Next year, SFMTA will be improving the Persia Triangle (intersection of Mission, Ocean, and Persia) to make the area safer for pedestrians, quicker for transit, and more useful for Excelsior community members. This project may include the installation of a limited number of pedestrian-level lighting fixtures. Over the past two weeks, the Excelsior Action Group collected feedback from community members about which lighting fixture should be installed. 548 community members responded via an online survey, a voting station at the Clean Wash Center, and street intercept surveys conducted by EAG staff and volunteers. The results have been tallied and the winner is Option B with 45% of the votes! The Excelsior Action Group will share its findings with the SF Public Utilities Commission, which will develop lighting calculations and a cost estimate for the SFMTA's project. Although EAG cannot confirm that this fixture will be installed, we are grateful for your feedback and will advocate for the community's preferred lighting fixture to be installed at the Persia Triangle!
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Below are the seven Excelsior Action Grants that will be funded this year by the Excelsior Collaborative. Many thanks to all applicants for demonstrating their commitment to improving the Excelsior and showing so many creative ways to bring the community together. Also thanks to Karen Nemsick for tallying the votes and Eliza Gibson for facilitating the voting process. Congratulations to this year's grantees!
Cleveland Peace Gardens: Spaces for learning and growing a healthy community at Cleveland Elementary School. Excelsior Community Market: Monthly event in a parking lot at Persia Triangle that contributes to the community and economic development of the Excelsior through the support of local commerce, community cohesions, and public space improvement. Excelsior Healthy Connections: Healthy Connections Excelsior is designed to take a holistic, preventive, and participant-centered approach to health. Through fun hands-on activities, families gain tools and strategies to facilitate holistic, sustainable changes for good nutrition, adequate physical activity, effective disease prevention, and sound mental health that they can incorporate into their daily lives. Excelsior Storefront Galleries: Community Profiles: An exhibit of posters reflecting the stories of Excelsior community members to be displayed in storefront windows along the Mission Street Commercial corridor. Excelsior Stories: Pop Up recording booth and community space for 3-4 weeks on Mission street to record family and community stories, conversations about contemporary issues, and to document the lives of residents in the Excelsior. Exhilarating the Excelsior: To paint a mural that is for the Excelsior community, by the Excelsior Community. Geneva Avenue 311 Promotion and Education: Promotion of a 311 Call Center and Phone Application to help beautify and clean up Geneva Avenue and its surrounding area. 12/4/2013 A Volunteer's Story: Perspective from a Pro Bono Designer Working in the ExcelsiorRead NowMy name is Tianyu Guan. I am not a Bay Area native. I am not even from this country. I grew up in Beijing for 18 years and came to this continent for college on my own--I am the only one from my family who is in the US. As a result, from the very beginning I found it hard to identify with the local culture or community. Fortunately after almost 4 years of college life, I begin to see Berkeley as a meaningful place to me. But around the Bay Area, there is another neighborhood with which I identify--the Excelsior District. Most of the time, when I tell my friends that there is a hidden gem in SF with a beautiful name called the Excelsior, they look confused and lost--just like when I first heard about the neighborhood. Probably it is not where most tourists would visit when they land at SFO, but I have found myself adoring and identifying with this community more and more over the past 2 years. I will never forget the day when Nicole first showed me along Mission Street. At the corner store on Persia Avenue, we ran into a man who has been living in the Excelsior for his entire life. He kept talking about how prosperous the neighborhood once was and how much he cared about it. He then went on talking about what kinds of changes he was willing to see. Although I could not understand every single detail he mentioned, I was deeply moved. I was moved by the idea that the local community cares--it is devoted to improving its public spaces and is willing to try new ideas. Moreover, it has a respect for design and public community processes. From that moment on, I began to see design projects--even the tiniest one--from a refreshed perspective. Previously as a new design student, I tended to approach a project from an "artistic" way without realizing how arbitrary it might be. I saw design solely as a self-expression rather than a respond to certain needs of a client. My experience with EAG gradually turned me into an attentive listener who is willing to understand the clients and the communities. I also began to turn into a patient do-er who values the idea of making changes little by little. For example, I benefitted a lot from my first EAG project--the Pavian Fashion facade renovation work in 2011. I was grateful to receive trust from both the EAG and the owners of Pavian Fashion--Mr. And Mrs. Shen. Not only because it is my first design that got built out but also because it got me exposed to different design phases in reality. I learned how to work back and forth with clients and contractors. I learned about building materials and constructions details. This project taught me that all the seemingly trivial details can be pivotal in the real world. Most importantly, working with EAG confirms my passion in environmental design, especially design in the public realm. Only after putting my dreams in the spotlight of the real world did I realize what I am pursuing is meaningful to both myself and the living environment. Here, I want to repeat the almost cliche saying--make the world a better place. I know it sounds simple and naive, but I believe my work with EAG is indeed making the world a better place, little by little, step by step. About Tianyu GuanTianyu Guan was born in China, educated in California, and now resides on a street off of a street off of the gorgeous UC Berkeley campus. Officially a 4th year landscape architecture major at Berkeley, Tianyu also works as a designer, illustrator, and photographer in her spare time. Her inspiration and interest lie in exploring how innovative designs enhance urban living experience and challenge people's vision on city life. She has volunteered with the Excelsior Action Group for the past several years as a pro bono architectural and graphic designer, completing numerous projects for the organization including the design for Pavian Fashion’s facade improvement.
