Posts Tagged ‘board’
Friday, March 5th, 2010
That’s the news of last night from City Hall. Get up to speed on the issues here.
The next step is to see what happens at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. (How much lobbying do you get when you spend five figures on a lobbyist? We’ll soon see.)
This speaker was no fan of the new fees at the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Certainly, he was outnumbered last night:
What if the fees get approved and things don’t work out? Then down will come the pay kiosks and then other options, possibly a ”tasteful sponsorship” (such as the “Chuck Schwab Co. Australia Garden*” or something) could generate a little money.
We’ll Find Out Soon Enough.
*Words from a Commissioner last night, they didn’t make the transcript.
Tags: 16, 2009, 2010, admission, Ann Cameron, Antietam, arboretum, Arden Bucklin-Sporer, battle, beverage, Bill Gaede, board, board of supervisors, botanical, botanical garden, brent dennis, cashier, Chair, Chuck Davis, City Hall, civil war, commission, commissioner, County Fair Building, Cynthia Anderson, Cynthia Jamplis, Denis Mosgofian, department, director, directors, district, Don Baldocchi, dr., Dr. James Kohn, Eva Monroe, EX OFFICIO, Family, fee, food, Frank Almeda, Garden, golden gate park, inner, Isa Mary Ziegler, jared blumenfeld, Jennifer Bowles, jim lazarus, Joseph Barbaccia, Kevin Leong, Margie Ellis, may 28, Member at large, Michael McKechnie, Monica A. Martin, non-residents, park, parks, Phil Schlein, Philip Schlein, public, recreation, recreation parks, residents, richmond, Robert Leitstein, San Francisco, San Francisco Botanical Garden, save, secretary, Society, strbing arboretum, strybing, Strybing Arboretum, suggested, sunset, Tony Farrell, Treasurer, TRUSTEES, vendor, Vice Chair, Victoria johnson, Wally Wertsch, Wendy Tonkin, William Gaede, workshop, “Honey” Johnson
Posted in parks | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
[UPDATE: Let's see here, you can discover what some local celebrities think about this idea here at Manatease's YouTube Channel and, well, here's an uncredited single-panel comic on the subject discovered by LocalColorist, see comment.]
This was the scene the other day near Golden Gate Park’s Strybing Arboretum, aka San Francisco Botanical Garden. These protesters were politely picketing San Francisco’s semi-public, semi-photo-op Budget Town Hall at the County Fair Building when an elected official walked up and asked, “What kind of protest is this?”
Indeed. These picketers, called the “Society people” by their opponents, support the idea of charging non-residents $7 to get into Strybing. Why? So there’s enough money around such that three Strybing-dedicated gardeners won’t get laid off during our Great Recession.
This gaggle of self-described “plant people” certainly are timely, as the Board of the Recreation and Park Department (RPD) will decide this auslander admission issue on Thursday, March 4th at City Hall. The question after that would be how the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will react.
Now, unlike last year, RPD isn’t having any big meetings to air out public concerns, probably because RPD knows how they would go – 250 San Franciscans would show up and the bulk of them would be strongly opposed to the charging of any fee to any one at any time.
AFAIK, the 2010 plan is similar to the more recent of the two 2009 plans in that only people who reside outside of the City and County of San Francisco would be charged. The Big Question is how many nonresidents would show up to pony up some cash and how much the program would cost to implement. After this program is up and running, the Next Obvious Step would be to charge San Francisco residents as well. Would that next step come in a matter of weeks, months, or years? There are no promises from anyone on that score.
The Save the Botanical Garden people are saying that not charging $7 would amount to ”depriving community residents of a tranquil place to visit.” Does Strybing need to become a “world class arboretum” in order to remain a “tranquil place” to visit? It would be easy to argue with the Society on this point.
Now, let’s have a go at the official FAQ:
“Isn’t a non-resident fee the first step toward a fee for everyone?”
The answer is yes. Hells yes, obviously.
“Isn’t the fee taking the Botanical Garden a step closer to privatization?”
No. This is a red herring, from the Sierra Club, for one, I think.
“Won’t setting up the booths to collect the fee and bringing in new workers just cost more than you’ll collect? Won’t setting up the booths to collect the fee and bringing in new workers just cost more than you’ll collect?”
Almost certainly not. The older “Cadillac Plan” of spending vast sums on infrastructure to enable the charging of fees might have had that risk, but there’s no reason that a well-run program, particularly one that makes the use of volunteers, wouldn’t net at least a little money.
