Our Endorsement: February 15, 2022 Elections

Posted on by SF Bicycle Coalition Board

The 14-person volunteer Board of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition weighed our mission, core values, and member input as we contemplated our endorsement for the special election of the 17th District of the California Assembly.

We are fortunate to have four strong contenders in David Campos, Matt Haney, Bilal Mahmood, and Thea Selby, who we believe would be advocates for a safe, just, and livable San Francisco. Within this group, there is a stand-out in Matt Haney who has a solid record of advocating for the transportation needs of this city. As supervisor of District 6, he worked to get immediate improvements on Howard Street in response to a fatality, which then helped to spur the creation of the SFMTA’s quick-build process, resulting in several new protected bike lanes. He funded and championed a neighborhood-wide 20 mph speed limit and no turn on red policy in the Tenderloin. Matt’s leadership on local CEQA reform is indicative of the type of inventive thinking we need at the state level to prevent procedural abuse that causes delay and stop implementation of Slow Streets and other street improvements. We trust that he will continue his work to ensure that critical public transportation improvements are done in an equitable way that emphasizes “prevention and harm reduction … instead of traditional, punitive law enforcement which relies on the collection of fees and infliction of punishment after the fact”1. Matt Haney is well known within the community as someone who repeatedly shows up in a genuine way to advance street safety. 

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Board is proud to endorse Matt Haney in this special election for Assembly District 17. We encourage our members to support him. Remember to vote on or before February 15th.

 

1 Matt Haney — Special Election State Assembly (AD17) Candidate Questionnaire.

Untangling the Hairball

Posted on by Malcolm Jaramillo

After unexpected delays and a global pandemic that delayed it’s refurbishment, the new eastbound path in this important bike connection has finally come to fruition. The Hairball, where Potrero Avenue, Bayshore Boulevard and Cesar Chavez Street collide and connect to Highway 101, is an amalgamation of roads, freeway overpasses, underpasses and multi-use paths.

It is a critical intersection between many southeastern neighborhoods including the Mission, Potrero Hill, The Bayview, and Bernal Heights. Providing bike and pedestrian access across Highway 101, it also serves as a key connection for people on bikes and pedestrians to access these areas of the city. 

The Hairball has long been in need of updates, so in 2016 the tangled mass of  infrastructure was divided into 15 segments labeled from A to O. This path, which covers sections F and G, is the most recent spot improvement and received significant work. It was lowered and regraded to create a safer slope with sufficient head space for people to travel safely under the overpass. It was also widened from 6 feet to 10 feet and sports new metal railings on each side leading to the underpass. Along with updates to the path, there were trees planted as well as a landscaped buffer installed. 

Along with improvements to the path itself, agencies San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and Caltrans have updated lighting in the area as well, with 30 new LED bulbs being installed earlier this month, with more in the coming weeks. Thanks to the work of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), Department of Public Works (DPW), and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), the area will also be getting improvements that will be up for approvals this coming March. After facing neglect for a long time, it seems that the Hairball is slowly starting to untangle, allowing people on bikes to safely connect to and from our city’s southeastern neighborhoods. 

Do you travel through the Hairball to get around in San Francisco? Stay up to date on exciting improvements coming to the Hairball in the new year by following us on Twitter.

 

How to support Car-Free JFK right now

Posted on by Rachel Clyde

Even as 2021 comes to a close, our work to keep JFK Drive car-free continues. Week after week, your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has been stationed in Golden Gate Park to get the word out as the pivotal Board of Supervisors decision awaits early next year to determine the future of JFK Drive.

We have partnered with Walk San Francisco over the past couple months to make sure our City leaders hear from us by distributing and collecting postcards in support of keeping JFK Drive car-free that are addressed to our Supervisors. You may have seen us in Golden Gate Park over the past few weeks holding signs and asking people to fill out a postcard. This outreach has helped us reach new people who haven’t heard that the amazing space we get to enjoy every day on JFK Drive will go away unless we make sure our Board of Supervisors takes action to keep it 24/7 car-free.

