Potrero View 2022: September

District 10 Sales Tax Revenues Rebound

BY JESSICA ZIMMER

District 10 generated $14.53 million in sales tax revenue last year, the third highest district haul, and more than the $14 million collected before the start of the pandemic.

District 6, which includes Mission Bay, the Oracle Arena, and Southof-Market produced $17.09 million, compared to $28.3 million in 2019. District 3 – North Beach, Chinatown, and Fisherman’s Wharf – brought in $16.4 million, down from more than $25 million three years ago. Both districts continue to suffer from fewer office workers and tourist activity that’s only recently begun to recover.

Office of the Controller data reveal that the highest amounts of sales tax revenue generated in D10 came from building and construction, $1,525,845, and business and industry – office supplies, biotech, and energy and utilities –$1,028,246, during the first quarter of 2022. Restaurants and hotels brought in $438,894, while general consumer goods

contributed $206,467.

The state of California collects a 7.25 percent sales tax from merchants who sell tangible personal property, like clothes, or offer labor and services that yield an item of tangible personal property. For example, food produced at a restaurant is subject to sales tax. Sales to the federal government, prescription medicine, certain medical devices, and items paid for with food assistance are not taxed. The state returns 1.25 percent of the sales tax to the City, of which 0.25 percent is directed to transportation; one percent funds operations.

In 2020 City voters approved a tax rate increase, effective July 1, 2021, which elevated the City’s sales tax from 8.5 percent to 8.625 percent.

The emergence of a new cohort of small businesses along the Third Street corridor, between Jerrold and Yosemite avenues, contributed to the tax revenue rise. In the past two years Cafe Envy, Tallio’s Coffee, Big H BBQ, Loving My Hair,

Rec and Park Unconcerned About Project’s Shadowing of Potrero Del Sol Park

BY REBEKAH MOAN AND JESSICA ZIMMER

Adam Challenges Walton for District 10 Supe Seat

BY MATT NAMY

On November 8 District 10 residents will have a choice between returning incumbent and Board president Shamann Walton to the Board of Supervisors or selecting newcomer Brian Adam. The winner will serve a four-year term starting January 2023.

Walton is the clear favorite, having secured endorsements from U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Governor Gavin Newsom, Mayor London Breed and his board colleagues, with the exception of District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey.

The Board serves as San Francisco’s legislative authority, consisting of a supervisor from each of the City and County’s 11 districts. It influences public policy by adopting laws and nonbinding resolutions that express its will, among other activities.

District 10 is located in the City’s southeast corner, and includes Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, Bayview, Hunters Point, Visitacion Valley, and portions of Mission Bay, Mission, Portola, and McLaren Park.

San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) data indicate that a greater proportion of D10 residents have incomes below the federal poverty line

compared to the rest of the City. District 10 residents’ life expectancy is a few years less than other San Franciscans, in part because the violent crime rate in the area is significantly higher. District residents are more than twice as likely to identify as Black than the rest of the City. Nearly 30 percent of inhabitants’ first language isn’t English.

In an interview with the View, Walton identified legislation to ban e-cigarettes as one of his proudest achievements.

“Juul was addicting a lot of young people to nicotine and setting them on a track to be addicted to nicotine and eventually cigarettes,” he said

Walton has been a proponent of homes that’re affordable to those earning below the area’s average mean income (AMI). In 2019 he coauthored Proposition A, a $600 million bond to pay for construction and rehabilitation of housing mostly accessible to families earning less than 80 percent AMI. He coauthored Proposition E, which sought to reduce bureaucratic hurdles to development of affordable and housing for educators through changes to zoning restrictions and expedited project review. Both propositions passed overwhelmingly.

Last month, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Commission voted four to one that the shadow from a proposed residential complex wouldn’t significantly impact Potrero Del Sol Park, formerly known as La Raza Park, which abuts the development site. Commissioners Mike Buell, president, and Kat Anderson, vice president, weren’t present. The single “nay” vote came from Commissioner Annie Jupiter-Jones, a Mission resident.

The 232-unit complex would have roughly 139 one bedroom or smaller units, 92 that’re two bedrooms or larger. Twenty-eight units would be offered at below market prices. No new parking would be created. The development closest to the garden would be five stories, rising to seven furthest away.

At the Rec and Park meeting an animation was presented that showed how the project’s shadow would fall over the park, including the community garden. According to Chris Townes, senior planner for Rec and Park’s Capital and Planning Division, the development would add a 4.02 percent shadow on the park, most prominently between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. in the fall and winter.

The four percent shadow increase is significantly greater than the allowable one percent rise for a park of Potrero Del Sol’s size under the Sunlight Ordinance, which City voters approved in 1984. The law prohibits the City from issuing building permits for structures greater than 40 feet in height that’d cast a shadow on property under Rec and Park’s jurisdiction. The exception is if

the Planning Commission, in consultation with the SFRPD Commission, finds the shadow wouldn’t have a significant adverse impact on park use.

More than 25 people, primarily neighbors and users of the park, spoke in person or remotely to comment at the August meeting. Many were Potrero Hill or Mission residents. About a dozen speakers opposed the development; nine supported it.

