Potrero View 2011: January by potreroview

January 2011

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New District Starr King Openspace Land Dispute 10 Supervisor Remains Unresolved Faces Complex Challenges By Bill Slatkin Recently elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors District 10 seat, Malia Cohen is a fourth generation San Franciscan who began her political journey when she served on Mayor Frank Jordan’s youth forum while a Lowell High School student. “That really inspired me. I had a chance to do information interviews with supervisors; District 10 people like Carol Migden, Barbara Analysis Kaufman, Kevin p.6 Shelly and Leland Yee,” Cohen said. “I wanted to know why they were serving and what they hoped to do.” Cohen, who has l ived much of her life in District 10, is learning about the job first hand, having won a highly competitive race last November through the ranked choice voting (RCV) process. Cohen came in third after the count of first choice votes, behind Lynette Sweet and Tony Kelly. Only when the RCV computation was completed – it took until Thanksgiving until the results were officially determined – was Cohen designated as supervisorelect. Cohen believes that RCV provided a reasonable way for District 10 voters to choose a representative who reflects a balance among the 21 candidates who ran in the race, and the various interests they reflected. “I want people to feel we elected the right representative, the right advocate,” she said. “I plan to make connections with people everywhere [in the district], educating them – and them educating me – about what needs to be done.” As the representative of the City’s geographically largest, most ethnically diverse, district, Cohen may have the most challenging assignment of any of the eleven San Francisco supervisors. Her job description includes managing the see cohen page 9

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Starr King Openspace Board president Carroline Bird speaking at the 11/13 Board of Appeals hearing (SFGOV.TV screenshot) : Side elevation of the existing structure superimposed upon the proposed building (Dale Scott) : The two trees would be cut down in order to build the new structrure (Emmanuel Schnetzler).

By Sasha Lekach The Starr King Openspace (SKO) board of directors’ and the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association’s request for a rehearing of a proposed development was denied last month by the San Francisco Board of Appeals, a quasi-judicial board. SKO’s board and the Boosters believe that

the proposed construction of a threestory building on an adjacent property, at 1321 De Haro Street, would encroach on and impact views from the Openspace. The SKO board is also concerned that plans for the development – some of which included parking spaces, others of which featured a garage – have changed so often that the permitting process should restart, providing the San Francisco Plan-

Kids Tell Their Stories at Dogpatch Media Center By Terry Guthrie

tering community change through art and entrepreneurship – BAYCAT was Last month 200 people gathered at founded in 2005 by Potrero Hill resia suite in the American Industrial dent Villy Wang, who directs the orCenter, on Third ganization. Wang Street, to celgrew up in New ebrate the fifth York City public anniversary of housing, where BAYCAT, a littleher mother taught known Dogpatch her the value of jewel. BAYCAT, art, education, enan acronym for trepreneurship, t h e B ay v ie wand storytelling. Hu nter s Poi nt Stints as a banker, Center for Arts lawyer and a creand Technology, dentialed teacher offers education prepared Wang a nd employfor her BAYCAT ment to underrole. “I started s e r ve d yout h , B AYC A T w it h particularly in the idea that the Southeast San power of media Bayview-Hunters Point Center for Arts and Francisco. But is something that Technology BAYCAT is no needs to be harordinary trainnessed…especialing program. The nonprofit blends ly to help underserved teens,” Wang free, digital media classes for at- said. risk youth with socially conscious In its first semester BAYCAT entrepreneurship. taught three students in an undevelInspired by the work of Bill oped space on Third Street. Today, Strickland – who serves as president it’s nearly outgrowing its stunning of Manchester Bidwell Corporation, a see bAYCAT page 9 pioneering enterprise dedicated to fos-

ning Department an opportunity to look at the most up-to-date plans for the proposed development. The SKO board has been fighting to keep the development project from invading the Starr King Openspace – which encompasses 3.5 acres of grassy hillside between 23rd and Carolina and 24th and De Haro streets – since 2009. Under the proposed project an existing 1,100 square foot structure on the property would be replaced with a much larger building. With its added bulk “the proposed project is grossly out of scale for the site and would block vistas from the top of the Openspace and shade the slope of the Openspace to the north of the site,” according to Starr King Openspace board president Caroline Bird, who is also concerned the added residents would draw more cars and associated congestion to the green space. Bird believes that one of the planning commissioners misunderstood the area’s topography, which may have misguided her vote. According to Boosters president Audrey Cole, “You can’t get a sense of the plans unless you actually go there and look. The idea of adding stories will really impact the Openspace. [The new building] will be sticking up in the middle of everything.” The SKO board and the Boosters intend to pursue additional appeals, including at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. According to Cole, the Boosters will be “going to the supervisors in asking for their help in toning [the plans] down. We don’t want to stop it, it’s a nice development.” Bird added, “At the moment we are just going though each step as it comes along. Right now there is no guarantee that there won’t be cars see OPENSPACE page 8

Tennessee St. firehouse

Dago Mary’s

Charlie Friel 1922 — 2010

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THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

Publisher’s View

Confessions of a Candidate By Steven J. Moss If you Google “Steve Moss, San Francisco,” four out of the top ten results will be links to the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Even a casual review of the material doesn’t paint a pretty picture of me. According to the Guardian, I’m a “sorehead,” “carpetbagger” who as a supervisorial candidate refused to answer basic questions about my views on important issues. Scratch a bit further and you’ll learn that I’m your worst nightmare of a plutocratic landlord and neighbor, someone who terrorizes his tenants with random eviction notices and allows his dog to bark uncontrollably for hours. How did I become such a jerk? I seemed to have such promise, traveling to Africa and India to help impoverished villagers improve their lives; volunteering to teach inmates at San Quentin; founding a nonprofit dedicated to closing polluting power plants and employing Bayview-Hunters Point residents; even taking over the View, and adding kids’ features, along with expanded school coverage. Where did I go wrong? The problems all started when I decided to run for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in District 10. Remind me not to do that again. After living in Potrero Hill since 2000 – and following several failed bids to purchase a home on the Hill – my family and I moved to Mission Dolores in 2007. In 2009 I decided to run for the District 10 board seat. We rented a house around the corner from where we used to live, and where we still own a condominium. I must confess, I’d become a carpetbagger. Or had I? According to Wikipedia, “in modern usage in the U.S., the term [carpetbagger] is sometimes used derisively to refer to a politician who runs for public office in an area where he or she does not have deep community ties, or has lived only for a short time.” I founded a Dogpatchbased nonprofit in 2001, lived in Potrero Hill eight out of the last 10 years, owned property on the Hill

for a decade, and have published the View for the past five years. I don’t seem to meet at least one common definition of a carpetbagger. Maybe the Bay Guardian – as well as labor unions representing building trades, who posted an attack piece against me the weekend before election day – got it wrong. I suppose, in the rush of supporting other candidates, it’s understandable how they may have made a mistake. I’m not known for being shy about my opinions. Since taking over the View I’ve published more than 60 editorials. I’ve aired dozens of commentaries on KQED-Radio’s Perspective series. I did, however, equivocate on the sit-lie initiative on the November ballot, examining the proposal from all sides before finally deciding in its favor. I don’t see the world in black and white terms, which sometimes makes it difficult to render a quick opinion on a complex issue. I must confess, though, that being a candidate knocked some of the grey out of me. During the race former board president Aaron Peskin threatened angrily to “bring me dow n,” though he may have had a few too many at the time, and Bay Guardian publisher Bruce Brugmann engaged in some serious finger-wagging while I was staffing the View’s table at last year’s Potrero Hill festival. As the political attacks reached their zenith, I became mindful of Whiro, a mythic creature from Polynesia who I’d learned about more than a decade ago. Whiro is a lizard-god who inspires people to do evil, mainly by tricking them into believing things that are false. As I alluded to in an earlier “Publisher’s View,” (“Opinion,” October 2010 Issue), in their willingness to say or print anything, regardless of the truth, the Bay Guardian, Fox News, and others of their ilk are channeling a latter-day Whiro. see publisher page 4

™ Masthead design by Giacomo Patri

EDITOR and PUBLISHER: Steven J. Moss PRODUCTION MANAGER: Lisa Tehrani JANUARY STAFF: Regina Anavy, Abby Bridge, Bailey Debruynkops, Lew Epstein, Christine Friel, Terry Guthrie, Lori Higa, Kelly Kimball, Sasha Lekach, David Matsuda, Francisco Mattos, Sarah Mcdonald, Bill Slatkin, Richard White Editorial and policy decisions are made by the staff. All staff positions are voluntary. Published monthly. Address all correspondence to: THE POTRERO VIEW, 2325 Third Street Suite 344, San Francisco, CA 94107 415.626.8723 • E-mail: editor@potreroview.net • advertising@potreroview.net (advertising)

T h e V ie w i s p rin t e d o n r ec yc l e d n e w s p rin t w i t h s oy- b a s e d ink .

District 10 Virtually no one identifies themselves as a District 10 resident. Instead, we live in Potrero Hill or Portola, Bayview or Visitacion Valley. District 10 is a creation of politics, an artificial line encircling a set of neighborhoods bursting with a diverse array of families, small businesses, derelict infrastructure, and green patches, defined most predominately by two freeways and the bay. One thing connects these communities though: they are San Francisco’s future. A half-century ago the district served as the City’s industrial engine. Pier 70 was one of the country’s most productive World War II shipyards, at its peak employing 10,000 workers in thrice daily shifts. Almost 9,000 civilians worked at the Hunters Point Shipyard during the 1950s. As recently as the early 1990s, Schlage Lock, in Visitacion Valley, provided 1,200 jobs. These workers paid mortgages on modest homes in Dogpatch and Little Hollywood, dined and drank at Dago Mary’s and Sam Jordan’s, and sent their children to neighborhood schools. We live among the remains of this industrial age. Our eastern shoreline is dominated by decaying buildings and toxic clean-up sites; the bay is mostly inaccessible. Health hazards and poverty, in part engendered by a half-century retreat of economic prosperity, abound. Even the concentration of freeways, the sewage treatment plant, and public housing are residual of a prior age, planted in District 10 because of a surplus of cheap land, and a deficit in local political power. After years of neglect, the district is stirring. The old railroad marshalling yard at Mission Bay is half-way to becoming a world class biotechnology, medical, and software center. The Potrero Power Plant is to be shuttered, and financiers are taking a hard look at developing Pier 70. Schlage Lock will soon be transformed into a mixed-used complex, with housing, grocery stores, and retail outlets. Similar to the last great economic revitalization during the 20th Century, recent progress has been principally sparked by government. Mission Bay, Schlage Lock, and the shipyard are being brought back to life by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency; Pier 70 by the San Francisco Port Authority. We’re turning the sword-building shops of our past – military bases and warship factories – into plows, in the form of hospitals, high-tech office buildings, and affordable housing. In the midst of this emerging change we have a remarkable opportunity to get things right. District 10’s half-century neglect can be seized upon as an opportunity to leap past our mistakes – including avoiding replicating Mission Bay’s soullessness – to create a future that incorporates the best environmental, economic, and social practices. Among the exciting possibilities are adopting “small is beautiful” energy infrastructure, that includes locallyowned electric distribution “smart-

Letter to the Editor Editor, Several issues should be kept in mind as plans unfold to redevelop the Potrero Annex-Terrace complexes. Housing projects should be considered a temporary assistance to help a family become successful and move on. Affordable homes should be built where jobs are, such as near Cesar Chavez. All units should have private, separate, ground floor entrances. Building heights should be limited to 40 feet, similar to the rest of Potrero Hill. Too many trees can create dark and dangerous conditions, and would require significant maintenance. If our community must have a share of public housing, let’s make it the best. Babette Drefke Kansas Street girds” which take full advantage of emerging community-based technology, such as solar, wind, storage, bio-fuels, and dynamic conservation practices. The shipyard, Pier 70, and the four public housing complexes slated for redevelopment – including Potrero Annex-Terrace – are excellent candidates for this type of innovation. State-of-the art water management strategies, many of which are already being planned by the San Francisco Public Utility Commission, can bring back healthy wetlands, daylight creeks, and create a thriving relationship between the urban environment, our nascent watershed, and the bay, particularly in the face of climate-induced sea-level rises. Guerilla gardeners and urban farmers are already reclaiming derelict land patches, at the Pennsylvania Street garden, San Bruno Street pedestrian bridge, Quesada Gardens, and elsewhere. We should foster these efforts, by flipping the dynamic between public lands and citizen-activists. The trash-strewn, weed-choked lots that dot the district, whether owned by the California Department of Transportation or San Francisco Department of Public Works, should be offered to community-based groups that can make good use of them. We should decentralize San Francisco’s open space and recreation budgets, shifting control of the funds to citizen councils within a tight City management structure, a kind of communitybased franchising. These councils, in turn, should take partial responsibility for meeting ongoing financial requirements, which could include establishing collaborations with neighborhood schools and nonprofits, and cooperative or fee-for-service off-leash dog areas, tennis courts, concessions, and small-scale energy production, while ensuring equitable access and funding for our less welloff citizens and communities. We need to rethink parking, bicycle and public transportation in ways that go beyond punitive measures against cars and ad hoc patches to our poorly-financed MUNI system. see district 10 page 4

