Potrero View 2013: October

Growth Coming to the Hill, Like It or Not

By FLET c HER FOTI

According to a recent article in Atlantic Cities , the 94107 zip code — Potrero Hill — has the Bay Area’s largest concentration of venture capital investments. The Hill, from its lofty 308 feet perch, looks down on the world’s most thriving technology and financial center. It’s also close to San Francisco’s three CalTrain stations, which serve as wormholes to nine of the region’s other top 10 capitalized zip codes. With venture capital equaling growth, it’s not surprising that the Hill is feeling pressure to densify; in fact, it’s amazing that the neighborhood has survived this long in its current quasi-bucolic form.

I’ll soon be completing a doctorate in city planning at the University of California, Berkeley, and was asked to provide some insight — and possibly some data — on future growth options for San Francisco, and for Potrero Hill in particular. The question posed by the View was: could the City cost-effectively deploy transit investments to direct development outside the Southside neighborhoods? For example, what would happen if the City prioritized the proposed Geary bus rapid transit to the Richmond, as opposed to directing development towards the already congested corridors of Dogpatch and the Mission?

restaurants — and to a lesser extent quick transit access to the rest of a city. In fact, in San Francisco the most useful method to determine where people choose to live is likely to be income sorting: well-off households live near other well-off families. And the rich price out those who can’t afford their preferred neighborhoods, which typically are those with good architectural aesthetics, views, and Downtown access.

My first intuition — and the latest thinking in municipal planning — is that those corridors are congested because they’re in demand. I therefore assumed that Geary isn’t at capacity because it isn’t in demand. Economic models have shown repeatedly that people prefer neighborhoods with walkable amenities — like shops and

Rebuild Potrero Creeps Forward, But Financing Remains a Challenge

By KEITH BURB a NK

In August, development consultant Charmaine Curtis shared Bridge Housing’s latest proposals for the Rebuild Potrero project at the Potrero Boosters’ regular meeting. We’re “hoping to rebuild people’s lives” as well the housing stock, Curtis said.

The need for rebuilt lives seems clear. According to Emily Weinstein, Bridge Housing’s community development director, Potrero Annex-Terrace residents’ median annual household income is $14,000, an amount that includes public benefits, such as social security. That compares with median household incomes of $130,000 on the Hill’s north slope. Annex-Terrace’s poverty rate is roughly 65 percent,

as opposed to the north slope’s five percent rate. And violent crime in the Annex-Terrace complexes is five times the citywide average.

Less than 60 percent of students living in the Annex-Terrace complexes graduate from high school, Weinstein reported, compared with 86 percent of students residing on the north slope. Less than one-third of the upwards of 100 three- and four-year olds living in Annex-Terrace attend preschool; elementary school children have high truancy levels.

In the face of these stark statistics, Weinstein was pleased to report significant participation of Annex-Terrace residents’ in Rebuild Potrero’s community building activities. “Our participation is through the roof,” Weinstein said, pointing

The best way to visualize residential preference is to look at a map of sales price by square foot in San Francisco, shown on page 17. These prices are from 2011, which are already hopelessly outdated — zillow. com has Potrero Hill property values increasing 24 percent since then, while the City as a whole increased by 31 percent — but the patterns should still hold. High-priced neighborhoods include the Marina, Russian Hill, Nob Hill, parts of South of Market, and Mission Bay. Although city planners can shuffle growth around to a certain degree using zoning restrictions, the most important factor in growth is communication between consum -

to the Zumba classes, walking club, garden workdays and a host of other activities available to Annex-Terrace residents. Forty to 45 people turn out for Zumba each Monday and Wednesday.

The community-building process has involved a variety of initiatives, including neighborhood “visioning sessions,” as well as resident and community get-togethers. A twoyear, $300,000 U.S. Housing and

KEITH BURB a

In three separate incidents last summer hypodermic needles were found littered on Potrero Hill. In one of the incidences, a toddler was poked by a needle while playing at Jackson Park; in another multiple needles were found in the park’s sandbox. And roughly nine needles were found strewn on Kansas Street.

“I was pretty shocked,” said Hill parent Megan Sheedy, who was at Jackson Park when three needles were found. Another parent, Jill Alyse Davis, was so upset that a child was poked by a needle she immediately took her son home. Yet, according to Sheedy, San Francisco Recreation and Park manager, Steve Cismowski, told her that syringes are frequently found in the City’s parks. And 18th Street resident Tom Strahan, who found the syringes on Kansas Street, said lots of needles have been found at McKinley Park over the years.

In 2007, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that needles were being left in parks and yards throughout San Francisco. In response, the City looked at revamping its needle exchange program, in which injection drug users can trade used syringes for clean ones. A 24-hour bio-hazard drop box was placed on Sixth Street, but has since been removed because it wasn’t being used. People were putting trash inside the box, said Eileen Loughran, health program coordinator, com -

Mark Zuckerberg at KIPP p.18

Crane Cove Park

the t-line on third Street, the frst light-rail line in San Francisco in more than twenty years, began running in 2007. extensive development, in both residential and business sectors, has since followed in the area. PhotogrAPh by Don nolte

PubLishEr’s ViEw

BY STEVEN J. MO SS

THIS year’s 50th anniversary of the March on Washington reminds us of the power of protest to make progress towards equality. But marches alone are almost never enough to change things. AfricanAmericans, Jews, gays, even environmentalists have all had to pass-through a predictable set of non-march-related challenges on the road to freedom, which transformed these peoples and movements on a similar scale as the changes they’ve made to society.

History has shown that the first step to equality is death. Thousands of blacks were lynched leading up to 1960s civil rights reforms. Silent Spring, published in 1962, documented the widespread demise of birds and other creatures from chemical contamination. Jews suffered through the Holocaust, as did gays, who were dealt another deadly blow through the HIV epidemic.

Laughter is a powerful weapon on the road to equality. Jewish comedians Groucho Marx, and Henny Youngman sparked a comic tradition that’s lasted through Seinfeld. Red Foxx paved the way for Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor, who arguably did as much as Martin Lurther King to usher in black equality, but they were funnier. Ellen DeGeneres’ humor made being gay wholesome. The emergence of Muslim comics signals that greater acceptance of this group is likely a decade away.

In America, you can buy your way to freedom. Outwardly gay couples, bolstered by two-income urban households with no children, spent their way to equality over the last quarter-century. It’s hard to hate someone when they’re handing you $20 for a 1950s-era salt and pepper set that originally fetched two bits. The environmental movement has morphed into the “green” movement, referring to the plethora of consumer products and corporations touting their ecological value. The revolution will be purchased, preferably at a high mark-up.

Ultimately, to succeed, revolution has to become evolution; the movement must be mainstreamed. After World War II, Jewish children who might otherwise be named “Saul” and “Benjamin” became “Steve” and “Brian.” Chaining oneself to a tree has been replaced by purchasing chains with tree-shaped charms, with a portion of the proceeds going to an environmental charity. On the day the U.S. Supreme Court declared Proposition 8 unconstitutional, a group of celebrating gay leather daddies loudly asked an inebriated partier to stop peeing on San Francisco’s Muni tracks; a decade ago they’d all have unzipped their pants and joined in. Difference must become diffidence.

In the end, freedom’s just another word for finding a way to fit in. Protest movements, if they’re successful, get absorbed into the larger society, changing it, and being changed. Martin Luther King’s dream started as a nightmare, but ended up as a Hollywood movie. Formerly oppressed groups gain equality, but in return they have to give up some of their identity. Something precious is gained, while something invaluable is lost.

Letters to the Editor

Editor,

Fantastic article by Robert Krausz in the August 2013 View about San Francisco’s goal of achieving zero waste by 2020 (“City’s Zero Waste Landfill by 2020 Goal Faces Challenges”). I think there’s a solution not currently being considered for what do with the remaining 20 percent of nonrecyclable material, like bags of dog poo, and plastic bags of trash. The solution is a company called Sierra Energy. I’ve personally seen their pilot facility outside Sacramento, and they’ve been featured in The New York Times.

Unlike traditional incineration, which, as Mr. Krausz states, “results in significant amounts of residuals which require landfill disposal, as well as associated problems of toxic fallout,” there’s no landfill material or emissions generated from Sierra’s FastOx Technology. In fact, the system only produces high-value end products, such as synthetic gas, recycled metals, and inert stone.

Sierra Energy is underway with their first commercial scale facility, at the United States Army’s Fort Hunter Liggett in Monterey County. Based on the success of this project, we’ll soon know whether this technology could be a good solution for San Francisco. I wanted to make sure it was on every-

one’s radar. I remain optimistic about the team and technology.

Jake Millan, Indiana Street

Editor:

In August Recology started to charge extra for picking up additional “green” material in bags, and the items must be in paper, not black plastic, bags. They also limit the number of “free” green canisters you may have for residential service, and charge an extra fee for any additional canister pickup. If you have additional canisters, they’ll remove them. All fair, except they also ask you to notify them in advance, or they won’t pick up the extra bags. In a recent scheduled pickup at Mississippi Street, we experienced first-hand this new policy, with no flyer left on the bags explaining their policy for the bags that weren’t picked up.

I hate to be a pessimist, but look out for piles of dumped bags on our streets! Whoever dreams of these regressive policies? And we hope to reach 100 percent composting in San Francisco? Not with the current system! It’s set up to discourage composting, and encourage bad behavior!

Ralph

Anavy Mission Bay Boulevard

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Shooting

The S an Francisco Police Department is investigating a double shooting that occurred last month on Potrero Hill that left one person dead. At approximately 7:50 p.m. on a Thursday, the SFPD responded to multiple calls of shots fired in the area of 23rd and Arkansas. Upon arrival, officers located two shooting victims on 23rd Street; both were inside a vehicle when they were shot. The victims were transported to S an Francisco General Hospital , where the male victim, a man in his 20s, died from his injuries. The female victim, also in her 20s, suffered gun shots to her arm and leg. She’s expected to survive. In the aftermath of the shooting, a large crowd gathered at the scene. Additional officers were dispatched to control the crowd, and pepper spray was used by officers to disperse those gathered, with one officer injured and transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Police have no suspect information…In the wake of a rash of car and home burglaries on the Hill SFPD is recommending that people leave nothing in their vehicle. And for the home, according to SFPD, a $100 investment in a video camera can help apprehend suspects; when there are cameras at a house or nearby the police get the culprit 80 percent of the time.

Daggett!

