PROSAC

PROSAC Members by District and Seat

Wendy Aragon

District 1, Seat 1

Wendy Aragon is a Bay Area native and longtime San Francisco resident who is passionate about civic engagement and fighting for more equitable infrastructure. As a member of PROSAC, she consistently advocates for policies that center the voices and interests of low-income residents, immigrants, and BIPOC impacted by systemic and historic inequities in our system.

Wendy works at a regional policy organization where she trains BIPOC and low-income people to serve on commissions and advisory committees using race and class analyses to ensure that decisions benefit their communities. She is a founding member of Richmond District Rising, a coalition of neighborhood activists who are building political power among tenants, working families, immigrants, and BIPOC living in the Richmond District.

Richard Rothman

District 1, Seat 12

Richard Rothman is a native San Franciscan and has been a resident of District 1 for many years. He retired after working 26 years for the City and County of San Francisco, and is interested in saving New Deal era murals in San Francisco.

For the past 10 years, he has been an advocate for reopening the Mother's Building at the San Francisco Zoo. He also gives tours of the murals at Coit Tower and the San Francisco Maritime Museum.

Nick Belloni

District 2, Seat 2

Nicholas Belloni is a native San Franciscan and has lived in the city's Richmond District for 50 years. An alum of Star of the Sea and Sacred Heart schools, he grew up playing sports and doing community service in San Francisco parks.

He volunteers for the Firefighters Toy Program and is a founding member of the Warriors on the Waterfront, a group that worked on attracting the Chase Center and the Warriors to San Francisco. He has worked with the organizers of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Outside Lands for 17 years to ensure these popular festivals coexist with neighbors in the Richmond District.

For the past 17 years, he has also served as a board member, vice president and president of the Planning Association for the Richmond. He looks for ways to help San Francisco and follows the lead of people in his family who have always helped the City.

Laura Mancuso

District 3, Seat 3

Jan Scott

District 4, Seat 4

Jan has been a resident of District 4 since 1969, raising her two children here. As they grew up, they especially enjoyed Stern Grove, the zoo, and Spreckels Lake in Golden Gate Park.

During Jan's working years, she was a software developer and project/software test manager. She is now retired and currently volunteers as treasurer for San Francisco Dog Owners Group (SFDOG), a nonprofit that promotes responsible dog ownership in the city. She also volunteers for Upwardly Global, a nonprofit organization that helps immigrant professionals restart their careers in the U.S. Previously she served as Joel Engardio's campaign treasurer and as a reading volunteer at the San Francisco Public Library.

Cyntia Salazar | Chair

District 5, Seat 5

Cyntia is the Director of Community Engagement for Tenderloin Community Benefit District (TLCBD). As a resident of the Tenderloin with deep family ties, Cyntia has a vested interest in making the neighborhood a vibrant, clean, and safe community for all.

Cyntia works on various physical community projects in the Tenderloin and helps shepherd grant initiatives for TLCBD. Moreover, she’s invested in highlighting the beauty of the Tenderloin by activating public realm spaces such alleyways and parklets with free community events and programming year-round.

Cyntia’s focus is in urban placemaking. As both an overarching idea and a hands-on approach for improving a neighborhood, city, or region, placemaking inspires people to collectively reimagine and reinvent public spaces as the heart of every community.

Hillary Brown

District 5, Seat 16

Hillary Brown was born in San Francisco in 1975 and is an alumna of Balboa High School, Treasure Island Job Corps, and City College. She also attended San Francisco State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, and then held an internship in Washington, D.C. with the United States Department of Justice as well as a nonprofit in the D.C. area.

Hillary has been a volunteer with the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation since 2016. She was appointed to PROSAC in 2023.

Matthew Tolnay

District 6, Seat 6

Matthew Tolnay is a resident of District 6 appointed to PROSAC in April of 2025. He is a local government attorney with experience working on a wide range of local governance issues concerning the environment, recreation and parks, elections, ethics, emergency services, and transportation.

He has a dedicated interest in public service and, prior to his work as a local government attorney, served as an Assistant Public Defender in Tampa, Florida. Matthew is a surfer and snowboarder who relocated from Florida to San Francisco for better access to these passions and is now focused on improving parks and open spaces within District 6. He also enjoys cycling, backpacking, and exploring the City's parks with his dog, Maui.

