Our campaign organized an event called Carrotmob to demonstrate our support of small business. Carrotmob is the opposite of a boycott. Instead of punishing companies for doing bad things, Carrotmob rewards businesses for doing good things. Bernies, a local cafe on 24th Street, pledged to give back 40% of her profits towards investing in her store. We had to turn out the mob of people to buy coffee. In three short hours, we increased the number of sales seven times and more than quadrupled profits. In fact, Bernie made more in those three hours than she usually does in an entire Sunday – and 40% of those profits will be reinvested back into her business specifically to make the shop greener and more energy efficient. And we introduced new people to shop, eat, and buy local on 24th Street.

Besides Carrotmob, here are some of the ways we can promote small business so that our neighborhoods, our neighbors, and our overall City economy will prosper:

Fill All Vacant Storefronts!
Small business is imperative to District 8’s vitality. Encouraging new businesses to open in District 8 will increase foot traffic, helping existing neighborhood stalwarts, such as Toast on 24th Street or Cliff’s Variety Store on Castro Street. The corner markets, the popular coffeehouses, the endearing mom-and-pop stores provide jobs, contribute revenue, and add character to our neighborhoods. But these same businesses live or die by small profit margins. Therefore, we need to work together to do all we can to keep them in business. We will work with successful small business on expansion efforts, and create an environment where we can all thrive.

Streamline Processes and Strive for Efficiency:
San Francisco requires businesses to comply with nearly 200 different permits. These are among the expensive and time-consuming processes that discourage new businesses from moving into our neighborhoods and contributing to our local economy. Let’s look at ways we can operate more efficiently.

• Enable business owners to retrieve all permits at one location and establish an online system.
• Allow small businesses to receive one bill for all the permits and pay it at one time, or allow for monthly payments (amortized over the year).
• Fully fund the City’s Office of Small Business (OSB). The OSB’s Small Business Assistance Center functions as the City’s central point of information and referral for entrepreneurs and small businesses located in San Francisco, providing one-on-one case management.

Create Incentives for Working with Local Businesses:
The City spends millions of dollars every year in contracting. However, we don’t practice what we preach by buying local. Few city departments, if any, spend more than 50% of their budgets within City limits. We also have room to grow with our Green Business Program. Here are some of the suggestions we found:

• Award San Francisco businesses with “points” in the City’s contracting process. They are already paying roughly 20% more for doing business in the City, compared to costs in outlying areas, and we need to encourage them to stay here.
• Investigate the possibility of requiring City departments to direct business to San Francisco businesses.
• Expand the City’s Green Business Program, which offers free hands-on support, training, and technical assistance to local businesses, ensuring that businesses meet stringent environmental standards.

Carrotmob. The Ultimate Incentive!
Boycotts don’t work. Carrotmob does.

Green 960 Program Director John Scott talks with Brent Schulkin, the founder of Carrotmob and Rebecca Prozan, a candidate for San Francisco Supervisor on using the power of the mob, for good!

Listen to the Interview

All across this District, people are asking: What are we going to do about the economy?

San Francisco has been hit hard – we see undeveloped plots of land and empty storefronts.  Friends and colleagues are unemployed and underemployed.

This year the Mayor’s Office is projecting an astounding $522 million dollar deficit.  $522 million dollars represents about a third of our discretionary budget.  It’s in the news almost every day — closures, taxes, layoffs, furloughs, mid year cuts.  No doubt the City’s budget has been on everyone’s mind.

To recommend the required balanced budget, tough decisions await City Hall.  Some of the services that could be affected include MUNI, Public Safety, Services for Children and Families, Recreation and Park Centers, Public Health, and Social Services among many, many others.

To solve this issue, we must look for creative solutions to cut unnecessary spending.  We also need to find the nooks and crannies where we can actually increase revenue.

We’d like to hear directly from you.  From your neighbors, your merchants, from all the people who make up District 8 on precisely what we should cut and what we could increase.  That’s why we’ve put together a budget survey to reach out to the community to hear directly about your spending priorities, your budget saving solutions, and any revenue generating ideas you may have.

We plan to be at a different location every Saturday through the coming months.  If you’re interested in helping out our field effort, please contact survey@rebeccaprozan.com.

This survey is critical to our campaign and I look forward to working with you as we reach out to our families, our neighbors, and our merchants.

Four ways to help:

1. Take the survey online by clicking here.
2. Download the survey and mail it back to us by clicking here.
3. Send this URL to your friends:  http://rebeccaprozan.com/survey
4. Help us with our field efforts by emailing survey@rebeccaprozan.com

Thank you for all you are doing.

Rebecca

p.s.  If you have a group of District 8 residents you think we should survey, we’d love to work with you on a house party.

