Contents

District 3 Update  

Legislation  

See You in theDistrict  

CommunityCalendar &Announcements  

NeighborhoodOffice Hours

See you in theDistrict!

I always appreciate theopportunity to meetwith my neighbors inDistrict 3. Please emailmy aide Amy Chan atamy.chan@sfgov.org ifyou plan to come by,since office hoursoccasionally need to berescheduled.

Upcoming Office Hours: Saturday, February 112 p.m. ­ 1 p.m.North BeachCaffe Greco, 423

Supervisor David Chiu January2014 NewsletterFriend-

As I celebrate the Lunar New Year with my wife and ourextended family this weekend, I am reminded of theimportance of coming together with loved ones to celebratefamily and friends. I hope that many of you will be able to dothe same this week, through sharing a meal or attending one ofthe many great festive events like the Chinese New YearFestival & Parade on February 15.

The Lunar New Year is also about looking ahead and usheringin good fortune and shared prosperity for our families andcommunities. This is an important endeavor for our City. As Iwrote in a recent Examiner editorial (“Fighting for AffordableHousing”), the City must do everything it can to address ourhousing crisis. That’s why I’m advancing legislation to allowtens of thousands of in-law units to be legalized so that we canpreserve our existing supply of affordable housing.

Of course, we also need to put an end the real estatespeculation driving our low-income tenants and families out oftheir long-time homes and neighborhoods. In recent weeks,I’ve attended tenant meetings in North Beach and the Castro,and it’s been invigorating to see hundreds of tenants cometogether to organize. They inspire me to champion local controlof the Ellis Act along with my fellow elected officials.

Here’s to a healthy, safe, and prosperous Year of the Horse forall of our families!

Columbus Avenue Friday, February 141:30 p.m. ­ 2:30 p.m.Chinatown SF Chinatown Library,1135 Powell Street Saturday, February 151 p.m. ­ 2 p.m.Lower Nob Hill Caffe Cento, 801Powell Street Friday, February 281:30 p.m. ­ 2:30 p.m.Chinatown SF Chinatown Library1135 Powell Street

Upcoming 2013CommunityCalendar

Friday, January 31Lunar New Year Saturday, February 8, 9a.m. ­ 12 p.m.Volunteer Feb. 8 withClean Team and GiantSweep for the LunarNew Year!Portsmouth Square,733 Kearny StreetTo volunteer or forquestions: emailvolunteer@sfdpw.org orcall (415) 641­2600 Saturday, February 8, 7p.m.Benefit Concert forNorth Beach Citizens &Sweet ReliefGreat American MusicHall, 859 O’FarrellStreet Wednesday February12, 7 p.m.Lower Polk NeighborsMonthly MeetingFirst CongregationalChurch, 1300 PolkStreet 

David Chiu

District 3 Update

A Benefit for the New North Beach LibraryAfter a decade-long struggle to bring improved public library services to NorthBeach, I was incredibly gratified to see the new branch broke ground in late 2012.Thanks to your “yes” votes on the library bond measure, the new library will befully accessible and 60 percent larger than the existing building, as it incorporatesmodern green building techniques. However, the bonds only cover the cost of thebuilding itself - not the interior furnishings that make libraries comfortable andwelcoming - so we need your help. Your contribution can make a difference increating a special place in North Beach. Please join me at the Chinese HistoricalSociety of America Museum (965 Clay Street) on Thursday, February 27, at 6:00p.m. for a benefit I am co-chairing for this new neighborhood institution. You canfind more information on how to donate here.

Stockton Street Lunar New Year ProgramsI am happy to again help launch the Stockton Street Pedestrian EnhancementProgram for its third consecutive year. The program allows merchants to obtain apermit to place displays and merchandise on curbside parking spaces on StocktonStreet during the Lunar New Year season. As more residents and visitors come toChinatown to celebrate the holiday, this program gives pedestrians more room towalk and shop along the busy corridor in an accessible and welcoming way. I wasalso happy to support the extension of the Stockton Street Sweep Project, which notonly provides weekly sweeping and power-washing of the Stockton Street corridor,but also workforce training and part-time jobs for local residents.

