QUARTERLY NEWS AND UPDATES
Civic Center Plaza Named Among 2018's Best Projects

Curbed San Francisco's team sought out the opinions of industry experts on what developments in San Francisco stood out among the best in 2018; Allison Arieff (SPUR, New York Times) noted Civic Center:  "... BiRite has a  cafe there now ; teens taking selfies with the public art, kids playing at the fabulous new playground, nearby workers enjoying their lunch. There are places to sit! It'll be an ongoing project but it's becoming the public space it always was meant to be."

Large crowd attends Grand Opening Celebration of new Bi-Rite Cafe in Civic Center Plaza - October 23, 2018
Bi-Rite Cafe O pens in Civic Center Plaza 

Civic Center Plaza Bi-Rite Cafe opened to the public on October 23 as Mayor London Breed officiated the "rolling up" of the awnings for the first day of business. Already a popular lunch spot, a line forms in front of the kiosk on most days during mealtimes. Due to demand, Bi-Rite has extended its hours: Monday - Friday, 7am-7pm; Saturday, 9am-7pm; Sunday, 9am-5pm. Cafe visitors can also look for seasonal treats alongside the menu staples of sandwiches, salads, bowls and kid menu items. Children who visit the Main Branch of San Francisco Public Library's children & teen room receive a sticker for a free piece of whole fruit when they visit the cafe. 
CBD Holiday Party

Civic Center, Mid Market and Tenderloin CBDs gathered to celebrate the season and present their annual awards. CCCBD's Civic Star Award was presented to Jackie Safier of the Helen Diller Family Foundation. CCCBD Board Member Phil Ginsburg presented the award to Ms. Safier and her family's foundation for enabling the Helen Diller Civic Center Playgrounds and Bi-Rite Cafe to be built in the heart of our District: Civic Center Plaza.  See photos of the event here.  
Bigbelly Trash Cans Make Their Debut in the District 

In late November the first five Bigbelly trash cans were deployed on District sidewalks. The bins, which run on solar power and compact trash, are designed to discourage rummaging and eliminate litter on District sidewalks.The Bigbelly trash cans were installed in partnership with the City's Fix-It Team.
Holiday Fanfare 2018 

CCCBD Renewal Process 
Going Strong

District renewal is underway for the next term with expanded boundaries and more cleaning, maintenance and public safety services. 

For more information and/or to join the 
Renewal Steering Committee 
please visit our website.
HOLIDAY TREE LIGHTING 

"Snow" billowed, children laughed, and the Tree was lit at the Civic Center Plaza Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony December 5, 5-7pm. Emceed by   Belle Bottoms, the night of entertainment featured p erformances by renowned vocalist  Amy Lizardo, the  SF Girls Chorus, the  Tap Dancing Christmas Trees,  Business Casual,  youth poets from the  America Scores  literacy program, and  Boxcar Theatre holiday characters including the Grinch and Santa led by Artistic Director Nick A. Olivero.

This festive event also featured a toy giveaway for 600 kids from the  San Francisco Police Department's Northern Station and  Another Planet Entertainment, activities such as DIY ornaments with  SF Etsy,  festive button making with the Asian Art Museum, a LEGO winter wonderland build with  Play-Well  and the  Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, and free books and backpacks from the  San Francisco Public Library. There were also delicious holiday bites and drinks, and the adjacent  Winter Park Ice Rink! See more photos from the event on Flickr. 

Mayor London Breed (center) officially lights the Civic Center Plaza Tree, counting down with
(left to right) vocalist Amy Lizardo, emcee Belle Bottoms, City Administrator Naomi Kelly,
Board Member Phil Ginsburg, the Grinch and Santa
ICE SKATING RINK DELIGHTS

The new Winter Park Ice Rink held its Grand Opening on November 30; hosted by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, attendees saw Brian Boitano, SF Ice Theater, and Yerba Buena Little Skaters perform at the launch of the inaugural season of ice skating on the steps of City Hall! The ice rink and track were modeled after the internationally-famed Wiener-Eistraum (an ice rink located in the City Hall Square of Vienna, Austria) and was open to the public through the holiday season until January 6, 2019.

Among the ice rink's special events were First Responders Appreciation Days, iHeart Radio Wednesday themed DJ skate parties, curling lessons, a free skate night and a Daybreaker yoga event. The rink also partnered with the San Francisco Unified School District and San Francisco Recreation & Parks Department to invite every student in the Tenderloin District to experience the Winter Park Ice Rink for free.