January 2011

THE POTRERO VIEW

Short Cuts Antennae The San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Port Comm ission h ave approved Darling I nter national’s proposal to convert a render ing facility it ow ns Rainy weather on December 8 brought a tennis exhibition by south of Islais University of San Francisco (USF) tennis team players indoors, Creek into biobut it didn’t dampen the excitement for kids at Daniel Webster fuel production. Elementary School. The exhibition was made possible through The round-thea partnership of Harper for Kids [www.harperforkids.org] that c lo c k o p e r a administers a life skills program for children, and the USF Men’s tion currently and Women’s tennis teams. (Peanut Louie Harper) melts-dow n and chemically treats millions of pounds of food waste collected from restaurants, Plant Closed slaughterhouses and grocers to creSan Francisco’s last fossil fuel power ate products that are used in lipstick, plant is now closed. The Potrero Hill animal food and soap. The plant will plant, one of the dirtiest in Califor- be overhauled to produce biodienia, ceased operations on January sel, which can fuel diesel-burning 1. The plant, operated by Houston- trucks, boats, locomotives and other based GenOn Energy Inc., formerly vehicles. ... When the University of Mirant Corporation, could be fired California, San Francisco (UCSF) up in the event of a dramatic power took possession of land at Mission emergency before being decommis- Bay, cellular telephone antenna sioned permanently at the end of equipment owned by T-Mobile and February. Yippee! AT&T were located on the nowclosed golf driving range near the Shooting Mission Creek houseboat commuA 17-year-old boy was shot dead nity. In the summer of 2008, T-Mobile last month in the 1600 block of 25th temporarily relocated their antenna Street. The victim was identified by equipment to the rooftop of the Owthe Medical Examiner’s Office as ens Street garage, and is now perGrady Anderson. According to po- manently installing this equipment lice, officers nearby heard gunshots, on the top of the UCSF-Mission Bay and then found the victim. Anderson housing complex. In addition, both was taken to San Francisco General AT&T and Verizon are proposing to Hospital, where he died. The shoot- install additional antenna equiping was the second in a two day ment on the Mission Bay campus period in the same area. Previously later this year. … More than just a 20-year-old man was shot while empty houses have been left behind parking his car on 26th Street near as a result of the foreclosure crises. Connecticut Street. The man sur- Expected residential growth in the vived the shooting, which police said Central Valley prompted Pacific Gas was believed to be gang-related. and Electric Company to invest in sufficient electric distribution infraBrew structure to serve a quarter of a milMagnolia Brewery will be convert- lion residential customers who never ing an 8,300 square foot vacant showed-up. These poles and wires ground floor space inside the Ameri- are now being underutilized, somecan Industrial Center in Dogpatch times hooked up to a subdivision or into a brewery and full-service res- big box retailer that was never contaurant. The brewery will initially structed. Yet we’re still paying for contain three to four fermentation them through electricity rates… vessels, and produce 60 to 80 barrels a week. Brewing will take place dur- Bulb ing weekdays, and occasionally on As of the New Year manufacturweekends. Deliveries will be limited ers can no longer produce old-style to several per week from vendors, 100-watt incandescent bulbs to be and one to three pick-ups weekly. sold in California. Lower wattage The restaurant concept hasn’t been bulbs — 40, 60, and 70 — will be finalized, but is expected to be simi- phased-out over the next two years. lar to the Magnolia Gastropub and Thomas Edison unveiled the first Brewery and Alembic Bar, its sister practical incandescent light bulb restaurant in the Haight. … Last in 1879, which quickly replaced gas month the San Francisco Center lighting. Now policymakers want for the Book, a Potrero Hill-based to retire Edison’s clever invention nonprofit dedicated to the book arts, in favor of compact fluorescent appointed a new executive direc- lighting and light-emitting diodes, tor, Kate Wees. Wees most recently which, although more costly to buy, served as director of the Berkeley use up to 75 percent less energy and Art Studio, a University of Califor- last ten times as long. You’ll still be nia, Berkeley program that serves able to purchase incandescent over students and local artists. the border until 2012, when the rest

of the country implements similar prohibitions.

Corrections

Scholarship

In last month’s issue the View incorrectly identified Howard Brown as a San Francisco Giants bat boy in a caption accompanying “Potrero Resident Preserves His Giants Baseball Connection.” Brown was in fact a bat boy for the Hampton Patriots … In response to “Principal Brings New Energy to Starr King Elementary,” which appeared in the October issue, Gentle Bythe, who interacts with the media on behalf of the San Francisco Public Unified School District, notified the View that all academic populations at Starr King — English as a second language learners, low-income students, and African-Americans — showed significant increases in their proficiency rates in math last year, as measured by California standard test scores. African-American students in particular demonstrated a 19.8 percent increase in proficiency rates in math, and an 8.1 percent rise in English-language arts (ELA). There was a slight drop in ELA test scores for second language learners, which mirrored a district-wide pattern that may have been related to administrative changes in category definitions.

The San Francisco Public Utility Commission is trying to figure out how to spend $1 million in community mitigation monies provided by the Mirant Corporation as part of a deal brokered by the City Attorney’s office to close the Potrero Power Plant. The funds are supposed to be invested in projects that benefit the neighborhoods affected by the plant: Bayview, Dogpatch, and Potrero Hill. Got any million dollar ideas? ... Oil Can Henry’s is offering 88 high school seniors a $1,000 college scholarship each. “I value Oil Can Henry’s commitment to my local community and am proud to be part of a program that will help send more students to school,” said Chris Allen, who co-owns with his brother, Scott, the Oil Can Henry’s at 300 7th Street. “It is my hope that many of the deserving high school students in our town hear about this opportunity and apply.” Applicants must be a graduating high school senior who lives in a community with an Oil Can Henry’s who is planning to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two or four-year college or vocational-technical school. Applications are due January 31: www. oilcanhenrys.com/scholarship.

VOLUME 4 • JanUary 2011

appy New Year Potrero Hill! 2010 was a very busy year for the Potrero Hill community and the Rebuild Potrero efforts. Thanks to all who participated in the community building efforts. 2011 promises to be a pivotal year for Rebuild Potrero and we look forward to expanding community participation and input. • On November 22nd, 2010, 45 Potrero Hill neighbors attended a public hearing sponsored by the San Francisco Planning Department to hear what the community thinks should be studied in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). 15 people testified with concerns about the project. Most centered on traffic and transportation, the number of units proposed, the height of the proposed buildings, and the desire for an economically integrated development. The public comment period ended on December 10, however there will be ample opportunities to weigh in on the three more steps in the EIR. • On December 14, 2010, Rebuild Potrero hosted a Community Center Planning Workshop at the NABE to get feedback on what community residents think are the most important uses to be included in the new Community Center which will be located at the heart of the new neighborhood. Results from this workshop will help the Rebuild Potrero team identify appropriate community partners and, ultimately, develop a financing plan for this

important facility. There will be additional opportunities for input before the programming for this facility is finalized. • The Garden Committee has been meeting on a weekly basis to plan for the larger garden on Texas Street and has started a “barrel” gardening program so Terrace & Annex residents can garden right outside their front door. Call 415-806-1429 if you are interested in getting involved. • Last month the Planning Committee (PC) started planning for the content of the January 29th, 2011 Community Get Together. Comprised of a crosssection of Potrero Hill residents, the PC is charged with ensuring that this event attracts at least 200 of their friends and neighbors. The purpose of the Get Together is to create a cohesive community vision and action agenda for improving the quality of life on all of Potrero Hill. We really hope your family and friends can attend.

Please join your friends and neighbors for a Community Get Together and be a part of charting the future of our community. Saturday, January 29th, 2011, 10 am - 4 pm, at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House (NABE) 953 De Haro at Southern Heights. 9-10:30 am registration. Food and childcare provided. To find out more about any of the above projects or groups, please call us at 415-806-1429 or email: po t r e r o @ br idge h o u s in g.c o m

A MONTHLY UPDATE SPONSORED BY BRIDGE HOUSING

THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

publisher from page 2 Before I became a candidate I thought of the lizard-god concept as a kind of cartoon trickster, something to laugh off. Now that I’ve been so publicly subjected to the phenomenon my thinking has shifted. There’s evil afoot, alright, in the form of bankers murmuring soothing sounds as they hand-out what they know to be toxic loans, and media purveyors shouting falsehoods so loudly it makes it hard for us to think straight. Bernie Madoff is one step away from Countrywide, with Glenn Beck lurking around the corner. My real sin is the well-wishers I made during the race, many of whom I’ve never met. After I launched my campaign I was endorsed by associations representing small and large property owners, as well as the United

Healthcare Workers. The latter was in the middle of a nasty intra-union fight with the National Union of Healthcare Workers; the former wanted to relax rent control laws, among other things. These interest groups established an independent expenditure committee (IEC), an odd contraption created by our twisted electoral financing laws. I had no control over the committee, or even direct knowledge of its activities; by law a candidate can’t discuss strategy, or compare notes, with an IEC established on their behalf. The IEC became a kind of friendly ghost; I’d hear it bumping around in the form of mailers and television commercials in support of my candidacy that my campaign didn’t produce and knew nothing about. I found the IEC comforting; it was nice to have allies. The message they conveyed focused on get-

DISTRICT 10 from page 2 Single-minded reliance on fixed-rail and accordion buses should be replaced with a diversity of people-movers, including leveraging the Bauer buses and University of California, San Francisco (USCF) shuttles that traverse our district into a web of ways to get people where they want to go. Bicycles should be licensed, paying a fee that contributes to the creation of bike-friendly byways. The emergence of smaller, differently-fueled, vehicles should be incorporated into restructured parking policies, which could include dedicated street parking permits for shared, micro, or low-environmental impact cars. As we reclaim the urban environment, and spark the next generation of economic innovation, we need to be mindful of the district’s changing demographics. The African-American population is steadily declining, while the Asian-American population is exploding. Although Bayview-Hunters Point has emerged as a rich stew of all races, Potrero Hill is highly-concentrated with European-Americans, with Visitacion Valley a center for Asian-Americans. Income disparities are dramatic. Even on the Hill, with its median household income of $90,000, 13 percent of the community’s population lives in poverty. The district’s income gap is physically manifested by the mansionettes steadily being constructed in Dogpatch and Potrero Hill, while a dozen or often related individuals cram into illegally-modified homes in Little Hollywood and Portola. Simultaneously, the district is home to more children than any other part of San Francisco, many of whom are being bused across town to go to school, while, at the other end, we’re all steadily aging.

ting District 10 and San Francisco back to work, a concept I supported, particularly as it included a call for reinvigorated cooperation between business and labor groups. Although I’d repeatedly stated my belief that the City’s rent control policies have reached a kind of equilibrium, and shouldn’t be messed with, I’m sympathetic to small property owners. Owning a four-unit building myself,

I’m aware of the odd dynamics created by rent control policies, which include incentives to do nothing to improve a building and the need to follow strict bureaucratic procedures to address such issues as a noisy tenant, or garbage left behind in a shared basement. Ironically, rent control keeps my family from doing continued on next page

Almost $700,000 Spent in Support of Top Eight District 10 Candidates Candidate Privately Raised Public Match Total Raised Total Spent Independent Expenditure Committees

Malia Cohen

$55,259

$64,745

$120,004

$90,450

Tony Kelly

$27,637

$58,897

$86,534

$73,445

Lynette Sweet

$57,568

$54,389

$111,957

$99,055

Marlene Tran

$16,420

$45,456

$61,876

$18,827

Steve Moss

$53,021

$67,096

$120,117

$71,481

DeWitt Lacey

$15,241

$40,542

$55,783

$41,130

Teresa Duque

$27,419

$56,790

$84,209

$71,843

Chris Jackson

$19,810

$53,745

$73,555

$48,417

$17,567

$11,335

$102,626

$9,485

Courtesy of the Moss for District 10 Supervisor campaign

Schlage Lock Company, March 30 1960. (San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection, San Francisco Public Library)

Ways to connect our diverse neighborhoods – whether through the quality of open spaces, fostering excellent neighborhood schools, creating fully-functioning community and recreational centers, or the diversity of restaurant offerings – need to be encouraged. The health care complexes anchoring the district – UCSF, San Francisco General Hospital, and hopefully, at the shipyard – should be leveraged as part of development of thriving affordable housing complexes that include ample space for seniors. Homes need to be reimaged to better accommodate families of all sizes, income levels and ethnicities, a creative process that should be linked with the creation of new transportation policies. A new city is being built in District 10. Like all modern day municipalities, it’s being constructed on top of the skeletons of what came before. Some of these bones remain sturdy, providing an essential frame for the future: the can-do, creative spirit of the longshoremen, ship builders, metalworkers, artists, and merchants who built our communities. It’s time to dance with the past to the music of tomorrow. Let’s follow our ambitious, stubborn, talented ancestors, and turn, full face, to building our future. — Steven J. Moss

Although the data is incomplete - final financial reports will be filed this month - it appears that District 10 candidate. Steve Moss and his supporters spent upwards of 50 percent more on his campaign than any other candidate, however, building trades unions invested at least $20,000 backing Malia Cohen’s campaign in the last week of the race alone, funds that are excluded from the totals above. In addition, building trades unions and the Tenants Union spent at least $10,000 on mailers attacking Moss, and more than $6,000 attacking Lynette Sweet. These data are also not included in the table. All told, almost $700,000 was spent in support of the top eight District 10 candidates, roughly $40 per actual voter.

