Here's What Mayor Daniel Lurie Plans To Do For Ingleside

Mayor Daniel Lurie has been fast at work proposing legislation to combat the city’s fentanyl crisis and securing $130 million in federal funding.

But what does he have in store for the greater Ingleside, part of a collection of neighborhoods described as forgotten?

A good picture of what Lurie will do can be seen by examining the questionnaire his campaign answered during the run-up to the election.

Community Engagement

Taking inspiration from former mayors Dianne Feinstein and Willie Brown, Lurie plans to walk the city’s streets daily to interact with the community and give direction to department heads based on his experiences. Willie Brown's leadership can be seen in Ingleside: He saved the Geneva Office Building & Powerhouse from demolition and led the charge to build the Ocean View Library. Walking by his side will be Lakeview/Ocean View-Merced Heights-Ingleside resident Ernest “EJ” Jones, who Lurie appointed as his director of community affairs.

Investing In Youth, Caring For The Vulnerable

To keep kids off the street and set them on a path to success, Lurie said he’d partner with schools, nonprofits and local businesses to create more opportunities like after-school programs, sports leagues and art initiatives.

In addition, he plans to use his experience as founder and former CEO of Tipping Point Community to bring similar innovations and accountability to City Hall especially with its handling of nonprofits and plans to keep funding the Dignity Fund, a city program that provides social services to older people, adults with disabilities, veterans and caregivers.

Housing

Lurie said he would explore tax incentives for landlords of long-vacant units who lease them at below market-rate rents, work to reduce bureaucratic hurdles that delay the leasing process and support programs that match landlords with tenants.

Leveraging City College

Lurie plans to stabilize and increase enrollment by working with City College of San Francisco's leadership, faculty, union and students to advocate for additional funding, expand workforce development programs, reduce waitlists for core classes and create new partnerships with local businesses. He wants to align the curriculum with emerging industries and provide robust support services to make the college a premiere destination for education and career training.

On its way and set to open to the public by 2027 is the construction of the Diego Rivera Theater and the return of Rivera’s huge priceless fresco “Pan American Unity." Lurie predicts that the Diego Rivera Theater will become a cultural landmark that draws in visitors from across the city and beyond. To achieve this, Lurie said he’d work with the college community, the city’s tourist sector and local businesses to market the attraction with tactics like highlighting the venue as an events center and will work to improve transit access and community programming around the theater.

Community Project Completions

In an effort to give the community their long-awaited projects like the Balboa Park Area Plan and the second phase of the Geneva Office Building & Powerhouse renovation project, Lurie plans to change the system and culture behind City Hall’s bureaucratic processes to deliver on these visionary plans.

For projects like the Geneva Office Building & Powerhouse, he said he would work with stakeholders to secure private and public investment, explore innovative financing mechanisms, streamline approvals and engage with the community in the planning process.

Waste Collection

Lurie is open to taking a look at the city’s waste collection monopoly and said he’d explore options to introduce competition or establish tighter regulations to ensure better service and fairer pricing for Ingleside residents.

Small Business Revitalization

Lurie has a full plate when it comes to empowering small businesses. He plans to waive small business startup fees and licenses for their first year by making the First Year Free program, which is set to expire this year, permanent. He would close the loopholes that allow City Hall to delay reviewing permit requests when a small business needs to remodel or make upgrades and reform the process, eliminate inspection fees for bars and restaurants on their first remodel, create a business mentorship program to support local entrepreneurs, expand and better utilize small business grant programs and façade improvement funds, improve signage and way-finding to attract visitors and launch a shop-local campaign to encourage neighborhood spending. He also wants to increase ridership in the neighborhood by working with agencies like the Municipal Transportation Agency to improve safety, frequency and reliability as well as working with the community on transit projects.

For Ingleside's stretch of Ocean Avenue, he fully supports the renewal and expansion of the Ocean Avenue Association, a community benefit district authorized by City Hall to maintain and improve the area with assessment funds from benefitting property owners and said he will work with association's leadership to ensure the district delivers tangible benefits to all stakeholders like enhancing safety measures, beautifying public spaces and supporting local businesses through marketing and events.

Tree Canopy

When asked how he planned to tackle the city's poor tree canopy, Lurie said he would improve tree canopies by protecting and increasing funding for tree planting like partnering with schools and community groups to launch tree-planting initiatives and maintenance and will push for policies that ensure mature trees are properly cared for.

Public Safety

Lurie has several proposed plans to boost safety. No. one is fully staffing and resourcing the police department. Once fully staffed, he envisions officers to be embedded into the neighborhood, attending community meetings, building relationships with residents and working proactively to address issues before they escalate. In addition, he plans to build upon community safety programs to provide community-rooted de-escalation and safety services like the Castro Community On Patrol nonprofit.

Lurie has already begun tackling this commitment with a proposed ordinance that focuses on combating the city’s fentanyl crisis by soliciting private and philanthropic funding for behavioral health, homelessness and public safety projects and expediting hiring and city contracts for mental health, addiction and shelter services which in turn reduces the Board of Supervisors oversight.