Planning Association for the Richmond, SF

Mayor Gavin Newsom Hosts Online Budget Town Hall Wednesday, Feb 24 at 5pm

Mayor Gavin Newsom will host an online video "budget town hall" from 5 - 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 24th to discuss San Francisco's projected $522 million budget deficit for the 2010-11 fiscal year. Veteran City Hall journalists Barbara Taylor of KCBS and Rachel Gordon of the San Francisco Chronicle will moderate the online town hall.

San Francisco faces an unprecedented budget deficit next year and there are no easy solutions or choices. Mayor Newsom wants to hear directly from residents online about their priorities and suggestions as we grapple with the budget challenges ahead.

You can view the online budget town hall on Ustream by clicking on this link at anytime tomorrow evening from 5 - 7 pm

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/mayor-gavin-newsom-live .

There are a number of options for submitting questions. You can email them in advance to: BudgetTownHall@sfgov.org or ask them live on Wednesday on the Ustream page.

Questions can also be submitted via Twitter by tweeting them with the hashtag #NewsomBudgetLive . To ensure objectivity, the moderators Barbara Taylor and Rachel Gordon will select the questions that the Mayor will be asked from among all those received.

If you plan to participate in the town hall meeting or have any questions please contact: BudgetTownHall@sfgov.org . Feel free to pass this message along to your friends and family.

Save MUNI Community Forum

When: SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2010 8:15am-1pm

Where: Women's Building, 3543 18th Street (between Valencia and Guerrero Streets).

Agenda

• 8:15 AM: Registration and Coffee / Breakfast
• 9 AM - 1 PM: Solving Muni's Problems: A Fresh Discussion by Community-based Organizations

PAR will be represented at this meeting. If you are personally interested in attending or representing another neighborhood organization, contact Joel Ramos joel@TransFormCA.org for information.

MUNI Vote on Budget, Service Reductions and Fare Increases -- Tuesday February 26 at 9am

PAR has received the following statement from MUNI regarding the proposed changes to MUNI. Read more about the MUNI budget and proposed cuts in the SF Chronicle coverage.

Please be advised that the SFMTA Board of Directors Meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday, February 16 has been rescheduled to Friday, February 26 at 9am. The location remains at Room 400 of City Hall.

The SFMTA Board is expected to vote at the February 26 meeting on proposals to close the Fiscal Year 2010 budget deficit.

The rescheduled meeting date will provide the SFMTA with additional time to evaluate the extensive public feedback on proposals to balance this year's budget. Thank you very much to those of you who have provided comments thus far. As you know, the SFMTA Board of Directors confronts a challenging budget situation for both the current fiscal year and the next two-year budget cycle. After layoffs and other cost-cutting measures that began last November, the SFMTA still faces a current-year $16.9 million shortfall. The solutions before the Agency and those impacted by its decisions are both painful and unpopular.

Proposed solutions include:
• Reduced frequencies and shorter service hours for Muni
• Muni fare increases and parking fee and fine increases Your opinion counts. Please attend one of the following meetings to learn more and to provide public comment.

Updated Schedule of Public Meetings on SFMTA Budget

FY 2010 Focus
SFMTA Board Meeting, City Hall Room 400
Tuesday, Feb. 26 - 9 a.m. (public hearing and possible Board action)

FY 2011-2012 Focus
Town Hall Meetings, One South Van Ness Ave. @ Market St., 2nd Floor Atrium
Wednesday, March 10 - 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 20 - 10 a.m.

SFMTA Board Meetings, City Hall Room 400
Tuesday, March 2 - 2 p.m.
Tuesday, March 30 - 2 p.m.
Tuesday, April 6 - 2 p.m. (public hearing and possible Board action)
Tuesday, April 20 - 2 p.m. (public hearing and possible Board action)

If you cannot attend one of the meetings, visit http://www.sfmta.com/ for details or send an e-mail to sfmtabudget@sfmta.com or call 311.

Judson True
Communications Manager

SF VAMC Announces FONSI for Upgrade of Buildings 9, 10 13

 

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY

FINDING OF NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT for

U. S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

BUILDINGS 9, 10, 13 SEISMIC UPGRADES

and CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDING 22

SAN FRANCISCO VA MEDICAL CENTER (SFVAMC)

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announces the preparation and availability of a document titled "Finding of No Significant Impact" (FONSI) for the proposed seismic upgrades of Buildings 9, 10, and 13 and construction of a new Building 22 on the SFVAMC campus. The SFVAMC is located at 4150 Clement Street on a 29-acre site in northwest San Francisco and is a major tertiary care facility that serves as a VA regional referral center for specialized medical and surgical programs. 

The proposed action involves conducting a seismic retrofit of Buildings 9, 10, and 13, as well as construction of a new two story 8,600 gross square foot building (4,500 square foot first story and 4,100 square foot second story). This new building (Building 22) would be constructed between Building 9 and Building 10, and once constructed, would provide an interior connection between the two existing buildings. Retrofitting activities at Building 9, Building 10 and Building 13 would primarily involve foundation reinforcement of these buildings. Building 9 and Building 10 are currently used to provide Hoptel services to Veterans seeking medical care at the SFVAMC, while Building 13 houses the Center for Imaging of Neuro-Degenerative Diseases.

The FONSI has been prepared as a result of an Environmental Assessment (EA) accomplished in accordance with the regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Section 1508.13. The EA was performed to assess potential environmental consequences from the seismic retrofitting activities at Buildings 9, 10 and 13, as well as construction of a new Building 22.

The EA evaluated the potential environmental impacts of three alternatives, including a no action alternative.  The EA was made available for public review and comment from May 11, 2009 to July 17, 2009. The VA received five (5) comment letters during the public review period of the EA. Substantive issues raised in each of the comment letters were very similar and related to four main topics. Therefore, a master response was prepared to address the specific comments related to each topic. The master responses provided clarification and provided specific references to the EA to address each comment. The EA, together with these master responses, constitute the Final EA for the project.

Copies of the EA are available for review between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the SFVAMC, Bldg. 3, Engineering Office. The EA can also be downloaded at: http://www.sanfrancisco.va.gov/page.cfm?pg=207 (NOTE: This file is 18 MB.)

For further information and/or a copy of the FONSI or Final EA, please contact:

John Pechman, Project Engineer
San Francisco VA Medical Center
4150 Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94121
Phone: (415) 221-4810 Ext 4600
Email: John.Pechman@va.gov

Rec & Park Special Meeting Thursday, February 18 on Large Events in GG Park (Old Car Picnic)

Rec & Park will consider an appeal of its refusal to grant a permit for this year's Jimmy's Annual Old Car Picnic in Speedway Meadow, as well as a number of other topics, at a special meeting Thursday, February 18. Here is the full meeting agenda

http://www.parks.sfgov.org/site/recpark_page.asp?id=116584

For more information, see the Examiner article

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Car-show-tries-to-stay-in-park-84431987.html