By Tes Welborn, HANC Board
This will be the largest change in San Francisco district maps and potentially, the largest change in San Francisco politics. We've known for years that all the development on the east side of town would mean major shifts in district maps and the pool of supervisor candidates. And now a nine-member appointed task force will be the final decision-makers on a new map, based on the 2020 Census. The task force has three members appointed directly by the Mayor, three by the Dept. of Elections, and three by the Board of Supervisors. That's only three progressives.
Another factor is that the Mayor has mandated NO public meetings until at least March 2022. The final map is due by April 15, 2022. This limits public access and discussion. The taskforce meetings have been running about 6 hours each, and are expected to run longer. And recall elections may further distract residents and voters from this important issue.
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by Jaime Michaels, HANC Board
In April 2020, a month into the City’s mandatory shutdown due to COVID-19, select corridors in Golden Gate Park were closed to private vehicles while remaining open to recreational use and limited commercial traffic. The closures were intended as a temporary measure to meet the growing demand of residents seeking relief from their quarantined-like existence indoors in a manner that also allowed adequate social distance.
Included in the closures was a 1.5-mile-long section of John F. Kennedy Dr. (from Kezar Dr. to Transverse Dr.) previously closed to vehicles on weekends and holidays only. Since taking effect, the full-time closure of this section of JFK has garnered supporters (e.g., recreational visitors) and detractors (e.g., museum goers and operators) whose positions have been rooted in seemingly conflicting needs for vehicle and mobility access, street parking, and facility operations and management. People with disabilities also have spoken up about access.
Stakeholder Working Group and Action Framework
In an attempt to achieve consensus over opposing views, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority convened a group of stakeholders (“The Golden Gate Park Stakeholder Working Group and Action Framework”) who worked to develop a set of initial findings to be used in the formal planning process for JFK Dr. under the direction of the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA) and Recreation and Park Department (RPD).
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