Potrero View 2023: June

City Sees Slow Rise in Pet Adoptions as Cost of Care Increases

BY JESSICA ZIMMER

Fewer animals are being adopted from San Francisco Animal Care & Control (SFACC) since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 and 2022, 1,354 and 1,248 found a home, compared to 1,761 in 2019. The number of animals brought to SFACC has also declined, to 4,391 in 2021, 5,257 in 2022, compared with 5,608 in 2019.

SFACC takes in animals as strays, owner-surrenders, and through assumption of custody. Custody is triggered by a variety of situations, including the owner dying or the creature being termed a threat to public safety. Most animals coming into SFACC do so as strays, predominately cats. SFACC also receives birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, rabbits, and small mammals, such as guinea pigs.

Adoption rates may be muffled by increasing costs for food, veterinarian care, and grooming, in part due to a

PET ADOPTION continues on page 8

Impulse Labs Cooking with Electricity

BY VIVIEN WANG

Located at 1409 Minnesota Street, Impulse Labs launched last fall with an ambitious mission: to make it easier to electrify homes with better appliances.

The goal originated as part of Chief Executive Officer Sam D’Amico’s quest to build the perfect indoor pizza oven.

while, and the sole reason many homes keep gas lines at all: the stove.”

Impulse is working to improve the performance of induction stoves, which rely on an electromagnetic field below a glass cooktop to heat cookware, enabling more precise temperature control. Induction stoves are less polluting than fossil gas – which produces nitrous dioxide and methane – with lower fire risks.

Starr King Open Space Elects Two New Board Members

BY REBEKAH MOAN

Two new members were elected to the Starr King Open Space board of directors last month. Justin Briggs and Daniel Rozynski will each serve threeyear terms, with the opportunity to run for a second time. Drew Patterson was reelected for a second period.

Briggs is from Massachusetts. He moved to Potrero Hill in 2012, where he lives with his girlfriend, Amy, and their two dogs, Ernie and Percy.

“I have utilized the Open Space on a near-daily basis for the last 10-plus years, and I feel that I owe it to the space and all who care for it to put in my time,” he said. “Having something like Starr King Open Space here is a massive privilege, so if I can help aid in its longevity in some way, I would like to do that.”

dences—rely on gas stoves. In California, this number is closer to 70 percent.

“I was fixated with making an insane pizza oven; one that could replicate the perfect brick oven,” said D’Amico. “You can’t get that power out of 220V outlet, but if you put batteries into the appliance, you can boost performance greatly…. Our first product is something that’s been in the climate zeitgeist for a

According to D’Amico, integrating a lithium iron phosphate battery pack into an induction stove delivers more immediate power, while lowering overall energy needs. Safer than traditional lithium-ion, this type of battery avoids peak demands on the grid by “trickle charging” an existing connection— such as a normal 120-volt outlet—so that power surges needed to quickly heat pans are provided by the battery. Even when peak load is high, average demand is low enough to fit within a normal 120V outlet, avoiding the need to add a 60 ampere panel connection.

A recent World Economic Forum study found that gas stoves emit methane even when not in use. More than 40 million U.S. homes—about one-third of resi-

A 2021 California Energy Commission building code update mandated that new homes and buildings constructed after 2023 must have panels and circuitry to support all-electric appliances and heating. Over the past four years 50 California cities and counties – including Berkeley and San Francisco – banned gas hookups in most new commercial and residential structures. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District recently prohibited the sale of natural gas heaters starting in 2030.

Many Americans are resistant to electric stoves because of their poor performance and potential need for panel upgrades and wiring. The California Restaurant Association successfuly sued Berkeley in 2019 over its ban on gas hookups.

“The gas industry has done a good job in building preference,” D’Amico said.

Rather than promoting the negative argument that a gas stoves are polluting, however, D’Amico emphasizes the positive aspects associated with electrification, including innovation, power, and control.

“The tech has changed over the last 100 years, and there’s an opportunity to give people a fundamentally better product,” said D’Amico. “This is similar to how Tesla pitches fundamentally

Rozynski hails from Arlington, Virginia. He’s lived adjacent to Starr King for seven years, where he takes his springer spaniel, Sadie, multiple times a day.

