By Teresa Palmer, MD - Geriatrics / Family Practice

(Attending Physician at Laguna Honda 1989-2004)

[This is a follow-up to the article in the September HANC Voice, https://www.hanc-sf.org/24-home/714-what-happened-at-laguna-honda]

Our City Attorney dropped his lawsuit defending Laguna Honda Hospital (LHH) in mid- October. In return, the Feds (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services-CMS) agreed to delay defunding  LHH until November of 2023, BUT to delay required discharges and closure only until February of 2023 (with the possibility of extension for good behavior).

This delay is to give LHH time to meet Federal criteria to resume normal operations. Closure, discharges and bed cuts are still very much on the table -despite the extreme shortage of safe nursing home beds for the poor everywhere.

Read more ...

Read more ...

If you have not yet voted, remember to vote by Tuesday, November 8.

HANC, as a 501(c)(3) non-profit, cannot endorse candidates.  We can endorse or oppose ballot measures, and have endorsed the following ballot measures:

Nominations for the HANC Board are open through the election at our November Meeting.  All current HANC members are eligible to serve and to nominate other members.  If you would like to serve, or would like to nominate someone, you can do so before the vote at the November meeting.  The term is from December, 2022 through November, 2023.  The current HANC Board has made the following recommendations for officers and Board members for the upcoming term:

President:                                        David Woo

Vice President:                                Lisa Awbrey

Recording Secretary:                      Jim Rhoads

Corresponding Secretary:               Bruce Wolfe

Treasurer:                                        Christin Evans

Nominating Chair:                          James Sword

Membership Chair:                         Richard Ivanhoe

Housing & Land Use Chair:           Calvin Welch

Recycling Chair:                              Karen Fishkin

Members At Large:  Tab Buckner, Nate Horrell, Danielle McVay,

                                  Christian Vaisse, Tes Welborn

At HANC’s September 2021 meeting, we discussed the community impact of robotic cars on our streets  and strove  to understand the brave new world of autonomous vehicles (AVs). Back then we invited representatives from SFMTA and the AV companies WAYMO, CRUISE and ZOOX to answer our questions. At this November’s meeting,  we hoped to provide updated information but as of our print deadline, HANC did not hear back. We still have many questions for the AV companies; we will will hold our growing list for a future meeting.

-How many vehicles are operating on our city streets?

-Where are your facilities for vehicle storage and repair located in San Francisco?

Read more ...

The Mayor’s Disability Council (MDC) is staffed by the Mayor’s Office on Disability.  Its mission is to 1) advise the Mayor on disability issues, 2) work with the Mayor’s Office on Disability to ensure ADA compliance, and 3) provide a public forum to discuss disability issues.

MDC meets on the third Friday of every month (except August and December) from 1 pm to 4 pm.  The preliminary agenda has two items:  1) E-Scooter Safety Enforcement Update and 2) Active Communities Plan:  addressing equity and accessibility for the Citywide bike network.  A detailed agenda, including instructions for joining the meeting in person or online will be posted seven days before the meeting (by November 11), and will be available at https://sfgov.org/sfmdc/whats-new .

Planning for the Haight-Ashbury Public Realm Plan began in May, 2011 when HAMA (Haight Ashbury Merchant’s Association) presented its ideas to then-supervisor Mirkarimi and the Planning Department.  Meetings were held with community groups during 2011 and 2012, and various public meetings were held from 2012 through 2016.  The plan evolved into a partnership between SFMTA and the Department of Public Works.  Ground was broken in September, 2018, and the project was completed in June, 2021.  Although there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony in July, 2021, this might have been missed, as it was early in the City’s reopening from the Covid pandemic, and the numbers were again rising.

The project included sewer upgrades, traffic signals, curb ramps, sidewalk replacement, pedestrian lighting, and street repaving. 

We would like your thoughts on the Public Realm:

--What changes have you noticed on Haight Street since 2018?

--Which of these changes do you like?

--Which of these changes do you dislike?

--Were you disrupted by the street work?  If so, how?

--Was the final result worth the disruption?

--What else should have been done?

--What was done that should not have been changed?

--Do you have any other thoughts or comments about the Public Realm?

Please send your responses via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by mail to HANC, P.O. Box 170518, San Francisco, CA  94117.  Thank you.

After cancellations in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid and a postponement in 2022, the Haight Ashbury Street Fair returned on October 16, 2022.  Overcast skies gave way to some sunshine in the late afternoon.  The crowd seemed happy and the 2022 fair can be considered a success.  Here are some photos from the day:

Read more ...