Tuesday, January 5th: City College, schoolyards, pin-the-issue-on-the donkey, more

On December 21, 2015January 25, 2016 By potrerohilldemocratsIn Education, Elected official, Environment, Uncategorized

City College Trustee John Rizzo, recently returned from testifying in DC against the deservedly disgraced accrediting commission, gave an update on the situation at CCSF. With the help of PHDC’s mascot. Photo: John O’Neill.

District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell discussed the Shared Schoolyard Project, which he revamped in 2012 to open playgrounds to the public on weekends, with the goal of expanding it to 80 schools. Club members voted to endorse the program.

PHDC Executive Committee member Audrey Cortes gave her impressions of the Paris Climate Change Conference, which she attended with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff. PHDC president Joni Eisen talked about the Voters Right to Know Act and collected signatures to help put it on the November ballot.

Nominations opened for 2016 Club Officers (election to be held in February).
donkey dots
Members pinned dots on the donkey to vote for the topics & issues they would most like the Club to take on or revisit.Â Top dot-getters (in alphabetical order): affordable housing crisis, Black Lives Matter, homelessness, income gap, labor issues, overturning Citizens United, preventing gun violence, voter education via endorsement meetings.

Tuesday September 15th at 7pm: Endorsement meeting #3

On September 11, 2015September 15, 2015 By potrerohilldemocratsIn Elected official, Elections, Endorsements, Uncategorized

â˜… Proving that Ed Lee is NOT running unopposed, Mayoral candidates Francisco Herrera,Â Amy Farah Weiss, and Dan Kappler (write-in), discussedÂ issues vital to San Franciscans.

â˜… Actually unopposed candidate City Attorney Dennis Herrera spoke briefly about his accomplishments in office.

â˜… These props weree covered (click on titles for summaries):
B – Â Paid Parental Leave for City Employees
G – Disclosures Regarding Renewable Energy
H -Â Defining Clean, Green, and Renewable Energy

Supervisor Katy Tang spoke in favor of Prop B, and a PHDC board member presented the lone Republican opponent’s arguments (this also happened for Prop H). Eric Brooks spoke against Prop G and in favor of Prop H.

â˜… Brent Turner gave an update on Open-Source Voting, endorsed some years ago by PHDC, which is about to come up before the Elections Commission.

The meeting ended with members voting to make the following endorsements:

AMY FARAH WEISS for Mayor
DENNIS HERRERA for City Attorney
JOSÃ‰ CISNEROS for Treasurer
YES on Proposition B
NO on Proposition G
YES on Proposition H

WHEN: Tuesday, Sept 15th at 7pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St at Southern Hts.

Latest endorsements from PHDC

On September 1, 2015September 7, 2015 By potrerohilldemocratsIn Elected official, Elections, Endorsements, Housing, Uncategorized

The club voted on the following endorsements at its September 1st meeting. Endorsements for propositions or candidates for a single office require at least 60% of votes cast.

San Francisco Propositions
AÂ – YES – General Obligation Bond Election – Affordable Housing
C – YES – Expenditure Lobbyists Ordinance
D – No position – Mission Rock
E – NO – Requirements For Public Meetings of Local Policy Bodies
F – YES – Short-Term Residential Rentals
I – YES -Suspension of Market-Rate Development in the Mission District
J – YES – Establishing the Legacy Business Historic Preservation Fund
K – YES – Surplus City Property Ordinance

District Attorney
GEORGE GASCON

PHDC has already endorsed Ross Mirkarimi for Sheriff and Wendy Aragon for SF Community College Trustee.

Coming Sept 15th: endorsements for Props B, G, and H; Mayor, City Attorney, and Treasurer.

Two (2) September endorsement meetings: 9/1 Ballot measures; 9/15 Mayoral & other candidates, more ballot measures

On August 20, 2015September 7, 2015 By potrerohilldemocratsIn Elected official, Elections, Endorsements, Housing, Money in politics

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1st, 6:30pm. Housing and Good-Government night at PHDC. Props A, D, F, I, J, & K (housing) and C & E (good government) were covered. There were mini-debates on the more contentious propositions: D – Mission Rock, former Mayor Art Agnos vs. Jon Golinger; F – Short-Term Residential Rentals, Dale Carlson vs. George Marshall (photo at right); I – Suspension of Market-Rate Development in the Mission, Edwin Lindo vs. Jay Cheng.Â PropsÂ A and C, whose only known opposition came from a lone Republican, had opposing arguments presented by PHDCÂ board members. Props J and K, also apparently opposed by a lone Republican, actually had another Republican show up at the last minute to debate Supervisor David Campos and Fernando Marti respectively. Prop E’s proponent could not appear, so PHDC filled in. Also, District Attorney George Gascon spoke briefly about his tenure and (unopposed) campaign.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15th, 7:00pm. Ed Lee is NOT running unopposed! Serious candidates for Mayor who have thought long and hard about the issues that matter most to San Franciscans should be afforded the opportunity to share their ideas via public debates and policy discussions. Mayor Lee, are you up to the challenge?Â Mayoral candidate debate/discussion, with Francisco Herrera, Dan Kappler (write-in), Amy Farah Weiss and others invited. We will also hear from two actually unopposed candidates: City Attorney Dennis Herrera and Treasurer JosÃ© Cisneros (surrogate). We will hear about the three remaining ballot measures: B, G, & H.