The development site, located at the southern tip of San Bruno Avenue, currently houses three warehouses used as artist studios. According to Townes, artists working in the buildings commented on early project designs.

Top worries of those opposed to the development include concerns that its shadow would negatively impact bees and crops in the Potrero Del Sol Community Garden, increased density would worsen the neighborhood’s parking shortages, and Rec and Park’s decision would set a precedent for the City’s Sunshine Ordinance to be disregarded in other parks and open spaces.

I don’tsupportthis project,” said District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton.

Those who support it hoped that people experiencing homelessness would be housed in the below market rate units, cited the need for more housing, and believed that the project’s shadow wouldn’t create substantial adverse impacts.

Jacob Price, business development manager of Housing Action Coalition, a pro-housing group, said he submitted a list of 150 San Franciscans who support the project to the Rec and Park Commission.

FREE

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

Potrero Del Sol Park.

PHOTO: Potrero View Staff

Letters to the Editor

PUBLISHER’S VIEW

REVITALIZATION

Dogpatch, Mission Bay, and Potrero Hill know about being knocked down, pushed to the ground, staying there for years before climbing back up, head held high. For the last third of the 20th Century, as the industrial age and wartime winds that created portside prosperity faded, these neighborhoods, economically dependent on the waterfront, suffered high levels of un- and underemployment, blocks of derelict buildings, and intermittent bursts of frequently drug abuse-related crime. It never was as bad as the Tenderloin’s worst years, but sufficiently difficult to induce then-mayor Dianne Feinstein to call for Dogpatch to serve as the City’s Red-Light District. Art Agnos was shot on his way to his Connecticut Street home before he was elected mayor.

For some these years were the best of times. Artists, homespun naturalists, and other creatives and old-fashion disrupters populated the hills and bayfront, occupying working class homes and hollows made more attractive by their

funkiness. Families thrived, strengthened together by a shared sense of being cloistered within neighborhoods walled by freeways, forgotten by the rest of San Francisco. Community gardens and green spaces were volunteer cultivated. A diversity of ethnicities kept to themselves and mingled together: Italians, Irish, Russian, from Africa. Red diaper babies railed against the machine and helped elect such luminaries as Nancy Pelosi and the aforementioned Agnos.

With a commercial occupancy rate that hovers at around 40 percent, Downtown is struggling with its own hard times. It’s unknown when or whether demand for cubicles and corner offices will return to pre-pandemic levels. Some large employers are calling their labor force back to the workplace, with a steady trickle into the City and return of “Google buses.” It’s also possible that ship has sailed, at least in its previous form. Lawyers, financiers, technologists

PUBLISHER’S VIEW continues on page 9

Editor,

As a former, 16 year, De Haro Street resident, I like to keep up on Potrero Hill news and enjoyed reading your story about the City discouraging the use of natural gas (“San Francisco Wants to Make Cooking with Gas a Thing of the Past,” August). When moving to Montana, I designed a highly energy-efficient house with solar panels making both electricity and hot water. My electricity bill is $4.20 per month, year-round; just the connection charge to the power company. I’ve cooked exclusively on gas for many years, but building the house required very tight construction, necessitating the purchase of an electric range. (We have an air-to-air heat exchanger).

Your article suggests that cooking on an electric range is slower than on gas. I purchased an electro-magnetic range, which heats as fast, if not faster, than gas. It also uses less power than a standard electric range. I highly recommend it for folks contemplating a switch.

$68 Subscription $132 Subscription-Benefactor Other contribution amount $ Please send my one-year subscription to: FULL NAME EMAIL ADDRESS STREET ADDRESS CITY STATE ZIP CODE Enclosed is my check. Please send, along with this form, to: The Potrero View, 1459 18th St., #214, S.F., CA 94107 I am sending my payment via PayPal to office@potreroview.net. I love the View and would be delighted to support it by being a subscriber. YES! www.potreroview.net/product/subscribe or complete the form below At 12 pages the View is too brief. With recent increases in advertisers, subscribers, and donors, we’re just $10,000 short of reaching 16 pages for an entire year. That’s equal to a handful of new advertisers, 50 generous readers donating $250 each, or 200 additional subscribers. Your contributions will make news! Four pages! Susan Olk Top Producer, CRS, CLHMS LIC# 00788097 | 415.279.8835 Susan.Olk@CorcoranGL.com www.susanolk.com ©2021 Corcoran Global Living. All rights reserved. Each franchise is independently owned and operated. Corcoran Global Living fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. This is not intended as a solitication if you're working with another broker. Information is deemed reliable, but is not guaranteed. Susan Olk TOP PRODUCER INDIVIDUALS TOP 25% OF INDIVIDUALS IN 2021 "Many thanks to all my clients over the last 40+ years that have trusted me with the buying/selling of their home in SF. I am so grateful for all their support that has provided me with an amazing career opportunity." HONOR SOCIETY Synergy Story. Be part of the For more than 45 years, Synergy School has been creating the resilient, empathetic, and inspired leaders of tomorrow. To learn more about this unique TK-8 experience and sign up for a fall tour, visit synergyschool.org.

