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Beautiful Hidden Garden Steps Mosaic

Three years ago, reporting on a meeting I attended, I mentioned the Hidden Garden Steps project. The other day, a friend told me it was done, and of course I wanted to see it. So off we went.

It starts at Lawton and 16th, next to a painted bench, and connects to Kirkham. Here’s the first flight up, with a snail…

Goes up to a golden California poppy …

…(and notice that many of the flowers have names of donors on them?)

More flowers, a dragon fly, and ferns…

And lots more names!

If you want to see each flight of steps in more detail – and even read the names on them – there’s a website with photographs HERE.

And there are views – including one of my favorites, the beautiful Sutro Forest.

Vandalized Art on the Fence

A few days ago, I posted a photo of a painting someone had mounted on their fence. And soon after, neighbor Nola sent a message on Facebook saying that by the time I posted the photo here, the original picture had been vandalized. Today, I went to have a look – and sure enough, someone had scrawled glasses and a Hitlerian mustache and forelock on it in runny paint.

I’m sad. Why would someone do this? (Unless it was the artist himself doing a Marcel DuChamp tribute.)

Here’s the original:

Squat & Gobble Tree Not Saved

So some months ago, I’d asked – Did someone save the Squat and Gobble trees?

Squat and Gobble, the West Portal eatery that was being rebuilt after the fire there, had sought approval to remove a tree to provide heavy machinery access to the site. (I’d thought it was two trees that were scheduled for removal, but it was one.) But, as I reported then, work was well underway and both trees were still there. I was glad; West Portal has lost some beautiful trees, most notably an old one near the tunnel entrance when work was done there.

I wrote to Carla Short at the Department of Public Works, asking if the trees had been saved. She didn’t know. She replied:

As for the West Portal trees, only one tree was approved for removal in order to accommodate the crane for construction. I have not heard that they are planning to preserve that tree, so it may be still coming out. Their permit is valid for six months. If they found a way to work around it, though, perhaps they are preserving it, I just haven’t heard anything. If it does get removed, they will be required to plant a replacement tree, and some additional trees on the West Portal frontage.

Well, the tree was there through much of the construction, but when Squat and Gobble reopened, I found it was gone. Even the tree-basin the tree had grown in was gone. There’s no replacement tree there, nor any along the West Portal frontage. I hope they’re planning to put them in.

It’s just one tree, and it was removed through a proper permitting process. But I’m beginning to see an anti-tree ethos in this city. Whenever there’s a project, whether private or City-led, trees are the casualty. There seems to be no emphasis on trying to preserve and work around them.

“The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way.”
– William Blake, The Letters, 1799

Art on the Fence

The other night, going for a walk, I was intrigued to see this picture on a neighbor’s fence. Since it was dark, my photos didn’t come out well, with a splotchy white reflection from the flash. But a couple of days ago, I actually made it during the day.

It’s a rather dramatic painting, with something deleted and the artist’s signature: Richard Vejmola, dated 1/8/14. Wonder who the baby is?

Thanks, whoever put it up – It’s a quirky addition to our beautiful neighborhood.

West Portal Arts Fair – 6 April 2014

I went back to the West Portal Arts Fair yesterday afternoon. It was sunny and windy, nice for a stroll to admire all the interesting things the artists and crafters had brought. I got a bunch of photographs – used here with permission from the stall-holders. If you’re interested – go today. It ends at 4 p.m., and after that it’s gone until next year.

I tried getting a list of all the stall-holders and what they were selling, but I couldn’t find the organizer. People kept telling me he was on the other side of the road… which was rather like “jam tomorrow.” Next year, maybe I’ll try email.

Meanwhile, here’s a bunch of the stalls that I stopped at. (I ended the trip with a shoulder bag with froggy yogis, and a small welded-scrap owl.)

SOME OF THE STALLS

This glowing art glass caught my eye – it reminded me of the Dale Chihuly exhibition of a few years ago.

Across the road, this stall was selling colorful switchplates and small salt-and-pepper sets.

This one had such cute kiddy clothes, it made me wish I’d someone to buy them for. Unusually, it had some neat stuff for little boys as well, with dinosaurs and sharks and pirates.

This was unusual – photographs printed on slate (yes, the rock) and then mounted in slate frames. If I had any wall space left, I’d probably have got one … some pieces were really beautiful. The slate gave them a texture and a solidity one doesn’t associate with photographs.

