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Dear Members, Merchants and Friends,

As we listen to our fellow Russian Hill residents, we repeatedly hear your deep concerns over two important issues: Increased Safety and Cleaner Streets.

We ask you to join us in addressing these by: (1) responding to the Street Cleaning Survey recently emailed to all Members and Friends for whom we have a current email address; (2) by attending our April 19^th Annual Meeting at the San Francisco Art Institute which will focus on Safety.

Under the leadership of Greg Polchow and a loyal and hard-working cadre of volunteers, RHN’s Neighborhood Improvement Committee has done a yeoman’s job of addressing the condition of our streets with regular Saturday Street Sweeps. You may have seen them in their neon-colored vests, broom in hand. However, it has become clear over the past two years that this commendable activity is like swimming against the tide. Russian Hill is one of the few neighborhoods that does not have regular mechanical street cleaning. In addition to our steep hills and limited street parking, there has been over the years a resistance among some residents to embrace this service. Given the current level of grime and debris we experience every day in our neighborhood, RHN believes it is time to reassess the situation and we need to hear from you! You should have recently received a brief survey from RHN by email. If you have not already done so, please respond promptly with your thoughts and suggestions. There may not be a “one size fits all” solution. But continuing to just put up with this state of affairs does not seem to be productive.

For our Annual Membership Meeting, past RHN President and current Safety Chair Tina Moylan is organizing a powerful panel of law enforcement and public officials to discuss the current level of crime in our City and our neighborhood, what measures are being taken to address them, and how we can participate in our own personal safety.  The Annual Membership Meeting is also an opportunity for RHN Members to socialize before the meeting and to participate in a brief RHN business meeting prior to the Keynote Panel. See you there!

If you indicated on your Membership Form an interest in joining a committee, you should have received or will soon receive a phone call of email from that committee’s chair. Thank you for volunteering and we look forward to your participation.

Continued thanks to all of our New and Renewing Members!

The RHN Executive Committee

Dear Members, Merchants and Friends,

Many thanks to all who have renewed your RHN memberships for 2018! Membership Chair Tracey Katayama and her team are working hard to make renewing an easy step for all members, as well as to attract new members. If you have not yet responded to the membership renewal letter you received at the end of 2017, you will soon be receiving a reminder. Or you can go online to www.RHNSF.org  and renew TODAY!

We also want to extend a very warm welcome to our many new members who have joined RHN for the first time in 2018. Your support is so important to helping RHN succeed in its many advocacy, improvement, safety, educational and social activities which preserve, enhance and celebrate our wonderful neighborhood.

Whether you are a renewing or new member, please plan to attend our Annual Membership Meeting on April 19, 6 – 8 PM, at the San Francisco Art Institute. We are focusing our entire program on Safety, with participation anticipated from Police Chief Bill Scott, Supervisors Peskin and Stefani, Police Captains Yep and Engler, among others. We are very grateful for the generosity of the Art Institute in lending their beautiful and historic venue for this gathering. Watch your Inbox for more detailed information as April 19^th approaches.

The response from RHN residents in favor of the Whole Foods 365 proposal for 1600 Jackson street has been tremendous. It is important that your voices are heard. The Conditional Use hearing postponed from last December has not yet been rescheduled, but we understand that it will likely take place in March. We will let you know the date as soon as we learn it.

The entire RHN Board of Directors congratulates Mayor Mark Farrell and Supervisor Catherine Stefani in their new positions. They know our neighborhood well and have partnered with RHN frequently and effectively over the years. We look forward to working with them this spring!

Be sure to view the many interesting reports and notices throughout the rest of this eblast. And as always, please do not hesitate to contact one of us with your thoughts, suggestions and concerns.

Happy Valentine’s Day!
The RHN Executive Committee

 

Dear Members, Merchants and Friends,

Thank you to all who attended the December 3^rd Member Holiday Party, and a special thanks to our hosts, Joyce and Tom Kucharvy and their small army of volunteers who helped make the event an over-the-top success!

