Call to Action: Latest Redistricting Map Splits North Beach and Waterfront Neighborhoods

Proposed Map of District Boundaries Would Break Apart the Northeastern Neighborhoods

A new map was just released by the San Francisco Redistricting Task Force. It’s a dramatic change. It would cut North Beach in half at Columbus Avenue, and remove parts of Russian Hill, Chinatown, Nob Hill, and Financial District as well. It separates the Barbary Coast neighborhood from our children’s playground and the Ferry Building.

We need to act now to make sure the task force hears us loud and clear: this needless change would break up our neighborhoods. Neighborhoods on boundary lines or splintered between 2 districts get fewer resources and suffer from less attention from the city.

Here’s how you can take action:

1.) Write To the Task Force Today
E-mail rdtf@sfgov.org now and let them know you oppose the “March 18th Map 2B.” Instead, mention that you support the “District 3 United Neighborhoods Plan” (see map). Share why it’s so important to you personally that these nearby neighborhoods like North Beach, Russian Hill, Chinatown, the Downtown, and Barbary Coast not be split into two different districts.

2.) Make Public Comment on Wednesday
This Wednesday, March 23rd at 5:30pm, the Task Force will meet to continue drawing new maps. You will have a chance to give a 2-minute public comment. This can be done virtually or in-person.

Here are details for the meeting and how to join. We expect this meeting to span the entire evening, so you can choose when to tune in to give your public comment as it fits your schedule.

Here are the most important points to cover in your email or public comment:–

• Columbus Avenue is NOT a boundary. It is the backbone of the neighborhood. Drawing the line there, as it does in Map 2B, would cut North Beach in half.
• Please add all of Russian Hill to District 3 to balance population. This plan utilizes the natural boundaries of Van Ness and a contiguous waterfront to Market Street.
• We share numerous traits and a have a history of working collaboratively with Russian Hill and the other nearby neighborhoods. We have mutual reliance on hospitality and tourism, shared shopping corridors, and overlapping schools and community services.
• Map 2B completely ignores the natural and historical boundaries such as Van Ness, Market Street, and the northern waterfront, which have traditionally defined an area with a multitude of interests in common.
• We support the “District 3 United Neighborhood Plan”, backed by more than a dozen community organizations in District 3. It is coherent, simple and meets all of the redistricting criteria.

The Barbary Coast Neighborhood Association has joined more than a dozen organizations in District 3 to endorse a District 3 United Neighborhoods plan. This would accommodate the needed population growth of District 3 by including all of Russian Hill, a community that is currently split between two districts. We believe that shared traits between Russian Hill and the rest of District 3 – from a reliance on tourism to shared schools and small business communities – are best served together.