Civic Groups San Francisco

OpenOakland - Civic Tech for the Community

**NOTE: We will meet on the SECOND Tuesday in August, the 11th, to avoid National Night Out.** Join us for the monthly OpenOakland meetup. This event will bring together professionals, enthusiasts, and experts passionate about utilizing data to drive positive change in Oakland. **Pizza will be served!** Meeting will include: * Ife Famojuro will present Project EVOAK **Our projects need more than software developers! If you are interested in design, project management, user testing,** **domain research or just want to get involved, please join us.** Current active projects include: **EVOAK** **Open Disclosure** **Democracy Dollars** **Brightwayz**

Detroit Steps Maintenance Day

Meet at the lower Detroit Steps ([Detroit St & Hearst Ave](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hearst+Ave+%26+Detroit+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94112/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x808f7e7f2ec7b0c9:0x7de5d8a6b895afe1?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwielfWc4J77AhXXLEQIHVqJA-kQ8gF6BAgYEAE "https://www.google.com/maps/place/Hearst+Ave+%26+Detroit+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94112/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x808f7e7f2ec7b0c9:0x7de5d8a6b895afe1?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwielfWc4J77AhXXLEQIHVqJA-kQ8gF6BAgYEAE")) to grab supplies, meet your project leader and split into crews. Cleaning, sweeping, and gardening will occur from 10:00am to 12:00pm at the steps and surrounding neighborhood. Sign up on Meetup, this [Civic Joy Fund Mobilize](https://www.mobilize.us/civicjoyfund/event/756100/) page or email info@refuserefusesf.org with event name. \*By participating or registering in a cleanup or volunteer event, I acknowledge and agree to the Civic Joy Fund and Refuse Refuse volunteer waivers: [https://civicjoyfund.org/volunteer](https://civicjoyfund.org/volunteer) - [https://refuserefusesf.org/waiver](https://refuserefusesf.org/waiver)

Trivia at Ghost Town

Trivia starts at 6:30 (but come early to help save seats if possible). Trivia will be Bay Area themed

