Blog

This week’s virtual events

We’d like to invite you to join us for lunchtime Facebook-Live features this week, including our Healthy Living series happening on Saturdays. 
See you there!

ICYMI: Past #ThursdayThoughts videos are available here.

Thursday, August 6th
12 PM @ LivableCity Facebook page  •  Set Reminder
Mark your calendars for our weekly series #ThursdayThoughts: a lunchtime chat with local guests every week. Join the conversation!

Not on Facebook? Join us via Zoom:
Aug 6, 2020 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US/CAN)
Meeting ID: 898 1254 1586
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89812541586
☎︎ Phone dial: +1 669 900 6833
——————————————————————

ICYMI: Past #FeatureFriday What’s Open SF videos are available here.

Friday, August 7th
12 PM @ SundayStreets Facebook page  •  Set Reminder
Tune in to our weekly What’s Open SF and participate by commenting with your favorite small business for a chance to win a $25 gift card (sponsored by Sonic). A great way to find new favorite spots and support small businesses!

Not on Facebook? Join us via Zoom:
Aug 6, 2020 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US/CAN)
Meeting ID: 838 8998 9982
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83889989982
☎︎ Phone dial: +1 669 900 6833
——————————————————————

ICYMI: #SaturdaySweat Healthy Living videos are available for later viewing here.

Saturday, August 8th
11 AM @ LivableCity Facebook page
#SaturdaySweat! Join us for Healthy Living, our virtual wellness sessions on Saturdays. Open to all levels and it does not require any equipment, except making time to take care of yourself! Let’s take care of ourselves, and stay healthy. (Available in English, and Spanish)

Density Reform Ordinance will Preserve Rental Units and Encourage Affordable Housing

Preserving existing affordable housing and encouraging new affordable housing are two key strategies for addressing San Francisco’s housing affordability crisis and housing insecurity.

Livable City worked with District 8 Supervisor Mandelman to craft an ordinance that will both preserve existing housing and permit more affordable housing. The ordinance will be heard at the Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee sometime after Labor Day.

The ordinance amends the Planning Code’s density limits to give all existing unauthorized units (aka illegal units) a path to legalization, and exempt affordable units from maximum density limits. It will also ease restrictions on residential care facilities in all residential zoning districts.

Exempting affordable units from density caps will broaden the City’s incentives for multi-unit affordable and mixed-income housing in every San Francisco neighborhood. It expands on a current provision which exempts affordable units from density limits, but only for buildings which are at least 20% affordable, not more that 25% affordable, and are outside the RH-1 and RH-2 districts which cover half the City.

Lowering the minimum density threshold will allow smaller projects to meet their required inclusionary housing obligations on-site without lowering the number of market rate units in the project, giving builders a new incentive to include affordable units in projects. Lifting the maximum number of affordable units and extending the density exception to RH-1 and RH-2 complements the City’s density bonus programs for affordable housing, which can’t be used in RH-1 and RH-2 districts.

Thousands of San Franciscans live in unauthorized dwelling units. Most of these units have existed for decades, and they are often rent-stabilized and affordable. Their unauthorized status puts residents at greater risk of losing their housing, and can prevent owners from securing building permits for necessary building upgrades.

Current law only permits one unauthorized unit per lot to be legalized, so owners wishing to legalize their units face a dilemma: keep the units in legal limbo, or legalize one and remove all the others, even if the others are structurally sound and removing them will displace residents. Allowing legalization of more than one unauthorized unit per lot will give every unauthorized unit a path to legalization. Broadening the legalization path will give tenants of these units greater housing security, and allow building owners to secure permits for improvements to safety, access, habitability, and comfort.

Residential care facilities provide short or long-term housing and care for many seniors, people recovering from illnesses, and formerly homeless people. Despite a growing need, residential care facilities are disappearing from San Francisco. Principally permitting residential care facilities in RH neighborhoods, as the Board of Supervisors approved earlier this year in other zoning districts, will expand the range of housing choices available in all San Francisco neighborhoods.

We’re grateful to Supervisor Mandelman for advancing these sensible pro-housing code changes. In December the Planning Commission unanimously recommended the ordinance in a 6-0 vote. The Commission recommended amending the ordinance to permit only non-required affordable units be exempted from density. We prefer exempting required affordable units too, to encourage developers of market rate projects to meet their affordability requirements with on-site units, and create more mixed-income buildings and mixed-income neighborhoods. The next step for the ordinance is the Board of Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee.

