President Matt Chamberlain and the WOTPCC were the audience for a discussion of the election results by Fall Line Analytics principal David Latterman, who enthralled the crowd with his detailed metrics and conclusions drawn from the voting information for the November 8th election.

Latterman, who had previously spoken to the group on the process of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) is a political consultant who has worked on many San Francisco campaigns, including the recent mayoral campaign for Board of Supervisor's President David Chiu.

He started by outlining the PVI, Progressive Voter Index, showing the matrix of voters from conservative to moderate to progressive. District 7 came in as the most conservative voters (to no one's surprise), with Districts 5 and 9 being the most liberal. Latterman spoke on the topic of "political geography" and its importance to San Francisco, especially as the Supervisors are chosen on a district-wide basis. District 7 also finished in the top two in voter turnout, trailing District 8 by a small margin. The top four districts in terms of percentage of voter turnout were 8, 7, 4 and 2. All of these districts are conservative or moderate in their voting.

Other metrics showed the balance of the voters in SF. Conservatives are 7% of the voters, Moderates are 39%, and Liberals are 36%, with the Progressives tallying a solid 19%. On a party basis, Democrats lead with 54% , followed by 25-30% who "decline to state" party affiliation, 6% Republican and 3-4% for other parties. Metrics also show that the Chinese vote is generally steady at 16-18% while the LBGT vote is approximately 10% of the voters.

How did these metrics show or affect the November Mayoral election? Latterman says, not at all, as the election showed a low turnout (40%) as Ed Lee drained all of the interest out of the race when he declared as a candidate. Lee started the campaign with polls showing 30% support of the voters. Following weeks of campaigning from the 16 candidates, the Mayor stayed approximately the same, winning with 31% of the final votes. Even with the large amount of candidates, ranked choice voting had no real effect on the results as no one was really close to catching Lee.

The race for sheriff was somewhat closer as Supervisor Ross Mirkirimi won with 38% of the vote, followed by Chris Cunnie and Paul Miyamoto at 28 and 27% respectively. Cunnie and Miyamoto finished basically in a dead heat for second place, splitting most of the 2nd place RCV votes.

District Attorney George Gascon won the contest for DA with 42% of the vote, over second place finisher David Onek (24%) and Sharmin Bock (21%). In an interesting note, if Ms. Bock would have finished second, the vote would have been much closer as she was listed either 1st, 2nd or 3rd in almost as many ballots as Gascon. Latterman believes that the progressive block's strong showing for Onek cost Bock a chance to make the race very close.

The propositions were decided by large margins, with the exception of Prop H, the School Assignment proposition. It was virtually a dead heat, winning 50.06% to 49.94%.

Latterman cited the following trends resulting from the ballot results: San Francisco voters are still on a trend to support moderate candidates; the election was more economy based, and less ideological than in the past. Bond initiatives fared well, while tax increases did not. The Progressives (left) won the endorsement game; and a strong, unified Chinese block held together to elect Ed Lee, removing the "interim" part of his title and selecting him as SF's newest Mayor.

2012 will be an interesting election season, as new Supervisors will be elected in Districts 1,3,5,7,9 and 11. Redistricting (to better balance the population numbers within the 11 districts) will affect some of the district voting trends somewhat, but Latterman thinks the core voting values of each district will basically remain constant.

In other WOTPCC news, the delegates voted almost unanimously (1 abstention) to send a letter to the Planning Commission to ask for a 90 day extension to the Public Comment Period for the Draft EIR for the Beach Chalet Athletic Fields Renovation Project, citing as factors, the replacing of grass with artificial turf; increased parking; increased lighting; the erection of bleachers; and the damage that will occur to the flora and fauna in the park.

David Pilpel, from the Redistricting Task Force, also spoke briefly explaining the process for redistricting and why it is necessary. As the South of Market (SOMA) area in District 6 has grown through new housing units, etc., the other districts have to be reallocated to more evenly distribute the number of residents in each of the 11 districts. Districts 5,7,8 and 9 (described by Pilpel as the "squishy middle" will probably see the most changes in borders. For more information see the WOTPCC website (www.westoftwinpeaks.org).

December is a "dark" month for the WOTPCC. The next meeting will be Monday, January 23rd at 7:30 in the Forest Hill Clubhouse.

December 2011

 

Lively debate echoed throughout the Forest Hills clubhouse, as President Matt Chamberlain and the WOTPCC were the audience for a discussion of the ballot Propositions E and F. District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener, the proponent of the two propositions, explained his rationale for the proposed ordinances, while Community College Board member John Rizzo and Sunshine Task Force member Bruce Wolfe opposed the propositions.