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complimentary ad space provided by the View

January 2011 what the Guardian and building trades so shrilly suggested we’d do: immediately move back to Mission Dolores once the election was over. Our Mission Dolores flat is leased; we’d have to evict the existing tenant to move back, a costly, unpleasant, process which would result in rental restrictions down the road. Of all the attacks against me I found the Tenants’ Union the least offensive. At least theirs had a shred of a real public policy concern. Had I been elected to the board I’d have been more sympathetic to property rights than the candidate they endorsed. Their tactics – a hit piece flyer that shouted-out what economic interests supported me – may have been obnoxious, but at least it had some rational basis. As far as my dog, Lucky, I have nothing to confess. Although he clearly irritates one of my neighbors, he’s not actually much of a barker, an opinion shared by other nearby neighbors, our dog walker, and even the facility we take him to board. A month after the election a stranger knocked on my door. He said his name was Francis, and, while he

lived in Marin, one of my neighbors had shown him a video posted on the web of Lucky barking, a clip that’d made the rounds a few weeks before voting day. Francis sympathetically told me that his 19-year-old Jack Russell Terrier, who he deeply loved, had died recently. He handed me a brand new anti-bark spray collar, and said the technology had quieted his dog. It cost him $100, but he wanted nothing in return. The stranger’s visit coincided with the eighth night of Chanukah, a celebration of miracles. His name conjured up another Francis, of Assisi, who is quoted as saying “All the darkness in the world can’t extinguish the light from a single candle.” I confess, after the election I’d lost faith in democracy, and in myself, not because of the outcome, but from the processes’ negativity. Francis’ appearance flickered away my dark thoughts; like that last drop of oil that burned for eight nights, he chased away the lizard-god’s shadows. The gifted collar, intended to still a dog’s howls, reminded me that sometimes all of us bark too much, but that doesn’t mean that we’re bad dogs.

Maxwell Celebrates a Decade of Service

Top Cake time with Nancy Pelosi : Left Maxwell at the 2007 Reentry Summit at San Francico State University (Courtesy of the Reentry Council, San Francisco Office of the Public Defender, 2007 by Richard Bui) : Lower Maxwell with Friends (Planet Fillmore Communications). Sophie Maxwell was honored last month by friends and supporters for her decade-long tenure on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing District 10. During her years of service Maxwell was instrumental in shuttering the Hunters Point Power Plant, helping to complete the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan, monitoring clean-up of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard and implementing Bayview’s redevelopment plan. She chaired the Board’s Land Use and Economic Development Committee, and was a member of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the County Transportation Authority. She also served on the boards of the League of California Cities and the County Transportation Authority.

 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths  2 levels of living space  Living room with downtown SF Views  Formal dining room  Laundry room  Wine cellar in basement  Garage with 2 car parking plus storage

455 Connecticut Street Sold: $975,000

Sales are happening in your neighborhood, keep your finger on the pulse.

Sold! Multi-offers!

The Potero View covers Mission Bay, home of the San Francisco Giants

Potrero Hill North Slope Home

Signature North Slope Pano View Home  Prestigious corner home  Sweeping view of downtown SF, Bay, and Bridge  3 bedrooms, 2 full baths  Expansive living room with wood burning fireplace  Exquisitely remodeled kitchen  2 level 1 bedroom, 1 bath apt.  2 car side by side parking

2000 20th Street Sold: $1,630,000

Sales are on an upswing with more activity and buyer interest in the marketplace. Prices are holding steady, and days on market have come down slightly in recent months.

Large North Slope Potrero Hill Home  Single Family Home in Potrero Hill’s North Slope  5 bedrooms, 2 full baths  2 levels of living space  Eat-in kitchen  Large flat garden/yard  Garage for 1 car parking  Walk to neighborhood restaurants and shops

509 Connecticut Street Sold: $925,000

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Properties that are in good repair and have nice updates are typically selling more quickly and much closer to the original asking price (and sometimes over). Location is important, so it’s no surprise that our coveted neighborhood is doing well. For all of your real estate questions and needs, contact me any time!

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January 2011

Ranked Choice Voting Determines District 10 Supervisors Race By Richard White Last fall Malia Cohen won a hotly contested race for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, District 10 seat. Although the election was held on November 2, final results weren’t made official until Thanksgiving. It took 19 rounds of the ranked choice voting (RCV) process for a winner to emerge from the field of 21 candidates. Under RCV, also known as instant runoff, votes are transferred from eliminated candidates to surviving ones in a succession of Analysis rounds. If a voter’s first place ca nd idate has the least amount of votes in a given round, that candidate is eliminated. In the next tally the voter’s second or third place selections are allocated to the remaining candidates. The process continues until someone has more than 50 percent of the remaining votes. The race started in earnest last summer, when various District 10 residents declared themselves candidates. Although more than a dozen and a half individuals threw their hats into the ring, there were four main groupings, mostly defined by geography. Potrero Hill residents Steve Moss and Tony Kelly reflected the district’s white population. Malia Cohen and Lynette Sweet represented Bayview-Hunters Point traditional

African-American communities. Marlene Tran and Teresa Duque were the Asian faces of Visitacion Valley. Another 15, mostly AfricanAmerican, candidates Vogued for the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee (DCCC) or various neighborhood-centric or progressive causes. The race proceeded like any typical local campaign, with candidates making the rounds to community meetings and open houses. But with so many individuals running, it was difficult for any one candidate to emerge from the pack. In an attempt to break out, the supervisorial hopefuls aligned themselves with various constituencies, and against one another. In the last months of the

election alliances were formed between candidates. Cohen and Eric Smith teamed up, as did Kelly and Tran. “I’m number two” became the slogan. “If she’s your first vote, than vote for me as your second choice.” Being number two turned out to be critical to Cohen’s success. After the polls closed the RCV process was triggered. In each round of the vote count, the weakest candidate was eliminated. Second and third rank choices were reallocated to those remaining. In the early rounds, most of the candidates picked up a few votes. But as the number of candidates

was whittled down, second and third place choices were eliminated from the tally entirely. These votes became exhausted, and weren’t claimed by any of the remaining candidates. In the middle rounds there were more transfer votes in play, but the rate they were transferred to the remaining candidates steadily declined. It was in this middle tier in which the election was determined, when, as a result of both being endorsed by the DCCC, Dewitt Lacey voters went decidedly for Cohen. The District 10 race demonstrated that minor candidates can make a significant difference in elections determined by the RCV process. If a candidate can develop mini coalitions, or gain enough support in an individual community or around a specific issue, they can become an attractive partner to a more prominent candidate. This has always been true to some extent, but with RCV lesser candidates can’t be ignored; they have votes that count, and can make the difference in a tight election. Cohen won with only 21 percent of the cast votes, far from a strong mandate. Given the slender nature of her victory, Cohen will likely work to maintain relationships with middle tier candidates. As she’s already doing, by making the rounds of various community meetings, to solidify her position as the district’s new supervisor Cohen will need to re-launch her campaign to win support from a diverse and contentious district.

January 2011

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Spring comes early to the Hill. California Poppies are starting to bloom at Starr King Openspace. (Jeremiah Moore)

The View is looking for interesting, high-quality photographs of different neighborhood features — parks, walkways, gardens, or the built environment. Submit your high resolution photo, along with a caption and photo credit to graphics@potreroview.net.

Lower Haight boutique Trunk looks like a nomadic-Nymph-princess’ closet. Feather headbands and gemjewelry are enticingly presented on a dark wood table. Multi-colored tutus made from cut-up corsets, dresses with layered textures, and reconstructed men’s vests exhibit handmade details that would impress a clockmaker. Trunk showcases eight San Francisco designers who rely on local materials and factories to create exceptional one-of-a-kind pieces. Reconstruction artist Miranda Caroligne, one of the designers represented at Trunk, opened the store three years ago. Caroligne creates “Off-cut” sculpted garments from recycled fleece pieces, using excess “waste” fabric. She collects the would-be wasted for free at a local San Francisco garment production factory. Superfluous scraps of fleece and other materials are left by other brands – athletic-wear companies leave behind the fleece – and gathered conveniently in garbage bags. Caroligne incorporates this reused fabric into her puzzle-piece designs. All of Caroligne’s creations are one-of-a-kind. If she receives an order for multiple garments or sizes, she uses a South-of-Market-based factory, which costs a few more dollars per garment than outsourcing the work to China. “Designers may be paying less money outsourcing, but there’s a different cost to it that affects everyone,” said Caroligne. “Farming-out design work to other countries that can be done for near the same price locally is counter-productive.” “I try to consider on the whole what the value of things are,” said Caroligne.“For things to happen more ethically, it takes people to stand up. If our neighbors had jobs, it would be one thing. We would see ourselves as helping other countries rather than colonizing them.” Caroligne’s eyecatching designs serve to “influence our discarding society, where waste has become a way of life.” In addition to fleece, Caroligne reconstructs garments with a variety of vintage and donated fabrics. One of her designs consists of morphing a cashmere scarf and a wool airplane blanket into a chic seasonal dress. Caroligne consults with clients who want to renovate and revamp tired garments from their wardrobe. “One of my favorite things is work-

ing with flaws and other mishaps. What most people think of as ‘ruined’ I see as an adventure in creativity,” she said. Caroligne plunged into the world of independent fashion design seven years ago, somewhat by accident. Her first fashion venture was making patchwork fleece hoodies. “I was cold, and knew that fleece can be continuously recycled,” she said. Her friends wanted special fleeces of their own, and word spread. She began experimenting with fleece dresses, skirts and jackets, as well as reconstructing existing garments. Caroligne is completely self-taught, with the instinctive initiative to create a fashion brand focused on attention-grabbing, flattering, guilt-free clothing. Before delving into fashion, Caroligne trained in physical therapy. Her knowledge of the human body has assisted her in fitting women of all shapes, identifying necessary alterations just by looking at her clients’ bodies. “I translate my training in measuring patients for braces or wheelchairs to fitting clients for clothes. I enjoy sculptural garmentcreation, draping feels artistic to me,” she said. It’s difficult to make it in San Francisco’s design industry; New York and Los Angeles are the capitols of the American fashion business. Still, the City brims with fashion design students, self-taught designers, and raw talent. According to Caroligne, San Francisco’s evolving design scene is “based in artisanship and a pioneer spirit; constantly fighting the battle between ‘fashion is art’ and ‘fashion is business.’ SF lends itself more to the art aspect of fashion. There is a different work and life ethic compared to NYC or LA.” The designer pointed out that the City’s fashion industry is “not about the glitz and glamour, because frankly glamour is bullshit. If a designer decides to permanently make SF their career and home-base, they accept this as the case.” Caroligne doesn’t follow highfashion or who is hot on the runway. “Trends come and go, reconstruction and reuse should not be seen as a trend; rather, as an expected practice.” Caroligne believes trends are abusive, encouraging waste and an addiction to “brand new.” “What happened to wearing what you like; and what kind of monster are we see DESIGNER page 19

THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

OPENSPACE from front page on the Openspace or that the building [won’t be deemed] an inappropriate use of the space with a three-story building with a garage next to a one-story cottage.” The Boosters and the SKO board are looking for ways to compromise with the site’s owners. “[It would] be great if we could get more details and more creative solutions,” said David Glober, who serves on both the SKO and Boosters boards. “[What we see as more acceptable] is less impactful building of the site,” said Bird. Alex Mughannam and Leonard Krasowski have owned the De Haro property for close to four years. Mughannam says he’s not a developer. Rather, he and Krasowski saw the site as an opportunity. “We felt we could build a home and build three units, which is what the neighborhood allows,” Mughannam said. “We’re trying to move forward, we’re stuck.” Even after the request for a rehearing was denied, “Twenty-five percent [of me] was happy, 75 percent wasn’t because I knew [the SKO board] was going to appeal again,” said Mughannam. “Our plans are trying to move forward. We are trying to come to an agreement.” “We are not fighters for the sake of being fighters, we are involved because we think this a special place that should be protected for the City and future,” Glober said. “This is another one of those cases of beauty versus greed,” echoed Cole.