Deval Patel | Second Vice Chair

District 7, Seat 7

Deval is a District 7 resident appointed to PROSAC by Supervisor Myrna Melgar in May 2022. She is an active member of the Midtown Terrace Homeowners Association and a frequent visitor of the city's parks and playgrounds with her husband and three young children.

Deval spent her own childhood at her family convenience store in the suburbs of Dallas and is passionate about building software to help small businesses thrive. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, interior design, and being outdoors.

Helen Doyle

District 7, Seat 18

Helen has lived in San Francisco since the early ’90s; she joined PROSAC in December 2024. Helen is a California naturalist and educator dedicated to the environment, public education, and equity and justice.

A biologist by training, she shares her love of nature as a consultant, docent, and writer. She volunteers with several Bay Area organizations, such as Año Nuevo State Park, Gardens of Golden Gate Park, Alcatraz Historic Gardens, and Amah Mutsun Land Trust.

Helen serves on the advisory council of Nature in the City, a San Francisco nonprofit that connects people to nature, and represents Nature in the City on the Reimagining San Francisco steering committee and the SF Crosstown Trails coalition.

Sophia Constantinou | First Vice Chair

District 8, Seat 8

Sophia Constantinou is a creative placemaking artist, documentary storyteller, and co-founder of Citizen Film, a nationally acclaimed nonprofit organization devoted to inspiring active engagement in civic life.

In addition to sparking national reflection, Citizen Film collaborates with local communities to illuminate challenges and opportunities, disrupt conventional thinking, and create new landscapes that improve sustainability and environmental health. Citizen Film has been working with the Western Addition community and Rec and Park to build equity into the planning and redesign of the Buchanan Street Mall.

Sophia also is the Public Works Street Park Steward of the Bernal Cut, a mile-long corridor being transformed with dense native habitat, murals, and interpretive signage.

Sarah Lartigue

District 8, Seat 19

Sarah has lived in San Francisco since 1998 and has been a resident of District 8 for 20 years. As a marketing strategy and client services consultant, Sarah advises companies on development and implementation of best practices.

Outside of work, she volunteers through Taproot Foundation for pro-bono projects benefiting Bay Area nonprofits and has served on the board of Girls on the Run of the Bay Area. Sarah is a lifelong runner and novice tennis player and has spent many hours in the parks, playgrounds, and open spaces across the city with her husband and daughter. She is passionate about ensuring equitable access to safe, beautiful outdoor spaces and recreation programs for all residents.

Elisa Laird

District 9, Seat 9

Elisa Laird is a nonprofit executive with past experience as a disability rights litigator, public health policy attorney, and sign language interpreter. A San Francisco resident since 2000, she moved to District 9's Portola neighborhood in 2008 and raised two kids among the playgrounds and trails of McLaren Park.

Elisa is the Vice Chair of the Portola Neighborhood Association, led the Friends of 770 Woolsey, and is passionate about creating green spaces and agriculture in urban environments to promote people-friendly environments within the City. She loves gardening, San Francisco history, exploring the City, and trying to achieve a perfectly crafted cocktail.

Jorge Romero-Lozano

District 9, Seat 20

Kurt Grimes

District 10, Seat 10

Steven Depont-Kalani

District 11, Seat 11

Steven Depont-Kalani has lived in District 11 since 1993. In 1998, he co-founded the Outer Mission Merchants and Residents Association and remained its president until 2015.

In his time as president, he also chaired the Crocker Amazon Park Advisory Group, which was instrumental in getting a new children’s playground, baseball and soccer fields, dog play area, resurfaced tennis courts, refurnished bocce ball courts, and a clubhouse. The group also helped keep SF Fire Station #43 open without brownouts in the budget crisis of the mid-2000s.

Steven was appointed to PROSAC in 2018 and is a member of the McLaren Collaborative and the Excelsior Collaborative as well as a board member of Life Frames, Inc., “A Living Library.”

John Somoza

District 11, Seat 22

John Somoza grew up mostly in Spain but has spent the last 30 years in San Francisco. John works as a scientist and has been a heavy user of the city's parks, mostly playing and coaching soccer.