“It’s given me a peaceful place in the City to enjoy nature, meditate, stretch, and play with Sadie,” he said. “I wanted to volunteer to give back to a place that I get so much from. What I hope to accomplish is to get younger people in my generation involved in upkeeping parks and public places. I want to energize and rally these folks to get up, volunteer, and give their time to common spaces that we all enjoy in a variety of ways.”

Patterson and his family have been Hill residents for 11 years. He ran for reelection because, “I appreciate how the Open Space provides an area for our community to come together and I’d like to continue working to see it thrive.”

All Hill residents are eligible to serve on the board. Attendees at a May 15 meeting – neighbors, candidates, and existing board members – voted on who should be on the nine-member board. Board members are required to participate in twice monthly volunteer workdays, help fundraise for a $5,000 to $10,000 annual budget, attend regular meetings, and engage in community outreach.

The Starr King Open Space Board of

Sam Krishnan, a volunteer at Muttville, and Snowy, the senior dog she recently adopted.

PHOTO: Jessica Zimmer

Impulse Labs is working on an induction stove with a built-in lithium battery pack, that it hopes will help eventually remove fossil fuels from homes while delivering a premium experience. PHOTO: Courtesy of Impulse Labs

PUBLISHER’S VIEW

WORRY

SHORT CUTS

Parking Pain

“I still worry,” she retorted. “I worry about you, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren.”

“You mean it never ends!?”

“No,” she said. “It doesn’t.”

For those of us with children, worry is like our brain’s screensaver. It’s always hovering in the background, ready to pop up and cycle through its psychedelic colors. Different fears explode in our mind’s eye depending on the kids’ gender and age: “No friends!”

“Failing math!” “Anger issues!” “Out late-night!” “Driving! While drunk?!”

“Alcoholic?!” “No spouse!” “No job!”

I’d hoped that when my daughter graduated college this year that this tyranny of terror would subside, replaced by a more placid mental screensaver. Puppy’s frolicking, perhaps, or Hello Kitty images. But no. My mom confirmed what a casual survey of those a few steps ahead of me suggested: child worry is forever.

Worry is the empty calories of emotions. You can snack, even binge, on

chronic concerns, and get back nothing but sleepless nights, eye bags, and a new crop of wrinkles. Worry’s purpose is to get our attention, to prompt a response to an emerging problem. But we’re largely powerless in the face of whatever worries we have about our children.

It doesn’t start out that way. Babies are full of call and response cares. Wet diaper; change it. Hungry; feed. Sleepy; rock, sing, or cuddle. If it’s broken, we can generally fix it with a warm blanket, bandage, hug, or nutritious snack. During those early years a false narrative worms its way deep into the parental lobe: we’re omnipotent, capable of and responsible for protecting our kid from anything.

But we are not and cannot. There’s little we can do about a lack of friends, undiagnosable learning challenges, or existential dread brought about by pandemics, climate change, or regular encounters with incoherent street behavior. We can try to make the world a better place, join the parent-teacher association, advocate for environmental and social justice, vote. But change is slow, nowhere near as cause and effect

PUBLISHER'S VIEW continues on page 10

Dogpatch, along with Fisherman’s Wharf, is first in line to be subjected to longer metered parking hours. Starting in July, the  San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will extend metered parking hours until 10 p.m. from Monday through Saturday and enforce parking meters from noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Cole Valley and a handful of other neighborhoods aren’t scheduled for the same treatment until September. Aside from collecting revenues, meters are intended to keep commerce moving, helping to bring customer traffic into stores and restaurants. But is that really a thing much past twilight for any business other than bars?

I Scream

The hole left by the melting away of Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous and Sunday Social at the corner of 22nd and Third streets will soon be filled by Jake Godby’s and Sean Vahey’s Humphry Slocombe. The ice creamery vends such one-of-a-kind flavors as Secret Breakfast – bourbon cream with corn flakes –Olive Oil, Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee, Red Hot Banana, Golden Beet Saffron, Prosciutto, and Peanut Butter Curry. It’ll be Humphry Slocombe’s ninth Bay Area shop…There’s never enough ice cream. Loard’s Ice Cream, founded in Oakland during an  unusually sweltering summer in 1950, is moving into the space formerly occupied by Dave’s Food Store, on 20th and Connecticut streets, which shuttered in 2020. It’ll be San

Francisco’s first and only Loard’s. Typically featuring heart-shaped chairs, Formica counters and pink and white vinyl booths, each parlor is a little different. In addition to Oakland, there are Loard’s ice cream parlors in Alameda, San Leandro, Castro Valley, Moraga, Orinda, Dublin and Livermore.

