December 14, 2023

Dear Neighbors,

This past fall, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve an additional weekend of concerts for the next three years following the annual Outside Lands (OSL) concert in Golden Gate Park. While I was the lone vote against the additional concert series, I still fought for and secured community benefit funds totaling $35,000 annually.

At our townhall hosted by Planning Association for the Richmond last August, many neighbors discussed their concerns and the impacts these concerts have on the Richmond. Some of the issues raised included loss of parking for residents, lack of equal revenue opportunities for all small businesses, and negative impacts to the wildlife in Golden Gate Park.

Based on your feedback, we are proposing the following uses for the 2023 community benefit funds:

$15,000 - Parking Vouchers for Residents and Support for Public Schools:
Public elementary schools in the Richmond like Lafayette and Argonne have provided their school yards as additional parking for concert goers as a fundraiser for the schools. At the community meeting it was proposed that the yards be used instead for neighbors who often have to circle for hours looking for a space. Using a portion of the fund from OSL would not only give much needed support to the schools in our neighborhood but will also help offset the parking problems caused by the OSL concerts!

$15,000 - Protect Nature in Golden Gate Park:
Another concern we heard at community meetings was the negative impact the concert has on our wildlife. Due to the budget deficit, the Mayor has cut funding for San Francisco Nature Education, which has been working to educate youth about wildlife, like the herons of Golden Gate Park, for over 20 years. They offer field trips, nature walks, and internships and have served over 22,000 students.  The community benefit fund can restore this funding and serve as a way to offset the impacts on wildlife by OSL.

Total of $70,000 - Support Neighborhood Commercial Corridor: 
(includes unspent funds from 2020, 2021, 2022) 
We also heard from our local merchants about the unequal impact OSL has on small business revenues. We can help bring business to our neighborhood commercial corridors through continued funding for events like our annual Autumn Moon Festival that has also had its funding reduced. With this funding and in partnership with Community Youth Center, we can continue to fund Autumn Moon Festival in Inner Richmond, expand the popular Night Market to the Central Richmond, and fund a Film Festival in the Outer Richmond, and support more revenue opportunities for our small businesses throughout the year and across the District. 

We can commit to funding these critical programming and events in our District, and  we want to hear from you about how we can best utilize the remaining $10,000 for 2023. How else would you spend the community benefit fund? Fill out the google form here to tell us your ideas.

Together we can work to benefit our community.



Connie

Click to Sign Up for the District 1 Newsletter