FILE NO. 110186

[Recycling Program]

AMENDED IN BOARD  3/8/11 RESOLUTION NO.  121-11

Resolution requesting the Recreation and Parks Department and the Department of the Environment collaborate to establish a comprehensive Parks recycling program utilizing the expertise, volunteer base and facilities of the HANC Recycling Center in Golden Gate Park, for the Department of the Environment to establish an Independent Recycling Center Master Plan, and requesting the Recreation and Parks Department to rescind the eviction of the HANC Recycling Center from Golden Gate Park.

WHEREAS, AB 2020, The California Recycling and Litter Reduction Act of 1986 (the "Bottle Bill") requires the City to provide residents with convenient means to redeem recyclables, a requirement not met by curbside-pick up alone; and

WHEREAS, The Department of Environment ("DOE") has confirmed the Bottle
Bill is an effective incentive that has increased diversion rates since the program was initiated; and

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Garden for the Environment will offer the following workshops in January, 2013. All classes will be offered at Garden for the Environment, San Francisco’s organic demonstration garden at 7th and Lawton Street. Since its founding in 1990, the garden has operated as a demonstration site for small-scale urban ecological food production, organic gardening, compost education and low water-use landscaping.  For more information, call (415) 731-5627, or go to www.gardenfortheenvironment.org.

NATURAL PLANT CARE

Date: Saturday, February 9th, 2013
Time: 10am - 12pm
Location: Garden for the Environment, 7th Ave and Lawton Street, San Francisco
Cost: Free! Sponsored by the SFPUC

Planning ahead for low-maintenance design and sustainable products is a key element to a successful organic garden. Join us to learn about natural maintenance practices that will keep your garden beautiful and your labor to a minimum.

Topics covered include:

• Weed control
• Value of mulch
• Non-toxic weed control
• Moisture and weed seed germination
• Growing healthy plants
• Alternatives to chemical fertilizers
• Natural pest management
• Beneficial Insects vs. harmful Insects

This workshop is FREE, sponsored by SF Public Utilities Commission.

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On January 3, HANC ended some 35 years of operation of its recycling center after being evicted from the Kezar stadium site at 780 Frederick by the Recreation and Parks Department (RPD). The purpose built location, created when the new Kezar stadium was built in 1990, replaced the old parking lot site on the east side of old Kezar where HANC recycled for most of the 1970’s. 

The center was the last remaining community-based recycling location in western San Francisco. Now recyclers will have to drive to the Bayview to recycle. It had grown into a community garden and a native plant nursery, with 10 employees paid a living wage and provided health benefits, both of which also ceased functioning at the location. Rec and Park claims it will establish a new “community garden” but has refused HANC’s request to honor the existing community gardeners plots at the site nor has it announced any schedule. RPD terminated their “community planning” process for the new garden after support was expressed by neighbors involved for continuing HANC’s role at the site.

The center was the focus of an intense attack by the San Francisco Chronicle in recent years, being the subject of nearly twenty editorials or opinion columns by CW Nevius. It is as if the Chronicle sought to overcome the entire history of the neighborhood in its unprecedented attacks on the lowly recycling center. In the last year of his abbreviated second term, Gavin Newsom directed his General Manager of Rec and Park to evict the center after HANC lead the neighborhood opposition to the Newsom campaign against young people sitting and lying on Haight Street. 

In the course of the long campaign by both the Mayor and the Chronicle a “narrative” was created based upon three often repeated (and self-contradictory) lies:

1. 1.The center had “outlived its usefulness” as curbside pickup made it pointless; the center attracted homeless people to the neighborhood and Golden Gate Park; 
2. 2.The center was “banned” by the Golden Gate Park Master Plan, and, as ol’ CW liked to say the City “did not want it anymore”.
3. 3.Residents of the neighborhood opposed it and wanted it

Like most manufactured “narratives” aimed at shifting public policy they are difficult to refute as reality is a little more complex than a falsely simple story line and requires an argument that makes sense only to folks paying attention. Yet, to the chagrin of both Newsom and the Chronicle people paid attention and the “lies of the lying liars” were exposed.

Sutter-CPMC has been negotiating with the Mayor's Office, Supervisors Chiu, Campos, and Ferrell, and a mediator, and it seems now that a smaller Cathedral Hill Hospital and a larger St. Luke's are being planned. Sutter has rejected permitting nurses to have transfer rights to the new facilities. We expect the revised proposal to come to the Board of Supervisors sometime in January or February and need to stay vigilant.