Quirky fridge magnets, earrings, and what looked like Christmas decorations here:

These bags were simple, and beautifully made. But what made them special was the whimsical fabrics the artist chose. (I got a bag with froggy yogis on it – frogs in yoga poses.)

Comfortable clothes that still have an artisanal look attracted quite a few visitors.

A few artists let me photograph their work. (Some others didn’t want their work photographed, I guess because people sometimes rip them off by making cheaper copies.)

Figurines dressed as old men accompanied by furry animals, made of real fur – this stall seemed like it was planning ahead for winter and maybe Christmas.

I’d seen welded scrap sculptures before, but this lot from Metal Souls were unusual – it had Dr Who themed stuff like the Tardis and Daleks, Star Wars figures like Darth Vader, a few dragons, and a whole menagerie of animals from alligators to owls.

The San Francisco-themed photographs here showed scenes familiar to us San Franciscans.

Organic cosmetics, with none of the strange-sounding additives of commercial brands.

The bold jewelry designs here were quite elegant.

Each of these salt-cellars and pots was hand-made.

Ramos Designs had really pretty sparkly and unusual necklaces and earrings.

This man was explaining an odd-looking piece of furniture – the bed desk. It’s like a little book-holder, and can lock into various positions so it can become an easel, a snack tray, or a lap-top table. It folds flat. There’s a great little brochure that explains its versatility – or you could visit the Fair and get a demo.

The silver jewelry in this case was very pretty and delicate.

And the last stall I photographed: wooden toys. They were beautifully made.

Of course, that’s not all the stalls, even if I include the ones I saw yesterday. Some people didn’t want their work photographed, and I didn’t manage to get to all of the stalls anyway. (If anyone wants to send me more photos, I’d be happy to run them.)

This Weekend: West Portal Arts Fair (April 4-6, 2014)

I was at West Portal today, meeting friends for lunch. The weather was pleasantly sunny after overnight rain, and I was delighted to see the West Portal Arts Fair had arrived. Both sides of the street were lined with stalls set up by crafters and artists. I recognized some from previous years, but others were new.

By the time we’d finished lunch (and made a detour to West Portal Books), the sun was gone. Nevertheless, I stopped at a few stalls, buying ear rings for a gift, a beautiful handmade wooden spatula from the same stall where I bought a coffee scoop last year, and yearned after some wonderful Zapotec rugs and handmade marquetry mirrors with naturalistic designs. One of them had a great blue heron, another had cherry blossoms, and yet another had mother-of-pearl inlaid in the wood, representing glass windows. A stall I didn’t recall from last year had adorable clothes for kids, I’m guessing mostly for little girls. And the White Rose Boutique had a Festival special – and an eye-catching display of hats that apparently made your feet happy…

By this time, a drizzle had started up, and the vendors were covering or packing up their stalls. I decided to go back tomorrow; the forecast is for better weather.

In other West Portal news: The Squat and Gobble restaurant, which had burned out in October 2012, is back! We ate there the other night. They have a broader range of offerings now, and the food is predictably decent. The new decor, though, is quite bland – nothing like the rotating art they used to have initially, and the mural that replaced it.

Forest Knolls Keeps Its Bus!

I just got an email from the SFMTA with updates to proposed route changes. “Your participation has made a difference!” it said. It continued with an explanation of the changes proposed by the Policy and Governance Committee (PAG).

Among them: “36 Teresita: The PAG supports maintaining the entirety of the existing 36 alignment.”

Thanks, everyone who spoke up, commented, and wrote in against the original plan and particularly to those who spearheaded this effort. Clearly, our voices were heard.

[Special thanks also to our District 7 Supervisor, Norman Yee, for his assistance.]

Here’s the text of the whole message, in case you’re interested in other routes. There’ll be a meeting on March 28th, 8 a.m. at City Hall during which the final decision will be made. It’s expected to be in line with the recommendations.

Your participation has made a difference!

The service change proposals of the Transit Effectiveness Project, an ongoing project to make Muni more reliable for its customers, were reviewed by the SFMTA Policy and Governance Committee (PAG) on Friday, March 21. Based on their input, staff is recommending the following proposal modifications outlined below. Staff will present the following recommendations to the SFMTA Board on Friday, March 28. These modifications aim to retain the benefits of the initial proposals, while addressing key community concerns.