Wiener explained that Prop E, placed on the ballot by the Board of Supervisors in a 7-4 vote, is a first step to reform the system by which ballot measures are placed upon the ballots and voted upon. As it now stands a ballot measure can be placed on the ballot in several ways: by the Mayor; by a vote of only 4 supervisors and by the initiative process where citizens collect signatures. Once a measure has been placed on the ballot, often with little or no public discussion, the voters can only vote yes or no to approve or reject the law, with no recourse to change parts of it (or all of it) prior to implementation. Once approved by the voters, ANY changes would require the revised ordinance or law to be put back on the ballot for voter approval of the changes.

Obviously, changes (even to poorly constructed or flawed laws) are rarely placed on the ballot for revision. Prop E would present a method for revisions (up to and including repeal), but only after a law is in effect for 3 years. During years 4-7 the Boar of Supervisors would be allowed to make amendments to the ordinances. After year 7 a measure can only be changed by a ballot amendment approved by the voters. Wiener noted that the Proposition is endorsed by the SF Chronicle and a majority of the Supervisors, and that it only would apply to ordinances submitted by the mayor and supervisors, and not those placed on the ballot by a voter-based signature drive.

Rizzo countered that while it is commendable that Wiener is trying to improve the process, Proposition E just goes too far. He contends that the Proposition would allow the Board of Supervisors to change the will of the voters at 3 years, and not just a tweak but also a full repeal. He also stated that the supervisors could change the use of money collected through taxes and bond measures. In fact, he countered that the law would even allow the Supes to modify Prop E, and that it is not wise to trust the supervisors with that power.

Wiener responded that because Prop E is a charter amendment, it would be covered by state law that forbids changing any charter amendment without a vote of the citizens. He also added that Rizzo was not accurate in his belief that Prop E would allow monies to be redistributed easily, stating that "set asides and taxes that are dedicated" cannot be redistributed or redirected under current state law.

The discussion then moved onto Proposition F, a proposal to reform the "Campaign Consultant Disclosure Ordinance" which was approved for the ballot by an 11-0 vote of the Board of Supervisors.

Currently, political consultants earning $1000 are required to file documents on a quarterly basis disclosing their clients. The forms can be submitted as paper reports, or electronically. Paper reports are eventually scanned and placed into the system where they can be reviewed by "Sunshine" proponents and other groups.

Prop F would amend the current ordinance to:

• Require consultants to file paperwork monthly, as lobbyists are required to;

• Require electronic filing, so that documents can be more readily placed into the system;

• Increase the dollar threshold from $1000 to $5000;

• Include an amend ability provision allowing changes if approved by 4/5 of the Ethics Commission and a supermajority of the Board of Supervisors.

Wiener explained that he really felt that Proposition F would be very non-controversial, and has been surprised by the amount of resistance.

Wolfe, a member of the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force, believes that Prop F is the "beginning of the end of ballot box legislation" and that the Ethics Commission should not have any right to be able to change laws. He also agrees that more disclosure is necessary, but everyone should be held to the $1000 threshold, with amounts over that disclosed and audited.

Following a challenge from (former Supervisor and retired Judge) Quentin Kopp to Wiener on the impact of the Ethics Commission (other than spending money), the conversation temporarily drifted into a discussion on the failings of the commission. Council President Chamberlain quickly brought the discussion back to the topic of Prop F where questions and answers were fielded by the opposing orators.

Following a handshake and applause, the meeting switched to a discussion of less controversial topics. Chamberlain discussed the success of the recent "Candidates Forum" (kudos to everyone involved) and that the council showed a profit from the event and will be redistributing the profits to the homeowner groups involved in the future, whether by a direct payment or a credit against 2012 dues (to be decided in the near future).

In committee reporting, both the By-Laws Committee and the 2012 Goals Committee were filled with volunteers. Avrum Shepard of the Technology Committee has redesigned the WOTPCC website and is seeking guidance in selecting photos and graphics for the site.

George Wooding updated everyone on Public Health issues, as did Gus Guibert on Open Space topics concerning Stow Lake and the Beach Chalet soccer field project. Nothing new was discussed on Transportation and the Planning and Land Use committee is currently devoid of members.

The last topic of discussion was the examination of the by-laws and a vote to admit the "Golden Gate Heights" neighborhood as the 20th neighborhood into the WOTPCC. The Golden Gate Heights representative, Sally Stevens, detailed the boundaries of the neighborhood and the size, approximately 400 households. A motion to accept and a second were procured and the organization was admitted to the council by a unanimous 13-0 tally.

