Membership Meetings: 2nd Thursdays ~ 7-9pm
Park Branch Library, 1833 Page St, SF, CA 94117 (except August)
By Christin Evans, HANC Board
At the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council’s September meeting, the first hour centered on the recent appearance of numerous automated vehicles emblazoned with corporate logos. Representatives of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), and the companies Waymo, Cruise and Zoox were on hand to answer our community’s questions about what impact these new vehicles have.
We reported on Robert Leon’s passing in the April issue of the Voice (https://www.hanc-sf.org/24-home/610-in-memory-of-robert-m-leon ). Robert’s sister, Elsie provided us with this report:
A heartfelt farewell was held for Robert Leon over the 4th of July weekend by family and friends. A memorial was held at Angel Island from the flagship boat of the Oakland A’s. May Robert rest in peace.
Thank you San Francisco.
By Calvin Welch, HANC Board
While technophiles eagerly await the full operation of corporate-owned driverless electric taxis, the concern of some that these vehicles may prove an alluring alternative to public transit for cash-strapped urban transit managers and their elected official bosses may be working itself on San Francisco streets.
At the September 9th HANC general meeting featuring SFMTA, WAYMO and other driverless car companies, Supervisor Mar’s office has been invited to share with us the background to the recent announcement by WAYMO that it will operate throughout District 4, presented by Mar at the Board of Supervisors. In an August 25th piece appearing on 48 Hills (https://48hills.org/2021/08/waymo-and-the-invasion-of-the-corporate-body-snatchers/), Herb Mintz reports that Mar’s office learned that the area was selected as “a result of an SFMTA study” of the district . While the study results were “apparently” shared with WAYMO, SFMTA “did no outreach. Not to the residents, and not even to our office,” Mar staffer Ralph Lane told Mintz. Mintz asked SFMTA for a comment but none was forthcoming. Perhaps HANC can get some answers.
It is perhaps a coincidence that SFMTA did a study on intersections layout in the Sunset and WAYMO chose the same area to start its driverless operations. Equally it may also be a coincidence that the three remaining major transit lines still suspended –the 6 the 21 and the L- all serve the same area that WAYMO will begin its driverless operations. Join us at HANC on Thursday, September 9th, 7 pm to get answers to these and other questions.
Please join us on Thursday, September 9, at 7:00 pm. Our meeting will focus on the impacts of driverless vehicles on the Haight Ashbury. We have invited representatives from SFMTA, Supervisor Mar's office, Waymo, Cruise, and Zoox to provide information and to answer your questions.
To join the meeting, copy this link:
https://zoom.us/j/97001985280?pwd=Nkx2UVFPSTRVWGVXUVZEbFRkb0xwQT09
Or, with the Zoom app:
Meeting ID: 970 0198 5280
Passcode: 333544
Zoom also provides telephone numbers. These are not toll-free numbers. Check with your phone company before you incur charges.
The closest number is:
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 970 0198 5280
Passcode: 333544
Additional numbers can be found at: https://zoom.us/u/acJ3FRWOWk
By Christin Evans and James Sword, HANC Board
At the end of August, HANC board members Christin Evans and James Sword met with Supervisor Preston to discuss what measures the city could take to improve community safety.
The pandemic has raised the profile of the Department of Public Health (DPH) and its key decision makers. Everything from guidance on workplace operations, distancing and masking to creating public access to testing and vaccinations is now determined in this City/County department. But does the Department operate with little oversight? Its officials, for the most part certified medical professionals, report up through to the mayor’s office. The few hearings held with the full Board of Supervisors in 2020 were contentious, discussing the sometimes arbitrary rules allowing some retailers (mostly corporate chains) to operate freely while many other, smaller retailers were required to fully close. The mayor’s office battled the teachers’ union in the media over school reopening and safety measures to keep both students and staff safe.
During the Delta surge, a realization that the Covid risk persists even for those who have been vaccinated when antibodies wane will likely lead to a CDC recommendation for booster shots for all of us soon. People once again are being asked to mask up and be aware of the onset of symptoms and quarantine if needed. But the Delta surge also revealed gaps in access. Testing options that provide immediate results have been challenging for most to obtain.
By Christin Evans, HANC Board
Have you noticed the strange robot cars, sensors whirring on the car rooftop, cameras mounted outwards, driving on our city roads? They are hard to miss, as they are cruising down Haight street nearly every day now.
At our September meeting we will strive to better understand the brave new world of autonomous vehicles (AVs). The Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council has invited representatives from the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and the AV companies Waymo, Cruise, and Zoox.
We’ve asked the companies to come prepared to answer these questions:
Riordan Harvesters, a volunteer group from Archbishop Riordan High School, will pick your fruit for you! After you keep what you like, they will take the rest to the local food bank. It's FREE! No tree to big or small. Contact Nick Martinez 415-521-9851, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
By James Sword, HANC Board
Despite the surge in COVID19 cases in SF and the higher transmissibility of the Delta variant particularly among children, San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) schools are open to in-person learning with fewer mitigation strategies than there were in the spring, and distance learning has been restricted to a small group of students. That was the single goal Decrease the Distance (DtD) had been pushing since Fall 2020.
