The Board of Directors would like to inform the membership that Chema Hernández Gil has made the decision to step down from his position on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. The Board is sad to lose his voice and talents. This wasn’t an easy decision for Chema as he has dedicated years of work to the elevation of the organization. The Board would like to recognize his service and thank him. We wish him well and look forward to his continued involvement.

In accordance with the duties vested in us, the Board deliberated on whether or not to appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of Chema’s term, which is due to expire Feb. 26, 2019. As with most board actions, the issue was first considered by committee and the committee report was provided to the full Board. In addition, the Board appreciated receiving input from 18 members via email or public comment in support of filling the vacancy with the runner up from the last board election. While there are merits to such an approach, a majority of the Board voted to keep the seat vacant for the remainder of the term, believing that the downsides of filling the vacancy outweighed the benefits, with a board election coming up in January. The effort to bring a new director up to speed, as the organization heads into its busy year-end period, was deemed to be greater than the gain, given the critical nature of year-end fundraising and the fact that a Board election is pending. The 14 remaining directors are committed to stepping up in the interim to ensure that we serve the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s members and staff to the best of our ability.

The board election in January/February 2019 will be for eight open seats inclusive of the current vacancy. Any member in good standing is eligible to run for the board. We encourage interested members to visit Board of Directors: 2019 Director Election to learn more about how to become a candidate. The deadline to commit to run for the Board is Jan. 9, 2019. We look forward to welcoming a new cohort of directors in February to continue our work together.

We want to thank all of the members who contacted us and attended the Board meeting about this issue. See you in the bike lane!

If you have any questions, please contact us at board@sfbike.org.