Office Share

Uber wants to shed office space in one of the four Mission Bay buildings that make up the ride-hailing giant’s headquarters. The company is hoping to sublease 286,548 square feet in its 1725 Third Street building, about a third of its H.Q. area. Uber has never occupied the structure… The move is part of a general transition away from tech, whose property and other taxes helped pay the City and County of San Francisco’s bills in the before times, to health care and biotech, which can be less fiscally lucrative, especially when connected with the University of California, San Francisco, which’s exempt from property and income assessments. Laboratory technicians need a place to work; coders can stay in their jammies and never live the house…

Father’s Day

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Starr King Elementary School Receives Mixed Reviews from Students

BY LAURA QUIROGA

Starr King Elementary, located adjacent to Starr King Open Space, offers a Mandarin Dual Immersion (MI) program, two classes for each grade, and a General Education (GE) track. Roughly 360 students attend the school, with access to courses in music, dance, gardening, and art.

Interviews with students and parents revealed a mix of feelings about the school.

“I like that there are nice people at Starr King,” said Hazel, a fourth grader, who considers Starr King a “fun school”. However, she complained that lunches are “low quality,” a common sentiment among the student body.

Wheeler, a fifth grader, said that “Starr King is a good school,” with top-notch teachers, though they could improve their approaches to discipline. For example, “when a child gets in trouble, they make the whole class get

HANDY NUMBERS

in trouble.” Wheeler hopes to make more friends in sixth grade.

Ana agreed with Wheeler about how faculty handle errant behavior. She “hopes the teachers can make up a fair punishment.” Ana’s favorite thing about the school is English Learning Development; a new program started this year, that helps Mandarin-speaking students advance their language skills.

“It’s a fun experience and I like meeting new people,” she said.

Aliyah, a graduate from the school’s GE track, said she wishes she was able to learn a language, and feels that the MI class is more privileged, consistently ahead of the GE class in every subject. In math, for example, she’d be learning multiplication while MI students were studying order of operations.

According to a parent of a GE pupil there are “constant fights between students” in the class and her child is “constantly stressed with all the violence.” She hoped that one day her

youngster can “go to class without being scared.”

A student threw a book at the parent when they volunteered in the classroom. Scholars bicker over little things, end up fighting once or twice a week, with conflicts never fully resolved.

Another Starr King graduate felt that GE students received less support than the MI pupils. “For example,” she said, “the Chinese immersion classes would always be going on field trips without us.”

Dear Readers

Tell our local merchants you saw their ad in

DADSLOVE COFFEE

Green Benefit District |

GreenBenefit.org

What upgrades would you like to see within the Green Benefit District? How can we make our neighborhoods greener, safer and more welcoming? The GBD will be forming its budget for the new fiscal year starting July 1. Send us your comments and ideas via our website, GreenBenefit.org, or by attending the GBD board meeting on June 21.

The Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association | potreroboosters.org

The Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association informs, empowers and represents the residents of the Potrero on issues impacting our community, in order to develop and maintain complete, vibrant neighborhoods. We’re continuing to meet via Zoom on the last Tuesday of each month. Go to www. potreroboosters.org to learn more about how to join us!

The Potrero Dogpatch Merchants Association | potrerodogpatch.com

The Potrero Dogpatch Merchants Association promotes and advocates for independent, locally owned businesses while actively supporting our neighborhood and our wonderful communities.

PREFund | prefund.org

Potrero Residents Education Fund (PREFund) brings families together to support education and build community. Learn more prefund.org

Starr King Open Space | StarrKingOpenSpace.org

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 June 10th.

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

Institute of Contemporary Art Works to Interpret Cultural Moments

BY VIVIEN WANG

According to The Institute of Contemporary Art San Francisco’s (ICA SF) founding director, Ali Gass, the always-free, non-collecting museum was conceived amidst the depths of the pandemic and racial reckonings of 2020.

“The vision was to offer extraordinary arts and culture that helps audiences navigate the cultural, social, and political cultural issues around us, in a way that is free to everyone,” said Gass. ICA embraced the Bay Area’s startup ethos to be “a nimble center that responds to the moment.”

