Potrero View 2021: August

Wine Bars Offer Neighborhoods a Toast

BY VIVIEN WANG

“Accessible” and “customer-driven” aren’t necessarily what come to mind when you think of the retail wine experience. But San Francisco’s neighborhood wine bars—with hybrid retail and dining options—have evolved to become fun and educational gathering places, thanks to a new crop of sommelier founders.

Sommeliers, co-founders and owners of DECANTsf, Simi Grewal

“Every time we walked into a wine store in SF, no one on staff asked what you wanted from this bottle of wine, which can be intimidating for shoppers who don’t know a lot,” said Grewal.

In 2019, Grewal and Patricia opened DECANTsf, on Folsom between Seventh and Eighth streets, as “an

WINE continues on page 12

Bocce League Launched in Dogpatch

BY COLTON WEBSTER

The Play Bocce In Dogpatch league’s inaugural season began in June and runs until mid-August. The league’s eight teams consist of residents of Bayview, Potrero Hill, Mission Bay, and, of course, Dogpatch.

Dogpatch resident Adam Gould created the league to bolster the number of neighborhood-based bocce teams. He also wanted to increase the amount of play following a COVID-19-induced delay to late-July of the San Francisco’s Ferry Bocce League’s season.

“When you play Ferry Bocce there are 47 corporate teams and one neighborhood team,” Gould said. “When we discovered that the Ferry Bocce League might not happen this year, I wanted to do something.”

The Dogpatch league is more lighthearted than the Ferry Bocce League, which plays on courts on the Embarcadero, focusing on community building, Gould said.

Gould has been a player with the Dogpatch Howlers, which competes in the Ferry Bocce League, for the past three years.

Gould reached out to Dogpatch resident Bruce Huie, who helped found the Howlers in 2013, to garner his help starting a neighborhood league. They coordinated their efforts with The Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District’s Executive Director Julie Christensen. The GBD works to maintain and expand green spaces in Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill, including Progress Park.

BOCCE continues on page 11

Residents Concerned about University of California, San Francisco Expansion

BY JESSICA ZIMMER

Residents are concerned about potential impacts on community cohesion, economic activity, and transportation caused by University of California, San Francisco developments in Dogpatch. Some say UCSF is expanding far beyond its intended footprint when it first moved to Mission Bay.

“UCSF made promises to not come south of Mariposa Street when it was granted the Mission Bay site,” said Katherine Doumani, president of the Dogpatch Neighborhood Association (DNA). “More medical services reduce spaces for local businesses and don’t serve the local community. They also do not contribute impact fees, infrastructure and taxes. It’s unacceptable. UCSF is continuing to expand their footprint in Dogpatch without commensurate cushioning.”

Among spots of concern are 777 Mariposa Street, planned as a place to provide customized medical treatments, such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for cancer patients; Corner Market, a grocery store at 602 Minnesota Street, located on the ground floor of UCSF student and trainee housing; the Nancy Friend Pritzker Psychiatry Building,

a 150,000-square foot building at 675 18th Street for mental health researchers and providers; and a new 500-spot parking garage and clinical building at Mission Bay Block 34 on Illinois Street.

According to Doumani, the 777 Mariposa Street site is an example of UCSF’s “land banking,” buying property for future use. DNA members are unhappy that UCSF is presently leasing the site to Thermo Fischer Scientific. UCSF hasn’t contemplated measures to mitigate the adverse consequences of its expansion, said Doumani, such as cyclist safety improvements on Mariposa Street or ways to enhance transportation.

J.R. Eppler, Potrero Boosters, said UCSF should work with community members to explore how the 777 Mariposa Street development might change the neighborhood.

“Residents are also looking to have more talks about what the streetscape of Minnesota Street should look like. Dogpatch residents hope to make Minnesota Street a permanent “Slow Street.” UCSF can share how it wants the Corner Market to fit into that,” said Eppler.

Eppler is pleased that UCSF found

UCSF continues on page 10

Ungrafted.

PHOTO: Christopher Gaither and Cara Patricia noticed an absence of hospitality in the City’s wine retail establishments.

PUBLISHER’S VIEW

Couples

BY STEVEN J. MOSS

Relationships, especially long ones, are full of small battles, struggles over whose preferences, or neuroses, will win the day. Couples debate whether lights should be on or off, windows shut against the night air or left ajar to allow refreshing breezes to drift in.

Bedroom doors shouldn’t be agape lest an intruder enter the house, or the dog slip in to breathe noisily, or worse, slurp their private parts. No, you’re wrong, bedrooms should be accessible, so that any untoward sounds can be heard, and to keep the dog from loudly scratching to get in, waking everyone up.

There are no right answers, just poorly contended ones. Compromises must be made.

Arguments in my household often begin with word choice. “We’re not

arguing,” my wife, Debbie, might promptly retort, “We’re discussing.” We don’t typically disagree about the big stuff, like money or how to parent our daughter. It’s the small things that trip us up. I drive too slowly, as if bobbing on lapping waves instead of watchfully traversing chaotic streets. She’s overly dedicated to symmetry; even art has to be orderly. Both are true, or false. That’s not what matters.

For some time, the arc of our petty struggles centered on coffee making. For many years, I was charged with the task, even lauded for it. I greeted Debbie at morning light with a freshly made cup of joe, delivered hot to her bedside table. She boasted of the service to friends and family, evidence of the PUBLISHER’S VIEW continues on page 11

Odds and Ends

San Francisco Police Department has a new Bayview Station captain, David Maron Jackson Park will be re-named through a public process to be kicked off in October by Friends of Jackson Park The closure of the 18th Street commercial strip hasn’t resulted in the hope-for deluge of happy crowds. Enthusiasm has perhaps been doused by the generally gre y, cold, windy weather. Road closing isn’t cheap, costing upwards of $1,000 a week, generally paid for by the Potrero Dogpatch Merchants Association. If you haven’t visited, maybe it’s time you did…

Homeless Prenatal

Last month, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed legislation sponsored by District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton to allow 100 percent affordable housing at the Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP) located on 2500-2530 18th Street. The ordinance is part of a multi-step process to enable HPP to expand its services to include placing very lowincome families in housing they can afford. Prior to the bill’s passage residences weren’t a permitted use on the Production, Distributing, and Repair (PDR) 1G parcel immediately adjacent to HPP’s existing building.

Code Changes

The Dogpatch Neighborhood Association (DNA) and Potrero Boosters are working with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Planning Department and Supervisor Shamann Walton to devise ways to manage the emergence of laboratories in buildings zoned for PDR. “There appeared to be a loophole for businesses designated as labs to threaten to homogenize our warehouse PDR use and future PDR construction. A monoculture of one industry is not healthy for any community, especially a growing residential community lacking basic services,” said Katherine Doumani , DNA president. “We’re concerned about unplanned life sciences uses taking advantage of a loophole on paying impact fees and displacing the types of PDR we intended to protect in the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan,” said J.R.