The WOTPCC will next meet on November 28th at the Forest Hills Clubhouse, starting at 7:30 PM. For more details on the topics, visit the WOTPCC website at www.westoftwinpeaks.org

November 2011

 

October 2011 Meeting

President Matt Chamberlain and the WOTPCC had been on Summer recess, but that doesn't mean they were on vacation…in fact, they have been very busy putting the finishing touches on the WOTPCC organized and sponsored "San Francisco Mayoral debate," featuring many of the candidates for the upcoming Mayoral election in November. The debate was held on October 1st as we were going to press, and we will have coverage of the event in this issue of the Observer.

New-President Chamberlain convened the first meeting of the new WOTPCC year on September 26th at 7:30 PM in the Forest Hills Clubhouse. With approximately 30 attendees the meeting was primarily a planning meeting, with most of the discussion centering around the planning process of where the WOTPCC organization wants to go this year and what issues are important to the organization, which comprises the 19 neighborhood groups that make up the West of Twin Peaks Central Council.

The Council President called for the formation of two "very temporary" committees; 1) A committee to discuss and map out the goals and objectives of the WOTPCC for 2011-12; and 2) A committee to update and revise the by-laws of the organization. Interested parties should contact the secretary, Blue Mudbhary to sign up for the commits or to get more information. Two committees (Planning and Land Use; Bylaws Review and Update) are currently lacking committee chairs. Volunteers are needed.

On behalf of the Council, Dave Bisho presented outgoing President George Wooding with a plaque thanking him for his dedication and contributions made to the benefit of the WOTPCC while serving as President of the Council.

Short reports were presented by Wooding (Open Space and Public Health), Avrum Shepard (Transportation), and Carolyn Squeri (Finance). Other topics included a short discussion on the process and premise of "Ranked Choice Voting"; the WOTPCC sponsored Mayoral Forum; an upcoming art event on West Portal Avenue where "Dance Meets MUNI" entitled Trolley Dances; and the imminent vote by the Board of Supervisors to complete the creation of a Community Benefit District (CBD) on West Portal Avenue. A motion was made to write a letter supporting the creation of the district, but failed on a full vote by an 8-5 margin with 1 abstention. The West Portal Merchants Association is also split about the concept of the CBD. While most of the merchants agree with the concept, many are not supporting the specific process and format of the CBD that is currently being proposed.

Following presentations by representatives of the San Francisco Unified School District (speaking about the upcoming Bond Initiative for school retrofitting) and City Code Enforcement, the business meeting was adjourned.

The WOTPCC will next meet on October 24th at the Forest Hills Clubhouse, at 7:30 PM.

October 2011

 

Upcoming Mayoral Debate

President Matt Chamberlain and the WOTPCC have been on Summer recess, but that doesn't mean they've been on vacation…in fact, they have been very busy putting the finishing touches on an upcoming WOTPCC organized and sponsored "San Francisco Mayoral debate" featuring many of the candidates for the upcoming Mayoral election in November.

Mark your calendars NOW! With a very large slate of candidates, many of whom have extensive qualifications, the debate will be a vital forum to help voters to select the best three (ranked choice) candidates to represent the city as the new Mayor of San Francisco.

The debate will be held on October 1st, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon at the St. Stephen's Parish Hall, located at 473 Eucalyptus Drive. To date, the following candidates are expected to participate: Jeff Adachi; Michela Alioto-Pier; John Avalos; David Chiu; Bevan Dufty; Tony Hall; Dennis Herrera; Ed Lee; Joanna Rees; Phil Ting and Leland Yee. Light refreshments will be served from 9:30 to 10 AM.

For more information on the debate go to: www.WestofTwinPeaks.org

New-President Chamberlain will end the recess and convene the next meeting on September 26th at 7:30 PM in the Forest Hills Clubhouse.

September 2011

 

A new slate of officers, a photo op, and a briefing by Mayor Ed Lee highlighted the West of Twin Peaks Central Council meeting of June 27th.

WOTPCC President George Wooding called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM with about 55 people in the audience and a short agenda, centering on a visit from Mayor Ed Lee. Once it was determined that a quorum was reached by roll call, the minutes from the last meeting were discussed. A clarification of statements made by Planning Director John Rahaim was discussed in which he had spoken about the changes in the Housing Element. The discussion focused on the topic where the use of "neighborhood" input into the Planning process was broadened to where the "community" would have input. The minutes were amended to include wording where Rahaim stated that, even as the community at large would have input, the neighborhoods affected by planning would be given greater weight in the process. After this the minutes were approved as amended.

