At the top of the list of local ballot measures going before voters in November is Proposition A, billed as the “Health and Recovery Bond.” Several initiatives would be funded by this $487.5 million bond, including the development of behavioral health and substance abuse services, expansion of shelters and temporary housing, renovating or developing parks and repairs to infrastructure like roads.
Category: Parks & Open Space
Posted inCommunity, Environment, Housing, Neighborhoods, Parks & Open Space
Is This the Bayview’s Big Park Moment?
The Bayview has the city’s attention – for better or for worse, depending on whom you ask. If voters approve a $487 million open-space bond measure in November, it will help fund a park at 900 Innes Ave., the first waterfront land the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks has ever owned. Yet, despite efforts to include the local community in the planning and the benefits, many are skeptical.
Posted in“Civic” Podcast, Coronavirus, Land use, Parks & Open Space
Imagining an Eco-Friendly Post-Pandemic Downtown
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for space in San Francisco’s office towers seemed insatiable. But with no end to the pandemic in sight and the prospect that many employers will allow their people to continue to work from home after the crisis, it’s possible that at least some of those gleaming office towers will […]
Posted inCity Hall, Government & Politics, Neighborhoods, Parks & Open Space, Social Justice
Crissy Field Rally: Message of Peace Tainted by Violence
Against the backdrop of recent right-wing violence, the organizer of the now-canceled Crissy Field “free speech” rally said he just wanted San Francisco’s moderate “good liberals” to reject the city’s “intolerance” and embrace his message of peace and love. Dubious, officials and counterprotesters sent him a different message.
Posted in2016 Non-partisan Voter Guide, Elections, Parks & Open Space
Proposition E: Returning Tree Maintenance to City Hall
This Charter amendment would make it City Hall’s responsibility, once again, to maintain trees and surrounding sidewalks, the care obligation of which had recently transferred to private-property owners.
The Board of Supervisors voted 11-0 to put this initiative on the ballot.
Posted inArts & Culture, City Hall, Health, Homelessness, Housing, News, Parks & Open Space
S.F. Board Watch: City to Consider Expanding ‘Green Zone’ for Marijuana Dispensaries
The Board of Supervisors this week approved a limit to the number of marijuana dispensaries allowed to open on the southern end of Mission Street in the Excelsior commercial district. Medical cannabis dispensaries would need a special permit to open within 500 feet of an existing dispensary. Supervisor John Avalos said he may later propose expanding that distance to 1,000 feet. Plus: Marsh Theater’s Unwanted Neighbors | City Parks Closure | New Policy on Video Productions
Posted inCommunity, Economy & Business, Parks & Open Space, Public Safety
S.F. BOARD WATCH: Jack Spade Inspires Higher Threshold for Chain Store Ban
The restrictions on formula retail that apply to sections of San Francisco could soon be modified to expand the definition of what constitutes a chain store. Plus: Dogs in the park | Sleeping in the park
Posted inBay Area, Climate Change, Climate Change, Environment, Food Systems, Parks & Open Space
Big-Time Preservation, Thanks to Carbon Credits
A 19,000-acre area in Sonoma County is spared from vineyard and housing development
Carbon credits were essential to funding the big costs that come along with managing such large tracts. The nonprofit’s best estimate is that the credits will yield “several hundred thousand dollars” in annual income, based on similar deals on other parcels. This story is part of a special report on climate change in the summer print edition of the San Francisco Public Press.
Posted inCalifornia, Climate Change, Climate Change, Environment, Parks & Open Space
California’s Market for Hard-to-Verify Carbon Offsets Could Let Industry Pollute as Usual
Timber, dairy and chemical companies are lining up to sell carbon credits, which regulators call “offsets,” to the largest California polluters so they can compensate for their greenhouse gas emissions. Many environmentalists say that because it is notoriously difficult to prove that such projects actually reduce the state’s overall carbon footprint, California should proceed slowly in approving a vast expansion of the cap-and-trade market. This story is part of a special report on climate change in the summer print edition of the San Francisco Public Press.
Posted inEnvironment, Parks & Open Space
Bringing Life Back to Mountain Lake
As drivers speed along Highway 1, past the Richmond District and into the Presidio, they might only catch a quick glimpse of Mountain Lake off to the east. But anyone who takes a stroll down to this small body of water, tucked away behind a playground and tennis court, will see one of the city’s only remaining natural lakes – and one of its oldest.