Supervisor Fiona Ma: An Update on Community Happenings

This month I want to give Sunset residents an update on an array of important issues. If you need more information on any of these issues, please call my office at 554-7460 or go to my website at www.ci.sf.ca.us.

Budget Meeting: A budget meeting entitled "Understanding the A-Z of the San Francisco Budget Crisis," took place March 19 at the Stonestown YMCA-Annex Building, 3150 20th Ave. (above CalFed).

The event was sponsored by the Westside Democratic Club, Sunset Community Democratic Club, Golden Gate Heights Neighborhood Association, SPEAK, Sunset-Parkside Reform Democratic Club and the Westside Chinese Democratic Club.

Seeking Fourth-Graders: The California Academy of Sciences invited all San Francisco fourth grade classrooms to participate in a community exhibit that will celebrate the California Academy of Sciences' 150th anniversary, called Artistic Interpretation of the California Academy of Science from 1853 to 2003. Selected projects will be displayed at the Academy from Sept. 2 through Dec. 31.

Field Biology Exploration: On Saturday, March 22, residents cruised the shores of Lake Merced in search of reptiles and amphibians including frogs, lizards, snakes and salamanders. The tour was led by Chris Giorni of Tree Frog Treks and CA Academy of Sciences. For more information, contact Jessie at 621-3260 or jstemmler@sfneighborhood parks.org. For a list of future park workshops or events, contact Suzanna at 753-7268 or e-mail her at suzanna.buehl@sfgov.org.

Golden Gate Park Plan: Open House and presentation/discussion on the Golden Gate Park Music Concourse Landscape Improvement Plan was held on Tuesday, March 25, at the County Fair Building Auditorium in Golden Gate Park at Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Way.

Habitat Restoration: On Saturday, March 29, the Friends of Stern Grove/Pine Lake, St. Gabriel's School and the SF Recreation and Park Department got together for a habitat restoration project at Pine Lake. Tools, gloves, snacks and water were provided. Call Suzanna at 753-7268 for more information.

Beautification Funding: Applications are due for the Mayor's Neighborhood Beautification Fund. Projects should fall within one or more of the following categories: clean-up and maintenance of specified neighborhood, street or property; graffiti removal within a specified route, building, street or area; beautification of specified graffiti, litter or dump site; creation or restoration of a mural intended to promote neighborhood or citywide cultural pride, economical vitality or to deter graffiti; urban forestry (neighborhood tree planting or greening); and general beautification projects with a significant impact. For more information or an application, call Wendy Nelder at (415) 831-2708.

Town Hall Meeting: Join Assemblyman Leland Y. Yee on Thursday, April 3, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., for a discussion of the state budget and other legislative issues affecting the Sunset community and San Francisco. The meeting will be held at the Sunset Recreation Center, located at Lawton Street and 28th Avenue. For more information, call DJ Canepa at 557-2312.

Scholarships: The Association of Chinese Teachers will award at least five $1,500 scholarships to SF-public-high-school-graduating Chinese American seniors who will be pursuing a post secondary education. Selection criteria will be based on community service, leadership, co-curricular activities, a minimum 2.5 GPA and financial need. For applications, e-mail mchoi@muse.sfusd.edu. The deadline is April 4.

Beautification Funding: SF Beautiful is accepting applications for its Mini Grants for beautification projects done with public schools. Applications are due on or before April 3. General SF Beautiful grants are due on or before May 1.

SF Beautiful is also accepting nominations for their Beautification Award honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to the beauty and livability of the City. Applications and information can be found at www.sfbeautiful.org.

Wee-Ones Wonder Fair: Sign-up April 16 to receive free new pre-school kids clothes (ages 4 and under) and much more at the fair, which will be held April 16. For more information, call the Sunset Salvation Army, located at 1362 19th Ave, at (415) 575-4848.

Health Scholarships: College students in the health-related fields have a chance to win up to $10,000 in college grants from the 2003 Tylenol Scholarship program. The company will award $250,000 in scholarships this year to undergraduate and graduate students studying health-related subject matters. Scholarship applications are available at a variety of chain stores or can be downloaded at www.tylenol.com. The due date for applications is April 30.

San Francisco Supervisor Fiona Ma represents District 4.