“Why doesn’t the SF Botanical Garden Society just do more?”
Good question. The Garden Society, and they’re by no means alone on this, want to spend Other People’s Money on their pet projects. Some of them figure that Strybing needs 16 dedicated gardeners to become “world-class” and that they’ll never ever get the funding for that many from the City of San Francisco, recession or no recession.
Here’s the thing – “saving the botanical garden” will have the effect of excluding hundreds of thousands of people from Strybing. If you are a “plant person” then this is a small price to pay. And actually, plant people might even prefer to keep out the riff-raff. So, charging admission is a double win – more plants and fewer people.
If you’re a people person, you might prefer the “Keep the Arboretum Free” point of view. I guarantee you that the average person motivated enough to attend the public meetings last year would strongly favor having fewer gardeners around if maintaining the current crew meant throwing up a pay wall by installing checkpoints Charlie.
We’ll see how it goes.
Now, was this a grass roots movement in front of the Budget Town Hall? You know, this group of Society people and the P.R. volk with their identical signs and their unsigned petitions
You Make The Call.
Tags: 2009, 2010, admission, Ann Cameron, Antietam, arboretum, Arden Bucklin-Sporer, battle, beverage, Bill Gaede, board, board of supervisors, botanical, brent dennis, cashier, Chair, Chuck Davis, City Hall, civil war, commission, commissioner, County Fair Building, Cynthia Anderson, Cynthia Jamplis, Denis Mosgofian, department, director, directors, district, Don Baldocchi, dr., Dr. James Kohn, Eva Monroe, EX OFFICIO, fee, food, Frank Almeda, Garden, golden gate park, inner, Isa Mary Ziegler, jared blumenfeld, Jennifer Bowles, jim lazarus, Joseph Barbaccia, Kevin Leong, Margie Ellis, may 28, Member at large, Michael McKechnie, Monica A. Martin, non-residents, park, parks, Phil Schlein, Philip Schlein, public, recreation, recreation parks, residents, richmond, Robert Leitstein, San Francisco, San Francisco Botanical Garden, save, secretary, Society, strbing arboretum, strybing, Strybing Arboretum, suggested, sunset, Tony Farrell, Treasurer, TRUSTEES, vendor, Vice Chair, Victoria johnson, Wally Wertsch, Wendy Tonkin, William Gaede, workshop, “Honey” Johnson
Posted in parks | 2 Comments »
Monday, February 1st, 2010
[UPDATE: Joshua Sabatini has an update - the next committee hearing will be on February 22, 2010.]
Your San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar wants to expand Article 19F of the San Francisco Public Health Code – you know, the one from 1994 that prohibits smoking in enclosed areas and sports stadiums.
Check out the current rules after the jump, but don’t get used to them as they could be changing soon. This afternoon’s meeting of the Board of Supervisors Committee on Land Use & Economic Development could lead to some changes.
A graphic from this afternoon’s rally – secondhand smoke levels from outdoor dining areas at two unnamed cafes in North Beach are considered dangerous by the EPA:
80 souls were there before the committee meeting began:
Eric Mar and supporters enjoying a healthy smoke-free ride in the Richmond District back in 2008:
Brace yourselves:
COMMUNITY RALLY TO SUPPORT EXPANDING PROTECTIONS FROM SECOND HAND SMOKE
Rally & Press Conference Before the Board of Supervisors Committee
Hearing on Ordinance that Closes the Gaps in Public Health Code
Polk Street City Hall Steps
Monday, February 1 at 12:00 noon
WHAT: A rally and press conference to support an ordinance that will
expand protection from second hand smoke by closing gaps in the
San Francisco Public Health Code. San Francisco is poised to
join 18 other Bay Area cities in offering protection from
second hand smoke by prohibiting smoking in many outdoor areas
such as farmers markets, outdoor dining areas, theater and ATM
lines, hotel and motel lobby areas, and other places frequented
by members of the public. The rally will convene just before
the meeting of the Board of Supervisors Committee on Land Use &
Economic Development, which will hear the proposed legislation
for the first time.
WHO: A large crowd of community members including families, tenants,
tenant advocates, members of the Chinese Progressive
Association and San Francisco Tobacco Free Coalition;
Supervisor Eric Mar, Supervisor John Avalos, Jul Lynn Parsons
(Co-Chair of Mayor’s Disability Council), Carol McGruder
(Tobacco Free Coalition member); Alex Tom (Tobacco Free
Coalition; Chinese Progressive Association) and others.