Eppler, Boosters president. “Pier 70 and the Power Station’s life sciences uses were intended to be a planned relief valve. Between them, Mission Bay and Central SoMa, there will be an incentive for additional clustering of life sciences uses. Unless the PDR loophole is closed and the life sciences overlay in Dogpatch is lifted, the concern is that life sciences will displace traditional PDR in the Design District, Dogpatch, and northern Bayview.” Advocates what to eliminate the Life Science and Medical Special Use District in Dogpatch and clarify what life sciences uses are permitted within PDR zoning. Potential projects of concern are located at a 69,000 square-foot building on 101 Utah Street, 200 Kansas Street, 300 Kansas Street, 1111 Pennsylvania Street, 1401 Illinois Street, and Third Street.

Lab Fish

A first-of-its-kind tasting room serving cultured salmon samples will open on Third Street this fall. Startup Wildtype has been working since 2016 to produce “fish” grown in a laboratory. Like other alternative meat companies, Wildtype ultimately wants to harvest “salmon” to be sold at grocery stores and appear on menus. According to founders Aryé Elfenbein and Justin Kolbeck , the Dogpatch tasting room will open in September, functioning as a kind of interactive museum where visitors can learn how the product is made. The tasting room will feature a glass barrier to enable diners to see the “salmon” being cultivated in stainless steel tanks, similar to what visitors might find in a brewery. Apropos of the previous item, is fish grown in a laboratory a legitimate PDR use..?

Power Station

Construction is underway at the Power Station, a 29-acre waterfront site south of Pier 70 that will ultimately host 2,600 new homes, offices and life science laboratories, open space and community-serving amenities. Associate Capital, the project’s developer, held a groundbreaking celebration last May. “Having 30 percent of the units be affordable housing is a big win for the

SHORT CUTS continues on page 12

Editor,

Letters to the Editor

We appreciate your thorough coverage of DM Development’s co-living project at 300 De Haro Street (July issue). Our team has been engaged in dialogue around this project for more than two years. We understand that it invites a range of reactions. However, I’d like to correct inaccurate comments attributed to Ms. Jennifer Doumani.

300 De Haro isn’t a short-term, Airbnb-style vacation rental. Like traditional apartments, residents will sign a rental lease and undergo background and credit checks. Additionally, co-living residents often stay as long or longer than traditional apartment residents due to the strong community ties in the building.

The homes at 300 De Haro will be fully furnished, beautifully designed, and highly functional, with private kitchenettes and bathrooms. 300 De Haro will also have kitchens and lounges on every floor and generous amenities such as ground-floor food and beverage offerings, co-working lounges, fitness centers, and ample outdoor space.

Contrary to Ms. Doumani’s unsubstantiated assertion that the Planning Department told her that they find this project an “abuse of the legislation”, our conversations with the Department have been positive. The project proposes 450 homes, of which 181 – 40 percent of the entire, or 54.25 percent of the base, project – will be onsite affordable to households earning 50 to 55 percent, 80 percent, and 110 percent of area medium income. Not only is this exactly the type of development envisioned when Senate Bill 35 passed, it allows the speedy addition of “missing middle” housing in a transit- and amenity-rich neighborhood which might otherwise take years to come to fruition.

DM Development is committed to ensuring that 300 De Haro is a welcome addition to Potrero Hill by designing a building that not only provides new homes, but also includes beautiful public spaces and neighborhood-serving amenities.

Mark Macdonald Chief Executive Officer, DM Development

Editor,

In July’s story about 300 De Haro, developer Mark Macdonald misstates the benefit that impact fees associated with his project would bring to our neighborhood; specifically, that his fees would help fund Jackson Park renovation.

Mr. MacDonald has no authority to direct impact fees to a particular project, as their allocation is the responsibility of the Eastern Neighborhoods Community Advisory Committee (ENCAC).  ENCAC has already allocated $6.3 million to Jackson Park. 300 De Haro, with its proposed massive height and bulk – way above the generous allowances of the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan – won’t impact this allocation.

Put another way, the outsized proposal for 300 De Haro will not provide any meaningful monetary benefit to the neighborhood above what a code-compliant project would bring. Any statement otherwise is misleading.

Keith Goldstein Former Chair, ENCAC

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296 Liberty Street San Francisco 94114

Parties Help Neighborhood Restaurants Rebound

BY BETTINA COHEN

Nick Osborne and his fiancé, Monique, were workmates in the restaurant his family owns, Mission Rock Resort Oyster Bar & Grill, so naturally that’s where they tied the knot in 2017. They hosted 250 friends and relatives at their wedding ceremony and reception at the bayside establishment, among a dozen or so couples who’ve celebrated their nuptials there over the years.

Osborne, Mission Rock Resort’s general manager, started receiving inquiries for private parties of up to 70 people, as well as larger-scale restaurant buyouts, a month before the State of California lifted COVID-19 restrictions on June 15. San Francisco was well on its way to one of the highest vaccination rates in the nation by then; as of early July, 82 percent of the City’s population over the age of 12 had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; 74 percent were fully vaccinated.

After an abysmal year of lost revenues, neighborhood restaurants and event venues that’ve weathered the pandemic say business is brisk, with demand especially strong for private parties. Union Square, Downtown and the Moscone Center area are lagging, yet a pent-up desire to make up for lost time is spurring a hospitality revival in the neighborhoods, said Laurie Thomas, executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA).

“People are playing catchup. Ev-

erything’s been on hold. A lot of people are moving forward and doing events. People are wanting to go back,” Thomas said. “We’re lucky in San Francisco to have such a high rate of vaccinations.”

John Caine, who owns ATwater Tavern, echoed those words, as did Margherita Sagan, co-owner with Sheryl Rogat of Piccino.

“We’re getting a lot of inquiries. People are very much trying to catch up with celebrations of all sorts,” Sagan said. “Many office groups that were regulars in the past are coming back” for their first get-together after the lockdown. Piccino hosted a wedding soon after June’s reopening.

“We have event coordinator Christina Rubin, and her inbox has exploded,” Caine said. “She’s fielding mostly personal events. People who got married during the shutdown are finally having their receptions. We have a 60th birthday this Saturday for 60 people, with special order tequila. Graduations came through in June pretty strong.” Corporate offsites are “trickling back in, mostly aiming to book in December.” Situated near enough to Oracle Park that the grandstand can be seen from its upper deck, at 295 Terry Francois Boulevard, ATwater has also benefitted from the San Francisco Giants’ lead in the standings. “So yeah, people are coming out. They’re back!”

The Delta variant became the

Carbonated Water Company Aura Bora Sparkles with Weirdness

BY REBEKAH MOAN

Potrero Hill-based sparkling water company, Aura Bora, strives for flavors that’re strange compared with its competitors, but not so weird that they’re intimidating, according to Chief Executive Office and Cofounder Paul Voge.

Current “weird” flavors for the zero-calorie, zero-sugar, and zerosodium sparkling water are cactus rose, lavender cucumber, peppermint watermelon, basil berry, and lemongrass coconut. A limited-edition tang was introduced in June: ginger Meyer lemon. Next up on the docket? Likely something with elderflower. After that, who knows?

When Aura Bora creates a new taste the first question is always, “Does it pass the weird test?” according to Voge. The company likes to use flavors people are familiar with in other mediums, such as food, but haven’t had in sparkling water. What the business doesn’t do is cater to Voge’s favorites.

“Way back in summer 2019 when we were testing recipes, we didn’t debut my favorite,” Voge said. “My favorite pairings were left on the cutting room floor. Right now, we listen to the consumer.”

