Ocean Beach news roundup April 22
David Lee is running for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the Richmond District.
This week in the Ocean Beach news roundup: Richmond District supervisor race now a real contest, spotlight on Beach Chalet, west-SF musicians counted among the city’s best, talk about the stripper truck
We can’t link to every story out there, but if you think we missed something, leave a comment here, or tell us on Twitter or Facebook.
- Richmond District Supervisor Eric Mar has some competition for his seat on the Board of Supervisors, now that David Lee of the Chinese American Voter Education Committee (he’s also a San Francisco State University lecturer) has declared himself a candidate. And the city’s recently completed redistricting process, in which Lee took great interest, may nudge the scales in Lee’s favor. – SF Weekly
- San Francisco’s new Board of Supervisors districts may give Eric Mar an extra challenge in District 1, but they probably won’t prompt a major shakeup citywide. – SF Chronicle
- The Beach Chalet’s architecture in the spotlight. – Untapped SF
- More Ocean Beach architecture, this time both the old and new at the Cliff House. – Curbed SF
- “Watching the surfers, happy dogs and seagulls, it’s easy to pretend I live in a little beach town instead of a major city,” says artist Annie Galvin, who lives just two blocks from Ocean Beach. – SF Chronicle
- The Richmond District’s Supervisor Eric Mar has proposed legislation to put banks into the same city planning classification as fast-food restaurants, effectively blocking banks from moving into many San Francisco neighborhoods. – SF Chronicle
- Schools renting their parking lots during events such as the Outside Lands Music Festival could get a special exemption from collecting parking taxes, under a proposal by Supervisor Eric Mar. – SF Examiner
- SF Weekly has been counting down its version of the top 20 greatest San Francisco musicians, and western San Francisco has been represented by the likes of Ocean Beach singer-surfer Chris Isaak and Richmond District-raised Johnny Mathis. – SF Weekly
- Lastly, remember that truck we told you about last week, the one associated with the Hustler Club and parked in the Richmond? There’s been a veritable passel of comments about it over at the Richmond District Blog. – Richmond SF Blog
I am one of Supervisor Mar’s Legislative Aides, I am writing to clarify what appears to be misinformation regarding Supervisor Mar’s formula retail financial services legislation.
The ordinance simply brings financial services under the same requirements that voters approved in 2007 when they passed Proposition G. Currently, banks and other financial institutions do not fall within the definition of “formula retail.” It brings financial services within the definition, making banks, credit unions and savings and loans that have 11 or more branches subject to the conditional use requirement.
It is not a ban and it allows formula retail financial service institutions a chance to move into areas where there is community support for their presence. By the same token, if an area, such as Hayes Valley, has an already existing ban on formula retail uses, then financial services would also be captured by the ban.
The intent is to give neighborhoods a greater say in the way their commercial corridors are developed and to provide an additional measure of protection to small businesses which feel threatened by the proliferation of formula retailers.
It has been recommended by the Small Business Commission unanimously and by the Planning Commission by a 5 to 1 vote.