Here’s what we proposed, what we modified based on what we heard, and what we will be recommending to the SFMTA Board:

2 Clement: The PAG supports the recommended proposal of using existing overhead wires to implement 2 Clement trolley service on the entire Sutter/Post Street corridor, adding service on the Sutter Street route segment, and realigning the 2 line to operate on California Street to Eighth Avenue, on Eighth Avenue south to Clement Street, on Clement Street between Eighth and Sixth Avenues, and to California via Sixth Avenue. Service will be discontinued on Clement Street; between Arguello Boulevard and 6th Avenue, and 8th and 15th Avenues.

3 Jackson: The PAG supports maintaining service on the 3 Jackson with reduced frequency to better match customer demand.

6 Parnassus: The PAG supported maintaining the 6 Parnassus in the line’s current alignment through Ashbury Heights to UCSF and Golden Gate Heights and to reduce the frequency of the line to better match customer demand west of Masonic Avenue. Service will be further increased on the 71L Haight/Noriega Limited.

8X Bayshore Express: The PAG supports the continuation of 8X service north of Broadway for every other trip.

10 Townsend: The PAG supports the current 10 Townsend (Sansome) proposal to reroute through Mission Bay.

17 Parkmerced: The PAG supports the revised 17 realignment proposal, which shifts service to portions of Lake Merced Boulevard and Brotherhood Way to access the Daly City BART Station.

22 Fillmore and 33 Stanyan: The PAG supports the original realignment proposals for these routes, which include realigning the 22 along 16th Street to provide a direct transit connection to Mission Bay and realigning the 33 Stanyan off of Potrero Avenue and along the former 22 Fillmore alignment into the Dogpatch neighborhood. The PAG also supports increasing 33 service from 15 minute service to 12 minute service all day.

27 Bryant: The PAG supports maintaining the entirety of the existing 27 alignment.

28/28L 19th Avenue: The PAG supports the revised proposal for the 28 and 28L, which calls for the termination of the 28L in the Richmond District to Park Presidio and California Street and extension to the Balboa Park BART Station and the Mission corridor, as well as the continuation of the 28 to the Marina District via the Golden Gate Bridge to a new terminal at Van Ness Avenue and North Point Street.

35 Eureka: The PAG supports the revised proposal for the 35, which includes the continuation of service on Moffitt, Farnum, Addison, and Bemis Streets, and the extension of service to the Glen Park BART Station via Miguel and Chenery Streets.

36 Teresita: The PAG supports maintaining the entirety of the existing 36 alignment.

43 Masonic: The PAG supports connecting the route with the Presidio Transit Center while maintaining the existing route segment on Letterman Drive and Lombard Street.

47 Van Ness: The PAG supports maintaining 47 line service on 11th Street between Mission and Bryant Streets, rather than on 13th Street as originally proposed.

48 Quintara/24th Street: The PAG supports the original 48 service change proposal to remove service in the vicinity of Hoffman and Grandview Streets and instead straighten service along Clipper and Douglass Streets. However, the PAG supports maintaining the 48’s current alignment until the new 58 24th Street route is introduced, which is proposed to serve the former 48 alignment along Douglass Street, 21st Street, and Grandview Avenue.

56 Rutland: The PAG supports maintaining the entirety of the existing 56 alignment.

What’s next? See your input in action!

Proposed service and route changes to be reviewed by SFMTA Board of Directors at the following upcoming public hearings at City Hall Room 400, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlet Place

Friday March 28, 2014 at 8am

TEP Service change recommendations will be presented. (SFMTA board will make decisions at this meeting)

Lovely Art Fair at West Portal, April 4-6 2014

West Portal is having its lovely arts and crafts fair on April 4-6 this year. It’s a wonderful little event, with stalls of art, jewelry, ceramics, rugs, toys, and all sorts of interesting things lining the street on both sides of West Portal Avenue for several blocks. Hopefully the weather will stay fine!

I try to go every year, if I’m in town. It’s always got unusual stuff, ideal for gifts; and the size is very manageable. Here’s my story (and pictures) from 2013.

Brilliant Mustard Flowers at Laguna Honda Hospital

You don’t have to go to Napa to see the brilliant yellow of mustard flowers – they’re blooming right here in the hilly meadow of Laguna Honda Hospital, above Laguna Honda Boulevard.

I stopped to take a picture, and as I zoomed in, was struck by the grace and grandeur of the eucalyptus tree above the meadow.

And here’s a picture from a smartphone… this week’s sunny weather provides such a classical contrast of colors!

