October 1999


Notes from Kerry
Art in City Hall
A Very Special Desk
How to Recycle at City Hall
Community Event Guidelines

Notes from Kerry
If we lived in Florida we’d be watching beautiful Monarch butterflies getting blown around by hurricanes as they arrive for the winter. In Detroit, we’d be driving up north every weekend to watch leaves turning from yellow to orange to red. In San Diego, we’d still be off to the beach! But here, in San Francisco, it’s fall, and we’re still looking forward to summer which all of us believe is right around the corner…(we hope).

One thing the country shares this time of year is Halloween. In every city children dress up on the same night, eat too much candy and worry parents until they’re safely home.

City Hall is going to celebrate Halloween in a safe and fun manner on October 29 from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Children of the city are welcome to come and trick or treat on the main floor of the building. Supervisors will read spooky stories in the North Court and at 5 p.m., Supervisor Yaki, dressed as Indiana Jones, will lead a costume parade.

How can you participate? Please bring a bag or two of candy to room 008 or room 368 which will be given out to the city’s trick or treating kids. The bags must be sealed, and the candy within must be sealed candy. We think it’ll be really fun to watch, provide a wonderful community service, and certainly stir up some old memories for each of us. What was your favorite costume?

Art in City Hall
by Rupert Jenkins, SF Ars Commission Gallery Director

Our next reception for exhibitions in the lower level has been scheduled for Wednesday, October 13, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Thank you to all who attended last month’s bash (that includes you, Mayor Brown!). As always, food and drinks will be served in the City Hall Café, and artists will be on hand to show you their work

My e-mail has changed since last month’s Scoop was published, so if you have any feedback on the art program, or you want to present your work at City Hall, please contact me at rupert_jenkins@ci.sf.ca.us

October exhibitions:

• Photographs by David Goldberg and Michelle Casciolo; group show from Visual Aid - all through December 19;

• Quilts in commemoration of breast cancer awareness month - through October; paintings by Leroy Morvant;

• "Viet Nam in Black & White," photographs by Douglas Legg;

• Artworks by children sponsored by the Mayor’s Department of Children, Youth, and their Families - all through November 19.

Leroy Morvant – acrylic on paper David Goldberg – photograph

A Very Special Desk
By Ellen Schumer

A little boy peers out from underneath a desk. The desk is a special one that once belonged to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and was used in his Hyde Park estate. The little boy was Peter Samuels, grandson of Albert Samuels Sr., founder of the prestigious jewelry store Samuels Jewelers. The magnificent store was located on Market Street and recognized by the Samuels clock directly across from the Emporium.

The Samuels family very generously loaned the desk to City Hall and it is part of the building’s historically assembled collection of furnishings. The desk is truly a glorious addition to Mayor Brown’s office and is relished by all who see it.

Honey, I just shrank the garbage can!

How to Recycle at City Hall
City Hall is setting an example for the rest of the City with its successful recycling program. Keep up the good work.

San Francisco is working hard to expand recycling programs to meet a state law that requires all cities and counties to reduce waste by 50% by the year 2000. Our waste study showed that City Hall’s waste is the same as a typical office building; nearly 80% is recyclable, and most of it is paper.

To help meet our 50% goal, each City Hall employee has two refuse containers: a mini bin for garbage (banana peels, soiled food wrappers, etc.) and a larger one for paper and other recyclable items. This innovative but simple system is capturing more than 75% of our waste for recycling.

All the following items can go in to your desk-side recycling bin: mixed paper (including white and colored paper, newspaper, phone books, paper board, magazines and file folders), glass bottles, plastic bottles with a 1 or 2 on the bottom, and aluminum, steel and tin cans.

For large amounts of mixed paper, please use the larger bins near printers and photocopiers. Cardboard should be flattened and placed next to one of these bins.

Non-recyclable waste should go into your desk-side mini-bin or one of the larger, centrally located garbage containers. Please remember that employees are responsible for tying up the blue garbage bags in their mini bins when they are full and placing them into their desk-side recycling containers. Custodians only empty the recycling containers. After the materials are hauled away, Golden Gate Disposal Company removes all of the blue bags at the recycling facility.

If you have any questions regarding recycling at City Hall, please contact the Recycling Program at 554-3403.

City Hall custodial staff receives an award for recycling. From left: front row: Linus Black, Ellen Schumer, Henry Yee, Daisy Huang, Mei Lum, Lee Miu, Chan Siu (Wendy) Chun, Leung See Tat, Luu To. Back row: Larry Jasper, Christian George, Victor Criss, Will Alvites, Paco Ancelovici, Calvin Dyer.

Community Event Guidelines
San Francisco is known for its diverse communities and you may well belong to one of the organizations they represent. Last August, City Hall tenants were treated to an event in the Rotunda, a performance celebrating American Samoan Flag Day. This was one of several community events that City Hall has hosted since re-opening in January. If after reading the following your community organization is interested in holding an event at City Hall, contact Lexi Peyer at 554-6079.

• Events must have entertainment, educational or cultural value of interest to the community at large.

• Events must be open and free to any guest who wishes to attend.

• City Hall will sponsor two community events per month on a first-come, first-serve basis.

• Community events (including set-up) can be scheduled on a Mon., Tues., or Wed. during regular business hours (8 AM–8 PM).

• Community events may be held in the North Light Court during the above times or in the South Light Court after 4 PM. The Rotunda can only be used for approved lunchtime performances and are limited to 1 hour.

• Sponsoring organization must create a press release advertising the event and submit a list of publications that will receive the release.

• Sponsoring organization must create flyers for City Hall to distribute at the lobby information kiosks and to tour groups.

• Sponsoring organization must submit event details to City Hall Event coordinator by the 15th of the month prior to your event for the City Hall newsletter and website.

• No alcohol can be served.

• Food and beverages can be sold if proceeds benefit a non-profit organization.

• Costs incurred by the sponsoring organization include but are not limited to housekeeping, engineering and labor fees. Any costs that arise due to activities of a "community event" must be covered by the sponsoring organization.

• Sponsoring organization must provide insurance coverage as indicated in the City Hall Short Term License Agreement. If the sponsoring organization does not hold its own insurance, insurance can be purchased through the City.

• Sponsoring organization must sign the City Hall Short Term License Agreement as Licensee and return it to the City Hall Building Manager’s office with a processing fee.