David Baker -designed Daggett Place, which as planned will include 450 rental units, a restaurant, stores, and light-industrial space — as well as a 0.9 acre public park along the Daggett Street right-of-way, created in lieu of paying $1.88 million in project impact fees — has been in the works since 2003, but appears to be held up by the need to remediate haz -

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ardous waste on the site. The existing vacant lot once housed a paint factory, which was demolished in the early2000s. The developers are removing a source of “elevated concentration of ethylbenzene in soil and soil vapor” by excavating a 75 foot by 65 foot area to a depth of eight feet. Late last year the project was issued a $1 million permit to remove the old buildings’ concrete pad foundations, as well as the contaminated soil…

Eastern Neighborhoods

The Eastern Neighborhoods Citizens Advisory Committee met last month to approve an in-kind agreement for a proposed development at 850 Eighth Street in lieu of paying development fees. Under the agreement, $2.1 million in improvements would be made along Ringold Street between Eighth and Ninth streets, including utility undergrounding; and a $1.1 million pocket park would be located on the project site at the southwest corner of Ringold and Eighth. The committee also heard proposals from the S an Francisco Recreation and Park Department to fund rehabilitation projects at South Park, and establish a framework for a rehabilitation program for other parks, including, potentially, Jackson Playground and Esprit Park… Christopher’s Books is now offering “Book Money,” wooden coins in $5 denominations that can be cashed in at the store to give as gifts.

Progress Park

A parcel of land under an Interstate 280 onramp, long a source of aggravation for neighbors and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), is finally being rehabed. The property — across Iowa Street from Progress Park, bordered on the west by Pennsylvania, and

between 25th and extending a bit north of 22nd Street — has been used by Caltrans’ tenants to park heavy equipment and store containers and old buses. Its general neglect has attracted a homeless population, with reported use and sale of drugs on the property. According to Caltrans, the tenant that had occupied much of the property is moving out. A possible new tenant, the Army S treet S torage Company, located at 26th and Indiana, is working with Caltrans to grade the property in anticipation of expanding its facilities. The plan calls for erection of eight-foot fences topped with barbed wire and covered with a mesh screen, to reduce visual pollution, along with night lighting and other security measures. Other possible uses for the tract could include a parking lot, a storage for recreational vehicles, and practice facilities for the San Francisco Elite Youth Baseball Club. Meanwhile, Caltrans has sealed openings on the underside of the onramp located on Iowa at 22nd, and directly north, where a taxicab company operates. People had been using the openings to climb into the concrete structure to sleep and store personal property.

Appointment

Last month Hill resident Sharon Tetlow was appointed managing director at Danforth Advisors, LLC, responsible for expanding the firm’s financial advisory business on the West Coast. Danforth provides financial, operational and strategic support to life science and clean technology companies. Before joining the firm, Tetlow worked at Cell Genesys and Synergen, the life sciences venture group within Apax Partners, as well as diaDexus, Pathwork, Reprogen and Terrapin. She’s credited with orchestrating the successful sale of Cell Genesys to BioSante, and with raising what at the time was the largest round of independent investors for a private biotechnology company. Apparently the biotech sector prefers complex

names with multiple vowels, perhaps like the diseases they are chasing… Fast and Furious

Tesco, Britain’s largest retailer, has sold its unprofitable Fresh & Easy grocery store chain to an American private investment firm. Los Angeles-based Yucaipa Companies , chaired by billionaire Ron Burkle, will acquire more than 150 of the chain’s 200 stores, along with its production facilities and distribution center in Riverside. As part of the deal the store’s Bayview outlet — which opened just two years ago — will be closed; the fate of the Portola location isn’t known. Yucaipa said it plans to build on Fresh & Easy’s convenience retail experience, bringing in more local and healthful options… Also departing with Fresh & Easy — as well as the defunct nearby Corner Café — is no small amount of City investment, made in the hopes of fostering increased food access and associated economic activity…Under the Port of San Francisco’s Bayview Gateway Project a new one-acre public open space will be created along the southern bank of Islais Creek, bound by the creek on the north, Cargo Way on the south, Third Street on the west, and Illinois Street on the east. There’s an opportunity for a large-scale permanent signature artwork on the site, representing the entry to Bayview. Artists who’d like to design the art piece should contact the S an Francisco Arts Commission . The project will also serve as a connection to the Bay Trail along Illinois Street and Cargo Way, and a resting place to view Islais Creek and the surrounding maritime activity.

Halloween

Every Halloween, the costume and sugar-fueled fest is tinged with fears of candy tampering. Children

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1601 Mariposa Street to Undergo Environmental Impact Review

By KEITH BURB a NK

In a surprise move, last month Related California offered to undertake an environmental impact review of its proposed project at 1601 Mariposa Street. The move was in response to Potrero Hill residents’ concerns about hazardous materials on the site, as well as other health and safety issues. Residents are also worried about the project’s size and density.

“We are advocating for a focused EIR,” said Rick Westberg, Related California’s vice president of development. The company had initially requested an EIR exemption, pointing to reviews that were done under the EIR established by the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan as being sufficient.

“I want things to stay nice for the kids,” said Alison Heath, a member of the neighborhood advocacy group, Grow Potrero Responsibly. Heath made her comment at a community meeting held last month at Live Oak School, which is located adjacent to the proposed project. International Studies Academy is also nearby.

According to Westberg, a geotechnical review done for Related found that the serpentine rock on the site doesn’t pose health hazards. Westberg said that soil on the area’s western

side contains granular amounts of serpentine rock that can be disposed of by scooping it up while controlling the dust. And Related won’t be digging into the ground. “We’re not breaking into bedrock,” Westberg said.

He also said Related will cleanup any hazards associated with the underground storage tanks (USTs) on the site. Residents have expressed concern about benzene, which can cause cancer after long-term exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and can be emitted from leaks from USTs. According to Westberg, the USTs on the site were sealed twenty to thirty years ago. But, he said Related wants to “make sure it’s safe.”

Related wants to build 320 apartments on the 3.4 acre site, which Grow Potrero Responsibly member Holly Friedman said is “too big, too soon.”

Grow Potrero Responsibly has started a petition opposing the project, which has gathered 362 supporters. “We want the neighborhood to be improved,” said Claude Everhart, who once worked for former San Francisco mayor and Hill resident Art Agnos. “We just don’t want so much of it.” Among other concerns, Grow Potrero says the project’s density is out of character with the Hill.

Lydia Tan, Related’s executive vice president and director, northern

450 Rhode Island Street has a ratio of 2.61, Live Oak School has a ratio of 3.77, and 1130 Mariposa has a ratio of 3.02. Related is proposing a ratio of 2.30 for 1601 Mariposa Street. According to the San Francisco Planning Code, floor area ratio is defined as the gross floor area of all the buildings on a lot compared to the lot’s area. For example, a two-story building that covered the entire lot would have a floor area ratio of 2:1.

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California operations, presented two measures of density and compared its proposal’s density with two other Hill projects. According to Tan, 1601 Mariposa is proposed for 96 units per acre, compared with 91 units per acre at 1130 Mariposa and 91 units per acre at 450 Rhode Island Street. Tan also compared the number of bedrooms per acre. Related is proposing a density of 137 bedrooms per acre, compared with 113 for the development at 18th and Arkansas and 121 for Victoria Mews.

Grow Potrero Responsibly claims that Related’s proposal is four times as dense as Victoria Mews.

Related also compared the floor area ratio of its proposal with three other sites and the City-allowable ratio. The City allows for a ratio of 3;

are warned not to accept fruit or unwrapped candy while trick-ortreating, and to inspect items for razor blades, needles and poison. Actual incidents, however, are rare. In Texas, Ronald Clark O’Bryan gave his eight-year-old son a Pixy Stix laced with cyanide to collect $20,000 of insurance money. In 2011 The Huffington Post reported that in New Mexico John Martinez found a razor blade embedded in a Reese’s peanut butter cup his child was gifted while collecting Halloween candy. That’s about it. It’s not a bad idea to inspect any food item before consuming it; how often have you sniffed your milk to make sure it’s not sour? But, in the end, the candy isn’t supposed to be the scary part of the holiday.

Millionaires

According to InfoStreamGroup, Inc., San Francisco ranks sixth for the most eligible single and looking for a long-term relationship — millionaires in the country. Apparently there are 909 of them in the City. Of course, if “millionaire” includes home values there’s far more than 900 or so eligible ones in San Francisco; there may be that many on the Hill… George Washington High School is celebrating its 40th year reunion,

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for the classes of 1972 and 1973, on November 8th, featuring a golf tournament at Lincoln Golf Course and wine tasting, followed by a dinner/ dance at the Holiday Inn Fisherman’s Wharf. If you’re a member of those classes, contact Sharon Nakamura, GWHSClassof73Reunion@gmail.com or 510.795.7892.

Correction

In “3rd on Third Street Events to Get Public’s Input,” in the September issue, the View stated that “…$240,000 from District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen’s discretionary fund will be spent on the monthly celebrations…”

In fact, the expenditures are from the City’s general fund, not the supervisor’s discretionary fund. The View regrets the error…Speaking of corrections, the View’s home delivery launch last month didn’t go off without a hitch. A number of readers contacted us to complain about piles of papers left on street corners, or no papers at all delivered to stalwart distribution spots, such as the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House. The piles were supposed to be picked up by deliverers and dropped off at homes, condominiums and apartments. This month hopefully we’ve done better; if you see an errant stack of papers that’s sitting where it isn’t supposed to be for more than a few hours, please contact our new distribution manager, Peter Tangermann, at 510.332.4490.

munity health promotion branch, San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH). Syringe disposal sites have been installed on Ivy Street near Davies Symphony Hall and at Glide Memorial Church. Another proposal — to provide syringes that retract after one use — wasn’t implemented, mostly because the cost of the syringes was too high,

Where the syringes are coming from, and why they’re being found on Potrero Hill, isn’t known. According to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s website, the foundation operates a syringe exchange site at 225 Potrero Avenue, between 15th and 16th streets. But AIDS Foundation spokesperson, Ryan McKeel, said that the foundation doesn’t actually operate a site at that location. Instead, McKeel said the closest site is at 16th and Mission streets, “and that only operates at limited times each week. That said, the foundation would never condone leaving used syringes at a playground or any other site in the City,” McKeel wrote in an email. “That is why we operate close to a dozen needle exchange sites throughout the City each week, so that people have a safe place to dispose of their used needles.”

According to McKeel, the City’s decades-old commitment to needle exchange programs “has resulted in rates of new HIV infections among [intravenous] drug users that are well below the national average. In other words, needle exchanges are vital to improving the health of our entire community.”

Loughran said the AIDS Foundation is the lead agency “dealing with the disposal of used syringes.” The foundation also leads the Syringe Access Collaborative, which includes five syringe access and disposal programs in the City, funded by the SFDPH. “There are 21 sites in total covered by the SAC,” Loughran said. Loughran added that staff at each site does a sweep of the area after each exchange. “We take this

really seriously,” Loughran said of the discarded syringes.