Some Potrero Hill residents have expressed a strong desire to protect the Openspace. “Community people show up and lots of letters have been written. We have a lot of support as a board maintaining and improving the space. People come up to me on a monthly basis on the streets [of Potrero] and thank me,” said Webb Green, a SKO board member. Other community members aren’t sure what all the fuss is about. “I talk to people all the time who say it’s just a big patch of weeds, ‘Why do I care about it?’” said Cole. “We don’t appreciate things until they are gone,” countered Green. “It’s a wonderful location. Potrero Hill has a deep beautiful history. That view is outstanding,” Mughannam acknowledged. “We thought we could add to the natural surroundings,” he said. “We have two different points of view; one as developers and the other as stewards of the Openspace,” explained Green, who is concerned that the two perspectives may not enable the parties to reach an understanding. Although the planning and appeals processes have continued for more than a year, the property owners have yet to obtain a building permit. Demolition of the existing structure and construction of a new building are unlikely to take place anytime soon. The next SKO board meeting, open to the community, will be held on January 12, at 6:30 p.m., at Starr King Elementary School, adjacent to the Openspace.

Sea Star Club Hangs-on By Sarah Mcdonald Nestled along a quiet block across the street from the Third Street light rail stop at 20th and Third streets, the Sea Star Club is an old-fashion bar in an up-and-coming neighborhood. According to the bar’s coowner, Steve, who preferred not to give his last name, things haven’t changed much since he bought the establishment more than a decade ago. He called the Sea Star “just a regular bar,” with the three things every bar should have: a pool table, juke box, and vintage pin ball machines. The bar’s red walls are matched by red lights overhead, and decorated with beer ads and San Francisco Giants paraphernalia, as well as a horse statue over the back door. On a Monday evening, Steve stood alone in the bar beneath a festive holiday garland. “This is a quiet bar,” he said. Most of the bar’s business comes from people waiting for a late bus or looking for a quiet spot to watch a game. Steve said the Sea Star attracts more business when the nearby shipyards are active with cruise ships, or the United States Navy or Coast Guard is in town. A life preserver from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro hangs behind the bar, a trophy from the ship’s visit to San Francisco last year. Steve said sailors are more welcomed at the Sea Star than the nearby Retox Lounge, but when there are no ships in town, business suffers. “I’m very unhappy,” he said, adding that the new Third Street light rail cut down on street parking, hurting his business. Urban Green Investments bought the building in which the Sea Star is located in September. Steve wasn’t aware of any plans to discontinue the bar’s lease. Despite the low customer flow he plans to stay with the Sea Star in hopes that business will improve.

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COHEN from front page chasm-wide range of interests reflected by residents of Potrero Hill, Bayview, Hunters Point, and Visitation Valley. Significant development – particularly at the Hunters Point Shipyard and Schlage Lock redevelopment site – is likely to occur in these neighborhoods over the next four years. At the same time, District 10 faces more than its fair share of unemployment, crime and public health issues. Cohen will need to find a way to navigate these complex problems, advocate for her constituents, and cope with the enormous budget deficit and other challenges the City faces. Cohen’s supporters believe that she’s prepared for the job. Cohen was schooled in the science and art of politics in a variety of jobs, including working on Rose Jacob Gibson’s successful campaign for supervisor in San Mateo County, and Gavin

BAYCAT from front page warehouse space. Wang raised $1 million to remodel the space, and designed it herself to maximize its usability. Any area can morph at a moment’s notice from a board room into a classroom, and then into an editing room that uses the latest cutting-edge equipment. “When I first walked in, I was blown away because I thought it looked like a professional studio,”

negie Mellon Newsom’s U n i v e r s i t y. s e c ond r u n Her previous f o r m a y o r. leadership Cohen served roles include on Newsworking with o m’s s t a f f , nonprofit orand worked ganizations, for the Fedas well as the eral Reserve Pow e r For Bank of San ward ConFrancisco sulting firm, and the U.S. a public afDepartment fairs, media of Transpora nd pol icy tation. con su lti ng Cohen Malia Cohen and Potrero Power Plant Task Force practice she is the oldchair Philip De Andrade. (Bill Slatkin) helped found. e st of f ive Cohen’s u ndaughters of Evered, a retired communications der sta nd i ng of key com mu n it y worker, and Loretta, a clinical child issues was formed, in part, as astherapist with the San Francisco sistant executive director of the Unified School District. She has a Hunters Point Youth Park Foundabachelor’s degree in political sci- tion, and through her service for the ence, earned “with honors” from Fisk Community Leadership Academy University, and a master’s in public and Emergency Response Project, policy and management from Car- which aids people traumatized by

violence. Despite her resume, her youth – she’s in her early-thirties – surfaced as an issue on the campaign trail. “I know that bothers some people,” Cohen said. She expects this concern – along with questions about the robustness of her win under RCV – to disappear once voters see how hard she works on their behalf. “I campaigned for one and a half years. I have a good sense of what the district issues are. And I’m getting to know who are the community leaders, the key constituents and key businesses. I want to put people in the district together. Whether you’re from Bayview or Potrero Hill or Visitation Valley. I want us to share our concerns about the main issues that affect us.” If it were possible, Cohen says she’d meet every District 10 resident, to explain what she believes people should know about her: “I’m fair minded. I listen. My office will be open to everyone.”

said BAYCAT video instructor and professional documentarian, Wessam Nassar. BAYCAT’s students range in age from 11 to 25. Free classes and custom-designed workshops teach them how to develop a variety of media skills, including digital video, animation, television production, music video, radio and film. Students work collaboratively to create and complete projects, such as short animation films about the environment, inspirational rap videos, like Higher with rap artist

ship program that culminates in the production of a short film. Over the past two years interns have produced five short films, The Grind, The Point, The Last Shot, Invisible City and La Familia, which tell stories about the issues affecting local communities. BAYCAT intern Ala Taha won first place in the MY HERO’s community division for his piece Bridging the Gaps, about connecting former foster youth with babies to housing and services. Wang believes that it’s not enough to teach kids to tell their stories; she also wants to give her students the skills to become socially conscious entrepreneurs. BAYCAT’s entrepreneurial spirit is evidenced on its website, Baycat.org. On the home page three fresh-faced kids, BAYCAT students, hold signs saying “My Moment Our Movement.” They’re asking site visitors to buy socially-minded, theme-based cell phone ringtones that they’ve written and produced. BAYCAT’s paid interns can work with professionals in Studio BAYCAT, BAYCAT’s for-profit arm. At Studio BAYCAT, corporate funders and donors, like Citibank, Yahoo, and neighborhood businesses, turn into clients, paying BAYCAT employees and participants to produce professional quality print and digital marketing materials for special nonprofit projects, or identity logo and branding packages that make a social impact. Studio BAYCAT has worked with more than 60 clients, generating significant funds to support its core education programs. In the future Wang hopes to expand the number of venues at which the portfolio of socially important work created by BAYCAT’s cadre of students and interns can be experienced. She’d also like to create satellite BAYCAT media centers in all San Francisco high schools. Applications for and descriptions of spring classes – Digital Audio Production, Animation and TV Production for 11 to 17 year olds – are available at www.baycat.org. Classes start February 7, and registration is still open.

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Mark Stretch, and BAYCAT’s own TV series, Zoom In. Twice a year BAYCAT students work together to produce a new Zoom In episode, which features an amalgam of animated, digital video or music video interpretations of a central social theme selected by the students themselves. In the fall of 2010, students chose the theme of legacies. With guidance from BAYCAT education and program director, Marco CastroBojorquez, the students brainstormed, researched and developed ideas to tell the stories of their own environmental, personal and cultural legacies. “We have a great deal of resourcefulness in here to provide for folks like youth of color to come here and tell their stories. We, as youth workers, need to pause and take a moment to listen to what the youth right now are going through, and hopefully, we can learn from them,” said CastroBojorquez. BAYCAT has gone beyond its Third Street walls to teach kids how their community can be transformed through storytelling. Working with more than 250 teachers in the budget-strapped San Francisco Unified School District, BAYCAT has brought digital media to Thurgood Marshall, Mission, and Ida B. Wells high schools. Last year BAYCAT, in conjunction with Thurgood Marshall’s Peer Resources Class, won first place in the high school division of MY HERO’s international short film contest. Why So Low, the winning short, relies on first-rate journalism to tell the shocking story that only three AfricanAmerican young men graduated from Thurgood Marshall in 2010. Mission High School and BAYCAT student Laron Davis took home third place in the MY HERO experimental category for his reflective piece, 75 Cents to Ride, about riding public transit in San Francisco. Mission’s BAYCAT program has inspired the formation of “My TV” at the school, which is now a permanent part of the school’s curriculum and a source of great pride. For 18 to 25 year-old program graduates, BAYCAT has a 20-week paid, digital media intern-

THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

How much is your home worth?

This home at 1216 19th street attracted 5 offers and sold for $2,440,000. To learn more about how I marketed this spectacular view home, please visit www.FinestPotreroViews.com.

sales Prices for All Potrero Hill Homes sold in 2010*: 1216 19th street.............................. $2,440,000

509 Connecticut street ....................$925,000

773 Rhode Island street ............... $1,115,000

1409 20th street..................................$800,000

739 De Haro street ............................$885,000

1029 Rhode Island street ................$778,000

2000 20th street.............................. $1,630,000

1118 De Haro street ...................... $1,250,000

1261 Rhode Island street ................$780,000

275 Arkansas street ...........................$646,000

1379 De Haro street ..........................$665,000

1366 Rhode Island street ................$730,000

363 Arkansas street ...........................$925,000

746 Kansas street ...............................$649,000

454 san Bruno Avenue .....................$651,000

594 Arkansas street ...........................$800,000

918 Kansas street ........................... $1,200,000

515 Texas street............................... $1,081,500

685 Arkansas street ...........................$878,000

959 Kansas street ...............................$905,000

558 Texas street...................................$891,000

690 Arkansas street ....................... $1,225,000

534 mississippi street ........................ $800,00

599 Texas street...................................$599,000

698 Arkansas street ....................... $1,385,000

506 mississippi street .......................$880,000

435 Vermont street............................$980,000

374 Connecticut street ................ $1,042,000

369 missouri street ........................ $1,111,111

636 Wisconsin street ..................... $1,175,000

455 Connecticut street ....................$975,000

473 Pennsylvania Avenue ........... $1,040,000

704 Wisconsin street .........................$850,000

505 Connecticut street ................ $1,100,000

525 Rhode Island street ............... $1,300,000

783 Wisconsin street .........................$950,000

In 2010 the average sales price for a home on Potrero Hill has been $1,001,017*. If you’d like a free report on the value of your home, call Tim Johnson at 710-9000. TIm JoHnson

Paragon Real Estate Group DRE# 01476421

415.710.9000 tim@timjohnsonsF.com www.timjohnsonsF.com

*sales information as of December 15, 2010 from sFAR mLs.

