Supervisor Melgar 06212023 Newsletter

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

As we step into the month of June, it's time to celebrate some incredible milestones that shape our vibrant community. This edition of our newsletter is dedicated to the joyous occasions of Juneteenth, Pride month, and the budget season in San Francisco.

But first, let's talk about the District 7 participatory budgeting vote that is currently open until June 26! This is your chance to have a direct impact on how our city's resources are allocated to improve our neighborhoods. Your voice matters, and we invite you to cast your vote and be a part of the decision-making process.

Throughout June, we will reflect on the significance of Juneteenth, acknowledging the progress we've made and the work still ahead. Let's honor the resilience of those who fought for justice and celebrate the ongoing journey towards racial equity.

We have an extraordinary legacy of San Francisco as a trailblazer in LGBTQ+ rights that is being threatened by hateful groups. We must uplift and joyfully celebrate the inclusivity and acceptance that make our city truly special while fighting back against bigotry. Join me as I march in the PRIDE parade on June 25!

And of course, let's not forget budget season! It's our chance to shape San Francisco's future by allocating resources to meet the needs of our diverse community.

Our collective efforts will make our community even brighter, more inclusive, and a place we're all proud to call home.

Warm regards,

Myrna Melgar

TABLE OF NEWSLETTER CONTENTS

Vote in District 7 Participatory Budgeting
Legislative and Project Updates
- Promoting Housing on Commercial Corridors
- Supporting Economic Recovery - Small Business Streamlining
- Study to Establish a Business Interruption Fund
- Budget Priorities
In the Community
Upcoming Events
- Join Supervisor Melgar at the San Francisco PRIDE Parade!
- Inner Sunset Clean-Up
- Havana Nights in Ingleside
What should Prop L fund in the next five years?
PUC Rates to Increase
Are you a landlord? You must register your unit in the Housing Inventory.
Wah Mei’s 49th Anniversary & Grand Opening
Jewish Community Center Book Drive
District 7 in the News

PARTICIPATORY BUDGET

VOTE IN DISTRICT 7 PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING

Thank you for submitting your proposals on pedestrian safety projects, neighborhood beautification improvements, and community resiliency. There are 17 proposals that were vetted by both City Departments and our Community Review Committee that made it onto the ballot. Ballots are open now through June 21 and you can cast your vote online here. Winning proposals will be announced in early July.

LEGISLATIVE AND PROJECT UPDATES

PROMOTING HOUSING ON COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS

Supervisor Melgar co-sponsored legislation introduced by Mayor Breed to eliminate arbitrary density limits in commercial corridors on the West side. This is a sensible approach to meeting our City’s housing needs particularly as we focus on bringing more foot traffic and activity to support our neighborhood small businesses. Density limits restrict the number of housing units per lot rather than allowing housing to be built within the bulk and height of the lot. You can learn more about the proposal here.

SUPPORTING ECONOMIC RECOVERY

This month, Supervisor Melgar co-sponsored legislation to improve the permitting process for small businesses. This groundbreaking initiative will bring about over 100 changes to the Planning Code, aiming to reduce barriers, provide flexibility, and address challenges faced by our local businesses. From allowing more ground floor business uses to streamlining the legalization process for outdoor patios, this legislation will create a vibrant and supportive environment for our small business community. Key changes include allowing more business uses on the ground floor, expanding Flexible Retail citywide, lifting restrictions on certain restaurants and bars, incorporating a new state liquor license type, easing the legalization process for existing outdoor patios, and removing public notice requirements in specific districts for change-of-use projects. Nighttime entertainment, bars, and restaurants will also benefit from priority processing at the Planning Department/Commission through the Community Benefit Priority Processing Program. Read more here.

BUSINESS INTERRUPTION FUND FOR SMALL BUSINESS

Supervisor Melgar has requested a report from the Budget & Legislative Analyst to establish a Business Interruption Fund for small businesses affected by future housing construction. As the City implements the Housing Element, we want to be prepared for a long-term strategy if there are more housing proposals in the future. Construction activities may lead to income losses and even operational pauses for businesses, especially on the West side. Drawing inspiration from similar funds that address transit construction in Los Angeles , the report will analyze estimated required funds, outline a timeline for program initiation, implementation, and propose an effective structure for administering the funds to support our cherished small businesses.

BUDGET PRIORITIES

Supervisor Melgar supports the increased investments in public safety and behavioral services in the Mayor’s budget, to ensure that our long-term investments in supporting children and families are not disrupted. Childcare is an essential part of our economic recovery efforts as so many in our workforce depend on it to free them to go to work. The Mayor’s budget is balanced by reducing funding to child care revenues by approximately $150 million even though the voters of San Francisco passed Baby Prop C in 2018 to build out a quality Universal Early Care & Education system. This is penny-wise and a pound foolish.

Melgar will be fighting against these proposals and working with Board colleagues to ensure that there is a robust plan to uphold our promise for universal child care in San Francisco.

In the budget, Supervisor Melgar is pressing to analyze the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing’s budget proposal closely. There is a proposal to shift funds dedicated to transitional aged youth and family housing to adult shelter beds. We all know the need for shelter beds is dire, but we need to be thoughtful about balancing the need to have long-term housing solutions.

IN THE COMMUNITY

HONORING LOWELL BASEBALL

Congratulations to Lowell for winning the CIF Northern California D5 Baseball Championship! Although Lowell is no longer in District 7, I am still excited to honor this team as a new Lowell parent. 🥰 After such an award winning performance, they were well deserving of a pizza party at City Hall! ⚾️🍕

CELEBRATING JUNETEENTH

Had so much fun riding my bike in the Juneteenth parade! These fine dancers had trouble with their sound system so they used mine and I ended up joining them for the length! They are the @lyricperformingartsacademy and they are amazing!!!!