BY JILL DANIEL

During the height of the pandemic, just when his restaurant business was reaching its peak, Kash Feng slashed his staff from 500 to five. Feng operates The Omakase restaurant group, with seven Bay Area restaurants, including Live Sushi and Breakfast at Tiffany’s in Potrero Hill.

In 1999, at 18, Feng joined a group of friends who were moving to San

Kash is King

Francisco from Xi’an, China. Most ended up returning home. Feng didn’t know a single person, couldn’t speak a word of English, and had no clue about the restaurant industry. Unable to afford to live in San Francisco, he found a dishwashing job at a Chinese restaurant in Pinole.

“As an immigrant, when you first get here, you don’t have a lot of options,” he said. “Working in restaurants was one. I lived right across the street from the restaurant and worked six days a week, 12 hours a day. I made $35 a day and maybe $30 in tips. After a month, I called my mom and said, ‘Do you know how much money I made?’ What I made in a month was equivalent at the time to the amount she made in a whole year in China. It’s important to remember the hardships you’ve faced…to keep reminding yourself of what you have been through, so when you become successful you don’t mess it up.”

Feng was soon promoted to busboy. He saved money, hoping to live in San Francisco. After a two-year search, he found a garage apartment for $200 a month. He maintained his Pinole job, sought an additional restaurant job, and enrolled in City College to learn English.

In the early 2000s, he cashiered at The Long Life Noodle Company. Friends helped him secure a job at Celebrity Chef

Roy Yamaguchi’s namesake restaurant, where Feng acquired his foundational culinary education.

“They had a great training program, a wonderful company culture. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming to me. I was 20, the youngest kid there. I still couldn’t speak English well. The servers and the managers would take time and explain what words meant. They were very kind to me. I worked there for several years, working my way up to expediter, server, and host. I am very grateful for that experience,” said Feng.

After Roy’s closed its South-of Market location in 2004, Feng worked as a restaurant manager at smaller Asian concept restaurants, including Mikado Sushi. He was a floor manager at Far East, a Chinatown restaurant that’s been in operation for more than 100 years.

“By 2005, I felt like I knew what I was doing in the restaurant industry, and it was now time to open my own place. I found a business partner, Jackson Yu, who was a sushi chef,” said Feng.

In 2007, the pair opened Live Sushi at 2001 17th Street.

“When we first opened, the support

from the Potrero Hill neighborhood was phenomenal. We had a line out the door every day. We didn’t know what we were doing yet. We had a full house and Jackson was the only sushi chef. I had to jump back there and start rolling sushi with him…it was a lot of fun,” Feng said.

Yu is still Feng’s business partner. He’s also the chef at Omakase, the flagship restaurant of the Omakase group. Less than a year after its 2015 opening, Omakase received a Michelin star and a “Top 100” ranking by The San Francisco Chronicle. Feng was at the top of his game in the restaurant industry. Then Covid showed up.

“When the pandemic hit, we were immediately scared,” he said. “We were close to 500 employees. When the news came that we had to shut down, that very next week, I went to five fulltime employees in the office.  It was really hard at the beginning to shut your doors and let everybody go home. It was not a good time. As soon as we were allowed to start doing takeout, we started working on bringing everybody back. I feel

HANDY NUMBERS

District 10 Supervisor, 415.554.767 Shamann Walton shamann.walton@sfgov.org

Recology 415.330.1300

San Francisco Animal Care and Control 415.554.6364

San Francisco Fire Department (non-emergency) 415.558.3200

San Francisco Police Department 671-2300; (tip line), 415.822.8147

Bayview Station (non-emergency) SFPDBayviewStation@sfgov.org

SFHOT/Homeless Outreach Team 311 or 415.734.4233

State Senator Scott Weiner 415.557.1300

PHOTO: Omakase

Dogpatch Remains a Center for Textile Companies

reopen this fall in a larger retail and manufacturing space in AIC, at the corner of 22nd and Illinois streets

“Dogpatch and the 22nd street corridor, from Picinno to the end of Pier 70, is going to continue becoming more and more of a center for the City,” said Isobel. “We are excited to open our location on the bay side of the American Industrial Building as Pier 70 continues to develop and becomes an exciting place to be!”

Coyuchi moved their headquarters six years ago to a lofted office space near the Minnesota Street Project on 24th and Tennessee streets. The company makes organic bedding, towels, apparel, and home textiles. It chose Dogpatch so that it could have a single space for its corporate office, photo studio, and

Executive Officer, started her career at Patagonia and was familiar with Dogpatch from her time as a fabric buyer at Esprit. She moved the company’s offices to the community in 2016.

“At the time, Philz and Minnesota Street Project were just opening in the area and we felt the neighborhood would continue to be a great place for businesses and our office location,” she said. “This was all before all the activity that is going on today! It’s great to see what is happening today with more residential buildings, the Third Street corridor, and the arts and creative community continuing to grow.”

Short Story, a personal styling service for petite women, moved its headquarters and distribution center to

BY GEORGIA RUST

Dogpatch has a long history as a textile center. Esprit – formerly Esprit des Corp – launched in the late-1970s, located its headquarters on the 900 block of Minnesota for the ensuing 30 years.