More recently, he has started swimming and is an advocate of increasing access to the city pools, and of opening new areas for open water swimming.

Ancel Martinez

At Large, Seat 23

Ancel Martinez is a fifth-generation Californian and often bicycles through the Presidio to visit the resting place of his great-great-grandfather at the National Cemetery. Ancel raised two children in the Mission District where he proudly works and lives with his family.

Ancel has spent two decades working to empower and uplift the city's youth, education, and civic organizations. He is a corporate communications advisor specializing in technology, finance, public policy, and litigation. He previously worked for NPR and KQED. He has a Liberal Arts BA from Concordia University in Montreal and completed studies at the Graduate School of Journalism, UC Berkeley.

Eric Randall

Board of Supervisors President Appointee, Seat 24

Eric Randall grew up in Ohio and made San Francisco his home more than 24 years ago. Eric is a gym owner and health equity advocate. He has been helping others improve their health for more than 14 years.

Eric holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of San Francisco and an MS in Kinesiology from San Francisco State University. Throughout his coursework, he received a service award for his creative commitment to the community through his actions, collaborations, and accomplishments as well as a distinguished achievement award for academic excellence.

His work is published in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Current Sports Medicine Reports. While at SFSU he founded and is still active in “Pull Yourself Up,” a nonprofit advocating for outdoor fitness equipment in low-income urban areas. Eric is also an avid runner and a musician.

Park, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee Bylaws

Adopted: February 7, 2006
Amended: May 2, 2023

Article I: Name and Membership

Section 1. Membership

In accordance with San Francisco Park Code Section 13.01, there is hereby established a Park, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee comprised of twenty-three members.

San Francisco Park Code: 13.01(a)

Section 2. Terms

If no appointment is made after the completion of a first, second, or third term, that member shall continue as a voting member until reappointed or replaced.

San Francisco Park Code: 13.01(b)

Section 3. Attendance

1. Members must notify the Chair in advance of a scheduled meeting if they are unable to attend. The Chair shall determine whether an absence is excusable for reasons such as illness, emergency, or scheduled business or personal travel. If a member is absent from more than three scheduled meetings in a twelve-month period, the Chair shall notify the appointing authority.
2. Administrative Code Chapter 67B authorizes members of the Committee to take parental leave in certain circumstances. The terms of the parental leave policy are set forth in Administrative Code Section 67B.1, which is incorporated by reference into these bylaws. The Committee Chair shall provide a copy of Section 67B.1 to each member when the member assumes office. Any member intending to take parental leave under this policy must inform the Committee Chair in writing. To the extent feasible, the notice shall state the beginning and end dates of the leave and whether the member intends to participate remotely during the leave. The notice is not binding and does not limit the member’s rights under the parental leave policy; it is intended to assist the Chair in planning the work and meetings of the Committee during the leave.

Section 4. Vacancies

When a vacancy or failure to appoint or reappoint occurs for any reason, the Chairperson of the Committee shall notify the appropriate appointing authority.

Article II: Duties

The Committee shall have the following duties:

Section 1. Strategic, Operational, and Capital Plans

The Committee shall submit written comments to the Department and the Commission on proposed Strategic, Capital, and Operational Plans, and all updates to such plans. Comments shall be submitted within 30 days after the plan is delivered to the Committee.

San Francisco Park Code: 13.01(d)(1)

Section 2. Joint Hearings

The Committee shall assist the Department in conducting at least two public hearings on evenings or weekends to permit public comment on the Department's full budget and programming allocations prior to adoption by the Commission.

San Francisco Park Code: 13.01(d)(2)

Section 3. Members as Liaisons

Members appointed from supervisorial districts shall serve as liaisons between the Commission and the residents, neighborhood groups, and organizations dedicated to park and recreational issues in their districts. Members may also serve as liaisons to the public at large and to citywide organizations concerned with park and recreational issues, and may assist the Department in arranging meetings with neighborhood groups, citywide organizations, and the public at large to discuss such issues.