BACKGROUND:
The proposed ordinance would update Article 19F of the San Francisco Health Code, the landmark legislation adopted in 1994 that protects residents and visitors from second hand smoke. If approved by the Board of Supervisors and signed by the Mayor, San Francisco would join a long list of other Bay Area cities that have already expanded protection from second hand smoke for their residents to include many outdoor areas.
(more…)
Tags: 1, 1994, 19f, Alex Tom, areas, Article, Article 19F, association, bars, board, Carol McGruder, chinese, Chinese Progressive, Chinese Progressive Association, Cigarettes, City Hall, civic center, Co-Chair, coalition, district, enclosed, enclosed areas, eric mar, john avalos, Jul Lynn Parsons, Mayor’s Disability Council, one, Protections, protest, Public Health Code, rally, richmond, San Francisco, San Francisco Public Health Code, San Francisco Tobacco Free Coalition, Second-Hand, smoke, smoking, sports, sports stadiums, stadiums, steps, Supervisor, Tobacco Free, Tobacco Free Coalition
Posted in government, health | No Comments »
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
This guy is all over town- see him with his surfboard trailer coming back from a day at dolphin-rich Ocean Beach? On this part of Scott Street in the greater NoPA / EaPA / Alamo Square / Western Addition area, he needs to take both lanes and snake his way up, as if he were ascending the twisty bit of Lombard.
Which is fine – dude’s a stud, of course. But it seems that $20 worth of Chinese derailer and cassette would be the perfect finishing touch for this expensive custom-looking rig*. Unless “too many gears spoil the ride” or something.
Click to expand
Keep on keeping on.
*Upon further review, this thing is so custom that it might not actally be considered an MTB – the rear tire appears to be a good deal narrower than the front, for example. Wonder if the tiny surfboard wheels are in matching carbon fibre. Wouldn’t be surprised…
Tags: alamo square, area, bicycle, bike, board, carbon, cyclist, EaPA, east of panhandle, fell, fibre, Futility, hayes, hilly, mountain bike, mtb, NOPA, north of panhandle, ocean beach, San Francisco, scott, single speed, street, streets of san francisco, surf, surfboard, surfing, trailer, western addition, Wheels
Posted in bikes | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Nancy Hellman Bechtle ’s resume is now a little bit longer, as she’s just become the chair of the Presidio Trust’s Board of Directors per today’s press release from spokesperson Dana Polk.
Here’s a partial resume – all the deets below.
Executive summary: President, San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony President & CEO (1987-2001)
San Francisco Symphony Board of Governors (1984-)
Sugar Bowl Corporation CEO, Sugar Bowl Ski Resort (1998-)
J. R. Bechtle & Co. CFO (1979-98)
Member of the Board of Charles Schwab (1992-)
Bush-Cheney ‘04
Sugar Bowl Ski Association (as Chairman 1998-)
Charles and Helen Schwab Family Foundation Board of Directors
George W. Bush for President
National Park Foundation Board of Directors (2002-08)
Northern California Health Center Board of Directors
Presidio Trust Board of Directors (2008-)
San Francisco Opera Association Board of Directors
San Francisco Conservatory of Music Board of Directors
Here’s Nancy (camera right) on the job earlier this year at one of the Presidio Trust’s less-contentious public meetings:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12/22/2009
San Francisco Community Leader and Park Advocate Nancy Hellman Bechtle
Elected New Chair of Presidio Trust Board of Directors
Presidio of San Francisco (December 22, 2009) – The Presidio Trust Board of Directors has elected Nancy Hellman Bechtle as the new chair of the Trust board. A community leader and long-time park advocate, Bechtle was appointed to the Presidio Trust Board of Directors by President George W. Bush in January 2008.
“Nancy will make a wonderful board chair,” said Craig Middleton, Presidio Trust Executive Director. “Her experience in park advocacy will be extremely valuable as the Trust continues to make improvements that enhance the visitor experience of the park. Nancy’s business acumen will help ensure that the Trust continues to make prudent decisions as we meet our requirements for financial self-sufficiency.”