Did you see us at Winterfest last week? We were thrilled to partner with Kid Safe at our annual member party to get the word out about what’s happening on JFK Drive.

We are now at nearly 2,500 postcards signed, but we know there are so many more people out there who care about making sure Golden Gate Park puts people first. That’s why we need you to help with these efforts today. Make a New Years’ resolution today and join our incredible group of volunteers to make real, tangible change in San Francisco for generations to come by fighting to keep JFK Drive the way it is today – a beautiful respite in our city’s biggest park where people of all ages and all backgrounds come to enjoy.

SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER NOW

Our goal for next year is to reach 10,000 postcards signed by March 2022. We need more volunteers to do this. If you believe in a car-free JFK Drive, join us for a volunteer day!

We’re Hiring: Executive Director of the SF Bicycle Coalition

Posted on by SF Bicycle Coalition Board

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is hiring for our next Executive Director.

About the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition was founded in 1971 by a group of activists representing a coalition of environmental and neighborhood groups and is one of the oldest bicycle advocacy groups in the nation. For 50 years, SF Bicycle Coalition has furthered its mission – to transform San Francisco’s streets and neighborhoods into safe, just, and livable places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation – through its grassroots political organizing and broadening civic engagement. With its dual 501(c)(3) and (c)(4) structure and $2.5 million annual budget, SF Bicycle Coalition has grown to add community-based programs to expand access to bicycles, education programs on safe biking practices, and partnerships with other transit-focused organizations.

The opportunity

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is seeking a visionary leader to help forge the next chapter for the organization, someone who is ready to embrace a spirit of change and harness the energy of the moment to realize the promise of a truly bicycle-friendly San Francisco. The next Executive Director will lead the organization into a new era of advancing its mission with a focus on equity and radical inclusion to ensure the work improves the lives of all communities in San Francisco. SF Bicycle Coalition recognizes the organization’s past work has not equitably included all of the city’s communities; in particular people of color, people with disabilities, people from working class backgrounds, women, and people with LGBTQ+ identities. The organization has been examining how its future work can better include and represent those communities, apply principles of anti-racism in its work, and is looking for a leader who can help articulate and implement this future.

Your impact

The Executive Director will work closely with the Board and staff to articulate and implement a collective vision for the future of SF Bicycle Coalition and in particular, the integration of an antiracist lens to both its external work and internal operations. The Executive Director will bring a shared leadership orientation and ability to hear and engage effectively across all key constituencies, including staff, board, members, volunteers, and the diverse communities served. As San Francisco faces multiple points of transformation in the midst of the pandemic, the accelerating effects of climate change, and a continued reckoning of racial and social injustices, the Executive Director will be a champion for equitable, vibrant, inclusive urban development and engage immediately in the following opportunities for impact:

Mission Alignment and Grounding in Antiracism: Ensure that equity, inclusion, and awareness of power dynamics — and in  particular, a history of harm in communities of color — are integrated in the vision, strategy, and practices of the organization. Create a culture of continuous learning and transparent communication, centering the voices and needs of BIPOC and other historically marginalized communities in its programs, messaging, and advocacy agenda.

Staff Culture and Management: Inspire, lead, and manage a diverse and talented team of professionals in both a virtual and physical environment, fostering a culture of shared values, connectivity, and continuous learning. Place a high value on wellness and wholeness of every staff member along with support to fulfill their professional aspirations in alignment with organizational goals.

Community Engagement: Build and nurture alliances across the city, particularly with underrepresented groups and communities, to ensure that SF Bicycle Coalition is constantly assessing how it can better serve all San Franciscans. Elevate SF Bicycle Coalition’s credibility and reputation in the community, bringing a listening and learning posture.