In July and August, the museum will be occupied by Meantime, an initiative that focuses on artists’ lack of access to space through residencies, educational workshops, performances, and popups.

ICA complements the nearby Minnesota Street Project, which offers accessible spaces for galleries, artists and related nonprofits. Minnesota Street Project founders, Andy and Deborah Rappaport, were lead funders of ICA SF, investing $1 million in 2021. The Rappaports also helped secure the lease for the museum’s building, on Minnesota Street between 20th and 22nd streets, which’d previously housed MySpace. Venture capitalist Andy Rappaport is a partner emerita at August Capital.

In 2022, Pamela and Dave Hornick donated $1 million. Dave Hornick is a general partner at Lobby Capital; wife Pamela serves on the Director’s Advisory Board of Cantor Arts Center. After an additional $2.5 million was raised ICA opened in the fall.

“There are ICAs in Boston, LA, and Miami. Most great contemporary art cities have different kinds of museums and art spaces: university art museums; local, nonprofit museums; or ambitious non-collecting museums, known in Europe as kunsthalles, that allow contemporary artists from all over the country and world to push their practice,” Gass said.

A Potrero Hill resident, Gass moved to the Bay Area in 2005. She previously served as assistant curator of painting and sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and chief curator at Stanford’s Cantor Arts Center. In 2017 she became director of the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art. She returned to San Francisco during the pandemic.

The ICA’s board is composed of collectors, tech founders, and venture capitalists, who help raise $2.7 million

a year for the institution.

“Between the Minnesota Street Project, contemporary art galleries, and the proximity to the Wattis Institute, the Dogpatch is becoming a significant arts and culture destination,” Gass said. “It’s a place where you can come and spend an entire day seeing contemporary art; being able to add to that feels really important.”

The museum hosts food and coffee popups, family day programs like Children’s Studio, and educational curriculum in collaboration with Bayview, Dogpatch, and Potrero Hill schools.

ICA is participating in efforts to refurbish the Dogpatch Community Court, located on the same block as the museum. The basketball court is one of more than 90 the Warriors Foundation has renovated to support youth development. Originally reconditioned in 2016 in partnership with Alive & Free – a San Francisco violence prevention program – the court will soon feature public artwork by artist Patrick Martinez.

The museum space can be rented for events.

“We’ve done everything from 50-person dinners to 150-person graduation parties, and smaller corporate meetings,” noted Gass.

This summer, food popups will be offered on Thursday evenings, with Calaca Coffee open Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. On June 15, SUP!, an ode to Southeast Asian street food, will be available from 5 to 8 p.m.

PHOTO: Drew Altizer Photography

6/3 Saturday

Books: Book Sale Block Party

Join Friends of the San Francisco Public Library for a day of literary fun! Featuringmore than 10,000 books, comics, media and vinyl on sale, the San Francisco Public Library Bookmobile, Kids Zone, and live DJ. K-Fai Steele, the 2023 Summer Stride artist, appears at 2 p.m. for Storytime and guided button-making in the Kids Zone. Thee Parkside, 1600 17th Street, will host author readings from 2022 and 2023 Brown-Handler Residents. Lol Tolhurst, musician from The Cure, will read his book, Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys. Friends of SFPL members save 10 percent on their purchases AND get access to the sale from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Noon to 5 p.m. Free admission. 1630 17th Street. For more information: https://bit.ly/booksale23.

6/3 Saturday

Food: Gumbo Social Grand Opening

A celebration of community as Gumbo Social officially opens. The noon

ceremony will feature community leaders, municipal officials and a ribbon-cutting, with a jazz band, and DJ. Chef Dontaye Ball, aka Mr. Gumbo, will cook up his signature gumbo, alongside an array of such items as po’boys, ho cakes, and other favorites. 12 to 4 p.m. Gumbo Social, 5176 Third Street. For more information and to reserve your tickets: https://bit.ly/

Gumbo-Social

6/8 Thursday through 6/11 Sunday Theater: “Spring Awakening”

Based on Frank Wedekind’s play, winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, what Entertainment Weekly called, “the most gorgeous Broadway score this decade,” “Spring Awakening” explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood through a fusion of death, sex, and rock and roll.