The company pioneered a building approach that evolved into the dominate style in the neighborhood, consisting of luxury warehouse-converted structures that featured Douglas fir flooring, a collection of ornate Amish quilts on display, and a nature-adventure vibe.

Esprit attracted other fashion retailers to Dogpatch, its influence continuing to reverberate through a new wave of textile, shoe, and clothing companies who manufacture, headquarter, and have opened retail

locations in the neighborhood.

Bryr Studios, which produces handmade clogs inspired by the West Coast lifestyle, has occupied a retail and manufacturing space in the American Industrial Center (AIC) since 2012. Isobel Schofield, Bryr’s founder, originally planned to launch a work studio but was encouraged by AIC’s owner, Greg Markoulis, to open a retail location as well. Markoulis’ family had operated a clog factory out of the structure during Esprit’s heyday.

The store largely closed after San Francisco’s pandemic-induced shelterin-place order was imposed, offering customers access by appointment only. The brand grew so much over the past two years through social media and word of mouth that Isobel plans to

display floor.

Coyuchi mostly sells online, through wholesalers, retailers like Nordstrom and Anthropolgie, and at a retail location in Point Reyes. Company staff have mostly returned to the office after working remotely during the pandemic’s height.

Eileen Mockus, Coyuchi’s Chief

Dogpatch during the pandemic. Located at Mariposa and Minnesota streets, the company occupies a multipurpose space for corporate offices and packaging personalized style boxes for monthly deliveries.

Isabella Sun, Short Story’s founder

Left: handmade clogs by Bryr Studios. Right: Bryr Studios founder, Isobel Schofield. PHOTOS: Kara Brodgesell, courtesy of Bryr Studios

Left: Coyuchi Chief Executive Officer Eileen Mockus. Right: Coyuchi organic bedding. PHOTOS: Courtesy of Coyuchi

Now through 11/1

History: Black Excellence, Black Invention

Have you ever wondered whom to thank for the common inventions that make our lives easier? For centuries, the inventions of Black/African Americans have gone unrecognized: dry cleaning, the lawn mower, and the potato chip! For decades, Rev. Dr. Carolyn Ransom-Scott has chased the stories of Black inventors in an effort to add them to the historical canon. In partnership with San Francisco Public Library, Ransom-Scott created the Black Excellence, Black Invention exhibit. Free. Potrero Branch Library, 1616 20th Street. For more information: sfpl.org.

9/3 Saturday through 10/3 Monday

Art: Mixed Media Artist, Richard Romero at Farley’s Café

An artist recently relocated to Dogpatch, Richard Romero received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Romero uses a combination of ink, markers, paint, photography, and bold colors in his pieces. Meet him at the exhibit’s opening reception on Saturday, September 3, 3 to 5 p.m. Farley’s Café, 1315 18th Street.

9/3 Saturday Community: Dogpatch Music Series

The music series begins this fall with an afternoon featuring drummer Vince Lateano and the Dogpatch Saloon Quartet. Lateano has toured with numerous jazz greats, including Cal Tjader, Woody Herman, Vince Guaraldi, and Stan Getz. Also on hand will be the Museum of Craft and Design’s (MCD) MakeArt van; stilt walkers and jugglers

from Circus Center; face painting by Happycake Facepaint; plus snacks from local vendors. Free. 1 to 4 p.m. Woods Yard Park. For more information: https://bit.ly/dogpatch-music

9/4 Sunday

Literature:

Word for Word’s Off the Page

In Eternal Love, by Karen Bender, Ella nervously chaperones the honeymoon of her developmentally disabled daughter, Lena, learning to let go and see her daughter as an independent adult. 5 p.m. Free, with a suggested $25 donation. Z Below, 470 Florida Street. For more information and reservations: https://bit.ly/off-thepage-eternal-love

9/6 Tuesday through 10/15 Saturday

Art: Marco Maggi

For more than two decades, the Uruguayan artist Marco Maggi has considered and elegantly answered the question of how to take drawing from two into three dimensions. He’s drawn in relief on aluminum foil, carved everyday objects like rulers or apples, and inscribed plexiglass to create drawings only visible when they cast a shadow. Viewers are compelled to move close, slow down, stand on tiptoe, look obliquely, even crawl on the ground in an effort to make sense of these encryptions. Tues /Wed/Fri/ Sat 10 to 5:30 p.m., Th 11 to 7 p.m. Free. Hosfelt Gallery, 260 Utah Street. For more information: https://bit.ly/hosfelt

9/7 Wednesday

Art: “Pay What You Can Wednesday” at MCD

MCD’s “Pay What You Can Wednesday” initiative strives to keep art accessible

by offering visitors an opportunity to experience the exhibitions, paying whatever amount they wish. “Robyn

Horn: Material Illusions”and“Iris

Eichenberg: Where Words Fail,”are on view now.10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Museum of Craft and Design, 2569 Third Street. For more information: https://bit.ly/ pay-what-you-can-mcd

9/9 Fri, 9/10 Sat, 9/16 Fri

Film: Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema

Three nights of independent films and music around Bernal Hill, in its 19th season. Gates open 6 p.m. Free. For a full lineup: https://bhout

