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Please see the new article published with the San Francisco Street Sheet here.
Want to save trees right now? Check out this link for the list of trees ready for the axe and write an email to protest!
(even one email will schedule a hearing to prevent action!)
There are many links inside the article for further information :)
I'll be posting them here later on.
Check out the guide and info below! there are also some videos here.
--HOW TO SAVE A TREE
IN 10 STEPS--
With thousands Of trees being cut down across San Francisco, there should be one that you want to defend soon. Here's how to protect one (or more!):
(During all steps: Organize within your community: talk to neighbors, friends, business owners, and anyone else that might care about the same tree(s). Make flyers n stuff. Try to organize meetings. Also reach out to the SF Supervisor in your district and try to open a dialogue.)
1. Look at the new Tree Notifications Page for current listings of trees that are slated to be cut down and killed ("removed").
2. Write an email to urbanforestry@sfdpw.org saying you want to keep the tree and you love it!
3. Expect the department to try and convince you that cutting down the tree is okay. It's for your "safety." This tree is "unhealthy," "declining," etc. they will literally come up with any excuse they can to get you to let them kill the tree.
4. Go to the hearing for the tree. You can request an email update about the tree(s) you want to save.
Note: If you have a disability, you can also attend any hearings by phone.
Ask for "a reasonable disability accommodation to attend the hearing by phone." Ask at least 72 hours in advance and ask for the phone number and call in code. If you need help with this, you can also reach out to the Mayor's Office on Disability (mod@sfgov.org )
5. Stay on the ball and attend the first hearing. Expect the first hearing to be a joke. This is where the department (BUF/ DPW) that made the decision to kill the tree(s) will re-affirm their own decision and completely ignore you or repeat Step 3.
6. File an appeal. Anyone can file an appeal! You can also file for no cost if you are on certain public benefits or below a certain income line. You just have to fill out this form. Be clear to them about this and email / mail that form if you cannot afford the $100 filing fee.
7. Familiarize yourself with the rules that the Board of Appeals has. It will help.
8. Go to your hearing (usually Wed at 5pm, room 416 at City Hall). Ask for an agenda beforehand if you can. Be prepared to wait for a long period if there are other items before (sometimes hour or two or more). Bring snaccs, water, book to read, etc.
9. Present your case (you'll have 7 minutes). Make the strongest argument you can citing facts, showing pictures, etc. This is the real time to present your side!
10. If the Board Of Appeals rules against you your options are pretty limited. You can ask for a rehearing (hard to get), or you can organize within your community to see what direct action options are left (i.e. tree sitting / civil disobedience).
Yep, it's a long process, but it can be very rewarding to learn about how the city government works (or doesn't). It might make a cool class project! Share your progress and status online with your friends and your community (I upload videos on youtube, for example).
Thanks for caring about the trees :)
--PUBLIC RECORDS--
Here are Some useful public records that are likely to shed some light on what is really going on (in addition to the article above):
The 24th Street Ficus Tree Full Appeals Files (links open PDFs):
1. Zach Karnazes (me)
2. Joshua Klipp
3. Kindra Scharich (starts on Page 18)
4. Calle 24 Latino Cultural District Council (starts on page 88)
5. Response to all appeals (Chris Buck writing for Department of Public Works).
6. Full video of the first Board of Appeals Meeting (24th St. Trees) on 01/08/2019 (skip to section 7 in the Agenda).
MP3 audio can be downloaded here and caption notes can be downloaded here.
7. Please also see the footnotes at the bottom of this article for many detailed studies that relate to this case.
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