Tickets: $20 to $70. Victoria Theater, 2961 16th Street. For more information: https://bit.ly/spring-awakening-SF

6/7 Wednesday

Crafts: Museum of Craft and Design

“Pay What You Can” Pay What You Can

Wednesday strives to keep art accessible by giving visitors the opportunity to experience the latest exhibitions disbursing whatever amount they wish. On view:

“Fight and Flight: Crafting a Bay Area Life.” Purchase tickets in-person. Museum of Craft and Design, 2569 Third Street. For more information: https://bit. ly/mcd-wed

6/8 Thursday

Manufacturing: SF Made Here/Now

Join the San Francisco manufacturing community to celebrate locally made products. Enjoy local food and drinks; a keynote by Neal Foard, award-winning Advertising and Marketing Creative at Within Inc.; and SFMade’s diverse network of manufacturers. 5 to 8 p.m. Tickets: $40 to $100. Southeast Community Center, 1550 Evans Avenue. For more information: https://bit.ly/sfhere-now

6/8 Thursday through 6/18 Monday

Performance: San Francisco International Art Festival

The San Francisco International Art Festival’s first two-week event since the COVID pandemic, and its 20th anniversary, featuring Bay Area artists. “In Diaspora: I.D. for the New Majority” asked creatives to contemplate America’s changing demographics and apply social justice concepts to reflect on the conditions of minority, migrant, disenfranchised and/or displaced peoples in other countries. Regional/ cultural focus areas include Juneteenth, Asian, Filipino American andLatinx

work. The program returns to the Mission District for the first time in nearly 15 years, with performances at BRAVA Theater Center as well as Joe Goode Annex and Theatre of Yugen, located at Project Artaud.Tickets: $20 to $30. For more information: https:// www.sfiaf.org/ or 415.399.9554.

6/10 Saturday

History: “Unveiling Secrets: A Journey through Hunters Point Shipyard’s Hidden History”

Join Stacey Carter for a one-hour visual presentation of Hunters Point. Starting as the West Coast’s earliest and largest dry-dock repair facility, it’s now America’s biggest artist studio complex. Through buildings visible at the Shipyard overlook, Carter will take participants on a chronological verbal journey, highlighting military development from 1867 to the Cold War and present-day significance. For the past 20 years, Carter, an artist with a studio at Hunters Point, has been passionately working on a multi-faceted documentary art project centered around the Shipyard. 12 to 1 p.m. $25. Note: This event takes place at the overlook from which much of the Shipyard can be viewed. It’s not a walking or driving tour through the Shipyard. However, the U.S. Navy is offering free bus tours the same day that can be signed up for separately. For more information: https://bit.ly/ shipyard-history

6/10 Saturday

Music: SF Uke Jam’s “Summer Uke-Splosion”

Join an afternoon “uke-apalooza” in the summer sun with a program showcasing the region’s foremost ukulele talent, a community strumand-sing-along – bring your uke! – and special performances. Headlined by U3, a musical collaboration that features popular Honolulu YouTuber Cynthia

U3 will perform at the Yerba Buena Gardens on June 10.

PHOTO: Craig Chee

Lin, multi-instrumentalist and Na Hoku award-winning Abe Lagrimas, Jr., and the Bay Area’s ebullient Ukulenny. Playing jazz, bossa nova, Hawaiian classics and reggae remixes, U3 creates an island-inspired cross-cultural sound that’ll turn the celebration into an isle of aloha. 1 to 3 p.m. Free. Yerba Buena Gardens Esplanade, Mission Street, between Third and Fourth streets. For more information: https://bit.ly/uke2023

6/14 Wednesday through 6/24

Saturday

Film: Frameline 47

Frameline presents a robust lineup of pictures, parties and talks in its 47th annual festival, taking place in-person in Bay Area cinemas, with a national streaming encore June 24 to July 2, 2023. Shining a spotlight on the culturally diverse Bay Area filmmaking scene, Frameline47 includes new

movies from LGBTQ+ filmmakers and emerging talent, including several flicks set in San Francisco’s queer communities, past and present. This year’s festival expands its offerings into neighborhood theaters such as Oakland’s Parkway Theater, and San Francisco’s 4 Star, Vogue, and Balboa theaters. Tickets: $15.50 to $17.50. For more information: https://www. frameline.org/

6/15 Thursday

Art: Chef Pop-ups

Featuring local food and beverage popups, as well as a free tour of current exhibitions at 6 p.m. Open to all with special perks for 901 Club members including a complimentary menu item and drinks. 5 to 8 p.m. Free admission. ICA San Francisco, 901 Minnesota Street. For more information: https:// bit.ly/chef-popup

Seriously ridiculous break-in at New Potrero Market, on 18th Street, last month. The thieves broke the window, put a rope around the cash machine, and pulled it out with a truck.

