Here are the questions asked of candidates Farrell, Lurie, Peskin, and Safai. Mayor Breed did not attend. For the responses to the questions, you can view the debate here. Three hundred neighbors were in
attendance with another hundred on line.
1.Neighborhood Vibrancy and Business Health
Our downtown financial district has experienced significant business deterioration, most noticeably with shuttered office spaces and storefronts. In our neighborhood retail corridors – from the Castro to 24th Street – businesses need support against retail theft, navigating labyrinthine permitting, and
surviving rising costs. These challenges affect the vibrancy of our neighborhoods.
How do you propose to revitalize the economic health of the city? How specifically will you support existing businesses and attract new ones in neighborhood corridors in District 8?
2. Housing and Affordability
San Francisco is on the hook to build 82,000 new housing units by 2031 under the state-mandated housing element. So
far, it’s fallen woefully behind. Meanwhile, initiatives to address this, like the Planning Commission seeking to upzone neighborhood corridors for higher-density housing, often face criticism from residents living in those neighborhoods.
Will you up-zone neighborhoods in District 8? Which ones? More broadly, when neighbors say they don’t want taller buildings in their neighborhoods, but others say it’s necessary to meet our housing goals, how will you balance those
concerns?
3. Public Safety and Law Enforcement
San Francisco has roughly 400 fewer sworn police officers today than it did in 2020 and has struggled to attract new recruits. Meanwhile, there’s persistent concern about public safety and quality-of-life crimes including brazen car break-ins, retail theft, home burglaries, and vandalism even though violent crime has broadly fallen. Residents often feel it’s futile to even call the
police.
How will you address public safety in the short term after you’re elected? In the long term, what concrete steps will you take to fill the police hiring gap – which will obviously not be instant. And are police the only solution?
4. Homelessness and Mental Health
San Francisco spends an enormous amount of money on services for the unhoused, yet the plight of those living on the streets and the
impact on our neighborhoods has only gotten worse. Most alarming in our neighborhoods is the growth and persistence of tent encampments and open-air drug use–especially fentanyl–in many of our business districts and even residential areas, as well as a general sense that residents don’t know where to turn to help the mentally unstable people they encounter.
How will you immediately address tent encampments and related illegal activity on our streets? Will you
continue the City’s current sweeps?
5. Raising Families and Public Schools
San Francisco’s public school system has been in crisis for years, and now is in the middle of the tough process of closing schools. This comes as enrollment has fallen by 4,000 students in a decade and is expected to fall further. Some families turn to private schools that may be burdensome to their budget, or leave the city altogether – and either way, it’s a
bandaid to a wider problem. While the Mayor and Board of Supervisors do not have direct authority over SFUSD, they do have a role to play.
What immediate steps would you take as Mayor to address the current school crisis and keep families in the city? Should SFUSD not close any schools – and would you publicly advocate your position?
And if you could briefly touch on this … what experience have you or your family had with the public
school system that shapes your answer to this question?
6. City Governance and Bureaucracy
San Francisco is a rich city with an enviable tax base and a $15 billion budget that has nearly doubled in a decade. Yet, the perception is that city services mostly fall short of expectations, with inefficient practices, rampant corruption and bureaucratic bloat.
How will you make city government more efficient?
Do you have any specific promises voters can hold you to? Do you support either of the two city charter initiatives on the November ballot that reduces the number of commissions? – Supervisor Peskin, your answer may be a bit obvious, but talk about why.
General Membership Meeting
September 30, 2024
CHN held its first in-person general membership meeting since February 2020. Board members were elected and the changes to the bylaws were approved. Guest speakers were Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez, politics reporter for The Standard. Supervisor Mandelman discussed current issues affecting District 8 and
ballot measures; Joe Rodriguez discussed each of the Propositions A to O on the November 5, 2024 San Francisco ballot.
Board of Directors CHN
Ballots were mailed to eligible voters on September 16th.
September 30th Elected Board Members:
Joey Accordino
Jess Del Santo
Maryann Dresner
Leslie Koelsch
Becca McCann
Mark Ryser
Officers: The CHN Board elects, by a ¾
majority vote of the Board, a minimum of 3 officers: President, Secretary, and Treasurer, from among the duly elected members of the Board. Officers will be chosen at our next board meeting on October 9, 2024.
4th Annual Ord Block Party
September 15
September 15 started as a foggy morning and cleared up just in time for the Fourth Annual Ord Block Party! A record number of neighbors came out to
eat delicious food: Luke's lobster rolls, Mike's Famous Ribs, David & Mako's special cheesecake, Roz's delicious cookies, and EJ's lemon bars, to name a few. Mayor London Breed stopped by, graciously answering questions. At the end of the party, the attendees raised a toast to June Johnson, our 101-year-old Ord matriarch. Many thanks to Becca for organizing this event.
We're already looking forward to next year's Block Party on the second weekend in September. We'll see
you then!
SF Stairway Month: Stairway Walks in San Francisco 10th Edition Book Release – Meet the Author!
