With the winter storms mostly behind us, it is time to go out and enjoy all that District 7 has to offer. From the outstanding restaurants of the Inner Sunset to the parks and open spaces at Lake Merced, our District offers countless unparalleled experiences. My office has been hard at work to support our commercial corridors and ensure that they are active hubs of commerce, arts, culture, and entertainment. Over the past month, we have seen new murals pop up at Lakeside Landing, we rang in the Lunar New Year along Ocean Avenue, and we enjoyed the bounty of the Inner Sunset Farmers Market.

From the corridors of City Hall, we continue to support our neighborhood businesses through my graffiti abatement program, grant programs for businesses that have been vandalized, and expanding our ambassador program to Ocean Avenue. I have also invested in activating our corridors through community events, including theInner Sunset Flea Market and Juneteenth on Ocean Avenue. As the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and winter storms wane, now is the time to hit the streets and enjoy all that our local businesses have to offer.  

I look forward to seeing you in the District!

Sincerely, 
Myrna Melgar

TABLE OF NEWSLETTER CONTENTS

• Legislative Updates
  • Mayor Edwin M. Lee Avenue
  • Participatory Budgeting 
• March 2023 Virtual office hours 
• Community Events
  • Transportation Townhall - Inner Sunset - recap
  • Ocean Avenue Lunar New Year Celebration - recap
  • St. Patrick's Day - March 11
  • Havelock Bridge Cleanup Day - April 1
  • Inner Sunset Flea
• Announcements
  • Senior Corner
  • Tax Aid - Tax Preparation And Filing Services
• District 7 in Action

DISTRICT 7 UPDATES

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Mayor Edwin M. Lee Avenue

In February, Supervisor Melgar introduced legislation creating Mayor Edwin M. Lee Avenue in District 7. As we all know, Mayor Ed Mah Lee served our City for many years, as a Commissioner, Director of Public Works, City Administrator, and as the first Asian-American Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco. Were it not for the tireless efforts of Mayor Lee to advocate for housing across our City, and his collaboration with Former Supervisor Norman Yee, many of the ongoing projects in District 7 would not have been possible, including Park Merced, Stonestown, and the Balboa Reservoir Development. Currently, Lee Avenue connects Ingleside to the Ocean Avenue corridor and CCSF. As more than a thousand new units are added to the area in the Balboa Reservoir Development, new roads will be constructed and Mayor Edwin M. Lee Avenue will serve as the major artery of this community. Read more here. 

WHAT IS THE PARTICIPATORY BUDGET?

Participatory Budgeting (PB) is a democratic process in which community members propose projects and collectively decide how to spend part of a public budget. It began in 2013 by then-Supervisor Norman Yee, and this year, Participatory Budgeting is back and improved! We are looking for bold and innovative ideas as well as necessary neighborhood improvement projects.

We hope to get as many different project ideas as we can, so be creative and tell us what your concerns, priorities, and ideas are. Please help us spread the word to your neighbors as we hope to expand community participation through this virtual process — every vote counts! You can find all this information and more here. 

TIMELINE

• Project Proposal Period: March 15 - April 14
• Virtual Information Session: March 20, 6 - 7 PM, RSVP HERE
• Review Period: April 15 -  June 11 
• Voting Period: June 12 - June 26
• Announcement of Winners: July 3 - July 6
• Funds released to Departments and Department Project Manager assigned: Fall 2023
• Proposals must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on April 14, 2023.  Proposals submitted after the deadline will not be considered.

PRIORITY AREAS

• Successful applications will focus on activities responding to critical needs in the following areas: 
• Community Resilience & Recovery: community capacity building, volunteer training, neighborhood beautification & improvements, etc.
• Public Safety: whistles, safety kits, signs, lights, etc.
• Disaster Preparedness: equipment, training, program expansion into new neighborhoods, etc.
• Children and Seniors: programs, accessibility, and safety for young or elderly residents, etc. 
• Vision Zero: pedestrian safety, traffic calming, bicycle safety, safety education programs, etc.