Membership Growth: Strengthen and clarify the membership value proposition to better represent communities that have not historically felt as welcome — in particular people of color, people with disabilities, people from working class backgrounds, women, and people with LGBTQ+ identities. Connect and engage effectively across the membership to promote greater awareness of SF Bicycle Coalition and its work and find new opportunities to transform San Francisco’s streets and neighborhoods into safe, just, and livable places.

Strategic Planning: Integrate mission refinement and alignment, staff retention and growth, community engagement, and membership growth and diversification in leading the development and implementation of a next-phase strategic plan for the organization.

Skills you’ll need

Success in the Executive Director role will require a deep commitment to the mission of the organization and a transformational mindset that aligns with the organization’s commitment to equity and inclusion in its work. The ideal candidate will also possess the following professional abilities, attributes, and experiences:

  • A Seasoned Manager and Talent Developer. Minimum of five years of experience managing people in a values-driven context is desired including a demonstrated ability to hire, develop, retain, and manage talented and committed staff of varied experience levels. Genuine curiosity to learn about the team and be a proactive, effective developer of talent.
  • Passionate Advocate, Changemaker, and Program Builder. Capacity to effectively support advocacy work in the areas of sustainability, transportation, urban planning, land use, social justice, public health, or a related field; experience with bicycle advocacy preferred but not required. Skills to bring programs from concept to reality and continuously refine and adapt programmatic approaches to changing contexts.
  • Culture Builder and Inclusive Leader. Experience leading an organization through a mission and culture change, such as prioritizing inclusivity and equity within an existing advocacy mission. Expertise facilitating participatory decision-making in an advocacy, programmatic, and membership organization.
  • Deep Local Roots. Understanding of how SF Bicycle Coalition fits into the landscape of local organizations, movements, and political structures and how best to influence policy in service of the broader mission. Capacity to effectively represent SF Bicycle Coalition with the media, political groups, government agencies, and with the public within San Francisco.
  • Strong Donor Cultivator and Steward of Resources and Relationships. Capacity to inspire and cultivate new and existing donors and business partner relationships. A compelling voice, and amplifier of other voices, on behalf of SF Bicycle Coalition’s mission and specifically its role in advancing social and racial equity. Ability to translate messages to diverse audiences and craft effective resource development strategies and trusting, lasting partnerships. Effective manager of a multimillion-dollar nonprofit budget to support advocacy and programmatic work.

This is an exempt, salaried position that requires extensive local travel for meetings and events and some national travel for conferences. Weekend and evening work will be required to attend board meetings, fundraising events, and member programs.

The target salary range for the position is approximately $160,000-$185,000 with excellent benefits including 100% employer paid health insurance, employer matched 401k plan, and paid time off.

To apply

For more information about the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, please visit: sfbike.org

This search is being led by Philip Arca of Arca & Associates. Candidates may submit application materials, including a resume and cover letter, via email to EDSearch@sfbike.org.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is an equal opportunity employer committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, caste, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, size, gender identity, or Veteran status.

 

Farewell to our Advocacy Director Janice Li

Posted on by San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

After eight incredible years with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, we are sharing the departure of our Advocacy Director Janice Li.

Janice was hired in 2013 and first started as our community organizer covering the western half of San Francisco. She was promoted to Advocacy Director in 2015, where she has led the team to countless campaign victories over the years to win more protected bike lanes, billions of dollars for transit-first improvements, and better policies for biking, walking, and public transit.

We are so grateful for the many years that Janice has dedicated to advancing our mission of promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation, imbuing our advocacy through member-driven community organizing. We took a moment to ask Janice a few questions and have her share where she’s off to next.

What are you the most proud of during your time on staff?
When I started in 2013, protected bike lanes were still a foreign concept for most, and we were getting maybe one new protected bike lane installed per year versus the miles and miles we win and construct annually today. I’m proud of how much we’ve advanced, where anything short of a protected bike lane is insufficient and that we’ll hear it from our members. But it’s taken a long time to get here. It took winning ballot measures to bring in more revenue for bicycle and pedestrian projects, streamlining City processes, pushing for real concrete improvements that aren’t just paint and posts, and so much more.