Aura Bora conducts surveys on

its website and monitors social media comments. For instance, ginger was the most requested herbal ingredient; the firm created a flavor using it.

Aura Bora’s growth has exploded since it was founded by Voge and his wife Madeleine Voge – Aura Bora’s creative director – nearly two years ago. The idea had been brewing for a while. The Voges love sparkling water but were dissatisfied with the “plain” choices on the market. They used their SodaStream to experiment at home and hired a food scientist to make sure the ingredients were safe.

“We had 10 to 12 recipes we really loved with herbal extracts, fruits, and flowers,” he said. “We tested them out on everyone we knew and five rose to the top.”

After finding a manufacturer, Aura Bora took off, becoming available at 300 retailers in six months before growing to roughly 1,600 stores in 42 states. The beverage is offered at Mainstay Market, The Good Life Grocery, and Soma Wine & Spirits, among other retailers. Aura Bora’s online sales skyrocketed after being featured on the television show Shark Tank in January 2021.

Voges

The

left Shark Tank with

AURA BORA continues on page 11

What’s Happening with

As life has begun to return to normal, Potrero Hill buyers have been exceptionally active. Many singlefamily homes and condominiums are selling at strong prices with multiple offers as buyers take advantage of low interest rates.

If you have been thinking of selling your home, now may be an excellent time to take advantage of strong demand from buyers.

506

580

626

421

467

1018

The average sales price for a home on Potrero Hill this year has been $1,940,294. If you’d like a free report on the value of your home, call Tim Johnson at 415-710-9000.

Tim Johnson

415.710.9000

tim@timjohnsonSF.com

www.timjohnsonSF.com

DRE 01476421

Local Historian Keeps Past Alive

BY STEVEN FIDEL HERRAIZ

Peter Linenthal is a neighborhood treasure. As Potrero Hill Archives Project director, he’s educated and entertained audience members for the last twenty-one years at annual ‘Potrero Hill History Nights.’ He has a passion for collecting historic maps, artifacts, and photographs of Hill people, places and things, spending thousands of hours searching out and organizing newspaper articles and interviewing community members. Linenthal is the definitive, ‘go-to’ person for information about the neighborhood.

Linenthal grew up in Presidio Heights. His mother, Alice Adams, who died in 1999, was a short story writer and novelist. In 1982 she received the O. Henry Special Award for Continuing Achievement. His father, Mark Linenthal, was shot down over Germany on his first mission during World War II. He taught English and creative writing at San Francisco State University for almost 40 years. He passed in 2010.

Linenthal first came to Potrero Hill when he was a child; his family enrolled him in Phoebe A. Hearst Pre -

school, then located behind the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House. His teacher and the school’s founder, Rhoda Kellogg, was an early proponent of developmentally appropriate practices, believing that every child is an artist, making art supplies available to her students whenever they wanted them. Kellogg, who died in 1987, was a prolific collector of children’s drawings, amassing more than two million of them.

Linenthal earned his bachelor and master degrees from the San Francisco Art Institute, as well as a Teaching Credential from San Francisco State. In 1975 he purchased a 1905 Victorian at the corner of 18th and Missouri streets. He loved the neighborhood’s silence, and its expansive views. He also knew that he could get much more for his money in the then-undiscovered, ‘off the beaten path’ community. He and his husband, architect Phil Anasovich, live on the third floor with sweeping City views, surrounded by books and artifacts.

“Goat Hill Pizza had just opened, and, besides Ganim’s Deli, there were no other food places here,” said Linenthal. “The New Potrero Market was here, and The Good Life Grocery was just getting started, in the building where Papito’s is now. There were a couple of bars. It was quiet and kinda funky, and the houses weren’t as fixed up as they are now.”

Linenthal was drawn to the ‘visual’ from an early age. He setup his first ‘museum’ in the washroom of his childhood home. The initial artifact was a fish he’d caught. Later, as an adolescent he and his stepbrother began collecting old things, newspapers, items they’d found in stores. They called the amassed treasures, ‘The Collection.’

In the mid-1980s Julie Gilden founded the Potrero Hill Archives Project as an oral history initiative focused on the Molokan community. Shortly

after Linenthal joined the effort, conducting audio interviews. People brought photos in; the physical archives grew, as did Linenthal’s interest in the project. Abigail Johnston, an early and important volunteer with The Potrero View, lent her expertise in research and page layouts. The now large collection of photographs, maps and artifacts are stored in Linenthal’s home.

“It would be great if we got a storage space, one where we could meet, connect with the public in a better way. We could have a display case in which we could have changing shows and display different materials,” Linenthal said.

Besides appearing at Potrero Hill

History Night and the Potrero Hill Festival, Linenthal and Johnston take the Archives on the road for ‘San Francisco History Days,’ an annual showcase of local history featuring independent historians and historical organizations, sponsored by the San Francisco Department of Memory. Their book, San Francisco’s Potrero Hill, was published in 2005 by Arcadia Publishing as part of its ‘Portraits of America’ series, followed in 2009 by Potrero Hill, contributing to Arcadia’s ‘Then and Now’ series.

Linethal’s passion for history

LINENTHAL continues on page 14

Lessons from the School of Hard Knox

BY AKASH GHOSAL

“Hi neighbors. I’m John...I have lived in Dogpatch since 1959. I attended the Elementary School which is now closed at 1060 Tennessee Street. You may see me walking every day with a cane.”

Several months ago, this post greeted Dogpatch and Potrero Hill residents on the social networking app Nextdoor. Neighbors chimed in: “John is the best!”; “Hi John, It’s always nice to run into you on your walks.”; “Hope to see you at Mass sometime.”

John Knox lives on Tennessee Street, a stone’s throw from St. Stephen Baptist Church. He’s called Dogpatch home for 62 years. From the Sum -

mer of Love to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the Dot-com bubble to today; Knox has lived along the Central Waterfront through it all. Born in Bayview-Hunters Point, Knox moved to Dogpatch – which he prefers to call by its historic name, “Lower Potrero Hill” – when he was six years-old. His family relocated a few times but always in the neighborhood.

Knox’s deep community commitment began early, rooted in his involvement with his church. In the early-1970s, when Knox was in his 20s, two police officers killed a man in the neighborhood. Knox attended a meeting with area residents and the

JOHN KNOX continues on page 14

Peter Linenthal (left) with Steven Herraiz at the Potrero Hill Archives Project’s Pop-Up Museum. PHOTO: Mr. WA

COMMUNITY | AUGUST

Now through Saturday 12/4

Art: Maia Cruz Palileo

Curated by Kim Nguyen, this exhibition features paintings and sculptures from multi-disciplinary, Brooklyn-based artist, Maia Cruz Palileo, inspired by historic Filipiniana stories, portraits, and images, fused with Palileo’s memories and family tales. The exhibit stems from research Palileo conducted at the Newberry Library in Chicago, which has one of the world’s largest collections of Filipiniana. Influenced by the oral history of a family’s arrival to the United States from the Philippines, as well as the history between the two countries, Palileo investigates larger questions pertaining to identity, migration, and concepts of time. Free. California College of the Arts Wattis Institute, 360 Kansas Street. For more information: https://bit.ly/2VbsCg9.