San Francisco Park Code: 13.01(d)(3)

Section 4. Quarterly Report

The Chairperson shall present the Committee’s quarterly report to the Commission on all significant park and recreational issues that have come to the attention of the Committee or its members.

San Francisco Park Code: 13.01(d)(4)

Section 5. Meeting Requirements

The Committee shall hold meetings at least once a month and shall adopt its own rules of procedure.

San Francisco Park Code: 13.01(d)(5)

Section 6. Additional Duties

In addition to the duties described in Charter Section 16.107 and set forth below, the Committee shall have such duties as may be fixed by the Commission or the Board of Supervisors.

San Francisco Park Code: 13.01(d)(6)

Article III: Officers

Section 1. Chairperson

The Committee shall elect from its membership a Chairperson who shall preside at all meetings. The Chairperson shall decide all questions of order, subject to appeal to the Committee. The Chair or the Chair’s designee shall represent the Committee before the Recreation and Park Commission. The Chairperson shall possess a working knowledge of Robert’s Rules of Order. The term of the Chairperson shall be one year. The Chairperson shall, upon consultation with the Vice-Chairpersons and subcommittee chairs, set the agenda for future meetings and schedule special meetings as necessary.

Section 2. Vice-Chairpersons

The Committee shall elect from its membership Vice-Chairpersons (Vice-Chair #1 and Vice-Chair #2). Vice-Chair #1 shall assume the duties of the Chairperson:

• in the absence of the Chairperson at a meeting,
• upon the Chairperson’s resignation, or
• upon the Chairperson’s removal from office until a successor is elected.

Vice-Chair #2 shall support the Chairperson on an as-needed basis. The term of the Vice-Chairpersons shall be one year.

Section 3. Vacancies of Elected Committee Officers

When the office of Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson becomes vacant because the person is unable to complete the term of office, the Committee shall elect a successor as soon as practicable for the remainder of the term.

Section 4. Term Limits of Officers

1. Officers shall be elected for a term of one year.
2. The term of Chairperson shall be limited to three consecutive terms.
3. There shall be no term limits for other officers.

Section 5. Chairperson Emeritus

The past Chairperson or Chairpersons will be titled Chairperson Emeritus. The Chairperson Emeritus shall be available for guidance and coaching of officers and members.

Article IV: Meetings

Section 1. Regular Meetings: Time and Date

The Committee shall hold its regular meeting commencing at 6:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month.

San Francisco Administrative Code: 67.6(a)

Section 2. Regular Meeting Place

Regular meetings shall take place at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 034, San Francisco, California.

San Francisco Administrative Code: 67.6(a)

Section 3. Agenda

At least seven days before each regular meeting, the Secretary shall send a copy of the agenda to each Committee member and to members of the public who have requested in writing to receive Committee agendas. Committee members shall also receive the printed materials referenced in the agenda, and these materials shall be available for public review at the offices of the Committee.

Section 4. Minutes

The Secretary shall record the vote on all resolutions or motions in the minutes. A draft of the minutes shall be available for inspection and copying no later than ten working days after each meeting. The officially adopted minutes shall be available for inspection and copying no later than five working days after the meeting at which the minutes are adopted.

San Francisco Charter: 4.104 | San Francisco Administrative Code: 67.16

Section 5. Voting and Advisory Opinions

All members of the Committee voting on an agenda item, whether in the majority or minority, shall have seven calendar days to revise and extend their remarks in the form of an advisory opinion to be made part of the record for the meeting. The purpose of this section is to facilitate understanding among the public, the Recreation and Park Commission, the Board of Supervisors, and the Mayor as to the reasoning behind the outcome of an agenda item.

Article V: Parliamentary Procedure

Section 1. Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order and these bylaws shall govern all meetings of the Committee.

Section 2. Rules of Debate

When a member desires to address the Committee, the member shall seek recognition by addressing the Chair and, when recognized, shall proceed to speak, confining comments to the question before the Committee. No discussion shall take place until a resolution or agenda item has been introduced.

Article VI: Adoption and Amendment

Section 1. Adoption of Rules of Procedure

The adoption of these bylaws shall be made by motion and shall require an affirmative vote of the majority of the entire Committee. When adopted, these bylaws shall remain in effect unless suspended, modified, or amended as provided herein.