We are also grateful to the many members who have responded promptly to the Membership Renewal you recently received. Many members have told us that the benefits they receive from their RHN membership far exceed the price of the annual dues. These include the opportunity to meet fellow Russian Hill residents through the social events, book club, committee participation and special meetings like the recent Safety Summit. RHN also researches and takes action on important issues affecting our neighborhood – development projects, traffic, street litter, safety and protection of our important historic resources. During this season of gift-giving, RHN membership is a gift we give to ourselves and our Russian Hill neighbors. Thank you!

You should have recently received a separate CALL TO ACTION eblast concerning the proposed Whole Foods 365 store at the old Lombardi’s at 1600 Jackson at Polk. We are awaiting confirmation of the Planning Commission hearing date on the conditional use needed for this site. The hearing should be in January, and we will alert you to the date when we know it. RHN has followed this project since it was first proposed. As you may recall, we did an online survey of our members, with 74% of the 275 responders favoring the project. Surveys by others have yielded similar results, as did feedback from the October community outreach meeting at the site.

We urge you to educate yourselves about the project and, if you are supportive, to let the Planning Commission know. If you have questions, please feel free to contact a member of the Executive Committee or the Chair of our DZLU Committee (Design, Zoning and Land Use).

We wish you all good health, safe travels and a wonderful holiday season and many thanks for your ongoing support and participation.

Sincerely,
RHN Executive Committee

Dear Members, Merchants and Friends,

You will soon be receiving a membership renewal letter from RHN. We are deeply appreciative of the many Russian Hill residents who support our mission to be “a voice for residents and merchants to preserve and advance neighborhood character and quality of life through collaboration, volunteerism, and celebration of community.”  We look forward to another year working together with each of you to enhance our wonderful neighborhood!

Your membership renewal also provides an opportunity to let us know your interest in volunteering for a committee, as well as to make an additional tax-deductible donation to the General Fund or to a specific project such as Parks or Historic Preservation. And, if you have a neighbor or friend who is not yet a RHN member, please encourage them to join!

A recent highlight of the past month was the Safety Summit on November 8. A standing-room-only crowd shared their concerns with our local Northern and Central police captains and assistant district attorneys assigned to their stations. Some of what we learned includes:

• value of private video cameras in providing evidence to police investigators
• importance of filing a police report on every crime you experience or witness
• critical need for police resources to increase to meet the growing SF population
• benefit of residents’ efforts to take charge of their own safety by communicating with each other, watching out for each other and forming Neighborhood Watch Groups
• specifics of increased efforts by police and district attorneys to proactively investigate and prosecute repeat offenders
• need for public support of available technologies, such as security camera systems, which have been opposed in the past in SF but are working in other cities around the world.

A follow-up “Report Card” Summit is scheduled for February 21, 2018 by RHN so that we can monitor the progress of such efforts. Thank you to all who attended and communicated your concerns. We need to work with each other and with our law enforcement professionals to ensure a safe neighborhood.

Many thanks to the Polk Street Merchants for sponsoring with RHN the second annual Polk Street Trick or Treat and pumpkin carving for kids on October 28. Our local merchants are a vital part of our neighborhood.  Be sure to shop locally on a regular basis, and show your appreciation by supporting Small Business Saturday on November 25^th!

We look forward to seeing you at the December 3^rd RHN Annual Member Holiday Party. An invitation will arrive in your Inbox soon!

Sincerely,

RHN Executive Committee

Dear Members, Merchants and Friends,

We hope that you have been enjoying our typically lovely October weather and the many activities that occur at this time of year. Of special note is the second annual RHN Trick or Treat with Polk Street Merchants on Saturday, October 28, 3 – 6 PM sponsored by our own Families with Children Committee in conjunction with the Polk Street Merchants. Meet at the Candy Store, 1507 Vallejo, at 3:00 or join anywhere along the route from Union to California Streets. Pumpkin decorating and games take place 3:30 – 6:00 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 1755 Clay. Trick or treating free to kids of all ages and pets!! If you plan to attend pumpkin decorating, please register to ensure enough pumpkins on hand.
(More details at colehardware.eventbrite.com.)

