Supervisor Eric Mar June Newsletter

At the 9th Annual Richmond District Community Health Festival, Eric united community groups to promote healthy living for families and better nutrition for seniors.

Contents

In this newsletter:

Community Updates

Arguello Market and Small Business Week Have Coffee with Eric at the District 1 Community Coffee Hour 37th Annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Meetings Honoring the Tobacco Use Reduction Force (TURF) San Francisco Public Library's Summer Read SF 2013 City Hall Updates

Farmers' Market Coming to the Richmond! Parklet Hearing Alexandria Theater Receives Approval Grocery Outlet @ 27th & Geary Moves Forward Improving Biking for the Richmond and San Francisco

Contact My Office

Community Updates

Dialogue with Eric at the District 1 Community Coffee Hour

Join me for an opportunity to discuss community issues on Thursday, June 13, in the mid Richmond area, at Coffee Break at 4601 Geary Blvd (between 10th Ave & 11th Ave), from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. I look forward to chatting with all of you.

Arguello Market and Small Businesses Week

At the May 14th meeting of the Board of Supervisors, I was proud to honor Sal Qaqundah, the owner of the Arguello Market, for Small Business Week.

Since 1994, Sal has provided the Richmond with fresh fruits and vegetables, high quality meats, local craft beers, San Francisco-roasted coffee, their famous sandwiches, and much more. The market's wide range of price points makes these wonderful offerings affordable to all of our residents.

Sal is also dedicated to the community and has shown leadership in supporting my Good Jobs Healthy Communities legislation and the pedestrian and traffic safety of our local streets. The Arguello Market is an ideal community store -a healthy feature in the daily lives of Richmond residents.

The Arguello Market is located on 782 Arguello Boulevard, between Cabrillo Street and Golden Gate Avenue.

San Francisco Marathon

The world renowned San Francisco Marathon returns to the City on June 16. The Marathon is a loop course that starts and finishes on the Embarcadero (near the Ferry Building), traversing San Francisco. As usual, it runs through the Richmond District (down 26th and 27th Avenues) and into . I hope you dedicated San Francisco runners can participate in this great event.

Last month, I chaired a hearing to review our City's security measures for large public events. Representatives from first- responding agencies made it clear that public safety was a top priority. If you have any questions or concerns before or during the race, please contact my Aide Nick Pagoulatos at (415) 554-7412.

37th Annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival

Kicking off a summer of music in District 1, the 37th Annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival will take place at Presidio Middle School (30th Avenue & Geary) this weekend.

The festival is two days of music and dance workshops, concerts, dance parties, crafts, vendors, and family fun. Workshops and jam sessions include Beatles Sing and Play Along, a Jug Band Jam, a Flash Mob Choir, and instructional sessions like How to Run a Successful Pickers' Circle.

Check out the full list of performers for the festival here, which runs on both Saturday and Sunday from 12pm until 10pm.

Admission to the festival is completely free. If you can't walk, bike, or take public transportation, there is on-site parking at the school lot for $8. Learn more at www.sffolkfest.org

Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) Meetings

I am proud to be a representative on BAAQMD, a government body dedicated to climate and air quality issues in the region. BAAQMD is responsible innovations including Spare the Air Day and the City's new bike sharing program.

Please come to inform the Public Participation Plan, which will guide how BAAQMD can better inform and serve residents.

San Francisco Workshop Tuesday, June 25 BAAQMD Board Room 939 Ellis Street, 7th Floor

Honoring the Tobacco Use Reduction Force (TURF)

On Tuesday, June 4, 2013, I honored youth and staff from the Tobacco Use Reduction Force (TURF), a program of Youth Leadership Institute, for their work in reducing the impact of tobacco in San Francisco for the past two years.

Since taking office, I have championed legislation with the aim of reducing harm from tobacco. These have included policies that require the disclosure of non-smoking units in residential rental buildings to prospective tenants and prohibit smoking at outdoor events, some business establishments, and common areas of multi-unit housing complexes.

I am strategizing with TURF and other organizations dedicated to public health on new policies for a healthier future for young people and our communities. If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, please contact Victor Lim in my office [email protected] or 415.554.7413.

Honoring youth and staff from Tobacco Use Reduction Force (TURF), a program of the Youth Leadership Institute, at a meeting of the Board of Supervisors.

San Francisco Public Library's Summer Read SF 2013

The Summer Read SF 2013 program at the Anza and Richmond Branch Libraries is offering programs for kids (0-12) and teens (13-18). Participants can sign up on the SFPL website and track how much time they spend reading, being read to, and listening to stories in the online log between now and August 11. Readers become eligible to win prizes including museum passes and memberships.

Visit the SFPL website to sign up for free!

City Hall Updates

Farmers' Market Coming to the Richmond!