PHOTO: Potrero View Staff

shortage of vets. In 2021, the national annual average cost of housing a dog was $1,391, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). It’s safe to assume that costs in San Francisco are considerably higher.

“The good news is it’s now easier to foster or adopt,” said Ariana Luchsinger, SFACC operations manager. “We have put much of the training and application process online. SFACC has four foster programs, the kitten foster program, which involves care from birth to eight weeks, the puppy foster program, also from birth to eight weeks, the small mammal foster program, and Caregivers Helping Animals Make Progress, for animals that could benefit from behavior changes and training.”

San Francisco renters who want to foster or adopt an animal may face restrictions on the presence, number, and type of pets allowed. Under the U.S. Fair Housing and California Fair Employment and Housing acts, individuals who require an emotional support animal (ESA) can forgo no- or restricted-pet lease terms, if they have a letter from a licensed health professional that states that the tenant needs the ESA due to a disability. In these circumstances the property owner cannot charge an additional fee or security deposit, nor require insurance for the ESA.

SFACC needs foster homes for cats during kitten season, which typically runs from April until September, when the weather is mild.

“We usually take in between 800 and 1,000 kittens per season, which

begins as soon as the weather warms up. There’s no season for puppies. If you’re interested in fostering kittens, we could use you up to 10 times in several months,” said Luchsinger.

According to Anne Moellering, SF SPCA chief of rescue and welfare, SF SPCA’s adoption trends echo SFACC’s.

“The total number of adoptions in 2019 was 4,141. Our count went to 3,235 in 2021 and 3,237 in 2022. During 2020, we had to shut down temporarily. There was a lot of uncertainty about COVID. We’re aiming for 4,400 adoptions in 2023,” said Moellering.

SFACC had more surrenders of large dog breeds, including huskies and German Shepherds, during the pandemic. According to Moellering, there’s a perception that big dogs need a great deal of exercise and room to roam.

I N S E CT PA LO O

“Both are not true. Big dogs are very happy city dwellers. We’ve seen a lot of big dogs adopted in SoMa and FiDi, with new buildings opening up that allow tenants with dogs,” said Moellering.

SFACC has seen an uptick in small animals like guinea pigs and rabbits coming into its shelter since 2021.

“A lot of this can be attributed to people buying opposite sex small animals from large chain pet stores. When they get too many to care for, they bring them to us,” said Deb Campbell, SFACC spokesperson.

Muttville, at 255 Alabama Street, focuses on rehoming senior dogs, seven years and older.

“Right now, our partner shelters, including SFACC and shelters in the

PET ADOPTION continues on page 10

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Directors governs the open space situated along Carolina Street south of 23rd, extending to De Haro Street at 24th. Its mission is to maintain the 3.5-acre parcel as native species grassland for Hill residents to enjoy. The Open Space is home to such indigenous flora and fauna as the purple spot gilia, yellow mariposa lily, and Acmon blue butterfly. These species are only found in serpentine habitats, which in San Francisco spans a “beltway” from the Presidio to Candlestick Park.

“The return of these species is a true victory,” said Board of Directors President Sarah Burton. “San Francisco is known in the field of ecology for extirpating certain species out of the county, meaning these plants are regionally extinct. However, at Starr King they were brought back. It is so special to the county that as a result, naturalists and the California Native Plant Society have their eye on the species shared in this beltway.”

Some parts of the beltway have more flora and fauna than others. Hunters Point and Starr King are the only two known places where the yellow mariposa lily is found.

“It’s literally only 12 plants that popped up last year in Starr King and a handful at Hunters Point,” Burton said. “And that’s it for the rest of the county. It’s what makes Starr King so special; it’s a perfect example of the serpentine habitat.”

The board is further restoring Starr King by removing the U-shaped Coral Road, which has been closed and inoperable for more than 10 years. The street and cement will be replaced by vegetation and an American with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalk to enable wheelchair access. Most of the work has been done after many years in design, with full completion expected by the end of this year at a cost of $10,000.

