Potrero View 2022: May

Dogpatch & NW

Potrero Hill Benefit District Elects Board

BY JOHN FERRANNINI

Six new and two returning members were empaneled on the Dogpatch & NW Potrero Hill Green Benefit District’s board last month. The eight – representing more than half the 15 board seats – were chosen by property owners within the district, according to executive director Julie Christiansen.

“Every year typically five seats are up for election,” Christiansen told the View. “This past year we had three people who had to leave … so there are eight seats up this year.”

Two of the seats were filled by incumbents. Jason Kelly Johnson will serve a full three-year term representing Dogpatch property owners. Terri McFarland will similarly engage in a three-year term as a greenspace advocate.

The GBD is the only one of the City’s 18 benefit districts that focuses on greenery: gardens, parklets, sidewalks and other open spaces.

The district is comprised of two non-contiguous areas. One in Dogpatch that’s bounded by Illinois and Pennsylvania streets, and Mariposa and Cesar Chavez streets. The other is in northwest Potrero Hill, circumscribed by 16th and 19th streets, and Potrero Avenue between Vermont and Kansas streets.

Voting rights are influenced by the size of a participating property.

“Every discrete property owner is guaranteed at least one vote,” said Christiansen. “Each assessment is divided by 3,000 and the resulting number is added to that one. Seventyseven percent of property owners in the district pay less than $200 in assessments each year, so most people’s vote is weighted one and a small fraction.”

Christiansen didn’t give a turnout percentage for the elections but said that “turnout percentage has tradition-

Crane Cove Park Going to the Dogs

BY REBEKAH MOAN

Opened in October 2020, Crane Cove Park – located at 18th and Illinois streets – has quickly become a beloved neighborhood asset. But community members are concerned that the sevenacre regional park is being maltreated, with poor landscape maintenance and a lack of enforcement to keep dogs leashed.

“The Port thinks this park is their greatest victory but it’s quickly deteriorating,” said Dogpatch Neighborhood Association (DNA) President Katherine Doumani.

The Port of San Francisco transformed a shipbuilding site on the eastern waterfront into Crane Cove Park, preserving historic maritime resources while providing public space replete with a large lawn, picnic tables, benches and grills, a lookout deck with views of the City and surrounding San Francisco Bay, and a beach with direct access to the water.

PG&E Disrupts Streets as Part of Distribution Expansion Project

BY JESSICA ZIMMER

Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s undergrounding of two miles of new distribution lines in Potrero Hill has prompted concerns from residents about short-term parking shortages while the work is being done, a lack of construction competency, implications of the costly investment to future utility rates and a lack of transparency.

Hill residents are also worried that a low hum might emerge in the future, caused by the vibration of electrical currents under residential streets.

PG&E is building a new 12 kV (kilovolt) circuit - a closed loop network that provides a return path for the flow of electricity – between 465 Irwin Street and the Potrero Substation on 23rd Street to improve reliability and operational flexibility.

“San Francisco already has a network of 12 kV underground circuits. An audible hum from these existing

circuits at street level is uncommon,” said Mayra Tostado, principal corporate communications representative for PG&E. “An additional 12 kV underground distribution circuit is unlikely to generate a hum at street level. The project does not involve (electrical vehicle) charging stations, as originally planned. The project team is in ongoing conversations with business customers, but there are no applicants. Capacity projects are funded by ratepayers,”

The new circuit will have the ability to convey more than 12 megawatts, enough to power roughly 9,000 homes. According to Tostado the additional capacity is largely to serve new customer load in Mission Bay.

J.R. Eppler, president of the Potrero Boosters, a neighborhood organization that advocates on behalf of Hill and Showplace Square residents, said that in general the electrical grid requires an upgrade as personal cars and vehicle fleets move from gasoline to electric.

“As with any infrastructure project, we can ask that construction be done efficiently to minimize disruption to neighbors. We also ask that neighbors understand that these disruptions are a necessary step in lowering our carbon footprint,” said Eppler.

The project, which began in February 2021, is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. PG&E refused to provide a map of planned construction, claiming it’d contain “sensitive” information. Roundly speaking the undergrounding is occuring on 24th, Illinois, Tennessee, 25th, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin Street, 20th, Arkansas, 16th Street, Connecticut, Hubbell, Seventh, King, and Third streets.

Valerie Bianquis, a 20th Street resident who has observed the work, said it’s her understanding that PG&E is using Utility Construction Services, LLC (UCS), a South San Francisco-

Serving the Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, Mission Bay and SOMA Neighborhoods Since 1970 MAY 2022

CRANE COVE PARK continues on

A sign indicating that dogs must remain on-leash at Crane Cove Park is hanging by its hinges.

PHOTO: Katherine Doumani

PUBLISHER’S VIEW

DISTRICTS

BY STEVEN J. MOSS

Sad to say, we’ve drifted into a world in which this editor of a half-century old neighborhood newspaper feels a twinge of fear when contemplating writing about redistricting municipal supervisorial districts. To characterize the debate over how best to right size district lines in the face of population changes as “heated” would be akin to calling Hell a warmish place. As with seemingly everything – the weather, accepting an award at the Oscars, settling disagreements in Europe –today’s political discourse prefers the extreme. In the case of redistricting, that’s included accusations that various proposed maps reflect a violent attempt to spark class and race warfare.

