Noe Valley Voice October 2008
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Letters to the Editor

The Community Convener

Editor:

On Sunday, Sept. 14, at Noe Courts park, the sunshine was gentle and yet strong enough to add a little extra pigment to the skin. One might think this was the reason so many Noe Valley families were out and about, but this was hardly just the sun's doing. "Music in the Park," an annual event put on by Friends of Noe Valley, provided fun, food, and entertainment for all. And this year, the Noe Valley Community Convener group also offered resource tables and activities for kids.

The event was a great success. The park was filled with the sounds of children at play and people enjoying community space. I was able to talk with many individuals who live in the community about the services and resources being offered. It was a great opportunity to put the goals of my work into action.

As a community convener, I seek to connect children, youth, and families to their community by supplying them with information about services, events, and important resources that enable them to feel as though they are being sufficiently served within their own neighborhood. It certainly is a work in progress, but opportunities such as "Music in the Park" allow me to get the word out and meet the individuals who actually live in these communities.

To find out more about the Noe Valley Community Convener initiative, contact me at mfleming@ymcasf.org.

Megan Fleming

Community Convener

Mission YMCA

Cesar Chavez Plan Too Narrow

Editor:

Noe Valley residents should be aware that the Planning Department is developing plans to eliminate a lane of traffic each way on Cesar Chavez Street. If implemented, these plans would likely make the already severe congestion on Cesar Chavez Street much worse.

The goals of the plans are to beautify Cesar Chavez Street and make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. These are laudable goals, but they will be undercut if Cesar Chavez becomes gridlocked, and drivers start seeking shortcuts by speeding through nearby residential neighborhoods.

Fortunately, most of the safety, environmental, and aesthetic elements of the plans can be implemented without eliminating traffic lanes. In addition, bicyclists can be supported by making 26th Street a safe and appealing "bike boulevard" as contemplated by the city's bike plan.

Unfortunately, the Planning Department refuses to consider any plan that does not call for the elimination of traffic lanes. Because the Planning Department has focused its outreach efforts largely on the people living immediately next to Cesar Chavez Street, it believes the community supports elimination of traffic lanes.

If you support improving Cesar Chavez while maintaining its vital role as a significant traffic artery, please contact Supervisor Bevan Dufty (Bevan.Dufty@ sfgov.org) and Planning Department Project Manager Andres Power (Andres .Power@sfgov.org) and urge them to develop a Cesar Chavez improvement plan that does not eliminate traffic lanes and that does not worsen congestion.

Peter Heinecke

Hill Street

Crosswalk Makes Him Cross-Eyed

Editor:

The first time I saw the new crosswalk at the intersection of 24th and Castro [pictured in the September Voice], I almost threw up on the spot. It is hideous. More evidence of the Disneyfication of my beloved city. I'm all for safety, but this looks like cartoonland. I hate it!

Timothy Flanagan

Via e-mail

Propositions for Peace

Editor:

We have two opportunities to vote for peace on San Francisco's ballot this November. The first is Proposition U. This is a simple declaration that Congress "should vote against any further funding for the deployment of United States Armed Forces in Iraq, with the exception of funds specifically earmarked to provide for their safe and orderly withdrawal." No matter who gets elected, we will need to hold our politicians' feet to the fire to end this illegal and immoral war, once and for all. Please vote YES on U.

The second is Proposition V, the last one on the ballot. The school board is in the process of phasing out and replacing JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps). "JROTC is one of the best recruiting devices we could have." Those are the words of former Secretary of Defense (really, Secretary of War) William Cohen. The Pentagon and its allies put Prop. V on the ballot to try to reverse the school board's courageous decision to get the military out of our schools.

If we don't want the politicians to use our money for war, we sure don't want them to use our youth as cannon fodder. Vote NO on V.

I raised two sons here in Noe Valley. Let's keep our families, our friends, and our country safe and free. Vote peace in November.

Marc Norton

29th Street

Letters to the Editor

THE VOICE welcomes your letters to the editor. E-mail editor@noevalleyvoice.com or write the Noe Valley Voice, 1021 Sanchez Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. Please include your name, address, and phone number. (Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication.) Be aware that letters may be edited for brevity or clarity. We look forward to hearing from you.

CORRECTION

A story on live theater in San Francisco in the September Voice misspelled the name of Stephanie Weisman, the founder of the Marsh theater on Valencia Street. We are sorry for the error, and hope we can make it up to Stephanie and the Marsh by again urging you to run, don't walk, to this popular performance venue just down the hill from Noe Valley. For the current lineup of shows, go to www.themarsh.org.