Showing posts with label urban land reform. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban land reform. Show all posts

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Mi Pueblo... Represent, Represent!



The peoples were in the casa & representing at yesterday's Land Use Committee hearing at City Hall. Community members from the Mission District and the South of Market came from the heart and demanded the Peoples Plan - the community's blueprint for affordable housing and economic development for the next 20 years. Neighborhood leader after leader let Supervisors Peskin, Maxwell and Sandoval know that they were not satisfied with the Planning Departments Eastern Neighborhoods Plan.

The Residential Builders Association, the creators of "live work" loft condos, were there as well making sure it's the usual PROFITS OVER PEOPLE. Also in the audience was local developer/entrepreneur Gus Murad, owner of Giant Value & the New Mission Theater, keeping a close eye on the Supes so they don't thwart his 100+ units of market-rate condo w/ monster club (think Medjools but bigger) proposal. Props go out to Local 22 Carpenters Union who came deep with their members and backed up MAC by asking the Supervisors to make the developers hire local & pay their fair share in development fees.

Friday, September 26, 2008

I LOve THe Peoples Plan/Yo Quiero El PLan POpular

Click and download the Peoples Plan support letter below. Email it to the SF Supervisors on the Land Use Committee on behalf of the hard working families of San Francisco...

Haz click abajo y descarge la carta apoyando las familias que luchan cada dia en San Francisco. Mandelo por email a los Supervisores del Comite del Uso de Terreno...

Sophie Maxwell, District 10 Supervisor
(415) 554-7670 - voice
(415) 554-7674 – fax

Sophie.Maxwell@sfgov.org

Gerardo Sandoval, District 11 Supervisor
(415) 554-6975 - voice
(415) 554-6979 - fax
Gerardo.Sandoval@sfgov.org

Aaron Peskin, District 3 Supervisor
(415) 554-7450 - voice
(415) 554-7454 - fax
Aaron.Peskin@sfgov.org


Wednesday, September 3, 2008

The Eastern Neighborhoods Plan (EN)


For today I will answer some FAQs to provide some background information to the new readers of the blog.

What is the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan?

To view the City’s answer, click here.

To sum up the website, the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan will rezone several neighborhoods on the eastern half of San Francisco. These neighborhoods include: The Mission District, SOMA, Central Waterfront, and Potrero Hill. The proposed EN plan will limit/eliminate community input into the planning process, eliminate thousands of blue-collar jobs, and encourage high density luxury condos.

Why is MAC involved?

We are involved in the process because the new planning codes from the rezoning process have the potential to continue the displacement of Mission District and San Franciscan residents. We believe that disenfranchised members of our neighborhood, including working class communities of color, not developers, should be steering the planning process. One way we do this is by creating and advocating for the People’s Plan, a set of zoning policies and maps created by working class Mission residents that work to meet the housing, economic development, open space, and transportation needs of the people most vulnerable to displacement.

What is MAC advocating for?

Among other things, we are advocating for the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan to be amended to require greater levels of affordability in all new housing developments, preserve blue collar jobs in the city, create green jobs for all, and allow for greater community input into the planning process.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Friday Happy Hour/Hora Feliz: Convivios in the Barrio

On Wednesday and Thursday the compas from the Mission Anti-displacement Coalition threw down a couple of barrio inspired mixers for community folks. Over plates of panuchos and hummus, organizers shared policy demands & community strategies for strengthening our San Francisco Eastern Neighborhoods. Similar to MAC members, many of those present are also involved in local efforts to win Proposition B (the Affordable Housing Charter Amendment) this coming November 5. After much heartfelt discussions about the conditions of our neighborhoods and the flight of working families from the Mission and South of Market, there was enthusiastic agreement that now is the time to get involved. Everyone in attendance committed to involving hundreds of people to win thousands of affordable housing units and blue/green collar jobs through the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan and Proposition B.

El Miercoles y Jueves pasado l@s compas de la Coalicion Anti-desplazamiento de la Misión organizaron unos convivios con miembros de la comunidad. Gozamos unos platos muy ricos de panuchos y hummus, a la misma vez organizadoras presentaron demandas y estrategias politicas para retomar Nuestro Ciudad de los urbanizadores codiciosos. Despues de mucho discusion sobre las condiciones de nuestro barrios y el desplazamiento de las familias trabajadoras de la Mission y South of Market, hubo mucho animo para involucrarse y defender nuestros derechos a vivir, trabajar y gozar la ciudad. Todos presente comprometieron a organizar cientos de personas para ganar miles de unidades de vivienda accesibles y trabajos manuales en Los Vecindarios del Este de San Francisco. Mucho de los quienes estaban presente, lo tambien estan involucrados en la campaña en favor de la Proposición B (enmienda para Viviendas Accesibles) de este 5º de Noviembre.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Join Us For The Summer Mixers//Unete A Los Convivios En El Barrio


We are calling friends, activists & allies to join us for some tasty food & drinks as we share our policy demands & strategy for taking back our SF Eastern Neighborhoods. At the same time we are mobilizing to win Prop B (the Affordable Housing Charter Amendment) this November, we are also organizing hundreds of people to win thousands of affordable housing units through the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan.

Join us for one these fun political mixers in the barrio...

August 27, 5pm @ PODER
474 Valencia St. #120 (at 16th St.)

