China Basin Neighborhood Notice
Manager’s Messages
SF’s 150-Foot Ferris Wheel Opens October 21
After sitting silent and half-built for 6 months in Golden Gate Park, “Skystar” is set to open finally in “late October”
A huge observation wheel intended to be a centerpiece of Golden Gate Park’s 150th Anniversary celebrations on in April has sat dormant after being partially constructed at the beginning of COVID-19.
The 150-foot, illuminated Observation Wheel in Golden Gate Park will be ready to ride starting Wednesday, October 21. The wheel, which provides riders with sweeping views from the ocean to downtown San Francisco, celebrates Golden Gate Park’s 150th anniversary.
Hours: Bookings for Skystar can be made in 1-hour time windows from Noon to 9pm Monday through Friday, and 10am to 9pm Saturdays and Sundays. There are 250 tickets available per hour.
Normally $18 for adults and $12 for kids, all tickets are $10 during opening week October 21 through 25. Buy Tickets
To prevent the spread of Covid-19, all reservations to ride must be made in advance. Riders must wear masks and practice social distancing. Each of the 36 fully enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas will be thoroughly cleaned between uses. Each gondola will be shared only by people in the same household.
The Observation Wheel is located in the Music Concourse, the outdoor plaza near the de Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Japanese Tea Garden.
Bay Area May Require Telecommuting, Even After COVID-19
To curb commuting emissions, large companies may be required to have employees work from home 3 days a week.
The goal of the proposed plan would be to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from car commuting.
The plan to require telecommuting is part of a larger proposal on how transit should look in the Bay Area in 2050. The proposal was approved 11-1 last week.
The controversial proposal would ensure that large, office-based companies keep 60% of their workers at home on workdays in order to help curb climate change.
The plan is still in the early stages, and it’s not clear if it’s approved officially what kind of “teeth” the MTC will have.
Institute Telecommuting Mandates for Major Office-Based Employers
Strategy Objective
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, traffic congestion, and transit overcrowding by increasing the number of Bay Area workers that work from home one or more days per week.
Strategy Description
Build upon the significant shift to work from home during COVID-19 and mandate that large employers have at least 60
percent of their employees telecommute on any given workday. This requirement would be limited to large office-based employers whose workforce can work remotely. telecommuting target of 60 percent on a typical weekday.
This could enable an increase from the projected telecommute share of 14 percent in the Draft Blueprint to up to as high as 25 percent in the Final Blueprint, recognizing that half of the workforce has a job that must be completed in-person (not eligible for telecommuting).
The policy would require the employer to meet this target each workday. Employers could meet this target using anyvariety of alternative work options, such as compressedwork weeks, flexible work schedules, or remote workpolicies.
Changes Since Draft Blueprint
This strategy was not included in the Draft Blueprint and wasadded based upon public feedback this summer. Given the
changes in travel patterns during the coronavirus pandemic, there was strong support for bolder policies on this front in the Final Blueprint, including a mandate for office-based employers. To ensure this strategy achieves equity goals, a complementary strategy to expand internet access in underserved communities was added to the Economy Element as well.
Earn Rewards to Local Shops for Cleaning Up Dolores Park (Oct. 2-11)
Dolores Park needs your help! People are leaving litter all over the place. But, we have an idea to combat trash, support local businesses, and reward you all in one. From Oct 2 through Oct 11, we are running a cleanup effort. All you have to do is
- pick up 100 pieces of trash in Dolores Park in the Mission using the Rubbish app,
- screenshot your Rubbish Run map when done
- share your Rubbish map summary on Instagram and tag @rubbish.love.
Then, we’ll send you a gift card to a local shop Download the iOS app at www.rubbish.love
We’ll have litter picker uppers, t-shirts and stickers to hand out as well. Join us! This cleanup campaign is sponsored by Rob Levy, a Compass agent and neighbor. Local businesses include Tartine Bakery, Humphry Slocombe, Dynamo Donut, and more.
Cost: FREE*
*Pick up 100 pieces of trash in Dolores Park in the Mission using the Rubbish app, screenshot your Rubbish Run map when done share your Rubbish map summary on Instagram and tag @rubbish.loveCategories: *Top Pick*, Fun & Games, In Person, Outdoors
Venue: Mission Dolores Park
Address: Dolores St., and 19th St., San Francisco, CA
BART Getting More Trains Starting Sept. 14
Starting next Monday, September 14th, BART will run an updated schedule. The new schedule calls for more frequency during peak weekday commute hours on several lines, creating more hours with 15-minute frequencies.