These reforms will further San Francisco’s values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and sustainability, by better accommodating San Franciscans of all ages, incomes, physical abilities, and household types in each San Francisco neighborhood.

The full text of the ordinance and the Planning Department’s staff report can be found here.

Restaurant Owner Inspires Recovery in the Bayview: Meet April Spears

“Grilled oysters and Louisiana gumbo, that’s what everyone’s been asking for,” explained April Spears as she served yet another order of her famed dish at the reopening of Cafe Envy in the Bayview on June 13. “I saw that our restaurants around here already serve a lot of heavier soul food and fried food, so I designed Cafe Envy to offer lighter fare, like salmon, salads, and even vegan. All that is doing fine, but during the lockdown it was the oyster and gumbo everyone was calling about.”

Cafe Envy opened 2 years ago, and is Spears’ second restaurant. Her first, Auntie April’s Chicken, Waffles, and Soul Food opened in 2008 during the recession. She actually sold her 401k to open Auntie April’s. “My family thought I was crazy. And they’re right! I am crazy, but I’ve always gambled on myself.”

Livable City first began working with Spears during the planning phase of the 2016 Sunday Streets. “Everyone said we had to talk to her,” according to Katy Birnbaum, Livable City’s Associate Director. “In addition to being a successful Black entrepreneur, she was also a local powerhouse strengthening Black owned businesses and the whole Bayview community.”

Born and raised in the Bayview, Spears started the restaurants because she wanted “to inspire our youth to do greater and bigger things with their lives. I want them to see that, even if you are born into poverty or any situation where you feel caged, you can get out of that situation and do something.”

As if running two restaurants isn’t enough, she lives out her love of the community as Co-chair of the African American Arts and Culture District, Co-chair of the Merchants of Butchertown, and as a member of the board of Economic Development On Third Street.

When asked how she runs two restaurants and volunteers so much to enrich the Bayview, Spears notes that, “Being a black woman in SF, I’ve always had to deal with systemic racism; it’s always been an uphill battle. If it’s not uphill it’s almost too easy! The endurance for the long haul – I’ve been training for this my whole life.”

Her latest love is her baby girl Mazahri. And like many good moms, Spears joined a new mothers group. The members of the Black Mothers Collective are all business owners, but none own their own homes. “We’ve always been taught to just survive day to day. I want Black people to think bigger about economics and their future, and to learn how to acquire property and invest. It’s about preserving African American businesses, opening new businesses, and economic development for the community. We’re making really great moves, doing some great things in the community. The pandemic really opened our eyes to what needs to be done. Just stay tuned, we’re going to have some important news soon.”

As San Francisco comes out of the lockdown, Spears is concerned for the safety of her staff and customers, but is excited to be back in business. “I’m so happy to see my community and have them enjoy my food again, but it’s a whole new world trying to do this while keeping everyone safe. Fortunately, my mom has been here to help. She always has my best interest at heart and is always protecting me. We can drive each other crazy because we do things so differently … but we realized that in the end, we always arrive at the same place.”

“Livable City made a big difference too. On opening day, they helped me read through all the fine print so we were compliant with every one of the new COVID regulations, arranged the permits and brought in the chairs and tables and signs for outdoor dining, and then they showed up en masse and pitched in to get us through a day where we sold out of everything we had!”

Going forward, Spears knows that reviving Black owned businesses in the Bayview is an uphill battle. “We need help from outside of the community, from those who have the ability to help. We need them to treat us as equals to allow us access to loans and capital. For example, if I’ve owned a business for decades, and if I don’t qualify for a loan … how do I qualify? What do I need to do, and what do you need to do differently to make things happen?”

Going forward, Livable City will do what we can for minority-owned businesses in marginalized neighborhoods by providing technical support to improve online marketing as well as assistance with COVID regulations and outdoor space usage. After all, creating vital retail corridors is a core tenet of the urbanist toolkit. As we learn to center the needs of San Francisco’s Black community in our work, we will continue to evolve in what we do, how we work in community with the most vulnerable and oppressed, and effectively support the communities to achieve their goals.

