Volume 3, Issue 2 February 2000
President's Message
From the PresidentIt’s Time to Get Rolling!
No sooner did the new year get under way, things started happening. Meetings, meetings everywhere. No rest for the weary.
First, I want to thank all of you who made it to the Balboa Park Bart Station meeting on January 25th. Although there were a few people who wanted more information regarding the proposed project including the Geneva Car Barn and Powerhouse, some of the information could not be mentioned because some of those issues are in the talking stages especially with federal funding in limbo. Don’t get me wrong, I would have mentioned all possibilities for future projects, but BART, MUNI, the Planning Department, and so on did not want to scare people or overwhelm people. Some of us have been working for about two years concerning the Balboa Park Bart Station and Green Facility complex. You would be surprised at the vast array of possibilities that can occur in that area.
I would urge you not to be disappointed with the lack of specifics and attend the follow-up meetings. And if you are interested in more information, do not hesitate to give me a call. I will be happy to tell you all that I know.
I just found out that there are approximately ten persons rumored to run for the Board of Supervisors in District 11. I know of three of those people so far have who have moved in to run. I think we call those people carpetbaggers. (Is Hilary Rodham Clinton a carpetbagger?) It is real interesting that some of these people want the ultimate prize but are not willing to go out and do the work. They are already grasping for endorsements without any sweat equity.
The house at 1201 Naples Street is being fixed up as we speak. The new owners have taken over and are working furiously in cleaning up the mess. I spoke to the new owners and the inside was worse than I expected it could be. Well, new windows are being installed, they repaired the roof, all of the mess (term used loosely) in the inside has been taken away. If you see the new owners, please give them a warm welcome.
Note: The two women that were living there (the daughter(s) of the owner) have moved of course. I have left several messages with the mother’s conservator without any calls back. I have been trying to find out where they are living. I want to make sure they are safe. But I did talk to Phoebe Libarle in the City Attorney’s Office and she states that she has spoken to the new owner of 1201 Naples. She suspects that the two women may be getting some type of help.
We have a new park in our boundaries. The park is Lessing-Sears Park, located at Lessing and Sears Street, which is off of Sickles and Alemany. I met with Rec & Park along with other concerned/interested neighbors about the Park. Right now, they are in the planning stages and the neighbors are in the stages of forming a Friends of Lessing-Sears Park. If you are interested in joining, please let me know. We are hoping to attract new members in that area and work with them in this terrific endeavor.
I have invited a few candidates for the Democratic Central Committee, 12th District to address us at our next meeting. We hope that you will attend that meeting since we have a lot of business to take care of. Capt. Marsha Ashe will also speak to the Association that night. Our next meeting will be Monday, February 14th, at 7:00 p.m.
The Executive Committee met on Monday, January 24th. The following was discussed and will be reported to you on February 14th. They are: (1) To give $25.00 Macy’s gift certificates to the three Crocker-Amazon Park directors for their dedicated service to our Association. They have come in on their day off to open up the clubhouse and are always on hand to help us in any way they can; (2) discussed moving our meetings from the second Monday of the month to the second Tuesday of the month; (3) write a letter to the ABC Board encouraging them to confiscate the liquor license at Mike’s Liquors; (4) elections of new officers in September 2000 and the creation of a nominating committee; (5) who to honor this year as our person of the year (last year we honored Claire Shea for her dedicated work in our neighborhood); and (6) 5199 Mission Street. If you are interested in any of these issues or if you have comments, please let me know. Cathy Pacheco is the new Committee Chair of the Executive Committee.
Lastly, I keep saying this every month but we want to thank you for those who have renewed their memberships, donated monies to our legal fund, donated either time or money to our volunteer programs, or ideas to this Association. It is truly appreciated by myself and your neighbors
in this Association. Your presence at our meetings and events are encouraging to the success of our group.Again, if you have questions, concerns, suggestions, or want to gripe, you can give me a call or e-mail anytime.