INNER SUNSET SENIOR RESOURCES FAIR

Great turnout at the Senior Resources Fair in the Inner Sunset! Thank you to the Community Living Campaign for supporting our District 7 Seniors stay connected and healthy!

INNER SUNSET FLEA MARKET & FARMERS MARKET

Thank you to everyone who came down to the Inner Sunset Flea Market and the Inner Sunset Farmers Market!!! We loved meeting you at the event to answer questions or just say “hi.”

UPCOMING EVENTS

JOIN US AT THE SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE PARADE

Join Supervisor Melgar in the PRIDE Parade on June 25, 2023 as we bike, scoot, roll, and walk along Market Street. This year’s theme is “Looking Back; Moving Forward,” which reminds us all of the great strides that the LGBTQ+ community has made and the progress left to cover. RSVP here to get all the details and be part of the most fun Pride contingent!

INNER SUNSET CLEAN-UP

Volunteer with Refuse Refuse SF to help clean up trash and litter from the Inner Sunset! On the 4th Saturday of the month from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM, meet at One Medical (10th Ave and Irving St). No experience necessary and supplies will be provided! Sign up here.

HAVANA NIGHTS IN INGLESIDE

Sunday, June 25th, 2 PM - 4 PM, 1298 Ocean Avenue: Celebrate all things Cuban at the Ingleside branch library courtyard! Festivities include live rumba/conga/salsa music, food, resource tables, and world-class musicians Los Kimberos and Carlos "Kookie Monster" Gonzalez! No admission fee required.

For more information, contact Maurice Rivers at 415-729-3658.

THINGS TO KNOW

WHAT SHOULD PROP L FUND IN THE NEXT 5 YEARS?

San Francisco voters in November 2022 approved Prop L, the Sales Tax for Transportation Projects measure that will direct up to $2.6 billion (2020 dollars) in half-cent sales tax funds over 30 years to help deliver safer, smoother streets, more reliable transit, continue paratransit services for seniors and persons with disabilities, reduce congestion, and improve air quality.

The Transportation Authority is working to implement Prop L, and is seeking feedback on the specific projects to fund in the next five years. To take a survey, attend a virtual town hall, or learn more here.

PUC RATES TO INCREASE

In order to continue meeting the needs of San Franciscans, SFPUC has proposed water and sewer rates increases, effective July 1, 2023.The proposed new rate schedule represents an average monthly bill increase of $12.69 each year for the average single-family residential household in San Francisco (about 8.3% per year). As mandated by law, SFPUC is required to exclusively charge customers the actual cost of operating, maintaining, and improving the water and sewer systems. To gain a better understanding of the rate setting process, learn about your bill, explore assistance programs, discover ways to conserve water and save money, please find more information here.

ARE YOU A LANDLORD? YOU MAY REGISTER YOUR UNIT IN THE HOUSING INVENTORY.

The City and County of San Francisco now requires all property owners to report certain information to the Rent Board about their residential properties each year. The reporting requirements apply to all residential units, including single-family homes, vacant units, and owner-occupied units. The purpose of the Housing Inventory is for city planning, so that we have a realistic view of how many units exist, are occupied by tenants or owners, or are vacant so that the city can plan accordingly.

Landlords who report that a unit is tenant-occupied will receive a rent increase “license” that allows them to impose annual allowable and banked rent increases. Landlords who have not fulfilled their reporting requirements will not receive a license and are not legally permitted to raise rent on a tenant until reporting is completed.

Even if your unit is owner-occupied, you must file for an exemption from the Rent Board fee using the portal link below. Do not ignore any letters you may receive from the Rent Board, even if you are not a landlord.

Please check sf.gov/rentboard for regular updates on San Francisco’s Rental Housing laws, including information about the Rent Board’s new Housing Inventory and go to https://portal.sfrb.org to access your portal.

WAH MEI'S 49TH ANNIVERSARY & GRAND OPENING

2023 marked Wah Mei School’s 49th Spring Anniversary and their mission of building a bilingual and multicultural space that centers students and community. Congratulations to Wah Mei for their grand opening at 1555 Irving St, an exciting expansion of space and an opportunity to serve more children. Thank you to the summer workers for your incredible help in making this new space possible. We are ecstatic to welcome Wah Mei into District 7!

HOUSING ELEMENT OPEN HOUSE

Please join SF Planning for an opportunity to share your feedback on the Expanding Housing Choice: Zoning Program. At the Open House, you will learn about our existing zoning and land use rules and how we can make changes to better meet San Francisco’s housing needs, increase affordability for low- and middle-income households, and help advance racial and social equity.

There will be a short presentation followed by opportunities to meet with various City departments on the collective effort to pair new housing with critical infrastructure, services, and resources to support communities.

Where: SF LGBTQ Center, 1800 Market St., San Francisco
When: Thursday, June 22, 2023, 5:30PM-7:30PM
Register here for June 22

Where: San Francisco County Fair Building, 1199 9th Ave., San Francisco
When: Tuesday, July 11th, 2023, 5:30PM-7:30PM
Register here for July 11

TRAFFIC CALMING APPLICATIONS BEGIN JULY 1ST

Did you know the SFMTA has a residential application-based traffic calming program where residents can request traffic calming for their block? Please take a look at the program website to learn more about the application and evaluation processes. Starting July 1, 2023, traffic calming applications will be accepted and evaluated on a rolling quarterly basis, which should result in as much as a two-year decrease in time from application to construction compared to the previous process.

DISTRICT 7 IN THE NEWS

Board of Supervisors | District 7 | Myrna Melgar

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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