October8, 2024 • 7:00pm - 8:00pm
Bookshop West Portal, 80 West Portal Ave
It’s SF
Stairway Month! Hundreds of public stairways traverse San Francisco’s boundless hills, revealing scenic vistas and connecting colorful, diverse neighborhoods. Since 1984, Stairway Walks in San Francisco has been helping urban explorers discover the best of the City by the Bay. Now in its 10th edition, this guidebook by Mary Burk with Adah Bakalinsky includes 39 walks, including several new ones, incorporating San Francisco’s magnificent stairway network. Join author Mary
Burk at Bookshop West Portal to celebrate the release of the 10th edition of this beloved local guide book.
Stairways Within CHN Boundaries
There are a few stairways in our neighborhood, most notable are the Corbin Place Stairs/Panos Place, Vulcan Stairway, and the Saturn Stairway. Read their histories contained within previous newsletters here: CorbinVulcanSaturn & Saturn.
Board of Supervisors Pass Legislation—October 1, 2024: San Francisco
Stairway Month
The Board of Supervisors passed a resolution proclaiming October 2024 as the first “San Francisco Stairway Month” in the City and County of San Francisco—supporting community beautification projects, encourage neighborhood exploration, and inspire San Francisco's inhabitants, elected officials, and city workers to find their nearest, or furthest, staircase and partake in San Francisco Stairway Month events and
activities.
Parks Update
Here are some pictures showing CHN efforts and how your donations are spent during the year
Replacement of Bailey’s Acacia at Ord/Corbett Park
The city removed the dead Acacia on the right. We await stump removal. Bailey’s Acacia is no longer recommended as it short-lived. Urban Forestry will replace it with a Golden
Medallion tree. Several Golden Medallion trees can be found near the new flower market at Missouri and 16th Streets.
CHN would like to dedicate the new tree to Jean V. Johnson (1922-2024) who lived on Ord Court for 100 years. If you would like to help purchase a bronze plaque, you can do so here.
Golden Medallion Tree
Major Clean-up at Al’s Park
CHN and the owner of 369 Corbett have completed a major clean-up at
Al’s Park at the cost of $2175. The garden contractor, For Your Gardening Needs, will continue monthly maintenance. Many thanks to member Charles Liao as Al’s Park steward. “It’s never looks so good!” said a neighbor. If you can support this continuing monthly effort, which is $375, please donate here.
See before and after photos here.
Large Cypress Tree Failure at the SLOPE Community Park
A large cypress collapsed next to 315 Corbett. DPW removed most of it recently, but the stump remains. DPW informs us that there is no plan to remove or trim the
splintered stump.
So many trees have been lost on the SLOPE. Urban Forestry has offered us 1-3 5 gallon Coast Oaks, Cypress or another native tree. If you have any opinions about this, please let us know.
Sidewalk Repair
The sidewalk which was severely damaged by the fallen Black Acacia tree at Merritt/Danvers in January 2023, is getting repaired after 20 months of requests. The damage concrete has
been removed and filled with crushed granite, awaiting the replacement with concrete.
Restored Bench at Clayton/Corbett
Residents Dan Babin and Ted Teipel restored the bench. Chris Smith has maintained this corner for over 30 years! Before Chris, Drew Siegel (1960-1993) was recognized for his work at the park by San Francisco Beautiful in 1992. Before Chris and Drew, Al Kovalick began the project before moving on to a much larger project—Al’s Park.
This corner once was the site of a house, which was moved to Caselli when the intersection was widened. “Mrs. Beryl Harris Trimble
(1896-1993), who lived at 103 Falcon before she moved to 258 Caselli, told neighbors of seeing the house [at Corbett/Clayton] being moved to its current location at 224 Caselli.” (Michael Corbett, Corbett Heights San Francisco Context Statement, 2017, p. 140.) The house was moved “on rollers” by teamsters on a route down Clayton to the switchback at Falcon (now Market) up Falcon, to 19th Street, down 19th Street to Caselli (Corbett, p. 140). The lot at Clayton and
Corbett was vacant in 1914.
Here is a recently discovered 1920s photograph of the intersection of Clayton and Corbett Avenue.
Photo credit: Leslie Koelsch
Park Station Police Boundary
Expansion
Because of usually higher priority calls in the Mission, a large and somewhat overwhelmed police district, it has been proposed that the area bound by Market, Sanchez, 21st Street, and Grand View could and should be moved into Park Station from Mission Station. Currently the north side of upper Market Street is in Park District; the south side in Mission. SFPD has just published their recommendation, which is now open for further comment until 15
October and (of course) must go to the Police Commission later for adoption. On the attached map, the area marked, 12, is the area to be included in Park Station. You can find the new map here: https://sfpdboundaryanalysis.com/boundary-analysis-maps-plans/.
Are You a
Member of CHN?
We hope so, but if not, it’s an easy to join here. Support your neighborhood association. We have 142 paid household memberships; we would like to have 109 new members. Will you be one of them? Not sure if you are a member, write us at [email protected].
