Neighbors, Groups Make Pitch for Piece of City Budget

By Dmitry Kiper

A recent community meeting on the city budget and services allowed Richmond District residents, community organization representatives and high school students to tell representatives of several city departments what the Richmond's priorities are. The meeting, which was attended by a few dozen people, was held the evening of May 11 in the George Washington High School faculty lounge.

After getting a three-minute lesson on the city budget, which this year is projected to be $5.5 billion, people were allowed to voice their concerns.

Josh Leonard, teen program director at the Richmond District YMCA, cited the "Richmond District Community Needs Assessment report," which was completed in February. On top of the list of things the YMCA plans to address are teen programs for high school students and a need for a community space - a place where neighbors and neighborhood organizations can meet.

Although a physical location for a community space is important, said Patrick Seid of the Richmond Community Coalition, it is not enough. There needs to be a phone number or a Web site, he said, where Richmond residents can get all the information they need on neighborhood events and services.

Echoing the need for after-school programs were George Washington High School students Rodneisha Davis and Bich Ha. Ha pointed to the prevalence of violence and drug use in the school and Davis emphasized the need for a mentoring program for high school students.

"There seems to be a perception that the Richmond District is fine," said Oliver Hack of the Richmond District Neighborhood Center. "This perception is something service providers need to work against."

As an example, Hack pointed out that some families that need the services of his organization cannot get them because they cannot demonstrate financial need. Since they get paid low wages in cash and get help from their families, they do not have a tax return. In other words, said Hack, families that need the most help may end up getting none.

After listening to the community's voices, a panel consisting of various representatives of city departments addressed the audience. Brian Cheu, who is with the Mayor's Office of Community Development, said he was struck by what Hack had to say. However, Cheu pointed out that most Richmond community organizations rarely contact his office.

"I would encourage folks to consider us," he said.

Gregg Sass, CEO of the SF Department of Public Health, whose budget is approximately $1 billion, admitted that "there are not a lot of public health services in the Richmond."

The services are based on need, he said, adding, "Our clinics are just a bus ride away."

The last speaker of the evening was Richmond District Supervisor Jake McGoldrick.

"I think we ought to really pause for a moment and remember - we are really blessed - this district is much better off than most of the City," he said.

McGoldrick acknowledged that approximately 98 percent of the budget is "predetermined" to go to, for example, Muni, health services, police and fire departments, etc.

"We can't go back and tweak the major part of the budget," he added.

McGoldrick also pointed out that speaking of San Francisco as divided into districts has its limitations.

"There are no gates or walls around this district," he said. Richmond residents use services and facilities of other districts and visa versa, McGoldrick said. Furthermore, some things - like the Geary bus line or Golden Gate Park - cannot be said to belong to a specific neighborhood.

After the mayor submits his budget proposal to the supervisors, they will have one month to finalize a budget.