Supervisor Melgar 05202024 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are springing into Budget season here at the Board of Supervisors. The Mayor will be submitting her proposed budget by the end of the month. The Board of Supervisors will then review and ultimately vote on the final budget. We have our work cut out for us to balance the budget while tending to our forecasted deficit of $789.3 million over the next two fiscal years.

This is my first year serving on the Budget & Appropriations Committee. I believe the budget is a statement of our priorities. We need to focus on the basics to keep our City running as efficiently as possible. I also believe we need to be prudent in investing only in programs that will deliver long-term results for the vitality of San Francisco's future. To me, this means supporting youth and family services with proven track records and expanding quality child care to grow back our workforce. In order to ensure and equitable and encompassing budget, we would love your input.

A great way to participate in of the budget is to attend my upcoming District 7 Budget Townhall with Chair of the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Appropriations Committee, Supervisor Connie Chan. The purpose of the Town Hall is to hear from community members what they would like to see in this year’s budget, answer any questions about the budget process, and share my strategies to address San Francisco’s budget deficit. The townhall will be occurring on Monday, May 20, 2024 from 6:00 - 7:00 pm at the SF County Fair Building, 1199 9th Ave. If you do plan on attending the Town Hall, please be sure to RSVP using this link. I hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

Myrna Melgar

RSVP FOR DISTRICT 7 BUDGET TOWNHALL

Join Supervisor Myrna Melgar and and Chair of the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Appropriations Committee, Supervisor Connie Chan for the District 7 Budget Town Hall on Monday, May 20, 2024 from 6:00 -7:00 pm at the SF County Fair Building, 1199 9th Avenue. RSVP here.

D7 Budget Townhall with Supervisor Melgar

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2024 GRADUATES

You made it! To all the graduates and their families, I hope you are able to celebrate this important milestone as you walk across that stage and into your next chapter. Last week, I had the distinct honor of being a speaker at the EDvance College graduation, which offers the first accredited Bachelor's degree in early childhood studies for working adults through San Francisco State University. This is preparing the workforce of tomorrow! No matter where you are on your journey, be reminded that there is a community cheering you on and people in your corner. Never stop learning and moving towards your best potential!

TABLE OF NEWSLETTER CONTENTS

Legislative and Project Updates
Upcoming Events
News and Resources

LEGISLATIVE AND PROJECT UPDATES

WELCOMING WEST PORTAL COMMITTEE

Last week, Supervisor Melgar and Deidre Von Rock, President of the West Portal Merchants’ Association announced their appointments for the Welcoming West Portal Committee. This committee is composed of people who live, work, and visit West Portal and will review the current proposal and discuss areas for improvement.

The Welcoming West Portal Committee will include:

Kerry Riordan Sykes, a West Portal business owner and neighbor
Emmanuel “Manu” Rapaport, a transit advocate, youth, and neighbor
Cynthia Huie, President of the Small Business Commission and neighbor
Janelle Wong, Interim Executive Director of the San Francisco Transit Riders, a transit advocate, and neighbor
Will Baumgardner, a transit expert, engineer, and neighbor
Maryo Mogannam, Past President of the West Portal Merchants’ Association, President Emeritus of the San Francisco Council of District Merchants Association, and works in West Portal
Tom Kanaley, Past President of the Greater West Portal Neighborhood Association and neighbor
Ken Speilman, Retired Public Works engineer specializing in traffic and pedestrian safety and neighbor
Karl Aguilar, Co-Owner of Papenhausen and neighbor
Josh Fritsch, Co-Owner of The Philosopher's Club
Pat Dunbar, experience in transportation and design and frequent customer at West Portal businesses

The Welcoming West Portal Committee will first convene on Wednesday, May 15, at 5:30 PM and will be available to the public via Zoom here (Meeting ID: 825 748 4291 – Passcode: 394513).

VOTE ON MAY 31ST FOR

PARTICIPATORY BUDGET

PB Vote Image

If you live in District 7 and over 16 years old -- please cast your ballot for which Participatory Budgeting Projects should get funded!

Voting for Participatory Budgeting opens on Friday May 31st for two weeks! District 7 will have the opportunity to vote for 15 projects to improve the safety, beautification, and resilience of our neighborhoods.

This year’s Participatory Budgeting proposals are:

Maintenance of Westwood Park Pillars
Benches at Monterey & Gennessee
Parklet Planting Beds in Inner Sunset
Traffic Calming on Yerba Buena
Series of murals in West Portal
Traffic calming at Ulloa St, Laguna Honda, and Rockaway
Public parklet on Slow Hearst
Traffic calming on Monterey
Median planting on Marietta Drive
Picnic tables at Commodore Sloat Elementary
Playground improvements and seating at Sunnyside Elementary
Digital literacy courses for children and seniors
Repair fence at Edgehill Way
New playground at Jefferson Elementary
Renovation of Marview Way Trail

Check out this website for more information on the proposals and to cast your vote starting on May 31, 2024.

AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS INSTALLED

San Francisco is implementing a plan to install 400 Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) at around 100 intersections across the city, with the aim of addressing critical public safety issues such as organized retail theft and motor vehicle theft. These ALPR cameras, to be operated by the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), are part of Mayor London Breed's strategy to leverage technology to enhance public safety outcomes. The cameras are being deployed gradually, with the goal of having all 400 operational within the next three months. This initiative follows Mayor Breed's recent ballot measure, Prop E, which permits expanded use of technology by the SFPD, and complements the city's efforts to reduce crime rates, including a 32% drop in property crime and a 17% decrease in violent crime compared to the previous year.

The approval and installation of the ALPR cameras were facilitated by Mayor Breed's legislation introduced in November, following a $17.3 million grant from the State’s Organized Retail Theft Grant Program. The cameras will be mounted on existing pole infrastructure owned by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). The city has partnered with Flock Safety to install and maintain the cameras, with similar technology already in use by numerous law enforcement agencies across the United States, including several in the Bay Area. The ALPR technology will be used strictly for license plate recognition and assisting in criminal investigations initiated by local, state, and regional public safety departments, while ensuring privacy by avoiding facial recognition or alerts containing personal identifiable information.

LINCOLN WAY QUICKBUILD UNDERWAY

District 7 is pleased to announce that the Lincoln Way Quick Build Project is currently in progress and expected to be completed by the end of this month. The safety of pedestrians and vulnerable groups along Lincoln Way is of utmost priority to District 7. This area between the Great Highway and Arguello Boulevard is on San Francisco’s High Injury Network, which is the 12% of city streets that are accountable for more than 68% of serious injuries and fatalities. In this area from June 2017 to July 2021 there were 24 collisions involving a pedestrian and 148 collisions that resulted in injuries.

We believe residents deserve safe and efficient ways to cross city roads without feeling vulnerable while doing so. Therefore, the area stretching from the Great Highway to Arguello Boulevard will be enhanced with innovative traffic control equipment to ensure comfortable and seamless pedestrian crossing. Traffic control equipment being installed includes parking and loading adjustments, roadway and curb paint, and traffic signal timing modifications. The advantage of implementing this project as a quick build, as opposed to the typical design-bid-process, is this expedited route will utilize city crews from SFMTA, instead of contractors, to install safe hit posts and striping at new pedestrian safety zones, rubber speed bumps for left turn safety treatments, a hardened centerline between 19th and 20th Avenue, signal timing upgrades, new continental crosswalks, and daylighting. All of these improvements help create a slower secure crossing system for pedestrians along Lincoln Way, in addition to limiting conflict between walkers, bikers, and drivers along this thoroughfare. Furthermore, curb space along Lincoln Way will be used to create additional space for organizations and businesses to thrive. District 7 is committed to the well-being of our citizens and this includes implementing infrastructure, such as the Lincoln Quick Built Project to allow for secure pedestrian crossing. For more information, check out the project website.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The Ocean Avenue Community Benefit District is approaching the renewal period and the Ocean Avenue Association is considering increasing the services provided and expanding the boundaries . In order to create renewal documents that reflect the services desired by stakeholders, CivicMic and the Ocean Avenue Association need your feedback. Please join the Open House Workshop. For more information, visit the website.

CELEBRATION: WEST PORTAL BRANCH LIBRARY OPEN HOUSE

Saturday, May 25, 2024 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Celebrate the beautiful West Portal Branch and community during the annual open house with:

Face Painting with Fog City Faces 1-3 p.m.
Balloon Twisting with Magic Bubbles and Balloons 2-4 p.m.
Music Performance by Corner Laughers 2-2:45 p.m.
Button Making 1-4 p.m.
Free books for all ages 1-4 p.m.

OCEAN AVENUE WINE WALK AND ART FESTIVAL

The Ocean Avenue Association reintroduces the Wine Walk and Art Festival on May 31, 2024. This event will support small businesses and local artists while spotlighting the vibrant creativity of the Ocean Avenue Retail District. Make new friends and enjoy 6 different wines at 6 businesses and 2 restaurants serving food. In addition, each business will feature local art installations commissioned by Ocean Avenue Association for the event. For more information on tickets, click here.

NEWS AND RESOURCES

Attend the 2024 Affordable Housing Expo on Saturday, May 18th from 10:00am to 2:00pm at 1520 Oakdale Avenue in Bayview. This free event is for San Francisco renters, homebuyers, and homeowners. In addition to the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, over 40 housing agencies, community organizations and other service providers will be present to provide resources and information about affordable housing programs, eviction defense, financial planning, loan programs, foreclosure assistance and more! If you are unable to attend, there are Housing Workshops available online for both renters, homebuyers, and seniors.

Photo Credit: Nick Nye

RIORDAN HIGH SCHOOL'S

THE CRUSADER NEWSPAPER TEAM WINS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM AWARDS

We are so proud of The Crusader staff of Riordan High School for winning high ranking awards at the National High School Journalism Convention in Kansas City. Collectively, they received 7 individual awards in the National Student Media Competitions. The Crusader newspaper placed 9th in the nation for the Best of Show category. If you have not read The Crusader, be sure to pick up a copy or check out their website!

Board of Supervisors | District 7 | Myrna Melgar
District 7 Homepage

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 260
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 554-6516 | Fax: (415) 554-6516
melgarstaff@sfgov.org

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