Discover SF -- Road to Nihonmachi Fair, Japantown

Think of **Road to Hana**. Japantown's **Nihonmachi Street Fair** turns 52 this year, beyond the usual Japan culture shows, this fair also includes the **pan-asian** programs, like Hawaiian dances, Chinese culture, Filipino and Korean performances etc.. The attendance is said to be around **50k** per year, on par with Fillmore Jazz Festival. [https://www.nihonmachistreetfair.org/](https://www.nihonmachistreetfair.org/) By our experience of organizing festival and parade events in SF for the past half year, we did notice that people prefer more interactions and connections. So we design this event to optimize that -- a **scenic** city hike over the Pacific Heights **ridge landmarks**, in interactive groups, with the **road as the experience**, the fair as the **prize** destination. By our past volunteering experience, **working in small groups** together **bonds** people fast. And as you have seen, our walk column has leads and sweeps. We plan to **open** that to people willing trying, in small groups, to work together to guide the troop through different legs, in **rotation**. So **willing** people have chance to form closer bonds with each other. Notice that this is a **real** walk — about 2.3 miles, including the Lyon Street Steps, one of SF's great stair climbs. The views are the point, so we have chances to stop, to chat, to appreciate the **beauty** of the city. These are the legs we are going to cover: * **Palace of Fine Arts** * **Lyon Street Steps** * **Billionaire Row, Pacific Heights,** then **Alta Plaza Park** * **St. Dominic's Church,** on the road to **Japan Town** *** ## The Day's Program **11:30 — The Handshake.** Gather at Coffee Roastery (2331 Chestnut at Scott). Grab a coffee and a bite, get checked in, meet your walking pod. We roll at 12:00 sharp down Chestnut — the Marina's main street. **12:15 — Palace of Fine Arts.** The rotunda and lagoon. Cameras out. **12:50 — The Climb.** Lyon Street Steps: landscaped terraces, mansions on both sides, and a reveal at the top we won't spoil. We regroup at the garden landing — nobody gets left behind. **1:10 — The Ridge.** Broadway's Billionaires' Row, then an easy walk along the crest to Alta Plaza. **1:30 — Friend Circle @ Alta Plaza Park.** Our signature stop, on the terraces with the whole city as the backdrop — a quick structured round so you leave knowing the people you walked with. Group photo on the terrace steps. Then downhill all the way. **1:45 — St Dominic's Church**. Gothic Architecture appreciation. **2:00 — Nihonmachi west gate (Post & Fillmore).** Welcome to the fair. **2:00 onward — the Fair.** Split into groups and enjoy the festival, and everyone gets the plan for the evening before we split. **\~5:30 — Break Bread.** Post-shift dinner in Japantown for whoever's in. Location announced in the group chat day-of. *** ## Different Ways to Join (pick your distance) 1. **The Full Hike** — 11:30 AM, Coffee Roastery, 2331 Chestnut St. The whole arc: Palace, stairs, ridge, park, fair. 2. **Middle & late -Join** — At all the landmarks we stop. The steps, the ridge, the park and the church. 3. **Fair Gate** — 2:00 PM, the fair's west entrance at Post & Fillmore. Join for the fair, the volunteer table, and the evening. The Palace of Fine Arts & the Steps are the process to **bind the group together**. Don't miss that if you are new. One rule so the day runs on time: **the group won't be able to wait long at stops** — if you're running late, just meet us at the next join point. Someone from our crew will be watching for you at each one. *** ## Getting There **From Caltrain (4th & Townsend):** the **30-Stockton bus is a one-seat ride** from Caltrain's front door to our staging corner — board at 4th & Townsend, ride \~40–45 min through Chinatown and North Beach, get off at **Chestnut & Scott**. You're standing in front of the cafe. South Bay folks: take a train arriving SF by \~10:40 to make staging comfortably. **From BART:** exit at Montgomery, walk 5 min to **Stockton & Sutter**, board the same **30-Stockton northbound** (\~35 min) to Chestnut & Scott. **Rideshare:** \~15–20 min from Caltrain/downtown. **Driving:** Marina street parking on a Saturday is a blood sport — transit recommended. **Getting home:** after dinner, the 38-Geary runs from two blocks south of Japantown straight back downtown to BART/Caltrain connections. *** ## Bring * Comfortable walking shoes (stairs!) * Water bottle * Layers — the Marina starts foggy, Japantown ends sunny * **Eat before you come, or grab a bite at staging** — the shift starts right when we arrive at 2, so your 11:30 coffee stop is also lunch. (Fair food awaits as your post-shift reward.) * Sunscreen, and a hat if you burn *** The fair has volunteering, yet as we contacted the organizer, it isn't clear that the roles available are the booth type that our people prefer. So we won't actively organize for that this time. \-\-\-\- Side Note \-\-\-\-\- The Nihonmachi Street Fair is one of the Bay Area's longest-running cultural festivals, and one of the largest annual events in San Francisco's Japantown. The festival spans two days and features: * 🥁 Taiko drumming * 🎶 Live music * 💃 Traditional and contemporary dance * 🍱 Japanese food * 🍡 Cultural demonstrations * 🎨 Arts and crafts * 🤝 Community nonprofit booths * 👨‍👩‍👧 Children's activities * 🛍️ Local vendors **Join [TownFlame](http://www.townflame.org/), Make Life Happen.** **Liability Waiver:** Participation in TownFlame events is voluntary and involves social interaction in public spaces. Activities are designed to be inclusive and respectful. Participants assume all risks and release TownFlame, its organizers, volunteers, and affiliates from liability for injury, illness, or damages, except in cases of gross negligence or intentional misconduct. By attending, participants acknowledge that photographs, audio, and video recordings may be taken during events, and grant TownFlame the right to use such media for promotional and marketing purposes, in any format or platform, without further consent or compensation.

STAR TREK TRIVIA TUES w/ Trek Triv @ Mothership SF!

*Trek Triv* is at MOTHERSHIP the first Tuesday of every month! Compete in teams and flex your Star Trek knowledge to win drinks and prizes, like vintage action figures and our 2025 Trek Trek prize pips. Bring a team or join a team -- trekkies are friendly folk. Follow @TrekTriv on Instagram and email [trektriv@gmail.com](http://trektriv@gmail.com) for more info. FREE! 21+ TRIV LONG AND PROSPER!

