SAN FRANCISCO BEAUTIFUL - Civic Initiatives Program

Home About/Join Initiatives Grants Dinner/Awards Cable/Sales Billboards

Civic Initiatives Program

Recognizing and responding to pressing problems throughout the city - from crumbling landmarks to neglected parklands - is the core of our work. San Francisco Beautiful staff and volunteers create, organize and support partnerships between civic leaders, community-based groups and other organizations to promote sound and sustainable urban planning policies and programs. We are currently active in several major preservation and restoration projects throughout the city.

Current Activities

meeting
San Francisco Beautiful Updates

We are working on a number of fronts to help make the public realm more beautiful, more active and more useful:

Mid-Market Street, A Center for Creative Action. In September of 2010, we debuted our analysis of Mid-Market and our recommendations to reinforce creative uses to help the street blossom as an arts and cultural district. This year, we are working with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Planning Department, Public Works Department, and the Arts Commission to provide mobile street furniture in UN Plaza. Our work on Mid-Market was recently honored at the Luggage Store's "City of Green" Living Wall launch event in conjunciton with the ARTery Project.
Cable Car Route Streetscape Improvements. In 1947, Friedel Klussmann saved the cable car system from dismantling thereby founding San Francisco Beautiful. As the City is preparing for the next round of under-street improvements to the hardware that runs our unique transportation system, we are concentrating on finding ways to beautify the routes for the many locals and visitors who use this delightful way to move about the city.
Visual Pollution. With encouragement from San Francisco Beautiful, the governor recently signed legislation allowing municipalities to outlaw mobile billboards. With help from students at San Francisco State, we are reviewing possible ways to mititgate billboard blight throughout San Francisco. This team of students has compiled best practices from around the country and made recommendations on our next steps to the San Francisco Beautiful Board of Directors. We look forward to working with the new Board of Supervisors to craft and implement billboard-mitigating legislation.
Street Furniture. As San Francisco’s streets and sidewalks become more welcoming with sidewalk cafes and conversion of asphalt to new parklets, the city continues to be challenged by deteriorating street furniture, including rusting historic light poles, lack of places to sit, and conflicts between the demands of new communications technologies and our desire for a beautiful public realm. San Francisco Beautiful is working help find workable solutions to our failing infrastructure.
Public Art. San Francisco Beautiful is supporting the Art Commission in its efforts to improve the execution of the City's 1% for the arts requirement, and to establish a Trust Fund to select, install and maintain public art.

Handbill Ordinance: SF Beautiful teamed with DPW and others to revise the city code that covers handbill distribution on private property. Small changes to the code will make it possible to San Francisco residents to stop unwanted handbills. The Board of Supervisors will vote on the measure early next year.

South Windmill Restoration: Visitors came by the Golden Gate Park South Windmill during the 2009 Earth Hour to see restoration process. The windmill restoration is pausing as construction details are being considered.

AT&T withdraws motion for exception of environmental review of its 850 utility boxes. AT&T plans to submit new proposal.

San Francisco Beautiful Board President Milo Hanke speaks out in support of the appeal of the Determination of Exemption from Environmental Review for 850 AT&T utility boxes.

On July 29, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors heard dozens of people at the microphone stating their disbelief that the Planning Department issued a Determination of Exemption from Environmental Review for 850 AT&T Utility Boxes. They all came out to rally behind the Cole Valley Improvement Association’s appeal to the Board to deny this categorical exemption.

Here’s what happened at the Public Hearing: After those who supported the exemption appeal spoke, the Planning Department gave its reasons for awarding the exemption. Board members grilled the Department staff and when it was clear to AT&T that the Board may approve the CVIA’s appeal, AT&T asked to withdraw its motion for exemption of environmental review and stated that they will come back to the Board with a new proposal.

And so, a victory for the day was achieved. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who contacted your supervisors; and we want to especially thank those who came out and spoke at the hearing. Due to this support and the great job by the Cole Valley Improvement Association of rallying all us around the common cause of making San Francisco livable, we acted as a solid unit and won.

