowners and many others to new levels of anger and disgust with Sacramento politicians. When they open their mouths words come out but the meaning is not there.
No, the supes didn’t ‘punt’ on the housing bill
By Tim Redmond : 489hills – excerpt
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… All Mandelman is seeking is some guarantee that the “streamlining” won’t open the door for giant McMansions (instead of more apartments) and some indication that housing built before 1923 can’t be demolished without a hearing.
These are not radical ideas. They will likely get strong, perhaps unanimous support. (Do any of the supes want to be on record supporting the demolition of irreplaceable Victorians that are a key part of the city’s historic legacy?)
In a normal situation, the mayor of San Francisco would be calling the governor to say: Hey, we’re doing 90 percent of what you want. Back off on the last ten percent.
Instead, Mayor London Breed is siding with Newsom, against her own city, in the interest of promoting a policy that promotes luxury housing at the expense of affordable housing.
What the supes are doing isn’t “punting” or even delaying the bill for no reason. They are following the rules, trying desperately to put some sense into the city’s complicated housing rules, and waiting just a few days for a final version…(more)
This is why many people are joining the movement to replace our state representatives and roll back the bills they passed that removed local control over our development decisions and are trying to force communities to cover the costs of expanding the infrastructure needed to support a larger population by removing development fees. The state is putting our health and lives at risk of fires and floods and environmental disasters. When banks and insurance companies leave the state it is because they feel the risk is too high. The state is gambling with our lives and it is time to put a stop to it. Join us Saturday at Livable California to find out what you can do. Register here: https://www.livablecalifornia.org/
And sign up to support ourneighborhoodvoices.com
Letter to the Editor: Anti-Environmental ‘Winter Lights Show’ in Botanical Garden
Editorial : sunsetbeacon – excerpt
Those who have recently moved to San Francisco may not be aware that the 55-acres of Strybing Arboretum were free to all comers until relatively recently, via four different gates from morning until evening. It was a great place where one could really relax and get away from urban life and meet a wide variety of people. Along with a UCSF library whose four floors were open until midnight, and a plethora of cheap food shops, this place was one of the reasons I moved to the Inner Sunset originally.
Unfortunately, wealthy people saw an opportunity for wealth and glory and, after paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to consultants such as BMWL’s Sam Lauter, privatized these 55 acres. As a result, many can no longer get in without paying; none of us can bring guests without paying; and the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society (originally the Strybing Arboretum Society) complete controls who enters, how much we pay. and what ID we must show to prove we are genuine San Franciscans and not San Franciscans exiled by skyrocketing rents to other locales. No meetings with locals and the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society have ever been held.
Gardens have been destroyed, but new commercial spaces have been developed. Taxpayers forked out $1.1 million for an imperial new fence. The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society has been granted complete control of the Japanese Tea Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers as well…(more)
Delegates at the November CSFN GA Meeting voted unanimously to oppose this and other enterprise projects that are selling public space for private gain. Perhaps it is time to talk to our leaders at City Hall about that practice that came about when the city decided to turn our public space into enterprise zones. We might also discuss how much of which services do we want to pay for. The make up mentality has made enough work and it is time to back down.
S.F. to miss state housing deadline, jeopardizing local planning control
By J. K, ]. Dineen : sfchronicle – excerpt
San Francisco is poised to miss the first deadline state housing officials have set for reforming how it approves residential development, a blown due date that could cost the city local control over how projects are entitled and permitted.
Under a set of state mandates laid out in an Oct. 25 “San Francisco Housing Policy and Practice Review,” the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, gave the city 30 days to pass Mayor London Breed’s “constraints reduction” ordinance, which would slash red tape and allow many projects to go forward without a hearing at the Planning Commission.
While that deadline is Nov. 27, the ordinance has still not had a hearing at the committee level or before the full Board of Supervisors. While it could be heard at committee next week, it would likely not be before the full board for adoption until the second week of December.
San Francisco Planning Director Rich Hillis said he anticipates that next week HCD will send a letter warning that the city is out of compliance with state housing element laws, under which San Francisco is obligated to plan to accommodate 82,000 units before the end of 2031.
After the warning, the city would then have 30 days to come into compliance, or risk decertification of the housing element, which could allow property owners to apply for “builder’s remedy” projects, allowing them to bypass all local planning review. The city could also lose out on money for affordable housing and transportation as long as its housing element is not certified.
Hillis said he is hopeful the Board of Supervisors will pass the constraints legislation in time to avoid decertification. “It’s a tight window, but I think we can get there, given the schedule,” he said…
While the penalties for not following the state mandate are severe, some members of the Board of Supervisors are pushing back. On Nov. 7, Supervisor Aaron Peskin introduced a resolution urging the City Attorney David Chiu and the “city lobbyist” to work with state officials to extend the deadlines.
The resolution, co-sponsored by Supervisor Connie Chan, also takes issue with what it calls HCD’s “singular focus on private development policies and practices, and without sufficient measures to address racial equity, fair housing practices, affordability, and displacement.”
It points out that the city exceeded its goal for market rate housing over the last eight years, but fell short of its affordable housing goals. It said that the state deadlines “require adoption and action within time periods that may conflict with or are contrary to San Francisco’s Charter and other law.”
Rushing to decertify the city’s housing element “would completely deregulate development of market rate housing and put the approximately 65% of San Francisco’s population that are renters, as well as San Francisco’s historically marginalized low-income communities and communities of color at heightened risk of displacement,” the resolution reads.…(more)