Supervisor Eric Mar: Year-end wrap-up

Happy Holidays
Seasons greetings! I hope you and your family had a wonderful holiday season. Thank you for taking the time to read my monthly column and allowing me to share neighborhood updates.

Health Care Master Plan
Last month, I co-sponsored and passed legislation with Supervisor David Campos to reinvigorate a culture of citywide health care services planning within San Francisco. The legislation will require the SF Department of Public Health, in consultation with the SF Planning Department, to create a Health Care Services Master Plan, which will periodically analyze the health care services available to the people of San Francisco, the distribution of those services throughout the City, trends in health care service delivery, and needs and gaps in access to services.

The plan will also include recommendations as to how the City can promote health care access, efficiency and equity. In addition, the legislation will require the Planning Department to review future land use applications by medical institutions for their consistency with the Health Care Services Master Plan's goals and priorities. The Planning Department will therefore have a mechanism to take into account the health care access needs of San Francisco residents when deciding whether to grant land use entitlements. When land use decisions affect our entire health care system, they shouldn't be evaluated simply as "building projects," like any other. The City needs the tools to think about the system as a whole and to protect the health care needs of the entire community.

Cell Phone Antennae
I have heard from many residents regarding the abrupt and invasive installation of cellular antennae on utility poles in the Richmond District. Residents have expressed concerns about the lack of a notification process, degradation of neighborhood aesthetics, and potential health risks.

I am working with neighbors here and throughout the City to address the issue. My office has been working with the SF Department of Public Works to verify that the cellular companies have properly filed for permits. The city attorney's office has done extensive research and has found that cellular companies have a legal right to install the antennae.

Unfortunately, the City has very little control over the procedure for wireless antennae installations. Through federal and state court rulings, Discretionary Review has been substantially removed from local governments. As long as the antennae meet federal standards and review, the City cannot contest the installations. In reaction to San Francisco's previous endeavors to regulate antennae installation, cellular companies have filed lawsuits against the City for attempting to control their equipment. The courts then ordered the City to issue permits to these companies in a timely and efficient manner.

Through franchise agreements, state law allows cellular companies to operate within the public right-of-way, which includes street utility poles. The Department of Public Works must issue the work permits without any public process or review. To date, the installed antennae throughout the City have been approved for acceptable EMF emissions by the Department of Public Health.

In an effort to mitigate the effect of these antennae, I have co-sponsored legislation with supervisors Avalos and Campos, which would incentivize cellular companies to use smaller and less obtrusive antennae. Additionally, there would be a public notification process. We anticipate that this legislation will pass on Jan. 4, 2011.

Sunset Reservoir Solar Project Starts
I was excited to witness the Sunset Reservoir Solar Project switched on last month. It brings a clean, renewable source of energy to our City. We can be proud that this is the largest urban, municipal solar project in California, consisting of nearly 24,000 solar panels that span approximately 12 football fields. Now that construction is complete and the project is online, it generates about 5 megawatts of solar energy daily.

The Sunset Solar Project tripled the municipal solar generating capacity of the City from 2 megawatts before to more than 7 megawatts now. It is estimated that the system will reduce carbon emissions by more than 80,000 metric tons over the 25-year life of the project.

The project was developed and operates under a Power Purchase Agreement between the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and Recurrent Energy. Recurrent will charge the City 23.5 cents per kilowatt hour, which is projected to save the City about $26 million over the next 25 years.

The project created 71 new green collar jobs. The clean solar electricity will be fed into the distribution grid and used by San Francisco's municipal services and facilities, such as SF General Hospital, San Francisco International Airport, Muni, SF Unified School District and more. I hope that the Sunset Reservoir will help the City move toward our ambitious goal of generating all of our electricity from renewable sources by 2020.

RDNC Receives Gift for Youth Training
On Dec. 2, I joined community and business leaders in applauding AT&T's $20,000 contribution to the Richmond District Neighborhood Center (RDNC). The contribution will help support RDNC's employment training program and allow RDNC to retain a staff member, who will provide job-readiness workshops, manage a job bank and incorporate lessons in the classroom to today's job market.

One of my first jobs 26 years ago was as an employment specialist with another non-profit serving the Richmond District, so I understand how important job and employment training can be for our communities.

For the past 16 years, RDNC has worked to prepare youth for jobs and also provided many part-time positions. During economic downturns, young workers are disproportionately impacted and the longer a young person remains out of touch with the labor market, the more difficult and expensive it is for them to return to productivity. Additionally, not only does this have direct economic benefit, but youth employment helps decrease anti-social behavior and juvenile delinquency.

In tough times, when everyone's budget is tight, this gift is critical to preserving community services and education. The contribution by AT&T will make a direct, positive impact in the lives of San Francisco youth.

Coffee with Eric
Please join me and other Richmond residents for coffee on Friday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. - 11 a.m., at the Cafe Muse, 785 Eighth Ave., to share what's on your mind.

San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar represents District 1.