After years of hard work, a farmers' market is close to serving the Richmond. My office has spearheaded the effort, bringing together leaders from the Clement Street Merchants Association and the Argonne Community Garden to develop with a proposal that will not only provide high-quality products to Richmond District residents, but will also provide a significant "community- growing" experience for neighbors.

The market's expected start state is Sunday, June 23rd on Clement St. between 2nd and 4th Avenues from 9am to 2pm.

The Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM) is managing the proposed market. AIM is primarily an educational non-profit which uses its six large, diverse markets to help fulfill their mission. The food options would include both organic and conventional seasonal produce, bakers, meat and dairy, and even local artisans. Their markets have a wide range of price points and accept EBT cards (aka food stamps).

This street closure will be voted on at an upcoming meeting of the Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation (ISCOTT).

ISCOTT Hearing: Thursday June 13 at 9AM 1 South Van Ness

If you can't attend in person and want to send a letter of support, or you have any other questions or comments, please contact Peter Lauterborn in my office [email protected] or 415.554.7411

Parklet Hearing

In a city as dense as San Francisco, finding enough space for people to relax outdoors is a major challenge. But "parklets" are providing communities with a new choice for adding greenery in public space.

Parklets are basically sidewalk extensions that replace a couple of parking spaces with a public plaza-like environment where people can relax. Unlike restaurants' sidewalk tables, seating is not limited to patrons of the adjacent storefront and alcohol and smoking is prohibited, as they are in public parks.

Drawing of the proposed parklet at 3rd Ave. and Clement St. As parklets proliferate, it is important that the City study and understand the impact they have on communities. While evidence to date suggests that the increase in pedestrian activity outweighs the loss of parking, we need a stronger understanding of the overall effect so that we can work with businesses and residents better.

To review all of these issues, I am convening a hearing at the Land Use Committee. If you have any input into the matter, please contact my aide Nick Pagoulatos at [email protected] or 415.554.7412

Alexandria Theater Project Receives Approval

After years of close monitoring and advocacy my office has ensured that the Alexandria Theater rehabilitation project is finally moving forward.

On April 25th, the City's Planning Commission approved the proposed project which remodels the current three- screen theater to a 221-seat, single-screen venue with retail on the ground floor and a 7,000-square-foot restaurant on the second level.

The adjacent 18th Ave parking lot will be developed into a mixed-use structure with 37 units of housing, retail space on the ground floor and two levels of underground parking.

As a condition of approval by the Commission, the owners will add more security to the site and make sure the area is well maintained until construction is completed. My office is working closely with the owners and City staff to ensure that the project continues to move forward and that appropriate tenants are found for the rehabbed building.

Please contact my Aide, Nick Pagoulatos at (415) 554-7412 or [email protected] should you have any questions or concerns.

Grocery Outlet @ 27th & Geary Moves Forward

The proposed Grocery Outlet supermarket is scheduled to come before for approval at the Planning Commission on June 6. This hearing was delayed in order to allow Grocery Outlet the opportunity to respond to several recommendations made by Planning Department staff. The recommendations are focused on improving the appearance of the project and diminishing traffic impacts on the surrounding neighborhood. Grocery Outlet has been very open to these suggestions and I expect that most if not all of them will be incorporated and that the resulting project will be the better project.

Assuming the project makes it successfully through the Planning Commission, it is expected to open in October 2013. Please contact my Aide, Nick Pagoulatos at (415) 554-7412 or [email protected], should you have any questions or concerns.

Improving biking for the Richmond and San Francisco

Last month, on Bike to Work Day, the City was reminded of the growing role Bicycles play in the transportation fabric in San Francisco. In the Inner Richmond, for example, biking has increased 167% over the past few years.

But despite all of the talk, there were few commitments to increase funding for bike projects which currently make up just 0.46% of all transportation capital funding.

This is why I called for a proactive study of funding Riding with Richmond Residents on the new Oak opportunitiesto accelerate the building of bike improvement Street bike lanes with on Bike to Work Day. in San Francisco.

Funding bike projects isn't just a benefit for bikers. As more people bike, congestion is eased, parking becomes more available, and crowding on transit is eased. Also, projects like "Safe Routes to School" and "Bike to School Week" help children safely use our streets on a daily basis and encourages healthy lifestyles and choices.

If you're interested or want to learn more, please contact Peter Lauterborn in my office at [email protected] or 415.554.7411

Speaking about funding bicycle infrastructure with City leaders on Bike to Work Day.

Contact my office

I really want to hear from you about what we can do to make the Richmond District more liveable for everyone. Please contact me at any time, and we will get back to you very shortly.

City Hall Office: 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 284 San Francisco, Ca 94102-4689

E-mail: [email protected] (or, just reply to this e-mail!)

Phone: 415-554-7410

Fax: 415-554-7415