January 2011

THE POTRERO VIEW

Local Youth Choose New Clothes, Courtesy of a Potrero Hill Couple

Thoughts on Hunters Point By Lew Epstein Before World War II, Hunters Point was a lot like the Fisherman’s Wharf of the same era. Fishing boats, a small sand beach, restaurants, small boatyards, boat wreckers, a Chinese shrimp dryer, seafood for sale on the sidewalk, and boat supply stores. I remember the smell of the crab and shrimp boilers, and the double-ended San Francisco Bay ferry boats, grounded on the mud flats. These vessels were salvaged for parts to keep other boats operating. My father, who didn’t eat shellfish, would buy my brother and me three pounds of bay shrimp wrapped in a newspaper. The neighborhood was dominated by Italian families, with a few Chinese. My parent’s occasionally ate at Dago Mary’s, a pre-depression – 1920s – family-style Italian restaurant. It had two floors with dining rooms, a fancy bar, ornate woodwork, a Bay view, and a long menu of good food. It was cheaper than the restaurants at Fisherman’s Wharf or North Beach, and closer to our house in the Mission. Then the war came. The U.S.

Navy occupied the area, and established gate guards. Most of Dago Mary’s fancy stuff and old pictures were stripped-out. We didn’t go to Hunters Point anymore. Hunters Point now has a number of dry docks; real dry docks, not floating ones. Some are pre-war, made of stone, with nice masonry. These could be used in the redeveloped shipyard to house historic ships. Or they could be employed to clean and repair small pleasure craft, perhaps as part of doit-yourself operations. Until two years ago Hunters Point was home to the Golden Gate Railroad Museum. Volunteers fixedup two Navy shop buildings, repaired the yard track, connected it to the Southern Pacific – now Union Pacific – Railroad’s main tracks, and restored abandoned locomotives to working order. The museum ran a steam train between San Francisco and San Jose during the winter holidays. Shipyard development pushed them out. They moved to Niles Canyon, in Alameda County. At Christmas they run a train between Fremont and Pleasanton. Tickets are not easy to get.

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By Sarah Mcdonald Christmas came a week early for six youth last month when a generous donor gave $200 shopping sprees to participants in the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House’s Experiment in Diversity program. Pennsylvania Street residents Justin and Michelle Hughes sponsored the shopping at the Burlington Coat Factory, located South-of-Market. According to Justin Hughes, this was the fourth or fifth shopping spree the couple had sponsored, including one back-toschool event. “L looked like he was gonna explode,” said the Neighborhood House’s Youth Program Manager Sharon Johnson, after sixteenyear-old Lafayette, who goes by L, picked-out $200 worth of new clothes. Johnson said she got calls from parents expressing excitement about the event. “One parent said, ‘you don’t know what this is doing for our household,’” Johnson related. Johnson’s program helps students share knowledge about their cultures and backgrounds, dispelling myths and teaching history. “We have a pretty diverse group,” she said. She also takes them on field trips, traveling to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom last fall, and Milpitas for an overnight roller skating trip last month. Before joining the program, many students had never even taken a ride on BART. “They experience a lot of their firsts with us,” Johnson said. The shopping spree was especially welcome this year, as the program has been struggling due to budget cuts from the San Francisco Department of Children Youth and Families. Experiment in Diversity had to shut down over the summer, and only got up and running again in October. Fifteen youth are currently enrolled in the program. Johnson said she chose the shopping spree participants based on how well they’ve improved their grades, participated in program activities, and kept up with responsibilities like homework. “Some of our students have overcome hurdles,”

she said, adding that a few have gone from “F’s” to “A’s” on their report cards, with the shopping spree as motivation. “They say, ‘I’m gonna put my geek on,’” she said. Fourteen-year old-Eric scoured the store’s children’s section looking for a shirt with red, yellow, and blue, the colors of the Filipino flag. He said he tries to be careful of the colors he wears, so he doesn’t appear to be in a gang. Though he wears children’s sizes, Eric carried a pair of adult size 10 1/2 shoes, which he said were for his brother. Justin Hughes said every year participants try to buy things for their families as well as themselves. “It’s surprising how needy these kids are,” he said. Upon learning that he still had another $50 to spend, Eric headed to the jewelry counter, to “get some more bling-bling.” He chose a new watch for himself, and a necklace for his girlfriend. Fourteen-year-old Angie said her family told her to only buy things for herself. “Because when we go shopping, I hardly get anything,” she said. Among an armload of new clothes, Angie also got two new coats and a blow-dryer, which she said she sorely needed. Tensions were high at the checkout, as the Hughes’ added a challenge to the event: whoever’s total came closest to $200 would win an extra $100 in cash to take home. Students studied their price tags and calculators, trying to figure out their totals with sales tax. Many raided the dollar bins of candy and jewelry to get closer to their goal. Eleven-year-old Alexis grabbed a package of neoncolored plastic bracelets. “I’ll put these on as soon as I get home,” she said. Others tried to make deals to increase their odds of getting some cash. “If I win, you get $50, and if you win, I get $50,” thirteen-year-old Trevor told Alexis. In the end, 14-year-old Elon clocked in at $199.84 with his shopping cart full of clothes, many in his trademark color purple. He said he planned to share the prize money with his friends.

International Studies Academy’s

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THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

Kids on the Block The Offenhartz Family will be busy celebrating birthdays in January with Claire turning five on the January 9th and super Sean’s third birthday on the 18th. Mommy, Popi and Thuggie da dawg love you mucho and are so proud of you both!

Sophia Foronda is turning four. Feliz Cumpleaños, Sophia. Te queremos!

Dominic Christiansen – shown here at the Axis Cafe Halloween gathering where he won a medal – will turn seven on January 10th.

Hoping the New Year brings you peace, love and health. Happy holidays from the Ramos family.

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Our daughter, Cashin Fischer is turning two on January 27th and we are so excited!

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January 2011

THE POTRERO VIEW

Documentary Film Butte, America Tells Tragic Tale of Big Mining The Finlen Hotel (courtesy of Butte Silver Bow Public Archives); Butte miners (courtesey of the Guidi family) : Cover of Margaret Frings Keyes’s memoir : Director Pam Roberts (Jon Dodson).

By Lori Higa For psychotherapist and activist Margaret Frings Keyes, a Potrero Hill resident since the 1970s, the tale told in Butte, America is the story of her own roots, and another link in the fascinating chain of connections between the Montana mining town and San Francisco. The latest documentary by Emmy-nominated former San Francisco filmmaker Pam Roberts (Ishi: The Last Yahi) recounts the epic tale of Butte, Montana, the most lucrative hard rock mining town in United States history, and the scene of some of the bloodiest battles in the then-nascent organized labor movement. In its heyday Butte was dubbed “The richest hill on earth” and “The Pittsburgh of the West.” Butte, America depicts the rise and fall of one of the American West’s most interesting and important cities through the eyes and voices of those who lived, worked and died in it. According to Keyes, “It also shows the classic struggle between capitalism and labor, whether

in tunnels a mile deep in the Rockies or on the San Francisco waterfront, where many of the same families struggled to gain union protections and recognition of their human dignity and courage.” Keyes pointed out that one of the film’s most fascinating aspects was i n show i ng “how the birth of Butte began with our own Nob Hill millionaires and their companies buying up all the land...these s a me pe ople went on to buy the copper mines of Chile.” San Francisco’s role in mining history can be linked to last year’s massive mine collapse, from which 33 miners were dramatically rescued after months trapped underground. Keyes, a Jungian psychotherapist whose three-generation novelized

family memoir Molly’s Daughter was rev iewed i n the October 2 0 0 9 V i e w, was born in Butte in 1929. Her Irish grandfather was killed at 36 – the average age of death for Butte miners – in the Hearst-financed Anaconda copper mines when an eleva-

tor cable broke. Her German father immigrated to San Francisco, where he worked with Harry Bridges and the International Longshore & Warehouse Union. The discovery of rich veins of copper in Butte in the 1880s coincided with a voracious appetite for the metal fueled by the industrial revolution, Thomas Edison’s introduction of electricity and the growing need for copper wire and plumbing. By 1889, Butte was the nation’s largest copper producer, the biggest city between Minneapolis and Seattle, and the most ethnically diverse in the intermountain West. For Keyes, the film’s great power comes in capturing “the community of people who lived and worked in Butte, not only the miners, but their families; especially the women, so many who became widows, their husbands killed in the mines, were left to raise lots of children, with no job skills or insurance.” Butte, America reminded Keyes of what seems missing in cursee BUTTE page 16

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THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

The Potrero Boosters is holding a raffle as a fundraiser for the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House. The prize is a custom portrait by local artist David Gentry, whose work you can see at the storefront on 20th Street near Thinker’s Cafe and at GentryArts.com. Raffle tickets are $5 each. You can buy raffle tickets - and see David’s portrait of the Neighborhood House - at the Booster meeting on Tuesday, January 25, when the winner will be announced. (Winner need not be present at the meeting.)

Buy raffle tickets before Jan. 25 by either cash or check (dropped or sent) to the Booster mailbox at Post-n-Parcel on 18th St.

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THE POTRERO VIEW

c o m m u n i t y CALENDAR January 2011

January 2

Through January 9 Theater: Siddhartha, The Bright Path. The Marsh Youth Theatre present the story of Siddhartha’s journey to become Buddha, told in parallel with Chandra’s, a modern-day San Francisco girl who finds herself posing similar questions about the value of material things and the reasons for human suffering. The two meet under the Bodhi tree, where Buddha helps Chandra find her own brand of enlightenment. The show is flavored with Indian music, art, kathak dance, and a Bollywood d a n c e scene. Matinees 3 p.m.; evenings 7:30 p.m. $10 to $35. T he Siddhartha (Doug McKechnie) M a r s h , 1062 Valencia St. Info: themarsh.org/myt_siddhartha.html.

Through January 25 Raffle: Custom Portrait by David Gentry. The Potrero Boosters is holding a raffle to raise funds for the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House. (Winner need not be present at the meeting.) The prize is a custom portrait by local artist David Gentry, whose work you can see at the storefront on 20th Street near Thinker’s Cafe and at GentryArts.com. Raffle tickets are $5 each. Buy raffle tickets - and see David’s portrait of the Neighborhood House - at the Booster meeting on Tuesday, January 25, when the winner will be announced. You can buy raffle tickets before January 25 by either cash or check dropped or sent to the Booster mailbox at Post-n-Parcel on 18th Street.

Through January 28 Art: It’s All a Blur. SOMArts Cultural Center presents an exhibition about levels of empowerment and enfranchisement in the American West and the current status of the American Dream. Including paintings, photography, installation art, video, audio and performance art, the exhibition was conceived by the center’s curator and gallery director, Justin Hoover. Gallery hours: Tue to Fri, 12 to 7 p.m.; Sat 12 to 5 p.m. Free. 934 Brannan St. Info: www.somarts.org.

January 1 Family: Build and Grow Clinic at Lowe’s. Build an ant house, make a goofy golf course and more at Lowe’s Build and Grow Clinic. Themes vary weekly; clinics are offered on most Saturday mornings. Ages 0 to 12; younger kids will need adult support. 10 a.m. Free. 491 Bayshore Blvd. Info and to reserve your spot: www.lowesbuildandgrow.com.

passages running underneath the Health: Demystifying the Upper seats and multiple different endings – Back. ODC hosts a workshop with Au- including one that was never released gusta Moore, ODC Dance Commons in theatres – the production is sure to thrill. 8 p.m. unballet director, to less otherwise inaddress movement dicated. Tickets: and posture of the Attend Single Payer Healthcare $15 online; $20 at upper back, neck, the door; $50 VIP head a nd spi ne. includes reserved Examining habits seats and private and assumptions with Senator Mark Leno that create pain and author of SB 810, the California Universal Healthcare Act, reception. Boxcar dysfunction, the which will deliver healthcare to every California resident. Theatre, 505 Natoma St. Info: www. workshop will teach Saturday, Jan 8 • 3 to 5pm boxcartheatre.org. participants how to relearn to move St Mary’s Cathedral, Gough & Geary, S.F. with greater ease, January 13-29 Park in Cathedral Parking Lot Doors open at 2:30 flexibility, lightT heatre: Gush. ness and pleasure. Gush celebrates Sponsored by Single Payer Now 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. theatrical impulse: info: 415-695-7891 or dbechler@value.net $50. Registration the desire to feel www.singlepayernow.net required; 863.9830 and express somex100. 351 Shotwell thing in a big way. Labor donated posted 12/11/10 St. Info: www.odcJoe Goode brings dance.org. together artists invested in evoking perceptual change in the viewer across several styles of January 6 Art: Reception for Alberto Ybarra. dance and sociopolitical interests. Each Alberto Ybarra finds inspiration in piece challenges audience members to works by Goya, Cezanne, Dix and Bal- deviate from their social script. Featurthus. His paintings are frequently figu- ing Ledoh, AXIS Dance Company and rative narratives, which explore sexual- Joe Goode Performance Group. 8 p.m. ity, spirituality and human interaction. Tickets $15 to $35. Brava Theater, 2781 7 p.m. Free. Farley’s, 1315 18th St. Info: 24th St. Info: www.brava.org. www.albertoybarra.com.

