On April 27, EAG's office received a Non-Profit Facilities Renovation from Rebuilding Together SF! The renovation has been truly transformative for our organization. RBTSF is already gearing up for their October Build Day and looking for other organizations in need of renovation and repairs. Please contact (415) 905-1611 for more information or to request an application.

The Jewish Home continues to be active on every front, both independently and collaboratively fighting and raising awareness of the impact of AB 97’s drastic cuts to Medi-Cal rates of reimbursement would have on distinct-part nursing facilities such as the Home. This significant issue is gaining momentum. Assembly Bill (AB) 900, authored by Assemblymember Luis Alejo (D-Salinas), and Senate Bill (SB) 640, authored by Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Long Beach), would reverse the Medi-Cal cuts that were enacted in 2011.  AB 900 passed unanimously out of the Assembly Health Committee and now awaits consideration in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.  SB 640 passed unanimously out of the Senate Health Committee and is pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee.  Both AB 900 and SB 640 require a two-thirds vote in both the State Assembly and Senate before going to Governor Brown for action.

With thanks to all the Jewish Home’s supporters, which includes EAG’s most appreciated involvement and contribution, we amassed about 2,500 signed action letters by our campaign’s deadline of April 30. These letters are due to be delivered shortly to seven lawmakers in Sacramento.

Planning Commission Adoption Hearing for Bike Parking Requirements and Bike Policies: May 16th, 2013
The Planning Department invites you to participate in a hearing this Thursday, May 16th regarding the City’s policies for bicycles. At the hearing, the Commission will consider the first comprehensive update to bicycle parking requirements in San Francisco’s history.  Currently, the Planning Code sets requirements for bicycle parking associated with development. 
 
In August 2012, the Commission approved the initiation of the Bicycle Parking Requirements Legislation. This legislation would repeal the existing bicycle parking requirements in the Planning Code and provide new bicycle parking requirements commensurate with the surge in use of bicycles in San Francisco and updated national and international standards for bicycle parking. The Planning Department consulted with many stakeholders to understand their concerns with the proposed changes. An informational hearing was held in December 2012 to obtain further comments from the public, followed by further changes to the Ordinance to address those comments.
 
On April 4, 2013, the Commission initiated amendments to re-adopt the previously approved General Plan Amendments related to the San Francisco Bike Plan. This re-adoption was a result to a California Court of Appeal decision made on January 14, 2013, which deemed the CEQA findings of the Bike Plan inadequate. These General Plan Amendments established the City’s policies regarding bicycles as an important component of the City’s transportation system.  
 
On Thursday, May 16th, 2013, the Commission will consider:

1. the re-adoption of the General Plan Amendments regarding the Bike Plan; and
2. the adoption of the proposed bicycle parking requirements in the Planning Code. 

 
If approved by the Commission, both proposals would be forwarded to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for final approvals.
 
The Planning Department invites you to attend this hearing to express your thoughts about bicycle parking. The case report for this hearing, including the complete proposed ordinances can be downloaded from the Planning Commission’s webpage on: http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=3470#documents.
 
Please find information on location and time of the hearing here: http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=3469.

Starting Fridays on June 7, the Excelsior Branch Library (http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=1013661401) will host a free, 6-week series of Healthier Living Workshops.

Developed by Stanford University School of Medicine and sponsored by SF Department of Aging and Adult Services, the workshops are designed to help people with chronic conditions like arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, chronic pain, cancer, back problems, breathing problems and others.  Classes can help people with chronic conditions and their caregivers improve the quality of their life.  At the workshops, participants will learn how to:

·         Manage pain, stress, and fatigue

·         Be more fit and eat healthier

·         Work more effectively with healthcare professionals

·         Set goals and problem solve to make positive changes

·         Feel better and reduce healthcare costs

The workshops begin on Friday, June 7th and take place every Friday for the next 6 weeks (except no class on July 5th), until July 19th.  Each Friday workshop runs from 2 pm to 4:30 pm at the Excelsior Branch Library, 4400 Mission St. at Cotter.   FREE gifts and awards will be given to participants completing the workshop!  Everyone is welcome though space is limited.  To register, please visit http://www.cahealthierliving.org/?location=san-francisco, or contact Excelsior Branch Library at 415.355.2868.