Service hours remain the same: 5 am-9 pm weekdays, 8 am-9 pm weekends. Read the full article.
Commute trains at 15-minute frequencies will be added to most lines as well as other adjustments to the schedule including 30-minute frequencies on Saturday and Sunday to reflect current ridership levels.
Three lines will have 15-minute frequencies during the busiest commute hours on weekdays in the peak direction of travel: Antioch-SFO (Yellow); Richmond-Millbrae (Red); Berryessa-Daly City (Green). Dublin/Pleasanton-Daly City (Blue) and Richmond-Berryessa (Orange) Lines will not have added trains but riders can expect to benefit from the increased service and be able to spread out.
All other weekday times will continue to run 30-minute frequencies.
BART allows real-time train departures for riders to follow at https://bart.gov/schedules/eta or using the Official BART App on smartphones. Plan ahead your next ride using the BART Trip Planner at https://bart.gov/planner. PDF timetables are available at https://bart.gov/schedules/pdf
San Francisco Gyms Can Officially Reopen Today
Starting September 9th, gyms are allowed to finally start opening for outdoor workouts
SF gym buffs, as long as you don’t mind dark orange smokey skies, today is the time to hit the gym outside. According to the latest timeline of reopenings, the city has finally allowed gyms and fitness centers to operate outdoors but with restrictions due to Covid-19.
Currently, tents that protect the outdoor gym are being utilized that enables one-on-one personal training. But by the end of the month, the city’s goal is to allow for indoor use of gyms and fitness centers with limited capacity.
Despite the Spare the Air Alert today and wildfire smoke filling out skies, It seems that there is no stopping in shedding the pandemic pounds in SF Today.
Please be safe!
SF’s First Drive-In Movie Theater Sells Out in 72 Hours
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture launches “Fort Mason Flix”, San Francisco’s first drive-in movie theater from September 18 to October 18, 2020.
First batch of 16 movies in September sell out in 3 days. October schedule released soon.
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture launches “Fort Mason Flix”, San Francisco’s first drive-in movie theater from September 18 to October 18, 2020.
A pop-up drive-in theater launching September 18, 2020, “Fort Mason Flix” will present a drive in movies, from family favorites and cult classics to blockbusters and arthouse cinema. Running six days a week through October 18, “Fort Mason Flix” will feature an oversized 40’ x 20’ high definition LED Screen.
UPDATE – All September shows are sold out – stay tuned for the October schedule.
At 4,500 nits, this powerhouse screen is up to 90x brighter than a standard movie theater projector, allowing visitors to enjoy their favorite movie in daylight as well as after sunset.
“Fort Mason Flix”
September 18-October 18, 2020
Tuesday to Sunday, Two Daily Screenings
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture, 2 Marina Boulevard, San Francisco
> Buy Tickets: $49 per vehicle – limited to legal capacity of car based on number of seatbelts.
“Fort Mason Flix” provides a safe moviegoing experience, with online ticket sales, contactless check-in, and concessions, a limited capacity, the safe physical distance between vehicles, expanded cleaning and sanitation in restrooms, and PPE for all theater and security staff.
Tickets for September showings will be available for purchase beginning at 12 p.m. on Friday, September 4, 2020. Tickets can be purchased at fortmason.org/flix. Tickets for Community Partners events will be sold directly by those partner organizations.
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture is proud to partner with DoTheBay, the official media partner of “Fort Mason Flix”, and Xfinity. To celebrate the launch of “Fort Mason Flix”, DoTheBay is hosting an exclusive giveaway: a complimentary car pass, plus a food and drink voucher to the movie screening of the winner’s choice. Enter to win at dothebay.com/flix
BART Update
Please find the following message from the Mission Bay Shuttle Team:
Good afternoon, MB Community,
We thought you’d like to know about this information just released by BART.
While everyone is still learning more about Coronavirus and how it’s transmitted, as we learn new information that relates to commuting to and from Mission Bay, we’ll pass it along.
For the foreseeable future, maintaining social distances and wearing masks are the most effective precautions in effect on transit systems, including the Shuttle.
These significantly lower the risk of transmission. With social distancing and masking, early research indicates that transit systems are NOT the cause of the virus spreading.
RELEASE DATE: 08/13/2020
The air you breathe while riding BART is filtered more effectively than that in
the typical office or indoor setting like a grocery store or pharmacy, with an
entire train car’s air being replaced about every 70 seconds.
