This Sunday, June 7, St. James Episcopal Church (4620 California St. at 8th Ave.) is hosting a community forum event with Richmond District Supervisor Eric Mar.
Mar will speak and answer questions about local politics and public policy affecting our community.
This event is a good opportunity if you have burning questions for Mar or issues you’d like to hear his take on.
The event begins at 11:30am and is free to attend. For more information, contact info@stjamessf.org or (415) 751-1198 ext. 2.
Sarah B.
I hope I can go just to ask about the Alexandria. There’s got to be something that can done. It’s well into blight territory.
I may have to attend. I have sent repeated emails with questions about his support for the misguided Mission District construction moratorium and have not received a response.
@Jason – I think as this point it’s the new owners that are on the hook to get things moving. They have the planning commission approval to begin building apartments on the back, but they were undecided when they purchased on what to do with the front of the property (the theater building).
I will say that the new owners put up much better fencing, put a fresh coat of paint on most of the building, and have done a better job of keeping it clean and secure. Hopefully they’re closer to starting the development work!
@TahoeJoe: His office is very inconsistent in their replies.
As someone who grew up in the Richmond and owns property in Mar’s district — I agree with TahoeJoe about Supervisor Mar’s shameful performance at BoS on Tuesday. Do you realize he equated building housing in the Mission with “ethnic cleansing” ? Someone should start a recall petition on that clown.
Morgan, Mar is a lame duck and is in his second term. I have heard nothing as to whether the SF DCCC is behind anything to further his career (like his predecessor who went on to the Golden Gate Bridge, Transportation and Highway District). Energy would be better spent on identifying and backing suitable candidates to elect in November.
@4THGENRICHMOND — thank you for the info – happy to hear he is termed out! As I vote in District 7, I will focus my energies on my completely inept supervisor, Norman Yee.
@4THGENRICHMOND: Do supervisors term out? I actually like Mar on a lot of issues but on others I do not understand where he is coming from at all. In any case, we didn’t have any other serious options last time around.
Rick, SF Supervisors are limited to two consecutive terms, as are most of SF’s elected officials. This term limit apparently doesn’t seem to stop certain former Supervisors from running once they have been off the taxpayer trough for a while. There have been bitter debates about when a term starts and precisely how limits should be applied in those cases where the Mayor has appointed replacements for Supes who have gone on to State Assembly or other elected positions.
It is unfortunate that our choices are limited by certain power players and organizations. I have been disappointed ever since we returned to district supes as it takes so few votes to win and because the city as a whole and its basic infrastructure are generally ignored. For example the falling trees…
He should focus on the all those massage parlors that are cropping up in the Richmond. Also, just because they are termed out doesn’t mean they can run again. See Aaron Peskin who wants to take back Chinatown.
I can’t wait to see the candidates emerge to run for Mar’s seat, I hope I can find one that I have faith in to do the best for our district and city, and not just be looking for a platform to build their (dubious) political resume on. We have many issues in our district that someone interested in making it better could focus on – empty storefronts, increasing homeless, lack of support for our park areas (falling trees on Park Presidio), maintaining/improving Muni, our roads, etc. I’m not so worried about soda taxes, happy meals or other such stuff!
I would like to know if he still wants to classify banks as chain stores. He claimed it was because banks have been taking over businesses, but the more I look, the more I see banks turning into Mattress Stores, Art Frame stores and now Cannibis stores.
Also, my bigger concern is that there will be a move to increase the population of the Richmond District, by allowing construction of housing in backyards, increasing set-backs to reduce backyards.
On my block, there has been a 50% increase in the number of housing units over the last several decades. Cottages torn down and replaced by crappy “Richmond Specials”, every other house (or more) removed off-street parking and installed unpermitted, illegal “in-laws” which the supervisors want to make legal. More crowding, less parking. Gotta love it.
Mar is an absolute shame as an elected official. He needs a lot of education on basic economics. He is a panderer
Mar’s support for the misguided moratorium and his support for everything biking, representing only 3% of SF’ers, over public transport and parking availability , is abhorrent. Glad hes termed out. Hope we can get a moderate candidate.
@Richmondman: I completely agree with regard to what you are saying about the increased density, illegal in-law units, and Richmond Specials. I could not believe what was happening when it seemed like they were trying, in one swoop, to not only say ‘no, we’re still not going to enforce on illegal in-law units’ but now, ‘we’re going to offer to those who have been breaking the law for decades the chance to legalize their units’ – in the name of increasing the housing stock and affordability! Just pure absurdity. I saw some swipes at Norman Yee above, but he actually stuck up for owners in low-density districts. It was like the others had completely forgotten the point of zoning. I don’t understand what finally happened with this measure, and would be very appreciative if someone could explain it. Did our neighborhood get effectively rezoned?
I have totally given up on Eric Mar and the Democratic Machine in San Francisco.
The BOS is nothing but training wheels for higher office. Therefore, nobody will do anything that will insult the wrong person or the wrong organization for fear that down the road they will not get money into their future election coffers.
What we end up with is problem solving gridlock.
It is great that Supervisor Mar and his can spend time worrying about sugar while real Richmond District issues get ignored.
I would love to vote for someone that would swear a blood oath to never run for anything but the BOS…
Rick – City planners and Building permit officials turn a blind eye to scofflaws in this regard. Whether it is graft, or laziness (or even an unwritten policy to increase housing any way possible) is uncertain, but this is. 2-unit flats are regularly built with 3 mail boxes, and a third unit (in the basement) that is not “cut in” (electrical and plumbing installed but not connected), and permits are issued and approved, knowing that the illegal third unit is going to be connected when the inspector walks away.
On my block there is a house that received a kitchen and bathroom “remodeling” permit the same day escrow closed, and the house is being completely redone as a flat. A contractor I know said it took him months to get a permit to do less work on a similar house. “Something smells in Denmark”
I really wish there was a serious effort to crack down on the in-law units. It’s so obviously beside the point of the neighborhood to have Marina-style houses sliced and diced. I wish someone was looking after this. I am deeply skeptical that this practice is ‘lowering rents’ (and am not sure I would be for it, even if it were) and meanwhile the neighborhood gets more and more crammed.
Graft and corruption is a long time tradition among SF building permit office and inspectors. It has only gotten worse and reached epic proportions along with all of the other illegal activities like illegal immigration, Google buses and “ride-sharing” that our so called “government” either turns a blind eye toward or actively encourages. SF is getting the government it has voted for and deserves.