San Francisco is constantly being asked to take on new responsibilities in pursuit of worthy goals. Many of these proposals are thoughtful and respond to genuine needs. But, the work of governing requires more than identifying a problem and proposing a solution. It requires looking beyond what sounds good on paper and asking what will actually work, what government is equipped to do well, and where limited public resources can do the most good.
Trees are an important part of what makes the Sunset District such a special place to live. They bring greenery to our residential streets, provide habitat for birds and wildlife and make our neighborhoods more beautiful.
District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong has introduced an ordinance to change a decades-old building rule that housing advocates say has kept thousands of existing housing units off the legal rental market. The change would make those existing homes legal without requiring expensive renovations, and could make new construction more affordable, since lower ceilings require less material to build.
Every August, something special happens in the Sunset. School campuses come alive again. Sidewalks fill with backpacks. Muni buses welcome new riders. Parks echo with recess conversations, and neighborhood businesses greet familiar faces after the final bell.
Walk down almost any block in the Sunset built between 1920 and 1960, and you will find homes with basement or garage spaces that have long served a variety of needs. Some are occupied by extended family members. Some provide housing for students or working adults. Others have evolved over time into informal rental units. These spaces are already part of the neighborhood’s housing ecosystem, but many remain difficult or prohibitively expensive to legalize under current rules.
This morning at City Hall, District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong announced a draft ordinance to change a decades-old building rule that housing advocates say has kept thousands of existing housing units off the legal rental market. The change would make those existing homes legal without requiring expensive renovations, and could make new construction more affordable, since lower ceilings require less material to build.
Ask any parent in the Sunset what the most stressful months of the year are, and many will give you the same answer: the months between submitting their public school application and finding out where their child got placed. It is a strange thing to put families through, and stranger still that it has not changed.
Alan Wong got 72% in the final round of ranked-choice voting, according to the most-recently released preliminary election returns from the San Francisco Department of Elections. Natalie Gee, chief of staff to District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, got 28%.
The San Francisco we want to build is a city with vibrant communities, rich with culture and ripe with opportunities; where families can thrive and put down roots, businesses can open their doors and keep them open and seniors can age in place. However, all this depends on people feeling safe in their daily lives.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors decided to begin the process of creating an Irish cultural district centered in the neighborhood. The St. Patricks’ Day vote expressing the intent of the City to create a Sunset Irish Cultural District was unanimous. District 4 Supervisor Alan Wong called it, “an important first step.”
A few weeks ago, I launched what I called a “Dumb Laws” contest. I asked San Franciscans to tell me about the city rules and regulations that frustrated them most. The permits that took too long. The fees that made no sense. The codes that seemed designed to make life harder instead of easier.
Last week, I convened an oversight hearing to get answers. PG&E’s CEO came to City Hall. So did representatives from our Fire Department and the Department of Emergency Management. What we learned was troubling.
Supervisor Alan Wong convened an oversight hearing on Feb. 12 at the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee to examine PG&E’s response to the widespread power outages that left more than one third of San Francisco residents and businesses without electricity.
Last month, a ballot measure that would have restored weekday vehicle access to the Upper Great Highway (UGH) fell one supervisor’s signature short of making it onto the ballot.
There is nowhere in San Francisco quite like the Sunset District. Nestled between the Pacific Ocean, Stern Grove and Golden Gate Park, it’s the kind of place where fog softens the mornings, small businesses know their customers by name and neighbors look out for one another. This is a community built by working families – immigrants and longtime San Franciscans alike – who put down roots and stay.