PROP J PASSES IN NOVEMBER 2008 ELECTION.

Background on the issue: Vote Yes on Prop J: Preserve Historic SF

Proposition J on this November’s ballot makes improvements to San Francisco's outdated 40 year-old ordinance dealing with landmark buildings and historic districts, moving us closer to basic good practices employed by many other American cities. These changes will bring greater professionalism, lessen inappropriate political influence and reduce unnecessary reviews. This proposal creates no new regulations over historic buildings but rather reallocates authority between already existing bodies for a more effective and efficient process.

San Francisco's rich historical architecture is a unique and important aspect of our city. It is not only a critical aspect of the quality of life of those who live here but through the tourism it engenders, a key to our resilient local economy.

Visit www.preservehistoricsf.com. San Francisco Beautiful Urges You to Vote Yes on Prop J

Illegal Billboard Update (June 2008)
Work to get illegal bllboards down is paying off! The Planning Department has issued over 130 notices of violations for 190 billboards with more than 70 signs removed and 80 more pending removal. The Department has won two reconsideration with $50,000 in penalties awarded each.

2008 Growing Greener School Grounds Conference ~featuring keynote speaker: author Richard Louv~Friday October 10th & Saturday October 11th

SB 1310-Digital Billboards Fails in Sacramento!

SB 1310 - Digital Billboards Fails to Pass State Senate Committee!

Thanks to our collective efforts, SB 1310 - Digital Billboards failed in the Senate Transportation & Housing Committee today!

As you are aware, San Francisco Beautiful strongly opposed SB 1310 which would have allowed the conversion of existing billboards near landscaped portions of our freeways to digital/electronic format.

The Senate Transportation & Housing Committee voted on SB 1310 today and the bill failed to get enough votes to get out of the committee.

This is a major victory against billboard blight and we could not have done it without your calls and support. At the hearing Alan Lowenthal, Committee Chair, mentioned the large number of calls he received opposing SB 1310 and we have you to thank for that!

Click here for info leading up to vote.

Billboard V-P Kept Off Planning Commission

Wonderful news!! Thanks to San Francisco Beautiful’s collective efforts including all of our emails, calls, letters and testimony, the appointment of Ryan Brooks to the Planning Commission was withdrawn!

Ryan Brooks is a Vice President with CBS Outdoor - a large billboard company operating numerous billboards in San Francisco. San Francisco Beautiful raised the issue that his appointment to the Planning Commission would create serious conflicts of interest regarding billboard issues.

San Francisco Beautiful thanks everyone for helping to stop this misguided appointment.

Background Information:

URGENT BILLBOARD ACTION ALERT!

We are urging our members to immediately oppose the nomination of Ryan Brooks to the Planning Commission. Ryan Brooks is a Vice President with CBS Outdoor - a large billboard company operating numerous billboards in San Francisco. His appointment to the Commission would cause serious conflicts of interest regarding billboard issues.

The full Board of Supervisors will hear the Ryan Brooks appointment on Tuesday, March 18th. Please contact members of the Board of Supervisors by email, phone or fax to express your opposition to Ryan Brooks appointment to the Planning Commission. For a sample letter and contact information for the Board of Supervisors click here.

See article in March 14, 2008 Examiner regarding issue. San Francisco Beautiful's Executive Director Dee Dee Workman quoted.

Huge San Francisco Beautiful Victory: Bridge Board Votes Against Corporate Sponsorship for Golden Gate Bridge

Thanks to our collective efforts including all of our emails, letters and testimony the Golden Gate Bridge District members voted unanimously on October 26, 2007 to REJECT the Corporate Partnership Program which would have allowed corporate logos on Golden Gate Bridge property. San Francisco Beautiful testified at the Bridge Board meeting and we are thrilled that the Bridge Board members decided to reject this misguided program.

Background: Corporate Sponsor For Golden Gate Bridge