No doubt, political map-making is serious business. So too is free speech, and the need for honest democratic discourse.

For about as long as the View has been published, San Francisco has see-

sawed back and forth between district and citywide elections. Neighborhood associations and labor unions successfully advocated for districts in 1977, arguing they’d create a more inclusive Board of Supervisors. It worked: San Francisco elected its first female African American supervisor, Ella Hill Hutch, first Asian American supervisor, Gordon Lau, and first openly gay supervisor, Harvey Milk. Dan White was also selected. His assassination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Milk catalyzed repeal of district elections in 1980.

Voters reinstated districts in 2000, with District 10 spanning BayviewHunters Point, Dogpatch, and Potrero Hill. These geographies had intimately shared characteristics, many of them unpleasant: power plants, freeways, deteriorating public housing, and an

PUBLISHER’S VIEW continues on page 6

SHORT CUTS

Haney Wins

District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney won last month’s special election for the District 17 State Assembly, trouncing David Campos, 63 percent to 27 percent, with fewer than 62,000 voters. Mayor London Breed will name a successor to fill Haney’s seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors until an election is held in November.

College Contracts

Last month, California College of the Arts staff and adjunct faculty voted 98 percent and 96 percent respectively to ratify tentative agreements reached with the College in the wake of a fourday unfair labor practice strike in February. The contract is the first for CCA staff, who voted by a supermajority to join the Service Employees International Union  (SEIU) 1021 in 2019; the second for CCA adjuncts, who connected with SEIU 1021 in 2014.  “The thing that I’m most proud of in the new contract is that we established a minimum wage of $26 an hour, $50,700 a year. This not only represents a more than 30 percent raise for a few of our lowest paid coworkers but is a huge step toward something that’s been a goal for us since the beginning: living wages for all,” said Piper Alldredge, a studio manager who has worked at CCA for four years and is a SEIU 1021 CCA staff contract negotiations team member. Agreement highlights include a 5.5

percent raise over the next two years, with another up to three percent in year three; $1,500 stipends in July 2022 and July 2023 for all workers earning less than $28/hour; more pathways to promotion; and the right to negotiate layoffs, including recall rights and severance pay.

I Like Beer

One hop leads to another. While Magnolia Brewing Company closed earlier this year, Olfactory Brewing Company has announced plans to take over the former Triple Voodoo Brewery space on Third Street between 19th and 20th streets. Olfactory hopes to start selling beer by the end of summer, according to Phil Emerson, one of four partners. Emerson previously worked at Alameda’s Almanac Beer Co. and has a degree in Food Science and Technology from the University of California, Davis, with an emphasis on beer. Partner Max Crango-Schneider brewed at Elk Grove’s Titled Mash and partner Trevor Allen has spent more than a decade installing brewing systems including at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. The team’s fourth partner, Robert Moyer, lives on the East Coast.

Greeks Takeover Brewery

Speaking of Magnolia, this June, Souvla , the fast-casual Greek food

SHORT CUTS continues on page 9

Steven J. Moss

MANAGER Catie Magee

MANAGER Helena Chiu

John Ferrannini, Peter Linenthal, Rebekah Moan, Steven J. Moss, Julie Zigoris, Jessica Zimmer

Dogpatch, Potrero Hill to Stay in District 10

BY JESSICA ZIMMER

After weeks of heated debate and threats of lawsuits the nine-member San Francisco Redistricting Task Force adopted a final draft map for supervisorial districts last month. Under the plan Bayview, Dogpatch and Potrero Hill will remain in District 10.

The Tenderloin, formerly in District 6, will shift to District 5, alongside the Haight. Mission Bay is split between Districts 10 and 6 at Chase Center. The map will define November election boundaries for the District 6 seat formerly held by District 17 California Assemblymember Matt Haney.

Portions of the Tenderloin and South-of-Market encompass the “Transgender District,” which advocates wanted to remain in the same district under the theory that minority

communities achieve greater political power if they can vote as a block. The Task Force was required to adhere to the Voting Rights Act, which seeks to protect the influence of minorities and vulnerable groups.

“Approximately 30 community members met with the Task Force every Saturday at the Potrero Hill or Bayview Branch Library between February and April. We advised members on how to draw a map that would keep historical voting blocks together. The Task Force needed to listen to us more,” said Cheryl Thornton, a Bayview resident who serves as a youth advisor for the NAACP’s San Francisco branch.

Redistricting occurs every 10 years to modify the political boundaries of supervisorial districts as needed to sync with revised population data.

“If we all had not stood up for what was right, to keep Bayview with Potrero Hill and not to divide the Mission, they would have screwed all of us,” said Uzuri Pease-Greene, a Hill resident. “With this map, they just screw half the people, which is really sad. Separating the Tenderloin from SoMa has an effect on funding. There were other maps presented that would have made nearly everyone happy.”

Geoffrea Morris, granddaughter of civil rights advocate Charlie Walker, said the new map pits vulnerable citizens against each other while the City’s west side “just watches.”