Please mark your calendars for RHN’s “RUSSIAN HILL SAFETY SUMMIT: Get involved with your personal safety” taking place on Wednesday, November 8, 6:00 – 7:30 PM at the Norwegian Seamen’s Church, 2454 Hyde Street.  A moderated panel will include Captain Paul Yep of Central Station and Captain John Jaimerena of Northern Station, Assistant DA Charles Bisesto, and plainclothes officers who work in our neighborhood. The focus will be on how we can support, collaborate with and augment local law enforcement efforts and improve our personal protection awareness and skills. Watch your inbox for additional details later this month.

Thank you to all Russian Hill residents who have reached out to us, as well as to public officials, regarding the recent and unfortunate number of tour buses getting stuck on our steep hills. RHN has joined in the outcry for immediate action. Click here to find a copy of our letter to Director of Transportation Ed Reiskin.

If you have been thinking how you might make a difference in our neighborhood, consider volunteering to serve on one of RHN’s committees. It is also a great way to meet your neighbors and make new friends. Committees include DZLU (Design, Zoning Land Use), Membership, Safety, Traffic & Transportation, Parks, Safety, Neighborhood Improvement, Safety, Families with Children, Communications & Marketing, Special Events and History.

As always, we welcome your suggestions, questions and especially your personal involvement.

Sincerely,
RHN Executive Committee

September Message from the Executive Committee

Dear Members, Merchants and Friends,

We began September with San Francisco’s hottest temperatures on record. Hope you were able to find ways to stay cool and join us in welcoming back the fog. This month is filled with many events you will not want to miss including Family Night at Helen Wills Park from 4:00 – 6:00 PM on September 22. (See all events on the Calendar below.)

RHN’s Executive Committee continues its collaborative leadership of our neighborhood organization in lieu of an interim president following Past President Emily Harrold’s move to the East Bay. On September 5, we met to discuss key issues and set important dates for the remainder of 2017 and into 2018. We also finalized, with extensive input from the Board and our DZLU Committee, RHN’s position statement on the proposed Medical Cannabis Dispensary on Polk Street near Filbert. This letter will be RHN’s response to inquiries on this topic until further notice. You can view the letter elsewhere in this eblast as well as on the RHN website.

We also reaffirmed RHN’s deep concern and involvement with safety issues in our neighborhood. To that end, we are encouraging all of you to attend the Police Commission Meeting on September 20th at 6:00 PM in the Wilsey Conference Room of Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill. Hosted by Central Station and Captain Paul Yep, the focus of the meeting will be on crime and the state of affairs surrounding the Lombard Crooked Street and Russian Hill in general. This will be an interactive meeting. RHN Past President Tina Moylan will be a panelist. This is an important opportunity to learn what is being done to address safety issues in our specific neighborhood. As we move through the remainder of 2017, we will be looking for additional ways to educate ourselves and you the membership, and to collaborate in identifying solutions with our local officials and police department.

For many of us, September is traditionally a month to get involved in new endeavors. If you want to make a difference at a very local level with important benefits to our special neighborhood, consider joining an RHN Committee (DZLU, Transportation, Families with Children, Social, Safety, Parks, Street Sweeps/Neighborhood Improvement, Communications and Marketing, Membership, History) or becoming a candidate for a Board position.

As always, we welcome your suggestions, questions and especially your personal involvement.

Sincerely,
RHN Executive Committee

 

Dear Members, Merchants and Friends,

Russian Hill Neighbors has been privileged since its founding in 1981 to be led by a stellar group of past presidents. Bittersweet for us, Emily Harrold, RHN president for the past year and a half, joins that illustrious group with the gratitude of the entire Board for her time, her grace, her enthusiasm, her devotion and her ability to recruit young new leadership to our organization. In July, Emily and her family moved to the East Bay. She promises to stay in touch! Thank you Emily!