I’m also really proud of how we do the work. We know the only way that our campaigns will remain relevant is to make sure our organizing is inclusive and representative of the community. I’m confident in our team of community organizers to continue this work as led by Claire Amable and Malcolm Jaramillo, two BIPOC community leaders who were born and raised in San Francisco.

How do you see the SF Bicycle Coalition growing in the coming years?
We know that the SF Bicycle Coalition can’t just go it alone when it comes to building a better San Francisco and advancing our mission of promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation. We need to build power with others, alongside others, and sometimes, that means taking a step back and letting others lead — especially when it comes to communities of color and people who know their communities best. This also means that to make our movement relevant and undeniable, our advocacy must be based on people’s lived experiences, especially those of the most marginalized.

Lastly, we need to elect better leaders. The politics of the day unnecessarily drive what progress we do and don’t make to be a more bike-friendly, walkable, transit-first city. Community organizing is all about moving people who make decisions; I quickly learned one of the most powerful things I could do then was to run for office and become the decision maker, which also meant I had to understand transportation and land use issues from beyond just the seat of a bicycle. We need to hold our decision makers accountable and elect people who will be transportation champions.

Eight years is a long time! How has being at the SF Bicycle Coalition impacted you?
I’ve grown so much in these eight years. San Francisco has become my home, and I’ve gotten to know the city through sidewalks and bike lanes, by looking out the window of a Muni bus, by attending neighborhood group meetings and community events. Through this job, I’ve met so many incredible people, made so many friends, and deepened my love for this community, our struggles, and the deep desire to fight for a better and more just future.

I’ve spent cold evenings with amazing volunteers to distribute bike lights to people biking by without them. I’ve hosted rallies on City Hall steps with those most impacted by our city’s traffic violence. I’ve turned out hundreds to hearings, packed rooms for community meetings, and flooded inboxes with emails on the eve of a major decision. But I could only do all this with our membership, and I am forever grateful for everything I’ve learned from each and every one of you.

Can you share where you’re off to next?
I’m thrilled and honored to work for Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) to become the first director of the Coalition of Community Safety and Justice. This new coalition formed between CAA, Chinese Progressive Association, Chinatown Community Development Center, and CYC — four organizational stalwarts of the Asian American community in San Francisco — to address the long-standing hate, violence, and racism against the Asian community.

I will be at the SF Bicycle Coalition until the end of December before I transition to my new role at CAA. I’ll be at Winterfest this Sunday, December 12 and hope to be able to see all our members there to thank them for their tireless advocacy. Buy your tickets today at sfbike.org/winterfest.

Board of Directors Elections: 2022

Posted on by SF Bicycle Coalition Board

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is proud to have a very active and professional all-volunteer Board of Directors as stewards of our organization and work.

Directors are elected by members to serve a two-year term, and in January, members will be voting to elect seven directors for the board. San Francisco Bicycle Coalition members may nominate themselves or another member as a candidate for the Board of Directors. Interested candidates should review the following:

Here’s the schedule for the 2022 San Francisco Bicycle Coalition Board elections:

Fall/winter 2021: Board promotes the election amongst members and encourages members to declare their interest.

January 2, 2022: Deadline for interested candidates to submit the online candidate questionnaire and submit resume to boardnomination@sfbike.org.

January 3-14, 2022: Current Board Directors review candidate questionnaires and interview candidates.

January 14, 2022: Membership eligibility deadline: January 14, 2022 at 11:59 pm PST. You must be a member by this date to vote or run in the election.

January 14, 2022: Candidates must officially declare their intent to run by submitting the following to boardnomination@sfbike.org before this deadline:

  • Candidate photo
  • 150-word statement

Week of January 17, 2022: Staff meets with candidates to review the election process. Candidates’ 150-word statements are published in the SF Bicycle Coalition newsletter.