9/9 Friday through 9/24 Saturday

Theater: Breed or Bust

As part of the inaugural PlayGround Free-Play Festival, Breed or Bust, by solo artist, Joyful Raven, wrestles with the question: “To breed or not to breed?” Blending standup and storytelling, Raven recounts her difficult reproductive “choices” and contends with her primal baby making instincts. Should she surrender to the role of weird aunty or start a GoFundMe to freeze her geriatric eggs? With her breeding window rapidly shrinking, Raven reflects on her abortions and the complexity of modern womanhood. Fridays and Saturdays, 7 p.m. Tickets: $20 to $50. For more information: https://bit.ly/breed-or-bust

9/13 Tuesday

Community: Potrero Women’s Club Meeting

Meet the group and learn about their 100-plus years on Potrero Hill. 5:30 p.m. San Francisco Public Library, Potrero Hill, 1616 20th Street. For more information: 415.282.8209

9/14 Wednesday

Comedy: Verdi Comedy Club

The legendary 100-year-old Italian social club welcomes all one

G olden Oppo

Wednesday a month

The

have performed on Netflix, Comedy Central, and late-night television. Hosted by Drea Myers. 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets: $15. 21 and over only. Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa Street. For more information: https://bit.ly/verdi-comedy

and comedy club regulars

On August 20 the

blockbuster, . The exhibit showcases Ramses II, who ruled Egypt for 67 years, plenty of time to erect

statues and monuments honoring his awesome rule, if he does say so himself. According to Khaled ElEnany, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, who helped produce the show, Rames II wasn’t the pharaoh under whom the Jews fled Egypt, despite Disney’s depiction in . Numerous quite astonishing items are displayed, big and small, in the context of a Ripley’s Believe it or Not vibe. If you have, or are, a 12-year old boy you won’t want to miss

9/24

Saturday

Art: Weaving Alternative Materials Learn how to weave the triaxial pattern with alternative materials from textile designer, Cécilia Lusven. All materials provided; no previous experience required. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. $30. Open to weavers 16 and older. SCRAP, 2150 Newcomb Avenue. For more information: https://bit.ly/weave-at-scrap

tunity on the Hill

for Verdi Comedy Club.

show features headliners

who

Inventor Charles S.L. Baker (left) with heating system, c. 1906. Courtesy Library of Congress

de Young opened its latest Egyptian

many

the virtual reality tour PHOTO: Potrero View Staff

LUMA Becomes Mission Bay’s First Hotel

BY VIVIEN WANG

In June, LUMA Hotel opened at 100 Channel Street, marking the arrival of Mission Bay’s first hotel. Although early placards had announced development of Marriot-owned lodging, that chain was never part of actual plans. The guesthouse is LUMA’s west coast outpost; the brand also has a hotel located in Manhattan’s Times Square.

“LUMA is the first-ever hotel to debut in the Mission Bay neighborhood, allowing us to set the precedent for the next wave of San Francisco’s hospitality scene,” said General Manager Brian Fenwick. “We aim to be a beacon within this community, allowing residents to

feel equally welcome as those visiting.”

In addition to 299 guestrooms and suites—many of which have floor-toceiling windows—LUMA’s Premier King accommodations feature tall king beds, seven-foot shower heads and extra high ceilings. These rooms were put to good use last July, when the hotel hosted California Classic Summer League players, rookies selected in the 2022 National Basketball Association draft competing in their first NBA games, along with sophomores, free agents and other players.

LUMA so far has drawn sports and concert fans, conference goers, and visitors to the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center and Mission

Bay’s tech and biotech companies. Its close by the Third Street Muni line and CalTrain.

Designed by Hornberger + Worstell, the hotel’s public and guest spaces feature large-scale art installations and curated art programming by locals such as Jim Campbell and Adia Millett.  Some of the work can be seen in the GATHER COMMUNITY space, which features a glass-enclosed space with a podium wrapped in back-lit laser-cut panels, meant to emulate the crystalline structure of salt found in Mission Bay’s ponds. In total, the hotel has more than 7,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The hotel’s coffee bar TWYNE brews Sightglass coffee and offers pastries from Mission-based bakery Craftsman & Wolves. Guests have access to extended in-room dining options with Tyler Florence’s Miller + Luxe restaurant and New Belgium Brewing Company, both located nearby.

LUMA is offering two neighborhood-focused packages for those look-

ing to book a staycation. For oenophiles, the “Sip Sip Nom Nom” stay offers a curated tasting flight for two, paired with a charcuterie and cheese board, at neighbor Mission Bay Wine & Cheese, with an additional 10 percent discount on wine purchased during tasting. The urban adventure package with SpinOut Fitness features a 90-minute water bike excursion on the bay.

LUMA vends Fozzy, a stuffed animal named in honor of Family House’s therapy dog, the proceeds of which are directed to the nonprofit. which provides temporary housing to families of children receiving care at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital.

“One hundred percent of the $25 price paid for Fozzy goes to Family House, in support of their wonderful work,” said Fenwick. “We got this underwritten and we keep nothing.”

In the fall, LUMA plans to debut SKY LOUNGE, a 17th floor rooftop bar and lounge.

Guest room.