 
COMMONS BLOCK PARTY  SEASON 2018 WRAPS

The 2018 Block Party series came to a close in the last quarter; with the 3rd Thursdays evening parties providing an opportunity for friends, families and co-workers to enjoy amazing music curated by Another Planet Entertainment, bites and drinks from Off the Grid food trucks and free lawn games; with the final party of the 3rd Thursdays season wrapping up on October 18.
The inaugural 1st Sundays Block Party series wrapped November 4 with free roller skating by The Church of 8 Wheels, SF Etsy vendors, a chance to hangout with City Grazing goats, DIY pom-pom keychain making, an opportunity to move with Alonzo King LINES Dance Center, a LEGO build center with San Francisco Department of Children, Youth & Their Families and a chance to play giant Scrabble with 826 Valencia.  See photos of the entire 2018 Block Party series on the Civic Center Commons Flickr page .

District in the News
Hunters Point Family's Vital Role in Civic Center Highlighted in San Francisco Chronicle

The San Francisco Chronicle recently brought attention to the wonderful work the Hunters Point Family Stewards are doing in Civic Center and beyond, noting their vital role in helping keep Civic Center cleaner and safer. The article also notes the success of the Hunters Point Family in Civic Center Commons has led to more Stewards also working to improve BART elevators and lavatory conditions at the SF Public Library's Main Branch (beginning January 2019).

Clusterfest 2018 Among Top Pop Culture Moments in Bay Area

The San Francisco Chronicle named the 2018 Clusterfest as one of the top pop culture moments in the Bay Area for the year. It also noted the "...festival continues to build with top acts and solid depth with its comedy performers."
Civic Center BART Station Entrance Closed & Pilot Program Shares Data Gathered from Elevator Attendants

The second Civic Center Station entrance at 8th and Market streets closed  permanently closed on November 1. The closure is to ready the station for installation of a new power substation aimed at increasing the number of trains BART can run during peak commute times.

Also, BART released data from the initial elevator attendant program, which finds the program is working:  "'We have seen a significant drop in misuse' of those elevators to virtually nil," said David Coggshall, Assistant Superintendent of System Service. The initial pilot program will continue through June 30, 2019. 
SFPD Increases Units to Tackle Drug Dealing

The SFPD is supplementing the ongoing efforts to get drugs and drug dealers off downtown streets. A recent article on  San Francisco News states: "According to  the Mayor's website, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott is in the process of adding 10 new officers, including a second lieutenant and two sergeants will be assigned to the San Francisco Police Department Tenderloin Station." These additional police officers will help increase the SFPD's foot beat officer patrols of the neighborhoods by 50 percent. 

The SF Chronicle followed with an article stating how the SFPD is often dealing with a "revolving door at the Hall of Justice" of dealers coming back out to the street days after their arrests. However, the SFPD is making sure it's much harder for drugs to be openly sold on the streets: "...if they can't get rid of them, the police can make the dealers' lives as miserable as possible by seizing their product and cash. Police seized 1,072 bindles of heroin, cocaine, meth and fentanyl in the Tenderloin and South of Market from Oct. 2 to Nov 7." 
New District 6 Supervisor: 
Matt Haney

Voters chose -- after a strong race by candidates Christine Johnson, Sonja Trauss and Matt Haney -- a new District 6 Supervisor: Haney. When Haney, who won with 56.8% of the vote, was named the projected winner, he told  Mission Local: "The scale of it is larger than we thought. But I thought we did do what we needed to do in order to win."
New Public Art Focusing on Women Comes into Focus -- First Piece to be in Civic Center 

The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve "policy that at least 30 percent of historical figures depicted in statues and other artworks on city-owned property be women." A piece depicting Maya Angelou will be first, and will be installed on the steps of the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library. The San Francisco Arts Commission sent a call for artists to submit their proposed designs by January 25, 2019!
Dog Days of Winter: New Outdoor Statue at Asian Art Museum 

The Asian Art Museum has installed a new outdoor sculpture on the Larkin Street Steps: Y oshitomo Nara's  Your Dog.  Installed during the Year of the Dog, visit Your Dog with your dog and take a photo with the Asian Art Museum's hashtag #Naradog. Also, to welcome the new canine neighbor, Civic Center Commons is sharing images of cute pups in Civic Center with the hashtag #pupsofciviccenter taken during the Year of the Dog. Take a look at some of the cute photos already shared and make sure to share yours as well!
MORE ARTICLES...

KQED interviews students on the closure of Art Institute-San Francisco

Tony Hawk skates in Civic Center Plaza

Eater SF shares its picks for best cocktail bars in San Francisco -- includes District favorite Kaya
Upcoming Events

MURAL UNVEILING
 
Postponed due to the poor air quality from the Camp Fire in November, the Hickory Alley mural unveiling will happen January 25. Hosted by Friends of Hickory Alley and SF Parks Alliance, the unveiling will include food and drinks, music by Conservatory of Music students and a chance to meet the ArtSpan artist behind the piece: Hueman. More info here.
District Beauty

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