A fourth-generation San Franciscan who has lived within five blocks of the Presidio since she was in grammar school, Bechtle comes from a family committed to philanthropy and civic involvement. She served from 2002 to 2008 on the National Park Foundation Board of Directors and as Citizen Chair of that foundation from 2006-2008. Bechtle was President and Chief Executive Officer of the San Francisco Symphony for 14 years, and has been on the Symphony Board of Governors since 1984. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Charles Schwab Corporation and is the chair of the board for the Sugar Bowl Corporation. Bechtle and her daughter, Jessica Galloway, recently co-chaired the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy’s (Conservancy) Trails Forever dinner, which raised over $887,000 for trails and programs in the park. The amount raised was the highest of any Trails Forever dinner.
Bechtle is the third chair of the Trust board, and shares the previous chairs’ commitment to parks. David H. Grubb served as board chair from December 2003 until July 2008. Grubb served previously on the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Board of Trustees and he chaired the project committee for the Crissy Field restoration effort, completed in 2001. The first chair of the Trust board, Toby Rosenblatt, served for 8 years. Rosenblatt was a founding member of the Presidio Council, and he chaired the Conservancy board.
The Presidio Trust is governed by a seven-member board of directors. Six members are appointed by the President of the United States. The seventh is the U.S. Secretary of the Interior or his designee.
“I am honored and excited to be appointed chair of the board of the Presidio Trust,” said Bechtle. “David Grubb did a wonderful job as chair and he will be a hard act to follow.” William Wilson served as interim board chair after Grubb’s departure and will now resume his position as vice chair.
Bechtle has received several honors, including the Lifetime Achievement in the Arts from the California Arts Council and the Investment in Leadership Award from the Coro Foundation. She has also served on the boards of the San Francisco Opera Association and the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation. She was Chief Financial Officer and Director for J.R. Bechtle & Company from 1979 to 1998.
The Presidio Trust was established by the United States Congress in 1996 to administer the Presidio of San Francisco, an urban national park located at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. The areas overseen by the Trust include expansive open space and spectacular views, a 300-acre historic forest, and rare and endangered plants and wildlife. The park comprises nearly 6 million square feet of buildings, including 469 historic structures that contribute to the Presidio’s status as a National Historic Landmark District.
Tags: Bechtle, board, Chair, Chairman, chairwoman, dana polk, directors, nancy, nancy bectle, Nancy Hellman, Nancy Hellman Bechtle, Nancy Hellmann Bechtle, national, park, presidio, san francsico, spokesperson, spokeswoman, trust
Posted in parks | No Comments »
Friday, December 11th, 2009
San Francisco Assessor Phil Ting kicked off his re-election campaign in Union Square last night. Photos below.
He had San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu on hand to warm up the crowd. Seems they’ve known each other 17 years, ever since their days at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Turns out that Phil speaks Twitter. His latest missive regarding the company called “Property Tax Adjusters”
“Dont be scammed. Ignore the letter frm Property Tax Adjusters. Apply in our office 4 a reduction btwn 1/4 – 3/31/2010″
OK then.
Here’s the mise-en-scene last night with Phil addressing the crowd. Click to expand:
David Chiu, Emcee:
With Debra Walker, who is running for District 6 Supervisor
With Frances Tsang, Mary Jung, and Frank Noto:
DJ Kevin:
It all happened at Lot 46 Nightclub and Loungeat 46 Geary – ask about New Years Eve.
And hey, speaking of elections, Randy Shaw has a rundown of how things stand with next year’s mayoral election.
Tags: 2009, 2010, 2011, Assessor, board, David Chiu, election, kick off, lot 46, Mayor, Phil Ting, president, San Francisco, Supervisor, union square
Posted in politics | Comments Off
Friday, December 4th, 2009
San Francisco Supervisors David Campos, David Chiu, John Avalos and Eric Mar all addressed members of the Harvey Milk Gay Bisexual Transgender Democratic Club the other night at the LGBT Center on Market Street.
The freshmen emphasised the importance of adding progressive women to their group, and they just might get that from Districts 6 and 10 after the November elections next year.
Click to expand
Linda Post was there - read about her take over at San Francisco FYI net.
Tags: 2008, 2009, 2010, board, club, david campos, David Chiu, election, eric mar, flag, Gay, Harvey Milk, john avalos, Lesbian, pac, presidnet, rainbow, San Francisco, supervisors
Posted in politics | Comments Off
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
Pity poor Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger – tonight he crashed the annual San Francisco Democratic Party Fundraising Gala and Auction at the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill and he was rewarded with a loud round of booing.