Sunday 8/1

Music: Globe Spinners Record Swap

Northern California record vendors offer music from around the globe: Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe. DJs; food from Mezcla. Noon to 5 p.m. Free. Harmonic Brewing, 1050 26th Street. For more information and to register: https://bit.ly/3i2kZBr

Thursday 8/5

Art: From the Bench of Don Rash

From the Bench is San Francisco Center for the Book’s new series

of short studio tours, in this case featuring Don Rash, printer, bookbinder and proprietor of the Boss Dog Press and School for Formal Bookbinding in Plains, Pennsylvania. 12:30 to 1 p.m. PDT. Free. This is an online event. For more information and to register: https://bit.ly/3y5Fl2i

Saturday 8/7

Community: Potrero Hill Day on the Green

Enjoy a day of family, fun, and friends. Basketball skills camp from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Music, entertainment, food, raffles. Potrero Hill Recreation Center, 801 Arkansas Street. For more information: 415.289.5974

Saturdays 8/7, 8/14, 8/21, 8/28

Film: Thrive City Cinema Nights

Each Saturday the Warriors host free screenings of fan-favorite movies on Thrive City’s 3,108 square foot outdoor video board. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., 5 p.m. for Chase cardholders; movie starts at 6 p.m. Free. Chase Center, 300 South Street. For more information: https://bit.ly/3x1bFSH

Saturday 8/14

Community: Bernal Heights Garage Sale

A Bernal Heights tradition and arguably San Francisco’s largest single day garage sale. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information: https://bit. ly/2W8JFzI

Saturday 8/14

Automobiles: San Francisco Old Car Picnic

Celebrating its 33rd year, bring a 1996 or older vehicle; picnic or barbeque. 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cars and trucks $40; motorcycles $20; bicycles $10; spectators, free. Hellman Hollow, also known as the historic Speedway Meadow, Golden Gate Park. For more information: https://bit.ly/3zx2POm

Sunday 8/15

Transportation: Free Muni Nineteen-years-old or younger ride Muni free, regardless of financial status. While Muni Transit Fare Inspectors won’t request proof of payment from those who appear to be under the age of 19, individuals above the age of 16 are encouraged to carry a student or other form of identification for age verification. For more information: https://bit. ly/3i1ZG3d

Thursdays 8/5, 8/12, 8/19, 8/26

Food: Mission Community Farmers’ Market

This neighborhood market features vendors from more than 20 small local farms and food businesses, offering a diversity of fresh fruits and vegetables, crafts, hot prepared foods, as well as public space for sitting and eating. Thursdays 3 to 7 p.m. Bartlett and 22nd streets. For more information: https://bit.ly/36Wumwn

Saturday 8/21

Animals: Bark to School Photos

Dress up your pup for a studentthemed four by six-inch photograph that can be shown with pride that same day. A week after the event three digital files from the 15-minute session will be sent. $20 donation,

benefits Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. Healthy Spot Mission Bay, 1200 Fourth Street, Suite F. For more information and to reserve your time: https://bit. ly/3i2BzRW

Friday 8/27

Food: Tour of Asia

Through this hands-on culinary tour tastebuds will journey across several different Asian cuisines. Prepare and sample the flavors of Korea, with a beef marinade served alongside fragrant Indonesian coconut rice. Learn the secrets to creating a Thai curry that hits every note; sweet, salty, spicy, and sour. Study the technique behind seasonal Chinese greens, and more. Guests are welcome to bring wine and beer to enjoy during the class. $129. Presented by Cozymeal, which offers this experience at the chef’s or your location. For more information: https://bit.ly/36Y6dFF

Saturday 9/25

Music: Asher Belsky

San Francisco’s 16-year-old Asher Belsky is an inaugural member of the Gibson Generation Group, Gibson Guitar’s selection of young musicians from around the world. He’s played at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Festival, Surrealistic Summer Solstice Jam 3 in Golden Gate Park, and the Allman Family Revival at the Fillmore in San Francisco and the Beacon Theater in New York City. His debut single, “About a Girl,” was released in May 2020. This performance also features Carly Thomas. 8 p.m.

Tickets: $25. The Sebastiani Theatre, 476 First Street East, Sonoma, on the plaza. For more information and to purchase tickets: https://bit. ly/3zviM7B

Maia Cruz Palileo, Gabi (night), 2021, gouache on paper. 17 1/2 x 30 1/8 in. Diptych.

PHOTO: Courtesy of The Wattis Institute

Open Field at Catharine Clark Gallery

BY MAX BLUE

Black Mountain College was founded in 1933 based on the belief that the study of art was central to education. Over the years notable faculty and students included textile artist and printmaker Anni Albers, experimental composer John Cage, and San Francisco sculpture superstar Ruth Asawa. Although the school closed in 1957 it had an outsized impact on the American avant-garde, which continues today.

Open Field: Nine Artists Respond to the Ideals of Black Mountain College, on view at Catharine Clark Gallery on Utah Street, features contemporary artists working in the tradition of innovation and experimentation, while referencing figures from the school’s history.

Mary Muszynski’s installation Spectral Compositions of Shade Light in the Smoky Mountains, NC 19971955, 2021, greets viewers from the gallery’s window. The piece features photographs taken at Muszynski’s

family home ninety miles from Black Mountain, printed on three silk curtains, which viewers are invited to arrange however they like. The photos are accompanied by subtly amplified field recordings of mountain wildlife. The piece sets the stage for the exhibition, engendering the feeling of passing into the North Carolina setting, a passageway to the theme of interactive art.

Music boxes perched on pedestals throughout the gallery make up Listening to the Material, 2021, by Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese. Viewers are invited to crank the boxes, which play punch cards based on the patterns of Anni Albers’s weavings and prints. By transcribing these visual pieces into music Ligorano and Reese engage in a dialogue between natural materials and machine processes while bringing Alpers’s work to life in a new way that invokes the music of John Cage, who often left elements of his compositions to chance.

Lenka Clayton redefines drawing in another tribute to Albers: ten experimental works on paper made using a typewriter rather than a traditional implement. The drawings themselves were inspired by Clayton’s visit to the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation in Connecticut in 2018. The process was inspired by Anni Albers’s technique of using a typewriter to design weaving patterns. Like Albers’s weavings, Clayton’s drawings are impressive technical feats, particularly Houseplants Tended by Anni Albers, 2021, in which the artist has produced with type something indistinguishable form a pencil sketch.

The gallery’s rear room has been transformed by Reniel Del Rosario’s installation Exist Through the Gift Shop, which features dozens of ceramic souvenirs available for purchase, packaged in the style of dollar store gimcracks. Each is a comic reference to the college’s history and the art world: miniature copies of pieces by Albers, Asawa, and Cage; Frogs “to being your morning out in Black Mountain”. A sign hanging beneath a ceramic security camera – also for sale – reads “THIEVES WILL BE PERSECUTED”, a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the fact that all of Del Rosario’s pieces are in themselves referential

If Open Field has a weakness, it’s in this dependency on reference. Viewers unfamiliar with Black Mountain College’s history and legacy might not appreciate the dialogue a more informed viewer would understand. While the show is supplemented with a few original pieces by Asawa and Cage, these don’t offer much context. Time spent with each artist’s statement is a must. As an homage to an institution which championed the study of art, Open Field is perhaps best engaged as an educational experience, through which diligent viewers will discover the legacy of the American avant-garde.