According to Kevin Ortiz, vice president of political affairs for the San Francisco Latinx Democratic Club, real estate speculation influenced the process.

“This is why Mary Jung, govern-

ment affairs and community relations director for the San Francisco Association of Realtors, was present at earlier Task Force meetings. The current iteration of the map makes the districts more conservative and more white. It’s really kind of a mess,” said Ortiz.

Task Force Chair Reverend Arnold Townsend and members Lily Ho, Chasel Lee, Ditka Reiner, and Matthew Castillon supported the map. Raynell Cooper, José María (Chema) Hernandez Gil, Jeremy Lee, and J. Michelle Pierce voted against it. Castillon, Ho, and Townsend were appointed by Mayor London Breed; Cooper, Chasel Lee, and Reiner by the City Elections Commission; Gil, Jeremy Lee, and Pierce by the Board of Supervisors.

Muni Pursues New Bus Routes and Bike Lanes

BY JULIE ZIGORIS

As the pandemic hopefully wanes, Muni lines have been restored, altered, and temporarily or permanently abandoned.

The 55 Dogpatch began service last January, replacing the 22 Fillmore, which’d shifted the eastern portion of its route as part of the 16th Street Improvement Project. More than 1,000 community members expressed opinions about their preferred route for the 55 Dogpatch; the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) distributed 10,000 information pamphlets, conducted surveys and held three community meetings. The new route for the 55 Dogpatch is intended to enhance transit connections between 16th Street Mission BART, Potrero Hill and Dogpatch.

The 22 Fillmore had served up to 18,000 riders daily but moved at less than four miles an hour on parts of 16th Street, according to SFMTA.

Portions of the pre-pandemic route of the suspended 10 Townsend are slated to be restored from Potrero Hill to Sansome and Montgomery

streets in the Financial District this summer, according to SFMTA Deputy Spokesperson Stephen Chun. There’s no timeline for return of the 79X Van Ness Arena Express. The 78X 16th Street Arena Express services Chase Center events.

The 27 Bryant bus route was rerouted more than a year ago to reduce traffic congestion. The current route was approved at a 2021 SFMTA Board of Directors meeting to improve service reliability and benefit from temporary emergency lanes, according to Chun.

At a July 2021 meeting before the Board of Supervisors, Mayor London Breed said restoring MUNI services is “one of the most challenging for our recovery.”

SFMTA board members identified hiring as a key component to restore service at board meeting held last month.

In addition to changing and rerouting bus services, SFMTA has been constructing new bike pathways. Quick-Build Projects are part of SFMTA’s Vision Zero plan to rapidly finish pedestrian and cyclist safety projects. The Terry Francois Boule -

vard and Indiana Street Quick-Build Projects have already been completed. The Evans Avenue Quick-Build was approved at a March SFMTA board meeting, despite vocal opposition that it should be reexamined because it’d dislodge the vehicularly housed.

“That’s their home,” said Flo Kelly of the Coalition on Homelessness regarding vehicles parked along Evans Avenue.

Kelly claimed that SFMTA’s outreach focused on alerting businesses about the loss of parking spaces.

“The folks living in vehicles were not reached out to, and they have no

idea they will be displaced,” said a small business owner and 22-year San Francisco resident during the meeting’s public comment. “This is really traumatic for people barely hanging on; you’re going to push them off a cliff,” they continued.

“This is killing me slowly,” said a woman named Melanie, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, and lives in a vehicle in the Bayview, referring to the loss of 65 or more parking spaces due to the Evans Avenue Quick-Build project. Nevertheless, the Quick-Build

Legislation Stalls Amazon Warehouse

BY JESSICA ZIMMER

Amazon has paused development of a proposed 5.8-acre parcel delivery facility at 900 Seventh Street in response to municipal legislation passed earlier this year. The location is the site of a former waste maintenance facility, now empty, which Recology sold to Amazon in 2020.

The land use law, authored by District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton, requires new or expanded parcel delivery service centers to secure a conditional use authorization from the Board of Supervisors. The Planning Department must examine project impacts and consistency with the City’s General Plan and Planning code, solicit community input and identify how the facility will benefit the surrounding neighborhood.

According to Walton, the quality of community input will be measured by how much time a company spends talking to community groups and neighbors about its project.

“The community’s decision will be received as it would for any other development project. Neighborhood groups will state that they support the project after discussions with the company proposing it have gone well. We would love for Amazon to come to the table about this center,” said Walton.

The legislation was approved 10 to zero, with District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin recused because he owns Amazon stock.

“We will continue to evaluate our long-term use of the site. In the shortterm we will work with our neighbors to look at ways to use the location to serve the community,” said an Amazon spokesperson.

Under the law the Planning Department has 18 months from Mayor Breed’s signing of the legislation to study the impacts of Amazon’s facility and identify potential mitigation measures.

Supporters of the legislation include the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW), San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club, Dogpatch Neighborhood Association (DNA), and San Francisco Southeast Alliance, which advocates on behalf of labor, residents, and the environment.

