Membership Meetings: 2nd Thursdays ~ 7-9pm
Park Branch Library, 1833 Page St, SF, CA 94117 (except August)
On January 23, HANC sent a letter to Mayor Lurie recommending that he appoint Julie Kirschbaum, who was acting director, as permanent Director of Transportation. Here is a copy of our letter:
We don’t know how much influence our letter had, but we are pleased to announce that Julie Kirschbaum has been appointed permanent Director of Transportation.
By Tab Buckner, HANC Board
Allan Baird beside the bullhorn he gave Harvey Milk (now residing in the Smithsonian). Photo by Dan Nicoletta
Allan Baird, a native San Franciscan and union organizer, died at his home on January 7 at age 92. Allan lived for his entire life in Eureka Valley that became known as the Castro District. His wife Helen ran a queer-friendly neighborhood bar in the 1950s and 1960s.
Allan worked for the Teamsters Local 921. He transferred to Local 888 in 1973 to work on the strike and fledgling boycott of several beer distributors who would not negotiate with workers, especially Coors. A notoriously racist and anti-labor company, Coors would automatically disqualify employment applicants who were pressured to declare if they were pro-union or gay. Partnering with co-organizer Andy Cirkelis, Allan helped create a boycott coalition with African American, Arab American, Latin American and Chinese American businesses. They held frequent picket lines outside of local businesses while leafleting and using bullhorns to attract attention.
Allan approached the politically rising Harvey Milk and together they successfully eradicated Coors from San Francisco’s gay bars. In turn, Allan secured the hiring of openly gay Teamsters. In addition to boycott work, Allan pushed for affirmative action in his union and bridged alliances between the Teamsters and the United Farmworkers in their respective struggles. Coors sales in California plummeted.
By Bruce Wolfe, HANC Board
In times of disaster, every second counts. San Francisco’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (SFFD-NERT) and DEM Auxiliary Communications Services (DEM-ACS) are dedicated to ensuring the safety and well-being of residents during emergencies. These community-driven programs play a vital role in preparing neighborhoods to respond effectively and help each other when traditional emergency services may be overwhelmed.
The San Francisco Fire Department Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (SFFD-NERT) is a free training initiative available to individuals, neighborhood groups, and community-based organizations in San Francisco. The program covers the fundamentals of personal preparedness and prevention and provides hands-on disaster response training. It equips participants with the skills needed to handle personal emergencies and effectively serve as part of a neighborhood response team.
The Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (SFFD-NERT) trains residents in basic disaster preparedness, first aid, fire safety, search and rescue, and more. The program equips local volunteers with the skills needed to respond to disasters like earthquakes, fires, or floods. NERT members are typically trained to support their immediate neighborhoods and help with evacuations, first aid, and damage assessment until professional help can arrive. By joining NERT, neighbors become empowered to take action when every moment matters.
By Lisa Awbrey, HANC Board
“San Francisco cannot function, much less revitalize downtown, without a functioning transportation system, which means MUNI.” Tim Redmond of 48 Hills.
Remember too: once transit service is cut, it is very difficult to restore. Even worse: the current Trump administration is actively hostile to public transportation.
Fun facts: Proposition L (Fund The Bus) won 56.9% of the vote in November 2024, but Prop M overrode this win. Prop L would have taxed the gross receipts of ride-hailing companies like Uber, Lyft and Waymo by 1% to 4.5%. Other American cities charge $3.24 (NYC) to $.42 cents (Seattle) on a $10 ride-hail fare; San Francisco currently charges the least: $.33 cents.
MUNI depends on transit fares for 30% of its budget. In 2019 (pre-COVID) fare revenue was $197 million; in 2025 it is an estimated $108 million. Currently many riders don’t pay their fair share.
By Summer 2025, SFMTA predicts a $50 million budget shortfall. Because use of city garages and parking has cratered, SFMTA is contemplating increased parking meter fees, rates and/or Sunday fees; they are also considering increased fare enforcement and extended time limits for parking. Once state and federal Covid relief funds are exhausted, SFMTA estimates the deficit will balloon to $320 million by June 2026.