Principles for Open Streets in San Francisco

May 13, 2020

Rich Hillis, Planning Director
San Francisco Planning Department
1650 Mission Street, Unit 400
San Francisco, CA 94103

Jeffrey Tumlin, Director of Transportation
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
1 South Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94103

Dear Directors Hillis and Tumlin,

On behalf of Livable City, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Walk San Francisco, we write to share a set of principles that we have developed and are recommending that the City adopt as it formalizes its open streets program in connection to the present public health emergency
and a Mobility Recovery plan.

Open streets and car-free spaces can be an effective tool to address a range of challenges currently facing San Francisco, including providing appropriate space and distance for essential trips, encouraging biking, walking and transit as restrictions to the shelter in place order are
lifted, and addressing the ongoing public health threat of traffic violence. To fully realize the potential benefits and avoid unintended downsides, open streets must be planned and – implemented equitably and by engaging and empowering local communities.

It is our intent that the attached set of principles serve as a guide in developing and formalizing the City’s open streets strategy in order to optimize their use for public benefit and minimize any negative outcomes. We welcome feedback from you and your respective teams and are ready
to partner in the development and deployment of a comprehensive, citywide strategy.

Sincerely,

Tom Radulovich
Executive Director
Livable City

Brian Wiedenmeier
Executive Director
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Jodie Medeiros
Executive Director
Walk San Francisco

Five Principles for Open Streets in San Francisco

  1. Accommodate physical distancing: abide by Public Health orders and CDC guidelines
    • Prioritize street segments where compliance to the Physical Distancing orders is already difficult given the existing configuration of the street, for example narrow sidewalks
  2. Achieve equity in terms of safe movement for Essential Activities and access to transit: acknowledge that the current public health crisis exacerbates pre-existing, structural, and historical disparities in access to basic needs, services, and transportation:
    • Focus institutional support where needs are greatest
    • Design solutions should first consider the most vulnerable users and those who are most negatively impacted (those with disabilities, pedestrians, cyclists, children, seniors)
    • Maintain local and emergency vehicular access, especially to places of essential
      business and services
  3. Promote all aspects of wellbeing: physical, psychological and social. Deepen neighborhood resiliency by encouraging connectedness between neighbors
    • Allow for physical exercise – and other outdoor wellbeing activities –
      closer-to-home; relieving crowding at destinations such as parks and beaches
    • Allow for families and neighbors to use their local street for flexible purposes while adhering to physical distancing
  4. Recognize that success requires community partnership and that all communities have the knowledge and capacity to lead and make change with urgency given proper institutional support.
    • Align open streets with small business recovery, including outdoor space for restaurants and cafes, and expand loading zones for curbside pickup and delivery to reduce conflicts with walking, cycling, and transit.
    • Promote local neighborhood ownership by allowing neighbours to opt-in
    • Conduct thorough but quick outreach and engagement
  5. Embrace experimentation: acknowledge that Open Streets comprise one set of many critical strategies for gradually re-opening public life and economies
    • Identify a range of open streets solutions that are appropriate and effective for
      different phases of reopening and recovery
    • Establish sensible regulatory and programmatic framework that does not rely solely on law enforcement for success
    • Monitor operations and iterate regulations over time. Establish effective platforms for communicating changing expectations and operating parameters
    • Leverage open streets experiments to help establish norms of behaviour for safe public life

Sunday Streets Season Update 5.8.2020

Dear Sunday Streets Fan,

We are saddened to announce the cancellation of Sunday Streets Golden Gate Park on June 7th, Dogpatch/Mission Bay on June 21st, and Mission July 19th. Due to the Bay Area’s shelter in place order and restrictions on large scale gatherings in response to COVID-19, we remain uncertain if hosting Sunday Streets later in the season will be feasible. We will assess and make further announcements in July regarding Fall 2020.

This decision has not been easy. But for now, one-day activations that draw tens of thousands of people to one destination like Sunday Streets pose an unacceptable risk to public health and to the health of our staff, volunteers, programming partners and attendees.

Here at Livable City, we miss the music and dance, we miss children’s laughter, we miss the food and fun, and most of all we miss being in community with you – our neighbors – from all walks of life leisurely enjoying one another in the safety and freedom of miles of car-free streets. We can’t wait to be with everyone in that beautiful open streets state of being again.

Some GOOD NEWS – we will be releasing a program to help residents and commercial corridors create smaller-scale car-free spaces for us all to enjoy safely on a regular basis throughout 2020 and beyond.

