San Francisco holiday season starts with Union Square ice rink and enhanced security
SAN FRANCISCO - The grand opening of the ice rink in San Francisco's Union Square brought out little ice-skating princesses moving to the song from Disney's film Frozen as well as an acrobatic performer in a giant wheel on Wednesday evening.
"This is the heartbeat of San Francisco and San Francisco people love this rink," said Robert Keith, Operations Manager for the SF Union Square Ice Rink run by Willy Bietak Productions.
Keith says the 6,0000-square-foot ice rink will be open through January 16th, with free skating lessons at 8 a.m. on weekends and many special performance days.
It's the 15th year of the ice rink, a partnership between San Francisco, Safeway, and Kaiser Permanente, to draw families, shoppers, and tourists into the downtown business district.
The main message is fun and safety.
"They've got squad cars on each of the four corners. We have two private security firms here," said Keith.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed says to back up that message, the city is devoting extra resources to the area.
"We've increased the police presence. We have retired police officers who are down here as ambassadors," said Mayor Breed, "We want people to feel good about being in San Francisco and shopping. We have plans around keeping our parking lot safe.There's going to be a lot more security during the holiday season."
The city's Ambassador Program will also mark a second year. The squad of staff in orange jackets are out patrolling the streets helping visitors with directions and keeping a watchful eye out for anything suspicious.
"Make them feel safe, and also they don't have to worry about car break-ins, because that's a thing people worry about or going to certain parts of the city," said Brittany Kendrick, one of the San Francisco Welcome Ambassadors.
The Union Square Alliance of merchants and business owners also have ambassadors in blue jackets helping to handle issues so police can focus on the most serious issues.
"It's much better for us to have our ambassadors supporting people if it's a first aid crisis, if it's directions, if it's figuring out where to go for restaurant organizations," said Marisa Rodriguez, Executive Director of the Union Square Alliance.
"I feel safe," said Paridise Roberts, a Berkeley resident who was in Union Square shopping, "I have two grown daughters in the city. I feel safe."
"It's a beautiful town," said Cecile Beyney, a tourist visiting San Francisco, "I feel very good. It's amazing for me...I feel secure."
LINK for information on ice rink tickets: https://unionsquareicerink.com/
Jana Katsuyama is a reporter for KTVU. Email Jana at jana.katsuyama@fox.com and follow her on Twitter @JanaKTVU or Facebook @NewsJana or ktvu.com.