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WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON
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RESTORING TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT FOR SAFER STREETS: On September 28, I held a hearing on traffic enforcement in San Francisco.
The City's failure to make good on our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic fatalities over the last decade is closely linked to the decline in traffic enforcement by our Police Department during that period. At a prior hearing I convened last October, we focused on data showing that SFPD had issued an average of 10 citations per day in 2022, compared to 350 per day in 2014 and 117 per day as recently as 2019. That is a 97% decline in traffic citations between 2014 and 2022.
At September’s hearing, the Police Department pointed to staffing challenges and local policies that increase the amount of paperwork that comes along with a citation, taking up time that officers could be enforcing traffic violations on the streets. I asked the Department to return to the Board of Supervisors with a strategy to increase traffic enforcement in the first quarter of 2024.
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One of the best parts of my job is getting to celebrate the vast web of individuals and organizations that make SF so wonderful. Thank you to the Castro Street Fair organizers, volunteers, vendors and sponsors for making October 1st a great day in the Castro!
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PLACING OUR CITY'S HOMELESS INTO CARE: As San Francisco continues to reckon with the mental health and overdose crises on our streets, I have worked to support the implementation of local and state initiatives to ensure that those struggling with severe mental health and substance use disorders get the treatment and services they desperately need.
This week, I called for a hearing at the Board of Supervisors regarding the current status of San Francisco’s efforts to increase the number of residential treatment beds available for people suffering from mental health and substance use disorders. At the end of September, I also introduced a hearing taking place on November 9th on the current state of our City’s longstanding Treatment on Demand policy. In this hearing, we plan to assess unmet need for treatment and press for immediately accessible substance use services for those seeking them. Learn more about these initiatives here.
Several state level initiatives I supported were also recently passed or implemented to make long overdue reforms to our behavioral health system:
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SB 43, which the Governor signed into law on October 10th, expands eligibility for conservatorship to situations where people cannot manage their medical care or ensure their personal safety. It also adds substance-use disorders in addition to mental illness as potentially disabling conditions that may lead to a need for conservatorship. This law is scheduled for implementation on January 1st, 2024.
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The Governor also signed legislation to place Proposition 1 on the March 2024 ballot that, if passed by California voters, would allow the issuance of more than $6 billion in bond funds to build or acquire more than ten thousand behavioral health beds across the state. The initiative would also update the Mental Health Services Act to require counties to use $1 billion each year on housing for those living with severe mental illness or substance use disorders.
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Lastly, as of October 1, San Francisco is one of seven counties across the state implementing CARE Court, a program that matches those struggling with untreated mental illness with a Court-ordered care plan for up to two years. CARE Court is no silver bullet, as it requires voluntary participation and is only available for individuals diagnosed with a limited category of mental illness, but is one additional tool the City can use to connect people to desperately needed treatment and services.
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Great turnout on September 24th for the 19th annual Cole Valley Fair! Thank you Sunset Mercantile for organizing and Cole Valley Improvement Association for bringing neighbors together!
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MEET WITH YOUR SUPERVISOR!
IN-PERSON OFFICE HOURS: Join me at the Castro Country Club for in-person office hours on Saturday, October 28, from 10AM-12PM! Sign up for a slot at mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org.
VIRTUAL OFFICE HOURS: Sign up for an appointment to chat with me on Saturday, November 11th, from 10AM-12PM on Zoom! Please RSVP at mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org.
GET INVOLVED IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!
District 8 is home to many active neighborhood groups that organize events for the community, lead projects to keep our neighborhoods clean, safe, and beautiful, and connect neighbors with City leaders to advocate for neighborhood priorities. Join an association or go to an upcoming local event - it’s a great way to get involved, make new friends, and change your community for the better!
Learn more about how to get involved in your neighborhood here!
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#FlashbackFriday! Celebrating Halloween in Noe Valley with Mayor London Breed, Senator Scott Wiener, and neighborhood leaders!
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CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN IN DISTRICT 8!
CASTRO HALLOWEEN: Castro Halloween is back! Join us on Castro St on October 28th from 1pm to midnight in the Castro for a costume contest hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, storefront activations, face painting, and a Castro Theatre movie marathon with some of your favorite Halloween classics!
CASTRO FAMILY HALLOWEEN BLOCK PARTY: Castro Merchants is proud to present the second-annual Castro Family Halloween Block Party and Costume Contest for all ages, including pets! Join us on October 28th from 11am-5pm as we turn Noe Street between Market and Beaver into a spooky, fun festival with trick-or-treating, photos with the Castro Wicked Witch, and more!
HAIGHT ASHBURY COMMUNITY NURSING SCHOOL HALLOWEEN: Join us on October 28th from 5-9pm at the Grattan Playground for the Haight Ashbury Community Nursing School’s Annual Halloween Party. There will be lots of spooky and fun activities planned for children and families in Cole Valley and across the City!