Help Save our 36 Teresita Bus Route!

A few weeks ago, I wrote about SF MTA’s plans to leave our steep and hilly area without public transportation by dropping the Forest Knolls loop of the 36-Teresita bus. (And this is after the previous battle to save this line, which ended with frequency being reduced from 20 minutes to 30.) Neighbors have been fighting this plan. The Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization has joined the battle to save the bus route, and has some great suggestions about how you can help. Here’s their flyer:

FOREST KNOLLS NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATION

MUNI plans to eliminate the Forest Knolls loop of our 36 Teresita bus.

Proposed service and route changes will be reviewed by SFMTA Board of Directors at a public hearing this Friday March 14, 2014 at 9am in City Hall, room 400.

TEP Informational Hearing – staff will present proposals from feedback gathered at recently held community meetings. The SFMTA Board will then take additional testimony from the public on proposed route changes.

It is important that Forest Knolls residents appear at this hearing to make known their strong objection to the proposed elimination of MUNI service to our Forest Knolls neighborhood.

Please plan to attend the meeting this Friday March 14 at 9 am in City Hall, room 400.

The SFMTA Board responds to community participation – we must be present in large numbers to voice our objections. Plan to attend this important hearing if at all possible.

E-mail your opposition to http://www.tellmuni.com and tweet SFMTA (@sfmta_muni) to make your opposition known. Also e-mail your opposition to the Planning Manager of MTA’s “Transit Effectiveness Project” Sean Kennedy: sean.kennedy@sfmta.com and call our supervisor (Norman Yee) at 415-554-6516 to seek his assistance.

Meanwhile, neighbors have been talking to the SF MTA – which seemed responsive, but has not published any planned changes (which it has made to its plans for other routes). Here’s what Joe Humphreys wrote to update us:

The SFMTA had a public meeting on February 25th at San Francisco State. Forest Knolls was well represented with a number of neighborhood residents raising substantial protest to rerouting the 36 line to no longer include Warren Drive. It appeared at the meeting that the SFMTA staff understood and were sympathetic to the concerns raised. However, they announced today a number of changes that they had made to the staff’s proposed “Transit Effectiveness Plan” Apparently, however, what they are recommending does not include keeping bus service in Forest Knolls as the 36 line is not one of those where they indicated some accommodation to public concerns. This announcment is here : http://sfmta.com/news/project-updates/tep-service-change-proposals-revised-based-community-feedback .

The West of Twin Peaks Central Council – which is a “Council of councils” comprising twenty different neighborhood organizations, passed a Resolution in Support of the 36-Teresita.

A Resolution in Support of the 36-Teresita
By: The West of Twin Peaks Central Council

PASSED UNOPPOSED

WHEREAS, It is clear that the San Francisco Muni is looking to cut or severely curtail service on the 36-Teresita Bus line in their upcoming budget meeting: and
WHEREAS, there have 6 independent West of Twin Peaks Central Council Member Neighborhoods [The Woods, Galewood Circle, Forest Knolls, Midtown Terrace, Mount Sutro Woods and Sherwood Forest] on steep hillsides that depend exclusively on the 36-Teresita as the only Muni connection to the rest of the city and the Bay Area: and
WHEREAS, these neighborhoods are filling up with new families with children that need the 36-Teresita to get them to and from school: and
WHEREAS, the elderly residents of these neighborhood depend on the home health care workers that come to them via the 36-Teresita Bus to make it possible for them to stay in their homes for as long as is possible:
Now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED: that the West of Twin Peaks Central Council assembled this 24th
day of February, 2014, in the City of San Francisco, California, urges the Muni to see the immense value that the 36-Teresita Muni bus line contributes to the residents, visitors, commerce, and children of the above mentioned neighborhoods and the city as a whole: and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Muni should keep the current 36-Teresita service available to these taxpayers who crowd this line at commute times and depend on it as a lifeline in this increasing congested city.

We hope that SFMTA is listening. Please attend the meeting if you can, and also send in your comments to tellmuni.com, to sean.kennedy@sfmta.com, and to our District 7 Supervisor Norman Yee.

Forest Knolls to Lose its Bus?

About a year ago, Joe Humphrys warned us that the SFMTA was planning to abandon the Forest Knolls section of the 36 Teresita bus service. I wrote about that HERE, and Joe contributed a post HERE.

