Supervisor Jake McGoldrick: Help Keep Democracy Alive

What makes a democracy vibrant and enduring?

It is not enough just to vote on election day. It is also important for people from all walks of life to participate in the actual decision making process of government.

Here in San Francisco, we have a long tradition of citizen participation and I think it is one of the chief duties of any elected official to nurture and sustain that tradition. Luckily, we are blessed with an extraordinarily talented population.

Let me highlight one example. Recently, I appointed Jagruti Shukla, M.D., to the Mental Health Board (MHB). As a member of the board, she is one of the people responsible for the oversight of San Francisco's mental health system. She will also be reviewing the City's plan for its new Proposition 63 mental health funding. The money comes from a state proposition passed last November, taxing 1 percent of income over $1 million a year. The goal of Proposition 63 is nothing less than transforming the public mental health system.

One hope is to make the system much more accessible, especially to the most vulnerable populations. The Mental Health Board (MHB) will be holding public hearings to give everyone in San Francisco a chance to weigh in on the plan. The board will then write a report making recommendations for changes in the plan based on public input.

Now, let me tell you a bit about my appointee to illustrate what members of the public can bring to government. Jagruti is a primary care physician who also has a masters degree in public health from Harvard University. She recently became the medical director of the Primary Care Clinic at the San Mateo Medical Center.

Jagruti has worked with youth, educating forth and fifth graders about being tobacco-free, coordinated presentations to high school students on health issues, and volunteered as the team physician for a high school football team. She also has experience working abroad, where she was involved with a medical relief project in Honduras and was a part of the Patch Adams program with Global Exchange, helping clinics in Cuba. She speaks fluent Spanish.

I am very proud to have her as my appointee and I am so thankful for all the people in San Francisco who are willing to donate their time and their remarkable talents to making San Francisco a better place to live. If you are interested in applying for future MHB seats, you can go to the Web site at www.sfgov.org/mental_health or call the MHB office at (415) 255-3474. You do not have to have commission experience to participate. For other options to serve, peruse the city's website at www.sfgov.org and look at all the other board and commissions that need committed participation from people like you.

"Healthy eating, active living" health fair
The time has come for the second annual Richmond District Community Health Fair. Last year, my office and Assemblyman Leland Yee's office joined with Compassionate Community Care and On Lok Senior Health to host the first Richmond District Community Health Fair.

The fair was a great success, drawing about 45 community-based health organizations from San Francisco. The organizations informed the community of the many services they offer, performed free health screenings and provided interactive services. Soon after the health fair had come and gone, our office received a call from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, which also hosted a health fair in the Richmond the previous year.

Kaiser contacted us to inquire about a possible collaboration with our office and the core organizers involved in the first annual health fair. Assemblyman Yee and I were very enthusiastic to combine efforts with Kaiser and continue to work with On Lok Senior Health and Compassionate Community Care to reach out to an even greater population of the Richmond District.

The theme of the health fair this year is, "Healthy Eating, Active Living." The fair will have many interactive health services, health lectures, healthy cooking classes, arts and crafts, great entertainment and free snacks. Russian and Cantonese materials will be provided.

The fair will be held at Kaiser Permanente's French Campus, located at 4141 Geary Blvd. at Fifth Avenue, on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. We hope to see you at the fair.

If you have any questions, call my office at 554-7410.

Jake McGoldrick is a San Francisco supervisor representing District 1.