January 24, 2022: Voting starts. Members will have a chance to vote online throughout the election period. Board Candidate Forum: Candidates will have an equal opportunity to connect with the membership during an online Q&A session where each candidate will have the same amount of time to answer the same set of questions, and the meeting will be recorded for later viewing. Questions will be posted for all members to view prior to the Board Candidate Forum.

February 2, 2022: Voting ends at 9:59 pm PST.

February 3-4, 2022: Election results are communicated to each candidate.

Week of February 7, 2022: Election results are announced in the SF Bicycle Coalition newsletter.

February 19, 2022: Board of Directors participate in an all-day retreat.

February 22, 2022: Board of Directors meeting is held. 

Questions? Email boardnomination@sfbike.org.

13th Street Safety Project Needs Your Input

Posted on by Claire Amable

13th Street is an essential east-west corridor underneath the Central Freeway. This street borders both the South of Market and Mission neighborhoods, and with many on and off ramps along the stretch, it’s one of the city’s most heavily trafficked corridors. Many people bike on 13th street as it is a direct connection to Mission Bay and the Design District. 13th Street is one of the city’s most dangerous corridors and we’re excited it’s getting a make-over. This safety project will improve pedestrian and bicycle safety by filling the gap between projects from Folsom Street to Valencia Street.

In 2017, we worked with the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to bring much needed street safety improvements to 13th Street between Bryant Street and Folsom Street. Construction of protected bike lanes, traffic signal upgrades, and the removal of a traffic lane have significantly improved biking and walking along this small stretch of 13th Street. 

However, on 13th Street from Folsom to Valencia there is a large gap in bicycle facilities and pedestrian infrastructure. Riding in the protected bike lane from east to west, people on bikes are either forced to make a turn, ride on the sidewalk, or otherwise compete with fast moving vehicles merging off the freeway to continue west after Folsom Street. For someone walking along this stretch, you’ll notice how narrow the sidewalks are, how far the distance is to cross the street, and how fast the timer to cross is. 

In the last five years, 99 collisions have occurred between Folsom Street and Valencia Street along this corridor, one-third of these collisions involving a person walking or biking. It is imperative to fill this gap and bring much needed street safety improvements to build on the existing ones and complete 13th Street. 

That is why we are excited to be working with the SFMTA on this project to continue the protected bike lane that stops at Folsom Street all the way to Valencia Street and for the much needed traffic signal upgrades and sidewalk widening the proposed project will bring. The project is scheduled for construction in 2023 and the SFMTA wants to hear from you about your experiences along the stretch. The survey closes next Friday, December 10 so give SFMTA your feedback today!

TAKE THE SURVEY NOW

Weigh in on SF transportation spending for the next 30 years

Posted on by Christopher White

In 1989 and again in 2003, San Francisco voters approved a 0.5% sales tax (or a half-cent per dollar) to provide additional funding to support San Francisco’s transportation systems. The 2003 sales tax proposal, known as Prop K, was approved for a 30-year duration. Its proceeds support all aspects of transportation in the city, from Muni maintenance and repaving to pedestrian enhancements to bike infrastructure planning and implementation. It also has supported major capital projects around the city.

Now, nearly 20 years into the 30-year Prop K lifespan, transportation needs in SF have changed significantly. Most of the major capital projects defined in the Prop K investment plan have been completed. Transportation options from bike and scooter share to Uber and Lyft didn’t even exist in 2003. And nobody then could have conceived that a spiky viral ball would completely upend the way SF workers and residents move about the city and conduct their lives. 

For these reasons, the SF County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) have initiated a process to reauthorize the half-cent sales tax for another 30 years, aiming to have the new proposition go before voters in the November 2022 general election. The SFCTA is currently developing the new expenditure plan for the proposed reauthorized tax, collecting input from communities and stakeholders across the city. Part of this process is the convening of the Expenditure Plan Advisory Committee, or EPAC, which has representatives from community groups and advocates, including your San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. 