“The intent of this legislation

was to make sure the future of this kind of facility is in the hands of the neighborhood,” said Walton. “So far, Amazon has not treated its employees and subcontractors appropriately. It has not done the mitigation promised on other sites in District 10. It’s taken them a few years to address the increase in trash at the 888 Tennessee Street facility. They need to work with the community to come to an agreement to mitigate pollution, traffic, and other potential harms that will impact the community.”

Katherine Doumani, Dogpatch Neighborhood Association president, wasn’t surprised by the Board’s unanimous approval of the legislation.

“It’s taken a really long time for Amazon to treat the neighborhood with any sort of respect,” said Doumani. “The company still has not addressed a number of issues, like their open waste dumpsters and mounds of Amazon trash that blows through Esprit Park and down our streets. Their delivery drivers speed through our community and regularly head the wrong way along 20th Street.”

“Amazon can’t just run in and do a backdoor deal,” said Jim Araby, UFCW Local 5 director of strategic campaigns. “A large parcel delivery center has the potential to increase pollution and traffic. Amazon also pays its workers and contracted employees below industry-standard wages.”

“If Amazon is going to come, we want to make sure it’s done right,” Jason Rabinowitz, secretary-treasurer for Teamsters Local 2010. “We want to make sure the project is reviewed, and the delivery center is good for the City and workers. We don’t want the wages to undercut workers in similar jobs. Right now, it’s not possible to support a family on what Amazon pays delivery drivers and warehouse staff.”

Sophie Maxwell, a San Francisco Public Utilities Commissioner who served as District 10 Supervisor between 2000 and 2011, said residents need to look after their neighborhoods.

“These trucks are using our streets, our infrastructure. We should have a say in that. It was time to send the message that in San Francisco, we value our small businesses and neighborhoods,” she said.

Bespoke owers designed to make any occasion special.

What are the Least Expensive Ways to

Home Before

Getting your home ready for sale doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. There are several simple ways you can add value inexpensively:

• LIGHTEN AND BRIGHTEN—If it is time to repaint, consider lighter colors that will make your home brighter and feel more spacious.

• OUT WITH THE OLD—It is easy to accumulate clutter even after just a few years. Donating or discarding unneeded items can make a home feel more spacious—and make your future move easier.

• MAKE IT SHINE—There is nothing more important than ensuring your home is clean.

• DON’T FORGET SMALL THINGS WITH BIG IMPACTS—Simple steps like painting the garage floor or planting bright flowers near your home’s entrance are easy and inexpensive ways to make a home more welcoming.

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

based contractor.

The San Francisco Planning Department’s Property Information Map (PIM) indicates that in 2019 a planner was assigned to evaluate continued use of surface parking lots at 465 and 485 Irwin Street. The 48,000 square foot space had previously been used for AT&T fleet storage. PIM’s records show the sites are approved for a new tenant that’ll install EV chargers. The applicant for the permit was Reuben, Junius & Rose, LLP, a San Franciscobased real estate law firm.

Bianquis said she viewed an order held by a City Department of Building Inspection (DBI) employee that stated that the charging station is for Zoox, an autonomous electric vehicle business Amazon acquired in 2020. A search of DBI’s permit and complaint tracking system reveals the most recent permit for the site, relating to construction of a cardboard baler, dates to 2014.

Zoox vehicles, which’re small and boxy, are intended for ride-hailing and ridesharing. They’re not expected to be utilized for package delivery, though they could be redesigned for that purpose.

Bianquis said the work is being done slowly and UCS has taken up numerous parking spots in the neighborhood in the process. She’s upset PG&E didn’t share information about the project’s purpose.

“They made us feel it’s an improvement for the residents’ electrical needs and safety where it really has nothing to do with us. In addition, the contrac-

tor broke water pipes four times in the last block because the water department didn’t note the locations properly. Are they going to charge us for this? Unfortunately, we are at their mercy. They have the monopoly for delivering electricity and gas. I wish I could change my carrier,” said Bianquis.

Tostado said PG&E apologizes for inconvenience to customers caused by the project. The utility mailed potentially impacted households letters explaining it and potential disruptions 30 and 10 days before work began.

“We take all concerns seriously. (We) encourage customers to reach out to PG&E should they have any questions or concerns about the work,” said Tostado.

Bianquis is worried that the increased distribution capacity might not benefit Hill homeowners.

“We don’t have underground lines. The safe route would be to put our lines underground, not new lines for a private company. I would love free electric vehicle charging,” said Bianquis.

The View contacted Zoox and Amazon, the San Francisco Department of Public Works, and District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton regarding this article, none of whom responded.

PUBLISHER’S VIEW from page 2

abundance of post-industrial un- or underutilized lands.

Bayview resident Sophie Maxwell, whose mother, Enola, famously ran the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, a central community node, won the first

district vote in the new cycle. Maxwell’s election coincided with opening of Oracle Park. During her 10-year tenure the Hunters Point and Potrero generating stations were shuttered, creating the conditions for Pier 70 and adjacent properties to rise from the near dead. Shovel hit dirt in Mission Bay, resulting in an economic juggernaut that includes the University of California, San Francisco’s biotech revolution, Chase Center, and the neighboring San Francisco Giants development.