Paul Conroy represented the Nominating Committee (Conroy, D. Bisho, and G. Linn) announcing the proposed officers for 2011-12: President Matt Chamberlain, Vice President George Wooding, Treasurer Carolyn Squeri, Secretary Blue Mudbharry, and Parliamentarian Roger Ritter. The nominations were approved unanimously.

Wooding discussed the agenda, centering on an appearance by the Mayor to officiate the installation of officers and to pose for a photo with the current and past officers to mimic a photo of a 1937 meeting between the WOTPCC offices and then-mayor Angelo Rossi.

Shortly thereafter, Mayor Lee arrived, and officiated over the "swearing in" of the new officers, after which he addressed the audience and took questions.

In his remarks, Lee touched on the fact that he is the first interim mayor since Dianne Feinstein (following the Moscone-Milk assassinations). A long-time SF government employee, Lee has served under 4 mayors in his 22 year career spanning 5 different departments, he is still learning so much about the city as he is now involved in all aspects of the city operations.

He recapped his performance to date with by citing the 5 priorities that he has been focusing on: Keeping the City Safe; (hiring a new Police Chief); Working to reap the economic benefits of the America's Cup Yacht Races (bringing jobs and tourism); Supporting and implementing the SF "Local Hire Ordinance" that was instituted; working on the crafting of a "Consensus-based Pension Reform Plan" (that would end job-spiking, while raising employee contributions); and addressing Street Maintenance with the $248M Street Improvement Bond which will be on the ballot in November. In discussing the Bond measure, he spoke of the poor condition of the streets citywide as a result of "deferred" maintenance, and the need to implement the bond just to keep things status quo. He went on to state that the bond measure would not result in an increase in property taxes. (DPW Director Ed Riskin discussed the concept of "geographic equity" on how the bond money would be spread out equally in all sections of the city when asked in Q and A of which specific streets would be targeted.)

In a short question session the Mayor fielded questions on: 1). Whether he will support the initiative to require competitive bidding for the SF Garbage Collection Operation (the Mayor said he feels that things are working well now, so he sees no need to change the current operation); 2). The concepts of creating "parklets" that take away parking spaces in areas that desperately need them; and 3). Is he going to jump into the race for Mayor? On that note, he reasoned that he doesn't regard himself as a "politician" and that his is focused on running the city and achieving what he set out to do, and that the process of campaigning would take away from the time he is devoting to the job. (But he didn't say specifically, no, he is not running.) He did laugh when asked if he would support a "write-in" campaign on the ballot. (Interestingly enough, audience members included mayoral candidates Tony Hall, Joanna Rees and Dennis Herrera—probably very interested in what Lee is going to do…)

Following his remarks, the 1937 "redux" photo was taken. The official business ended with the delegates discussing a motion to officially support (as the WOTPCC) the initiative put forth by Supervisors Mirkarimi, Mar, Avalos and Campos to oppose the "privatization" of Park and Recreation facilities within the city. With input from both sides, of the issue, it was decided to work via email, and to craft a ballot statement that can be supported by individuals and individual Neighborhood associations, but not as the WOTPCC as a whole.

With that, President Wooding adjourned the meeting. Summer recess is upon the WOTPCC and new-President Chamberlain will convene the next meeting on September 26th at 7:30 PM in the Forest Hills Clubhouse.

July-August 2011

June 2011 Meeting

By Mitch Bull

Planning, the Housing Element and another Supervisor/Mayoral Candidate visit highlighted the May 23 meeting of the West of Twin Peaks Central Council, held at the Forest Hills Clubhouse.

Photo: Planning Director John Rahiem

WOTPCC President George Wooding called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM with about 30 people in the audience and an agenda which would stretch the meeting until 9 PM. After the roll call of member organizations, and the approval of the minutes from last month, Treasurer Carolyn Squeri followed with her report stating the dollars in the account and reminding the organizations to file their IRS form 990 to stay in compliance, as it is now an annual requirement.

Committee reports followed as Avrum Shepard (Transportation), George Wooding (Public Health and Open Space), Matt Chamberlain (Planning and Land Use) and Dave Bisho, representing the Nominating Committee, gave updates.

Shepard detailed MUNI's disagreement with the State Transportation Board, requiring MUNI to improve in safety; MUNI feels no improvement is necessary.