Steven R. Currier, President
ASSOCIATION ACTIONS
No Association actions were taken
SPECIAL MEETING NOTICE
TO: Merchants and interested parties of the Outer Mission
FROM: Steven R. Currier, President, 415.587.9150
DATE: February 2, 2000
RE: Board of Supervisors Committee, February 17, 2000
Dear Merchants and interested parties:
On February 17, 2000, at 10:00 a.m., the Small Business & Economic Vitality Committee of the Board of Supervisors, City Hall, Room 263, will hold a hearing on the ongoing conditions of the Geneva Avenue/Mission Street corridor. This hearing will be held to discuss the possible revitalization of our corridor including the Excelsior District area of Mission Street. We also want to discuss and bring up to the Supervisors the exceedingly high number of vacant store fronts and how to attract businesses to our community.
This hearing is not only for merchants but also for residents who shop in this district.
Your presence is vital to the success of this hearing and I urge you to attend. If you have concerns and would like to participate either on your own or as a group, please give me a call. I will submit a report prior to the hearing, which will include the names of you that would like to speak and voice your concerns in person.
I understand that Francis Kim of Fabricare Cleaners has contacted you regarding this hearing.
I am meeting with Captain Marsha Ashe and Officer Jerry Sarins next week to discuss with them our concerns, safety issues, and goals for the hearing and issues for the upcoming year regarding the Geneva Avenue/Mission Street corridor.
If you have any questions or would like to participate, please give me a call. If for some reason you would like to have your issues known to the Supervisors but cannot attend, please write your issues, concerns, or remarks to me and I will forward them to the Committee at that meeting.
NEXT MEETING: MONDAY,
FEBRUARY 14, 2000, 7:00 p.m.
CROCKER-AMAZON PARK
RECREATIONAL CENTER
THE KEY TO THE CITY
Lorraine Lucas, GGHA and Marion Aird, OMRA
Sadly, there is small satisfaction in having your basest suspicions confirmed. In the December 29, 1999 issues of the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Francisco Examiner, two articles show the power of political contributions. Once again, money talks and the law walks. Both newspapers reported that Mary Gallagher, the newly appointed Zoning Administrator, resigned for “personal reasons,” but others are saying that she probably resigned rather than bow to the political pressures to exempt the owners of Sutro Tower from the permit requirements.
On December 17, Mary Gallagher, Zoning Administrator, ruled that the Sutro Tower owners had to obtain a special permit, which would have required the owners to go through a series of public hearings. It appears that her ruling was the last thing that Debra Stein and Robert McCarthy, attorney-lobbyists, who represent Sutro Towers wanted to have happen. Who are Debra Stein and Robert McCarthy? Stein and McCarthy are partners in GCA Strategies. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that “McCarthy, a local Democratic Party fundraiser, donated the maximum $750 to Mayor Willie Brown’s re-election campaign, delivered contributions from his clients to the Mayor and then gave $5,000 to an independent committee supporting the re-election effort.” While the San Francisco Examiner noted that Robert McCarthy, and his partner in GCA Strategies, Debra Stein represented developers e.g., Burger King, Rite-Aid, and Stonestown Shopping Center.
The December 17 ruling by Mary Gallagher would have required a full-blown public hearing, which then could have been appealed to the Board of Supervisors. Her decision had the approval of the SF City Attorney’s Office. So the question is why did Gerald Green decide that her position on Sutro Towers had to be changed?
The ramifications to her resignation are enormous. At the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhood’s (CSFN) October meeting, Ms. Gallagher told them that the term “strict constructionist” would be an accurate description of her approach to variances. She stated that she was looking forward to working with the neighborhood organizations. She told them that one of her first presentations would be at the December 1, 1999 hearing of the Board of Appeals on the variance process, and she requested that they (we) attend and support her. In her presentation before the public and the Commission, she informed everyone of her intent to apply the zoning regulations as they are written, i.e., requiring all five findings to be met before she issues a variance.
And to the public’s astonishment, she stated that her predecessor, Robert Passmore, approved over 80% of the variances requested, an astonishing number considering that the Code Section 304 states that “No variance shall be granted … unless there are exceptional or extraordinary circumstances ….” She stated that she would use the plain and literal meaning of the word extraordinary and exceptional, and that she would not grant a variance just because a neighborhood group agreed it was o.k. to issue the variance. Decisions should be made on the facts and if anyone believed that the law was too strict, they should lobby the Board of Supervisors to change it. She also presented pertinent code sections and copies of several California Appellate Court cases, which addressed the variance issues. One of the court cases stated that “although denial of a variance would cut into the developer’s profit margin, the community derives benefits not from his financial gain but from his conforming building.” See Broadway, Laguna, Vallejo Assoc. vs. Board of Permit Appeals of the City and County of San Francisco, 66 Cal2d 767.