Potluck

January 13 through March 3

January 8 Music: The Return of Milo Grey. Milo Grey reunites at Farley’s. Last year’s winner of Battle of the Bands, this indie rock group is home from college for winter break, and eager to entertain with original cover and acoustic tunes. 7:30 p.m. Free. 1315 18th St. Environment: Industrial Shoreline Cleanup. Join Sea Scavenger for their monthly shoreline cleanup to remove plastic from the Bay. 10 a.m. to noon. Meet at the Willie McCovey statue at the Junior Giants Field. R.S.V.P. to info@seascavenger.org.

January 10 Family: Painting with your Preschooler. Attention parents of preschoolers: are you interested in painting with your three to five year old? Paint supplies and activities will be available. 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. $10 to $20 sliding scale. Sirron Norris Gallery, 1406 B Valencia St. Info: www.sirronnorris.com/education/paintingsessions-with-your-preschooler.

January 12February 5 Theater: Clue. Loved playing Clue? Now it’s a play based on a movie based on a board game. Peering over a life-sized board game, the audience watches from six Border Brujo (1998) feet in the air as six by Guillermo Gómezguests and a bumbling Peña, part of the Its butler search a mansion All A Blur exhibit at to find out who killed SOMArts. Mr. Boddy. With secret

Health: Understanding Chinese Medicine. Over the course of eight weeks students will learn about Qi (life force), acupuncture, Chinese herbs, tongue and pulse diagnosis, Yin and Yang, 5 Elements, and the Chinese concept of internal organs. Discover more about this traditional medicine, which has provided health and relief for more than 2,500 years. 6 to 8 p.m. $100; $90 students with a current identification and seniors over 62. ACTCM Pioneer Square Campus, Classroom H, 555 De Haro St. Registration and info: 401.0464; www. actcm.edu.

January 14 Community: ISA’s Annual Silent Auction Fundraiser. Support International Studies Academy’s international trips to Haiti, Spain, Germany, New York, and Puerto Rico. The Annual Silent Auction is the school’s main fundraiser; one hundred percent of the proceeds go to the students who are traveling on one of the “iTrips.” Students must be good academic and behavior standing to participate in a trip. Items up for auction include show tickets, restaurant gift certificates, autographed memorabilia, original art, wine and more. 6:30 to 9 p.m. UCSF Mission Bay Rutter Center, 1675 Owens St. Info: 695.5866.

January 14 – 16 Cinema: Second Annual German Gems. Ingrid Eggers and German

Gems return to the Castro Theatre after their overwhelmingly successful debut last winter. For one weekend the Castro Theatre becomes the home of new films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. All films in German with English subtitles. Show times vary. General admission $11; students and seniors $9; all festival pass $70; opening night film and party $20. Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St. Info: www.germangems.com.

January 18 through February 13 Theater: The Companion Piece. The Companion Piece is set on a large empty stage, where night after night a vaudeville headliner performs his long-since perfected act, while a duo struggle to create their own perfect act. Through a series of attempts and failures, the threesome grapples with questions of survival, success, and identity. Alternately hilarious and poignant as it shifts fluidly between reality and dreamscape, the performance is a new work by some of the Bay Area’s most respected theater makers. 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets: $20 to $40. Z Space, 450 Florida St. Info: www.zspace.org.

January 22 Gardening: Progress Park on Indiana Street. Join GreenTrust and the Port of San Francisco and add to the flowering gardens planted two years ago. Coffee at 9 a.m.; we’ll work until 12 p.m. Snacks available for energy. Location: Warm Water Cove Park, SF. http://indianastreetgarden.ning. com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network.

pickPocket ensemble (Gretchen LeMaistre)

Music: pickPocket ensemble. World fusion meets urban folk with this local band creating sounds from Bogota to Prague and beyond. Join the group for their CD release party of Memory at the Red Poppy Art House. 8 p.m. Tickets: $12 to $15. 2698 Folsom St. Info: www.redpoppyarthouse.org.

January 27 Music: Farley’s Singer Song Writer Showcase. Paul Griffiths, Jim Bruno and Billy Shafer perform a night of song. Griffiths is an old friend of Farley’s, having played at the cafe several times with Rob Garner and his own band, The Melees. Bruno is a Bay Area-based publisher, performing songwriter and songwriting teacher at Foothill College and at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley. Shafer crafts melodic and accessible altpop that has been feted with awards and honors. 8 p.m. Free. 1315 18th St.

THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

of migrating birds. Among the intense feelings and thoughts the film engendered for Keyes was “a look at rent hard times. “The sense of broth- the ruthless economic forces at work erhood, talking to each other face to in our country, with so many parallels face, hearing each other’s thoughts to what’s happening today.” Butte, America makes clear that and feelings, exchanging stories, information; inventing and creating the heart of the town is its people: the those things that you need to survive miners, their families and the working class neighborhoods they built. It every day!” San Francisco and its Irish fami- is their story — of survival and solidarity, in the face lies have strong ties of rapacious greed to Butte. G eorge and unspeakable Hearst, newspaper environmental depublisher William struction — that ofRandolph Hearst’s fers any hope for father, bankrolled the future or salvaMarcus Daly, who tion. That future is built the legendary represented in the Anaconda Copper movie by a majesMining Company. tic, shining white M a ny I r i s h who 90-foot Our Lady of flooded into Butte the Rockies statue, du r i ng the ea rly created by a group 20th century had of laid-off miners, family who migratand triumphantly ed to the City. SevMargaret Frings Keyes erected on a Butte eral beloved bars in mountaintop with San Francisco were owned by former Butte residents, in- the aid of a helicopter. “It’s a symbol cluding Harrington’s Bar & Grill, the of a half-human, half-divine belief in oldest Irish bar in the City, started by hope and the possibility of meaning an enterprising Irishman who first being understood,” Keyes remarked. The film had its origins in a visit landed in Butte after leaving County Cork. “Butte’s Irish were talkers and Roberts made to Butte 12 years ago on letter writers as well as gamblers and a location scouting trip for a friend’s movie. “I walked up to the Granite drinkers,” Keyes observed. K now n as the “Gibraltar of Mountain Memorial – a site that honUnionism” and birthplace of the ors 168 dead miners who were killed Western Federation of Miners – in the worst mining disaster in US whose founders also launched In- history. While looking over the abyss ternational Workers of the World of a massive ‘minescape’ it simply took – Butte shares with San Francisco, my breath away.” Roberts experienced and particularly Potrero Hill, the a visceral connection to the place. “I distinction of being a bulkhead of felt the spirit of the miners there...they the American labor movement, built were so present,” she remembered. “I on the backs of multi-ethnic working decided at that moment I had to make a film about this place and these peoclass immigrants. “The evolution of the community ple…it took us years to find the right was unstoppable in a one-company people to interview; many of the men, town such as Butte. What happened and especially the women, didn’t want among the workers – in particu- to speak about their experiences.” Four years passed before Roberts lar, the Irish, born story tellers and politicians, who got along with ev- connected with Marie Cassidy, the erybody, even as they fought – was Irish matriarch who became a major similar to what happens in adoles- character in the film, and another cence: establishing an identity as a year to gain her confidence. Cassidy’s union member, or a Wobbly, making deeply felt memories of growing up emotional connections in the bars, in Butte are among the film’s most gambling halls and churches,” Keyes wrenching moments. One can feel said. Many young people, in their the communal heartache and sufteens and early 20s who were raised fering experienced as she relates the in Butte, came to San Francisco even story of the almost mythical Columas the unions were maturing and be- bia Gardens amusement park and picnic grounds. The park was built coming more effective. While many of Butte’s origi- and presented to the community by nal miners were Irish, other ethnic Butte copper baron William A. Clark, groups came from all points of the and eventually burned to the ground globe. Montenegrans, Filipinos, Ital- in one of the many fires that ravaged ians and Mexicans, with the Irish, uptown Butte in the 1970s. Among the many former mincreated an industrial dynamo that yielded fortunes for a few, and a trag- ers whose on-screen interviews give ic environmental legacy for those left the film a profound underpinning behind, as reflected in the pulmonary of pride and toughness, John Shea illness silicosis that felled many min- stands out for his blunt assessment ers, and the Berkeley pit, the largest of the dismantling of iconic head Superfund site in the US, today a co- frames, the tall rusting steel towlossal toxic lake that kills anything ers that are important mining artithat goes near it, including thousands facts, and which still stand among

BUTTE from p.13

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the houses in Butte’s neighborhoods. “When they said they were going to tear down the head frames for scrap, I said, you might take the first one down, but you’ll hang from the second...Scrap steel is worth $75 a ton.... what’s your heritage worth?” The script was co-written by journalist Edwin Dobb and Eugene Corr, and skillfully narrated by Irish actor Gabriel Byrne. Early on, Roberts sought the talents of Dobb, a fourth-generation descendant of Butte miners who teaches at the University of California (UC), Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, and is a Harper’s contributor, and Oscar nominee writer-director Corr (Desert Bloom and Waldo Salt). Corr also has Irish mining family roots in Butte. Adding to the film’s emotional power is a mesmerizing score composed by two-time Academy Award winner Todd Boekelheide (Amadeus). It took the soft-spoken native Montanan Roberts more a decade and $800,000 to complete Butte, America. The documentary was shot in super16mm film, which is hundreds of times more expensive than digital video. “I had to shoot with film,” said Roberts. “It’s the only medium that would capture the desolate beauty of Butte’s landscape, its subtle hues, that would give it the depth, richness and resolution the story deserved.” Securing the funds for the film was a long, drawnout, stop-and-start process for Roberts. Donations came from dozens of supporters, including Butte’s Granite Mountain Bank, Murdock Charitable Trust, US Environmental Protection Agency, Independent Television Ser-

vice (ITVS), and numerous smaller foundations and individuals. The movie is a co-production of Roberts’ Rattlesnake Productions and ITVS, in association with KUSM-TV/Montana PBS, with funding by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Roberts, who had to forego much of her salary to make the film, hopes that DVD sales, as well as screenings at schools, colleges, labor and affinity groups, will help recoup her costs. She and Dobb have been on a continual road show since the film’s release in 2009, showing the film across the country, including in postindustrial towns like Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Its first San Francisco premier – sponsored by the City’s most prominent Irish groups, including the Irish Literary & Historical Society, the Consulate General of Ireland and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism – was held in November at the Victoria Theater. “There is a good deal of interest in Europe, particularly Great Britain and Ireland, because of all the Irish and English immigrant mine workers who moved to Butte at the turn of the last century,” Roberts explained. A second Bay Area screening of Butte, America, sponsored by San Francisco State University’s Labor Archives & Research Center, will be held at the school’s McKenna Theater on February 25, 2011. For more information and to buy the DVD, see www. butteamericafilmorg; to purchase tickets, www.library.sfsu.edu/about/ depts/larc.php; (415) 564-4010.

