Yesterday, February 13, 2012, the Land Use Committee of the Board of Supervisors held an informational hearing to discuss the impact of large events at Golden Gate Park. Over 150 supporters of music and the arts came to the hearing to show their support for great events like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Outside Lands, and Power to the People. Supporters included neighbors, carpenters, promoters, local businesses and music fans from throughout the Bay Area. In the two and a half hours of public testimony, it was clear that the positive benefits of these events far outweigh any negative impacts.

Alix Rosenthal, Co-Chair of CMAC, said, “These great music events continue a legacy of large events in Golden Gate Park that has been going on for decades. Golden Gate Park is not just for those who live close to the park. It is for all of us.”

To ensure that these events can continue to thrive, commitments were made by all to continue to work with local residents on ways to lessen the impact on surrounding neighborhoods.  CMAC will continue to work closely with key stakeholders to ensure that all Bay Area residents can continue to enjoy large events in Golden Gate Park. We want to thank everyone who came out and showed their support for music in San Francisco.

On Monday, Feb 13 at 1 PM in the Supervisor's Board Room at City Hall, the Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee is having an informational hearing to discuss the impacts off of large scale events in Golden Gate Park including Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Outside Lands, and Bay to Breakers. This is a follow-up hearing to those that were held in 2009 and 2010. This hearing promises to be well attended by neighborhood organizations who would like to either shut down or otherwise limit events like these. The Committee is chaired by Supervisor Eric Mar, and also includes Supervisors Scott Wiener and Malia Cohen.

Although there are no action items on the table, it is imperative that we as a community counter the NIMBY organizers with a coalition of fans that strongly supports these events and better represents the majority of the Bay Area residents and businesses who want music and entertainment to continue in Golden Gate Park. Golden Gate Park serves the whole city, not just the immediate neighbors.

The Land Use Committee Meeting will take place on Monday, Feb 13 at 1 PM in the Board of Supervisors Chambers. We have been told that the item will be scheduled towards the beginning, but it will likely be a long hearing.

PLEASE:

1. Email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell us you can come and speak.

2. Sign the petition at http://tinyurl.com/6wcztrg

3. Call or write your Supervisor or the members of this Land Use Committee. Their names, email, FAX, and phone numbers are below. Always be respectful and positive about the contributions of these events to all of us in San Francisco.

If you email, please put "Support Live Music in the Park" in the subject line.

Supervisor Mar

(415) 554-7410 - Voice

(415) 554-7415 - Fax

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Supervisor Cohen

(415) 554-7670 - Voice

(415) 554-7674 - Fax

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Supervisor Wiener

(415) 554-6968 - Voice

(415) 554-6909 - Fax

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­---------------------Neighborhood Flyer Announcing Meeting--------------------

GOLDEN GATE PARK CONCERTS - IMPORTANT MEETING

What:    Hearing - SF Board of Supervisors Land Use & Economic Development Committee

When:     Monday, February 13, 2012, 1:00 pm

Where:  City Hall, Room 263

Why:  Discuss Outside Lands, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, and Other Large Concerts in Golden Gate Park

Recent concerts in Golden Gate Park, such as Outside Lands and

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, troubled many of us.  Problems included

unacceptable noise, traffic congestion, illegal camping, and damage

to Golden Gate Park.

Richmond District Supervisor Eric Mar is holding a hearing on the

community impacts of these and other large events in Golden Gate

Park.

This is our chance to tell City Hall and the concert producers how

these concerts impact our neighborhood and our lives.

Come to this important hearing in City Hall on Monday, February

13, 2012, at 1 pm.  We have to stand up for our neighborhood

and Golden Gate Park .

Speak out, even if your voice trembles.

Dear Members, Fans and Supporters:

We want to thank you for considering signing up as a member of the California Music and Culture Association and helping us to create California’s first-ever nightlife industry trade association. We've made incredible progress this past year and a half and it truly wouldn't have been possible without you. I hope that you can share our satisfaction in having taken the very first steps in giving a real voice to the "Other 9 to 5."

Included below is a list of CMAC’s accomplishments since our inception. This list is impressive for any organization, much less one that is so young. More important than any individual accomplishment, however, is the fact that we have created a responsive, well-oiled machine that is ready to react to any government action that adversely affects our industry. No longer will we stand by while our bottom-line, investments and reputations are racked by poorly drafted or short-sighted initiatives, over-zealous enforcers, or ill-informed journalists. That is why we say with firm resolve that CMAC is in existence to "Empower the Other 9 to 5.”

Some of Our Accomplishments:

1. We defeated the ill-conceived alcohol fee that would have disproportionately burdened our industry.

2. We worked with Senator Mark Leno to stop the California ABC’s over regulation of infused beverages.

3. We worked with Assemblywoman Fiona Ma to modify her Anti-Rave Act so that electronic music would not be inappropriately banned on public venues.

4. We partnered with the Recording Academy to produce both a citywide supervisorial candidates forum at Yoshi’s and a mayoral forum at the Fillmore.

5. We've organized two Nightlife Safety Summits to provide our members valuable information before Halloween and New Years Eve, the two biggest nights for our industry.

6. We developed a Compliance Best Practice Guide for venue owners and operators.

7. We spent countless hours at City Hall advocating for policies that make it easier for our industry to conduct business.

AND right now we are working to make the Western Soma more business friendly.

We simply cannot continue this important work without you and your membership. That is why we ask that you renew your membership now so we can continue working to solidify our gains and minimize the possibility of having to fight these same battles again at a later date. We will do this by continuing our work at the local level, while we establish ourselves as a viable statewide force, with the clout to protect ourselves and our state-issued permits and licenses from those who do not share our values.

So please take a moment to renew. When you do, please know that your dues are money well spent for no trade organization has been more successful in changing the political climate that threatened so many of us our businesses just 18 months ago.

Our collective livelihoods depend upon it.

San Francisco’s nightclubs are being unfairly blamed for safety problems at the city’s small parking lots. Monday night the SF Small Business Commission did discuss and agree to recommend  holding parking lot owners responsible for what happens on their parking lots at night, but not without a fight.  If this legislation does not pass it will single out several other industries, including nightlife as the cause of unsafe parking lots. This bizarre and illogical change in the proposed legislation would shift the responsibility for one small business’s security and safety to a completely unrelated neighboring business. We applaud the final Small Business Commission decision but understand that the real time for this argument will be at the Board of Supervisors.  

While CMAC stands with SFPD and our neighbors in wishing to improve safety on city streets, our clubs can only be held responsible for what occurs inside and in front of their doors. Just as nightclubs take responsibility for huge improvements in their own safety in recent years (including Guard-Card requirements, promoter registration and widespread video integration), parking lot owners must take a hard look at their own industry and invest the required capital to make their properties safe. CMAC is ready to provide case studies and consultation with any small business that wishes to learn from our recent push to make our nightlife safer and more secure.

We ask that you join CMAC at www.CMACsf.org and  help us insure that this legislation places the safety burden on those that financially benefit, the parking lot owners.  Watch for a call to action and come testify with us when that date is known.

As we approach 2012, CMAC wants to ensure you are aware of a number of new policies effective (January 1, 2012) that might impact you or your business, including:

• Smoking Prohibition Enforcement Alert
• San Francisco Minimum Wage Increase
• Food Handler Card Compliance

Please click here to get the scoop!