According to Loughran, the City does not require a minimum distance between needle exchange sites and parks or schools. But, Loughran said that Chapter 79 of the San Francisco Administrative Code “requires the City, a City contractor, or other agent of the City to post a public notice 15 days before approving certain types of City projects,” such as a syringe exchange site. The 15-day time period gives people time to share their concerns

Available

needles found at 20th and kansas streets.

PhotogrAPh courteSy oF toM StrAhAn

REBUILD

Urban Development (HUD) Choice Neighborhoods Planning grant is supporting Bridge Housing’s efforts to create a strategy to delivery social service programs focused in five areas: education, economic security, health, technology and public safety. The grant funds are being used to develop the PARADISE Plan, Weinstein said, an acronym for practical and realistic and desirable ideas for the social environment. Bridge Housing has established an advisory committee of community members to oversee grant work, and has completed a needs assessment of 53 percent of Annex-Terrace households. Next steps include analyzing the data, sharing the findings, and developing a master plan for social change, which is expected to be completed by the end of next year.

The latest changes to the project’s physical features include reducing the total number of housing units, from 1,700 to 1,600 units. Parking ratios will increase from 0.5 spaces per unit to 0.6 spaces per unit. Block Q, which had been sandwiched between Missouri Street and the Potrero Hill Playground, will be eliminated. Instead, Bridge will straighten the street between 22nd and 23rd streets. More housing most likely for seniors will be added to Block G, along 24th Street. Building heights will be lowered throughout the project, in Blocks A, B, F, K, and L. Connecticut Street will be closed to traffic, with a new one-half acre open space at Connecticut and 25th streets.

Curtis said the process of obtaining entitlements for the project is coming to an end. Bridge Housing hopes to publish a second draft of a joint environmental impact report environmental impact statement by early 2014, with a goal of EIR/EIS certification by July 2014. “It’s been a long road,” Curtis said. “It’s coming to an end.”

Concurrently, Bridge Housing is negotiating a master development agreement with the City and County of San Francisco for disposition of the property. When construction starts, which won’t be until at least 2016, the City will turn over property management to Bridge Housing. Until then, Annex-Terrace is being managed by the San Francisco Housing Authority.

Efforts to secure financing the project are ongoing. The developer

will apply next year for a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant, a HUD grant which would help pay for new housing units, infrastructure, community development, and community facilities. Art May, principal, Keystone Development Group, a partner with Bridge Housing, said it will cost upwards of $90 million to replace the infrastructure at Annex-Terrace. Total project costs, without considering inflation, will be slightly less than $1 billion. According to May, so far $5 million has been raised.

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before the project is implemented. Loughran said.

Neither Rachael Kagan, chief communications officer for San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), nor Eileen Shields, SFDPH public information officer, were aware of large amounts of syringes missing from the hospital or the health department’s clinics. Shields said that the errant needles could have come from a pharmacy; Kagan pointed out that people can purchase syringes. “Pharmacies, such as Walgreens, can sell or provide up to 30 syringes to an individual over 18 years of age without a prescription,” Loughran said.

Besides syringe exchange sites, other drug treatment sites are close to Potrero Hill. For example, SFGH hosts an outpatient clinic for methadone detoxification and maintenance at 995 Potrero Avenue.

No arrests have been made in connection with the needle incidents, said Captain Robert O’Sullivan, San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), Bayview Station, and an arrest is unlikely given the lack of an eyewitness. O’Sullivan confirmed that SFPD is patrolling Jackson Park at night. “In response to the needle incident, I directed the patrol lieutenants to have the swing watch and midnight patrol officers assigned to Potrero Hill walk the park at night and take enforcement action as necessary,” O’Sullivan confirmed by email. “So far, no incidents of note.”

O’Sullivan said that in addition to nightly patrols, “Bayview Station park patrol officer, Officer Mel Thornton, frequents the park daily on weekdays. Officer Thornton speaks regularly with Rec and Park staff. [He] is a longtime veteran of the Bayview and has been assigned as the park officer for a number of years. He has an excellent relationship with Rec and Park staff.”

1501

PHOTOGRA P H BY EMILY PAYN E

280 REDESIGN PROPOSAL

BY RICHARD TSAI, FIELD OF VISION

Development Proposal in Crane Cove Park Sparks Controversy

By L I z MEL c HOR

In early September, roughly forty people gathered around picnic tables just south of the Ramp restaurant. David Beaupré, from the San Francisco Port, directed the crowd to look across the cove towards the towering cranes that once helped build ships. It was the third in a series of community meet ings focusing on the proposed Crane Cove Park, and the first site visit to the planned waterfront open space which is scheduled to break ground late next year.

Beaupré led the group under rusted metal tracks and around a dilapidated one-story cement block building with broken windows and graffiti decorat ing its walls. The structure, just east of Slipway 4, where large boats were built during both World Wars, was once a locker room for Bethlehem Steel workers. Next to it lay huge piles of large concrete pegs, called “cribbage,” that were once used to hold up parts of large ships as they were built.

a map of the proposed plan, he had one major complaint: a scheme to develop a medium-rise building at the northeast corner of 18th and Illinois.

“It is outrageous to put a tall, highdensity building in a park,” Schwartz said, as he shook his head. The Port’s current plan designates the site, located

“I have one hundred signatures from the community. None of them want this.”

–TO P HER DELANEY, longtime D ogpatch resident

Over the next several years, the former locker room will be restored; park visitors will buy coffee in the café it’ll house. The cribbage will be repurposed as pavers in a park that will incorporate industrial relics left from the former shipyard, featuring lawns, a small beach, trees, picnic tables, and facilities for kayaks and other small boats. A site that’s now virtually barren and forgotten—save for a few industrial tenants, such as a seafood wholesaler and granite

specialist—will be transformed into a gathering place for dog walkers, boaters, kids, neighbors, and tourists.

However, tour participant Bill Schwartz wasn’t entirely happy about the plan. He pointed to a building on the southwest corner of Illinois and 18th streets, where he’s lived for

the last nine years. “I feel like we are under attack,” he said. He gestured towards an apartment building across the street that’d gone up recently. In the other adjacent lot, the concrete bones of a new housing complex under construction were visible. As he stood on Crane Cove Park’s future site, with

within Crane Cove Park, for future development. The Port says it needs the revenue from the development to help pay for the redevelopment of the waterfront. Proposition D, which passed in 2008, and steers a portion of tax revenue to Pier 70 redevelopment, including Crane Cove, and earmarked funds in the 2012 Park Bond, aren’t enough to undertake the massive amount of work needed, according to Beaupré. The park is expected to cost $45 million to construct, or $5 million an acre, with secured public financing generating less than half that amount.

The proposed building would be upwards of 65 feet tall, and could be used as apartments or condominiums, as

cRaNE cOVE page 14

TH INK STRAT EGIC & PROACTIV E

Highly competitive

above, the Port of San Francisco presented their ideas for crane cove Park in a meeting last month.

PhotogrAPh courteSy oF the DeSign ADViSory coMMittee

Right, topher Delancey points to, in her model of the area, some of the places of controversy at the site. PhotogrAPh courteSy oF Peter linenthAl

A MONTHLY UPDATE SPONSORED BY BRIDGE HOUSING

VOLUME 37 OCTOBER 2013

The Community Building Group’s PARADISE* Plan comlements the overall Rebuild Potrero Plan.

F or the st se er ye rs Ho sing or or tion h s eng ged the o nity in the re tion o M ster P n th t wi tr ns or the i ho sing site into i r nt ixed in o e o nity. nd o r H P rtners re ogni e th t s ess y tr ns or ing neigh orhood re ires tr ns or ing the so i en iron ent s h s the hysi . or th t re son is in the ro ess o de e o ing n or rogr s nd ser i es th t wi eet the ong ter needs o i ies i ing in i ho sing. his e ort w s o stered in to er 2012 when w s w rded H hoi e Neigh orhood niti ti e P nning r nt. his high y o etiti e gr nt ows s to re te ohesi e str tegy to i ro e the ity o i e not on y or Potrero err e nd Annex residents t so or the Potrero o nity t rge. on its o etion the PA A P n wi ser e s ro d to i ro ing o t o es or hi dren nd i ies in e ey re s: ed tion he th s ety e ono i se rity nd te hno ogy. he PA A P n w s n ed y the e i d Potrero o nity i ding ro to en o ss the s ir tions nd go s o the str tegi nning e ort. he nning ro ess is eing g ided y n Ad isory o ittee de o Potrero o nity e ers o nity sed org ni tions nd Potrero err e nd Annex residents. Pr ti And e isti And esir e de s or o i nri h ent

nter rises is e ding the nning e ort. he irst ste in the re tion o the PA A P n w s ho seho d ssess ent to g ther d t on the rrent onditions nd needs o Potrero err e nd Annex P A i ies. hree P A residents were re r ited hired nd tr ined to ser e s s r ey d inistr tors in rtnershi with n r n is o t te ni ersity gr d te st dents s we s s r ey d inistr tors who s e nish hinese nd Vietn ese.

A tho gh the s r ey w s engthy residents rti i ted enth si sti y in the ro ess. he res ts o the ssess ent wi e resented t n o ing o nity e ent:

Sunday, October 27, 2013

1:30 - 4:30 pm

Potrero Hill Neighborhood House 953 De Haro Street, SF

Please join us as we share the results of the assessment, solicit your feedback and hear the voices of the community.

For more information, visit our website at rebuildpotrero.com or e-mail us at potrero@bridgehousing.com

Future of Pier 70 Noonan Building Artists Still Being Sketched

By ca THERINE HERRER a

Waves gently crash onto the rocks at Pier 70, a chain link fence separating people from fish. The pier, at 150 years old the country’s longest working civilian shipyard, is the centerpiece of a twenty year process of ‘reconnecting the City with its Waterfront.’ As part of this process the pier will be almost completely redeveloped, with many less historic structures torn down, and a large number of new buildings constructed.

Pier 70 is adjacent to Dogpatch, a neighborhood quilted together with Victorian residences and massive industrial relics from the days when Union Iron Works, Bethlehem Steel, Pacific Rolling Mills and the Spreckels Sugar refinery lined the waterfront. Dogpatch has long possessed the creative, DIY spirit, exemplified by resident workers building Pelton Cottages in the late-1880s, some of the City’s first ‘affordable’ housing units, constructed from design specifications published for free in the San Francisco Evening Bulletin. By the 1970s, the semi-abandoned and forgotten Dogpatch had been transformed again, this time, by an influx of artists, crafters and small businesses relocating for cheap deals, attracted by a unique mix of gritty character and still active shoreline.