Almost two dozen hopefuls ran for District 10 Supervisor when Maxell was termed out. I was one of them. I canvassed every neighborhood in the District; knocked on thousands of doors. People’s identification of the most pressing public problems was strongly influenced by the neighborhood in which they lived. Bayview residents wanted summer jobs for their teenagers, lest idle hands become the devil’s playground. They pointed to a history of real estate redlining, which pushed them to the fringes of formerly industrial properties, stranded in a stew of left behind toxins. They spoke about the disfunction of the Third Street commercial corridor, whose vibrancy winked on and off like a poorly functioning neon sign. And they whispered about difficult race relations, between Blacks and Asian-Americans, leavened with the emergence of a nascent gay community, “Gayview.”

Hill residents pointed to the essential need for more green space, better sidewalks, cleaner streets, as well as the City’s failure to firmly and compassionately help those without permanent shelter who lived in tents, vehicles, and

under tarps around the community. In Visitacian Valley people wondered when economic prosperity would come to their neighborhood. Dogpatch voters wanted the waterfront to be greened and economically rejuvenated, while maintaining their patch’s strong sense of self.

There were common issues throughout the District, revolving around too little parking, poor public transportation, and the neglect of children in the public sphere. Most everyone complained that City Hall ignored their block, their neighborhood, their community.

Aside from activists, civil society groups like the Rotarians and parents taking their children to school a mile or two from their homes, there wasn’t much cross-pollination between District 10 community members. Hill and Dogpatch residents traversed the same hills and went to the same restaurants, but didn’t much go to Bayview or Hunters Point, particularly after Dago Mary’s closed. There was barely even integration between Annex-Terrace residents and the rest of the community. Neither Bayview residents living in the western hills nor Visitacion Valley families went much to Third Street, instead orienting themselves towards Portola, the Mission, or even Chinatown.

The District has been a redoubt to elect Black politicians. Maxwell was followed by Malia Cohen, and now Shammon Walton. Hill and Dogpatch residents, supportive of civil rights, contributed money and votes to Max-

Vote NOonPropositionA

-Yet another $400,000,000 30-year general obligation bond for an agency that was found by an independent study to have NEVER completed a project on time or within budget! Moreover, the City Controller predicts it’ll cost taxpayers another $600,000,000 in interest payments on the bonds!!

-Muni hasn’t spent $121,000,000

of it’s 2015 $500,000,000 bond. an estimated final cost of over estimate was $1,578,000,000 and start of revenue service was by December 2018. It’s now already 30 months late.

-The Central Subway Project has -$42,000,000 would be spent on bicycle and pedestrian access to buses, but not running buses. -$30,000,000 more for “road

$2,100,000,000. The original promised to taxpayers to commence

calming” for bicycles and pedestrians and road closures of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park, The Great Highway, Twin Peaks Boulevard and thirteen other “slow streets” with more to come.

-Only $10,000,000 for modernizing

MUNI trains. Funding from the City’s Proposition K transportation sales tax, state gas taxes, federal grants and unspent General Obligation bond money are already being spent to improve San

Francisco streets and public transit. Vote NO on A.

Vote NOon Political ClassProtection Act a Prop C -it’s

-Fair-minded citizens banded together

for the first time in 40 years and voted out of office incompetent elected school board members and seek to do the same with District Attorney Chesa Boudin for

not fulfilling his duties. Now City Hall is firing back!

-Prop C is an undemocratic, unnecessary

and unworthy measure designed to strip power from the electorate to protect the political class from accountability and consequences of not performing their responsibilities.

-Masquerading as good government and a taxpayer issue, Supervisor Peskin

meddles with a standard set by our state’s Constitution and one that has served our Charter city for 150 years.

-This is pure trickery designed to protect

those in power – vote NO.

Vote YES on -Recall ChesaBoudin and - No moremalfeasance towardscrimevictims mismanagement of ourtaxdollars

PropositionH

-Chesa Boudin is failing to keep San Franciscans safe.

-Criminals know they will be let off the hook without consequences.

-Car break-ins, burglaries,robberies,

overdoses and murders have reached crisis level in San Francisco, Boudin’s refusal to pursue serial offenders and drug dealers puts more of us at risk.

-In his first year in office, burglaries

spiked by 49%, and 84% of charged

perpetrators were back on the streets within two days.

-About half of San Francisco’s

prosecutors have resigned from the District Attorney’s office in protest over Boudin’s mismanagement, threats to withhold evidence, decisions to seek lenient sentences or not press charges, and release violent criminals before trial.

-Boudin’s budget contains an

estimated appropriation annually of $4,200,000-$6,300,000 for a

corruption and “white collar” crime

unit with five prosecutors and four investigators. Has he filed any

corruption cases? No! But for the US Attorney, no City Hall crooks or their Recology allies would have been charged and convicted. Vote yes on Proposition H. -End Boudin’s social experiment to dismantle the criminal justice system as a District Attorney. He is free to seek office as the Public Defender or teach alternative courses in a law school.

YES onE–BehestedPayments

Proposition E submitted by Supervisors, expands the prohibition on City employees

contractors seeking board of supervisors exposed in the past three years arises from “behested” contributions, also known as “Pay to Play”. Proposition E merits taxpayer

selecting so called “behested” donations to their favorite charities to include many approval. Much of City Hall corruption approval. Vote "yes".