Swirl Radio 02/13/10

A Civil Rights activist * A grassroots organizer * An Assistant District Attorney * An Obama Delegate * A Recreation and Park Commissioner * A Special Assistant to the Mayor * A Legislative Aide in the district she seeks to represent…

Rebecca Prozan represents the best of San Francisco!
Please join her friends and supporters for a special event:

Women for Rebecca Prozan
Candidate for San Francisco District Supervisor

Join Co-Chairs

District Attorney Kamala Harris
Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier
School Board Commissioner Rachel Norton
State Board of Equalization Chairwoman Betty Yee

And Hosts

Fairuz Abdullah · Julia Adams · Simona Agnolucci · Jessica Albert· Linda Allen · Rosie Atkins · Michele Bateman · Jackie Besser · Roberta Boomer · Kimberly Brandon · London Breed · Toni Broaddus · Margaret Brodkin · Angela Brown · Avery Brown · Darcy Brown · Julia Capozzoli · Anne Cervantes · Alice Charap · Susan Christian · Monica Chung · Frederique Claremont · Jana Clark · Andrea Cohan · June Cravett · Nia Crowder · Carole Cullum · Janet Dancey · Carlota Del Portillo · Ximena Delgado · Rebecca Doyle · Jen Drake · Aimee Feinberg · Ruthanne Feinberg · Sadie Ferguson · Gita Fielding · Katherine Forrest · Kathleen Franklin · Leigh Frazier · Cathy Garza · Carol Gilbert · Rebecca Goldfader · Ruth Ann Gonzales · Rohini Gupta · Roma Guy · Karen Hallett · Meena Harris · Nancy Harris · Laura Rice Heath · Sarah Hollenbeck · Linda Hunter · Aasma Hussain · Caryl Ito · Lynn Jefferson · Daisy Jiang · Sharon Johnson · Mary Jung · Dorka Keehn · Lenlee Keep · Linda Klee · Kate Monico Klein · Ellee Koss · Rebekah Krell · Sara Kunitake · Annette Lantos · Katy Picon Lao · Dyana Lechuga · Amy Lee · Tina Lee · Elaine Leeming · Kathryn Lenhart · Linda Leu · Terry Picon Levy · Jane Lloyd · Jennifer Longley · Julie Lopez · Naomi Lempert Lopez · Van Ly · Maggie Lynch · Avenne McBride · Bernie Melvin · Debbie Mesloh · Sophie Middlebrook · Chloe Milne · Cheri Mims · Sally Morin · Emily Morse · Emily Murase · Tamara Murray · Zoanne Nordstrom · Diane Nutting · Mary Ellen O’Brien · Olivia Ongpin · Cindy Ossias · Kriztina Palone · Tammy Paster · Shilpa Patel · Susan Pfeiffer · Stacey Pratt · Mary Rickles · Rosemarie Ring · Nicole Rivera · Tina Roberts · Katherine Roubus · Patty Jo Rutland · Emily Salgado · Cheryl Sena · Sunny Schwartz · Jennifer Shearer · Anna Shimko · Andrea Shorter · Lateefah Simon · Kimberly Smith · Sandy Sochot · Julie Soo · Catherine Stefani · Stephanie Ong Stillman · Betty Sullivan · Lisbet Sunshine · Paris Tamanti · Jordanna Thigpen · Shannon Tobin · Nancy Tung · Johanna Silva Waki · Charla Welch · Lisa Williams · Rachel Williamson · Lorraine Woodruff-Long

Rebecca’s history with the women’s community goes way back to her days with Mayor Willie Brown where she preserved funding for domestic violence shelters, organized the Mayor’s Summit for Women, and sheparded the landmark CEDAW legislation (Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women). As an advocate for children and families, Rebecca fought to keep recreation centers open while serving as a Recreation and Parks Commissioner. As a veteran Prosecutor, Rebecca prosecuted cases protecting teenagers from sexual predators. In 2008, Rebecca received the District 8 Woman of the Year Award for her work and service in the District.

Trigger
Tuesday, March 2
6:00pm-8:00pm
2348 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94114

Donation levels: $25 to $500
http://rebeccaprozan.com/donate

Please RSVP to events@rebeccaprozan.com or on facebook

Supervisorial Candidate Rebecca Prozan is Top Fundraiser in District 8 Race
Grassroots Base helped Prozan Raise $54K in just 2 months

San Francisco –  In the race to become the next District 8 Supervisor, veteran Prosecutor Rebecca Prozan demonstrates hard work does pay off.  Since Prozan declared her candidacy in late October, over 320 supporters have contributed to her campaign, placing Prozan as a clear frontrunner to replace termed out Supervisor Bevan Dufty.

The District 8 election is one of the most contested November races and early money and support is crucial. “I am humbled by our supporters’ willingness to invest in this campaign and the future of our city,” says Prozan.