The Noonan Building is Pier 70’s only surviving, wood-frame structure. For the past several decades it has hosted artist studios, with modest rents paid to the San Francisco Port. Noonan artists were active in the community outreach phase of the Pier 70 development conducted by the City and County of San Francisco, the Port and the pier’s developer, Forest City. And Kim Austin, Suzy Bernard, Marti McKee, and other

Noonan artists were present at a Port Commission meeting last spring, when Forest City presented their proposed development plan. “Forest City said, point blank, we weren’t included in the Plan at all. Red flags went up for sure,” said Bernard.

In the Term Sheet of Forest City’s Pier 70 Preferred Master Plan the Noonan Building was slated for demolition, rather than restoration The Term Sheet sets forth the development agreement between Forest City and the Port while the environmental review process is underway. “We finally woke up,” said McKee, a San Franciscan-bornand-raised artist. “It was shocking, the whole pitch is arts and culture, so who do they exclude after two years of planning but the very artists who are in the building? The Noonan Building would be the only building representing the very long history of arts here at the Pier 70. Forest City envisions demolishing the Noonan, and no, we are not comfortable with it.”

At the Port Commission meeting Austin asked why the Noonan Building, originally built in 1941 – within the period deemed ‘historically significant’ in the Master Plan – is slated for demolition. And Austin expressed skepticism related to Forest City’s claims that the Noonan Building was ‘beyond repair,’ and ‘too expensive to restore.’

According to Forest City’s Jack Sylvan, “The Noonan Building was not listed as one of those historic structures, and it’s not a building that will remain. But it will be replaced by something. The Noonan Building tenants will have access to new space, in a new structure.”

Noonan Building artists, or at least the crafts and activities they pursue, seem like a natural fit for the re-envisioned pier. The public-private,

Port-Forest City, venture imagines Pier 70 as a mixed-use, thriving ‘urban ecosystem’ of residential and ‘emerging economy’ creative, technology and biomedicine commercial tenants, anchored by an active street-level bustling of restaurants, storefronts, and entertain-

ment. “We went through an extensive learning process, conducting local focus groups and workshops,” said Sylvan. Forest City’s website states that the Master Plan was carved out from five years of interviews with ‘hundreds of people in urban communities, focusing on creative industries and emerging economy sectors.’

Last summer, Forest City organized the Urban Air Market, an opportunity

Artist, Daniel Phill, inside his studio in the noonan building, prefers acrylic paints to make his splashy blobs of intense and muted colors. he’s represented by the Sandra lee gallery in San Francisco. PhotogrAPh by Don nolte.

Middle: noonan building at Pier 70. Bottom: Suzy bernard and Marti Mckee, two of the artists representing the noonan building in talks with Forest city and the Port. PhotogrAPhS by cAtherine herrerA

NOONaN from page 5

for the developer to present its Master Plan publicly. Along with 150 other vendors, the Noonan Building artists were present, sharing their work and engaging the community. “The Urban Air Market was the first opportunity to test the urban economic ecosystem,’ said Sylvan, who walked the market with Mayor Ed Lee.

According to Bernard, the Urban Art Market sparked a greater sense of camaraderie among local artisans, and ideas about how Noonan Building artists can contribute to the larger San Francisco community. “We can see how a gallery, or, educational workshop, is a positive offering to the public, and, a way to give back for the affordable space. At the same time, it’s really important to recognize many artistic mediums require large, light-filled, quiet spaces, with uninterrupted time, involving important elements of the creative process that might not yield an immediate product. I think it’s valuable to honor that creativity too, I think this type of artistic activity still benefits the larger community and City.”

According to Sylvan, there’s plenty of time for continued community input about the development while the environmental impact review process unfolds over the next three years. “What’s typical in a long-term planning project is to present a concept plan to the policy makers and community at the halfway point, with the plan detailing the developer’s vision for the site. So, rather than wait until the end of the planning process, we present the plan to both the Planning Commission and the

Board of Supervisors to get a thumbs up we’re moving in the right direction, which is the basis for the environmental review, and, in the next stage, we firm up details for land use planning, design, and negotiation of the actual business deal with the Port.”

Given the artists’ historic presence at Pier 70 Forest City is committed to assuring “a range of rents, from market rate, to creative tenants like the Noonan Building,” said Sylvan. “We have made a commitment to the folks who are in the Noonan Building, of being able to participate in the next itineration of the place in the new building or space that is created out on the site, even if we don’t know what that looks like yet.”

McKee believes the Noonan should be part of the new ecosystem. “For Forest City to get the tax subsidies that come with developing a historic district there have to be enough buildings within the whole project deemed historic to be eligible so, we are hoping we can sway the developer to reconsider and keep the Noonan Building.”

“We unified, made our feelings known…we are talking about the demolition of the Noonan Building happening some seven to 10 years down the road, will there still be people fighting? Will I still be here?” asked Bernard.

“We are starting a new chapter going forward. We are cautious, but, we are happy to be in good communications, and making progress, with Forest City.”

“We’re in it for the future artists, not even so much for ourselves. There

NOONaN page 29

Cases for iPads To Dream In

By DEEPTI DIW aKaR

Do you dream of dressing your iPad, smart phone or Kindle in a personalized, handmade, case? iDreamCase offers such an accessory, in a range of colors, materials and designs, including fine imported Milanese book cloth and leather. The small company, located at 2349 Third Street, produces sophisticated, personalized cases, or sleeves, made in San Francisco.

Gabi Hanoun, iDreamCase’s founder and chief executive officer, started his professional career as a bookbinder. But as demand for hand-bound books declined — in part as a result of electronic volumes — he decided he’d rather join the electronic age than be beaten by it, and applied his bookbinding skills to making iPad cases.

ing the last few years,” Hanoun said.

“My boss, George, of CardozaJames Company was my inspiration. His handling of resources, generosity, treating people with kindness and sharp business sense… left a deep impression on me,” Hanoun said. After owning the

gabi hanoun presented his iDream case at Stanford university. PhotogrAPh courteSy cArDoZAJAMeS coMPAny

An Armenian born in Lebanon, Hanoun immigrated to the United States when he was 19 years old, chasing the American dream of owning his own company. He started binding in 1983, at Burlingame-based Theodora Books. Before joining Cardoza-James Binding, which was founded in 1958. In 2002, he bought the Dogpatch-based company. Today, Hanoun focuses his 30 years of bookbinding expertise on both iDreamcase and the Cardoza-James Company, meeting the continued small demand for bookbinding. “…Demand for it has slowed down, especially dur-

Cardoza-James Company for eleven years, Hanoun won Citibank’s ‘The Best Manufacturer of San Francisco Award’ in 2013.

iDream recently won a contract to make iPad covers for the San Francisco Opera, as part of its opening gala, and has designed cases for Fox 2 KTVU, Hastings Law Journal, Ernst and Young and the San Francisco Chronicle

The company accepts corporate orders, applying company logos and employee names. The cases are designed to enable access to tablet buttons, and provide for speakers as well. It takes roughly an hour to make each case.

This home at 341 Mississippi Street attracted five offers after just a few days on the market.

A Potrero Hill Chevrolet—Over 50 Years Riding the Hills

By STEVEN FIDEL HERR aIz

For most of us, a car is simply a mode of transportation, a dispensable good with a shelf life. But for some of us, an automobile is something more, perhaps an expression of our individuality, a status symbol. And for a few of us, a vehicle is something profound: an art object, an antiquity to be restored and treasured, a family member. I fall into this last category, the proud owner of a 1959 Chevrolet Brookwood Station Wagon that has spent its entire life on Potrero Hill.

I moved to the Hill 22 years ago from the Haight with the help of my first love, a 1959 Chevrolet El Camino; I’ll admit to having a thing for ‘59 Chevys. For years, I’d seen a mysterious, rare, 1959 two-door station wagon cruising around the neighborhood. It was always driven by an elderly man, who I assumed was its original owner. I eyed the vehicle hungrily, knowing its sheet metal matched my rusty El Camino’s perfectly.

I was lucky enough to meet the car’s owner as he was driving by 20th and Kansas streets. His name was Rudy Sustarich. And he was indeed the automobile’s original owner. And, no, the car was not for sale.

Several years went by. In 1996 I was washing the El Camino when Rudy drove by in the station wagon. He hocked the horn and waved. As the car glided away I saw a “For Sale” sign in the back window.

“Wait, wait,” I screamed.

Rudy didn’t hear me. I ditched the hose and bucket, jumped into my car, and followed him to his house, three blocks away, at 18th and Vermont streets. I reintroduced myself, and asked about the car.

He sold it to me.

When I walked over to pick it up, I met his wife, Virginia.

“I thought he’d get rid of me before he got rid of the car,” she said.

Rudy gave me a brief history of the vehicle. He’d bought it new in 1959 at Ellis Brooks Chevrolet on Van Ness Avenue. It was the cheapest station wagon that Chevrolet

offered that year: two doors, no radio or heater, little chrome trim, a straight six engine, and a manual three-speed transmission on the column. Rudy explained that he bought the two-door model because he had young children and didn’t want them falling out of the car. I’d never driven a ‘three-on-the-tree’ before, so Rudy showed me how. I thanked him repeatedly, and successfully drove the car home.

After closely inspecting the vehicle, I reveled in what amazing, unmolested, original condition it was in. The sheet metal was intact, barring a few ‘supermarket dings,’ and it wore most of its original ‘Sapphire Blue’ paint. The interior was worn, but the car was solid.

It remains one of the most dependable vehicles I’ve ever owned.

Sure, with its manual brakes and steering, it handles like a school bus, but it drives like a dream on the highway at an even 60 miles per hour. I take it ‘camping’ at the Russian River monthly; with the back seat folded down, the cargo area easily fits a twin size mattress.

The day I drove the Brookwood home, Virginia took a photograph of Rudy and me with the car. Rudy passed away several years ago. I keep the photograph in the glove box as a memorial, an homage to the first caretaker of this beautiful, original, whole-life-on-the-Hill automobile.

Steven Fidel Herraiz lives on Arkansas Street. He was prompted to write this article by “The Most Unusual 50th Birthday Party on the Hill,” which appeared in the August issue

PhotogrAPhS

well as commercial activities, according to Beaupré. The details haven’t been ironed out, but according to Beaupré, the new development will bring in $15 million in Port revenues.

During the meeting following the tour, the potential building spurred significant emotional reactions. Topher Delaney, a longtime Dogpatch resident, stood up with a piece of paper in hand. “I have one hundred signatures from the community. None of them want this,” she said. “We have sat through a presentation that has not shown the building at all. It is disingenuous and fools the public. Here we are, a little group raising our hands for the future.”

