Please join us on Thursday, September 10, at 7:00 pm, as we resume our monthly meetings.  We still cannot meet in person, so the meeting will again be online.  You can login to the meeting at https://join.freeconferencecall.com/hancsf-conf .  The security code is 1357911.  If you cannot login by computer or by smartphone, you can dial in at 720-740-9647.  If you dial in, use access code 7410391#.

Our agenda for the September meeting includes an introduction by Park Police Station Captain Chris Pedrini, who became captain of Park Station in June.  More information about Captain Pedrini (and a picture) can be found in the accompanying article.

A local group, NOPA West Neighbors (NOPAWN), will discuss their appeal of the Planning Department’s approval of a development at 1846 Grove Street.  The development is proposed for an oddly shaped lot in what would usually be backyards—it does not face any streets.  The appeal is scheduled to be heard before the Board of Supervisors on September 29.

For the rest of the meeting, we will discuss ballot measures for the November election.  HANC’s endorsements (so far) are in the accompanying article.  We anticipate discussing some of the propositions we have not yet endorsed, as well as explaining some of our endorsements.

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, 2020 through November, 2021. 

Our Bylaws require that we solicit nominations from our membership in the September Voice and present a slate at our October and November meetings.  The offices open for election are:  President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Nominating Chair, Membership Chair, Housing and Land Use Chair, Recycling Chair, and three Members at Large.

Current Board members as well as members who are not serving on our Board are eligible for these positions. 

Pursuant to our Bylaws, “No person may serve for more than two terms in the same capacity,” except that the Treasurer, the Membership Chair, the Housing and Land Use Chair, and the Recycling Chair may serve for more than two terms.

By Christin Evans, HANC Board

With the Presidential race around the corner, it’s time we turn to highlight the numerous local ballot measures you will see on your vote-by-mail ballot this November. 

Bond Measure (Proposition A):  The nearly $500 million bond measure supported by both the Mayor and the Supervisors includes $207M in funds for acquisition and rehabilitation of real property to house those experiencing homelessness and behavioral health challenges, $239M for parks and $41M for street repair.

Charter Amendments: The Board of Supervisors proposed six total changes to the city charter this election including removing citizenship requirements for members of city bodies (Proposition C), removing mandated police staffing levels (Proposition E) and increasing Sheriff Department oversight (Proposition D).  There is also a charter amendment (Proposition B) to decrease the scope of the Department of Public Works (DPW) currently mired in a corruption scandal by carving out a new department whose focus would be Sanitation and Streets maintenance -- both departments also get a new oversight commission with appointees from both the mayor and BOS.

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By Bruce Wolfe, HANC Vice President

Ever think you’d hear those words again in California, no less, here in San Francisco? Well, they’re back! And, they’re back with none other than the SF Public Utilities Commission. Why, after all the hard work over the past decade of so many organizations including HANC, who  fought so hard against PG&E and other investor-owned utilities (IOU)? The “Why?” is never clear as the reasons are like a plastic bag floating in the wind, but the question was put on the Commission’s table to consider...and without much public notice...AND...PG&E was giving the energy away for free to the tune of $1.4 million! But, there’s that word again, “Why?”

As 48hills Editor Tim Redmond put it, “The resolution sounds totally innocent: It states that it would: Confirm and clarify existing Commission policy that CleanPowerSF will not procure specified sources of nuclear energy as part of its energy portfolio to serve its retail customers.” You can’t trust the basic descriptions anymore. You must read the whole thing through and through now. Again, Tim Redmond, “But when you click through and actually read the language of the resolution and the staff analysis, it’s a bit more complicated. Staff is suggesting that CPSF (Clean Power SF) could go ahead and take the nuclear power from PG&E – and then resell it to someone else, bringing in as much as $1.4 million a year in revenue”. https://48hills.org/2020/06/sfpuc-could-be-accepting-pges-nuclear-energy/

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CleanPowerSF is your local, clean electricity provider. We are focused on providing clean energy that is affordable and accessible to all—now and in the future.

We recognize the hardships many of our customers may be facing as a result of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and we remain committed to supporting you during this challenging time. From monthly discounts to flexible payment options, we’re here to help you save and manage your electricity bill. For more information about available customer support and protections, visit https://CleanPowerSF.org or call (415) 554-0773.

Sign-up for Savings

Have you been economically impacted by the COVID-19 crisis? If your income has recently changed, you may be eligible to save up to 35% on your monthly electricity bill. Visit https://CleanPowerSF.org/loweryourbill to learn if you qualify for a discount program. You can also quickly and easily see if you are eligible for a monthly discount by texting “CARE” to 20283 and answering a few questions.

Go 100% Renewable with SuperGreen

Working from home? Power your workday with 100% renewable energy! For an average of just $3 more per month, you can fight climate change between emails and Zoom calls. Upgrading your home’s electricity account to 100% renewable energy is easy. Visit CleanPowerSF.org and upgrade to SuperGreen today!

HANC wants you to vote Yes on California Proposition 15.

The November 2020 elections is going to be different than any past election.  Although the election date is officially November 3, with Covid-19 still raging, the number of people actually voting at the polls is expected to be unusually small.  This year, California will send a mail-in ballot to every registered voter.  Ballots will be mailed to San Francisco voters beginning October 5, and mail-in ballots will be counted if they are postmarked by November 3 and received by November 20.  We encourage you to 1) ensure that the Elections Department has your current address on file, and 2) mail your ballot early.  If you do not receive a ballot by October 15, you should contact the Elections Department, online at https://sfelections.sfgov.org/vote-mail or by telephone at 415-554-4375.  Although the State has extended the time for ballots to be received from 3 days after the election to 17 days, we still encourage you to mail your ballot early, as the post office has already been slowed down.

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By Calvin Welch, HANC Board

July's general membership meeting focused on the topic of the coming budget crisis and efforts at the local level to cushion the impact on our most vulnerable neighbors. 

While Governor Newsom is still wedded to the notion that President Trump and the Republicans will pass a "bailout" for state and local government, and as yet has offered no new statewide revenue measures, Mayor Breed and the Board of Supervisors have made the more realistic assumption that we will need new revenue if we are to lessen the serious impacts of the looming budget deficit.

Our two July meeting guests, Debbi Lerman of the Human Services Network, a coalition of many faith and community based non-profit health and human service providers and a long-time participant in the city's "budget wars" and  Matthias Mormino, Director of Policy for the community-based non-profit affordable housing developer Chinatown Community Development Center and past legislative assistant to Supervisors Kim and Yee, laid out the depth of the budget crisis facing us locally and emphasized the need for new revenue.

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By Christin Evans, HANC Board

It’s my pleasure to report that the CAMP ‘safe sleeping village’ has been an overwhelming success in its first month of operation at 730 Stanyan.  With the exception of a few small obstacles, the campsite has provided approximately 40 campers a safe place to pitch a tent, three meals a day, toilets, hand washing stations and showers.

The CAMP faced some early issues responding to the weather which posed high temps, raging winds and even a late Spring rain.  But sandbags, well anchored tarps and canopies, donated by neighbors organized by the Cole Valley Haight Allies (CVHA) all helped make the parking lot a bit more comfortable. There have also been visits from nearby park wildlife including a raccoon family and a skunk (the CAMP is staffed 24 hours and these visitors are sometimes spotted in the wee hours of the night).

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