Wooding reported on the issues with the concession bid at Stow Lake where the incumbent operator (for 67 years) has been outbid by a new bidder in a problematic bid practice where allegations of wrong doing have been reported. These allegations resulted in lobbyist and political guru Alex Tourk resigning from affiliation with DA George Gascon's campaign for election. Wooding also detailed the situation at the Arboretum where the admission fees have not nearly approached the levels that were predicted when implemented. The Board of Supervisors recently voted to keep the entrance fees in place. In the Public Health sector, Wooding reported that things at Laguna Honda were basically unchanged, with the exception of ongoing problems with neighbors who are complaining about the excessive noise generated by the air conditioning units in the new portion of the hospital. Photo: Supervisor John Avalos

Matt Chamberlain's report on planning issues continued with the main emphasis being on five topics that have been reviewed by the WOTPCC in the past: urban wind generation (on which a policy declaration has been prepared); cellular antennae (no policy yet); the AT&T boxes that were discussed last month; the Parkmerced Special Use District; and the Housing Element.

As to the Housing Element, Chamberlain believes that the Supervisors will vote to approve it, probably by an 8-3 count, or no vote will be held and it will automatically go into effect on June 22nd. Dave Bisho informed the attendees that his is part of a group that sued to stop the 2004 Housing Element. The case took 5 years and the arguments against the HE were upheld. The group is prepared to sue again over the 3rd draft of the 2009 HE. – more on the HE below.

Bisho also spoke as head of the Nominating Committee. The slate as proposed by the Nominating Committee for the 2012 WOTPCC is: President – Matt Chamberlain; VP – George Wooding; Treasurer – Carolyn Squeri; Secretary – Blue Mudbhary. The Parliamentarian (Avrum Shepard) serves at the request of the President. The floor is open to other nominations up to and including next month's meeting prior to the vote for the new term, which takes effect with the September meeting.

SF Planning Chief John Rahaim was the first speaker and he opened the floor up for discussion on issues involving the proposed 3rd draft of the Housing Element. Rahaim answered each question courteously while maintaining his view that the HE is a planning guide and not a policy, and not one that is a zoning change to the RH1 and RH2 designations. He explained the rationale that zoning can only be changed by the Board of Supervisors and the Planning Commission. Questions centered around the definition of height and bulk density guidelines for projects in RH1 neighborhoods, and the importance of preserving the neighborhood ambiance, and not allowing a property owner to purchase an existing home, gut the interior and build a non-single family structure like a tri-plex, etc. Rahaim expressed surprise and disagreed with people concerned and upset about maps (from ABAG – Association of Bay Area Governments) showing overviews of infill projects expected to be zoned for the Westside. Overall, he made his case for the 3rd draft of the HE and the changes from the 2nd draft. For many in the audience, they seem resigned to agree to disagree.

Rahaim reiterated that the purpose of the Planning Department is to give everyone involved the best advice and information on planning for the city as a whole, not just for neighborhood activists or the political will of the day.

The final speaker of he evening was District 11 Supervisor John Avalos, a resident of the Excelsior who is also running for Mayor. The candidate spoke about the makeup of the district (67% single family homes) and his involvement as he has two children in the SF public schools. (His wife is also a teacher at a SF school.) During his talk he touched on his achievements as a Supervisor on legislation he has sponsored, as well as the challenges of the Park and Rec department, the ongoing battle with graffiti, the lack of real "transit first transit" in his district, and the need to bring people and institutions together for the betterment of the city.

The supervisor answered questions ranging from reinstituting SF Police Dept. Academy classes, to Pension Reform (supports it), the Housing Element (will probably vote for it, as he feels the process is in place to maintain the characteristics of each neighborhood), and some lively questions on how non-profit dollars are allocated from City Hall to the non-profit service providers within the City and County of SF.

After the presentations, the speakers and the attendees spent the better part of the next hour having smaller discussions on the topics in small groups and one-on-ones.

Next meeting: June 27th at the Forest Hills clubhouse at 7:30 PM.

June 2011

Three "H's" – High Speed Rail, Housing Element, and (Dennis) Herrera – were the main topics of discussion, as well as a spirited Q&A session at the West of Twin Peaks Central Council meeting on March 28.

WOTPCC President George Wooding called the meeting to order at 7:35 PM with about 30 people in the audience at the Forest Hills Clubhouse, but the crowd increased as the night wore on. After the roll call of member organizations, a vote was taken to admit a new neighborhood organization, The Woods, to the WOTPCC. A vote was subsequently taken and the organization was admitted by a unanimous vote.

Committee reports were given by Avrum Shepard (Transportation), Gus Guibert (Open Space) and Matt Chamberlain (Planning and Land Use). Shepard offered that not much was new to report, other than Muni was reporting that they were still in the red with parking revenues showing a shortfall of $7M, and overtime being vastly over budget. For the year, Muni is looking at a possible $20M shortfall. It was reported that Muni is, by far the city department with the largest OT costs and shortfall. Guibert followed with a very short report on Open Space, then WOTPCC President George Wooding brought the audience up to date on the continuing management problems at Laguna Honda Hospital, the latest being staffing issues, as well as the continuing efforts of former staff doctors Kerr and Rivera to bring light to the problems at the facility.

