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Mayor Newsom Praises Work of Union Square
BID.
Calls for Expansion of Effort into
Neighboring Theatre District
10 March 2008 – San
Francisco, CA: In an upbeat
key-note address in which he pointed to San Francisco’s vibrant tourism and
hospitality sector, Mayor Gavin Newsom praised the work of the Union Square
Business Improvement District (www.unionsquarebid.com)
as a “success” and called for its expansion into the neighboring areas. The
Mayor’s remarks were made at the annual Union Square Association Luncheon this
past Friday at the Westin St. Francis Hotel.
“We are indeed
fortunate to have a mayor like Gavin Newsom who understands and supports
initiatives like the Union Square Business Improvement District,” said Leigh
Ann Baughman, Union Square BID Executive Director. “Our mission is to keep the Union Square
area clean and safe, a mandate we would love to expand into our neighboring
areas.”
The Union Square Business Improvement District (BID) is a 10-block area
where property owners assess themselves to make their community cleaner, safer
and more vibrant. The BID assessment is
used to purchase services that supplement those provided by the City. The Union
Square BID contains 91 properties and is roughly bounded by Sutter Street to
the North, Stockton and Grant Streets to the East, Market Street to the South
and Cyril Magnin to the West. In 1994, California joined most states in the
country and passed enabling legislation for property based business improvement
districts (PBIDS). There are currently over 1,000 BIDS in the United States and
Canada.
A unique program of
the Union Square BID are the BID“Ambassadors” -- a visible presence for safety
and maintenance in the BID’s ten-square-block borders. Easily identifiable by
their red and blue uniforms, the Ambassadors provide visitors and tourists with
a variety of services including directions, transportation information,
emergency response, and even help elderly shoppers with their bags as they
cross San Francisco’s busy streets. Also part of the Union Square BID’s success
are the “TAGGers.” “TAGGers” (an acronym for
Take Away Graffiti and Grime ) are the primary caretakers for Union Square
and the whole BID district. Every
morning they sweep the sidewalks, pick-up and dispose of trash and debris, and
remove graffiti from storefronts, buildings, area light poles and street
furniture. Sidewalks are steam cleaned twice a month. For more information on the Union Square Business Improvement
District, access their website at www.unionsquarebid.com,
or call (415) 421-3135.