The hour-long tour and subsequent almost three-hour meeting — jointlysponsored by the Port of San Francisco and their consultants, AECOM, for the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) Design Review Board and the Waterfront Design Advisory Committee — hadn’t included any information about the development parcel. An hour into the meeting BCDC chair John Kriken had stopped AECOM architect Alma du Solier’s presentation to time constraints. According to Beaupré, slides would have been presented to better explain development plans if they’d been allowed the time. He said that redevelopment planning documents have always included development parcels. And without community objection, there could have been even more development; a previous plan to erect

“I f there is anything you can do, please don’t trade our future for short term advantage.”

–KATHER I NE D OU M AN I, longtime D ogpatch resident

a building in the Ramp Restaurant’s parking lot was scrapped in the face of community opposition, according to Beaupré.

“Building a building right on the beach seems crazy. Won’t it disrupt any line of site to the cranes? That is shocking, I want that addressed directly,” said attendee James Nunemacher. Others expressed concerns that the building would block visibility and

affect safety by making the beach more secluded.

“If there is anything you can do, please don’t trade our future for short term advantage,” said Dogpatch resident Katherine Doumani, with many of the attendees applauding in response. “I beg you to do so. We are going to give away our future for a temporary quickening.”

Toby Levine, a Waterfront Advisory Committee member, had a more measured view of the potential building. “People need to look at the Port. It needs money. They don’t have it yet,” she said. “But I might look for other places to integrate the building into the development.”

Beaupré told the View after the meeting that moving the development was a possibility, but the density would need to be made up elsewhere, most

likely in the area of 20th and Illinois streets.

Michael Labiano, an architect and new Dogpatch resident, commended all the work that’d been put into park planning. “This is going to be an incredible asset to the neighborhood. I would love to know how to help support it.”

For their part, BCDC Design Review Board and Waterfront Design Advisory Committee members praised the park design as interesting and wellconceived, but echoed the sentiment that the proposed development seemed inappropriate. “And the question that is more than a question is, do we get rid of the development? It has to be open. It is the park,” said BCDC member Cheryl Barton.

“The plan is working,” retorted attendee Paul Nixon. “Let’s go to completion.”

“Let’s just stop the negativity and get this thing done,” agreed fellow attendee Bo Barnes.

The park is slated to be built in stages. In the first phase the area around the slipway will be renovated, starting late next year or early 2015. The development parcel and beach area won’t be constructed until at least 2016, with a significant number of planning and design meetings along the way, including more discussions about if and where the building should be constructed.

cRaNE cOVE from page 8

David beaupré of the San Francisco Port, right corner, leads attendees on a tour of the future crane cove Park. the massive crane will be preserved as a primary architectural feature of the park. PhotogrAPh by liZ Melchor

Happy Fifth Birthday to our dear Kate! XO Mom and Dad

Happy SIX months, Oliver! Love, Mama, Papa, and Big Brother Nicholas

our love, Mommy and Daddy

Happy Birthday to

The View is delighted to publish local kids’ birthdays and milestones. Please email your image and/or caption to production@ potreroview.net by the 18th of the prior month. High resolution photos, please! Learn more about the NW Potrero Hill-Dogpatch Green Benefits District at these upcoming workshops . . . Check out our website to learn more! www.phd-gbd.org Supported and endorsed by: Saturday, October 26th 12:30pm - 2:30pm @ The Workshop Residence, 833 22nd St. Monday, October 28th 6:30pm - 8:30pm @ Location TBD Saturday, November 16th 12:30pm - 2:30pm @ Rickshaw Bagworks, 904 22nd St.

ers — house seekers — and producers; developers. In San Francisco, the willingness to pay exorbitant prices for even small condominiums in the right location is the signal that tells developers that they should build still more condos in those places.

To find out if my city planning intuition was correct — that the western neighborhoods aren’t in demand — I used data available through my research at UC Berkeley to test the feasibility of additional development throughout the City. I tested every parcel for its financial feasibility at its maximum allowable height at the current price shown in the map to the left, predicting a purchase price for any current development. I eliminated buildings constructed before 1930 from consideration, as many such edifices would be profitable to redevelop, but wouldn’t be allowed to because of historic preservation restrictions. The map of possible development is shown at the right in Possible Development

neighborhoods near downtown are expanding as much as they’re able to within zoning height limits.

The analysis to this point has taken zoning as a given. There are two ways a developer can profitably construct new buildings: they can construct more bulk than currently

exists on the parcel, thus justifying a tear down of an existing building; or they can improve the quality of the existing edifice — either through renovation or demolition — and extract higher rents from new residents.

Residential Sales

This map seems to confirm my intuition: development isn’t financially feasible in most of western San Francisco. The most profitable development opportunities are in SoMa, Dogpatch, and, perhaps surprisingly, around Geary and Van Ness west to about Japantown. The general pattern is clear: high-income

The first point is critical. If zoning doesn’t allow enough new building size relative to the current structure on a parcel, it won’t be profitable to increase the density of the existing buildings. I solicited input from a fellow PhD and real estate expert, Ian Carlton, who encouraged me to run this analysis without zon-

Being a good doctor is about more than practicing good medicine. It’s about preventing illness. Being proactive. Taking time to really listen. And giving our members the personalized care they deserve.

ing constraints. And here’s the crux of the matter: in a ridiculously strong real estate market like San Francisco, prices indicate that development can be justified pretty much anywhere if height limits are loose enough. The prices along Geary certainly support large developments, despite the map previously described.

tion, CalTrain has the highest growth potential, followed by Bay Area Rapid Transit, light rail, and bus. This fits with expectations, although it should be noted that CalTrain’s potential is likely higher due to more undeveloped land near CalTrain than around BART. In other words, transit still

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Possible Development

Number of feasible units per sta1on within 1/2-mile of transit

Number Of Feasible Units Per Station Within 1/2 Mile Of Transit

What does this mean exactly? In my and Carlton’s opinion, zoning height limits are controlling development in a strong market like San Francisco. Because of the large population in the Richmond and restrictive height regulations, growth is being pushed Southside, particularly towards land currently zoned for industrial use, which has few residents to resist. This phenomenon will create enormous growth in the near future around the Transbay terminal, SoMa, Mishpot, Dogpatch, and adjacent areas. If you’re opposed to growth around Potrero Hill, you’re losing the zoning battle to other more established San Francisco neighborhoods, which have a larger base of resistance.

It’s interesting to ponder what could, or should, happen once there are no more post-industrial lands in San Francisco to ‘colonize.’ Carlton took my results and related the growth outcomes to different types of transit, shown above. Per transit sta-

matters, fast transit matters more, and in a world not warped by zoning restrictions transit is the mechanism to shape growth.

Although this is only a rough sketch, there are some interesting conclusions that can be drawn. First, if zoning is taken as a given, most development occurs where there’s little development today. Second, if height limits were moderately increased throughout the City, it’s likely that demand would be sufficient to spark development in any location in San Francisco. If areas along Geary in the Richmond were upzoned — height limits increased for instance, large amounts of development would occur

GROWTH page 29

Mark Zuckerberg at KIPP

PHOTOG R APHS BY

DON NOLTE

Last month Facebook chief executive officer (CEO) Mark Zuckerberg joined students, educators, and community leaders to celebrate the opening of KIPP’s first high school in San Francisco, KIPP San Francisco College Preparatory at the Enola Maxwell campus. Event attendees included Richard Barth, KIPP Foundation’s CEO, Richard Carranza, Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District and District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen. KIPP Bay Area Schools is a network of open-enrollment college-preparatory public charter schools that serves students from underserved backgrounds. More than 95 percent of KIPP Bay Area’s students are people of color, and 75 percent are from low-income households. More than 85 percent of KIPP Bay Area alumni have gone on to college.

Tuesday,

Saturday

Sunday

Tuesday

you’re connected directly to

– even same

visits. It’s another way we plus you.

UCSF Long Range Development Plan

UC San Francisco is preparing a new Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) to guide future growth and development over a 20+ year planning horizon through the year 2035. The LRDP plans for projected campus growth of approximately 2.76 million gross square feet on existing campus sites (including Mission Bay, Mount Zion, and Parnassus) to accommodate roughly 500 more students and 10,000 more employees. So far, six community workshops have been held at UCSF’s campus sites.

Some important features of the LRDP include proposals to:

• accommodate growth in clinical care, research programs and student enrollment;

• address seismically compromised buildings;

• optimize the use of existing campus sites, and;

• continue to work with neighbors to address potential community concerns that may arise as result of UCSF’s physical development.

EIR Scoping Meeting

You are invited to an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) scoping meeting for the UCSF LRDP. This meeting provides an opportunity for the community to discuss the scope and content of the environmental information they expect to see included in the Draft EIR. This allows UCSF to learn about potential concerns early, as well as further de nes the issues, feasible alternatives and potential mitigation measures that may warrant in-depth analysis in the environmental review process. This public meeting is not required by law.

When: Monday, October 28, 2013

7:00 PM

Where: UCSF Parnassus Campus Millberry Union 500 Parnassus Avenue

UCSF Parnassus Campus is on MUNI lines 6, 43, 66, N-Judah. If you must drive, please park in the UCSF public parking garage for $1.75 (with validation).

UCSF fully ascribes to the Americans with Disabilities Act. If at any time you feel you have a need for accommodation, please contact UCSF Community & Government Relations at 415.476.3206 or community@cgr.ucsf.edu with your suggested accommodation.

For more information: community@cgr.ucsf.edu

415.476.3206

www.ucsf.edu/LRDP

Initial Study

An Initial Study that includes a project description is available online at www.ucsf.edu/LRDP. It also identi es the scope and content of the environmental information that will be included in the Draft EIR. You can obtain a paper or CD copy of the Initial Study by calling 415.476.2911.

To give written feedback on the Initial Study, please write by October 29, 2013 to Diane Wong, UCSF Campus Planning, Box 0286, San Francisco, CA 94143 or email her at EIR@planning.ucsf.edu.

The Draft EIR is expected to be published in April 2014. If you would like to be notified about the publication of the Draft EIR, or if you would like to attend the public hearing, please contact us at community@cgr.ucsf.edu or at 415.476.3206.

The Library will be closed on November 28 and 29 in observance of Thanksgiving.

PROGRA M S FOR A DULTS

The Food Mood Connection with Amy Woodbury, holistic nutritionist. Learn to boost your mood using holistic foods. Wednesday, October 23, 5 to 6 p.m.