Matt Chamberlain's report on the Housing Element really set the tone for the evening as he went into detail about the changes made in the newest Housing Element document. Revisions have been made in the draft document between last summer and now that impact the definition of what is allowable in RH-1 and RH-2 neighborhoods. The basic change is in language that shifts of concept of what is allowable to be build away from density and towards bulk. For example, as long as the footprint of building structures is not wider and deeper, and the height falls under the max allowable height for the neighborhood, there is no visible method to regulate the number of people in the building, thus allowing for a potentially much higher density within the current neighborhoods, without changing the zoning of RH1 and RH2 parcels.

A trio of speakers then held the attention of the crowd. Neighborhood icon, former Supervisor, State Senator and Retired Judge Quentin Kopp led a discussion updating the group about the current status of the California High Speed Rail (HSR) project, and why it is vitally important as the population of California continues to swell, to an estimated 30 million people by 2020. With the impossibility of building (or expanding) highways and airports to handle the expected increase in the amount of people traveling in California, the completion of the HSR is critical to moving people quickly between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Kopp detailed the timeline of the first phase that is planned for the Central Valley, and how it will eventually connect to Los Angeles and San Diego. By building the long run as the first phase, it allows the HSR authority and managers to adequately test the trains on a longer run to ensure compliance with the expected performance.

When asked about the eventual cost of going from SF to LA on the "bullet" Kopp estimated that the fare would be in the range of $100 for a one-way ticket. He used the rising costs of fuel as an example of why air travel and automobile travel costs will continue to rise to the extent that the proposed rail costs will be less expensive than the low cost alternatives we have today.

Current City Attorney and Mayoral Candidate Dennis Herrera the addressed the room, speaking on the successes of the City Attorney's office over the nine years that he has served as the head of San Francisco's in-house legal staff. He focused on the areas of Public Safety, Fiscal Accountability, working to support Small Businesses, and Code Enforcement as the four major tenants of his department. He cited the work that his department has done in combating gang violence and getting injunctions against gang members (most of whom are not from the City and County of SF), and the subsequent drop in gang-related crimes.

Herrera also detailed his code enforcement team that has brought fines and penalties against code violators, with the fines and monies collect going back to SF; the concept of getting value for the tax dollars that are contributed to the city coffers; and the details on how his department has reduced costs and tried to be accessible and open to the public.

The Mayoral candidate spoke about his desire to be Mayor and fielded a large number of questions from the audience, with many focusing on the zoning of neighborhoods, the changes to the Housing Element document and his opinion on important topics in the city.

The final speaker of the evening was Planning Commissioner Mike Antonini. The Commissioner spoke on his views of the Housing Element document, and that even though he personally disagreed with many portions of the agreement, he felt that it was a much better document that what was previously worked on and that it serves as a flexible guideline on what is allowable. Antonini agreed with the sentiment of the crowd that he is not in favor of having unbridled density in the neighborhoods, and that the flavor of the current neighborhoods should be maintained, while admitting that he did vote to approve the recently submitted Housing Element document, even with its controversial language regarding RH-1 and RH-2 parcels.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd took the floor and opened the discussion to take questions and hear concerns about the Board Of Supervisors March 29 deliberation and vote on the Environmental Impact Report for the Parkmerced project. Most questioned focused on the validity and legality of any negotiated Development Agreement, and the question of the terms of the agreement being upheld through (possible) changes in ownership in the future of the 30+ year project. Elsbernd stated that, as regards to the portions of the yet to be finalized agreement that deal with land use, the developer/city covenants would be upheld over the term of the agreement regardless of the ownership of the parcel. He also explained that it is not clear that the negotiated issues of maintaining a portion of rent-controlled units, or the ratio of owned versus rented units, is transferable between ownership and that these questions would likely be answered by the courts. When asked if a proposed agreement would have a component (up to 50% of new units) of units to be sold (e.g. condominiums) to homeowners versus renters, the Supervisor replied that he believed that would be the case, but not 50% of the cumulative total of new and current units.

The next meeting of the WOTPCC is on Monday, April 25th at 7:30 in the Forest Hills Clubhouse.

April 2011

Budgets, Golden Gate Park, Pensions, a new Supervisor and a little larceny were the topics as the West of Twin Peaks Central Council closed the ledger on February in their monthly meeting on February 28th.