When she's not gazing lovingly into the eyes of her computer, Tianyu likes to explore the endless culinary treasures of the Berkeley-Oakland-San Francisco triangle, go on impromptu adventures around the city, and people-watch at Cafe Strada. If you are curious about Tianyu's design works, please go check out at--TianyuGuan.weebly.com. Multiple Safety Programs Created to Address Community Concerns(San Francisco – November 9, 2013) In September 2013, Excelsior Action Group (EAG) received funding from District 11 Supervisor Avalos and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development to focus on neighborhood safety improvements. The organizations was able to hire Gwynn Mackellen as Safety Coordinator to work with merchants, residents, city staff, and EAG’s Safety Committee members on improving the sense of security and quality of life along the commercial corridor. During the months of August and September, Excelsior Action Group (EAG) collected over one-hundred-and-sixty Hot Spot surveys in-person and online from merchants, residents, and attendees of the Excelsior Festival. These questionnaires asked people to report safety concerns in the Excelsior neighborhood and locations where these issues were a problem. The resulting data was mapped to pinpoint the greatest concentrations of reported “hot spots”. Using this information, EAG conducted a Hot Spot Walk on October 2nd with Supervisor John Avalos, Captain Timothy Falvey and officers from the Ingleside Police Station, a superintendent from Department of Public Works, Safety Coordinator from Excelsior Community Center, Excelsior Safety Committee members, and other neighborhood stakeholders. During the walk, we discussed issues that the City could work with the community on improving. As a result, trash was cleaned up, the greenery in the median along Alemany Blvd was trimmed, street lights were fixed, and two arrests were made at a “hot spot” shortly after. In order to ensure that dark street lights get repaired across the Excelsior, EAG’s Lights Out Walk on October 25th focused specifically on this issue. Improved lighting can reduce crime by ten percent, and in order for broken lights to be replaced in a timely manner, community members need to be vigilant about reporting them. The walk engaged local students and residents by teaming up to tackle sections of the neighborhood and call in outages to 3-1-1. This event resulted in brighter streets in time for Halloween. Quality of life issues, such as graffiti and littering, are a common complaint by those who live, work, and shop in the Excelsior. Cleaner streets generate a sense of community pride and help break the cycle of neighborhood degradation. Therefore, EAG sponsored a cleanup on November 2nd along the Excelsior business corridor with Department of Public Works Graffiti Watch Program to paint over tagging and sweep up trash. The safety of vulnerable road users is a prime concern. Collisions impacting pedestrians increase dramatically after the end of Daylight Saving Time as people travel after dark. Improving visibility is one way to ensure the safety of those traveling by foot, bike, or skateboard. On November 8th EAG passed out reflectors to commuters at transit stops to make them easier to see by car drivers, and providing pedestrian and bicycling safety information in the three languages most common in the Excelsior. Civil complaint alleges that Net Stop’s on-site computerized slot machines violate state and local law, draw more criminal activity, and create a neighborhood nuisance SAN FRANCISCO (Nov. 7, 2013)—City Attorney Dennis Herrera today filed suit against an Excelsior District Internet cafe for an illegal on-site gambling operation and related nuisances that have been responsible for more than 200 calls to police since opening its doors a year ago. The complaint filed in San Francisco Superior Court this morning alleges that Net Stop Business Center is violating state and local law by maintaining computerized slot machine games that allow customers to purchase electronic “points” and then redeem their winnings for cash.