Sunday Afternoon Cribbage @ Drake's Dealership (Oakland)

Good Point, Richmond (Ride #122)

Hi friends! Let's ride up to Point Richmond along the Bay Trail, have lunch, and ride back along the Richmond and Ohlone greenways. There will be options to take BART on the return, if you desire. ~30 miles, mostly flat. This is a Jeannie ride. There will be music ;) We'll go at a good clip and make a few brief stops to regroup and take pics. If you haven’t been on your bike in a while, or are a slower rider, this may not be the ride for you — we’ll catch you on a future ride. Please bring water, snacks, and layers if needed. Bring your own lunch if you don’t wish to purchase one from Roma Caffe in Richmond. WHEN: We’ll meet between 9:30 and 9:45am. We'll do introductions and head out by 10am sharp. WHERE: We’ll meet in the church plaza across the street from Arthur Mac’s, one block away from MacArthur BART, on MLK Jr Way at 40th Street. See you then!

J-Town Community Clean-Up Day

Meet in front of Asawa Origami Fountain on Osaka Way ([1707 Buchanan St](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Origami+Fountains/@37.7858932,-122.4298881,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x3f0c5278b364ee6d?sa=X&ved=1t:2428&ictx=111 "https://www.google.com/maps/place/Origami+Fountains/@37.7858932,-122.4298881,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x3f0c5278b364ee6d?sa=X&ved=1t:2428&ictx=111")) to grab our supplies and form our crew. Then, cleaning will occur from 10:00am to 12:00pm around the neighborhood. Sign up on Meetup, this [Civic Joy Fund Mobilize](https://www.mobilize.us/civicjoyfund/event/755813/) page, or email info@refuserefusesf.org with event name.

Duboce Triangle Cleanup

Meet at Duboce Park ([Duboce Ave & Steiner St](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Duboce+Ave+%26+Steiner+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94114/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x808580a76c72aba7:0x9486ade395325449?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjYvOrHptL_AhXqFjQIHbzeCNEQ8gF6BAgVEAI)) to grab our supplies and form our crew. Then, cleaning will occur from 12pm to 1pm around the neighborhood. Sign up on Meetup, this [Civic Joy Fund Mobilize](https://www.mobilize.us/civicjoyfund/event/756121/) page or email info@refuserefusesf.org with event name. \*By participating or registering in a cleanup or volunteer event, I acknowledge and agree to the Civic Joy Fund and Refuse Refuse volunteer waivers: [https://civicjoyfund.org/volunteer](https://civicjoyfund.org/volunteer) - [https://refuserefusesf.org/waiver](https://refuserefusesf.org/waiver)

San Francisco Bike Party - #169 All Bike, All People, One Love

**Come out and join us! Ride with the San Francisco crew of amazing partiers!** **Theme: All Bike, All People, One Love** **Start: TBD** **Party Stop #1: TBD** **End: TBD** **Route Map:** **TBD** Meetup: 7:30 pm PST Rollout: 8 pm PST How We Ride: • Stay in the RIGHT lane • Stop at RED lights • Leave no trace • Ride predictably & in control • Roll past conflict • Ride prepared • When in doubt, BIKE PARTY!

Start Your Saturday with Qigong 免费大雁功, 开始美好一天

**Start your Saturday with Qigong** Gentle movement. Mindful breathing. Restored balance. Join our **free weekly sessions** to improve focus, reduce stress, and boost energy. All levels are welcome—perfect for beginners and families! **When & Where** 📍 San Francisco Marina Branch Library – Outdoor Patio *(Between the library and the children’s playground)* 🚍 Short walk from Muni lines 30, 45, 22, 28, and 43 🚗 Free/permit parking at Marina Green Park (12-min walk) **What to Bring** ☀️ Sunscreen, hat, gloves for sun protection 🌧️ Sessions canceled if it rains **Featured on the SF Marina Branch Library calendar:** https://sfpl.org/locations/marina

Pride faerie wing event at the Alameda Main Library! First come, first winged!

On July 28th at 2:30pm, join us in the Stafford Room to answer the question: how do you dress for Pride? Or everyday? One and done, or more is more?! Whatever your style, Upcycle Alameda has got your (faerie -winged) back! Local artist collective Upcycle Alameda will help you turn trash into trashy fab wings! We will be on hand with supplies (plastic and onion bags, bubble wrap, and upcycled fabric), sample wings for inspiration, and support to make your Pride flutter with delight! Let’s play! (As this is posted at various sites, first come first served.)