Both meetings will take place at Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St at Southern Hts.

Tuesday, August 4th: Candidates duked it out!

On July 23, 2015August 9, 2015 By potrerohilldemocratsIn Education, Elected official, Elections, Endorsements, Uncategorized

The Community College Board candidate forum included three of the five candidates running for one open seat (left to right): Wendy Aragon, Alex Randolph (appointed incumbent), Tom Temprano – brilliantly moderated by PHDC VP Loretta Lynch (at right).

The Sheriff candidate debate featured all three candidates (left to right): John Robinson, Ross Mirkarimi (incumbent), Vicki Hennessy. Moderating that one – brilliantly of course – was PHDC Secretary J.R. Eppler (at right).

The Neighborhood House theater was packed to the rafters.Â The candidates were all totally engaged, and engaging. After the meeting was adjourned, members turned in their ballots, and board members did the counting while candidates and audience kept the conversations going.

Voting results: Wendy Aragon for Community College Board, and Ross Mirkarimi for Sheriff!

The club also passed a resolution in support of saving Rincon Park (site of Oldenberg’s “Cupid’s Bow” on the waterfront) from being shaded by new towers, and amended the Bylaws about endorsing candidates in multi-seat races (threshold lowered from 60% to 50%).

WHEN: Tuesday, August 4th at 7pm SHARP
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Heights

Meeting Tuesday, Feb 3: Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, CiriReport editor Larry Bush, electing PHDC officers, & more

On January 27, 2015February 23, 2015 By potrerohilldemocratsIn Elected official, Elections, Money in politics, Uncategorized

Since the District 10 Supervisor, the City Attorney and the Sheriff are all our neighbors – and PHDC members – the Club decided to invite them all separately to address members and guests on their current and future projects.Â Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi appeared and gave a lively, informative and well-received talk, followed by audience Q&A.

Alas, the other two could not make it this time. Supervisor Malia Cohen submitted her goals and priorities for the next term via a summary document distributed at the meeting, and City Attorney Dennis Herrera agreed to appear before the Club on March 3rd.

Larry Bush, Friend of Ethics, columnist & editor of CitiReport,Â joined us to talk about campaign finance and other ethics reforms called for in his Feb 2 op-ed in the Chronicle. Club members voted to send letters to the SF Ethics Commissioners, urging the Commission to consider and act on these reforms at its February and March meetings.

Executive Committee Members Bob Boileau and Loretta Lynch, respectively, presented updates on the Eden Foods boycott and reaching voters in large multi-unit buildings with the PHDC hand-delivered slate card.

Members elected the following officers for 2015:
President Joni Eisen
1st VP Membership Monisha Mustapha
2nd VP Political Action Loretta Lynch
Secretary J.R. Eppler
Treasurer Carlin Holden
Tech Officer John O’Neill
Officers-At-Large Bob Boileau, Kate Gaidos Eppler, Eliana LÃ³pezÂ

WHEN: Tuesday, February 3rd at 7pm
WHERE: Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St @ Southern Heights

Saturday, August 23rd: 6th Annual Party & “Shop Local” Silent Auction

On August 10, 2014August 26, 2014 By potrerohilldemocratsIn Elected official, Fund-raising, Uncategorized

Potrero Hill Democratic Club members and friends had an evening of live jazz, food drinks and fun. Plus walls & tables full of cool stuff to bid from the fabulous merchants and artists of Potrero Hill and Dogpatch. And politicos galore: Senator Mark Leno, with an award for the Club; Supervisor David Campos and Supervisor David Chiu, both running for Assembly; Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi; judicial candidates Daniel Flores and Carol Kingsley; candidate for Supervisor Tony Kelly.

The music – by fantastic jazzmen Chuck Bennett on bass,Â Ray Scott on guitar, and Jim Zimmerman on drums – could be heard a lot better this year, not sure why. Dogpatch Saloon provided the no-host bar, and food was courtesy of local eateries and PHDC members. Admission was free.

Thank you to everyone who helped before, during and after this lovely event! Our incredible, super-generous list of donors is here.

WHEN: Saturday, August 23 at 5pm
WHERE: Dogpatch Saloon, 2496 Third St @ 22nd

Wednesday July 2: DEBATE!

On June 19, 2014July 22, 2014 By potrerohilldemocratsIn Elected official, Elections, Endorsements, Uncategorized

Candidates for District 10 Supervisor shared their ideas, expertise, and love for the neighborhoods of District 10 Wednesday at the Neighborhood House in an intense debate, ably guided by moderator Marisa Lagos of the SF Chronicle. All five official candidates held the standing-room-only audience rapt. Candidates, left to right: Ed Donaldson, Marlene Tran, incumbent Malia Cohen, Tony Kelly, and Shawn Richard. An amazing turnout with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Every candidate had important and insightful information on how Potrero Hill and District 10 can best be served by the city of San Francisco.

At the end of the evening, after first-choice votes were counted, Tony Kelly won the Club’s endorsement.