While the EPAC aims to represent many of the city’s diverse stakeholders, it’s also important that the SFCTA hears directly from the biking community as it shapes its priority recommendations. On Tuesday, December 7, we’ll be hosting SFCTA staff for an online presentation and forum on the new sales tax reauthorization for the SF biking community. Agency staff will give a high-level overview of the process and proposed plan, and then will field questions and comments from attendees. 

Interested in weighing in? RSVP to attend the presentation on December 7.

Your Support Needed for Bayview’s Next Protected Bike Lane

Posted on by Malcolm Jaramillo

After months of outreach, the City is getting ready to approve the Bayview’s next protected bike lane on Evans Avenue to connect Cesar Chavez to Third Street. People who bike here today currently have to share four lanes of vehicle traffic on this busy trucking route. If you support these improvements to have a dedicated facility, we need you to let the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board know.

I Support Protected Bike Lanes

For people biking to and from the Bayview, Evans Avenue is a critical connection that connects through a more industrial part of the neighborhood. Breweries, warehouses, and the US Postal Service’s largest SF facility all line this corridor, meaning much of the traffic is filled with trucks and other large vehicles. It’s no surprise that residents identified this location as needing improvements in the Bayview Community Based Transportation Plan, which was developed through two years of deep community engagement.

To create the proposal for Evans Avenue, SFMTA staff held virtual and in-person outreach in October, which overwhelmingly showed that people who live and travel here want to see a calmer, safer street for biking and walking. We’re thrilled that the preferred option is to install a dedicated bicycle lane on both sides of the street, with the westbound direction being fully protected from vehicle traffic.

Now, it’s time to get this project approved. Take a moment today to write a letter to the SFMTA Board before they meet on December 7 to let them know how important these connections are.

What’s going on with Muni?

Posted on by Claire Amable

On October 28th, your SF Bicycle Coalition turned out to a rally at City Hall with community leaders from the Tenderloin, Western Addition, and Japantown to call on the city for full restoration of Muni. Muni restoration is an effort we’ve supported since last year with the 27-Bryant and 31-Balboa and an effort we will continue to support because we believe a transit-friendly city is a bicycle-friendly city. 

At the rally, speakers from different neighborhoods shared why Muni service is a critical lifeline for them and their families. “Muni restoration is important to us because we just got back to in-person learning,” said Vherny Rustrian, a faculty leader at Ida B. Wells High School. “How do we expect our students to get to school without the bus? The lack of buses has impacted class attendance and students’ ability to get to school on time.”

From Muni drivers to community leaders, the message was loud and clear: We need full Muni service now.

As bicycle advocates, we know that our mission of promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation becomes impossible if the only other viable option of getting around is for people to drive cars. We support strong, high-quality public transit because we know that when more people ride transit, we reduce traffic and congestion on our streets and open up more space for people to bike, walk, and enjoy our city.

The SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), the city agency that oversees Muni, has been going through a months-long process of determining how to restore Muni service. Throughout October, they conducted a survey asking the public for input on three service options that would roll out in  February 2022. 

With nearly 5,000 survey responses, the public made clear that they want the SFMTA to restore key pre-pandemic connections, especially in maintaining access for seniors and people with disabilities, and to establish new connections to connect certain neighborhoods together. You can see the SFMTA’s full update here.

Ultimately, it will be on the SFMTA Board to receive a presentation on this outreach and the public’s feedback and make a decision on what the next service change in February 2022 will look like. We expect that the SFMTA Board will make their decision next month in December, and we will make sure to keep our members engaged as these decisions move forward.

If you are with us and believe that a transit-friendly city is a bike-friendly city, join our movement today by joining or renewing your membership to receive regular email updates about what’s going on and how to get involved to make sure Muni remains a strong and reliable system for all riders.