YES onF–Garbage

Proposition F finally repeals a 1932 ordinance granting Recology, Inc.’s a trash collection monopoly which Recology has spent millions to keep, unlike almost all other City Hall contracts which are subject to competitive exclusively controls collection, recycling and bidding to save taxpayers money. Recology public building garbage. The 1932 ordinance doesn’t authorize amendments by the Board of Supervisors to require competitive bidding. That’s why we must repeal the monopoly ordinance. Force the board of supervisors to enact in July an ordinance terminating Recology’s contract and requiring immediate competitive bidding for residential, commercial and public building refuse collection and recycling. If you want lower rates, SF Taxpayers Association strongly urges a “Yes” vote on Proposition F.

Potrero Hill Real Estate: what everybody wants

what we do

Melinda Lee

Your Agent for Good. e-Pro, SRES | Lic. #01344377 melinda@melindalee.realtor 415.336.0754 | melindalee.realtor 4040 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94114

Shawn Leonard

Senior Loan Advisor | NMLS #1614841 shawn.leonard@flagstar.com 415.676.1827 One Sansome Street, Suite 1895 San Francisco, CA 94104

SHORT

eatery, will open its fifth restaurant, its biggest: a 60-seat space at 2505 Third Street, the former Magnolia Brewing Co. space. There’ll be a 10-seat marble bar where customers can enjoy Greek wines by the glass and snack on spinach hand pies, tzatziki with pita and plantbased lamb meatballs…A five-story, 60,000 square foot RH Gallery opened at Illinois and 20th streets last month in the former Bethlehem Steel headquarters, a landmark on the National Register. RH Chief Executive Officer Gary Friedman, a San Francisco native who spent years at Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn, claims RH’s glassenclosed atrium, featuring crystal chandeliers and date palms, was inspired by visits with his single mom to the Emporium department store half a century ago.

Giant Sculptures

The San Francisco Giants’ 2.8 million square-foot Mission Rock project, which includes office and retail space, as well as 1,200 housing units, 40 percent of them affordable, is steadily being constructed. A new addition are five “street rooms,” mostly consisting of sculptures, intended to “help activate

the Mission Rock streetscape.” One of them is by former KPIX anchor Dana King, who left the news desk to become an artist. Her contribution consists of a statue of women’s baseball legend Toni Stone, who broke the gender barrier and once played for the Negro Leagues’ San Francisco Sea Lions.

mercial corridor, with little discernable impact. Public transportation remains meh, the Enola Maxwell school site on 18th Street underutilized. Individuals in distress still suffer throughout the area, with the City weirdly willing to allow people to deteriorate and die on the street.

Arguably Dogpatch and Potrero Hill now have more in common with Mission Bay than Bayview. Likewise, PUBLISHER’S VIEW from page 6

well, Cohen, Walton and other nearly elected Black candidates. Without this support Black politicians might find races more challenging.

Still, it’s unclear whether packing the area’s diversity of problems under a single supervisor is entirely beneficial. While District 10 continues to reap what was sowed decades ago, further fundamental changes have been slow to take root. Late in Maxell’s term efforts began to develop residences in Hunters Point and redevelop public housing throughout the District, including Potrero Hill. Fifteen years later, though, only a couple thousand homes have been built at The Shipyard, progress stalled by continuing concerns over past contamination, with a couple hundred at Annex-Terrace. Tens of millions of dollars have been poured into reviving the Third Street com-

the collection of Southside neighborhoods could be better off if they were represented by two different supervisors, essentially doubling political attention. Whether or not the diverse set of communities presently clustered in a single district reflects good politics or governance is a question worthy of dignified debate. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.

“What I loved about working with Claudia is she’s extremely patient, really well connected, truly works at understanding the picture of your ideal home, and never pushed/pressured me into putting in a bid if I wasn’t sure or ready. Because of her experience in the SF market, Claudia has a good sense for what homes are truly worth. What’s more, I can tell you that Claudia truly cares about her clients and forming long lasting friendships with her clients. It has been 4 months since I bought my home and Claudia still calls me to check up on me” - Andrea W.

Claudia Siegel, Realtor®

Certified Residential Specialist® | Senior Real Estate Specialist® 415.816.2811 | claudia.siegel@compass.com sfpotrerohillrealtor.com | @claudiasiegelsf | DRE 01440745

The 114-year-old Potrero Women’s Club, founded to promote ‘civic usefulness and mutual improvement’, met in April at the Potrero Branch library to welcome new members. Over the years, the club has donated money to charities, campaigned for neighborhood causes, and hosted club lunches where funds were raised by raffling home-made desserts. Today, longtime members are happy to turn over the club to new participants to continue traditions and begin new ones. Here (L-R) are Colleen Starrett (at 105, the club’s senior member), Joan Efsaif Cortez (treasurer), Paula Pavloff Kovacs (president), Sapna Mahwal, Victoria Offenhartz, Peggy Lopipero-Laugmo, Rose Marie Mumaugh, and Margaret Rice who was interviewed for the 2021 Potrero Hill History Night (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YCgOiriB4Y). The next Potrero Women’s Club meeting will be held May 11, 1:30 p.m. at the Potrero Branch Library on 20 th St. Call 415.282.8209 for more information.