So, it’s happening, unless the neighborhood manages to get SFMTA to re-think this. The public hearing is on Feb 25th, 2014. (I got another message from Joe, with a link to the public hearing notice.)

Date: Feb 25th,
Time: 6 p.m.
Where: San Francisco State University,
Seven Hills Conference Center,
800 Font Blvd., San Francisco, CA 94132

And then Sara Lu wrote a note. This is important, because clearly if anything is going to change, it will need to come from neighborhood pressure. Otherwise, our bus is gone. Here’s her note (with minor edits and added emphasis):

Dear Web Master,

The posted route 36 notice at the bus stop caught my attention; and I looked into the details. Here is what I found: http://www.sfmta.com/sites/default/files/projects/rte_036_BW.pdf

[Webmaster: This is similar to the map at the top of this post, available as a PDF here: rte_036_BW]

Muni proposed to change route 36 by eliminating stops include Clarendon Avenue between Panorama and Oak Park drives, Oak Park and Warren drives, Lawton and Seventh avenues to Clarendon Avenue. This means no bus will come through Forest Knoll at all, which is completely unacceptable.

I sent in my objections on Muni’s website (http://tellmuni.com); but a singular post is not going to make the difference – we will need as much neighborhood support as possible. I strongly recommend posting the subject on the Forest Knoll website and throughout the neighborhood, encouraging as many residents to attend the public hiring on Feb 25 (6pm) and post on tellmuni feed back as possible.

(public hearing details: http://www.sfmta.com/zh-hant/calendar/meetings/community-meeting-proposed-service-changes-routes-17-18-28-28l-36-and-43)

I am a daily rider on the 36 bus from Devonshire and Warren drive. Route 36 is the only form of public transit through the Forest Knoll neighborhood. For daily commuters like myself and the many elderly residents in the neighborhood, it is the only form of connection to Forest Hill Muni station. A 30-minute bus frequency is already inconvenient enough; eliminating the route through Forest Knoll is completely unacceptable. It will leave the entire community stranded, without any feasible form of public transportation.

The proposed alternative is not at all realistic. Walking to 7th and Lawton or Clarendon may not seem terribly far on flat map; but anyone who knows the area topography would know, the Forest Knoll neighborhood is on a very steep hill. In fact, it is one of the highest points in San Francisco. It is impossible for any elderly resident to talk from the proposed alternative stops (20-30 minutes straight uphill); and completely impractical for daily rider like myself. I, as well as most residents, cannot afford to drive and park in downtown San Francisco, and have no intention to add to the congestion on the road.

I am trained as an urban planning, and fully support public transportation. Leaving a whole neighborhood/community without any form of accessible public transportation is not acceptable.

What would you propose we can do to make sure our neighborhood is not overlooked?

The only way to stop this is to protest. As Sara Lu points out, a few posts will not make a difference, but a whole lot will.

Please go to tellmuni.com and explain that there’s a lot of difference between a healthy young person strolling on a level street, and forcing elderly people to climb 30 minutes up one of the steepest slopes in San Francisco.
Please attend the hearing if you can and make your voices heard.

Boycat Found

One of my favorite things to do is post updates when a lost pet is found, and to go back and edit the header of the original “LOST” post to say “FOUND.”

Today I get to do that for Boycat

Here’s what Boycat’s family wrote on Nextdoor:

We found Boycat.
He was in the warm glasshouse nursery in the arboretum.
We think he has been there for the past 4 weeks!
We walked past this morning for about the 150th time and heard a yowl – he must have heard us speaking – and Heather and I knew instantly it was him. It took a while to coax him out of a corner of the greenhouse. He was very hungry, frightened, skittish yet characteristically pleased to see us.
Thank you all for your support and patience with us as we filled the streets of our neighborhood with our longing to have Boycat back.

So glad he’s home!

UCSF’s Space Ceiling Saga

From time to time, I attend UCSF’s Long Range Development Plan meetings. My main concern is the forest on Mt Sutro, but I’m also interested in what’s happening down at Parnassus. Yesterday, I learned more about the ongoing saga of the Space Ceiling. (My last report on that was HERE and it provides background on some of the issues.)

The Space Ceiling was a self-imposed limit to growth that UCSF decided on in 1976. [See that here:1976-regents-resolution ] That was when it got into a huge battle with its Inner Sunset neighbors as the University spilled out in all directions, and started changing nearby neighborhoods. At the time, the limit was set at 3.55 million square feet. By 1996, it was at 3.66 mn (or 6% over) with a plan to reduce it to only 2% over by 2012. Instead, by 2012, it was 8.2% over the limit, at 3.84 mn sq ft.

