The public meeting was held this past Wednesday evening at Harvey Milk Academy. The meeting also serves as the annual business meeting when eligible board members and officers are elected.
First on the agenda after introductions was Assemblyman David Chiu. Assemblyman Chiu thanked the EVNA members for our work, and he shared highlights of what’s new in the state legislature, including some of the intense fights with Washington over sanctuary policies, immigrants rights, and even the new federal tax deduction limitations . Other priorities for Mr. Chiu include housing, transit oriented development, and clearing the back log of unprocessed rape kits . A Q&A session followed and included questions regarding conservatorship law changes, modifications to Costa-Hawkins, global warming, and state level programs to assist cities with the growing challenges dealing with the mentally ill and homeless.
David’s presentation was followed by District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. Supv. Mandelman talked about his work to date in City Hall. About 1/3 of the issues brought to him involve citizens dealing with people living on our streets.
Rafael let attendees know the palm trees were trimmed on Market Street, and additional news about street trees- his goal is to expand our city's green canopy. He has been working to help small businesses located in buildings that need seismic retrofitting, and possible zoning changes to make it easier for small businesses and restaurants to open in the Upper Market neighborhood commercial district. The Q&A that followed included questions about vacancy taxes, more about the perplexing challenges of empty retail space, and the proposed micro-hotel on 18th street.
Next up was Jody Schwartz, executive director of Lyric, Jodi shared Lyric’s mission, programs, and accomplishments.
EVNA secretary Leila Decker then announced the results of the annual election. A quorum for the election was met per the EVNA bylaws. All of those running for a board or officer position were elected. Congratulations to our new Vice President, Alex Lemberg, and treasurer Kevin Cureton and welcome aboard to new board members. The newly elected board members and officers take over their duties on January 1, 2019 for two year terms.
EVNA President Mark McHale concluded the meeting by encouraging the members to use the 311 App, and ended with an open forum for attendees to bring up issues important to them.
The next general meeting is on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at 7pm, also at the Harvey Milk Academy.
Alex Lemberg has lived in the Castro on Caselli Avenue with his now-husband Kevin since 2013. Serving on the EVNA Board of Directors for the past year has been a highlight of Alex's year and he wants to keep building up the Castro community through service, events, collecting meaningful community feedback, and strengthening community bonds. He is also proud to serve on the board of the GLBT Historical Society, another amazing nonprofit that serves the Castro, and works as a staff attorney at Open Door Legal in the Bayview/Hunters Point neighborhood of San Francisco, helping SF residents keep their homes. Alex would be honored to have your vote as Vice President of the EVNA.
Kevin Cureton has lived in Eureka Valley since 2003 and in San Francisco since 1997. He lives with his husband Alex, and their roommate Steve, in a cozy condo on Caselli Avenue that Kevin has owned since moving into the neighborhood. Kevin has worked as a software engineer since moving to San Francisco and is currently employed with Netflix. Kevin is concerned about the quality of life issues that impact our neighborhood and he feels the neighborhood association is uniquely positioned to help positively influence policy on these issues. Kevin will bring a high-degree of transparency to the role of Treasurer, simplifying financial processes and reporting, and using best practices for the EVNA.
Desmond Morgan has lived in San Francisco for over 20 years with his husband of one year, Romwald Connolly. They are new to the Castro Neighborhood. Recently, Desmond and Romwald (Ray) purchased 3987-3989 17th St.; and Desmond is looking forward to getting involved in the community. If elected to EVNA Board of Directors at Large, he looks forward to helping out in any capacity. Desmond Morgan has been in the BioTech industry for over 15 years. Currently, he's a Territory Account Manager at Relypsa, Inc.
We had a great turnout with over 65 people in attendance. For the past several meetings, more Eureka Valley residents are showing up and taking part. It's been really fun to see so many members and so many new faces in the seats. I did have some good feedback from a long-standing member who felt that the Q&A time (which I kept to 4 minutes after each speaker), was too short and he didn't get to ask his questions- As a result, I think it best to slim down the agenda (it's been pretty packed), allowing more time for attendees to interact, take questions and make comments. Appreciate the advice!