When WOTPCC President George Wooding called the meeting to order about thirty people had arrived to fill the seats at the Forest Hills Clubhouse. After the Treasurer's report, Elliot Wagner of Dimitra's Spa confirmed to the group that the Bank of America on West Portal Avenue had indeed been robbed on Saturday afternoon, and that no new information was available. As of Monday evening, nothing had been posted on the Taraval Police Station website. In addition, the Taraval Station has a new Captain. Captain Curtis Lum has taken over from Captain Sanford, who retired in mid-February. It is expected that Lum will address the WOTPCC in the near future.

Matt Chamberlain spoke about four topics where he is drafting policies and reports on behalf of the Council. He is currently working on policies relating to Residential Urban Power Generation (the windmill issue), Cellular Antennas on Power poles, a WOTPCC policy statement on the recently approved EIR for the Parkmerced Special Use District, and a follow up statement for the soon to be approved 2009 Housing Element document, of which a big concern is the ratio of owned homes versus rentals, where rental units numbers are dramatically greater than home and condo units owned by individuals. The Planning Commission is slated to meet on the Housing Element on March 24th.

Avrum Shepard followed with transportation information that MUNI is reporting that they could have a shortfall of up to $1.600,000,000 over the next 20 years. In an effort to increase revenue the agency is looking at several fees and taxes such as a Vehicle Impact Mitigation Fee for all cars; a parcel tax on homeowners; and possibly increased costs in off-street parking fees or permits.

Gus Guibert, of the Open Space Committee, spoke about the myriad of projects planned for the Westside, including the follow up on the options being reviewed for locating the Wastewater Treatment Plant (GGPark is still an option), and the Beach Chalet playing field project. The concept of public open space was also covered by Walter Kaplan in a short discussion about the plans that the DPW has for current open space in the Laguna Honda/Clarendon reservoir area. There is a major disagreement with DPW over the concept of what open, public space is and does the DPW have the right to use it anyway it sees fit.

After that, what could be better than a report on the Sacramento budget debates, by State Senator (and SF Mayoral Candidate) Leland Yee. Yee explained some of the processes that the Sacramento politicos are working on to help solve the budget crisis, and asked for support on the tax extension that is being proposed by the governor and the legislature. He also discussed the need for reforming how we fund California schools and, when asked, admitted that the current plan to extend taxes for years, and cut $12 B out of the budget will not permanently solve California's expense/revenue shortfall. Council President Wooding asked Yee about why he is running for Mayor and he explained that he is a San Franciscan (since 3 years old) and he wants to help fix what's wrong with the city and return it to the San Francisco that it can be.

Newly elected District 8 Supervisor Scott Wiener greeted the crowd and discussed the issues that he sees in the city, including their repair and maintenance of the crumbling streets and that the repair budgets could be "zeroed" out again this year. Wiener stressed the change in atmosphere at City Hall since the election and explained that Mayor Lee is working well with the supervisors. He also answered questions about several pieces of legislation he is working on, including the "registration" of dogs in the public parks to regulate the possible large influx of dog owners and dog walking services if the GGNRA bans dogs from its parkland.

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd addressed questions next and spoke about his work to reform the pension obligations of the city. He stressed that San Francisco has and will always honor the obligations that were promised to its pension holders, but added that the costs are sometimes detrimental to the General Fund. He explained that officials from both sides are having "meet and confer" types of discussions to try and come to compromises.

He also explained that it is probable that Jeff Adachi will move forward with a ballot measure to again address the pension situation, but that Adachi would probably "stand down" if significant progress was made through the current discussions. If the progress is not perceived as significant the ballot measure will probably move forward.

The concept of having Golden Gate Park designated as a Local Historic District was brought forth and discussed by Alan Martinez of the Historic Preservation Commission. A flier was distributed explaining that "Historic" status wouldn't mean that the Park or Buildings could not be changed, but that any proposed change would have to be examined by the Commission to evaluate if the historic features of the park were being preserved and not damaged.

In the final action of the evening, Karen Wood of the Miraloma Park Improvement Committee discussed a resolution asking the WOTPCC to endorse the MPIC's resolutions to have the new CVS Pharmacy at 701 Portola Avenue (current site of the Miraloma Gas Station) ban selling packaged alcohol, and stay open until 11 PM. (See the related article on Page 1). A representative from the CVS group was in attendance and will be speaking to the WOTPCC delegates in the March meeting.

The next meeting of the WOTPCC is on Monday, March 28thst at 7:30 PM in the Forest Hills Clubhouse.