PROGRA M S FOR T EENS

Game On! Come play PS3 games on our big screen! We have a selection, but you can bring your own  T or E  rated games to share. Challenge your friends to determine who is the ultimate gamer! Snacks!!! Ages 10 to 18 welcome. Tuesdays, October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

LED Robot Plushie Workshop + Little Brother Book Discussion. Learn how to light up your craft projects with Amelia Strader, owner and founder of mobile crafting workshop GoGo Craft. She’ll take you step-by-step through the process of making and then adding LEDs to this adorable robot plushie. Materials included. While you craft, you can chat about SFPL’s One City One Book — Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, which features teens using technology for fun, a little mayhem, and to defend civil rights. For ages 13 and up. Limited to 12 participants. Contact Lisa, lfagundes@sfpl.org or call 355.2822 for more information or to sign-up. October 18, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

PROGRA M S FOR CH I LDREN

Bocaditos Workshop. In this workshop, your librarian, Lia Hillman (a former chef), will teach your child the fundamentals for making tasty snacks, including organic cherry tomato salsa, guacamole, and bean dip. Limit 20 children. Please call for a reservation. For children ages five and up. October 5, 4 to 5 p.m.

Baby Rhyme and PlayTime. For infants up to eighteen months old and their caregiver. Tuesdays, October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, 1:15 to 1:45 p.m.

Family Storytime. Featuring stories, songs and rhymes. For children from birth to five years old and their caregiver. Thursdays, October 3,* 10, 17, 24, and 31, 10:30 to 11 a.m. and 11:15 to 11:45 a.m. *This year on October 3, 2013, Lia will read Otis by Loren Long during Family Storytime, allowing Bernal’s children to join in on the world’s largest celebration of reading: Read for the Record! Each year, we help set a new world record for the most children reading the same book with a caregiver on the same day.)

Homework Help. Kindergarten to sixth-grade students will receive one-on-one help from our capable volunteers. Need homework support? Drop by the library for free assistance. October 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29, 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Fun Flicks. This film program is offered every second Wednesday of the month and includes short films based on children’s books and stories. October’s films will be Beneath the Ghost, Katura and the Cat, and Pumpkin Circle. For children ages three to eight, October 9, 6:30 to 7:15 p.m.

Movie Day: In partnership with the Potrero Hill Family Support Center (PHFSC), we’ll present a Children’s feature film (TBD) along with a meal. Short animation or live action movies, often based on children’s books. October 25, 3 to 5:30 p.m.

LI BRARY SP ONSORED CO MM UN I TY PARTNERSH IP S

Creative Writing Workshop A free class to help you write your own stories, develop characters, and find your own unique voice in a supportive and creative environment. Please contact Shevi for more information: sheviros@gmail.com or 602.7961. Thursdays, October 3, 10, 17, 24, and 31, 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

The Potrero H ill Book Club meets at the library every third Wednesday evening of the month. October’s selection is The Terrorist by John Updike Join the discussion on, October 16, 7 to 8:30 p.m.

San Francisco Seed Library at the Potrero Branch Library In partnership with the San Francisco Seed Library, the Potrero Branch Library has seeds available for ‘checkout.’ Located on the 1st floor beneath the staircase.

Out of Cuba: Memoir of a Journey

Last month long-time Potrero Hill resident, and former View crime reporter, Regina Anavy published Out of Cuba: Memoir of a Journey, which chronicles her experience befriending a Cuban man, who wants to escape his island nation. In 1971, Anavy traveled to Cuba illegally, to cut sugarcane with the Fourth Venceremos Brigade, in support of Fidel Castro’s Ten Million Ton Harvest. Thirty years later, she returned to Cuba as a tourist, and is drawn to the intelligence and bravery of Teseo, her tour guide. They form a friendship, and he ultimately confides that he’s desperate to leave the island. Remembering how someone helped her Jewish grandparents escape the pogroms of Russia, Anavy promises to help him.

November 5

Municipal Election

Register to Vote by October 21

Request to Vote by Mail by October 29

Vote early at City Hall October 7 – November 5

Vote at your Polling Place on Election Day 7AM – 8PM

M ANY P OLLING P LACES H AVE C HANGED !

Check your Voter Information Pamphlet or sfelections.org/toolkit for your Polling Place address

• Seeking a new and exciting cultural experience?

• Would you like to host a short or long-term international student who is studying English?

• Does your home have wireless internet access?

• Do you live near public transportation and within 45 minutes of downtown San Francisco?

If you answered “Yes” to these questions, please contact Converse International School of Languages to learn more.

October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Chess: Youth Chess Class Elementary-, middle-, and highschool-aged youth are invited to join chess lessons and games, hosted by an experienced chess instructor from the Mechanics Institute Library and Chess Room. Free. Ages five to 17. 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro Street. Information: phnhsf@gmail.com, 826-8080.

October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Yoga: Senior/ Gentle Yoga Class at Yogasita

Savvy Seniors and ‘Sloga’ (slow, gentle, yoga) lovers head over to Yogasita for a gentle yoga class. Stretch, relax and breathe; and practice at your own pace. It’s rejuvenating. $15 first-time. $20 thereafter. Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Yogasita, 1501 Mariposa Street #308. Information: yogasitasf.com

October 3-13

Film: Mill Valley Film Festival

A celebration of the best in independent and world cinema, MVFF brings together a community of filmmakers and film lovers in Mill Valley, San Rafael and beyond. This prestigious event showcases international features, documentaries, shorts and children’s films — something for every film-goer, Potrero Hill’s own, Berry Minott’s film, The Illness and the Odyssey will be featured. Tickets are $14.00, CFI Members, $11.50, unless otherwise noted. CinéArts@ Sequoia, 25 Throckmorton Avenue, Mill Valley), Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth Street, San Rafael, and other venues throughout Information: mvff.com

October 6, 13, 20

Theater: Hysterical Historical San Francisco

In Hysterical, Historical San Francisco acclaimed comic Kurt Weitzmann pokes fun at everything from the Barbary coast to the Haight Ashbury and, as if humanly possible, succeeds in making San Francisco funnier than it actually is. With his brash callit-what-it-is humor, Kurt takes us on a refreshingly ‘incorrect’ 60-minute journey around the City by the Bay, taking on icons such as Chinatown and the pirates and prospectors from the days of yore. 7 p.m. $30. The Shelton Theater, 533 Sutter Street. Information: info@ sheltontheater.org.

Sound: Resonance at the Exploratorium

Take a journey inside contemporary music with Resonance, a series that features musicians and sound artists performing their work and discussing their ideas, techniques, and inspirations with radio host and pianist Sarah Cahill. Hear a musical

instrument made from penguin bones, learn how remixed sound samples can form the backdrop for a lounge act. It’s an exploration of unheard sounds, and undiscovered music. This evening’s performance by Cheryl E. Leonard, a composer, performer and instrument builder who creates instruments from a raw materials that range from glass shards and pinecones to glaciers and box spring mattresses. $25 for adults. Lower rates for students, teachers, seniors. Exploratorium Theater, Pier 15. Information: 528.4360 or exploratorium.edu/ resonance.

Event: Happy Hour

Music — Bayview Opera House at Radio Africa and Kitchen Bayview Opera House presents Happy Hour Music at Radio Africa & Kitchen every Friday night. Chef Eskender is offering several specials, Mushroom Crostini and Chicken jamabalaya to name a few. Entrance free. Meals from $5 to $8. Radio Africa and Kitchen, 4800 Third Street. Information: 420.2478.

Live Music: Soul Delights

The ever popular Soul Delights are back in town. Come and enjoy the tunes. 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Farley’s, 1315 – 18th Street.

Tour: Walking Tour of Little Italy

A guided walk from the wharf to waterfront, exploring the North Beach neighborhood and 150 years of San Francisco history and culture, through the story of Italian immigration and settlement and the ways in which the City and the community have shaped one another. The first Italian immigrants came to San Francisco at the time of the Gold Rush, and settled near the waterfront in North Beach, one of the city’s sunniest and most beautiful quarters. This is a halfday excursion. Four hours, four

miles, at a leisurely pace and as flat as possible, with a break at the mid-point for (Italian, of course) coffee and light snack (included in the price of the tour). The tour starts at Fisherman’s Wharf, and ends at the Ferry Building in time for a late lunch (not included). $35. 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Meet at South End Rowing Club, 500 Jefferson. Information: info@geniuslocitours. com

Community: Potrero Festival on 20th Street

Come one and all to frolic and feast at this rocking event. Expect to find local food, arts and crafts, local history, homegrown entertainment, children’s petting zoo, face painting and much more. Free. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 20th Street from Missouri to Wisconsin streets. Pancake Cajun-style Brunch from 9 am to noon. $12. 953 De Haro Street. Information: potrerofestival.com.

October 20+ 21, November 2+3

Art: Open Studios

SF Open Studios is the oldest and largest open studios program in the country, featuring over 900 emerging and established San Francisco artists in their studios. The event connects collectors with artists for engaging dialogue and a glimpse into the life of the working artist. The second weekend will feature artists in their studios in Potrero Hill, Dogpatch and Bayview, the fourth will feature artists at the Islais Creek Studios and at Hunters Point Shipyard. Across town, at Studio Nocturne, Hill artists Greta and Manu Schnetzler will show photography at the Fleet Room in Building D at Fort Mason (studionocturnesf.com). All events, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Free. See guide for specifics: guide. artspan.org.

October 19 & 20,

43rd Annual Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival

The World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay celebrates its bountiful fall harvest with a fantastic lineup of rustic pumpkin patches, harvestinspired crafts, home-style foods, expert pumpkin carvers, the Great Pumpkin Parade, a thrilling haunted house, a titanic weigh-off of champion pumpkins, pie-eating contest, pumpkin carving, costume contests, a pancake breakfast, a five and 10K run/walk, and three stages with blockbuster entertainment. New to the festival this year is the first ever “Made on the Coast” locals’ block, which will feature original

art of all mediums created by local artists. Admission is free. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Main Street, Half Moon Bay. Information: 650.726.9652, miramarevents. com.

October 22 through December 3

Art: Day of the Dead Exhibit and Ceremony

Puerto Alegre presents Day of the Dead art exhibit and ceremony curated by Calixto Robles. More than 20 artists will share their art works in different media. Artists in this exhibit: Juan R. Fuentes, Alexandra Blum, Gloria Morales, Art Hazelwood, Cecile RoblesBlum and many more. Opening Reception, with ceremony and sugar skull demonstration, Tuesday October 29 from 3 to 5 p.m. Puerto Alegre, 546 Valencia Street. Information: 255.8201.

