Author Archives: BCNA Board

The Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association strongly opposes SB 384, which would permit the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) to authorize sales of alcoholic beverages at licensed premises between the hours of 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., subject to local requirements. The bill recently passed the Senate Appropriations Committee and will be voted on by the full Senate this week. If it passes the Senate, it will then go to the Assembly. BCNA sent the following letter to express our objections to the bill:

March 20, 2017

Ms. Naomi Padron, Consultant
Senate Government Organization Committee
1020 N. Street, Room 584
Sacramento, CA 95814

Re: SB 384 (Wiener), February 14 Version: STRONGLY OPPOSED

Dear Ms. Padron:

SB 384 establishes a process whereby on-sale licensees can apply to the ABC to extend alcohol sales to 4 a.m. We are strongly opposed to this measure for the following reasons:

• It simply extends the noise and negative impacts on surrounding residents for two more hours. There are a number of areas throughout the state where entertainment activities are adjacent to residential neighborhoods. Our organization represents a neighborhood directly affected by the traffic, noise and unruly behavior caused by nightlife on the Broadway corridor. We experience a great deal of noise generated by loud intoxicated crowds, car horns, and music from open club doors. On many nights, patrons of Broadway businesses have spilled into surrounding residential areas with behavior that makes some residents apprehensive and uncomfortable. Other residents have lost sleep. Two more hours of alcohol sales won’t lessen those impacts.
• It creates additional public safety concerns. This bill would encourage more people to drive from areas where bars close earlier to those where bars close later. It would also result in late night drinkers sharing the road with early morning commuters. Common sense says extending the hours of availability of alcohol will increase – not decrease – DUI concerns.

The argument that extending hours of operation to 4:00 AM will somehow reduce the negative impacts on cities and neighborhoods is simply unfounded. It merely extends the time for disruptive behavior. This bill is bad in principle for the state and bad for our neighborhood.

Sincerely,
Carol Holland Parlette
President

cc: Mr. Bryan King
Mr. David Scheidt
Mr. Taylor Glass

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and its collaborators invite local residents to a CREATIVE EXCHANGE to re-imagine the visitor experience at its Maritime Museum. The event will take place at the SF Maritime Museum, 900 Beach Street, on May 21 and 23, 2017 from 4 pm to 7:30 pm. Food will be provided.

May 21: Envision the visitor experience on the Museum’s third floor display area
May 23: Envision the visitor experience on the Museum’s Prismatarium

The SF Maritime Museum is seen by 300,000 visitors every year. The event aims to envision how a new Museum experience can engage audiences in a current, creative, and meaningful way, and to strengthen collaborative relationships between the Park the local community. Changing times remind us of essential values. For the Maritime Museum, these include diversity, relevance, and collaboration.

RSVP & info:
Morgan Smith, Chief of Interpretation, SF Maritime
morgan_smith@nps.gov
(415) 859-6797

On June 26, 2017, the San Francisco Apartment Association (SFAA) will be hosting an Accessory Dwelling Unit Fair at 6:00 pm at the Jewish Community Center, 3200 California Street. The fair is free and open to the public and will feature a panel of speakers from the Department of Building Inspection, the Planning Department, and other city agencies to discuss the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) planning and permitting process. The fair will also feature a number of vendors and lenders to discuss opportunities to create ADUs in buildings citywide, as well as answer individual questions and how you can best navigate what can be a confusing process between city departments. The citywide Accessory Dwelling Unit law has been immensely popular since its inception in 2016 and presents a unique opportunity for building owners to construct new, additional units in their buildings. ADUs can also be constructed during mandatory or voluntary seismic retrofit work and can be built at a relatively low cost in order to help leverage the costs associated with the earthquake retrofit. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn about this exciting program!