If you’re interested in organizing regular car-free time on your block or have ideas on how car-free streets can help your business community, drop us a line! We will need your ideas and passion to envision a new 2020 open streets plan to meet the evolving needs of communities across San Francisco.

Until then, please take care of yourself, your loved ones, and everyone around you so we can all celebrate in car-free streets again soon! 

Thank you for your support, your joy in sharing the streets, and your courage and love through this difficult time. 

Sincerely,
Katy Birnbaum and The Livable City Team

Sunday Streets Season Update 3.11.2020

Mary Strope

O (415) 344-0489

[email protected]

**PRESS RELEASE**

San Francisco – Based on updated health information and recommendations to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), nonprofit Livable City is cancelling the upcoming Sunday Streets dates:

  • Sunday Streets Excelsior on March 29
  • Sunday Streets Tenderloin on April 19
  • Sunday Streets Bayview on May 3

In partnership with SFMTA, SFDPH, community partners and sponsors, Livable City is currently drafting a revised season schedule of 11 events to take place between June and November 2020, to be released at the end of March.

“This was a difficult decision to make,” said Sunday Streets Director Katy Birnbaum. “After a lot of consideration, we determined this is the best way to ensure we have time to plan successful events and serve our most vulnerable communities.”

Sunday Streets is a public health program with a mission to serve vulnerable populations and neighborhoods most lacking in open space and recreational opportunities. As such, Sunday Streets attendees, staff, partners and volunteers are part of the vulnerable groups endangered by COVID-19, as well as key to the success of the program.

Each Sunday Streets event takes extensive planning, meetings and partnerships. This decision was made to ensure that all Sunday Streets events take place with the stakeholder partnerships and involvement that make up the program, as well as ensure that enough time and work is put into the planning necessary to create a mile-plus community celebration.

In alignment with the program’s mission, and in consideration of those we serve, Livable City will not move forward with planning or hosting Sunday Streets events during this period.

Livable City’s first priority is the health and wellness of our community and we look forward to bringing a season of open street events later this year. In the meantime, stay safe and be well.

About Sunday Streets

Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City, presented in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Shape Up SF Coalition. Additional City support comes from the Department of Public Works, Recreation & Parks Department, SF Police Department, SF County Transportation Authority, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and her offices and the SF Board of Supervisors.

Sunday Streets Update 3.6.2020

On Friday March 6th at 4:30pm, Mayor London N. Breed, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Department of Emergency Management announced new recommendations for San Francisco to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the community.

These recommendations include cancelling or postponing non-essential large gatherings and community events.

Per the recommendations, Livable City is officially cancelling Sunday Streets Mission on March 8, 2020.

Livable City does not currently have information about the ability or timeline for rescheduling the event. We are not able to issue refunds at this time.

Keep up to date at www.sfdph.org, by calling 311, and by signing up for the City’s new alert service for official updates: text COVID19SF to 888-777.

Sunday Streets Update 3.5.20

At the time of this release, the San Francisco Department of Public Health is not generally recommending the rescheduling of public events in San Francisco and as such, Sunday Streets SF Mission on March 8th, 2020 will be taking place as scheduled.

Per CDC and SFDPH recommendations, the following COVID-19 protocols are in place for the event:

  • All Livable City staff and volunteers are advised to cancel their attendance if they are experiencing any of the most common symptoms of COVID-19 infection, which are fever, coughing, and/or shortness of breath, and call their doctor immediately.
    • Partners and exhibitors are advised to release the same advisory to their onsite staff scheduled for Sunday Streets. Please notify us immediately of cancellation due to sickness and no later than 8:00am on event-day to help us plan for equipment. No show and late cancellation fees have been waived, but we are unable to issue refunds for cancellations at this time.
  • We have a designated quarantine site and medical response protocol with our emergency medical provider, Special Medical Aid, in the event that someone reports COVID-19 symptoms to Livable City or medical staff while onsite.
  • Additional handwashing stations will be placed by the portable toilets with instructions on handwashing best practices for COVID-19 infection.
  • Information sheets about COVID-19 Infection and hand sanitizer will be available at the information booth.