San Francisco Charter: 4.104

Section 2. Suspension of the Rules of Procedure

Any Rule of Order may be suspended, except when such rule is a restatement of a provision of the Charter, city and county ordinance, resolution of the Board of Supervisors, or other provision of law. No rule of order shall be suspended unless there is an affirmative vote of the majority of the members of the Committee present, and provided that such suspension is entered upon the minutes of the Committee. A motion to suspend the rules is debatable.

San Francisco Charter: 4.104

Section 3. Amendments to Bylaws

An amendment and/or modification to these bylaws may, after 72 hours’ notice of a regular or special meeting, be adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the entire Committee.

Article VII: Notice of These Rules of Procedure

These Rules of Procedure shall be made available to the public upon request. In addition, they shall be posted on the Recreation and Parks website at sfrecpark.org under “Park, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee.”

Effective Date

Adopted February 7, 2006, these Rules of Procedure supersede all prior versions of bylaws and rules of procedure adopted by previous committees.

Amended: May 2, 2023

SEC. 13.01. CITIZENS' ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

(a)   Membership. Effective September 1, 2023, the Park, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee (“Committee”) shall be comprised of 13 members. Eleven members shall be appointed by the members of the Board of Supervisors and approved by the full Board, with one member appointed by each Supervisor from their supervisorial district; and each Supervisor shall also appoint from their supervisorial district a specific alternate for the regular voting member, subject to approval by the full Board. The alternates shall not be seated on the Committee, but if a regular voting member is unavailable to attend then that regular voting member’s specific alternate shall be seated and shall act in the place of the regular voting member. Alternates are encouraged to attend and participate in meetings of the Committee. The Mayor shall appoint one member of the Committee. The President of the Board of Supervisors shall appoint one additional member of the Committee who represents an environmental justice organization based in San Francisco, subject to approval by the Board of Supervisors. The Committee members shall all be City residents and shall have relevant experience with park, environmental, recreational, cultural, sports, youth, disability, racial equity, or senior citizen issues.

(b)   Terms. The Committee members shall serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority for terms of two years.

(c)   Transition Period. Prior to September 1, 2023, the Committee shall adopt a transition roster that identifies which of the current Board-appointed members shall serve as regular voting members versus as alternates. Where there are already two members appointed by the same Supervisor, those members shall attempt to reach agreement as to which of them shall be the regular voting member and which of them shall be the alternate, before September 1, 2023, subject to approval of the Committee; but if they do not agree, then the Committee may designate their assignments by lot. The Committee’s adoption of a transition roster shall not impact the authority of the Mayor or Board of Supervisors to fill vacancies or reassign which members serve as regular voting members and alternates. The term of the Presidential appointee shall begin on September 1, 2023.

(d)   Duties. The Committee shall have the following duties:

(1)   The Committee shall submit written comments to the Department on its proposed Strategic, Capital and Operational Plans, and all updates to such plans. The Committee shall submit comments on each such plan within 30 days after the plan is delivered to the Committee.

(2)   The Committee shall assist the Department in conducting at least two public hearings on evenings or on weekends to permit the public to comment on the Department’s full budget and programming allocations prior to adoption by the Commission.

(3)   Members of the Committee appointed from supervisorial districts shall serve as liaisons between the Commission and the residents, neighborhood groups and organizations dedicated to park and recreational issues in their districts. Members may also serve as liaisons to the public at large and to citywide organizations that are concerned with park and recreational issues, and may assist the Department to arrange meetings with neighborhood groups, citywide organizations and the public at large to discuss such issues.

(4)   The Committee shall select a representative of the Committee to make the Committee’s quarterly report to the Commission on all significant park and recreational issues that have come to the attention of the Committee or its members.

(5)   The Committee shall hold meetings at least once a month in City Hall and shall adopt its own rules of procedure.

(6)   In addition to the duties described in Charter Section 16.107 and set forth below, the Committee shall have such duties as maybe fixed by the Commission or the Board of Supervisors.

(Added by Ord. 118-00, File No. 000478, App. 6/2/2000; amended by Ord. 140-23, File No. 230482, App. 7/20/2023, Eff. 8/20/2023)