~ Peter Linenthal, Potrero Hill Archives Project

CLASSIFIED ADS

Piano Lessons, Vocal Coaching

27 years experience teaching music in Sonoma county public elementary schools, private piano lessons, vocal coaching and performance preparation. scoladimusica@gmail.com

Legal Notices

The View accepts legal notices. Please contact: production@potreroview.net; 415.643.9578.

Advertising Salesperson Wanted

Friendly, organized, persistent person would be great. Quite modest base pay; commission. You won’t get rich, but you’ll meet some people and help this fine paper. Email your interest to editor@potreroview.net

Freelance Writers Wanted

Modest pay, interesting assignments. Contact: editor@potreroview.net

www.potreroview.net/advertise

The $36.9 million spent to develop the park came from 2008 and 2012 Park General Obligation Bonds, the Port, and donations. It’s named for two cranes hovering nearby, unofficially dubbed Nick and Nora, which’ll have their tops replaced if enough money is raised to do so.

Landscaped areas feature native vegetation that needs careful trimming and regular weeding. Otherwise, weeds can choke off the desired plants and kill them.

“Weeds have been a problem in the beds at the park and were established when the Port took over maintenance responsibilities in October 2021 from the general contractor that built the park,” said Randy Quezada, Port of San Francisco communications director. “The Port does not use herbicides at any of our facilities, so weeds are hand-pulled, which is time- and labor-intensive.”

Joel Bean, DNA’s treasurer, wondered whether landscaping issues at Crane Cove Park may be due to understaffing, or the inability to hire a supervisor or qualified gardeners.

Quezada nipped those theories in the bud, stating that the Port has four journey-level, union gardeners who have completed an apprenticeship program or are experienced workers, not trainees, fully able to perform their trade without supervision. “At a minimum, gardeners are onsite weekly to perform upkeep and mowing,” he said. “For larger projects, such as

spreading mulch or removing large areas of weeds, we work with two youth employment groups for support under the supervision of our gardeners.”

A park supervisor will be hired in the next fiscal year, charged with ensuring care standards at all Port parks are uniformly met across the waterfront. The Port budgeted for two additional positions to support Crane Cove Park: a laborer and a gardener, both of whom started in April.

“The Port is also preparing to launch a new two-year apprenticeship program for gardeners and laborers in the next fiscal year,” Quezada said.

“This program will provide additional resources to maintain all Port parks and open spaces. At the end of the program, graduating apprentices will become eligible for permanent gardening and laborer positions available at the Port and within the City.”

In addition to maintenance concerns, Crane Cove Park’s poor appearance may be influenced by a plethora of off-leash dogs.

“The signage with the dogs is an abomination,” Doumani said. “That creates tons of conflict for anyone who has children because the dogs are all over the lawn and poop everywhere.”

According to Quezada, “For the benefit of all park users, there is signage throughout the park with rules clearly identified, including the prohibition of off-leash pets. Temporary signs noticing the prohibition of off-leash pets that have been removed or vandalized are promptly replaced. The current signage program will be

Green Benefit District | GreenBenefit.org

Get involved! Neighborhood organizations are starting to plan clean-up days and other volunteer activities again. Sign up for the GBD monthly Green Sheet news blast at GreenBenefit.org to receive notice of upcoming GBD volunteer events and other neighborhood news.

Starr King Open Space | www.starrkingopenspace.org

We are looking for new board Members. Check out our website to learn more about how to join and our May 16th Election.

Join our monthly meetings which are open to the public, this month it is May 16th at Starr King Elementary School at 6:30. Check the website for details. Please join our monthly volunteer days on the second Saturday of the month from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. This month it is May 14th.

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

For a $200 annual fee your organization can be listed in Getting Involved. Contact production@potreroview.net

GBD from front page NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES Your Local Lender. Here To Help You Navigate Homeownership Julie Shumate NMLS#310202 | Loan Consultant 700 Airport Boulevard, Suite 280 Burlingame, California 94010 | Office: (650) 993-7581 | loanDepot.com, LLC NMLS ID 174457. Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act CRMLA 4131040. (082020 373960)

CABINETS

(925) 413-6963 cell www.loanDepot.com/jshumate

updated with more signage to better educate park users and gain more compliance.”

San Francisco Animal Care and Control isn’t responsible for policing off-leash dogs on a day-to-day basis.

“We have a small team of 11 Animal Control Officers, with two or three in the field at any given time,” said an SFACC staffer. “Our agency doesn’t have the resources to monitor areas for off-leash pets. If someone should call about a dog off-leash, the guardian and off-leash dog would likely be long gone by the time an officer could reach the location.”

Doumani and Bean are concerned issues related to dogs that have beset Esprit Park, where off-leash dog owners and other visitors regularly clash, are being replicated at Crane Cove Park.

“No way people are going to keep their dogs on a leash. That’s not realistic as we’ve seen with what’s happened at Espirit Park,” Bean said. “The only way to deal with dogs is to build them a specific area. People are just not going to abide by on-leash signs. It’s just not where the world is today.”