On Monday, May 6, EAG held is quarterly community wide meeting at our office on 35 San Juan Avenue.  We were joined by over 40 community members who came to hear updates about our projects and offer their feedback on our work, particularly surrounding the Persia Triangle Project.  If you missed the meeting, here's a snapshot of the updates that were presented that evening.  Click here to view photos from the meeting.

The Ever Upward Project is progressing rapidly.  The project was designed in a community design workshop at the May Quarterly meeting in 2012.  One year later, the Excelsior's first piece of civic art is getting ready for construction.  The designs are complete and all necessary approvals and permits have been received.  We are working with the support of dozens of community volunteers to create the mosaics for the column piece by piece.  We need all the help we can get on that!  If you're interested in participating, please email [email protected].  The sculpture is slated for installation at the northwest corner of Geneva and Mission this Fall 2013.

EAG is working with the Excelsior Branch Library, Architecture for Humanity, and 5 local artists to install seating and greening, as well as art panels at our local library, 4400 Mission Street.  The project has been in development since February 2012.  It is currently in the permitting and approvals process.  We aim to begin construction in Summer of 2013 and have it open for community use by Fall of 2013.  During the summer, the project will be constructed during Community Build Days with the help of local volunteers.  We need your help to bring this project to fruition!  Please email [email protected] if you're interested in helping out or contributing to the Build Day efforts.  

In January 2012, the Excelsior Action Group was approached by Supervisor Avalos to retrofit and activate a blighted news kiosk at the corner of Geneva & Mission.  EAG has taken on this project and is investigating the feasibility of relocating the kiosk to a more beneficial and centrally-located site at the Persia Triangle.  After the kiosk is retrofitted, EAG hopes to activate it on a more regular basis with local vendors, a community map, information postings from community-based organizations, and artwork. 

On Saturday, February 16, 2013, the Excelsior Action Group (EAG) executed a grassroots safety program with the help of over a dozen local youth in San Francisco’s Excelsior neighborhood.  Shine a Bright Light on Excelsior is a pedestrian level lighting campaign that enlists youth as safety liaisons to distribute free energy efficient lighting to small businesses to brighten their storefront windows at night.  Generously funded by PG&E, the program addresses the neighborhood’s dire need for pedestrian level lighting to increase safety and foot traffic on Mission Street after dark.  EAG continues to advocate for a permanent solution to this issue.

Since December 2012, several businesses on the Excelsior Commercial Corridor have been sued by plaintiffs with disabilities because they are not up to ADA standards and do not provide equal access to patrons with disabilities.  EAG has spearheaded a robust outreach and education campaign to both improve the accessibility of businesses in the Excelsior neighborhood and also help protect these businesses from ADA litigation.  Outreach for this campaign has been conducted door-to-door in English, Spanish, and Cantonese.  In addition, EAG hosted an ADA workshop for Cantonese-speaking business owners in March, which was very well-attended and informative.  Finally, EAG is managing an ADA Compliance Inspection program, funded by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, which provide free inspections of local businesses.

The 11th Annual Excelsior Art & Music Festival will be held this September 29, 2013 in conjunction with Sunday Streets.  The Excelsior Action Group's Festival Committee is currently planning the event and can always use extra support and ideas.  This year's theme is "Forever Upward" and all proceeds raised from the event will go toward a maintenance endowment for the Ever Upward sculpture.  If you want to get involved with festival planning, join us at the Festival Committee's next meeting, Thursday June 6, 6:00 PM at EAG's office, 35 San Juan Avenue.  We are also happy to announce that Sunday Streets will be returning to the Excelsior in tandem with the Festival and will be shutting down Mission Street again this year for their event.  The quarterly meeting in August will have many more updates and information about how to get involved with the Festival.  

EAG was joined by representatives from the SF Planning Department, MTA, DPW, and Out of Site to present updates on all of the short-term improvements occurring at the Persia Triangle.  EAG's project at this site include the Persia Triangle Community Market pilot project (funded), the potential installation of the Community Kiosk at Ocean and Mission (pending), and a collaboration with Out of Site to install street furniture and sidewalk artwork (pending).  Planning Department is spearheading the creation of plazas to allow additional space for pedestrian safety and community gathering.  MTA is managing proposed changes to bus routes through the site and the additional of bus bulbs.  DPW will be repaving the street surfaces in the early part of next year.