PHOTO: Courtesy of LUMA Hotel San Francisco

and Feline Finesse Dance Company opened in Bayview. Residents’ support for these and other small businesses, as well as federal, municipal, and philanthropic grants and loans – including Emergency Injury Disaster Loans, U.S. Small Business Administration Express Bridge Loans, and Employee Retention Tax Credit – helped enterprises make taxable sales.

Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) “investments aim to create economic opportunities for local entrepreneurs while establishing Third Street as a unique destination for local residents and their families,” said Diana Ponce De Leon, OEWD director of community economic development. “As a result, the corridor has seen an increase in new openings since the start of the pandemic.”

“The number of small businesses opening up shop in the state increased by 19.6 percent in 2020 and another 37.3 percent in 2021,” said Heather Purcell, deputy director of communications for the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development. “This compared to the starting point of a 0.3 percent year-over-year increase in 2019. Many were e-commerce businesses launched by BIPOC business owners.”

OEWD provided $200,000 to support 30 $5,000 to $10,000 COVID relief grants to Third Street businesses.

“Later we assisted Third Street businesses with applying for San Francisco New Deal’s small business debt relief grants. These grants of $2,500 were given to 400 businesses throughout the City,” said Earl Shaddix, Economic Development on Third (EdoT) executive director.

In collaboration with OEWD, EDoT helped establish the Bayview Maker’s

Kitchen, transforming a former Wingstop restaurant at 5698 Third Street into a certified catering and food processing kitchen. The space offers catering and food enterprises an affordable facility to produce their creations.

Ezra Rufino, owner of Pow, a Bernal Heights matcha tea company that opened in 2022, said his company uses the kitchen for “a fair price. Earl is extremely helpful and supportive. The way that everyone there supports each other is awesome. It makes it feel good to be there. The community shares great advice, struggles, connections, and good food.”

Still, Bayview’s commercial corridor continues to face challenges.

“Right now, we’re in a limbo because the majority of catering we used to get from all sorts of companies have not returned yet,” said Eskender Aseged, owner of Radio Africa Kitchen at 4800 Third Street, which opened in 2012. “The high prices on commodities is not helping either. We’re exploring new ideas… well-made, nutritionally balanced delivery food throughout the City…allowing other Bayview local chefs to use our kitchen as a pop-up venue.”

“We’re in one of the only affordable residential neighborhoods in the City and other costs have gone up with inflation,” said Brandon Brown, owner of CDXX, a cannabis dispensary at 4526 Third Street. “That’s why we’re offering lower-priced products, such as joints between $5 and $25. This gives us a very low profit margin. In addition, we pay almost a 15 percent state excise tax upfront for cannabis from suppliers. With the City’s 8.625 percent sales tax, that’s a total of 27.625 percent. Many unlicensed dealers sell cannabis in the street in the southeastern neighborhoods. They don’t pay taxes and compete against those of us that do.”

Brown said he’s particularly con-

cerned about the potential return of the City’s Cannabis Business Tax next year. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance to suspend a voterapproved one to five percent Cannabis Business Tax in 2021 and 2022.

“Cannabis businesses continue to have disadvantages other businesses do not, such as lack of access to bank accounts, loans, and lines of credit. We also experience a higher incidence of issues like credit card fraud and drivers getting robbed for cash and product. The City could help by listening to why cannabis businesses are losing money and what could be done to alleviate the stresses,” said Brown.

SUPERVISOR from front page

In June, Walton coauthored a Board resolution to direct up to $18 million in funding for Potrero Hope SF Block B. Block B, located at 1801 25th street, consists of two buildings with 162 apartments for low-income households. The project requires demolition of 24 buildings at the Potrero Annex-Terrace housing complex, scheduled for the end of 2023. Occupants of the demolished homes will be given the option to take up residence in the new structures.

Walton supports navigation centers, a temporary homeless shelter model. He co-sponsored an ordinance in 2020 to keep the 25th Street center operational for another five years. He also co-sponsored a resolution in 2022 to continue the Bayview SAFE Navigation Center for an additional three years with $17 million in funding.

Between 2019 and 2022 District 10 experienced a 39 percent decline in

homelessness, the City’s largest drop. The reduction was partially due to the three navigation centers operating in the district.

In 2019 Walton co-sponsored an ordinance to provide the Public Works Department with more resources and greater ability to assess fines for illegal dumping.

If re-elected Walton said he’d focus his second term on “affordability, making sure we address folks living on our streets, homelessness, keeping our community safe, education goals and outcomes, and really just addressing quality of life issues that exist in our City.”

Adam believes there’s a disconnect and dissatisfaction between District 10 residents and Walton, who, the candidate claims, hasn’t been sufficiently present for his constituents. He intends to improve communication through regular emails to San Franciscans, leveraging SFGovTV, and making himself present within the District.

“Most people in the City don’t really know who their representatives are, and the people that did know about their Supervisor had some choice words,” said Adam, who as a freelance writer contributed a handful of articles to the View

Adam’s primary political experience is interning in the Office of Evan Low, Representative for the 28th Assembly District in San Jose. He characterizes himself as a “person who scrutinizes the details.”

Affordable housing would be his top priority. He wants to reduce the bureaucratic costs to build and look to surrounding Bay Area communities to develop unused space to lower demand

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SUPERVISOR

for scarce real estate in San Francisco.