ELIGIBILITY

• Successful project proposals will meet all of the following criteria for eligibility:
• Proposals must be submitted by neighborhood associations, non-profits, merchant groups, or institutions located in District 7. 
  • Authoring entities not located in District 7 will be ineligible.
  • Individual residents and businesses must be sponsored by an organization.
• Proposals must be for new projects that respond to a demonstrated community need. 
• Only one proposal per author/group can be submitted. 
• Proposals must align with at least one of the five priority area categories listed below. 
• Proposals must be a one-time expenditure.
• Proposals must benefit District 7 residents.
• Proposals must receive a minimum of 400 votes to be eligible for funding. 

FUNDING

In order to have successful community projects, we have increased the grant amounts to be allocated to projects. Grants awarded will now receive up to $50,000 in funding. A total of $377,000 will be available for general projects and a total of $422,000 will be available for the category of Vision Zero.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

All proposals must be submitted through the Google Form found here. Proposals must include all of the following to be considered:
Contact information for the proposer and project lead (if different) 
Detailed description of the proposed project
Detailed budget for the proposed project
Priority Area(s) addressed
Neighborhoods and or communities served
Description of community support for proposed project

SELECTION PROCESS

A committee of District 7 residents and community members who have subject-matter expertise will review and score proposals. We will have representatives from across District 7, including Park Merced, Twin Peaks, St. Francis Wood, Westwood Park, Balboa Terrace, Parkside, Sunnyside, Midtown Terrace, Miraloma, Inner Sunset, Golden Gate Heights, Westwood Highlands, Ingleside Terraces, and Forest Knolls.

The winning projects will be most closely reflective of the criteria and can be successfully completed with the funding allocated as a one-time grant. Members of this committee are ineligible to apply for Participatory Budgeting funding in order to avoid a conflict of interest. 

EXAMPLES OF WINNING PROJECTS FROM FY 2022 - 2023

• Expand volunteer-based community litter pick-up and beautification program in West Portal ($1,600)
• Improve traffic flow and safety at the intersection of Yerba Buena Avenue and Miraloma Drive ($37,500)
• Install a pedestrian refuge island and analyze the crosswalk for feasibility of flashing beacons to improve pedestrian safety ($40,000)
• Establish a workforce development program to prepare teens and young adults to grow professionally and develop fulfilling careers that uplift our community ($132,000)
• Create community sports hub, including volleyball nets, a basketball hoop, a baseball diamond, and picnic tables at Sloat Elementary School ($25,000)
• Install new string lights and new garbage cans along the Lakeside commercial corridor to encourage foot traffic and reduce litter ($44,000)
• Fund murals, seating, and lighting along the Monterey Business District to elevate the corridor and provide additional community spaces ($50,000)
• Expand the community building and disaster resilience through Neighborfests that will provide comprehensive training and strategies to help communities navigate a disaster ($50,000)
• Create a community garden, emergency response hub, and gathering space for community disaster preparedness at Aptos Middle School ($45,000)

QUESTIONS?  Contact Emma Heiken - Emma.Heiken@sfgov.org 

OFFICE HOURS

Our March 2023 office hours will be held virtually on 

Thursday, March 16 - 1:30-2:30 pm

We hope you can make it! Book an appointment here.

Staff is always available to you throughout the week by phone or email to help you with any issues you may have.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

INNER SUNSET TRANSPORTATION TOWNHALL - RECAP

On Monday, February 23, Supervisor Melgar hosted an Inner Sunset Transportation Townhall. We heard from more than 50 residents about their concerns for safer streets, reliable transit, restoration of bus lines, and our transit system’s financial challenges. Thank you to all the civic leaders who joined us from SFMTA, SFCTA, UCSF, SFPD, and Rec & Park.

OCEAN AVENUE LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION - RECAP

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SENIOR CORNER

TAX AID - TAX PREPARATION AND FILING SERVICES 

DISTRICT 7 IN ACTION