Community: Farley’s 23 Annual Pet Parade

Calling all canine, feline and fowl in your best dress for a chance to show your stuff. This year’s parade and contest promises to be bigger, grander and more bizarre than ever! Come and cheer for your favorites. Parade begins at 1 p.m. Corner of 18th and Arkansas; march up 18th Street, end at Texas and 18th, where there’ll be live music, costume judging and trophies awarded. Free. Information: farleyscoffee.com

Community: Halloween Party at the NABE

Join the community at The Neighborhood House for a Halloween party open to kids and adults of all ages with ghoulish games, creepy candy, and phantom fun. Free. 4 to 6 p.m. The Neighborhood House, 953 De Haro Street. Information: phnhsf@gmail.com, 826.8080.

November 2

Community: Potrero Hill

History Night

Historian and author Charles Fracchia will present Potrero Hill: An Adventure in Urban Archaeology; Etienne Simon, who grew up on the Hill and has many stories and photographs to share; and other surprises. Come at 5:30 p.m. for the barbeque ($6, $2 for dessert) prepared by Thee Parkside, Bottom of the Hill, and Chat’s Coffee, with music by the Apollo Jazz Group. History Night program, 7 to 9 p.m. Free. International Studies Academy, 655 De Haro Street. Information 863.0784.

Day of Dead Exhibit, Calixto Robles

The Goodman Building Artists to Show Work at Open Studios

By BRENT BUSHNELL aND

S OFIa ca RMI

In 1998 we first encountered one another at the San Francisco International Art Fair. That year we met again at Brent’s Open Studio in the Serta building. In the ensuing months we kept running into each other at gallery and museum openings. Since we couldn’t keep out of each other’s way, we decided to stay together, and now live and work in The Goodman Building, which this fall will participate in Open Studios for the first time in 10 years.

Brent is a Mormon cowboy from the Great Salt Lake area. Sofia has a mystical Jewish background from near the Dead Sea. Both of our paintings reflect an art for art’s sake philosophy and response to nature. At the Fall Open Studios, work will be displayed at 1695 18th Street expressing our mutual concern for the earth, and an appreciation for its beauty and variety. Brent is inspired by the arctic; Sofia by the desert. We paint our outward observations and inward reflections of the experience of nature, and memories of place.

Brent’s current series—30 by 40 inch somewhat abstract landscapes, of oil, enamel and acrylic was inspired by the

United States Navy. Sofia’s

her experience

in a tree house near the Dead Sea in her youth, and is embodied in 40 by 30 inch somewhat abstract landscapes, mostly oil on canvas and watercolors.

We’re concerned about the shrinkage of underdeveloped areas, environmental degradation, reckless using of natural resources, threats to wildlife, brought home by the global warming crisis. We both value wilderness places as respites from the hurried, anxious lives we lead in typical urban environments.

We work in a variety of abstract styles, and use materials much as the alchemists of old did, seeking to transform the blank canvas into an expression of beauty, wonder and awe, reflecting our deep concern for the natural environment that we inhabit.

Open Studios is November 2 and 3.

Artists, and couple, Brent Bushnell and Sofa carmi, inside their studio in the goodman building, PhotogrAPh by Don nolte.

Left: carolyn crampton MIddle Left : Sofa carmi MIddle Right brent bushnell. Right Amahid Arslanian Below, clockwise, brent bushnell, carolyn crampton, Jakub kalousek, Joan Schulze, Amahid Arslanian, and Sofa carmi. PhotogrAPhS by Don nolte. below, PhotogrAPh courteSy oF brent buShell

arctic; he was stationed in Greenland with the

inspiration comes from

living

GALLERY SCENE

Western Potrero Hill has seen a surge of created activity as four art galleries launched inaugural shows in the area last month, at Catherine Clark, Todd Hosfelt, George Lawson and Jack Fischer galleries.

By JIM Va N BUSKIRK

Award-winning independent filmmaker and Potrero Hill resident Lise Swenson was recently the center of a love fest. Last month, her feature film, Saltwater — a collaboration between City College of San Francisco’s Cinema Department and Goodwill San Francisco — was feted at an unprepossessing space on the first block of 11th Street

At the event, Goodwill’s ‘As-Is’ shop was transformed into a party space, featuring a DJ, food and wine, and a pop up shop offering a selection of dresses, T-shirts and jewelry. Cast, crew and community members attended the celebration, while mannequins displayed costumes from the film. Since one of the movie’s characters is a packrat, much material was needed for props and set decoration, which led Swenson to Goodwill.

said Swenson, who gave shout-outs to many of the team members, including the film’s composer, Joan Jeanrenaud, formerly of Kronos Quartet, and a Rhode Island and 18th Street resident.

The film’s plot, which Swenson confirmed was loosely autobiographical, involves a young San Francisco woman named Jenny, who identifies as ‘half Jewish,’ planning her wedding. In search of her grandmother’s wedding dress, Jenny travels to the Salton Sea. Amid the brutal ecological disaster of the sea and mounds of family debris, she reconnects with her eccentric aunt and begins to uncover a murky family history. As she starts to see the beauty of the neglected oasis and its inhabitants, she realizes her life is not what she thought it was. When secrets emerge, she must make hard choices about her future to be free from the past. Swenson has worked on her signature film for seven years.

At the party, Goodwill’s brand director, Tim Murray, spoke about the nonprofit’s social enterprise model, and its interest in helping create a film that revolves around the stories embedded in possessions and memories. Swenson explained how the collaboration occurred: she had a script, Goodwill had treasures, City College had aspiring filmmakers. Together they figured out how to make a low budget, high production value film.

Participants in Goodwill’s job training programs played key production roles. The primary crew was culled from City College, lead by industry professionals. “Saltwater is at its heart a celebration of community, a commitment to on-set skill training and an honoring of our planet’s stewardship; all of which come under the guises of a powerful story about learning to let go of the people and things we love,”

Saturday,

Thursday,

Saturday,

Tuesday,

Saturday,

Thursday,

The film, set in 2013, takes place over a few weeks and includes several flashbacks. Among the short scenes silently screened during the event were shots from McKinley Square, a bicycle ride down the Hill and across the 18th Street Bridge, Therapy boutique on Valencia, and some interiors filmed in Swenson’s flat. Two previously unreleased rough-cut scenes, which Swenson emphasized hadn’t yet been color-corrected or sound mixed, were also shown.

The next few months will see fundraising parties, rough-cut screenings and more post-production work for an eventual release next year.

For more information: www. saltwaterthemovie.com; a six-minute trailer is available at: http://vimeo. com/71592076.

Festival Returns, with Fun for the Whole Family

By KEITH GOLDSTEIN

The Potrero Hill Festival returns to 20th Street this month, its 24th time on the Hill. In recent years, the festival has joined the roster of great San Francisco street fairs, drawing locals and non-Hillites alike to enjoy music on two stages, a vibrant kid’s zone and food from local eateries. The festival has maintained its community vibe over the years, even as it’s increased its citywide profile.

The day’s activities serve as a fundraiser for the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House’s programs. Hill resident Stephanie Alston produced this year’s event, which is co-produced by Potrero Dogpatch Merchants Association.

As usual, the October 19 shingding kicks off with a traditional jazz brunch at the Neighborhood House. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts students will prepare a lavish and delicious brunch, featuring jazz grooves, superb Bay views, and tasty grub—including

9 a.m. to noon.

The festival starts at 11 a.m. on 20th Street between Missouri and Wisconsin. Local artists, merchants and restaurants will be featured. It’s an opportunity for the whole family to have fun, with a petting zoo, pony rides, jumpy house, face painting and music on two stages. The main stage will rock with local favorites, the Soul Delights. Closing the afternoon will be the San Francisco Rock Project; teenage and pre-teen phenoms

A VI E W FROM THE PAST:

Grosmama’s on Vermont Street

Etienne Schier Simon was five years old, dressed to perform the Cabbage Dance when she posed for her grandmother’s camera in 1928. Etienne lived at 22nd and York streets, but spent a lot of time at her grandmother’s house nearby at 1333 Vermont Street, between 24th and 25th streets. Grosmama Amelia Schier was widowed, and served as chief babysitter for little Etienne, her cousins, and other neighborhood children.

It wasn’t only Schier’s light-filled Victorian and frequent plum cake — ‘pflaumenkuchen’ in her native German—that made the house a great place for kids to play and explore. The lot her home stood on was large even when it was built in the 1870s’ standards, 100 by 100 feet, and included a carriage house the kids called ‘the barn,’ her husband’s machine shop, a wash house, chicken yard, flower and vegetable gardens and many fruit trees. Amelia sometimes took Etienne with her when she collected rents from her several properties. On some Sundays they visited the Lutheran church she attended across the street, at 1332 Vermont, now the Community Church.

Etienne’s dance school was at 22nd and Treat streets. The Cabbage Dance was a lot like the Hokey-Pokey, with little kids extending their feet as they pretended to plant cabbages. Etienne kept her wooden shoes for a long time.

1333 Vermont is gone, moved to make way for the

who wowed the audience at last year’s festival. The second stage will feature teen entertainment, with music, dancing, and a talent contest. The Fei Tian Traditional Chinese Dance Troupe, with their colorful outfits and graceful dances, will once again perform. There are a few booths still available. More details can be found at potrerofestival.com. Admission is free.

James Lick 101 Freeway in the early 1950s. According to a Schier family legend, it ended up in Hayward. Etienne went on to marry, raise a family, teach at elementary schools and adult reading classes, and, ultimately, to serve as an acting principal. Today she’s the editor of Golden Leaves, the quarterly of the C alifornia Retired Teachers Association.

Etienne Schier Simon will talk about her Potrero Hill years at her Grosmama’s on Vermont Street at the 14th Annual Potrero Hill History Night, November 2 at International Studies Academy, 655 De Haro Street. — Peter Linenthal, Potrero Hill Archives Project.

Potrero pancakes — available from

Potrero Festival highlights, 2012. PhotogrAPhS courteSy oF lArSen & ASSociAteS, PhotogrAPhS by toMMy lAu

cITy aND cOUNTy OF Sa N F RaNc IS cO OcTOBER 2013 MONTHLy

NEWSPaPER OUTREacH

aDVERTISING SURVEy

the board of Supervisors is evaluating the effectiveness of outreach advertising. was the information in this ad helpful and/or interesting to you? what types of articles would you like to see? Please provide your comments at (415) 5547710 or email board.of.supervisors@sfgov.org. Please include the publication name and date.

a PROJEcT OF THE S.F. DEPaRTMENT OF PUBLIc WORKS (DPW) aND THE MayOR’S OFFIcE ON DISaBILITy

“Tell the City where curb ramps are needed most! Do you use a wheelchair, walker, or scooter? Do you have trouble getting to the nearest transit stop? the DPw needs your help in identifying sidewalks and paths of travel with missing or damaged ramps. upon your call, we will send investigators out and collect fndings based on your information. Just jot down the intersection and tell the friendly 3-1-1 operator how a curb ramp would increase access for your neighborhood. we appreciate your help!