“As long as there is not affordable housing, affordability is going to be contributing to more and more crime in the City and across county lines,” he said.

Walton co-sponsored the Vision Zero for Homicides and Violent Crime resolution, which unanimously passed the Board in 2019. The resolution calls for a collaborative approach to address violent crime and increased police patrols in hotspots.

Walton explained that “we want community police officers that know our communities, that spend time in the community… when you take all of police and put them Downtown to address retail crime versus shootings and homicides, that is problematic. It is not an officer issue, it’s a deployment issue.”

Walton was one of two supervisors to vote against Mayor London Breed’s Emergency Declaration dedicating resources to address the rise in drug overdoses within the Tenderloin Police District.

Adam generally agreed with Walton’s approach to policing, asserting that officers are bogged down in administrative tasks and take on too many low priority calls.

“Eighty police officers tops are deployed on bike or foot out of 1,450 assigned to sector patrol,” he estimated.

Walton has consistently worked on racial and language equity. He helped develop a task force to explore reparations for Black San Franciscans and sponsored hearings to review compliance with the City’s Language Access Ordinance.

Walton was recently admonished by the Sheriff’s department for a heated exchange with a cadet in City Hall where

he reportedly used racist language. Mayor Breed has called on Walton to apologize to the trainee.

According to Walton, “the incident as described by the Sheriff’s department is not in line with what actually happened, a lot of embellishments, a lot things that are not true.”

PUBLISHER’S VIEW from page 2

and the like no longer need to congregate around the water cooler to discuss what show to stream, what clients need comforting, or what new products to launch. Gigantic high-rise buildings that reach to the stars may be today’s vertical derelict warehouse, workhorses at least temporarily past their prime.

If so, Downtown can learn loads from Dogpatch and its adjacent neighborhoods. Lesson one is, “oh, well,” as conveyed to the owners of the edifices, whose value – temporarily held in the air by long term leases, like Wile E. Coyote running off a cliff – has plummeted. Sometimes what goes up must go down, like the worth of one’s portfolio. Move past denial and deal with it, including by securing property tax reductions tied to devaluations, and becoming open to new ways of using big box space.

Lesson two is to cultivate life amidst the ashes. The City should rezone a chunk of Downtown “live-work,” enabling property owners to rent former office space as artists, small enterprise, and other creatives’ residences. Shared bathrooms and communal kitchens were not a barrier to the various forms of living that thrived in Dogpatch and Potrero Hill last century. The opposite, helping to create collaborations and accidental interactions which helped catalyze a plethora of new ideas. Allow-

ing some amount of chaos and even more freedom will enable whatever comes next to emerge.

Another Downtown slice should be carved out as a kind of new age health care district. Biotechnology lab space should be authorized to be developed alongside bleeding edge therapeutic approaches, including legalized, disciplined, production and use of psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, and other medicines with healing potential. The high-tech industry could be supplemented with

the high tech industry, so to speak, again catalyzing creativity, in ultimate service of science and better living.

Dogpatch, Mission Bay, and Potrero Hill demonstrated that the future need not be scary. And neither need the present. Hard times are never just hard. They can also be illuminating and catalyzing, especially when the right set of matches are lit, with the attendant flames given some room to roam. Take wing, San Francisco phoenix.

Green

For

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Downtown San Francisco.

PHOTO: Potrero View Staff

Some nearby residents hoped that the development would increase pedestrian traffic and safety in the cul de sac at the end of the park. Mary Shrier, who has lived in the area for 22 years, said that in prior years it was dangerous to walk by the park at night. She noted that people experiencing homelessness congregate in the dead end.

David, a Hill resident, sees activation of the dead end as the development’s most significant community benefit. Bill Keith, a Bernal Heights resident whose children attend Daniel Webster Elementary School, expressed appreciation for the number of below market rate units. He hoped the area around the park would be enlivened.

Safety in and around the park is a significant concern for students, parents, teachers, and staff at Bryant Elementary School, a public kindergarten through fifth grade school, and Meadows-Livingstone School, a private kindergarten through sixth grade school, both of which border the park.

“A building with that many units and no parking is untenable,” Patrice Catanio, who lives two blocks from the park, said. “It will impact the people who already live here in such a major way. The only way I’d be for it is if there were more below market rate units, it was lower to the ground, and there were more parking spaces.”

Teresa, a Potrero Del Sol Community Garden horticulturist, said the shadow would cause the garden to suffer, and doubted that San Franciscans experiencing homelessness would be selected for the below market rate units.

“Regular park and garden users have been cast as NIMBYs, not caring about (homelessness) and housing. (We want) the right and ability to appreciate open space. We’re asking RPD to do its job and reject this plan. What point is it to have rules if they are just broken?” said Elizabeth “Mini” Kurhan, a Potrero Del Sol Community Garden grower.

In a letter sent to the View, Marie described the development as “horrendous,” a description echoed by an anonymous caller at the Rec and Park meeting who called it a “monstrosity.” Marie said the project would increase road congestion and cause nightmarish parking situations. She added that it’s already difficult for emergency vehicles to transport patients to nearby Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

In a prior round of public comments submitted to the San Francisco Planning and Recreation and Park departments, 36 people opposed the development, 19 supported it. Most resistance came from people who use the park. Those who favored it lived outside the area.

