MESSAGE FROM CATHERINE
Dear John,
This month, I am walking our merchant corridors with our Police
Department and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing,
and continuing to work on both immediate and long-term solutions to
our public safety, homelessness, and mental health crises. As your
neighborhood voice at City Hall, I will continue to champion public
safety, cleaner streets, and compassionate solutions to homelessness –
without continuing to allow behavior that diminishes public safety.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns by emailing me at [email protected]
or calling (415) 554-7752.
Warm Regards,
Catherine
POLICY AND LEGISLATION
UPDATES
The City Budget
As Vice-Chair of the Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance
Committee, I am proud to have successfully advocated for 250
additional police officers over the following four years during last
year’s budget process. This year, when there was discussion of ceasing
to fund new academy classes and slashing the Police Department’s
overtime budget, I protected our academy classes and over $1 million
in funding to keep beat patrols on our streets. I am also pleased to
announce that new trash cans will be installed along our highest-need
corridors, and that these trash cans will be extremely difficult to
break into or knock over. In addition, through the budget process, I
secured funding to begin the process of rehabilitating Aquatic Park
Pier, as well as to install security cameras in our parks and merchant
corridors.
Treatment on Demand
The street behavior and suffering that we see every day is
unacceptable. In addition to regularly walking our merchant corridors
with our Police Department and Department of Homelessness and
Supportive Housing, I am holding a hearing with Supervisor Rafael
Mandelman on the City’s Treatment on Demand mental healthcare program.
We cannot allow people who present a harm to themselves or others to
continue to live on the streets without attention. It is critical that
we intervene with these individuals at every opportunity to improve
public health and safety. The hearing on Treatment on Demand will take
place at 1 PM on Friday, September 27, in City Hall.
Food Insecurity
Pregnant women and low-income families face widespread and growing
food insecurity, and that is why I held a hearing on this critical
issue. Over the last ten years, the number of food-insecure San
Franciscans has doubled to over 100,000, and food insecurity affects
every neighborhood and every community in our City. My deepest
gratitude to Martha Ryan and the Homeless Prenatal Program, as well as
all the women and families who shared their deeply personal stories at
the hearing. I am exploring every legislative opportunity to expand
access to transportation, fresh and nutritious food, and food delivery
in San Francisco to make sure that we prevent costly negative health
outcomes and improve public safety.
3333 California Street
I introduced legislation to begin the process for consideration of
the project at 3333 California Street by the City. The project is
located on the current UCSF Laurel Heights campus at California and
Presidio Avenue. The Development Agreement I introduced is for a
744-unit housing project with 186 units dedicated as much needed
affordable housing for low-income seniors. When the original proposal
was met with neighborhood concerns, I worked with the developer and
neighbors to eliminate planned office space and instead dedicate part
of the site to affordable senior housing. The proposal passed at the
Planning Commission, with all seven Planning Commissioners voting in
favor of the proposal, and I look forward to continuing to work with
the community to refine the project in the coming months. For more on
3333 California Street, see my
column in the Marina Times.
Overhead Utilities
In response to concerns about overhead wires that we have been
hearing for years, I co-sponsored a hearing on the City’s overhead
utilities at the Board of Supervisors Public Safety and Neighborhood
Services Committee. We heard from representatives from PG&E,
Comcast, AT&T, Public Works, the San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission, and the California Public Utilities Commission regarding
industry practices, policies, and protocols for maintenance,
installation, and inspection of overhead wiring and utility poles.
Thank you to David Bancroft and Anne Brubaker of the San Francisco
Coalition to Underground Utilities for your partnership in this work.
I am committed to continuing to fight for undergrounding utilities in
our community, and I look forward to hearing from Public Works about
the study into further undergrounding at 2:00 PM on Wednesday,
September 18, at the Koret Auditorium in Main Library.
Maya Angelou Statue
I am thrilled that my work on installing a statue of Maya Angelou
at the Main library is moving forward. While we have now had two woman
Mayors, as well as woman U.S. Representatives and Senators, only two
of our City’s 87 statues depict actual women. Dr. Angelou was an
incredible author and activist with strong ties to San Francisco, and
I’m so excited that the Arts Commission is in the process of choosing
the final design. If you have ideas of women you think should be
recognized, please contact me at [email protected].
IN THE COMMUNITY
Honoring Perry’s
 I was thrilled to honor Perry’s, a San
Francisco treasure, and owner Perry Butler for half a century of
operation on Union Street. Perry’s original promotional flyers called
the restaurant a place where you could sit and watch the world go by,
and fifty years later that’s still true. I also had a great time guest
bartending with Mayor London Breed to celebrate! Thank you, Perry’s
and the Butler family, for your dedication to our community, and I
wish you all the best in your next fifty years.
Back to School Safety
 I joined Mayor London Breed
and City officials at Marina Middle School as we rededicated ourselves
to making our streets and sidewalks safe for all in time for back to
school season. Thank you to our crossing guards, who do the important
work of getting our children to and from school safely, the Police
Department for stepping up enforcement, as well as to the students who
joined us to voice their support for safer streets. Speeding kills,
and it’s on all of us – let’s slow down, put down the phones, and make
sure to follow traffic laws whether we’re driving, bicycling, or
walking.
Walking Our Merchant Corridors
 Thank you to Captain Joe
Engler and Officer Steve Hom, as well as staff from the Department of
Homelessness and Supportive Housing, for joining me to walk our
merchant corridors this month. I am extremely concerned about the
increasingly visible crime, homelessness, and trash we have been
seeing lately on our streets, and I will continue to push for both
immediate and long-term solutions – from power washing to increasing
police resources and reforming conservatorship. Over the course of
September, I have walked or plan to walk Chestnut Street, Union
Street, Fillmore Street, and Divisadero Street corridors.
