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San Francisco Chronicle
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
S.F.'s Fillmore Jazz Festival draws thousands after financial rescue, but uncertainty remains
Thousands carted around lawn chairs and squatted down on curbs for the first day of the Fillmore Jazz Festival on Saturday — a feat possible only due to an emergency funding rescue three months ago. The San Francisco festival, founded in 1986, was nearly canceled this year due to insurmountable operating costs. Each year it takes about $400,000 to put on the two-day free event, and by this April, the Fillmore Merchants Association was still in debt from last year, according to President Tim Omi. That month, the association announced it would be canceling this year's festival due to lack of funding. But just a few days later, Omi received a call from Avenue Greenlight, a nonprofit founded by crypto billionaire Chris Larsen that funds free community events in San Francisco. An undisclosed grant from Avenue Greenlight, plus support from District 2 Supervisor Stephen Sherrill and District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, made it possible to hold this year's event, Omi said. The festival filled 10 blocks of Fillmore Street, from Jackson Street south to Eddy Street, with dozens of vendors and live music stretching from 10 a.m to 6 p.m. 'It's great, except that the street is angled, so it's a challenge dancing,' Hong said. The two experienced dancers, both in their 70s, researched each of the festivals' acts ahead of time to decide which would have the best music to dance to. Before Saturday, Hong had not heard about the festival's funding challenges. But he said he believes more money should be put into arts events, such as the festival, to bring people together at a time when many feel divided. Alma Love, 79, said she has come to the jazz festival for the past 20 years both to enjoy the music and to meet new people. Between acts, she browsed the variety of vendors, her attention catching on a booth selling purses shaped like clocks and jars of peanut butter. Love said she was glad the festival found a way to secure funding without charging attendees, keeping it accessible to all. The festival continues Sunday with Kenny Washington, Zepparella, the Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble and the Caribbean All-Stars. Omi is planning for the festival to return in 2026, but it will require a renewed search for financial support because the funding from Avenue Greenlight was only a one-time grant. The merchants association is soliciting corporate sponsors for next year and collecting money through GoFundMe, he said. Omi is also hoping that the city will consider changing its fees and requirements to make it less burdensome for community groups to host free events in the city. For example, it cost the festival around $23,000 to comply with a city requirement to have separate cans for trash, recycling and compost — more than the fine it would pay if it just didn't comply, Omi said. There are also costs to reroute Muni bus routes around the street closures, he added. These events attract crowds that patronize both the booths set up along the street and the existing brick and mortar retail and restaurants. 'I think all street fairs in San Francisco, in order to continue, we need to come together as a city and identify that this adds value,' Omi said. 'We're bringing in close to 30,000 on the commercial corridor a day on a weekend that normally everyone leaves.'
Epoch Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
San Francisco Launches New ‘Power Washing' Street Cleaning Initiative
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has announced a new initiative to increase neighborhood street cleaning through a 'power washing program' in high-traffic commercial areas. The plan is in partnership with and backed by $3 million in funding from Avenue Greenlight, a new philanthropically funded community-driven 'It's one of the several public-private partnerships we're launching to help clean our streets, support our neighborhoods, and prioritize the long-term economic growth of our city, and it works with what we've already put into motion,' Lurie said at a May 22 announcing the partnership. Trucks and manual street cleaners will target the Mission, Sunset, Tenderloin, Richmond, Chinatown, North Beach, and Fillmore neighborhoods, and provide additional cleaning during critical afternoon hours. 'We have to take care of the basics. That means clean and safe streets,' the mayor said at the press conference. 'If our neighborhoods feel dirty or neglected, people spend less time there. But when our streets are clean, when they are vibrant and cared for, people come out, they stay, they shop, they believe in the city again.' According to a , the partnership will be developed with support from the San Francisco Department of Public Works. It will expand on the department's existing street cleaning operations, which currently include a weekly deep-clean that power washes sidewalks, removes graffiti, and flushes roadways. Related Stories 5/9/2025 4/21/2025 Additionally, Public Works' Block Sweepers initiative employs street cleaners to clean more than 700 blocks in busy commercial areas and mechanical street sweepers that cover a collective 150,000 miles of curbside lanes annually. Avenue Greenlight President Maryo Mogannam said at the press conference that while San Francisco and Avenue Greenlight can come in and clean the streets, he really wants to inspire the citizens of the city to help keep the streets clean. 'It's easier to keep the garbage off the street than it is for us to come clean up after you,' he said.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Power washing initiative targets dirty San Francisco sidewalks