Therefore, it is startling that just a few days after making a well-researched presentation that Ms. Gallagher suddenly resigned for “personal reasons.” Perhaps Sue Hestor was correct when she stated that “she believed Gallagher, in her brief tenure had antagonized developers friendly with the Mayor, and that had imperiled her.” SF Examiner, December 29, 1999.
Thus, Mary Gallagher’s resignation will have a tremendous ramification for the CSFN and the entire City. Mary Gallagher’s boss, Planning Director Gerald Gree, insisted that she made a personal choice to resign. However, after hearing her at the CSFN October meeting and witnessing her presentation at the Board of Appeals, it is hard to believe that she was not forced out.
Mary Gallagher must be re-instated as the Zoning Administrator because if she is not, it will have serious ramifications for the City. Without her as the Zoning Administrator, we will probably see the Planning Department, Planning Commission, and the Board of Appeals really playing fast and loose with the zoning laws. We (the authors) have attended hearings where we have seen Commissioners flagrantly disregard the laws because they know that in order to overturn their decision, one must wage an expensive legal battle in court. With Mary Gallagher as the Zoning Administration, we had hoped that she would insist that the planning laws be enforced regardless of a person’s connection or how the person contributed to political campaigns. When she stuck to her decision requiring public hearings before the SF Planning Commission on the Sutro Towers issues, she showed that she was a professional who would not cave in to unreasonable demands by developers or lobbyists. Unfortunately, she paid a heavy price for her determination to oversee and enforce the City’s planning laws.
Note: Before the City changed the Charter, the Zoning Administrator was a civil servant. As a civil servant, the Zoning Administrator had some protection from political influence.
Reprinted by permission from the authors:
Lorraine Lucas is a member of the Golden Gate Neighborhood Association and Recording Secretary of the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods and Marion Aird is a member and Board Member of OMRA
** Footnote: There was a meeting held in the Public Utilities and Deregulation Committee on Wednesday, January 19th, where this subject was heard. There were quite a number of neighborhood activists who spoke regarding this issue and the resignation of Mary Gallagher. Many people demanded that Ms. Gallagher be reinstated to her position as Zoning Administrator. There will be more hearings on this matter.
5199 MISSION STREET
The second meeting with the Neighborhood Advisory Group for 5199 Mission Street will take place on Tuesday, February 8, 2000, at 4:00 p.m. Unfortunately, at the last meeting, there were people that should have not been there. There were at least 20 people. If you are interested in this issue, please try to attend this meeting, which will take place at 25 Van Ness Avenue, 3rd Floor, Room 330B. (If you would like to go to this meeting and have your voices heard, please be there at 4:00 p.m.) If you need a ride, please call 587.9150.
Our attorney, Stephen Williams, sent a letter to the Mayor’s Office of Housing stating that we have retained him concerning this matter and that we would like to have 5199 Mission Street sent out to bid properly.
We have received many contributions from members and non-members alike for attorneys fees. Thanks to all of you.
GENEVA CAR BARN
The City along with Bart officials, the Planning Department, MUNI, Department of Parking and Traffic and the Committee to Save (Restore) the Car Barn and Powerhouse held a community meeting on January 25th, at the Assembly of God Church, at San Jose Avenue and Ocean Avenue. It was well attended by community members and City officials.
There will be future meetings concerning the Balboa Park Bart/Green Facility Complex. We hope the community will become active and involved in this serious endeavor.
Look for more information and meeting notices in this Newsletter for upcoming dates or the Neighborhood Calendar Section of The
Independent.For more information concerning this topic, please call 587.9150.
SERVICES FOR THE ELDERLY
Senior Central #8, a project of Catholic Charities offers free information and referral on senior services in the OMI area (Ocean, Merced & Ingleside), St. Francis Woods, and Miraloma Park. If you would like more information, please call 415.586.0450.
