Supervisor Jake McGoldrick: This Month's Theme is Health

With the growing obesity epidemic, cancer, and heart-related diseases as America's top killers, San Franciscans need to recognize how important it is to make informed health decisions and get regular exercise. That is why I have sponsored two important health-related programs.

First, I am working with Sen. Leland Yee, Kaiser Permanente, Richmond Area Multi-Services, Inc., Compassionate Community Care, and On Lok Senior Health Care on a Richmond Community Health Festival. The festival is free and open to the public.

There will about 40 health organizations participating in the festival, offering important information, free health screenings and more. The information and various health screenings include: blood pressure checks, hearing screening, body fat analysis, body mass index, bone density, information on diabetes, medication review (bring your medications), and lectures on health, including eating, hypertension and hepatitis B. There will also be multi-cultural entertainment from the community, arts and crafts, and a raffle with great prizes.

Please, come and join the fun on April 28, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Kaiser Permanente's French Campus, 4141 Geary Blvd.

The second health proposal that I am working on this month is the "Healthy Saturdays" legislation. This legislation would close the 1.5 mile portion of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park (GGP), from Kezar Drive to Transverse Drive, on Saturdays, just like Sundays, for a six month trial.

The Sunday car-free program has been incredibly successful and popular for the past 40 years. I believe, along with numerous neighborhood groups, environmental organizations, disability advocate community members, youth advocacy groups, and with the majority of the SF Board of Supervisors, that preserving the limited open space in this City is paramount to keeping our families, seniors, and people with disabilities living and enjoying this glorious City.

Sitting in the east end of the park on a Sunday afternoon, the serene environment created by nature, children learning to ride their bikes on a smooth safe surface, seniors strolling without the fear of a traffic collision, skaters jamming out to music, and bicycles leisurely riding is a truly unique and beautiful experience. The east end provides plentiful transit options, food options, skate and bike rental, cultural education at the institutions, such as the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, the soon to be re-opened California Academy of Sciences, Japanese Tea Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers.

People from all walks of life are able to have a complete family-day filled with something for everyone.

"Healthy Saturdays" is not a new idea. I sponsored the same measure last year. It passed at the Board of Supervisors with a 7-4 vote, but was vetoed by the mayor. One of the main reasons he vetoed the legislation is because of the potential traffic impacts he thought might occur on the surrounding neighborhoods on Sundays during the car-free program.

Consequently, the mayor and I worked together with both the advocates and the opponents of Saturday car-free space and commissioned a study to measure the impacts of the car-free program in Golden Gate Park on Sundays.

The independent report was managed by the SF County Transportation Authority and can be viewed at www.goldengatepark.org. The study shows that the Sunday car-free program more than doubles park usage, increases visitors to the museum and local merchants, and has no significant increased traffic impact on the surrounding neighborhoods or intersections. The surveyors also spoke with people who had disabilities, most of whom preferred the car free program on Sundays to the park on Saturdays.

This brings me to my next point, healthy access for all. Last year, while developing this legislation, the Mayor's Office of Disability (MOD) realized that the 40-year-old car-free program on Sundays is not accessible to people with disabilities. Immediately, I began working closely with MOD to address the needs of the disability community to ensure that everyone can experience equal enjoyment of the park.

After the legislation was vetoed, I remained committed to this issue, drafted legislation that would bring the Sunday car-free program up to ADA standards and worked with the mayor to allocate money for these specific improvements. There have been delays from the SF Recreation and Park Department on implementation, although I have been assured that they will be in place very soon.

There will be a hearing on this legislation at the supervisor's Land Use Committee, City Hall, Room 262, on April 9, at 1 p.m.

Jake McGoldrick is a San Francisco supervisor representing District 1.