The opening of Net Stop at Mission Street and Excelsior Avenue corresponded with the beginning of a dramatic increase in criminal activity in the area, according to Herrera’s complaint. Net Stop’s location was the subject of two calls for service made to the San Francisco Police Department between Nov. 2011 and Oct. 2012, but in the year leading up to Oct. 2013, police responded to complaints involving Net Stop’s location on no less than 202 occasions. “Gambling is strictly regulated in California for a reason, and Net Stop’s owner should know better than to think he can get away with flouting state and local law,” Herrera said. “When one spot in the City sees a hundred-fold increase in police calls in a single next year, the City will move aggressively to protect the neighborhood and send a message to other would-be scofflaws that similar schemes won’t be tolerated. This is criminal activity creating more criminal activity, and we’re asking the court to put a stop to it and impose the maximum penalties under the law.” The San Francisco Police Department’s ongoing efforts to combat the problems at Net Stop have been critical to the investigation, and to the construction of the lawsuit. “Chief Suhr and the entire Police Department deserve a lot of credit for the work they’ve done to make this possible,” Herrera said. “They’ve built a body of evidence for us that we can take into court with the highest confidence.” Herrera was not alone in his praise of today’s legal action. “Net Stop's blatant violation of the law is doing real damage to quality of life in the area,” said Supervisor John Avalos, whose district includes the location in question. “It has put a terrible strain on the neighborhood, but today we’ve taken a big step toward shutting it down.” The civil suit details the connection between illegal gambling operations and the reduced ability of those living around them to enjoy their neighborhood in safety, together with the drain on police services elsewhere in San Francisco caused by the constant need to monitor and respond to problems at a single location year round. The lawsuit asks the court to declare Net Stop to be a public nuisance, to close its doors for one year, to force the forfeiture and sale of its gambling equipment to offset the damage that the nuisance has caused to the local community, and to impose civil penalties for each act of unfair competition. The case is: City and County of San Francisco and People of the State of California v. Thomas Lacey et al, San Francisco Superior Court, filed Nov. 7, 2013. Excelsior Action Group’s Three Year Public Art Project Honors Community’s History (San Francisco – October 29, 2013) On Friday, November 1, the Excelsior community will join together at the site of the Ever Upward sculpture, the neighborhood’s first, for an unveiling ceremony. In Latin, the word “Excelsior” means “Ever Upward.” Driven by passionate community members, visionary local artists, and a committed nonprofit, the Excelsior Action Group, the Ever Upward project installed a sculpture at the corner of Geneva Avenue and Mission Street to mark the southern gateway to San Francisco’s Excelsior neighborhood. Ever Upward was conceived through a community design process led by Excelsior artists Isis Rodriguez and Jason Gilmore that included over 200 local participants. Standing 14-feet tall, the forged metal flame atop the mosaic column was erected in honor of the neighborhood’s long tradition of immigrants and working class families who endeavor to raise themselves ever upward. The concept of the Ever Upward project first arose during the 2009 Excelsior Art Summit, at which over 50 local artists of all ages and mediums convened with community stakeholders to dialogue about projects for the neighborhood. Artists called for a project to mark the gateways to the Excelsior Community, most notably our bustling southern gateway at the intersection of Geneva Avenue and Mission Street. Over the past few years the Excelsior Action Group has executed earlier phases of the gateway project, including a garden and mosaic installation at Geneva and Mission in 2009 and a mural spanning the 280 overpass at the neighborhood’s northern extremity in 2010. In 2012, the Excelsior Action Group received a Community Challenge Grant from the City of San Francisco to begin a robust community design process and install a piece of public art at the southern gateway. Over the course of six public meetings with the help of over 200 community members, the design concept for Ever Upward was born. The most salient ideas that came from our community process described the Excelsior neighborhood as a landing point for immigrants and working class families who strive to raise themselves ever upward. A tremendously talented and dedicated project team has organized to bring this project to life. Isis Rodriguez, an award-winning international artist based in San Francisco’s Excelsior district, designed the metal sculpture. Jason Gilmore, a local artist and educator who has worked on murals in the Excelsior, designed and helped to construct the mosaic for the column. Aurelio Lofaro, an Italian master blacksmith of Old World Ironworks fabricated the metal sculpture. An extremely dedicated team of local volunteers lead by Grace D’Anca and Deborah LeDet committed almost every Saturday from March to October 2013 to create the mosaic panels. Suaro Cervantes, master grouter and associate of Precita Eyes, led a team of volunteers to install the mosaic designs on the sculpture’s column. The Excelsior Action Group, a neighborhood nonprofit organization, managed the project under the leadership of Corridor Manager and Excelsior native, Nicole Jesslyn Agbayani. Project funders included the S.F. Community Challenge Grant program, District 11 Supervisor John Avalos, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the San Francisco Foundation, the Max and Anna Levinson Foundation, the Jewish Home of San Francisco, and many local businesses and resident donors. Finally, hundreds of Excelsior community members have dedicated their ideas, energy, and time to move this project forward. Please join us Friday, November 1, 2013 at 5:00 PM at the site of Ever Upward as we unveil and celebrate this incredible piece of community art work. It will truly be a proud moment in our neighborhood’s history! Join us at the Ever Upward Unveiling! Friday, November 1, 2013 5:00 pm – 5:30 pm 5098 Mission Street (corner of Geneva and Mission), San Francisco, CA 94112 Followed up community celebration at Rincon Latino, 5080 Mission Street, 5:30 – 7:30 pm |
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