While Starr King’s budget is modest, fundraising is a board priority. The Open Space doesn’t receive government funding. Money typically comes through grants and resident donations. In addition to remediation work, funds are used to pay for property taxes, insurance, and general maintenance, including mowing, tree trimming, and graffiti removal.

“The very cool thing about Starr King is that it is owned by the residents of Potrero Hill,” Burton said. “The City and Recreation and Parks don’t own it, they don’t run it, we do.”

Second Saturday of the month volunteer days are held from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Earlier this year 100 volunteer hours were spent weed whacking the foxtails plant, a weed-type grass known to be dangerous to dogs because if it’s inhaled or impaled it can lead to a serious infection.

Another board priority is to redraft bylaws to make it clear that the Open Space will never be sold. Presently the rules only state that the Space is a gift, with nothing explicit about not selling the land.

“We’re formulating language that in perpetuity the land is protected even from the board itself,” Burton said. “As we’re pulled into the urban future, Starr King provides both a small refuge from modernity and a connection with the City as an unbuilt space.”

For more information on Starr King and to volunteer, visit https:// starrkingopenspace.org/

PUBLISHER'S VIEW from page 2

as sticking a warm bottle into your baby’s lips.

The best we can do is to equip our children with the tools they’ll need to grapple with life, and, when they can, help others do the same. We depend on our fellow parents to do likewise, so that when our kids mix, they’re collectively kind, generous, and resilient. That bully my daughter encountered at school? That’s someone’s child. The cad that “dated” and then ghosted her? Same. The ability to make our kids do anything – share a toy; write a thank you note; think critically – dissipates over time. But early reinforced patterns hopefully remain.

Now that I know I’ll be worrying about my daughter until I’m dead I may as well settle in for the long haul. Worries, after all, often and organically resolve themselves. Which is why we celebrate milestones and occasions. My daughter braved the COVID pandemic, with its terrible disruptions and forced isolation, and graduated from college! My worries are over! Or at least those worries are over! To life!

PET ADOPTION from page 8

East Bay and Central California, are overcrowded,” said Sherri Franklin, Muttville founder and chief executive officer. “We take almost all of SFACC’s senior dogs. Muttville has all breeds and sizes of dogs, from German Shepherds and pit bulls to fluffy white dogs and three-pound Chihuahuas.”

Franklin recommends that tenants who face pet restrictions bring photographs and anecdotes of their dog to a first visit with a property manager.

“If that goes well, then ask if you can bring your dog by to meet the landlord. You can make a difference if your dog behaves well,” said Franklin.

Myra Marcelo, owner of Coiffure, a dog grooming business, said she’s seen more senior rescue dogs in Mission Bay recently.

“I’ve groomed many dogs from Muttville, but my other clients come from all over the City, including Potrero Hill and Pacific Heights. Trending dog breeds include French Bulldogs and different types of Doodles, including miniature Doodles, a cross between a Golden Retriever and a miniature poodle,” said Marcelo.

Dogs with hair that grows, including French Bulldogs and Goldendoodles, should be groomed every six to eight weeks. Otherwise, the hair forms mats that pull at the skin, which can lead to itchiness and hematomas, clotted blood in the skin.

“Dogs that can’t grind their nails on the sidewalk as they walk also need to have their nails trimmed, or it can become uncomfortable for them to walk,” said Marcelo.

Marcelo hasn’t raised prices in about two years but will do so soon due to increasing supply costs.

Dr. Marcia Medrano, a house call veterinarian and owner of MedranoVets, has raised her prices modestly in the past four years, also as a result of rising costs for veterinary supplies.

“The southeastern neighborhoods are popular places for dog and cat ownership. Doodles, poodles, and terrier mixes are common. Some folks have exotic cats, such as Bengal cats and Persian cats,” said Medrano.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, Medrano converted her practice’s SUV into an exam space. She’ll conduct visits in a client’s driveway or outdoor location.

“A veterinary technician comes with me to assist. While we’ve started going back indoors, many folks continue to prefer to have exams outside their home,” said Medrano.

According to Rakesh Tondon, cofounder and chief executive officer of Dr. Treat, a Marina-based veterinary practice, there’s an extreme shortage of animal doctors.