Poor guy. Did Assemblymember Tom Ammiano spontaneously yell, “You lie” at Arnold, ala Congressman Joe Wilson? Haha!
The evening captured via Francis Tsang’s BlackBerry
Per SF FYI Net:
When: October 7, 2009 – Wednesday
5:30 p.m. Cocktails and Auction
7:00 p.m. Dinner and Program
Where: The Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street, San Francisco
What: San Francisco Democratic Party’s Annual Gala Fund Raiser. Many voices – one vision. Funds raised at the gala will directly support voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities to ensure that we elect a Democratic governor in 2010. $150.
Tags: 261, Aaron Peskin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, assemblyman, associates, association, Barack Obama, Barbary Coast, bay area, Benefactor, bevan dufty, BMWL, board, Bob Dockendorff, boo, booed, booing, california, carmen chu, Chair, Chartered, Chris daly, city attorney, club, congresswoman, Consulting, Contributor, david campos, David Chiu, Dean Florez, debra Walker, democracy action, democratic, Democratic Clubs, Democratic Women's Forum, dennis herrera, district, District Attorney, Emerald Fund, Emerge California, eric mar, eric potashner, Fairmont, fairmount, former, friend, Governor, hms, hotel, house, ILWU, jackie speier, james, jewish, Jim Meko, Joe Julian, joe wilson, john avalos, Jose Cisneros, juim, Kamala Harris, Laborer's, Laura Spanjian, Leader, leland yee, linda post, local, Local 16, Lynne, Majority, mark leno, Mary, Meagan Levitan, Melanie Nutter, Michael goldstein, Michael Silver, nancy pelosi, Newhouse, Northern California District Council, nurses, partners, party, platinum, president, rafael mandelman, Raoul Wallenberg, richmond, Robert Friese, San Francisco, Sean Elsbernd, Segal, senate, Senator, sffyinet, sophie maxwell, speaker, Sponsors, Stearns, Supporter, Table Host, Theatrical Stage Employees, tom ammiano, Treasurer, Union labor, United Educators of San Francisco, William Coblentz, willie brown, you lie, Young Democrats
Posted in politics | Comments Off
Friday, September 25th, 2009
Senator Leland Yee is at it again with the University of California. Here he is from just one of yesterday’s protests against the policies of UC.
Atop Mount Parnassus at UCSF yesterday:
Here he is in his own words:
Workers and students are highlighting several recent actions by UC President Mark Yudof and the Board of Regents, including failing to negotiate furloughs, raising student fees, and the administration’s lack of transparency and accountability to the public.
“It is unconscionable what the UC administration is doing to our students, workers and their families,” said Yee. “While UC executives live high on the hog, workers, students, and patients are left in the cold. UC administrators are more concerned with protecting their ivory tower and their culture of secrecy than the public trust.”
“Senator Yee has several bills awaiting action by the Governor to bring greater transparency and accountability to UC as well as rein in executive compensation. SB 218 will update the California Public Records Act to include auxiliary organizations that perform government functions at the UC, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges. SB 219 will provide legal protections for UC employees who are retaliated against for reporting waste, fraud, or abuse within the system. SB 86 will prohibit executive pay raises during bad budget years”
Tags: 24, 24th, board, california, fees, increase, leland yee, mark yudiof, medical, protest, regents, San Francisco, sb 218, sb 219, sb 86, school, Senator, september, strike, students, UC, ucsf, union, university of california, walkout
Posted in protests | Comments Off
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Here’s the thing about San Francisco Board of Supervisors President David Chiu – he doesn’t just go around talking about how he rides MUNI all the time.
Instead of that, he actually rides MUNI all the time. Dude’s all over town. Srsly, he’s the real deal.
How refreshing.
Keeping informed with a cell phone on his shoulder and a newspaper or two in his hand as he rushes to board the next bus going outbound on Market Street.
Someone get that man a BlueTooth.
Compare Mr. Chiu with:
“The reality is, I’m a mayor who rides Muni,” he said, noting that he’d spent some of his boyhood riding city buses. “Do I use it exclusively? No. But I use it. … I’m the real deal.”
Tags: board, board of supervisors, bus, chinatown, chiu, City Hall, david, David Chiu, district, district 3, market, Mayor, Muni, north beach, president, real deal, rides, street, Supervisor, supervisors, three
Posted in transit | 2 Comments »