Meanwhile, RHN continues its many activities under the guidance of an active and committed Executive Committee, Board of Directors and Committee Chairs. The Nominating Committee, led by past president Tina Moylan, is in the process of reorganizing the leadership team to complete the year until new officers are elected at the Spring Annual Meeting. The Board Retreat in July focused on leadership development and recruitment, an important emphasis for all volunteer organizations. If you would be interested in a leadership position yourself, please contact Tina – serving is a unique opportunity to make a difference on Russian Hill while being part of a wonderful group of people.

Speaking of new leaders, we welcome Monique Olivier to the Board as our new Secretary. Monique is a commercial real estate attorney by profession, married to Gonzalo and the mother of a three year old son. She has lived on Russian Hill for ten years, does ballet as a hobby and (in addition to English) is fluent in French, Spanish and Italian.

Also, long-time Board Adviser Jovanne Reilly is “shadowing” current Treasurer Ian Maddison and will take over that position next month. Jovanne served as editor of the RHN newsletter (then a print publication) for five years in the early 2000s. A sixteen year resident of Russian Hill, Jovanne and her husband James enjoy travel, local cultural offerings, an occasional Giants game and dining at the many restaurants in our neighborhood.

Over the past few weeks, we have received many comments and questions from members and non-members regarding the Medical Cannabis Dispensary (MCD) proposed for Polk Street at Filbert. As is our longstanding policy, RHN is doing due diligence on this issue and we thank you for your feedback. We have not taken an official position one way or the other on the proposal, but continue to follow its progress and encourage all interested parties to do so as well.

RHN committees regularly address a wide range of neighborhood issues including cleaner streets, appropriate land use, historic preservation, traffic, parking, local merchants, parks, support for families with children and neighborhood safety.  The latter, safety, is of particular and growing concern to our membership. Please be assured that we are working with our district Supervisors and Police Captains to inform and collaborate with them and other city agencies in identifying both problems and solutions. If you would like to serve on our Safety Committee, or help organize specific efforts under the aegis of RHN, please email one of the Executive Committee members. We welcome your input and involvement.

Meanwhile, don’t forget to join us for some fun! The RHN Book Club meets monthly and is a great way to meet others who live in the neighborhood. The Families with Children Committee will be organizing a back to school playground event in early September. Attend one of our periodic Cheers events or a Wine and Dine. Make a habit of going to our website at www.rhnsf.org to see what’s coming up and make sure RHN has your correct email address to receive our monthly eblasts with news and events.

Thank you for being part of our very special neighborhood!!

RHN Executive Committee

Dear Members, Merchants, and Friends:

Russian Hill Neighbors kicked off the summer with a major Street Sweep beautification event along Polk Street and fun Neighborhood Picnic at Hyde Street’s Teepee Park on Saturday, June 24. Thank you to Greg Polchow, Sarah Taber, and Joyce Kucharvy for leading the planning, and to all of the members who joined us! Please keep an eye on our Events Calendar for upcoming activities, including a Community Safety Forum, later this summer.

On a personal note, I am stepping down as President of Russian Hill Neighbors this week. It has been an incredible experience serving on the board since 2015 and as President for the past 14 months. The best part was getting to know so many of you, our resident and merchant members, as we addressed important issues in our community. My family and I are relocating and we will certainly miss the beautiful parks, vibrant Polk and Hyde Street shops, and friendly neighbors of Russian Hill. Thank you for your engagement and support during my tenure. It was a team effort!

The RHN membership is in very good hands with the current Board of Directors. Later this month, the Board will meet for its Annual Retreat and will discuss the leadership plan. If any of you are interested in joining the volunteer board, which entails participating in a dinner/meeting once per month, please be in touch. The board works hard for the community but certainly has fun doing it.

I wish you all the best. Enjoy the summer!

Warmest regards,

Emily Harrold
President