Open Field is on view at Catharine Clark Gallery, 248 Utah Street, through September 11, 2021. Viewers can also experience the exhibition via a virtual walkthrough on the gallery’s website.

inches framed. Courtesy of the artist and Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco.

a proprietor for the Corner Market. “It’s a helpful resource for the community and UCSF students,” said Eppler.

“Dogpatch residents have expressed they feel UCSF is treating them as part of Mission Bay,” said District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton. “Dogpatch has its own culture and community and comprises a separate neighborhood. The way that UCSF engages with Dogpatch residents should reflect that. What’s necessary is that UCSF hold more focus groups and charrettes, digital or virtual, to hear what residents have to say. The conversation started before the pandemic.

WANTED: Freelance Writers

Modest base pay, interesting assignments.

They can continue during the recovery. There are many ways that UCSF can engage residents, including mailers, phone calls, and socially distanced door-to-door visits.”

Francesca Vega, vice chancellor of UCSF community and government relations, said the university is increasing its commitment to under-resourced populations, in part by hiring, buying, and investing locally.

“Part of our community commitment includes the UCSF Anchor Institution Initiative, which we launched in an effort to further leverage our resources and talent to improve the long-term health and social welfare of our communities,” said Vega. “The initiative draws on partnerships with the City that extend back to our founding as a medical college to support the San Francisco County Hospital in 1864, as well as our partnerships in every public health crisis since the 1906 earthquake.”

In 2017, UCSF established the Dogpatch Community Task Force as a way to identify and discuss potential impacts of the university’s proposed development in the neighborhood.

“UCSF held a series of public meetings over eight months with the task force, composed of Dogpatch and Potrero Hill neighbors and merchants, City staff, and UCSF. The Dogpatch Community Task Force process afforded an opportunity for UCSF, neighbors, and City staff to engage in frank, unvarnished conversations regarding one of the most historic and iconic neighborhoods in San Francisco. UCSF recognizes and appreciates the hard work, thoughtful dialogue, and spirit of

cooperation evidenced by neighbors to ensure that Dogpatch is a safe, vibrant, and welcoming community,” said Vega.

According to Vega discussions held in 2017 led to a $10.55 million investment to address potential effects of proposed UCSF projects on the neighborhood, including $5 million for Esprit Park renovation, $4.2 million for the Dogpatch Community Hub, $600,000 for a traffic signal at 18th and Minnesota streets, $500,000 for the 22nd Street Stair Connector, and $250,000 for the Caltrain Gateway.

“UCSF claims it has paid its fair share for fees to establish the Mission Bay Ferry Landing. But that deal with former Mayor Ed Lee has nothing to do with our relationship with them. That action does not mitigate traffic in Dogpatch,” said Doumani.

Vega said that completion of the Pritzker Psychiatry Building has been delayed because of the City’s public health ordinance, which shutdown construction for five weeks in March and April 2020.

“After (that it) ...was designated as an essential project. Construction resumed under restricted working conditions for social distancing. Those restricted conditions extended the construction schedule and delayed the completion of the project. We are currently working towards a completion on September 9, 2021,” said Vega.

Susan Eslick, a DNA member, said despite numerous conversations, details regarding projects remain unknown.

“(For) 777 Mariposa Street I am most interested in the architecture and design of the building,” said Eslick.

Eslick added she’s been concerned

that UCSF had difficulty renting the Corner Market.

“I felt it was not a good location for any retail. Dogpatch already has a nice grocery with Mainstay Market on 22nd Street and Third Street,” said Eslick.

Art Agnos, who served as Mayor from 1988 to 1992 and is a Hill resident, said he’d like UCSF to shift from “(talking the issues) to death with community relations staff and wearing out community opposition. There is a monumental difference between UCSF as a developer and UCSF as a health provider. As a health provider, the doctors, nurses, and health personnel are the best. Whereas as a developer, UCSF’s administrators are heavyhanded…roll over neighborhoods wherever they choose to locate their next buildings,” said Agnos.

Agnos suggested that community advocates convey their concerns to California State Legislators David Chiu, Phil Ting, and Scott Wiener, Democrats representing San Francisco.

“They have the most significant influence over the University of California through the budget. Unfortunately, while the Legislature was deliberating over the budget this year, Assemblyman Ting could not find time to meet with constituents and delegated it to his staff. The University of California Regents also have important sway. The San Francisco Regents representing our City are Janet Reilly, Richard Blum, and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis,” said Agnos.

Agnos said an appeal to private donors could also be useful. He noted

UCSF continues on next page

that a letter co-signed by him and former Mayor Willie Brown to Jackie Safier, Helen Diller Family Foundation president, earlier this year has been ignored. The Diller Family Foundation donated $500 million dollars to UCSF for expansions at the Parnassus and Mission Bay campuses.

“To ignore two former mayors of San Francisco who want to share their views about health conditions in the southeastern part of the City was stunning,” said Agnos.

Janet Carpinelli, a DNA member, said the university has a pattern of insisting it’ll be a good neighbor, but proceeding differently.

“This happened with the graduate and medical student housing at 590 and 600 Minnesota Street, which is now UCSF Housing at the Tidelands. UCSF talked with local residents for two years about the design. They listened to the fact that we wanted a building that would look good and fit in with the neighborhood. Then they came up with some junky-looking prefab housing. The design and colors are awful,” said Carpinelli.

Carpinelli is presently concerned about the amount of trash left by cars in northern Dogpatch.

“It seems UCSF staff clean out their cars and leave all kinds of trash, including Personal Protective Equipment, in the gutter and on the sidewalks. This is not respectful. There’s also a significant amount of trash around the Tidelands. The university can change this with messaging to staff and hiring crews to pick up trash more often,” said Carpinelli. “The three things they should do are be forthcom-

ing, make as little of an intrusion as possible into Dogpatch, and listen to their neighbors.”

Last month, t he Berkeley City Council approved a $82.6 million settlement with the University of California that dropped lawsuits challenging long term UC Berkeley development projects. The suits sought compensation for the environmental and community impacts of faculty housing planned at 2698 Hearst Avenue, and alleged that the university violated an environment impact review requirement during development of a volleyball facility. Under the settlement the city set aside its challenge of UC Berkeley’s 2021 Long Range Development Plan, and two projects that’ll house almost 2,000 students and overtake People’s Park and apartments located at 1921 Walnut Street.

BOCCE from front page

“The GBD’s involvement is pretty minimal,” Christensen said. “Neighbors built the bocce court, and Progress Park where it is situated.”

Huie said his role was “largely centered on encouraging participation by as broad a group of neighbors as possible, coordinat[ing] updates to the courts.”

The Power Station, which is developing residences and commercial space in Dogpatch, donated funds to upgrade the bocce court at Progress Park. Volunteers helped replace the court’s gravel with a sand and oyster flour mix to give it a “look and feel like a more official bocce court,” Gould said, adding that a scoreboard made of railroad ties donated to the Green Benefit District by the San Francisco

Hey neighbors!

We wanted to remind everyone that the pandemic is not over and the process of getting back to normal is just that, a process.

Farley's is focused on the health and safety of the team and the community while balancing the realites of running a small business in a very strange time. Please keep this in mind as we remain at reduced hours and to-go only.