Mayor Breed and District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman sponsored legislation introduced at the December 10 Board of Supervisors meeting. The legislation amends the San Francisco Administrative Code to create the Cole Valley Entertainment Zone along Cole Street between Frederick and Parnassus and along Carl Street between Shrader and Clayton.
The legislation will allow the outdoor consumption of alcoholic beverages within the Entertainment Zone during an “Entertainment Zone Event,” which might include the Cole Valley Fair and the Cole Valley Night Market.
Although the legislation permits the outdoor consumption of alcohol between noon and 11:59 pm, the actual hours will be limited by the time of the Event.
The legislation will return to the Board of Supervisors no earlier than January 9. The earliest it is likely to go into effect is March, 2025.
Here are a few links for more information:
https://www.sf.gov/news/mayor-breed-announces-legislation-expand-entertainment-zone-san-franciscos-cole-valley
https://sfgov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7051615&GUID=FF1772C5-998E-491F-A77B-66C35838418F&Options=ID%7CText%7CAttachments%7C&Search=Entertainment+zone
https://sfist.com/2024/12/11/sfs-next-boozy-entertainment-zone-could-be-coming-to-cole-valley/
By Richard Ivanhoe, HANC President
HANC’s January meeting focused on raising revenue for MUNI. Ed Mason has been researching and tracking commuter shuttle buses for years. These buses have been charged very low permit and per-stop fees, operating at almost no cost to the employers who provide them to their employees. In contrast, taxicab owners were charged $250,000 per medallion.
In May, 2023, the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) Community Advisory Committee meeting included a presentation on the Commuter Shuttle Program. A copy of the Power Point slides from this presentation can be downloaded at https://www.sfcta.org/events/may-24-2023-sfcta-community-advisory-committee (look for agenda item 12). The presentation showed that there were 882 buses permitted. Mr. Mason calculated that, assuming 10-15% of the buses would be out of service for maintenance or repair, if the remaining 800 buses were to be charged that same $250,000 that taxicabs had been charged, this could result in $200,000,000 in revenue for MUNI. The SFCTA presentation showed that total revenue from the Commuter Shuttle Program (combined permit fees, parking fines, and administrative penalties) totaled $9,794,327 in 2019, and decreased to $3,596,280 in 2022, both well under 5% of the revenue Mr. Mason calculated.
Mr. Mason further pointed out that, per the SFCTA presentation, daily boardings were 12,770 in fiscal year 2019, and down to 4,361 in fiscal year 2023. This works out to only about 5 riders per bus. MUNI should certainly consider finding additional revenue by charging these commuter shuttle buses more for the use of MUNI bus stops and City streets.
Joseph Creitz passed away on December 5. Here are some comments from the HANC Board when we learned of his passing:
“I was heartbroken to hear about the passing of Joe Creitz. Joe had been a reliable ally in recent years.”
“Joe was a champion of the people. He used his stellar legal skills, brilliant mind and compassionate heart to help folks.”
“Joe was, indeed, a stellar individual and hero in the Progressive Movement. He will be sorely missed.”
“Wow this is so sad to hear, such a sad loss. Joe also helped out a lot with our 730 Stanyan events. Really nice and genuine person.”
“Sad and shocking. Joe was such a positive force in our community.”
Supervisor Dean Preston, at the last Board of Supervisors meeting, requested that the meeting be adjourned in Joe’s memory:
Thank you I would also like to request that we adjourn in memory of longtime District 5 resident and good friend Joseph Creitz who passed away on December 5, 2024 at the age of 57 years old.
Joe was born on October 14, 1967 in Madison, Wisconsin and spent his formative years in Wisconsin. He earned his undergraduate degree in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison before attending UC Law San Francisco previously known as UC Hastings where he graduated in 1992.
Joe’s passion for justice and his sharp intellect set the foundation for a remarkable legal career spanning over three decades. He was a tenacious litigator with extensive trial experience and a consistent and distinguished champion for the working class.
Dean Preston is leaving office after serving as District 5 Supervisor for five years. His many accomplishments are too numerous to list, but here are a few:
Thank you, Dean. Although you are leaving City Hall, we know you will continue to advocate for the worker, the oppressed, and the marginalized within District 5, San Francisco, and beyond.