Amassing $54,000 in just two months, Prozan raised more money than any other candidate in District 8.

“District 8 has yet to elect a woman for Supervisor and that woman is Rebecca Prozan,” says Dr. Ellee Koss, District 8 resident and Chair of Prozan’s Finance Committee.  “Rebecca’s long history of working in the District and her reputation for getting things done makes her a strong contender for this race.”

73% of Prozan’s donors are San Francisco residents – reflecting Prozan’s deep ties to San Francisco.  She learned the ins and outs of City Hall while working for Mayor Willie Brown as a Special Assistant and Liaison to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community.

Prozan served the residents of District 8 as the Liaison for the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.  She was instrumental to Supervisor Bevan Dufty’s victory in 2002 and she later served as his Legislative Assistant.

Prozan’s skills will resonate with District 8 residents.  “As a veteran Prosecutor and grassroots organizer, I’ve worked to improve the lives of San Franciscans everyday but there is plenty of work to be done,” says Prozan.  “Families continue to leave San Francisco, basic services need significant improvement, and we face a fiscal crisis.  All the while, our leaders forget what our work is really about.  It’s about making the City work for all of us.”

District 8 is comprised of the following neighborhoods:  Castro, Eureka Valley, Diamond Heights, Noe Valley, Glen Park, Valencia Corridor and Duboce Triangle.

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Larry Handerhan, John Lazar, Rebecca Prozan, and Ted Jarvis

In early December, I attended the final Democratic National Committee’s Change Commission meeting in Washington, D.C.

An action packed four days followed.  First, Brian Bond invited me to witness the swearing in of Ambassador David Huebner at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.  I took photos of the holiday decorations (they even included menorahs) and the scene on the way down.  Vice President Joe Biden escorted Ambassador Huebner’s mother – as well as the mother of Duane McWaine, Huebner’s spouse – to the ceremony and delivered incredible remarks.

Julie Colwell, Ellie Schafer, Rebecca Prozan, Debbie Mesloh, and DNC Change Commission Member Martin Yeung

Afterwards, my good friend Clay Doherty and I attended a White House Holiday Party.  There were approximately five hundred or so attendees who enjoyed the hospitality of the Obamas and an open invitation to view the first two floors of the White House.  I loved the gingerbread house with Bo in it.  And no, while I didn’t get to see Bo on this trip, I did get to meet The First Lady and David Axelrod, see David Binder, and fist bump POTUS.

The Change Commission ended up reducing the number of unpledged delegates (our new term for super delegates).  This is a somewhat simplified explanation for the result, but once the report is finalized we will post it here.

Finally, John Lazar and Ted Jarvis, my dear friends from the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club, hosted a fundraiser in their home for our campaign.  Former San Franciscans like Ellie Schafer, Debbie Mesloh, Nani Colaretti, Larry Handerhan, and Andy Green dropped by to show support for what we are doing.

All in all, it was a great weekend.

Rebecca

Mayor Evan Low and Rebecca Prozan

We closed out the year with a happy hour fundraiser at The Mix – a friendly all-inclusive neighborhood bar in the Castro.  We were honored that so many community members and neighborhood residents came out to the Holiday Happy Hour to support Rebecca Prozan for District 8 Supervisor.  The event attracted a diverse crowd representing the best and brightest of both the District and San Francisco – from health professionals to medical marijuana supporters, attorneys to non-profit folks, and everything in between!  We were especially honored to have Mayor Evan Low of the City of Campbell join us and share with the crowd why Rebecca is the best choice for District 8.

“Rebecca and I met during the Presidential Election Debate at the LGBT Community Center in San Jose.  We have held each other in high regard since then and I know Rebecca will serve District 8 with distinction.”

Alex Randolph and Alfredo Pedroza, the event Co-Hosts and former members of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, introduced Rebecca as the one candidate who knows how to get things done at City Hall.

“Rebecca has seen first hand the needs and issues that are important to our diverse neighborhoods and the residents of our District, having served as a Commissioner on the Recreation and Park Commission, worked as a Special Assistant to Mayor Willie Brown, and a Legislative Aide to current District 8 Supervisor Bevan Dufty.”

A special thanks to all of our fabulous hosts: Honorable Mayor Evan Low, Alex Randolph, Trevor Nguyen, Alfredo Pedroza, Wayne Bautista, Jack Song, Robert Ortega, Lawrence Ozoa, Tom Murray, David Sims, Christopher Vasquez, Daniel Frattin, Shilpa Patel, David Fujimoto and Greg Flores.  The energy and excitement at the event was really incredible – what a great way to end the year!

Thank you again for your tremendous support!  Let’s keep this momentum going through 2010!

Team Prozan