Thank you for all your support and for giving grace and practicing patience as the community recovers together.

MON - FRI 7:30-2:30 | SAT-SUN 7:30-6:00

Municipal Transportation Agency is being planned.

The league’s second season will begin this Fall.

PUBLISHER’S

VIEW from page 2

excellence of my husbandry. Until it wasn’t.

Making java involves daily machine cleaning, a task I attended to imperfectly. I’d wash the various parts so enthusiastically that tiny drops of brown liquid would splatter on the set of white flower vases Debbie symmetrically displayed next to the sink. Which, because I never seemed to notice – or was I subconsciously passive-aggressive? – she had to clean up. I experimented with different types of beans and brands, resulting in an inconsistent product that might have unpleasant – to Debbie – tangs of chocolate, or simply be too weak. I’d mix different kinds of beans together; yes, I did.

Worse, though, was my pathological dedication to “waste not want not” planted by the practices of my Depression Era-raised parents. Unwilling to dispose of “perfectly good beans,” which were actually stale or even already ground, I poured these into the coffeemaker’s maw, more than once gumming up the machine. Which Debbie had to clean.

The slow drip of my unwelcome methods ultimately resulted in banishment from coffee making entirely, left solely to my butler role. Which, truthfully, is hard to mess up.

As with all petty partnership struggles, how one reacts to a disagreement is what matters. I could take umbrage that my manhood had been stripped from me, identified as a person so incompetent that he can’t even engage in basic coffee making, unable to experiment with the daily grind. Or I could sleep a little later in the morning, safe in the knowledge that I’ll be greeted with a fresh pot of consistently brewed coffee, prepared on a timer by

Green Benefit District

Debbie the previous night. What would you choose?

AURA BORA from page 4

a $200,000 investment from  Robert Herjavec in exchange for 15 percent of Aura Bora. The firm recently raised $2 million in a seed funding round from consumer product accelerator SKU, venture capital fund Balanced Breakfast, Leon Chen of Tiff’s Treats, actor Scott Eastwood, and musician Marley D. Williams.

The Voges have ambitious plans for Aura Bora. They want the company to be a premier artisanal/craft sparkling water brand. They plan to release a limited-edition flavor every couple of months to keep sparkling water aficionados pleased while expanding beyond the firm’s core five flavors.

“Broadly speaking, we’re watching beverages change as we know it,” Paul said. “It’s not just the little guys, it’s also Coke and Pepsi who are creating low-calorie, low-sugar innovations. In the long-haul, we want to be a beverage people know, and to taste so different from the competition that our brand is in the same ilk as Honest Tea, for instance.”

Aura Bora sparkling water may be available across the country, but Paul wants View readers to take pride in the fact the company was born on 23rd Street.

“There are so many rich, great small businesses in Potrero,” he said. “They’re run by their owners or even second-, third-, fourth-generation owners. It’s an amazing place to build a small business.”

Activities are picking up after the COVID slowdown. The GBD is planning street tree and sidewalk garden plantings in Potrero Hill this fall, and work parties at various district parks. Sign up for the GBD Green Sheet to learn more about what’s happening: https://www.greenbenefit.org/subscribe

Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association

Be in the know. Meet your neighbors. Make the Potrero a better place. We’re meeting virtually on the last Tuesday of each month at 7pm. Go to www. potreroboosters.org for details.

Starr King Open Space

Please join our monthly volunteer days on the second Saturday of the month from 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. This month it is August 14th.

Also, feel free to join our monthly meetings which are open to the public, done via Zoom for now, the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. This month it is Monday August 16th. Check the website for the Zoom link.

If you can, please donate to help keep Starr King Open Space open, accessible and well maintained for our neighbors.

www.starrkingopenspace.org

WINE from front page

education-focused space.” The wine bar has a low serving counter, with tables interspersed among shelves of bottles.

“We want the shelves to look like a wine list,” explained Grewal.

Bottles feature tags indicating “Last Bottle,” or Polaroids of the winemaker at an in-store event.

Grewal and Patricia blind-taste every bottle. The resulting hand-selected wines are bought in small quantities, according to “rigorous standards of sustainability, deliciousness, value, and story.”

DECANTsf hosts pop-ups. Dabao Singapore, a takeout and delivery service, has held cooking classes, along with meal kit pickups for which DECANTsf recommends wine pairings. Basil Thai diners can enjoy appetizers in-store during Friday happy hours, with the corkage fee waived for inrestaurant diners who’ve purchased wine from DECANTsf.

Located on Third between 20th and 22nd streets, Ungrafted is helmed by sommeliers Chris Gaither and Rebecca Fineman. Fineman holds the distinction of being the 25th female Master Sommelier in the United States, one of 28 women, and 249 Master Sommeliers in the world.

“Everyone working front of house is a sommelier,” said Gaither. “We’re nerds at heart, and we want to make wine accessible and fun.”

When it opened in 2018, Ungrafted focused on champagnes, a passion for the husband-and-wife team. Today, it boasts expansive cellar and retail lists, with 1,000 individual units from around the world.

Wine clubs are curated by member preference, based on a conversation with Fineman. “It’s a concierge wine club service; you don’t get the same two bottles every month,” she said. “I find something you’ll like, and introduce you to new grapes, styles, wines and regions you’ll end up loving, but may not have known about otherwise.”

The “choose-your-own-adventure” monthly wine clubs offer two bottles of sparkling, red, white, “surprise,” or a 6-pack “dealer’s choice,” and are priced by selection.

Parents of a 4.5-year-old daughter, Edith, Gaither and Fineman prioritize hospitality and community-building at their full-service restaurant.

“We’ve always believed that children can—and should—dine out,” said Fineman. “Our staff is here to welcome families, not make them feel uncomfortable.”

A pioneer in Dogpatch, Yield, a family- and dog-friendly wine bar has been near the corner of Third and 22nd streets since 2006. Owned and operated by Chris Tavelli and Lindsay Sink, it’s the longest standing bar under the same ownership in the neighborhood. It’ll celebrate its 15th anniversary with complimentary treats and a glass of bubbly on Saturday, August 21, from 5 to 10 p.m.

Yield offers wines from small, family-owned, organic vineyards that’re farmed sustainably, often with limited production. Their “Quarantine Wine Club” was launched during the pandemic, and offers three bottles, a half, or a full case based on customer preference.

“We have customers from all over the world,” said Tavelli, who works

with global distributors. “Younger wine drinkers are coming in learning about wines from Australia, China, India, and Africa, not just the Old World.”

Visitors to Yield are greeted by Denver, an Australian Cattle Dog who “takes care of all the bar security” and Teddy, a white Labrador Retriever “who handles customer relations,” said Tavelli.

Two mobile parklets installed as a result of the pandemic increased the dog-to-human guest ratio at Yield.

A recent renovation was spearheaded by Sink, and executed by family members, who helped paint, build furniture, and hang lights. She envisioned an inviting, casual place to hang-out with friends and neighbors. The new botanical theme is highlighted by lush, leafy wallpaper that makes for a dramatic backdrop for guests’ Instagram posts.