The Goode family has owned the land on which the project would be built since 1927. According to Chris Goode, an earlier plan featured 51 parking spaces and 204 apartments. The maximum legally allowable parking is one space for every four apartments. Neighbors opposed that design as having too few parking spots. The revised proposal has no parking, a decision Goode sees as practical.

“We have more overall support with no parking, especially from the City government and urbanists,” Goode told the View. “My mom’s Marilyn Goode’s thoughts about parking are more swayed by environmental concerns. Another thing that seems to be widely misunderstood is that we cannot simply add as much parking as one would like.”

Most supporters want the development to be as affordable as possible. In

“However, if there’s a petition of 50 people who say they’ll support the project if there’s parking, that would shift the balance,” Goode added.

“This is going to affect the garden,” Potrero del Sol’s volunteer community garden coordinator Mary Beth Pudup said. “I’m affiliated with the garden and this project will permanently destroy it. Potrero Del Sol is one of the oldest community gardens in San Francisco. I do think history is worth preserving and this will irreparably shade the garden.”

“My view is the developers are really going for maximum profit because they could put a smaller project on the site, even layer back higher units closer to the freeway, but they didn’t choose to do anything like that,” said San Francisco photographer and filmmaker Lou Dematteis. “My thought is they’re going for maximum profits, which as developers and owners they can do that, but they aren’t going to get community support.”

Vermont Street resident Chris Lee said if Goode “acts on the reasonable feedback he has received – lower the height to reduce the impact on the park, add parking, do not remove public street parking, and allocate space to preserve artist studios – it could be a beneficial project both for him and the City.”

Much of Potrero Del Sol Park was once an empty lot. In the late-1970s and early-1980s, lowriders, parties, and car shows were popular in the area. The City cracked down on the activities, and the land became a gathering spot for youth. Neighbors launched a cleanup effort, removing cement. They began calling it “La Raza Park,” San Francisco’s version of People’s Park in Berkeley. An amphitheater was added as a venue for concerts. The park remains a popular spot for music, including the annual Phono Del Sol performance held in June.

“When talking about the loss of parking, it’s not just a physical loss in terms of making parking more difficult, it’s also this cultural issue,” said Dematteis.

Another portion of the site was used for an urban farm. In 1974, Jack Wickert and Bonnie Sherk rented the property from the Goode family. The couple wanted to create a model farm and environmental school for children. They kept more than 70 farm animals and established an art gallery that was home to festivals, with a punk rock venue where the Dead Kennedys and Faith No More performed. In 1987, after a series of legal disputes, Marilyn Goode evicted the operators of The Farm. Its garden, which remained intact, evolved into the Potrero Del Sol Community Garden.

The San Francisco Planning Department will hold a hearing about the project on September 15.

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lucky because I have a lot of friends and entrepreneurs in my life who are way more intelligent than me. At the start of the pandemic, we were calling each other every single day and supporting each other. There was a lot of mentoring going on for me. And many people were consistently buying takeout from us…even ordering extra takeout and gifting it to their friends so they could make sure that our restaurants were going to stay around. Those kinds of guests are a big part of the reason why we are still here.”

“Everybody wants to be successful

but not everyone wants to do the work. For entrepreneurs, the biggest thing is to not give up. Even if you fail at what you are trying to do—a couple of the restaurants we opened did fail and we had to close them—you always learn something from it. You just have to keep at it,” said Feng.

Despite his accomplishments Feng continues to have dreams.

“I would like to have dinner with Steph Curry or Klay Thompson. I have been a Warriors fan since the Byron Davis days. As far as I know, Steph or Klay have not ever been to any of the restaurants,” said Feng, with a laugh.

San Francisco that means no parking, which takes up valuable space.

and CEO, started the company out of her apartment in 2019. Her business model was simple: she’d take on the burden of trying on loads of petite clothing from retailers, buy pieces that weren’t frumpy or aging, and sell to her petite friends.

“Petite clothing was invented for shorter women but quickly became the little old lady section,” she said. “It’s unacceptable for petite women to have to pick between the old lady or kid’s sections for their clothing.”

Short Story boxes include clothing from top brands and the company’s own lines, created and designed through customer feedback. Patrons start by taking Short Story’s Style Quiz. Then, the company’s experts curate boxes of fitting outfits. A few

days later, a coral Short Story box is delivered with items to be tried on at home. Clients keep what they like, return what they don’t.

“We are excited to grow into our next phase in our space in Dogpatch,” said Isabella. “We needed more space for clothing packaging, photoshoots, and in the future want to open a popup shop in the front. With this space, we have room to support our current customers and continue to grow.”

With present supply chain and manufacturing challenges, locating close by customers may be a prudent strategy. The Esprit name lives on in Dogpatch with Esprit Park, and its legacy continues through the next generation of textile companies.

Like this one.

When

Curious?

Left: Short Story box filled with clothing from top brands.

Right: Short Story founder Isabella Sun. PHOTOS: Courtesy