Stair Climb for Our First Responders
 I joined Mayor London Breed, Chief
Jeanine Nicholson, Chief Bill Scott, and San Francisco’s first
responders to climb Salesforce Tower and to raise awareness for post
traumatic stress injuries in our first responder community. Now more
than ever, it is so important to pay it forward to those who are the
first to lend a hand when we need help. Thank you, Commissioner Joe
Alioto Veronese and National First Responders Fund, for organizing
this year’s Stair Climb!
Neighborhood Coffee Hours
 Thank you to all the neighbors who
joined me at my neighborhood coffee hours on September 6 to discuss
your ideas and concerns. I loved hearing from you all and I’m
committed to continue working for you in the community and at City
Hall. If you would like to join our discussion, our next coffee hours
will be from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM on Friday, September 20, at the Union
Street Coffee Roastery.
Alta Plaza Park Safety
 Alta Plaza Park is one of our City's
crown jewels, but the vandalism and behavior we are seeing in our open
spaces is out of control. In this year's budget, I committed to
bringing increased public safety measures, such as surveillance
cameras, to our parks' hot spots. Thank you Anita Denz, Friends of
Alta Plaza Park, Captain Engler, and Lt. Santiago for joining me to
walk through Alta Plaza Park and for your dedication to our parks’
safety.
Friends of Lafayette Park Fall Social
 We could not have asked for a better
afternoon to celebrate this month’s 9th Annual Friends of Lafayette
Park Fall Social. Thank you Steffen Franz and Friends of Lafayette
Park for all you do to keep our park safe and vibrant, and
congratulations to the winners of our first annual Pie Contest!
EVENTS AND PROGRAMS
Utility Undergrounding Study
San Francisco Public Works is hosting a presentation on the
progress made on the Utility Undergrounding Study, the first step
towards a larger master plan for undergrounding overhead utility wires
throughout San Francisco. Public Works’ consultants will provide
updates for interested neighbors at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, September
18, at the Koret Auditorium in Main Library. You may also share your
thoughts on undergrounding via this
survey.
Book Sale at Fort Mason
The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library is hosting the
upcoming 55th Anniversary Big Book Sale September 18 to 22 at Fort
Mason. This five-day event is the largest used book sale on the West
Coast, with over 10,000 visitors from throughout the San Francisco Bay
Area and beyond!
Fire Safety and Emergency Preparedness Fair
Thursday, September 19, from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM at Menorah Park
Housing, located at 3365 Sacramento Street, join the Fire Department,
the Department of Emergency Management, and more for a free event with
fire prevention and emergency preparedness materials and
demonstrations. Free smoke alarms will be available while supplies
last.
Neighborhood Coffee Hours
Please join me for my next neighborhood coffee hours at the Union
Street Coffee Roastery, located at 2191 Union Street, from 8:30 AM to
10:30 AM on Friday, September 20. RSVPs at [email protected]
are appreciated but not required to attend.
The California Master Plan for Aging
Friday, September 20, from 1:30 PM to 3:30 PM at the Main Ballroom
of the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, be there as San Francisco hosts the
largest statewide event on the new California Master Plan for Aging.
Register to attend in-person
or online.
The Birds Screening at Lafayette Park
You might not look at Lafayette Park’s parrots and scrub jays the
same after our next movie night! Join Friends of Lafayette Park for a
screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s terrifying classic, The
Birds, at the Lafayette Park amphitheater (north of the tennis
courts) on Friday, September 27, at 7 PM.
Walk and Roll to School Day
On Wednesday, October 2, thousands of kids at schools across San
Francisco will walk, scoot, and bicycle to school as part of
International Walk and Roll to School Day. Join the fun! Parents,
guardians, and caregivers: pledge to walk to school with your student
and you’ll be entered into a drawing for free family admission to the
Exploratorium. Learn more here.
Mean Girls Movie Night at the Marina
Green
Join the San Francisco Parks Alliance for a screening of Mean
Girls at the Marina Green on National Mean Girls Day,
Thursday, October 3! I am thrilled to continue to fund free,
family-friendly movie nights through the budget process. The event
begins at 5 PM and the screening begins after sunset. RSVP
for a chance to win reserved seating and special prizes.
Neighborfest Block Parties
This year, the Neighborhood Empowerment Network, in partnership
with the Department of Emergency Management, Public Works, and Livable
City, has launched the Neighborfest program across the City. This
initiative provides community members with resources and tools to host
the world’s greatest block party, teaches organizing, and creates a
fun way to get to know the neighbors on your block! Click
here or email [email protected]
to learn more about hosting a Neighborfest Block Party.
Message from the Assessor’s Office
If you haven’t already, property owners will soon receive the Notice
of Assessed Value letter from the Office of Assessor Carmen Chu.
The Notice of Assessed Value is only to notify taxpayers of their
property's or properties' assessed value. This notice is not a bill,
but the value will be used to determine your property tax value for
the upcoming year. Click
here to view a short video from the Assessor’s Office explaining
how to read your notice of assessed value.
Water and Sewer Savings
To keep basic services like water and sewer affordable and
accessible to all, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
offers discounts on water and sewer charges to qualifying
single-family residential customers through its low-income Community
Assistance Program. You may be eligible for a 15-percent discount on
water and a 35-percent discount on sewer services each month. For more
information, to see if you qualify, and to apply, please visit SFPUC’s
website.
Office of Supervisor Catherine
Stefani
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 260,
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 554-7752 Fax:
(415) 554-7843
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