Meeting notes from 11/23/2015 —

Stephanie Stockwell recorded these notes from the Nov 23, 2015 meeting.

• Issues in Western Soma are well known, but they are not getting attention by City Officials to remedy
  • Summary of issues:
    • Unsanitary street and park (Victoria Manalo Draves) conditions: open drug use, syringes, feces, trash, illegal dumping
    • Crime: burglaries (auto, home), robberies
    • Illegal RV/vehicle parking
    • Increased homeless encampments, blocking sidewalks
    • Public drunkenness, open selling of drugs, drug use
    • Lack of District 6 Supervisor’s involvement with residents to develop action plans to resolve issues
• Neighborhood watch groups have been formed for some enclaves in SOMA and have been effective
  • Creating a neighborhood watch group takes minimum of 4 people, SF SAFE group helps get a group started
  • Individual groups are beneficial for the smaller neighborhood, but SOMA needs a collective voice across all of SOMA to get City Official attention on the issues
• Several neighborhoods in SOMA have a CBD – Community Benefit District that levies a small tax on property owners to fund additional sidewalk/street cleaning
  • Attendees at the meeting do not live in a CBD and this was identified as a desired future outcome of the Western SOMA Voice group
  • CBD takes 18 months to 2 years to setup.  medium term goal
• The group discussed the need to organize a neighborhood association to bring together the residents of Western SOMA to lobby for resources for the Western Soma neighborhood and establish a “voice’ for Western SOMA in City Government
  • Group name: Western Soma voice
  • Comprised of residents, business owners, and schools in Western SOMA to promote clean, safe and livable streets in SOMA
  • First phase of Organizing group is to create infrastructure before attracting new members
  • Infrastructure to include but not limited to:
    • Exact boundaries of Western SOMA
    • Website to post key messages, central repository for member listings, promote key initiatives
    • Bylaws
    • Establish Board
  • Second Phase will involve plotting organizers locations and create a plan to build awareness and attract fellow residents, schools, and business owners to the association and foster participation
• Next Steps:
  • Follow up meeting on 11/30
  • Secure a speaker from SAFE to provide an update at a future meeting
  • Establish milestones and expected accomplishments
  • Identify attorney in the neighborhood that can help navigate and provide perspective