-OR-

August 28, 5:30pm @ Le Boheme Cafe
3318 24th St. (at Mission St)



Estamos invitando a nuestros amig@s y aliados a reunirse en una tarde con comida y bebidas en dondoe vamos presentar nuestras demandas y estrategias para retomar Nuestro Ciudad. Ala misma vez que estamos movilizando en favor de la Proposición B (enmienda para Viviendas Accesibles) de este Noviembre, tambien estamos organizando miles de personas para ganar miles de unidades de vivienda accesibles en Los Vecindarios del Este de San Francisco.

27 de Agosto, 5pm en PODER
474 Calle Valencia #120 (acerca la Calle16)

-O-

28 de Agosto, 5:30pm en Le Boheme
3318 Calle 24 (acerca la Calle Mission)

Monday, August 11, 2008

The End Is Near! Let's Organize...

Last Thursday the San Francisco Planning Commission voted to approve the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan that will rezone four of San Francisco's most diverse and economically important neighborhoods, East SOMA, the Central Waterfront, Showplace Square, and the Mission district. This process now enters its final stage at the Board of Supervisors, where the Supervisors will make changes based on community input. The SF Chronicle's take can be found here.

MAC has been organizing around this process since its beginning, way back in 2001. We have been ceaselessly advocating for our community derived land-use policies, contained in the People's Plan, to be adopted by the Planning Department. The City's plan, as approved, falls far short of what we have been demanding. It does an adequate job of protecting land for industrial jobs in the Mission and it also requires new "hybrid" industries that provide industrial jobs but have a larger office component, to hire a significant portion (25%) of their workers from within our traditional industrial workforce. However, the Devil is in the details; unless we have adequate monitoring and enforcement of the new rules, our communities will lose out. So far the details are conspicuously lacking in their plan.

The housing side is far worse: a giveaway to market-rate developers that will quickly gentrify the neighborhood at an even more rapid rate than what we have seen this past decade. The Planning Department is not offering much in terms of affordable housing beyond "inclusionary housing," which is in essence below-market-rate ownership housing and what it calls "middle-income" housing, that would offer housing for people making 150% of Area Median Income (about $99,000 per year for a single person!). We are still strongly advocating for zoning that will result in affordable housing for low and moderate-income renters, who are the majority of the folks that live in the Mission, as well as affordable ownership opportunities.

While the Planning Commission and Planning Department may have given up on truly affordable housing, we haven't! We are organizing our community to come out in force to the Board of Supervisors in September. The Board still has the power to give the community the plan we have worked so hard to get. Please check back here regularly to get updated on specific hearing and event dates and to get updated on our specific campaign demands. The end is near and that means that we have to come together stronger than ever before.

Versión En Español

El jueves pasado la Comisión de Planificación de San Francisco votó para aprobar El Plan de las Vecindades del Este rezonifica cuatro de las vecindades más diversas y económicamente más importantes, East SOMA, Central Waterfront, Showplace Square, y el Distrito de la Misión. Este proceso ahora empieza su etapa final en la junta de Supervisores donde los Supervisores harán cambios basados en el retroalimento de la comunidad. El punto de vista del SF Chronicle puede ser encontrado aquí.

MAC ha estado organizando alrededor de este proceso desde su principio en 2001. Hemos estado abogando incesantemente para nuestras políticas derivadas por la comunidad, contenidos adentro del Plan Popular, para que sean adoptadas por el Departamento de Planificación. El plan de la ciudad, según lo aprobado esta corto de lo que hemos estado exigiendo. Es adecuado en sus protecciones para los trabajos industriales en la Misión y también requiere que las nuevas industrias “híbridas” que proporcionan trabajos industriales pero que tienen un componente más grande de oficina, para que empleen una porción significativa (25%) de trabajadores industriales tradicionales. Sin embargo, el diablo está en los detalles; a menos que tengamos la supervisión y aplicación adecuadas de las nuevas reglas, nuestras comunidades perderán. Los detalles están faltando hasta ahora en su plan.

El plan para viviendas es mucho mas peor: un regalo para los urbanizadores de viviendas al nivel del mercado que rápidamente va a aburguesar a la vecindad aún más rapido de lo qué hemos visto esta última década. El Departamento de Planificación no está ofreciendo mucho en términos de la vivienda económica más allá del “inclusionary housing,” que es, esencialmente, vivienda de compra bajo del nivel del mercado, y lo qué ellos llaman la vivienda de “renta promedia,” que ofrecería viviendas para la gente que hace 150% de promedio de ingresos de la área (¡cerca de $99,000 por el año para una sola persona!). Todavía estamos abogando fuertemente para zonificación que dará va a crear viviendas económicas para los inquilinos de ingresos bajos y de la moderado, que son la mayoría de la gente que vive en la misión, así como oportunidades para comprar viviendas económicas.

¡Mientras que la Comisión y el Departamento de Planificación pudieron se han dado por vencidos en la idea de vivienda económica, nosotros seguimos luchando! Estamos organizando a nuestra comunidad para venir con fuerza a la Junta de Supervisores en septiembre. La Junta de Supervisores todavía tiene el poder de dar a la comunidad el plan que hemos trabajado tan duro para conseguir. Regrese por aquí regularmente para conseguir las fechas específicas para audiencias y eventos y para obtener noticias sobre nuestra campaña. El fin esta cerca y esto significa que tenemos que venir juntos más fuertemente que nunca.