If you're interested in learning more about the Marina and helping to protect and improve it, you might consider joining the Marina Community Association of San Francisco.
The association has an 11-member board of directors that typically meets on the last Thursday of each month. But you don't have to commit to a board seat to get involved.
"We really want more members," said the group's president, Laura Lanzone. “The Marina has a lot of young families and young singles, and we’re striving to include them.”
Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
The group's biggest event of the year is the free Marina Family Fest, held on the Marina Green on the last Sunday in September. Supervisor Mark Farrell and local businesses act as sponsors, with families coming out for food trucks, bouncy houses, a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, a rock wall, face painting, a beer garden and more. "We have that every year and that’s our big thing," Lanzone said, explaining that they always need volunteers to help land sponsors.
Last year's Marina Family Fest. (Photo: Courtesy of MCA/Facebook)
In addition to that big festival, the MCA organizes some smaller events, such as networking meetings and a recent coat drive for the homeless. "Those kinds of events, we definitely need volunteers for," Lanzone said. And members can create new events, too: "If somebody had an idea for one, we’re totally open, too.”
The MCA board and members also keep an eye on issues concerning the neighborhood. "Right now I’m working on the Palace of Fine Arts, monitoring that very closely," Lanzone said. "That’s a huge concern to our neighborhood." SF Recreation and Park is looking to redevelop it into a hotel or fine-dining restaurant/museum, but there's been a huge outcry against that, with an online petition garnering 24,000 signatures.
Lanzone said the organization is also concerned about the Golden Gate National Recreation Area's proposal to restrict off-leash dogs on much of Crissy Field and other waterfront areas. "That’s a huge, huge issue,” she said.
The group is not in support of the GGNRA's proposal. "Residents have different opinions, so we don’t always take a stance as a board, because we find our residents are divided. We provide information and a person they can talk to, but not always a stance," she said. "But this issue, we’ve voted on."
They also keep a close eye on new developments. "There’s lots of condos coming in the Marina; pretty much every place there’s a vacant lot, you can expect condos to go up," Lanzone said. “When they’re on the horizon, we try letting the neighbors know as quickly as we can."
Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
Lanzone said many members get involved only in one issue that's of keen interest to them, often going to public meetings and reporting back. One man stays up on proposed changes at Fort Mason, while another woman is most interested in the bike and pedestrian lanes along Marina Green. A third person keeps watch on the private tour and commuter buses that drive on streets where they're not allowed, reporting any violations. "That's super helpful," Lanzone said of the volunteers.
Photo: Geri Koeppel/Hoodline
You can contact the MCA through its website or Facebook page. If you join ($26/year), you'll get their newsletter and learn about all of their events, including meetings in the spring and fall and frequent mixers at local bars.