March 2011

 

By Mitch Bull

New Supervisors, resolutions on Recreation and Park actions and general information were the crux of the agenda at the West of Twin Peaks Central Council meeting on January 24th.

When WOTPCC President George Wooding called the meeting to order at 7:30 PM, over thirty people had arrived to fill the seats at the Forest Hills Clubhouse. A roll call of delegates followed and then the approval of the December minutes and the Treasurer’s report. (Photo Supervisor Mark Farrell-Dist. 2 and Supervisor Malia Cohen-Dist. 10)

In committee reporting, Matt Chamberlain (Planning and Land Use) reported that he had been in a meeting earlier in the day with officials from the MTA and Parkmerced concerning the 19th Avenue corridor report and the traffic impact. After the discussions at the meeting he told the group that he felt the MTA planner had a very good grasp of the potential impact of a possible increase of 6000-9000 units over the next twenty years and it appears that the MTA seems to have their act together as related to the planning. There were 4-6 key points in the meeting that Chamberlain will have distributed to the group in the near future. He said there are several items that the Planning Committee is still following, such as the proposed changes to the Discretionary Review process, and changes to the CEQA guidelines that were proposed by former Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier.

Avrum Shepard next reported on issues with the traffic patterns at St. Francis Circle causing long delays on Portola as it approaches Sloat, and the MTA will be looking into the problem. He also informed the group of changes in parking ticketing procedures to issue more tickets as a way to increase revenue for the city, and that more people have been towed on West Portal Avenue.

Council President Wooding informed the crowd that all Laguna Honda patients have been moved into the new portion of the hospital, but that HVAC equipment problems are causing excessive noise for neighbors located in close proximity to the facility.

Mark Farrell (District 2) and Malia Cohen (District 10), two of the four newly-elected supervisors, then took turns speaking to the meeting attendees. It should be noted that Supervisors Farrell and Cohen were not in the room at the same time in accordance with limitations on public attendance by the majority (2 of 3) of a committee. In addition, District 7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd also did not attend the meeting for the same reason. Both supervisors provided their background information; both are native San Franciscans who weathered difficult elections and were elected through the “ranked choice” system of electing candidates. Farrell, with a solid financial background, is about getting the city’s financial house in order, working to get pensions under control, and to focus on addressing the “quality of life” issues that face everyone in the city. Cohen followed Farrell, also as a native San Franciscan who attended Lakeshore Elementary, Aptos Middle School and Lowell High School. She listed her priorities as keeping District 10 (Bayview/Potrero Hill/ Visitation Valley) residents “working, healthy and safe.”

Both legislators made references to the interim Mayor Ed Lee, as someone who is easy to work with and has an immense knowledge of how departments in the city operate. They also addressed questions about homeownership, and both expressed being proponents of “homeowners’ rights” to the approval of the attendees.

Following the completion of Q&A for Cohen, the discussion for the evening turned to the Recreation and Park Department. Denis Mosfigian addressed the crowd on the issues concerning the “privatizing” of JP Murphy and other parks in the city. Discussion focused on the degree of “privatization” and the concerns on how the RPD handles the “notification” process with the public.

A letter was read to the attendees from Supervisor Elsbernd in which he addressed two proposed resolutions prepared by the WOTPCC and the current state of affairs at the RPD. He detailed budget issues at the RPD, as their budget was cut by over $12.1 M in 2009-10 AND they have lost over $36 M in funding from the general fund over the last five years combined. As a result, the RPD is embarking on a process of looking at potential community partners with like-minded missions, such as the Boys and Girls’ Clubs, to lease out the clubhouses and have them utilized. His letter also stated that it is his belief that it is better to do this than to have the clubhouses continue to be vacant and possible safety hazards.

It is important to note that the Parks in question, such as JP Murphy Park, remain open for use by the residents. The main issue is the clubhouses, many of which were renovated, but remain closed due to a lack of funding for Recreation Supervisors to staff them. Many have been closed for years; the ones that were open were closed after the RPD laid off the remaining Recreation Supervisors last year.

Following the discussion, two resolutions were discussed. The first was written to address the WOTPCC membership’s concern with the need for “Improved Notification and Neighborhood Involvement in SF RPD Clubhouse Planning.” Authored by Matt Chamberlain, it was discussed, and amendments were made which were then voted on, passing 12-0. The second resolution, addressing the “Privatization of the JP Murphy Park Clubhouse” drafted by George Wooding, was also discussed and amended. Following further discussion it was also approved unanimously.

The next meeting of the WOTPCC is on Monday, February 21st at 7:30 in the Forest Hills Clubhouse.

February 2011

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