SaN FRaNcIScO

POLIcE DEPaRTMENT (SFPD)

aUxILIaRy LaW ENFORcEMENT RESPONSE TEaM (aLERT)

the SFPD has developed a volunteer citizen disaster preparedness program. the Auxiliary law enforcement response team (Alert) is modeled after and works in partnership with the San Francisco Fire Department’s (SFFD) neighborhood emergency response team (nert). the Alert program will train members of the public to assist law enforcement in essential tasks after a major disaster. Such tasks may include: traffc control, foot patrol of business and residential areas, and reporting criminal activity. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age and live, work, or attend high school in San Francisco. Volunteers will receive training from both the SFFD and the SFPD. Alert volunteers will frst complete the Fire Department’s neighborhood emergency response team (nert) training (www.sfgov.org/sfnert), and then graduate into an eight hour Police Department course specifcally designed for Alert team members. For a comprehensive overview of the Alert program,

please visit our webpage at www.sanfranciscopolice. org/alert For additional information email sfpdalert@sfgov.org, or call Sergeant Mark hernandez (SFPD, ret.), at (415) 401-4615. like us on Facebook, at SFPD Alert (https://www. facebook.com/SFPDAlert).

DO yOU NEED FREE ExPERT aDVIcE

aBOUT MONEy?

come to the San Francisco Financial Planning Day, hosted by the ccSF offce of Financial empowerment, the Financial Planning Association and consumer credit counseling Service on Saturday, october 19, 2013, from 9am–4pm at uc hasting School of law. certifed Financial Planners and credit counselors are volunteering to offer free one-on-one counseling and fnancial workshops through the day. Visit: www. sfsmartmoneynetwork.org for more information and to reserve your spot.

SaN FRaNcIScO UNIFIED ScHOOL

DISTRIcT (SFUSD)

looking for the right public school for your child? come to the SFuSD enrollment fair and fnd out what each school has to offer. Meet principals and teachers, and talk to other parents about what they love about their school: Saturday, november 2, 2013 from 9:30am-2:30pm at the concourse exhibition center, 620 - 7th Street. For more information, including transportation to the fair, visit www.sfusd. edu/enroll or call (415) 241-6085.

t he c ity and c ounty of San Francisco encourage public outreach. Articles are translated into several languages to provide better public access. t he newspaper makes every effort to translate the articles of general interest correctly. n o liability is assumed by the c ity and c ounty of San Francisco or the newspapers for errors and omissions.

NOONaN from page 6

needs to be spaces, and the inclusion of the local history of artist’s collectives, whether it’s like Hunters Point, which is organized, or the Noonan Building’s historic use as artist studios,” said McKee. “We know San Francisco is like many places grappling with these larger questions. These types of places need to stay intact, because pretty soon there is going to be no space in San Francisco, it’s just too expensive.”

GROWTH from page 17

there. This is true regardless of investments in transit on the corridor; automobiles still account for 49.8 percent of trips in San Francisco.

Third, if much larger swaths of the City were upzoned, or if zoning were removed entirely, it’s likely that public transit would become the lead determinant in the amount of development that could be supported. In this case, areas around BART extensions and Muni lines with exclusive right-of-ways would attract the most growth. Given that the market would have dictated that development occur near BART and Caltrain’s trunk transit lines, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to upzone those areas.

It’s likely that Potrero Hill will continue to be caught in the crossfire between incredible employment and wage growth, the new development that follows such growth, and its perfect location near Downtown and between the City’s main rail lines.

FI CT I ON An Odd Couple

By MaRG a RET K Ey ES

Gus was a street thug. Me, his invisible Boswell he considered his ‘number one gofer.’ My only task was to act the heavy, as he strutted down the street each morning, picked up messages, accepted greetings and tributes, and made his first drop of the day. Jimmie Cagney, film-star and gangster look-alike, doing his thing.

He could be charming. He understood the privileges and responsibilities of his position as the neighborhood ‘hunk.’ Flirty teasing with his groupies.

Aida was something else though, an acquired taste. With icy blue, disdainful eyes, this elegant femme fatale, sure of her allure and incapable of making an ungraceful move, silently observed his show. Like her grand opera namesake, a princess with ancestral rights to be worshiped, Aida initially kept her distance. Her judgment: Gus was a clown sent by the Gods for her amusement.

But Gus had a split personality, another side that won my heart; and probably Aida’s. I first saw him when he was behind bars in a nine feet by six feet cinderblock cell at the Marin County Humane Society. He had

one paw stretched out to touch-comfort a lugubrious Springer Spaniel three times his size in the next cell. He glanced my way, keeping his paw in place, and made a low raspy comment.

Voiceless, I thought.

Wrong. Gus, a minia ture Dachshund-Jack Russell mix, was simply hoarse from three days of loud and furious protest. He watched me sign him out with wary approval. His bark reappeared during our stroll the next day. He made it clear to the German Shepherd at the corner that he was the new ‘patron’ taking over his territory. Aida, who commanded the heights of furniture and countertops in our home with her long Siamese legs, ignored his attention and took none of his guff.

ing bored.

Clearly the games were on. Mostly ‘tag’ chases and ‘gotcha’ ambushes.

Of course, they had separate interests.

Aida was a master hypnotist, though. I can’t swear who made the next move, but I did find Gus’s ball in one of her high spots, and once or twice I thought I saw a stealthy paw push a piece of chicken to drop on the floor. Gus downed it in a single gulp, while Aida sat on the counter look-

Aida liked the view of the City from Potrero Hill roof tops. She could have been the world’s top cat burglar, but she preferred to create little happenings. Her favorite was to perch on Jacques’ — my neighbor, a photographer — steep roof outside my kitchen window and pretend she was marooned and terrified. Back and forth, she’d pace, mewing piteously, method acting. I’d bought her act the first time and made the mistake of hauling my library ladder to the window to make a bridge across the alley. Mistake! It became her preferred mode of entry; complete with photo-ops for Jacques to catch her irresistible poses.

I was smart enough not to enter either of these megalomaniacs into an animal show. Gawd knows what they’d have devised for a larger audience.

LLUSTRATION

CRIME & SAFETY REPORT

By KEITH BURB a NK

Crime Committee Formed by Boosters This Summer

When Jim Wilkins’ car was broken into last summer it was the straw that broke the camel’s back, the Connecticut Street resident said. Wilkins approached Potrero Boosters president J.R. Eppler, and the two agreed to start a crime and safety committee. Wilkins is particularly concerned about crime on Muni buses.

“It’s pretty appalling” that people can’t ride public transportation without getting ripped off, Wilkins said. Indeed, at the Boosters’ August meeting, Bayview Station Captain Robert O’Sullivan acknowledged residents’ concerns about Muni crimes, in which perpetrators have been targeting hand-held devices. The View reported on a Muni crime incident in last month’s column.

Eppler agreed to launch the crime and safety committee “because we had seen a lot of concern on Nextdoor Potrero” about public safety issues, particularly related to car burglaries. Eppler and Wilkins are gathering crime data to determine if there’s been an increase in criminal activity on the Hill. “The first step is making sure we have good data,” Eppler said.

At the Boosters meeting, O’Sullivan reported some “good news, bad news” crime statistics. He said the number of robberies is down, but automobile burglaries have increased significantly. Auto burglaries have risen 26 percent through July of this year, compared with the same period last year, according to O’Sullivan.

The committee wants to establish

better communication with the police, and advocate for more police protection in the neighborhood. Wilkins said he thinks the community needs more police

A ccording to Captain O’S ullivan, at least one gang is active in A nnexTerrace. B ut he stressed that 99 percent of public housing residents are good people.

coverage because of the amount of crime in the area. He said O’Sullivan has told him that he’ll consider putting more officers in Dogpatch and Potrero Hill. In addition to greater protection, Wilkins said they want to understand where the crime is coming from: is it from the Potrero Annex-Terrace housing complexes, nearby homeless encampments, or some other place? “We would like to try to understand that better,” Wilkins said. If it’s coming from the Annex-Terrace, Wilkins wants to know if the criminals live there, because there are rules for living in public housing.

According to O’Sullivan, at least one gang is active in Annex-Terrace. But he stressed that 99 percent of public housing residents are good people. And though gang members live in AnnexTerrace, “we know the vast majority of them,” O’Sullivan said.

O’Sullivan reported that burglaries

had been emanating from a homeless encampment in the freeway near 22nd and Iowa streets. Homeless individuals had removed metal plates on the underside of the freeway — which had been installed when the structure was built so that engineers could examine it for earthquake damage—to create shelter. Police found baby strollers and bicycles in the freeway, which were associated with burglaries, O’Sullivan said. The California Department of Transportation recently filled the holes, which should act to reduce the number of burglaries in the area, but “is it going to disappear?” O’Sullivan asked rhetorically. “Absolutely not.”

According to Eppler, another committee goal is to examine the root causes of crime in the community, and advocate for programs that reduce criminal activity. “We won’t be able to arrest ourselves out of crime,” he said.

Wilkins said the committee wants to collaborate with the neighborhood’s 13 San Francisco SAFE groups. SF SAFE’s mission is to “build safer neighborhoods through crime prevention education and public safety services,” its website says.

“We welcome anyone in the neighborhood to participate in the group,” Wilkins said.

The beautiful historic Bayview Opera House provides affordable arts education and cultural enrichment to San Franciscans, including a large variety of cultural events, community gatherings and seasonal celebrations. Please follow us on Facebook or consult our website for complete current offerings.

Rentals:

Do you have an upcoming function or event? Have it at the Bayview Opera House. 300seat capacity auditorium with flexible seating, movie screen, stage, food prep area. Income from rentals supports our free youth arts program.

Halloween Events:

Kids: Spooky Haunted House, pumpkin carving, mask making, costume contest, trick or treat (4-7PM)

All: Join 13 artists for a Masquerade – Art for sale, spooky performances, food by Radio Africa & Kitchen (6-10PM).

Contact: #415.824.0386

Parent/Child Yoga, Art, and Music, Ceramics

Parents and toddlers: Yoga/art (Tue 9AM), Music (Thu 11AM). FREE.

Parents and school age: Ceramics (Sat 10AM) Kids – 3-week modeling class with Halloween performance. FREE.

BVOH @Radio Africa & Kitchen: Thursday Live Jazz

Please join us at Radio Africa & Kitchen every Thursday from 6-8PM for live jazz. Pitcher of beer $10 all night, Happy Hour food specials until 7PM. 4800 Third Street, 415.420.2486.

www.bvoh.org

bus bottoms out at the corner of 20th and wisconsin streets. PhotogrAPh by MAnu SchnetZler