CA-17 Debate

From the SF Examiner,

Supervisor David Campos went on the attack against board President David Chiu from the outset of Thursday night’s debate in the race for a state Assembly seat, as the candidates covered everything from Google buses to whether to let bars stay open until 4 a.m.

A candidate's ability to raise funds is often used as an indicator of their strength in a election.  According to David Chiu's campaign, he has raised over $450,000 just in the past three months and enjoys an early 12-point lead in a poll commissioned by his campaign.  However, with 38% undecided and ten months to go, either of them could end up winning the seat.  It is unknown what David Campos' fundraising totals are for the same time period, but the San Francisco Young Democrats, the organization that sponsored last night's debate, voted to endorse him over Chiu.

The CA Assembly seat they are both vying for is currently filled by Tom Ammiano, who is termed-out this November.  The seat has gone through some renumbering and boundary redefining over the years, but before Ammiano, the seat was held by State Senator Mark Leno and former State Senator Carole Migden.  If Chiu wins the seat, he would be the first non-LGBT person sent to Sacramento from the district since 1996, when Migden won the seat after Willie Brown let go his 30-year hold on it to become San Francisco's Mayor.

Campos & Chiu Social Mixer

Join a Social Mixer and Q&A with Supervisors David Campos and David Chiu at the Bayview Pop-Up Market.  Both are seeking to represent State Assembly District 17 including the Bayview, Visitacion Valley, Potrero Hill, and Portola.   BYDSF will hold a short meeting shortly following the Q&A.

Thursday, Feb 13 6:00 PM Bayview Opera House

Q&A - begins at 6:00 PM

About the Bayview Underground Food Scene: The Community Pop-Up Market is a weekly place where local food and crafts vendors, from the Bayview and beyond, sample and sell a wide variety of goods. Including: Auntie April’s classic soul food * Beautiful You organic beauty products * Comfort Foods National healthy comfort food * Earl’s Bread & Brittle * Eji’s Ethiopian food * Fox & Lion hearty breads * Gratta Wines * Nia Soul afro-caribbean food * SF Honey & Pollen Co. * SF Mead Co. * Yvonne’s Southern Sweets

About BYDSF: An organization built of young professionals, students, and community leaders of all ages who actively advocate for issues facing Black/African American community. As the flagship Democratic club for young Black/African Americans in San Francisco, we work to ensure that our elected officials hear the perspectives of our community through our membership. We believe it is our duty to Engage, Empower, and Inspire.

PNSC Action Planning Workshop

Thursday, March 8, 2012
6PM - 7:30PM
1 Burrows St
RSVP 415-574-9170

Your input will help identify community concerns and priority actions for 2012 update of the Portola Action Plan.

Potential issues to be addressed include:

• Community health and safety
• Streetscape design and physical appearance
• Neighborhood events and activities
• Business attraction and promotion
• Other activities to help the Portola better serve its residents, merchants, and community stakeholeders

Come hear community updates from Supervisor David Campos and Bayview SFPD Captain Paul Chignell

Let's increase pedestrian access to Alemany Farmers Market

For those who live in the Portola and Silver Terrace neighborhoods, pedestrian access to the Alemany Farmer's Market would be great.  Parking there is a bear, and really, who wants to drive to such a close local gem when we could walk?  Bernal Heights residents already have relatively easy pedestrian access, but because of the freeways, those of us just south of the farmers' market are made to feel like we need to drive.

Stuart Brady, a neighbor who wrote into The Portola Yahoo Group, recently wrote Supervisors Cohen and Campos about the possibility of increasing foot traffic to the market via a new walkway and some additional minor changes.  All seem like relatively low-cost, high-benefit ideas.  I hope this gains traction! 

In his letter to the Supes, he writes,

Dear Supervisor Campos & Supervisor Cohen, and all who help to make San Francisco a more pedestrian friendly city, I would like to propose that a walkway be built to connect the Portola District to Farmers Market in Bernal Heights.

Currently,  to walk from the Portola District to the Farmers Market,  you have to walk at least half a mile under the freeway, then sandwiched between the 280 fwy and 6 lanes of Alemany Blvd , only to be forced to cross Alemany Blvd at a freeway off-ramp.  I believe we can make a much safer and more pedestrian friendly connection between the two neighborhoods by adding a walkway between San Bruno Ave, under the South 101-280 connector, and into a new pedestrian gateway, at the East end of the Farmers Market.

In its simplest form this would require 4 main components:

-         Add striping for a crosswalk between the West Side of San Bruno Ave to the area under the freeway (crossing Alemany Eastbound).
-         Pave a pathway under the South 101-280 connector
-         Install a new traffic signal and crosswalk between area under the freeway and the East end of the Farmers Market, (crossing Alemany Westbound, approximately where Peralta Ave and Tompkins Ave meet).
-         Removal of some fencing between the Farmers Market and Alemany Blvd

Additional improvements that could be incorporated initially or in the future:

-         Grand Pedestrian Gateway for the "East" entrance
-         Landscaping along pathway
-         Improving walkway from the new "East" entrance of Farmers Market and Bayshore Blvd, at Cortland.

Fellow neighbors chimed in with some very worthwhile responses offering advice, information on other people to contact and projects that are being proposed.

Hopefully Ms Cohen and Mr Campos are reading this and can offer some advice on how to proceed with this great idea!

Supes take BVHP Tour - IndyBay

This article by Francisco Da Costa expresses the anger and frustration that many in the Bayview feel with regard to a continued environmental racism in how the BVHP Shipyard Redevelopment project is proceeding.  I for one expect our elected officials to make sure that we're getting the clean-up that we were promised, and if not, that those who are supposed to be responsible for doing it have their feet held to the fire until it's done right. I'd like for our new Supervisor to have been there on this latest tour, along with our out-going Supervisor, as a demonstration of their commitment to seeing this massive project be done as properly and transparently as possible.  If Ms Cohen hasn't already taken the 'toxic tour', then I hope she has one planned for the near future.  This project will, in many ways, define her tenure as our Supervisor much as it has that of Sophie Maxwell. (h/t Nyese Joshua)