A new year is upon us and CSFN will continue offering monthly panel discussions on important issues in San Francisco.
On Tuesday, January 20 at 6:30 pm PST we are hosting a Zoom panel discussion on AWSS – the auxiliary emergency firefighting water supply system, which desperately needs expansion to more neighborhoods. Our panelists will be SFFD Chief Dean Crispen, Assistant Deputy Chief Garreth Miller, John Crabtree, and Lisa Arjes. Pre-registration required!
We love to hear from you! Please email me at president@csfn.net or bridgelady@earthlink.net and let me know when and where your neighborhood organization is meeting. I want to keep attending as many meetings as possible and continue learning about the issues in our city neighborhoods.
This map shows the existing Auxiliary Water Supply System, which was never expanded to some 15 neighborhoods in the southern and western parts of the City. Image Source: FoundSF
1906 San Francisco suffered a magnitude 7.9 earthquake causing extensive damage citywide. But 80% of property damage and 2,400 of 3,000 estimated deaths were attributable to fires raging citywide for more than three days.
In the aftermath, city leaders gathered skilled engineers and laborers to build a post-earthquake firefighting water supply that became the gold standard — the Auxiliary Water Supply System (AWSS). AWSS is a seismically resilient, high-pressure system (instantaneously and independently of pump-engines) that provides unlimited volumes of firefighting water sourced from the Pacific Ocean.
When AWSS was built, no one advocated extending it into nearly uninhabited western and southern areas of San Francisco County. But 97 years later, 2010, the Sunset, the Richmond, Seacliff, Bayview and another dozen neighborhoods had become densely populated, making questions about AWSS expansion and equal fire protection for all compelling and common sense.
In 2010, 2014 and 2020 voters overwhelmingly supported three Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response (ESER) bonds, with $312 million allocated to expand AWSS firefighting infrastructure to neighborhoods that were, and still are, unprotected.
AWSS history has been extensively reported, mostly recently by me at Though the Heavens Fall.Greed, corruption, incarcerated department heads, a shadowy ESER Management Oversight Committee, misleading Voter Information Pamphlets, an entrenched SFPUC that cannot envision building anything other than potable (drinking) water mains. And $312.5 million in bond revenues spent with ZERO AWSS hydrants and ZERO miles of AWSS pipes built.
In October, public notice for SFPUC’s 2025 Emergency Firefighting Water System (EFWS) proposal came out. The Westside Potable EFWS is a complex “co-benefit;” low-pressure-to-high-pressure post-earthquake; potable water main in lieu of AWSS. The Westside Potable EFWS is made seismically vulnerable through excessive complexity and water-source limitations (e.g. use of potable water from city reservoirs replenished from Hetch Hetchy).
Joined by Evan Rosen and Eileen Boken (SPEAK), we are pushing back against the city’s finding of “no significant impact” with an appeal to the Planning Commission calling for a full, robust Environmental Impact Review (EIR). We are developing strategies to shift focus back to AWSS expansion.
CSFN has signed an organizational and individual letter – San Francisco Neighbors for Equal Fire Protection for All – that will be unveiled after January 1st.
The Opposition Group to the 10-Story macro tower is working intensely to prepare for hearings regarding our appeals. These hearings will take place on February, 10th at 3pm with the Board of Supervisors in the Supervisors Chambers, Room 250 at the City Hall. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend!
Here is a recap about latest news about the 10-story cell phone tower proposed by AT&T in a small parking lot behind the Police Academy, 350 Amber Drive:
The Planning Commission voted 4:3 to approve the project in September 2025.
We were able to contest this decision and filed 2 appeals – CUA (contests aesthetics and safety) and CEQA (contests environmental impact) – both were accepted after a back-and-forth with signature counting.
We met with AT&T. They refused to consider alternative, less harmful, less obtrusive solutions to improving cell service for AT&T customers in the neighborhood.
Our Opposition Group has these urgent needs:
We launched a GoFundMe campaign. Our success requires that we raise at least $15,000 – $20,000 for legal expenses and to fund experts to refute AT&T’s assertions. Please donateHERE (or click / scan the QR code below).
Our opposition group needs letters from every Supervisor District in San Francisco opposing the macro tower since all 11 supervisors will vote. Here are links that take you to an easy way to contact Board President Mandelman and send your message to all Supervisors as well. CEQA messageCUA message Many of our reasons for opposing the 10-story macro tower are listed. Your messages may not mention radiation harm to people (except the CEQA message may include harm to birds/animals and flora) because of Federal Communication laws. You may personalize your messages and not use the suggested script but your message may not exceed 4,000 characters with spaces.
Let us know if you have connections to any Supervisors in order to get a meeting with them. We have contacted all the Supervisors but only have one possible meeting scheduled.
Please share this message with friends and your email lists in all Supervisor Districts. Up against AT&T is a difficult fight. We need support from all over the City.
Volunteers are needed to help with outreach, press releases, letters to the editor, advocacy, and groundwork.
Thank you in advance for your concern for keeping the whole City safe from cell towers too large to be in residential areas. If this 10-story macro tower receives approval, it is likely that AT&T will push for more macro towers in other neighborhoods.
The opposition group needs letters from every Supervisorial District in San Francisco opposing the macro tower since all 11 supervisors will vote. They are also in need of funds to pay for expert statements as they advocate against AT&T’s huge resources.