Please support our most vulnerable populations during this time by staying informed of the latest COVID-19 infection advisories from San Francisco Department of Public Health and the CDC at https://www.sfdph.org/dph/alerts/coronavirus.asp

Join Livable City for a Press Conference at Sunday Streets Mission

(L-R) Livable City Executive Director Tom Radulovich, District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, former SFMTA Director Ed Reiskin, OEWD Director Joaquín Torres, Sunday Streets Director Katy Birnbaum and Mission Housing Deputy Executive Director Márcia Contreras at Sunday Streets Mission on March 10, 2019

PRESS CONFERENCE DETAILS:

DATE: March 8th, 2020

TIME: 12:00pm 

LOCATION: Valencia Gardens, Valencia Street at Rosa Parks Lane

DESCRIPTION: On March 8, join Livable City at Sunday Streets Mission for a press conference launching the biggest season yet of San Francisco’s open streets program. In 2020, Livable City debuts two new routes as Sunday Streets expands to provide more free recreation, community-building and open space for fun, health and human connection with 11 citywide events. The fun begins on March 8, when Sunday Streets Mission transforms Valencia Street from Duboce to 26th Street into a car-free temporary park for all from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Pre-Event Day // Mary Strope – 415-344-0489 // [email protected]

Event-Day // Katy Birnbaum – 707-548-6218

SPEAKERS:

Confirmed: Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Sunday Streets Director Katy Birnbaum, Livable City Executive Director Tom Radulovich

Invited: Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Hillary Ronen, OEWD Director Joaquin Torres, SFMTA Director Jeffrey Tumlin, SFDPH Director Dr. Grant Colfax, DCYF Executive Director Maria Su, NEN Director Daniel Homsey, Mission Housing Deputy Executive Director Marcia Contreras

2020 TALKING POINTS

  • 2020 is the 12th season of Sunday Streets!
  • Sunday Streets is San Francisco’s open streets program, hosting 11 yearly events, primarily in underserved neighborhoods lacking in recreational opportunities and open space. This series of free, fun events empowers local communities to transform one to four miles of car-congested streets into car-free community spaces for kids to play, seniors to stroll, organizations to connect and neighbors to meet, 
  • Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City and is presented in partnership SFMTA, SF DPH, and the City and County of San Francisco. It began in 2008 as a Mayoral initiative under now-Governor Gavin Newsom and was developed in partnership with the San Francisco ShapeUp Coalition. 
  • Social Cohesion & Resilience – Sunday Streets creates social connection, a key to positive mental health and a necessary component of resilience and disaster preparedness. Not only do the events provide a space for people to meet on a human scale, but the year-round planning process builds capacity and connection. With 85 percent of attendees from San Francisco and 51 percent living within walking distance of the route, Sunday Streets is an event truly by and for SF residents.
  • Growing Together – Sunday Streets is growing, with a landmark 11 events this year, making it one of the country’s largest open streets programs. Sunday Streets grows through a community-driven process of evaluation, outreach, and engagement, inviting residents to shape the program’s future according to their neighborhood’s needs. At the events, neighborhoods celebrate their resources by collaborating with a diverse group of stakeholders to create culturally reflective, destination-worthy programming provided by local nonprofits, small businesses, government organizations and neighborhood groups.
  • Mode Shift – At Sunday Streets, residents explore their neighborhoods on foot and bike and discover walking and biking paths for everyday trips, a critical component to meeting SFMTA’s Climate Action Strategy goal: shifting 80% of all trips taken to sustainable modes by 2030.

March 8th, 2020 Partnership Roundup

  • “Come to Your Census” Zone with SF Counts and Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA): 2020 census information, choreographed Capoeira performance followed by a public a demonstration and invitation to participate from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at 15th and 16th Streets                         
  • Summer Resource Fair Pop-Up with SF Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) : Petting zoo, onsite summer program sign-ups between 14th and 15th Streets
  • Play Streets Block Party with Mission Housing Development Corporation : with games, prizes and sports between 14th and 15th Streets
  • Neighborfest Zone with the Neighborhood Empowerment Network (NEN) and sponsored by LISTOS: with disaster preparedness activities, giveaways and resources between 24th and 25th Streets

Sunday Streets Partners with SF Counts to Kick Off 2020 Census

Sunday Streets is a fun and simple way for local residents to to access resources. Photo by Young Chau.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 3, 2020

CONTACT: Elena Shore
Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA)
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 415-581-2360

SAN FRANCISCO – Sunday Streets and partners SF Counts are kicking off the 2020 season with a clear message: Everyone counts in the 2020 Census. 

Days before the census goes live, Sunday Streets will launch its new season with a special SF Counts zone to encourage all San Franciscans to complete the census. 