FRIENDS OF CROCKER-AMAZON PARK
The next volunteer work day at Crocker-Amazon Park will take place on Saturday, February 12th, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. (weather permitting). After the work day, it is suggested that we all meet for breakfast at Breakfast at Tiffany’s on San Bruno Avenue. We can all carpool if necessary. For more information, please call Jeanna Haney, 586.4168.
GRAFFITI ABATEMENT TEAM
If you would like to help paint out graffiti in our neighborhood, come to 116 Drake Street at 8:00 a.m., on Saturday, February 12th. Please note this is a change of location from our last Newsletter. The plan is to drive around during the morning and paint out this blight in our neighborhood. Our efforts will be mainly directed in neighborhood areas and not main thorough fares, not yet anyway.
If, however, you are unable to make it but have noticed graffiti in your area, then please call us at 587.9150 or e-mail us at NoGraffiti@sfdistricts.org and let us know the location of the graffiti.
Thanks, Ken
EXCELSIOR YOUTH CENTER
Club Hours
Regular Hours: Monday-Fridays 2:30 PM 9:00 PM.
Teen Night Hours: Fridays 9PM-12AM
Holiday/Summer: Monday-Friday 8AM-6PM Teen Hours: 6PM-9PM
If you have any questions regarding the Excelsior Youth Center,
Call Deborah Brill at 334-2582
THE OUTER MISSION RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS THE EXCELSIOR YOUTH CENTER. SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE. PLEASE CALL 587-9150 FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Available programs are: Education Center, Technology Center, Fine Arts, Social Recreation, Athletics Programs, Teen Center, and Recording Studio. There are a variety of clubs, among them: Girl Talk, Boy Talk, One World Club, Fine Arts Club, Swoosh Club, Computer Club, and many more.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We need volunteers. If you have a special skill, or would like to fold and stamp the Newsletters, or drive members in need to our meetings, please call Karen Hemer, 586.2895.
Next Association Meeting
PROPOSED AGENDA
When: Monday, February 14, 2000
Where: Crocker-Amazon Park
Recreation CenterMoscow and Italy Streets
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Agenda: 1) Call to order
2) Approval of agenda
3) Approval of the Minutes of November 8, 1999
4) Approval of Treasurer’s Report
5) Committee Reports
a) Friends of Crocker-Amazon Park
b) Graffiti Abatement Committee
c) Problem Properties Committee
d) Christmas Party (Social ) Committee
6) New Business
7) Guest Speaker: Marsha Ashe, Ingle side Police Station
8) Invited Candidates for the Democratic Central
Committee, 12th District
Next meeting: Monday,
March 13, 2000, at 7:00 p.m.,
Crocker-Amazon Park Recreation Center
Wednesday, February 2, 2000, 6:30 p.m.: Crocker Community Club. Every first and third Wednesday of the month. Crocker-Amazon Park Recreational Center
Tuesday, February, 8, 2000, 4:00 p.m.: 5199 Mission Street Property Meeting, 25 Van Ness Avenue, 6th Floor, Call 587.9150 for more information
Saturday, February 12, 2000, 8:00 a.m. –10: 00 a.m.: Friends of Crocker-Amazon Park Volunteer Day. Call 586.4168 for information
Thursday, February 10, 2000, 10:00 a.m.: Committee to Save the Geneva Car Barn
Monday, February 14, 2000, 7:00 p.m.:
Outer Mission Residents Association monthly meeting, Crocker-Amazon Park
Recreational Center, Moscow and Italy Streets
Thursday, February 17, 2000, 10:00 a.m.: Small Business and Economic Vitality Committee, Room 263, City Hall, regarding the business district Geneva and Mission Corridor
3rd Tuesday of every month, at 7:00 p.m.: Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods, Northern Police Station, Fillmore & Turk Streets
3rd Tuesday of every month, at 7:00 p.m.: Police Community Relations Meeting, Ingleside Police Station, Community Room, adjacent to Balboa Park
Every Thursday, 1:30 p.m.: Planning Commission Meeting, #1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 400, City Hall
Every Monday, 2:00 p.m.: Board of Supervisors, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Legislative Chambers, Second Floor.