Mission Bay Wine & Cheese, on Fourth and Channel, owned by Peter Granoff and Debbie Zachareas, also the proprietors of Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant and Napa’s Oxbow Wine & Cheese Merchant, opened in 2019, and is managed by Chris Rivera. In addition to the retail shop, which houses a craft spirits boutique, wine bar, and bistro, the business offers cheese, charcuterie, conservas, and specialty olive oils and jams.

Having several wine clubs helped establish the store’s reputation. Monthly members receive two different bottles of wine—mixed (one white, one red), red only, white only, or rosé (seasonal); quarterly members receive three bottles of cellar-worthy reds or sparkling wines.

“Flights are also a big part of what we do; it’s in our DNA,” said Rivera.

All wines on the menu are available to taste by two-ounce pour, so customers can build their own flights. Tastings are offered bi-weekly during summer, weekly in the fall. The “happiest of hours” was recently launched from 2 to 5 p.m. daily, and includes free antipasti with the purchase of a beverage. Mission Bay Wine & Cheese’ co-owners curated the wine list for the Chase Center and will open the Mission Bay Wine Bar there before the end of the year.

SHORT CUTS from page 2

community. It took meeting with community members to get the developer to that point, and to the point of ensuring a high percentage of the workforce would be from the community. The effort the community and the developer made together shows cooperation can be effective,” said District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton. “It’s a balanced approach to build housing and offices while preserving Station A. This ensures things will come online together,” said J.R. Eppler, Potrero Boosters president. “Selecting good architects helped. There was no skimping in terms of the design aspect.” According to Katherine Doumani, Dogpatch Neighborhood Association president, “Basically, you’re building a new town on privately held land. It’s still a bit daunting to think of the number of people, businesses, cars, and trips that will come through Dogpatch. Yet it’s a just end to a facility that wreaked havoc on the environment for most of its lifetime. To have the site converted

SHORT CUTS continues on next page

SHORT CUTS from previous page seat of history. I never get tired of it,” Osborne said.

into a community by the water is very fitting.

Distill Still

Hotaling & Company, formerly Anchor Distilling Company, previously Anchor Brewing’s distilling and spirits-importing arm that was spun off when Sapporo bought Anchor Brewing in 2017, is named after the once-largest whiskey warehouse on the West Coast, located in North Beach. Legend has it that Hotaling & Co. survived the 1906 earthquake and fires while surrounding buildings burned to the ground, a bit of an oddity given all that flammable alcohol. Hotaling produces Junipero Gin and Old Potrero Whiskey at Pier 50 in Mission Rock, which once housed Distillery No. 209. The spirits continue to be made by master distiller Bruce Joseph, along with head distiller Arne Hillesland, the long-time brains behind Distillery No. 209’s gin operation. The Anchor Distilling still – number two – was moved to the facility to join No. 209’s much larger “Rosie” still.

Interesting Rate

“Consolidate with a lower rate and save. It’s smart,” announced the direct mail advertisement from Union Bank, which encouraged would-be customers to “Enjoy” loan rates from “6.99% - 19.99%.” The average interest rate for a savings account is close to zero. Average credit card interest is 16 percent. The S&P 500 has so far generated a 17% return this year. Average mortgage rates are 2.8%. The wealthy get higher returns at lower borrowing costs, the poor the opposite. Nothing new, but somethings wrong with these numbers…

dominant strain of COVID infections in California last month. Barring a mutant-related setback that leads to a resurgence in hospitalization if vaccines aren’t entirely effective against Delta or subsequent strains, Thomas sees steady progress toward economic recovery for an industry hard hit by the public health orders.

“Restaurants in the neighborhoods, especially those with Shared Spaces dining options, are seeing a strong return of business,” Thomas said, referring to the sidewalk seating and curbside parklets that sprung up throughout the City during the pandemic. “Shared Spaces has really livened up the neighborhoods and made it feel more like Europe.”

“The demand for outdoor seating is here to stay,” Osborne said. “We feel extremely fortunate to have a lot of outdoor space at our restaurant, and to have tons of friends in the neighborhood that kept us alive this entire time.”

Located at 817 Terry Francois Boulevard, between the foot of 16th Street and intersection of Illinois and Mariposa streets, Mission Rock Resort is comfortably sheltered from the wind. Nestled into the northern tip of Crane Cove, there’s views of industrial cranes and drydocks for oceangoing ship repairs, harkening to the vicinity’s shipbuilding days. “It’s a front row

Formerly a bi-level restaurant, Mission Rock Resort now occupies just the upper level. The ground floor became the Rock Café during the pandemic. Customers order at the counter and can sit inside, on a waterfront deck, or in a Shared Space next to an adjacent pedestrian path. Live steel drum music on weekends and weekdays when the weather’s warm sets a leisurely vibe.

“It’s the kind of sound that makes you feel like you’re on vacation. A very relaxed, fun sound. It’s very appreciated by customers right now,” Osborne said.

Five hundred guests can be accommodated. By July, two large events had been scheduled for September and December. Crane Cove, a room upstairs used for private events, can accommodate up to 35 seated guests, 50 standing. The upstairs also has an outside deck. In addition to the raw bar that offers Dungeness crab and citrus poached prawn cocktails, seafood specialties like cioppino, fish and chips, and crab mac and cheese are on the menu. Rates for social functions vary based on day of the week, lunch or dinner, whether the event is partially or fully private, and what else is going on in the neighborhood, such as a concert or game at the nearby Chase Center.

“Everybody’s at full capacity, as long as they can staff at full capacity,” Thomas said of GGRA members she’s spoken to.

Many restaurants scaled down to skeleton crews while health restrictions were in effect. They’re now facing a labor shortage, despite San Francisco’s minimum wage rising to $16.32 an hour last month. Customers can expect to pay more for their banquets due to increases in food and beverage costs, as well as higher labor expenses, Thomas said.

“Our minimums don’t scare people away. They’re willing to spend money,” Caine said.

Meat prices are “up 20 percent, so that’s really big, and we have had cause to raise prices. I’ve not had anybody object,” he added. “We have not been able to fully staff because of the dearth of servers, bartenders and cooks.”

ATwater charges a minimum of “usually around $2,000, to be sure we have sales to support our staff and the menu they’ve chosen. That’s for groups of over 20, if not higher.” Available entrees include lobster ravioli, flank steak and fries, and vegetarian green risotto. Ingredients are locally-sourced.

Piccino occupies the Yellow Building on a sunny cul de sac at 1001 Minnesota Street.

“We have a huge patio!” Sagan said. “It’s quiet, no cars zooming by. It’s pretty lovely, I have to say.”

Featuring Italian-inspired California cuisine, the owners’ Healdsburg farm supplies 50 to 75 percent of the produce for the restaurant, depending on the season.

A private event space on the roof opens onto a deck.

“It’s a very versatile space. It works well dressed up or just casual. Not big, but very beautiful, quaint,” Sagan said. The upstairs room seats 28, and “for a standing cocktail event we can put in up to 40 people easily.” Rates are based on the type of affair. “We make it work for whatever the event is.”

Verdi Club, at 2424 Mariposa

PARTIES continues on page 14

PARTIES from page 4

The Potrero Hill Neighborhood House hosted “STEM Saturday Festival” on Southern Heights Avenue last month. A dozen companies and nonprofits participated, with an appearance by Mayor London Breed. PHOTOS: Taffeta Brown

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LINENTHAL from page 6

extends beyond the Hill’s to Central Asia, particularly the first century A.D.

