Supervisor Carmen Chu: Budget Update, Ped Safety

Time to Adopt City Budget
July marks the month when the SF Board of Supervisors adopts the City’s spending plan for the new fiscal year. As the chair of the Budget Committee, I spent the months leading up to July meeting with many community members and organizations, and listened to their concerns as we worked to close a $306 million budget deficit. As each year in recent times has proven true, balancing the city’s budget is no easy endeavor as we strive to preserve important services for our residents while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

As budget chair, I have made it a priority to foster a fair and transparent budget process and to produce a budget that will ensure financial viability for our City in future years. I would like to thank everyone who provided their feedback during this process, whether it was through attending a budget Town Hall Meeting in the neighborhood, contacting our office directly, or by speaking in front of the Budget Committee at City Hall.

Pedestrian Safety Improvements
Those of you who frequent our local Java Beach Cafe or live near La Playa and Judah Street may have noticed a few changes to the intersection recently. The intersection is a unique one in our City, where a two-car Muni light rail vehicle (LRV) is often parked in the middle of the street. This situation has contributed to safety hazards for pedestrians, bikers and drivers. I worked with neighbors through a series of community meetings to discuss ideas for improving safety at the intersection, and we explored alternatives such as relocating the rest area for the N-Judah train and installing crosswalks with flashing lights when pedestrians are in the intersection. What resulted were ideas for initial improvements we could make, given limits in resources and feasible ideas.

Thanks to the generosity of two companies who decided to contribute during these tough economic times and the SF Department of Public Works, we were able to make two improvements to the intersection. Flint Trading and Chrisp Company donated supplies and labor to create a high-visibility pedestrian crosswalk in front of the cafe. The in-laid brick pattern within the reflective crosswalk provides drivers a more clear delineation of a pedestrian’s path of travel. Additionally, next to the median area by the newly-created La Playa Park (southwest corner of intersection), the Department of Public Works installed two large planter boxes to prevent vehicles from squeezing by and making dangerous maneuvers when an N-Judah train is parked in the intersection. We hope to build upon these changes over time to improve safety for everyone.

Throughout the years, our office has pursued many pedestrian safety improvements for our district. These have included the installation of median gardens at Yorba Street and 35th and 36th avenues, speed radar signs, newly-striped crosswalks by schools, and traffic medians along Noriega Street.

Coming soon, there will be a change in the driving speed limit around all schools in the City. A new policy was passed by the SF County Transportation Authority, which requires the driving speed to be 15 m.p.h. around all schools in San Francisco. Signs will be installed around schools in two phases in July and March.

Sunday Streets Returns to the Great Highway
Get ready for Sunday Streets on July 10! Our office will be out on the Great Highway, and we hope to see you there, too. Sunday Streets is a great activity for friends and family, and free bicycle rentals will be available. The car-free route runs from Crossover Drive in Golden Gate Park all the way to the San Francisco Zoo. For more information about Sunday Streets, visit the website at http://www.sundaystreetssf.com.

Supervisor Carmen Chu is the District 4 supervisor, and can be reached at (415) 554-7460 or chustaff@sfgov.org.

Supervisor Carmen Chu: Pool Opens, Clean-up Day

On Saturday, Dec. 20, I had the privilege of joining two of my predecessors – Assemblywoman Fiona Ma and state Sen. Leland Yee – in the grand opening ceremonies for the new Sava Pool.

More than 100 community members, including current and former swimmers, joined the SF Recreation and Park Department for the unveiling of our treasured community recreation facility. Standing alongside Assemblywoman Ma and Sen. Yee as we cut the ribbon for the new pool was truly a remarkable experience, because it really took the efforts of three generations-worth of supervisors to see this project through.

When Sava Pool opened at 19th Avenue and Wawona Street in the 1950s, Sunset District families flocked to it, making it the most popular pool in the City. About five decades later, time and use had taken its toll, and Sava Pool closed in June 2007 for a 30-month rebuild.

Construction of the pool, which cost about $17 million, ended on time and on budget. The new Sava Pool is new in every sense of the word. There are brand new locker rooms, showers and restrooms, as well as a new multipurpose room for community events and gatherings. The old pool had six 33-yard lanes, but the new pool has eight 25-yard lanes to meet regulation size and allows for the expansion of programs at the pool.

Through a partnership with the SF Public Utilities Commission, the pool water will be partially heated by solar panels on the roof.

General admission to the pool is the same as all public pools in the City – $1 for children under 17 years and $4 for adults.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank the countless numbers of community members who have worked tirelessly throughout the years to serve as important advocates of the rebuild project. Without you, the new Sava Pool would not be here today or for generations to come.

New Stern Grove/Pine Lake Park Clean-Up
Due to a large interest in keeping Pine Lake Park clean and safe for our community and pets, we have partnered with the Recreation and Park Department to begin a new monthly Stern Grove/Pine Lake Park Volunteer clean-up effort.

Our first day is Saturday, Jan. 10, from 9 to 11 a.m. Supplies will be provided for all volunteers who would like to help pick up litter, clear the dog-run area and remove graffiti. Meet at Pine Lake Park, inside Stern Grove, accessible through the parking lot at Vale Drive.

For more information, please contact our office at (415) 554-7460 or chustaff@sfgov.org. Spread the word!

Carmen Chu is a San Francisco supervisor representing District 4.

Supervisor Carmen Chu: School Assignment Process

After receiving many phone calls and letters from concerned parents regarding their child’s school assignment, I requested a public hearing at the City Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee to discuss the San Francisco Unified School District’s school admissions process.

Currently, the school district uses a “diversity index” to place students, which can sometimes result in a student being assigned to a school far from their home in an effort to create diversity at schools. Parents at the hearing expressed concerns that their children would have to spend hours riding public transportation to and from school.

At the hearing on April 17, members of the school district gave an overview of the admissions process and discussed some results of the current school assignment system.

Deputy Superintendent Myong Leigh indicated that the school district, with School Board approval, will begin the process of reviewing and evaluating the school assignment system. Please contact our office if you are interested in this issue so we can include you in future joint efforts with the school district and School Board.

Ocean Beach Renovation in the Works
Many will agree that we can improve conditions along Ocean Beach. In an attempt to do so, the Ocean Beach Vision Council was formed with the goal of developing a set of planning alternatives, with a 30 to 50 year horizon, for the beach.

I will be working jointly with other members of the council, which includes Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) Superintendent Brian O’Neill, Jared Blumenfeld of the Department of the Environment, Scott Preston of the environment-based planning and design firm EDAW, Clark Manus of Heller Manus Architects, Jean Rogers of ARUP, Lara Truppelli of the Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant, and Gabriel Metcalf of the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association.

In the upcoming months, I will work with the council to ensure community input for a master plan for Ocean Beach. It is crucial to make sure the council’s plans are developed with and supported by the community.

For more information or to offer feedback, call my office at (415) 554-7460 or e-mail chustaff@sfgov.org.

Carmen Chu is a San Francisco supervisor representing District 4.