Supervisor Jake McGoldrick: Health fest, bus changes

When faced with critical health issues, many San Franciscans do not know where to go for help or what services are available to assist them. Many agencies and organizations also struggle with connecting to residents who would benefit from their assistance.

Therefore, I am very pleased to announce our 2008 Richmond District Community Health Festival, which will provide a unique neighborhood venue for our Richmond residents to get in touch with agencies that may be able to offer needed help.

This is our fourth health festival and I'm excited to be working again with state Sen. Leland Yee, Kaiser Permanente, Compassionate Community Care, On Lok Lifeways and Richmond Area Multi-Services Inc. (RAMS).

The health festival will offer more than 30 health organizations and give an opportunity for the public to learn about the many services offered. The public can receive health information from community organizations, have their medications reviewed, and receive free clinical services and consultations from participating organizations. With an understanding of the cultural diversity within the Richmond District, we have invited agencies that provide multi-lingual services, including Cantonese and Russian.

The Richmond Community Health Festival will be held on Saturday, May 31, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Richmond Recreation Center, 251 18th Ave. (between California and Clement streets). Admission is free. Cantonese and Russian translators are available. The premises are wheelchair accessible. Please plan taking alternative transportation, as street parking is extremely limited. The Richmond Recreation Center is accessible by Muni lines #1 and #38.

I urge you to attend the health festival to find out what health services are available for you and those you care for. There will be great local entertainment, refreshments, music and children's activities. If you wish to find out more about this event, call my office at (415) 554-7410. I hope to see you at the festival!

Transit Effectiveness Project

As you may have heard, the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) has spent the past 18 months gathering ridership data, studying best practices from other various transit systems, and conducting extensive public outreach to customers, community stakeholders, policy makers and SF Metropolitan Transportation Authority employees.

Taking all of the information from these various sources, TEP recommends improving reliability, reducing travel times and updating Muni routes. The goals of the TEP preliminary proposals are reducing congestion, decreasing pollution and making sure people get to their destination efficiently and safely. Proposals range from adding more routes during the busiest times and eliminating routes that have very few customers.

Between April 19 and May 17, the TEP will be sharing its preliminary proposals for Muni service changes and improvements at a series of 11 community meetings throughout San Francisco. Interpretation in Cantonese and Spanish will be provided, and there will be a Fast Pass raffle at each meeting. The TEP's draft proposals are available at www.sftep.com and TEP is open to comments, insights and suggestions.

Proposed changes for the Richmond neighborhood area include:

á The 38L-Geary Limited would run more often, later (until about 10 p.m.) and on Sundays. Richmond expresses would stop at Van Ness Avenue

á 38-Geary La Playa branch would be replaced by rerouted Muni #18 service along 46th Avenue, providing town service to Ocean Beach and outer Balboa Street

á The 28L-19th Avenue Limited would have improved travel times, run until about 9 p.m., and be extended to serve City College, the Balboa BART, Mission Street, and possibly to the Bayshore Caltrain station

á The 1-California would run more frequently during peak hours between Presidio Avenue and 33rd Avenue

á The 5-Fulton would have limited stops during peak hours between Sixth and Van Ness avenues, with service to the Transbay Terminal at all times.

To allow for these improvements, some routes are proposed to be discontinued, including:

á 2-Clement between Park Presidio Boulevard and 33rd Avenue (where the 1 and 38 lines provide frequent service a block away)

á The 28/28L-19th Avenue lines would no longer serve the Golden Gate Bridge toll plaza.

Public input is critical! For the next two months, you can become involved and help shape these proposals to improve the Muni system. Share your feedback through a variety of sources by attending a community workshop, calling the 311 customer service line, visiting and sending an e-mail to www.sftep.com, and/or submitting comments on the Web at www.sfmta.com/tepcomments.

For more information or questions, comments or concerns, visit the Web site at http://sftep.com.

Jake McGoldrick is a San Francisco supervisor representing District 1.