Candidate Forum
Saturday, September 8th 10am – 1pm


Featuring
Supervisor John Avalos (incumbent) D11 Candidate
Candidates for the Board of Education
Candidates for the Community College Board
Candidates for the Districts 7 & 9 BART Board 

All Candidates for school boards have been extended Invitations

The Shine a Bright Light on Excelsior (SBLE) program is a grassroots safety initiative of EAG, sponsored by PG&E.  The program goals are to promote safety directly on the Excelsior commercial corridor, educate merchants about Crime Prevention through Environmental Design concepts, increase the perception of safety on the corridor among those who live, work, and shop after dark and enhance the environmental sustainability of businesses on the corridor through the provision of energy efficient lighting.   The program involves the distribution of energy efficient light bulbs and educational posters for display in every small business on the Excelsior’s Commercial Corridor.  The outreach will be conducted by trained Safety Liaisons volunteers. 

After a major earthquake, the San Francisco Emergency Firefighting Water System (also known as the Auxiliary Water Supply System or AWSS) is vital for protecting against the loss of life, homes and businesses, by providing an additional layer of fire protection to supplement the domestic water system. The system delivers water at high pressure and includes approximately 200 cisterns, two pump stations, two storage tanks, one reservoir, and approximately 135 miles of pipes.

Construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2013 and the program completed in 2018.
The First Phase of Construction will begin with the installation of 16 new cisterns for fire protection and is anticipated to begin by summer 2013 in the following neighborhoods: Bayview, Excelsior, Merced Manor, Outer Sunset, Portola, St. Francis Wood, Richmond and Westwood Highlands. Installation of all 16 cisterns will not occur simultaneously and it is anticipated that construction will last approximately 4 months per cistern location. More detailed information will be provided to nearby residents and local businesses prior to construction.

What to Expect
The SFPUC will communicate with all nearby residents and businesses prior to and during construction. You may see crews performing survey work in your neighborhood in preparation for construction.

San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Board of  Supervisors voted 11-0 to place the consensus business tax reform measure that will move the City away from payroll tax to a system that is based on gross receipts. The measure include  progressive business license fee that will bring in $28.5 million new revenue and grow with the CPI each year.

“This November, we finally have the opportunity to fix our archaic tax system--which penalizes job growth and exempts too many large corporations from paying their fair share,” says Supervisor John Avalos. “This new measure will protect small businesses, encourage job growth, and bring in the new revenue needed to support our recovering economy”  he added.

The vote followed a unity rally at the steps of City Hall that brought together community, labor and business leaders.  Mayor Lee and Supervisor Avalos and other co-sponsors of the measure spoke about the great effort made by all stakeholders to come to a compromise measure.  The SF Chamber of Commerce’ Steve Falk and Wade Rose, the Golden Gate Restaurant Association’s Rob Black, and Scott Hauge of the Small Business Commission joined with Conny Ford of the SF Labor Council and other community leaders to speak in  support of the measure.

“I applaud the Mayor and John Avalos for moving this forward.  The majority of small businesses will see their costs come down and this will help create jobs” said Scott Hauge of the Small Business Commission.

“With the additional revenue, San Francisco can develop its residents for jobs in the 21st century with academies in construction, healthcare, technology, and hospitality”  said  Christina Canaveral of Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth.  “We can build more affordable housing so that working families that are struggling in this city can afford to live in the place they call home” she added.

Yesterday, Supervisor John Avalos, along with his two kids,  Mayor Lee and Supervisor Chiu and Cohen visited Veritable Vegetables, an organic vegetable distribution business that will save 8% in taxes from the move from payroll to gross receipts.  The business is a model company who has been in the City since the 70’s and is committed to staying in the City, hiring local residents, and contributing to the local economy and local food movement.