UCSF is initiating a process to identify real estate opportunities for its Laurel Heights Campus, part of a strategy to reduce the University’s operating costs by consolidating campus work sites. UCSF seeks a developer to help create a compelling vision for the Laurel Heights site that will benefit the neighborhood, the City and County of San Francisco and UCSF.

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In 2012, HANC built a community garden at the Recycling Center and Native Plant Nursery site, creating Kezar Gardens Ecology Center, and garnered massive community support in opposition to our eviction. We did a lot more. Here is a recap of our monthly meetings: 

In January, we discussed the Recreation and Open Space Element of the General Plan. This now seems to have stalled. Captain John Feeney, who took charge of the Park Police Station in January, met with HANC in February and answered questions about traffic safety, enforcement of the sit-lie law, and parklets. Captain Feeney was replaced by Captain Greg Corrales in June.

Our March meeting featured a discussion with Supervisor Christina Olague, who began her term as Supervisor in January, 2012. Topics of discussion included the future of the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic, HANC’s Recycling Center, redistricting, chain stores appearing in our neighborhood without Planning Commission review, and food trucks. Supervisor Olague’s term ends in early January, 2013.

In April, we presented an update on Kezar Gardens, including a slide show of the 50 community garden beds that had been built, filled, and planted, and presentations and stories by some of the community gardeners. In May, we discussed the very short June ballot and had a debate on the proposition to put the City’s garbage contracts out for competitive bid.

In June, we discussed CPMC/Sutter’s plans with Bob Prentice and Paul Kumar from San Franciscans for Health Care, Housing, Jobs, and Justice. Although the plans to build a large facility at Geary and Van Ness will affect housing, traffic, and employment, the discussion focused on the impacts the development could have on the City’s healthcare costs for its workers and “Healthy San Francisco” participants, and also on the agreement to keep St. Luke’s Hospital open. The CPMC/Sutter plans have stalled, but it appears that there will be further developments during the next few months.

In July we held a discussion about displacement of community gardens. We had representatives from the Hayes Valley Farm, the Free Farm, and the Gill Tract, as well as from Kezar Gardens to inform and advise us.

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Garden for the Environment will offer the following workshops in January, 2013. All classes will be offered at Garden for the Environment, San Francisco’s organic demonstration garden at 7th and Lawton Street. Since its founding in 1990, the garden has operated as a demonstration site for small-scale urban ecological food production, organic gardening, compost education and low water-use landscaping.  For more information, call (415) 731-5627, or go to www.gardenfortheenvironment.org.

ORGANIC GARDEN DESIGN
Date: Saturday, January 12, 2013
Time: 10AM - 12:00 Noon

Location: Garden for the Environment, 7th Ave at Lawton Street, San Francisco
Cost: Free, Sponsored by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Learn how to grow a healthy and beautiful garden that minimizes the impacts on the environment. From building a healthy soil with compost to selecting beautiful plantings appropriate for the Bay Area’s climate, this workshop will give you the basics to implement sustainable gardening practices.

Topics covered include:

• Importance of healthy soil
• Organic matter
• Composting
• Selecting colorful plants for the Bay Area climate
• Climate appropriate plants
• California natives
• How to water without waste
• Preventing nutrient run-off
• Irrigation basics and watering schedules
• Natural pest and weed management
• Pesticide alternatives
• Non-toxic weed control

This workshop is FREE! To pre-register or for more information please visit

www.gardenfortheenvironment.org

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These figures were presented at the HANC meeting on November 13.  They were compiled and presented by Calvin Welch.

How the Haight Voted, 2012

Turnout 2012 

US  59%

CA  71%

  SF 73%

D5   75%

HA  77%

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Turnout 2012

Haight-Ashbury

Area             Reg.           Vote               % ABS

N.Pan           3527         2643 (75%)         44%

Flats             6664        4978 (75%)          43%

Hills             3418         2776 (81%)         47%

HA           13,609       10,397 (77%)         45%

D5             55,581       41,918 (75%)       49%

SF           502,841     356,875 (73%)       53%

Source: DOE Final SOV, ; Calvin Welch

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