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By Calvin Welch, Land Use Chair, HANC Board

There are big changes being proposed for MUNI. Two months ago, Mayor Lee appointed a working group to advise him on future funding mechanisms for MUNI. It is due to report back on September 23rd. Expect a major bond and a new “dedicated” source for MUNI funding, probably a new vehicle license fee for all autos registered to San Franciscans. There is also talk about a new MUNI fee being charged to new developments. Expect a major debate on Supervisor Scott Wiener’s proposal to apply that fee to affordable housing developments and health and human service non-profit facility developments, two activities which currently pay no such fee and generally serve folks who already are riding MUNI and thus not adding to it capacity problem.

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Join us on Thursday, December 13, beginning at 7 pm at the Park Branch Library as we discuss the November election.

It should come as no surprise that Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney 10,710 (90% of the neighborhoods vote) to 591 (.04%) here in the Haight-Ashbury. Nor should it come as much of a surprise in this stronghold of political “chat” that some 78% of the registered voters of the neighborhood voted, a stronger turnout that the 73% in San Francisco or the 71% in California.

As the old saying goes: “All politics are local”; and Decembers meeting will get as “local” as it can get. 

The meeting will be devoted to a discussion of how the Haight-Ashbury voted this last November by individual precinct and by sub neighborhood areas . we will compare and contrast the neighborhoods vote with the rest of District Five and the City. We will look at key ballot measures and how HANC recommendation on 6 City and 8 State measures was greeted in the neighborhood. We will take detailed looks at Proposition C, the Housing Trust Fund, Proposition E, the Gross Receipts Business Tax which HANC members campaigned for door to door in the neighborhood. We will also look at the District 5 Supervisor race and who came in where here in the Haight- Ashbury.

Assisiting in bringing some analysis to the number crunching, done as usual by HANC Board member Calvin Welch, Decembers meeting will have long time gay community activist, local merchant and past President of HANC, Joey Cain. Joey will be joined by Prof. Corey Cook, of USF, the political science “source” of record for the Chronicle and long time observer of San Francisco elections and politics. 

Joey, Corey and Calvin will be loaded with facts and observations and you should come loaded with questions, observations and opinions on what just happened. It’s all happening at the Park Brnach Library, 1833 Page Street, 7 PM, Thursday, December 13.

By Colleen Rivecca, HANC Board Member

This month (September 12, beginning at 7 pm at the Park Branch Library), HANC will discuss the current state of Haight Street and its environs.  We all know that what happens in the parks in the Haight-Ashbury affects Haight Street, so a discussion of Haight Street wouldn't be complete without mention of legislation introduced by Supervisor Scott Wiener to establish uniform park closure hours for all of San Francisco's 220 parks.

Supervisor Wiener's proposed ordinance would close the parks from 12:00 midnight until 5:00 am.  Exceptions to the law are made for Balboa, Golden Gate, Lincoln, and McClaren parks, where people are allowed to use a vehicle on park roadways or to walk on paved sidewalks adjacent to those roadways for purposes of crossing the park. 

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November at HANC

Join us at our general meeting on Thursday, November 8, beginning at 7:00 pm, at the Park Branch Library, 1833 Page Street, as we discuss the changes coming for Masonic, Oak, Fell, and Haight Streets.

2013 will be year of significant changes for the major streets in our neighborhood.  Oak and Fell Streets are slated to have new bulb outs, medians and a bike lane. On September 18^th the MTA approved a series of bulb outs and a raised median strip for Masonic from Geary to Fell. Work is expected to be well underway by next year.

Last month Supervisor Olague and the Planning Department announced a year long planning process for Haight Street, officially called the “ Haight Ashbury Public Realm Plan”. The year long planning process was set in motion by the two year old Haight Ashbury Merchants Association (HAMA), led by Christin Evans, who came up with some concepts to make Haight Street more compelling to the neighborhood's residents.

With all of this in motion HANC has asked James Shahamiri from the MTA and Alexis Smith from the Planning Department to present as well as Ms. Evans from HAMA.

How these three efforts will fit together and work for the residents and businesses of the Haight Ashbury is of keen interest. There seems to be a rather large “gap.” for example, in the Masonic street plan which ends at Fell while major issues of car, bicycle, pedestrian and transit connections and conflicts at Haight and Masonic goes unaddressed. Moreover, how the Planning Department enforces existing codes and policies on Haight Street has come under criticism from HANC, with the violation of permit requirements occurring at Whole Foods, which is now using Page and Haight Streets for unloading large trucks when such use was banned by their permit.

Haight Street is officially designated as a “neighborhood shopping district” yet tens of thousands visitors from the world come each year. It is also a “transit preferential street” in formal plans, yet cars, trucks and bicycles conflict with buses and pedestrians on a daily basis. Finally, Haight Street has more homes than shops and is a residential street as well as a commercial street. How these multi-uses are merged with what physical “improvements” are no simple matter and if all of us are to benefit, it must be done with all of our participation. So please come, Thursday, November 8 at 7 PM at 1833 Page street.

Mark your calendar for September 13^th at 7 PM at Park Branch Library (1833 Page Street) for it will be your first major opportunity to learn and discuss local ballot measures for this November's election.

While we all know more than we ever wanted about Mitt, his dog and his pony we are far less well informed about local ballot measures that will, arguable, have more direct impact our daily lives. From profound ( Props C, E and F) to simply symbolic (G), from important (A and B) to not so important (D) all local ballot measures will be discussed.

Taken as a whole the seven local measures, while fewer than usual, will have real impacts. The City College parcel tax ( A) and Park Bond (B) measures are not simply funding measures but also are imbedded with real policy issues. HANC opposes B and lays out its reasons in a separate article in this issue of the Voice.

Propositions C, the Housing Trust Fund, E, the new gross receipt business tax and F, a policy statement on the future of the Hetch Hetchy water and power system, have long lasting importance and involve billions of public dollars. These three are not trivial issues and you need to understand them. HANC will lay out its support for Proposition C ( see article in this issue) and has invited speakers on E and F.

It wont be until late September before the Comical addresses these issues ( if then) and the various local political blogs are all caught up in the personality slug fest of the Supervisors race, so HANC is the best place to begin an understanding of the issues on the ballot.

Plan to be there and bring a friend.