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — With hopes of transforming San Francisco into a 'cleaner, more welcoming environment,' Mayor Daniel Lurie launched an initiative pledging to power wash more city sidewalks along busy commercial corridors, city leaders announced. The new power-washing program will cover the Mission, Sunset, Tenderloin, Richmond, Chinatown, North Beach, and Fillmore neighborhoods, city leaders said. Lurie said Thursday, 'Clean streets are key to our comeback. When our streets are cared for and vibrant, people come out and spend time in their neighborhoods. Investment in street cleanliness will help us continue to breathe life into our commercial corridors.' The anti-grime initiative was backed by $3 million in funding from Avenue Greenlight and developed with San Francisco Public Works. The mayor's office wrote, 'Each neighborhood will receive a tailored cleaning plan implemented by Civic Method, including deep steam sanitation, recurring maintenance, and real-time community reporting. The new power washing program will add coverage during critical afternoon and early evening hours, which is consistently requested by local merchants.' Series of SF playground fires investigated San Francisco Supervisor Danny Sauter said entrepreneurs and small business owners work hard to take care of their stores, restaurants, and offices. 'They deserve that same level of care on the sidewalks and streets that surround them. This program from Avenue Greenlight will be transformative in making our neighborhoods sparkle and creating clean, welcoming corridors for businesses to thrive and shoppers to enjoy,' Sauter wrote. Currently, the city's public works department operates several other street cleaning programs. They include CleanCorridorsSF, a weekly deep-cleaning operation that dispatches cleanings crews to commercial corridors across the city to power wash sidewalks, remove graffiti, flush roadways, and engage with local businesses to promote ongoing cleanliness. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Fillmore Jazz Festival back on for 2025 after receiving pledges of support
Less than a week after organizers announced that the Fillmore Jazz Festival would not be held this summer due to financial constrains, officials on Monday were happy to announce that the event is back on thanks to pledges of support. The annual free street celebration in the Fillmore District traditionally held on the Fourth of July weekend (or the weekend that falls closest to the holiday) had been cancelled due to "overwhelming overhead costs," according to organizers who said they were still in debt from last year's event. The initially announced plan was to scrap the festival this year and work towards holding it again in 2026. That changed after the announcement of the cancellation spurred offers to help the festival. "I was contacted by a representative of Chris Larsen and Avenue Greenlight , who generously stepped in to offer the financial support we needed to bring the festival back," said Fillmore Merchant Association President Timothy Made' Omi in a press release issued Monday . "We have also received commitments from District 2 & District 5 Supervisors Stephen Sherrill and Bilal Mahmood." The announcement also noted that organizers are keeping an eye toward the future by launching the Fillmore Jazz Festival Preservation Fund and asking the public for help . "Your donations will help preserve the legacy of the festival for years to come—ensuring its vitality, prosperity, and future in the heart of San Francisco," the statement said. Organizers are also looking for additional sponsors as well as volunteers to work the event. The 2025 Fillmore Jazz Festival is set to take place July 5-6.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fillmore Jazz Festival back on after crypto billionaire steps in to help
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — First it was off, now it's on again. The 2025 Fillmore Jazz Festival will take place as planned after a crypto billionaire philanthropist came to the long-running festival's aid. Last week, festival organizers announced the festival was canceled this year due to financial reasons. According to festival organizers, city fees, talent, security, medical support, staffing and city-mandated standard operating procedures pushed the event's budget to well over $500,000. Zara to open flagship store in SF's Union Square, mayor says The festival, which is held for two days over Fourth of July weekend, was effectively on hold until 2026 as of last week. However, following news of the cancellation, Timothy Made' Omi, president of the Fillmore Merchant Association, said he was contacted by a representative of Chris Larsen and Avenue Greenlight. Larsen, founder of the crypto company Ripple, 'generously stepped in to offer the financial support' needed to bring the festival back, Omi said. 'I am thrilled to announce that the 2025 Fillmore Jazz Festival is officially back on and will take place July 5th and 6th,' Omi said. While festival organizers say that support from Larsen and Avenue Greenlight will be enough to produce this year's festival, they are still seeking support to maintain it over the long term. A GoFundMe has been launched to keep the Fillmore Jazz Festival Alive. Through the nonprofit, Avenue Greenlight, Larsen has previously donated $2 million to support San Francisco's struggling retail districts. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