Peace to All From Christine and Hallie! We are Potrero! On the Hill to Serve the Community Better. • Consistently Potrero Hill’s #1 Selling Team • Over one quarter BILLION dollars in San Francisco sales • Living and working on Potrero for over 12 years • 2009 Potrero Hill Top Producer

Christine Doud 415.315.0105 ext 116 Hallie Bradford 415.315.0105 ext 118

January 2011

THE POTRERO VIEW

Welcome Wagon By Kelly Kimball Our first night living in Potrero Hill was wonderful. We unpacked boxes; our shoes fit in the closet nooks and the nightstands nestled next to the bed with just enough room to open the door. Not spacious, but adequate, and the view out the bedroom window of the garden below was ripe with the promise of harvests to come. Our decision to purchase the Mississippi Street house was based in part on its luxurious garden. We relished the anticipated freedom from needing to escort our dog, Meebo, down and up four flights of apartment building stairs twice daily. We’d willingly traded secure garage parking for this garden. We treated ourselves to a night on the town at Velma’s Blues Club on Jerrold Street. The swinging music and fried catfish and jambalaya convinced us that we’d made the r ight move from the Outer Sunset to Potrero Hill. My husband, Bob, and I slept deeply that night, wrapped in smug comfort and thick blankets. On our first morning on the Hill I parted the curtains and glanced down at a sea of broken glass lapping at the tires of Bob’s Honda. He was downstairs enjoying the effortless pleasure of opening the backdoor and allowing Meebo to water the grass unescorted. Sweet serenity rushed out of the house as I called to Bob. He assessed the destruction and roared in anger. I felt frightened by his raw anger, and desolate at the thought that I’d made a big mistake in orchestrating our move. We’d looked at homes for six months in a myriad of neighborhoods before being charmed

the minute we walked through our soon-to-be home on the hill. We’d told our agent we wanted at least a one car garage. We settled for none. We wanted two bathrooms. We have one. We wanted a view. We have a “peek.” Had I lost my mind and grossly underestimated where we lived? As we waited for the police to arrive with their fingerprinting kit, doors opened around us. Neighbors introduced themselves. A couple across the street with three tots told a recent story of a threatening note left on their taco truck – punctuated with the gift of two homemade rap CDs left as proof of authenticity – advising them to move it or else, this being the only notice to “get it out of the hood.” The young lawyer adjacent to them brought over his dogs to greet ours, and commiserated on the damage. A broom and dustpan appeared. A young couple with a one year old and another on the way set to sweeping and picking up the glass. Neighbors planned an approach to protecting our community. The police said there’d been an uptick in car thefts, break-ins and robberies lately. We were given a business card with names and telephone numbers to help set up a neighborhood watch group, and advised to purchase alarms and motion detectors. I look forward to joining the Potrero Hill gardening club, eating at Chez Maman and Baked, and hearing a lot more blues at Velma’s. I don’t appreciate the greeting we received from our first Welcome Wagon, but am hoping our future encounters will be more like those with our neighbors. I want to share the fruits of our garden with neighbors Marc and Heather, not dustpans of broken glass.

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THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

Talking through Crisis By David Matsuda I’ve experienced post-traumatic stress injury on both by Iraqi tours, becoming subject to bouts of intense anxiety, anger and frustration after returning home. As fears prompted by past battles subside, the sense of security that returns is replaced by unconsciously repressed and consciously suppressed nightmarish emotions. Like a computer virus, these feelings invade and overwhelm overloaded memory capacity and coping mechanisms. My wife Kristi and I heal these cerebral injuries by making post-deployment couples counseling a mandatory part of my re-entry into the Matsuda household. But while relearning about each other and the stateside world are invaluable parts of recovery and well being, something unidentifiable always seems to be missing from my reintegration into normal society. Until now. After my last deployment I spent five months getting to know myself and my family again. My attempts to rekindle our relationships were only mildly successful, because, still on a self-imposed round the clock military schedule, I also spent time helping friends start-up a social science consulting firm, dedicated

myself to softball, pitching our team to the Daly City Championship, and quickly left when I was offered one of the senior cultural advisor positions at United States Central Command in Tampa, Florida. One afternoon Kristi called me in Florida. I sensed something was amiss because we usually talk in the evening, as our workdays don’t allow for chatting and casual soul mate banter. “Katie,” she began, “was waiting for Caltrain when she and her friends witnessed a man commit suicide. He jumped between the railroad cars, on to the tracks, and, complete with sound effects, left a horribly disfigured corpse. Katie seems okay, a bit shaken, definitely not her old self, but holding up remarkably well considering all that she has been through.” From my experience coping with post-traumatic stress I saw that the

incident could have profound impacts on Katie. Okay on the outside, normal emotional range in check, but unprepared for the suppressed and repressed anxiety, fear and frustration about to be unleashed, first on herself, and then on others. Mental and behavioral spikes could soon follow, highs basking in the incredible light and warmth of family and friends one moment, and lows, drawn into suffocating, uncontrollable darkness the next. I relayed my concerns to Kristi, who promised to keep an eye out, but reassured me that Katie and her fellow witnesses had bonded, the school was providing grief counseling, teachers were understanding, and that neighbors were stepping in to give Katie rides to school. I restated my concerns, we hung up, and hoped that things wouldn’t worsen. I waited a week so as not to com-

pete with grief counselors, and then scheduled a flight home. I passed a message to Katie through Kristi that I’d arrive on Thursday night and ride with her on the Friday morning train to school. I confronted the resulting melt-down when we Skyped later that evening. But as she calmed down we began to talk, and to my surprise, we shared the language of crisis. “That’s right, that’s exactly how I feel,” she’d say. When she spoke her truth I’d answer, “It has been so long since I thought about that. You helped me work through some stuff and really see things differently.” And so it went, late into the night, as young and old, parent and child, father and daughter, traumatized and recovering fellow sufferers who’ll, in all likelihood, be forever searching for the new normal, spoke to and helped each other through a vernacular few understand: the language of crisis. I hope the man who committed suicide in front of my daughter and her friends is where he wanted to go. A place where his troubles are stilled, and he’s at peace. He’s left my daughter traumatized and scarred, but, in a world full of unintended consequences, he’s started Katie and me on a life long journey together towards understanding and healing.

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DESIGNER from p.7 needing to feed? Somebody is manipulating us. We live in a discarding society,” Caroligne said. “This reality defines not only American’s attitudes towards clothes, but goods in general, as well as people.” Caroligne recently contributed to the well-known Dummies series, penning Reconstruction for Dummies. The book focuses on the reasons for reconstruction: reducing waste, reusing, and recycling. It provides instruction on transforming ill-fitting

and ignored clothes into new and captivating garments. By altering the silhouette, adding details, modifying necklines/sleeves/hems, an artistic textile renovation can be rewarding and doable. Caroligne wants to foster longterm sustainability. “A lot of people in the world are making bank on sustainability, and purely for that monetary reason,” she said. According to the designer, in a perfect world everyone would live as self-sufficiently as possible. “My dream is to raise Alpaca, make yarn from their wool, use organic dyes, create a circular process.”

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THE POTRERO VIEW

Get a Job! By Mauri Schwartz The View asked Hill resident and career expert Mauri Schwartz, President / CEO of Career Insiders, www.CareerInsiders. com, to answer questions from job seekers. Submit your questions to editor@ potreroview.net.

Q: I have an interview coming up with a company I’ve been trying to get into for the past six months. It’s very important that I do well, as I’m sure I won’t get another chance. How should I prepare? A: This is a great question. In today’s job market, it’s so difficult to land an interview that you need to make sure you do a good job. As they say, you only have one chance to make a first impression. Here are some tips. Study the job description carefully, and identify the four or five most important criteria. What skills do they need the most? For each of the criteria you’ve defined, write a couple of sentences that indicate how you fulfill that requirement. Describe one or two achievements that most illustrate your ability to carry out that function. Be sure to write complete sentences, not just notes. That way you’ll be comfortable speaking in full sentences during the interview. Make sure your statements are concise, and be sure to highlight the positive results of your actions. Don’t take these notes into the interview, but practice reading them, keeping in mind that you need to stop when you reach the end. I emphasize this because it’ll help prevent you from rambling, a common interview mistake. You’ll want to deliver the information and stop. It’ll then be up to the interviewer to move on to the next topic, or ask follow-up questions. Highlight accomplishments that are among your most significant, ones of which you’re proud. However, be sure to use examples that are most relevant to the specific position. Remember that this isn’t about what you want; it’s all about

what they need. Refrain from bringing up experiences that aren’t germane. That will only cloud the issue with extraneous information. If you’ve properly prepared this framework, you can use the information to respond to a variety of questions. For example, if you’re asked, “Tell me about yourself,” the interviewer doesn’t want to hear you recount your life, or even your professional, history from the beginning to the present. By the time you get to the most recent, most relevant information, you may have lost their attention. Tell them the aspects about yourself that show them you’ll do their job successfully. If you’re asked, “Why should we hire you,” this is an ideal time to respond with the key points in your framework. If you’re asked to describe your strengths, make sure they correlate directly with these same points. Throughout the interview show enthusiasm for the job and the company, even if you aren’t sure you’ll accept an offer. At the conclusion, be sure to thank the interviewer and let them know you’re interested. If the information isn’t provided, ask them to tell you what the next steps in the decision process will be, and when you should expect to hear back. Also, ask for business cards so that you can write a thank you letter as soon as possible after the interview, preferably the same day and by email so that they receive it immediately. Good luck!

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THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

Crime By Regina Anavy

Community Prefers that Pedestrian Bridges Remain Open

Last month community members continued to discuss how to improve safety near the pedestrian over-crossings at 18th and 22nd streets and San Bruno Avenue at a meeting held at Downtown High School. According to Ray O’Connor, who leads the Kansas Street SAFE Neighborhood Association, the current consensus is that residents “want to keep the bridges open at night, but with modifications, such as more lighting, vegetation removal, fence upgrades, and camera surveillance.” The recommendations will be provided to recently elected District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen. O’Connor also suggested that in the future the community should revisit whether or not to reopen another pedestrian over-crossing. According

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to O’Connor, “there is a closed pedestrian bridge at 25th and Kansas, which is right smack in the middle of our association’s area. That bridge was closed around 1992, to deter the criminal activity between the Mission area and the public housing projects. It has never been re-opened, and the association still wants it closed.” O’Connor added: “However, I am proposing that we re-examine its closing once the redevelopment of the housing projects is complete. Neighborhood dynamics have changed since 1992, and with the re-development they may change even more. However, I do not envision the bridge opening anytime soon. This is a process that takes time, and the neighbors need to agree.” Residents Call for Traffic Safety Measures at 19th and Mississippi Streets

Community members have asked the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to paint a pedestrian crosswalk at the intersection of 19th and Mississippi streets. Mississippi Street resident Gayle Keck also asked that the agency consider making that intersection a four-way stop, rather than a two-way stop. Keck said, “I am just a couple of houses away from the intersection, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard squealing brakes and the crash of a collision. It’s difficult to get a clear view of crosstraffic when stopped on Mississippi Street, and cars come zipping down 19th Street at far too fast a speed. Not only would it help prevent collisions at the intersection to install additional stop signs; it would also help to slow cars to a safe speed in the neighborhood.” Elaine Lissner, who lives near the corner of 18th and Pennsylvania streets, also wants stop signs at this corner. “Newcomers to the neighborhood don’t realize that people on 18th get to fly through the intersection rather than having a four-way stop,” she said. “I walk my dog there and see close calls all the time.” Car Break-ins Continue Bob Kimball, a new Mississippi Street resident, reported that last month “around 4 a.m. someone quickly broke my car window, emptied the glove compartment, apparently didn’t find anything of interest and left. Responding officers said this kind of crime is on the increase.” (See “Welcome Wagon” this issue.)

94107 Crime Statistics November 16 through December 15 Current

+10%

Burglary

Fight No Weapons 44

-12%

Gunshots

-56%

Robbery

+36%

Theft

-15%

Vandalism

-69%

Other

-34%

Source: Spot Crime, www.spotcrime.com

Bike Theft on Mission Bay Campus Barney Rivera, lieutenant of police field operations on the University of San Francisco, Mission Bay campus, reported that in November a researcher left a locked bike near the community center and returned to find it stolen. An officer watched footage from a surveillance camera and located a suspect who was riding another stolen bicycle and had in his possession a car jack that is commonly used by thieves to spread bike locks until they break. The first bicycle couldn’t be recovered; it had already been sold on the street. Fire at Potrero Terrace San Francisco Fire Department Commander Robert Serrano reported that on November 26, at 10:33 a.m., a fire broke out at 15 Turner Terrace. The fire originated in a bedroom and was caused by inattention to a cigarette. Property damage totaled $13,000; no one was injured.

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January 2011

THE POTRERO VIEW

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Library Adult Programs The HIP Investor: Make Bigger Profits by Building a Better World. How can you help build a better world with your investment portfolio? Are positive environmental, social and human impacts compatible with financial returns? Come find out from Potrero Hill resident and investment adviser, R. Paul Herman, who will share insights from his new book, The HIP Investor. January 22, 4 to 5 p.m. Container Gardening. Dennis Granahan, a San Francisco native and horticulturist, will present a program on indoor plants. Topics will include selecting pots and containers, soil and growing media, plant varieties, and care and watering of an indoor garden. Bring indoor plant samples for identification and problem-solving. There’ll be a question and answer period at the end of the talk. Funded by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. January 29, 4 to 5 p.m.