Bean suggested that when the park’s eastern half is developed a section be created as a dog run, allowing existing lawns and picnic areas to be dog free. However, despite the almost $40 million paid by taxpayers and philanthropists, the Port has run out of money for additional improvements.

“Funding for a dog run, as well as a children’s play area and restoration of the historic crane tops, was not included in the total budget to construct the park,” Quezada said. “If future funding becomes available for a dog run, an approximately 9,000 square foot dog run will be installed in the southeast corner near the slipway.”

“It’s so easy to criticize and so difficult to find solutions that please a majority of park users,” Bean said. “I want to make sure people realize what a jewel we have in this park but it’s going to take concerted effort to keep it in the shape it was in when it opened a year and a half ago. Hard use requires more maintenance, and more maintenance requires more funding.”

NEIGHBORHOOD ADS IN THE VIEW !

PREPAY: 2” x 2” 2” x 4” 6 months $345. $690. 12 months $555. $1,110.

Contact us: 415.643.9578 | production @ potreroview.net

ally been low, around 15 percent.”

“The concept was designed to help commercial areas,” Christiansen said. “A community benefit district’s primary focus is cleaning, safety and business promotion. Our benefit district was created by neighbors for two circumstances. First, there’s more fallow land in the Dogpatch and Potrero Hill than other areas of the City.”

According to Christiansen, after the Second World War ended, and military production ramped down, “there came to be a lot of open lots” in the area.  The building of US-101 and Interstate 280 led to “a lot of fenced-in lots under the freeways.”

What’s more, many roads in Dogpatch and Potrero Hill weren’t linked to the municipality’s original grid, nor maintained by the City until recently, if at all.

For decades “neighbors have been greening these areas,” said Christiansen.  “There was a desire to make sure these green spaces went on even if the people who created them moved or got tired. Only a City can authorize the creation of a benefit district, and once it does it has to oversee it to make sure its compliant with its charter.”

Other benefit districts in San Francisco are under the umbrella of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. However, because of its special character, the GBD is overseen by San Francisco Public Works.

The GBD works to beautify land spanning 70 acres and 1,700 properties, the largest geographical area of the City’s benefit districts. The board represents 1,360 unique property owners.

CRANE

The district raised $650,674 from assessments in Fiscal Year 2020-2021, according to its most recent annual report.

Alongside Johnson, who didn’t respond to a request for comment, Sarah Miers won a three-year term representing property owners.

“I’m honored to be elected to the GBD Board and can’t wait to get to work in service of my neighbors in Dogpatch and NW Potrero Hill,” stated Miers, a senior investment principal at the Mulago Foundation. “The dramatic pace of change and evolving needs of our community presents an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our neighborhood for the better, and the unique civic structure of the GBD is a great way to get meaningfully involved.”

“One of the things that I hope to accomplish is to assist the Board in further engaging our neighbors in understanding the role of the GBD and all of the improvements it has already provided to our growing community and solicit their input for further improvements,” stated John Ramsbacher, an attorney, also a property owner, who is finishing the final year of a vacated term. “As you know, the GBD is funded with tax assessment dollars and private donations, so we have a fiscal responsibility.”

“I am honored that my neighbors elected me to serve a three-year term as a tenant representative on the Board of the Green Benefits District,” noted Paul Selmants, an environmental scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey. “I look forward to working with my local community as well as the City and County of San Francisco to create more green open

space and protected bike lines within the Dogpatch and NW Potrero Hill neighborhoods.”

“I am delighted to have been elected to the GBD Board for a oneyear term as a Dogpatch tenant and am excited to continue the good work of the GBD, converting under-utilized land into beautiful spaces neighbors can enjoy,” stated Erin Epperson, a real estate developer, also a tenant, who is finishing the final year of a vacated term.

“I am thrilled and honored that I was chosen to serve on the board of the Green Benefits District,” said Daphne Magnawa, managing director of programs at Renaissance Journal ism, who won the NW Potrero Hill property owner seat. “I look forward to working with members and neighbors to create open spaces that help to build community and are inclusive to all.”

“It’s been wonderful to meet more of my neighbors through working with the GBD, especially during this pandemic,” stated McFarland, who has lived in Potrero Hill for more than 30 years. “As a landscape architect, I get so much satisfaction helping to transform leftover urban spaces into moments of natural beauty. I look forward to more opportunities to green and connect our community with the GBD.”

Donovan Lacy, a stay-at-home parent who is serving the final year of an uncompleted term, said “I am excited to be joining the GBD Board to help continue the GBD’s legacy of helping to make Dogpatch a greener and more livable community. I am a resident of Dogpatch, so I do live in the GBD Area.”

Project passed with a six to one vote, with an amendment by Director Amanda Eaken to reach out to key stakeholders, including the vehicularly housed.

“We are committed to making public transit and streets safe,” SFMTA Deputy Spokesperson Stephen Chun

implementation of the quick-build projects for Terry Francois Boulevard, Indiana Street and Evans Avenue, including deploying the new connection to the 16th Street Corridor via the 55 Dogpatch, we have been able to make lasting and equitable improvements for the pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders of the Potrero and Dogpatch neighborhoods.”