The nonprofit Livable City kicks off this year’s first Sunday Streets event in the Mission on March 8, 2020 from 11 am- 4pm, with car-free space on Valencia from 26th to Duboce Street. Starting March 9, 2020, people will be able to complete the census by phone (available in 15 languages). Beginning on March 12, 2020, people will be able to fill out the census online (available in 13 languages) at the website my2020census.gov.

Throughout the rest of the season, Sunday Streets participants will be able to complete the census online at kiosks in the SF Counts “Come to Your Census” Zone, where they can learn about the census, apply for census jobs, and get help filling out the online form. They will also be able to participate in art activations with SF Counts partner Art+Action.

The SF Counts citywide 2020 Census campaign, led by the City and County of San Francisco’s Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA), is a multilingual and multicultural outreach and education effort for motivating San Francisco residents to participate in the census.

“Participating in the census is important to our families, friends and communities. It’s an opportunity to use your voice and help our City secure its fair share of federal resources and political power,” said Adrienne Pon, Executive Director of OCEIA and SF Counts.  “We need every San Francisco resident to call or jump online to complete the census survey. Sunday Streets is an exciting start of our citywide call to action.”

The census is a count of every person living in the United States, and its results determine the number of representatives California has in Congress and distribution of over $880 billion in federal dollars for essential services and programs over the next decade for San Francisco’s schools, hospitals, roads, social services and more.

In mid-March, most people will receive a letter from the Census Bureau with instructions on how to complete the census online or by phone. However, no letter, pin or ID number is required – everyone can do the census online or by phone between mid-March and late July 2020.

“Sunday Streets and the 2020 Census are a perfect fit!” said Livable City Associate Director Katy Birnbaum. “Since 85 percent of attendees are SF residents, this is a great opportunity to make sure everyone gets counted as they enjoy open streets, live music, free activities and community celebration with their neighbors, families and friends at Sunday Streets.”

Sunday Streets is San Francisco’s open streets program, brings open space, free recreation and access to government, nonprofit and health resources to 100,000 attendees yearly. Sunday Streets largely takes place in historically underserved neighborhoods lacking in open space and recreational opportunities, from the Tenderloin to the Excelsior to the Bayview and beyond, with 11 citywide events.

SF Counts will be hosting a “Come to Your Census” zone at the following Sunday Streets events:

  • March 8 – Mission
  • March 29 – Excelsior
  • April 19 – Tenderloin + Thai New Year and Southeast Asian Food Festival in Little Saigon
  • May 3  – Bayview
  • June 7 – Sunset/Golden Gate Park
  • Date and Route TBA – Dogpatch/Mission Bay
  • July 19 – Mission

About Sunday Streets

Sunday Streets is a program of the nonprofit Livable City, presented in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the Shape Up SF Coalition. Additional City support comes from the Department of Public Works, Recreation & Parks Department, SF Police Department, SF County Transportation Authority, San Francisco Mayor London Breed and her offices and the SF Board of Supervisors. Livable City produces an annual season of Sunday Street events that reclaim car-congested streets for community health, transforming them into car-free spaces for all to enjoy. Sunday Streets’ mission is to create temporary open space and recreational opportunities in neighborhoods most lacking, encourage physical activity, foster community-building, and inspire people to think differently about their streets as public spaces.

About SF Counts
SF Counts is the City’s coordinated grassroots effort with a broad network of community, arts, civic, labor, education, government and faith-based organizations to ensure that every person in San Francisco is included and accurately counted in the 2020 Census. Led by the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA), the SF Counts campaign is a multilingual, multicultural outreach and education campaign to inform and motivate San Francisco residents to do the census. SF Counts partners include the San Francisco 2020 Census Complete Count Committee, arts coalition leader Art+Action, hundreds of community non-profit organizations, and City agencies. Together, SF Counts partners are collaborating to reach every corner and neighborhood in the city, remove barriers to participation, and motivate residents to complete the census online beginning in March.

Get in Touch

Staff Directory

Darin Ow-Wing, Executive Director
[email protected]

Jessica Tovar, Program Director
[email protected]

Sally Chen, Deputy Director
[email protected]

Tom Radulovich, Senior Policy Fellow
[email protected]

Isaac Santiago, Sunday Streets Program Manager [email protected]

Reina Terry, Program & Development Associate, reina@livablecity.org