“We are using telehealth, conducting rechecks and non-emergency visits via video. We’re also personalizing longterm care plans, which are tailored to the pet, owner, and surroundings of both,” said Tondon.

Dr. Treat, which provides veterinary services to Muttville, offers free

memberships for the first year for dogs adopted from the nonprofit. Membership provides unlimited access to the clinic and telehealth services, no exam, consultation, or emergency fees, with same- or next-day appointments.

Sam Krishnan, a Hill resident, volunteers at Muttville to facilitate the foster dog matching process. She recently adopted a Labrador named Snowy, also known as “Mr. 10,000,” the 10,000th senior dog adopted from the nonprofit.

“It was always on my agenda to help senior dogs, particularly large dogs. They’re harder to adopt in a place like San Francisco where space can be a limiting factor. Senior dogs are very friendly and make for great companions,” said Krishnan.

Lucho Ramirez, a Connecticut Street resident, adopted Fergus, a 15-year-old Shih Tzu-Lhasa Apso mix from Muttville, his third “rescue adoption.”

“I take him to all the parks, from Potrero Hill Recreation Center Park and Jackson Park to Esprit Park, when it’s open, and Crane Cove Park. He gets me out of the house, exploring more places where I live,” said Ramirez.

Ramirez said having a pet, especially a dog, breaks his routine and helps him see more of San Francisco.

“He’s older, more frail, sometimes disinterested, giving another dog or cat a quick sniff and then moving on. What he lacks in attention he makes up for in cuteness. Plus, it’s wonderful to give him a good life and see him enjoy every day,” said Ramirez.

SFACC, SF SPCA, Muttville, and other animal rescue entities rely on volunteers to help walk dogs, socialize animals, and fundraise to pay for blankets, leashes, and food. Community Medicine Education Training, a fourmonth mentorship program, is available to high school seniors interested in a career in veterinary services.

better cars. The battery enables us to exceed the performance of existing induction, and we have a few more plans to reinvent cooking that we’ll share more about later.”

Impulse Labs hopes its electric stove will lead the way for additional battery-integrated electric appliances that remove fossil fuels from homes.

“Doing a stove first is a great backdoor way to deploy power to the grid,” he said. “You can provide a much better stove experience while also deploying 3+ kWh of batteries in every home when you do it; those batteries can then be used to offset other home usage and drive down peak loads on the grid in general.”

While the company isn’t ready to reveal specifics on future products, it’s fo-

cusing on appliances that’re used for short durations at very high-power output.

Impulse Labs has garnered $25 million in funding from Lux Capital, Fifth Wall, Lachy Groom and Construct Capital, and grown to a team of 15 people with consumer hardware experience from companies like Oculus, Google and Peloton. D’Amico expects to add another 10 people in engineering and operations this year.

The company’s Dogpatch location—across the street from Harmonic Brewing, and fellow startup Nuro, a robotics company that develops selfdriving vehicles— was a critical factor when it came to planting roots.

“We needed lab space so a warehouse made sense for us,” said D’Amico. “There’s a ton of awesome warehouse spaces in the Dogpatch, and we wouldn’t have gotten one as nice anywhere else in the City.”

With several team members residing in South Bay, being near a CalTrain station to minimize commute time was important. Employees come in three to four times a week to work together. D’Amico expects that Impulse Labs will gain more visibility—perhaps hosting community demonstrations—later this year as it continues developing products.

San Francisco Interna-

According

Airport

highly-trained bomb-sniffing dogs detected possible explosives, triggering the need for Bomb Squad management of a suitcase, which ultimately was found to contain medicines. The terminal, dominated by Delta Airlines, was closed for three hours, disrupting flights and travel plans. After the incident was resolved a relaxed Sawyer answered questions from passersby, including related to the San Francisco Police Department's deep and growing deficit of officers, which he thought would only be resolved when police felt that their job was valued by political leaders and civilians; and relentless shoplifting and open-air drug use in the City, a chronic problem that he felt increased civility and a no-tolerance attitude would address. Sawyer pointed out that not so long ago SFPD was the pride of the Bay Area, among the first to fully integrate and embrace diversity, but noted the need for organizational reform to return the force to full and superlative performance.

IMPULSE LABS from front page

Captain Jason Sawyer helped lead the response to an "unattended item" found in

tional

Terminal 2 last month.

to Sawyer,

PHOTO: Potero View Staff