SANCHEZ HALLOWEEN STROLL: Join Sanchez neighbors for a daytime Halloween stroll on October 29th from 3-5pm! There will be lots of chances to get tricked for treats, and you can post your spooky attire to @slowsanchezsf for a fun Halloween prize!
TRICK-OR-TREAT FUN! Join neighbors in having trick-or-treat fun across District 8!
- Belvedere Street between Parnassus and 17th
- Chenery Street between Diamond and Elk
- Fair Oaks Street between 22nd and 26th
- Randall Street between Harper/Whitney and Sanchez
- Sanchez Street between Randall and 30th
- Sanchez Street between 30th and Whitney
- 24th Street between Church and Castro
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Introducing our newest addition to our newsletter by Marshall Kilduff, accomplished journalist and long time volunteer with our District 8 Office. Marshall will be telling the stories of District 8 community members who are going above and beyond to contribute to San Francisco!
Marshall Kilduff worked at the San Francisco Chronicle as a reporter and editor from 1971-2021. As a general assignment reporter, he covered courts, police, education, City Hall and urban affairs. He also worked as a city desk assignment editor and editorial writer. He wrote an occasional column and the weekly Chronicle Quiz in the Sunday Insight section. He is the co-author of "Suicide Cult," a book on the Peoples Temple and leader Jim Jones. He is a San Francisco native and attended Stanford University.
DISTRICT 8 SPOTLIGHT: MARIAN DALERE
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Graffiti, rushing traffic, and sidewalk cracks are everyday annoyances in San Francisco neighborhoods. Great to complain about, but too much trouble to take on for most people. Not for Marian Dalere, the Glen Park merchant leader who’s a watchful, energetic presence on her local streets.
For decades, she’s watched over the family-friendly village tucked in between Diamond Heights and Ingleside. Her day job is operating a single chair beauty salon and caring for her mother, but that’s only a start.
This month she orchestrated an art walk that drew more than 100 artists, a clean up day that enrolled dozens of volunteers, and she hosts regular meetups with the local police captain. Glen Park may be a cozy, low key place, but it takes work to maintain that homey feel.
Her sparkplug energy has taught her lessons she wants to pass on. It’s not enough to point out problems, Marian says, “you have to take the initiative.” She’s a believer in calling up city agencies, registering a complaint, or passing along a thought. She’s tapped the 311 trouble line to get seven crosswalks repainted in bright yellow stripes. She knows the City Hall aides to call to get a building inspection snag fixed. “Some people don’t know what to do. But there are steps you can take. People at the City do listen and you may get a call back,” she said.
It's an upbeat message that can seem at odds with the City’s balky bureaucracy. Sometimes she and other locals do things themselves. A volunteer crew slapped fresh paint on a vacant dry cleaner to ward off graffiti. Her merchant group and residents pressed City Attorney David Chiu to warn off a heedless bird lover who was dumping sacks of bird seed that attracted rats. On her own, she offered to move her salon to the rear of her building to house a popular cheese shop that lost its lease.
Her determination has drawn plaudits with a wall in her salon covered with photos of politicos and warmly worded commendations. The praise is deserved but it rests in the past. Marian Dalere isn’t yet done watching out for Glen Park.
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San Francisco Officials Praise Cruise Robotaxi Suspension: ‘Better Late Than Never’, San Francisco Standard
"'Thanks to the DMV for putting safety first,' said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman at a meeting of the county's transportation authority."
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Supervisors demand answers, action after SFPD reports 97% drop in traffic citations in 8 years, ABC7 News
"'I would like for us to get closer to a plan to actually have more traffic enforcement,' Mandelman said."
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Half of San Francisco Drug Users Seeking Treatment Weren’t Admitted, Data Shows: ‘It’s Scandalous’, San Francisco Standard
“'It’s kind of scandalous,' Mandelman said. 'It’s a big problem when you can’t get these agencies to be honest about what they’re failing to do.'”
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Breed wants mandatory drug screening, treatment for S.F. welfare recipients, San Francisco Chronicle
“'San Francisco has earned a reputation as a destination for people who use the most toxic drugs to come, and eventually die,' Supervisor Rafael Mandelman said. He added that he hoped the effort would make the city one where people 'able to get get sober and build a better life.'”
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San Franciscans Buy Doughnuts in Droves After Armed Robbery at Shop, San Francisco Standard
"'There's plainly lots of crews who have decided that they're going to go after San Francisco small businesses, and it's a problem,' explained Mandelman, who said he found the Monday attack at the shop alarming."
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Search goes on in SF for LGBTQ history museum space, Bay Area Reporter
"Mandelman told the B.A.R. he remains committed to seeing the city buy a site in the Castro.
'I think the museum belongs in the neighborhood. For now, we are still looking for a space in the Castro, and I remain hopeful that we will find one,' he stated."
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