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San Francisco County, CA November 5, 2002 Election
Smart Voter

DETAILED DISTRICT ISSUE INFORMATION

By James Green

Candidate for Supervisor; County of San Francisco; District 8

This information is provided by the candidate
District Agenda
Childcare Facilities- With so many single and working parents the City should assist non-profit daycare groups to purchase land and/or subsidize insurance costs in order to promote greater access to childcare.

Equal Rights for Gay and Lesbian Couples- As a first step I encourage couples to sign up with the States' Domestic Partners Registry. Also, our City must continue to foster a climate that celebrates all manner of diversity, says no to violence and hate crimes, and embraces domestic partner rights such as inheritance, adoption, medical decisions and visiting privileges.

Local Parks-They are a vital part of the soul and esthetic of this City. They need to be maintained, properly funded and reforested where needed. They need safe sandboxes, working lights, drinking fountains, pay phones, permanent toilets, and picnic tables or benches.

0ff Leash Dogs- So that children, seniors and off-leash dogs can safely co-exist in our parks we must be willing to employ creative physical barriers such as hedges, use set aside areas and make compromises.

Parking Lots-Where parking lots currently exist I would like to explore the possible utilization of double deck electric car lifts that have been used successfully in the south of market area to double available parking.

Additional Bus Shelters including Pay Phones or Emergency Call Stations

MUNI Arrival Information Displays- We must guaranty funding so that all of our bus shelters have electronic on time arrival information displays.

Additional Muni Routes- Muni routes revolve around downtown yet only 20% of riders go there. Reassess the usage patterns of District 8 to meet true demand.

Public Toilets in Commercial and High Traffic Areas

Encourage Sidewalk Benches- They add a human touch, especially in our shopping areas, but City fees and bureaucracy make it prohibitive for small business to install them; we need to change that.

Harvey Milk Plaza- I continue to support the project both as a social gathering place and as a tribute to Milk and his commitment to human rights.

Chain Stores in the Neighborhoods- I can't support an out right ban because in some areas they provide a valuable service. However their overwhelming financial resources clearly create problems for small business. We need to enforce the Conditional Use application review process and explore ways in which large chain stores with superior resources can help neighboring businesses through mitigation fees paid into a local business development fund.

Business Improvement Districts- We need to explore ways to increase parking along with increased garbage pick-up, police patrols, sidewalk cleaning, graffiti abatement. Also, we need to encourage a small village feel to our shopping areas, and annual street fairs might be one way to encourage people from other parts of the City to visit.

Small Business- Permanently reduce bureaucracy where possible. Support for a Small Business Bureau to institute loan programs to support small and minority business and to offer skills workshops to improve business viability. Additionally, our small businesses are going to take a big hit pretty soon with dramatic increases in liability costs and workers compensation taxes, they're going to need some one they can work with in City Hall.

Deliveries- To reduce truck traffic in the commercial zones investigate early morning or late evening deliveries.

Local Libraries- Construction of the new Glen Park Library and seismic renovation of the Noe Valley branch must contain increased community meeting space, areas for children and the technical infrastructure necessary to accommodate electronic media. We need to be sure that any temporary facility will be able to adequately serve the community during construction work. I also wish to see each library allotted space to become the neighborhood historical archive.

Hospitals- As a critical part of the City's safety net San Francisco General Hospital, along with its pharmacy, must be fully funded. Additionally I am committed to helping our two local hospitals, California Pacific Davies Campus and Saint Luke's, keep and maintain their Emergency Departments. I am also committed to ensuring that they live up to their responsibilities to provided a level of patient directed charity care commensurate with national standards

Monster Homes- If some one owns a house or lot, I think they should be able to build their dream home, that is how neighborhoods evolve and renew themselves. However, in areas that hold a special architectural and historical value a balance must be found between the needs and rights of the property owner to enlarge their homes and the needs and desires of the local community to temper building excesses and maintain the character of their neighborhood.

Dolores Park Café- It's a beautiful park and it deserves an attractive, vibrant, out door café that could be a hub for social activity. Its presence would enhance security and it would allow for proper toilet facilities serving the whole park.

BART Station at 30th and Mission Streets- I believe it would benefit many of the residents of District 8 and I support its construction. However, with a $526 million price tag -at a time when BART must deal with seismic upgrades to the Transbay Tube and other facilities costing $1.1 billion- perhaps it would be better to view this as a long term goal.

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ca/sf Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 16, 2002 15:39
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