Because the coronavirus spreads through droplets in the air when
a person coughs, sneezes or even just talks, air filtration is key to stopping
transmission. Wearing a mask is a first line of protection; BART’s Heating,
Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system provides another safety layer.
“The BART fleet’s ventilation systems provide passengers with about 4,000 cubic
feet per minute of air per car, or about 50 air changes per hour, which is
substantial when compared with other public spaces,” said Daniel Cheng, Senior
Vehicle Systems Engineer. “All the air is filtered before entering
the passenger area.”
For a copy of the full press release, which also details some pilot projects BART is exploring using new technology, visit www.bart.gov.
Please stay safe.
Wendy Silvani
for MB Shuttle
Brand New Curbside Pickup Comes to SF Public Libraries
SF libraries are back with SFPL To Go, their new contactless front door pick-up service starting Aug. 10
SFPL To Go is a service that safely delivers requested library materials to patrons at select library locations. It’s San Francisco Public Library’s version of “curbside pickup;” they are providing a contact-free front door type service where patrons can queue up outside their buildings to pick up their requested books at the library entrance.
The new program will roll out in phases with the first locations opening at the Main Library on Monday, August 10th and at the Excelsior Branch on Tuesday, August 11th. On July 9th, the San Francisco Public Library Commission endorsed a plan for SFPL To Go, the Library’s version of curbside pick-up. Over the coming weeks, the Library will open more SFPL To Go locations at Mission Bay, Eureka Valley, Merced, and Marina branches. Additional neighborhood libraries will offer the service as staffing capacity allows. Almost half of the Library’s staff are currently deployed as Disaster Service Workers. Library patrons can request a book, DVD, audiobook, LP or any circulating library item for front door pick-up by going to sfpl.org and placing a hold through their library account; by emailing info@sfpl.org or by calling 415-557-4400. Once the item is ready, patrons will receive a notice via email, phone or mail for retrieval. Book drops will be open only at SFPL To Go locations during operating hours.
Are the items safe to handle? Is it safe for patrons? Is it safe for staff?
Guidance on safe materials handling has been provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the City and County of San Francisco Department of Public Health. Your holds will be in a new paper bag, ready for you to “grab and go.” Bags and contents sit overnight without being touched again until you arrive to retrieve your holds. Once you arrive, you will not be allowed inside the building. A staff person will greet you at the door behind a table at least 6 feet distant, with a barrier. When staff places your items on a table, we will handle the bag by the bottom only. Then we will move away and allow you to approach and take your bag by the handles or top. When you return your items, staff will isolate them for 96 hours. Items will remain checked out to you until it’s safe for staff to handle them.
PS: Materials checked out pre-closure are not due until September 30th. As SFPL is Fabulously Fine Free, there are no late fees.
SF Announces More COVID Testing Capacity & Test Sites Mayor says San Francisco to add 1,400 testing slots at three COVID-19 testing sites.
Mayor London N. Breed today announced new strategies for COVID-19 testing prioritization and availability to address the surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in San Francisco. San Francisco’s public COVID-19 testing program will focus on people who have symptoms consistent with the virus, close contacts of confirmed cases, and people prioritized by the Department of Public Health such as those impacted by an outbreak.
In addition, San Francisco’s public COVID-19 testing program will continue to serve first responders, activated Disaster Service Workers, people who must leave their homes to work in San Francisco, people without health insurance, and communities disproportionately impacted by this global pandemic. People with private health insurance should continue to request tests from their health care providers.
To support this effort, the CityTestSF site at the Embarcadero will add 400 new appointments per day to ensure that first responders, including City Disaster Service Workers, have access to testing.
Additionally, two new mobile testing sites that can each conduct up to 250 tests per day will be added to the City’s current testing assets, and will be deployed in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The placement of these new sites will be determined in consultation with community members.
A new long-term test site also will be added in the southeastern part of the City, starting with approximately 500 more tests per day for individuals most in need of testing.
Consistent prioritization of testing in congregate settings such as skilled nursing facilities has greatly contributed to San Francisco’s achievement of a fivefold lower death rate than those in comparable counties. San Francisco has consistently exceeded its target of conducting 1,800 tests daily, reaching an average of 3,212 daily tests this week.
In early July, a combination of increased testing demand paired with a delay in national laboratory results created a need to reevaluate existing testing resources in the City and determine how testing capacity could be improved, reprioritized and expanded.
Every Free COVID-19 Testing Site in San Francisco