Library Children’s Programs Baby Rhyme and Play Time. For infants up to eighteen months old and their caregivers. Tuesdays, January 4, 11, 18 and 25, 1:15 to 1:45 p.m. Proud sponsor of these and other Potrero Hill Events: Potrero Hill Festival / Friends of Potrero Library Bands for Books / the NABE’s Blues, Beer & BBQ

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Family Storytime, featuring stories, songs and rhymes. For children from birth to five years old and their caregivers. Thursdays, January 6, 13, 20 and 27, 10:30 to 11 a.m. and 11:15 to 11:45 a.m. Fun Flicks: The Foolish Frog, Frog on His Own, Giraffes Can’t Dance, Hunterman and the Crocodile. Fun Flicks is offered every second Wednesday of the month, and includes short films based on children’s books and stories. Bring a snack! For children ages five and older. January 12, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. Chinese Lion Dancers. Celebrate the New Lunar Year with Chinese Lion Dancers. For children of all ages. Funded by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library. Program room space is limited; call for a reservation. January 29, 1:30 to 2 p.m.

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Unless otherwise noted, all Potrero Branch Library programs are held in the second floor meeting room.

Potrero Library Campaign The Potrero Neighborhood Library Campaign Committee meets monthly to discuss fundraising strategies and progress. If you’d like to join the committee, contact Mary Abler at Friends of the Library: 626.7512, extension 107 or mary.abler@friendssfpl.org.

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THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

Long-Time Potrero Hill Resident Charlie Friel Dies at 88 By Christine Friel Plumber, poet, philosopher, and spiritual seeker: these are some of the terms used to describe Charlie Friel, who lived on Potrero Hill for the past eighteen years. Charlie died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on October 18, 2010, one week after it was discovered that his melanoma had unexpectedly returned. He was 88 years young. Madly in love with his soul mate and wife of 57 years, the late Dorothy Friel, Charlie was the treasured father of eleven, as well as the grandfather and great-grandfather of twentythree. After retiring from his plumbing practice in Ph iladelphia, Charlie moved to Potrero Hill at the age of 70 with Dorothy to be closer to their many children who’d moved west. T hey for med a tight-knit spiritual community, making wonderful friendships at St. Theresa’s Church and St. Martin de Porres soup kitchen. As Dorothy’s health declined, Charlie’s primary role became one of caretaker. Always together, Charlie could be seen pushing Dorothy’s wheelchair up the hill and around town. He greatly admired her inner beauty and spiritual development. In fact, it was Charlie’s devotion and belief in Dorothy that helped create the grounding Dorothy needed to flourish in life. The admiration and support was mutual; they shared an extraordinary love. In the years since Dorothy passed, Charlie found ways to challenge himself. He took up playing guitar. He walked the Wisconsin Street stairs for exercise, getting up before dawn to look for his friend the morning star, or grabbing his backpack and walking to Costco to do his shopping.

He read deeply, exploring religious material, novels, biographies, as well as poetry. Host of a weekly Sunday French toast breakfast that was attended by a variety of characters and guaranteed lots of laughter and stories, he thrived on social connections. Charlie always had a smile, a tale and an easy laugh for neighbors passing by his Connecticut Street cottage. He made friends with many Hill residents and restaurateurs. His innate spirituality and philosophical nature made him a natural guide in life. One of his favorite sayings in the final years of his life was borrowed from Itzhak Perlman, the violin virtuoso who achieved success de s pit e b e i n g a f f l icted w ith polio, and who played majestically, impossibly, even after breaking a string during a performance at the Lincoln Center in New York: “find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.” Charlie worked to accept the losses that aging brought him by maximizing the freedoms and disciplines he still maintained. He leaned into his spirituality and humor, saying, “As long as I have my sense of humor, I have everything I need.” During his last week in hospice care, neighbors young and old streamed in, saying goodbye. His children were moved by the outpouring of love toward their father, and struck by the wide range of friends he’d made in the last 18 years of his life in his new City. The entire family gathered around him, sharing stories, music, laughter and sorrow, accompanying him to the very end. Charlie taught us how to live, with his sense of curiosity, wonder and awe. He’ll be deeply missed by all who loved him and whose lives his luminous spirit and joyous laugher touched.

Bayview Police Station Captain’s Community Meeting is held on the first Tuesday of each month in the Bayview Police Station Community Room at 201 William Street. Enter through the Newhall Street door. Next meeting: January 4th, 6 p.m. Dogpatch Neighborhood Association usually meets the second Tuesday of each odd-numbered month. Next meeting: January 11th, 7 to 9 p.m., 654 Minnesota Street @ 19th Street. Voting membership is open to anyone living in or owning property or a business in Dogpatch. For more information or to join/pay online: mydogpatch.org.

McKinley Square Community Group is a communication and discussion group regarding events and activities, clean up days, improvement and beautification, and other concerns, such as crime in the neighborhood. Next meeting: January 12, 2011, 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Downtown High School, 693 Vermont Street. Board meetings open to the public. Visit www.mckinleysquare.com for more information. Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association meets the last Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. (social time begins at 6:45 p.m.) in the wheelchair-accessible Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro Street. For more information: www.potreroboosters.org or email president@potreroboosters.org. Next meeting: January 25th.

Potrero Hill Association of Merchants & Businesses meets the second Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. at Goat Hill Pizza, corner of Connecticut and 18th streets. Visit www.potrerohill.biz or call 341.8949. Next meeting: January 11th, 10 a.m. Potrero Hill Democratic Club meets the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro Street. For more information: 648.6740, www. PHDemClub.org. Next meeting: January 4th, 7 p.m. Come and meet your new supervisor.

Potrero Hill Garden Club usually meets the last Sunday of the month at 11 a.m. for a potluck lunch in a local home or garden. Discussions are held on organic, edible, or ornamental gardening appropriate for Potrero Hill’s microclimate. Call 648.1926 for details.

Starr King Openspace The next Starr King Openspace Board of Directors Meeting is on January 12, 6:30 p.m. in “Bungalow A” at Starr King Elementary School, 1215 Carolina Street (enter at the side yard gate at Coral Road between Carolina and Wisconsin). Board meetings are open to the to the public. While time will be set aside for public comment, the Board may reserve some agenda items for closed session discussion. The Starr King Openspace Volunteer Work Day is held on the 3rd Saturday of each month, excluding holidays. Next Volunteer Work Day: January 15th, 9 a.m. to noon. Meet on the Openspace along Carolina Street, across from Starr King Elementary School. For more information: www.starrkingopenspace.org; email the Board of Directors at starrkingboard@gmail.com; voice mail 415-6336-SKO (756).

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January 2011

THE POTRERO VIEW

CLASSIFIED ADS Community Activities SENIORS (60+) - DON’T EAT ALONE! Join us for daily lunch and add to your social life. Mon-Fri, hot nutritious meals-your first time with us you get a free lunch! Bingo, cards, birthday celebrations, special events, and other activities. For more information, call Dolores Maghari at 415.826.8080. PH Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro St.

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Home Services E M S PLUMBING Licensed contractor for your plumbing needs. Selling your home and need to replace toilets? 4th generation Potrero Hill resident. Doing it right the first time! ED 596-0883 Lic#945019. J. A. EMMANUEL CONSTRUCTION License #861994 is organized to provide service with optimum efficiency and flexibility. Quality work with experience in residential construction can help make your dreams a reality. New construction, house addition, remodeling and conversion. House, apartments, condos, kitchen, bathroom & more. Reasonable rates. All insurance necessary for the projects. Call 415.902.2469 for FREE ESTIMATE or visit www.jaemmanuelconstruction.com.

180 COLOR & DESIGN Our philosophy at 180 Degree Design is to use color to transform home and business spaces in ways that work for you. Choosing the right paint color can be extremely frustrating for many people, we can help you avoid costly mistakes and achieve the best results for the interior or exterior color of your home or business. Contact us 415-285-3014 http//:www.180color. com. HOMEOWNERS, “THINKING GREEN” I am Robert Forrer of Baywolf Construction (license#927335) and I can provide an energy use annalists of your home. I have 30+ years of experience in remodeling and building energy conserving spaces. As a carpenter and general contractor I have working relationships with quality skilled people in many trades including PV solar. P# 401-0281, baywolfconst@mindspring. com. HANDYMAN EXTRAORDINAIRE! 20 years experience repair, remodeling. Elec, plumbing, light fix. Anything doors! Double-hung windows. Cabinetry, Decks, staircases MMcQuate@ gmail.com. Mike (415) 308-2380.

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ACTIVSPACE FOR ART, HOBBY & BUSINESS. Rent from $395 a month utilities included. Private, Secure, Affordable, 24/7 access. Call Tama for further details 415355-1515. SPACIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL Furnished guest garden apartment. Private. 1/2 blk. to restaurants. Non-smoking. 2 people. 415-861-3208. LOVELY APT IN SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, MX. Spiral stairs to 3rd floor, 2 bdrm, 2 bth, view, garden. 5 min to center. 350.00 us/ wk. 1000.00/ mo. Longer term neg dbellorado@yahoo.com, ygarcia@ wested.org.

Technology Services

STEREO REPAIR / HOME THEATER INSTALLATION Gene’s Sound Service offers expert component-level repair and installation of audio, video and home theater systems. On-site service with convenient day, evening or Sat appointments. Many local references. “Gene’s honest and knows his stuff. Give him a try.” Bobby McFerrin. Call Gene at 415-377-1258. More info at www.genessoundservice.com. COMPUTER PROBLEMS DRIVING YOU BUGGY? Problems fixed! 25 years of industry experience. Personal IT consulting to small businesses or busy professionals. We can install and/or help shop for computer/network/printer or setup/ troubleshoot wireless networks. If you’re not technical, don’t worry - we are. Rob 415.244.3305 rob@sfcomputech.com.

HOW TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD: UPDATE, POST, & PAY ONLINE Visit www.potreroview.net & follow the instructions for placing your ad. COST $25 for up to 200 characters including spaces. Recieve an additional 20% discount provided for ads paid for six months in advance!

MAIL OR CALL IN YOUR AD View Wants Ads 2325 Third Street, Suite 344 San Francisco, CA 94107 415.626.8723 / office@potreroview.net * Payments and/or text changes must be received by the 18th of each month for ad to appear in the following month's issue.

THE POTRERO VIEW Merchants Directory Spotlight Arterra LLP Landscape Architects 88 Missouri Street (415) 861-3100 Looking for other goods or services? Visit www.potreroview.net/merchants

OPEN MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

Please contact us for appointments & availability FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC AUTO REPAIRS GOLD SHIELD SMOG CHECK STATION TEST ONLY & REGULAR SMOG TESTS 12 MONTH WARRANTY ON ALL REPAIRS

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE EXCELLENCE

Attract New Customers!

All Major Credit Cards & ATM Accepted WWW.SANFRANCISCOAUTOREPAIRCENTER.COM

Advertise your restaurant in the View adjacent to our restuarant review column. Local discounts.

Rick Collins Macintosh Help Troubleshooting / Tutoring Tune-Ups / Upgrades 19 Years Experience SFMacMan.com

($60 Value)

Call 626.8723 for more information.

(415) 821-1792

THE POTRERO VIEW

January 2011

Precious

Mozzarella Stringsters

Clover Dairy

Organic Milk all varieties 64 oz. -reg 3.99

$3.49

Imagine Foods

Non-Dairy Beverages all varieties 32 oz. -reg to 3.39

$1.99 Westbrae

Organic Beans

4/$3

all varieties 15 oz. -reg 2.29

Capricorn Coffee

Organic Dark French Roast Coffee Beans BULK! -reg 8.99 lb.

$5.99 lb.

4/$5

Lundberg Farms

Organic Rice Cakes all varieties 8-10 oz. -reg 3.59

Vegetable Classics

Ice Cream

Simply Nutritious Juice Drinks

all flavors 16 oz. -reg 4.49

assorted flavors 19 oz. -reg 3.19

2/$6

all varieties 32 oz. -reg 3.99 +CRV

2/$5

MaxLite

Crystal Geyser

Sparkling Mineral Water

99¢

Sale Prices effective January 3 - 23, 2011 Check our new produce specials every weekend and our Locals First Monthly Specials ad

$1.99

Progresso

Ben & Jerry’s

R.W. Knudsen

all flavors 1.25 liter -reg 1.45 +CRV

$3.99

Almond Dream Rice Dream Soy Dream

Cream Top Organic Yogurt whole milk 6 oz. -reg 99¢

12 oz. -reg 6.69

2/$3

T2 SpiraMax Light Bulbs Warm White/Energy Saving 23 watt - replaces 60/100 watt while supply lasts no sales to retailers

4/$1

Brown Cow

Yogurts all flavors 6 oz. -reg 1.15

4/$3

Open Every Day! 8 AM to 8 PM - 1524 Twentieth Street - Potrero Hill - San Francisco - 415-282-9204