“I started collecting Central Asian artifacts because of the combination of Greek, Indian and Iranian cultures in the region is fascinating and unfamiliar,” Peter explained.

He’s currently working with an archeologist on a catalog of his collection of Central Asian artifacts, to be titled, The Kushan Collection

“Under the Kushan Empire, the first images of Buddha as a human being were made,” Linethal said. “Previously, he was represented by a footprint, an empty throne, or other symbol.”

Kushan Empire history was the impetus for a children’s book, Jaya’s Golden Necklace: A Silk Road Tale Linenthal previously had created Look, Look!, a series of four black and white board volumes for infants, which were recently translated into Chinese languages.

Linenthal was a pre- and afterschool art teacher for thirty years, most recently at Daniel Webster Elementary.

In June, he was inspired by a box of old photographs and films featuring Potrero Hill images to create ‘Lost Photos and Movies of Potrero Hill,’ a collaboration with artist, Ben Wood, and projectionist, Mr. WA. Photographs were projected onto vellum-covered windows of Linenthal’s corner flat, broadcasting images in a size, brightness, and dramatic effect never before seen. The projection coincided with ‘Slow Streets,’ along 18th Street. The program ended last month.

During the public health crises Linenthal launched ‘Pop Up Museum.’ Most Saturdays he’s on the corner of 18th and Missouri streets displaying larger artifacts: a 1920’s era stove from a Carolina Street cottage, giant aerial maps of Potrero Hill from the 1930’s where one can look for their building,

and two original seats from Seals’ Stadium.

PARTIES from page 13

Street, provides onsite ceremony and reception coordination as well as extended event planning and management for those who need help finding floral arrangements and entertainment. The 2,500 square foot ballroom and banquet hall has a 170 square foot stage, a dining capacity of 185 guests, standing capacity of 299. There’s also a 400 square foot lounge with a full bar and menu catering options. Launched as a social club centered around dance and sport by Italian-Americans in 1916, Verdi Club today is a nonprofit with ownership shared by club members.

General manager Jason Mulvaney described the interior as “totally vintage; workingman’s art deco.”

Verdi Club has been reserved for birthday parties, weddings, b’nai mitzvahs, wakes, nonprofit fundraisers, quinceaneros, and technology company conferences in the months ahead.

“Bookings for July through September have been for groups of 60 to 125. Bookings for the winter and spring are for 100 to 200,” Mulvaney reported.

Rates are from $500 to $1,000 for community events, $2,500 on weeknights to $3,200 on weekends for private parties. Additional fees are charged for cleaning and optional services, like audiovisual and coat check.

Harmonic Brewing hosts private parties at its original Dogpatch location, 1050 26th Street, and its recently opened Thrive City Taproom on the Chase Center esplanade, overlooking the Bay. Full capacity for the Dogpatch location is 200; for Thrive City, it’s 300.

“Casual weddings or pre-wedding welcome parties are most common, and now corporate off-sites are picking up steam,” co-founder Jon Verna said. “Birthday parties, baby showers, and corporate happy hours are also popular again, but in a casual, table reservation format rather than private rental. Full buyouts require a base fee plus a minimum spend.”

Outdoor options are plentiful in Mission Bay. Stagecoach Greens, a whimsical mini golf course located in Parklab Gardens at 1379 Fourth Street, is directly across from SPARK Social SF, a food truck park. Cabanas, bungalows and fire pits can be rented

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Mission Bay Parks offers a variety of spots that can be booked for private events, including the Kids’ Park, Mariposa Park, Bay Front Mariposa Park, Mission Bay Commons, Mission Creek Park, and the Pavilion at 290 Channel Street. Rates vary depending on how much public space is being rented, a picnic table versus an entire sports court, and the amount of trash that’ll be generated. A permit needs to be filed, as well as insurance coverage. Crystal Watts, event and property manager for Mission Bay Parks, recommended the Mission Bay Parks website as the starting point to make reservations.

“We’re inundated right now!” Watts said prior to the statewide reopening.

San Francisco Police Department, at which the Dogpatch Youth Council was established. He was selected to lead the group.

He regularly discussed community issues with City Hall officials, advocating to pave Dogpatch streets, and get more trees planted.

“People looked at me as a community activist,” Knox said. “In reality, I was just trying to finish school and figure out what to do with my life.”

“In the 1960s, workers at Bethlehem Shipyard [went on strike] when the new owners, Todd Shipyards, threatened to fire long-time employees,” said Peter Linenthal, Potrero Hill Archives Project director. “The successful strike included occupying the two large cranes whose bases can be seen at the beautiful new Crane Cove Park…In the late-1970s, [then mayor] Dianne Feinstein proposed the creation of a Pornography Zone in Dogpatch where adult theaters and bookstores would be located, an idea which raised local opposition and was defeated.”

In 1973, Knox was enrolled at City College of San Francisco, running track, and managing the Youth Council. He started working part-time for Youth for Service, which strives to foster social responsibility by providing community-focused work. During his summers, he engaged in youth-focused efforts at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, colloquially referred to as “The Nabe”, where he toiled with Enola Maxwell, executive director from 1972

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to 2004. He married and fathered two children.

Knox worked at Youth for Service for about ten years, simultaneously nurturing the Dogpatch Youth Council. In 1983, he transitioned from laboring in the community to juvenile probation, where he works to this day. Throughout this time he launched a nationally awarded General Educational Development and life skills program with a 97 percent passing rate, organized regular holiday parties for neighborhood kids, and started a City Youth Council in 1999.

Today Knox serves as the youth director for his church choir. “I get to know kids. We joke about stuff that we might have in common; we talk about things to relax and ease tension. We break down the barrier that I’m not better than [them], I’m just an old man.”

“Something I learned from communicating with young people was that you can have a lot of fun, because you can grow from them,” Knox said. “I started working with elementary school kids. Then, I moved up to the middle school kids because they’re going through a lot of change. And then I got to the high school kids, who were unique in their own way. I ran a lot of programs at The Nabe and had some of the best times.”

“I start learning about what people go through that I didn’t have to go through,” he said. “I started recognizing and getting experience with the world being bigger than what I thought it was in my little Dogpatch area. You start seeing things differently.”

Dogpatch has changed significantly over Knox’s lifetime.

“The changes have been drastic,” said Knox. “Back in the day, it was quiet, peaceful…a laid-back community.”

While Knox misses the wide-open spaces of yesteryear, he speaks fondly of new developments in Mission Bay and elsewhere.

“I tell people that I believe in change…My concern is how committed are you to the community. Are you willing to [help make] the community a better place?” he said. “I think the community needs to come together… We could all meet, have a block party, anything. And I think that will open things up, if people can start communicating with and understanding each other better.”

JOHN KNOX from page 6

CREATIVE YOUTHS! The View invites those under 18 to submit any creative work suitable for publication, including drawings, short stories (fewer than 150 words), photographs, comic strips, jokes, before the 20th of each month. Winning entries will receive a $20 prize. Please send submissions to editor@potreroview.net

“Erupting Volcano in the Rain by Vermont Street resident Cooper Ames. Cooper, five, attends Live Oak School.

Jesus Oropeza

Second generation

Recology driver

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making a

Together.”