Enhancing Market Street for Transit, Bicyclists and PedestriansThis week, I introduced a resolution urging the San Francisco MunicipalTransportation Agency and other agencies to implement a pilot project called Marketon the Move. The goal is to increase transit efficiency and reliability along MarketStreet while improving the safety and comfort of people walking and biking and

Saturday, February 15,9:45 a.m.Middle PolkNeighborhoood CleanUp Meet at NortheastCorner of Polk &Washington Saturday, February 15Chinese New YearParade & Festival Monday, February 17Presidents’ Day Monday, February 17,6:30 p.m.Middle PolkNeighborhooodAssociation MonthlyMeetingSt. Paulus LutheranChurch, 1541 PolkStreet  Tuesday, February 18,1 p.m.NEXT Village Aging inPlace PanelJoe DiMaggioPlayground Clubhouse,Lombard betweenPowell and MasonRSVP@nextvillagesf.orgor 415­888­2868 Thursday, February 27,6 ­ 8 p.m.A Benefit for the NewNorth Beach Library

***If we missed yourevent or meeting,please send futureevents tojudson.true@sfgov.organd we’ll include asmany as we can.

supporting the local commercial and cultural function of the street. The pilot projectwould significantly increase the diversion of private automobile vehicles off ofMarket Street, as much as the City’s traffic engineers find practicable. Market Streetserves as the spine of San Francisco's sustainable transportation system, with morethan 200,000 transit riders on surface Muni routes, more than 200,000 peoplewalking, and thousands of people bicycling every weekday. Current eastbound autodiversions at 10th and 6th streets were shown to improve Muni travel times, whichcould save millions of dollars a year. We need to do more to make Market Street theworld class boulevard it should be.

January is National Mentoring Month, and I joined my colleague Sup. Malia Cohen to promote

mentorship and announce a new mentoring commitment between the tech community and Big

Brothers Big Sisters.

Legislation

Fighting Non-Profit DisplacementEarlier this month, I introduced legislation co-sponsored by Supervisor Jane Kim toassist non-profit organizations impacted by rising commercial rents in the Mid-Market area. We are proposing a $2.5 million supplemental appropriation for anti-displacement measures, which could include grants for rent subsidies, technicalassistance, and property acquisition. The funding comes from the increase inproperty tax revenue in the Mid-Market area for this current budget cycle, and it willbe directed to the Mayor’s Office of Housing. This supplemental is part a largercollaborative effort to address the need to protect non-profit organizations thatprovide vital social services to our residents. Too many tenants – whether nonprofitsin commercial buildings or individuals in residential housing – have been impactedby the affordability crisis. I look forward to working closely with communitystakeholders in the Non-Profit Anti-Displacement Working Group on this importantissue.

Preparing for Earthquakes and Other Emergencies

As we all know, we live in earthquake country. This year marks the 25th

anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake, and the next big earthquake is not amatter of if, but when. We must be prepared. In 2010, I championed an earthquakesafety infrastructure bond that received nearly 80 percent from voters. Now I’msupporting the next Earthquake Safety and Emergency Response Bond (ESER2014), which the Board of Supervisors is likely to place on the June ballot. ESER2014 will provide $400 million for critical seismic upgrades to neighborhood

firehouses and police stations. It will also fund needed repairs to the emergencyfirefighting water system and move crucial forensic labs and the Medical Examinerout of their current seismically-deficient location. ESER 2014 comes out of therespected Capital Planning Committee on which I sit. It is expected to create morethan 3,500 jobs for San Franciscans and will make these vital safety improvementswith no increase in property tax rates.

A cistern funded by the 2010 ESER bond

Improving Access to Health Care for Low Income San FranciscansAt this week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, I introduced a resolution to urgeGovernor Brown and the State Legislature to improve access to health care for lowincome San Franciscans. This year, the implementation of the Affordable Care Actwill greatly expand Medi-Cal - California’s Medicaid program - allowing for morethan 30,000 currently uninsured San Franciscans to obtain affordable, quality health-care coverage. In spite of this, California is reducing its payments to doctors andpharmacists who treat people on Medicaid by at least 10 percent. Thesereimbursement cuts will make it increasingly difficult to find health-care providerswilling to treat Medi-Cal patients, diminishing access to medicine and treatment forlow-income San Franciscans. These cuts initially came as part of the state’s pastresponse to its budget crisis, but they are slated to continue in spite of the improvingeconomy. A balanced budget is necessary and crucial - and I have fought hard forresponsible fiscal policies - but now is not the time to be cutting holes in the safetynet. We should be doing more to support those who depend on Medi-Cal - includingfamilies with children, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster care, andpregnant women.

Strengthening the GoSolar ProgramThe GoSolarSF solar incentive program is one of our city’s most successfulrenewable energy initiatives. Since 2008, GoSolarSF has helped more than 2,000San Francisco homeowners, tenants, non-profits and businesses install solar panels,as well as create hundreds of jobs, including nearly 100 jobs for economicallydisadvantaged residents that have graduated from our workforce developmentsystem. That’s why I have called for a hearing to discuss GoSolarSF’s sustainabilityas the new budget season approaches. I hope to develop plans to ensure the ongoingsuccess of the program to help San Franciscans go solar and to create local greenjobs. For those interested in attending, please contact my aide Catherine Rauschuberat catherine.rauschuber@sfgov.org.

PAID FOR BY SUPERVISOR DAVID CHIU

Phone: (415) 554­7450 • Fax: (415) 554­7454 • chiustaff@sfgov.org{{OrganizationAddress}}

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