WIN SOME, LOSE SOME

What’s happened since? Three things, which left them with a tiny net increase in the space to 3.844 mn sq feet, or 8.3% over the Ceiling.

They knocked down the building at 735 Parnassus, gaining 2,766 square feet.
They gained another 3,121 sq feet when they converted the office building at 1486-1488 Parnassus to student housing, which doesn’t count against the space ceiling. (The only housing that counts toward the Space Ceiling are the student housing units at Aldea, up above Forest Knolls off of Clarendon Avenue.)
However, they also did a careful re-measuring of the existing square footage of the Parnassus campus. They found that two changes increased the actual square footage: They enclosed the Food Court, which made it an inside space instead of an outside space; and they converted a mechanical space in Moffet Hospital into an “occupied space.” They also found some of the old measurements were inaccurate. So all told, they found that the actual existing space had been understated by 10,700 sq feet.

It’s really difficult to start knocking things down mainly to get UCSF under the Space Ceiling, so while it’s doing some demolition, UCSF is also converting more space to student housing (which, as we said, doesn’t count). They expect to double the amount of student housing at Parnassus.

They are also going to ask the Regents to revise the Ceiling specifications so that Aldea housing doesn’t count either.

Here are the current plans:

UCSF LRDP Feb 2014 -1 — Click on map for larger version

THE RESTRICTION ZONE

The other restriction on growth was on purchase or acquisition of properties in the “restriction zone” that includes Forest Knolls – see below. (UCSF’s aggressive acquisitions had been changing neighborhoods around it, and neighbors wanted it to stop.)

Anyway, UCSF reaffirmed their commitment to observing that Zone, but noted that they weren’t prohibited from leasing commercial properties, or affiliating with other public agencies in this area.

Here’s a closer view of the Restriction Zone. It includes Forest Knolls, Edgewood, Inner Sunset and Cole Valley.

OTHER ISSUES

They seem to have given up on the 16,000-a-day people limit. It’s crossed 18, 000 now. But they’ve promised an annual community meeting to monitor all the parameters.

Neighbors have been concerned with truck traffic, and UCSF did a traffic study. They’re looking for solutions like making loading/ unloading more efficient by having a permanent dockmaster stationed at Medical Center Way; using some of the demolished areas on Koret as additional truck parking, and consolidating deliveries elsewhere into UCSF trucks, so reducing the number of trips.

One commenter spoke about the problems of living next to the UCSF campus – glaring lights by the ammonia tank; 30-50 smokers daily, who were not allowed to smoke on UCSF’s Smoke-Free campus ended up under his window; noise from blaring radios on vehicles as they waited to move; and syringes being tossed over his fence. Not a great environment for his two small kids.

MOUNT SUTRO FOREST

Though the University wasn’t planning to discuss Sutro Forest, some of the changes planned will have a (apparently quite minor) impact on the forest. Also, supporters and opponents of UCSF’s current plan for Sutro Forest took the opportunity of this meeting to speak up. The report is HERE.

At this meeting, UCSF reiterated its commitment to keeping Mount Sutro as publicly accessible open space. (Some commenters had suggested that the University might have other plans.)

GOING FORWARD

Here are the milestones going forward. The LRDP is to be adopted in November 2014.

Supervisor Norman Yee’s Participatory Budgeting

I just got the details of Supervisor Yee’s interesting plan for participatory budgeting that he mentioned at the West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WTPCC) meeting on January 2014. Read on:

YOUR IDEAS. YOUR VOTE. YOUR DECISION.

WHAT IS PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING?
Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process that gives community members the opportunity to set budgeting priorities and make decisions on what community projects should be funded.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
For the first time, District 7 residents will be able to help decide how best to spend $100,000 for general projects and $250,000 for pedestrian safety improvements in District 7.

KICK-OFF COMMUNITY MEETING
Saturday, February 22, 2014 | 10:30AM to Noon
West Portal Clubhouse | 131 Lenox Way (b/t Ulloa and Verdon)
Join Supervisor Yee and community members to learn more about Participatory Budgeting and the grant application process for projects.
All District 7 residents are eligible to vote on the projects!

PROJECT PROPOSAL WORKSHOP
Wednesday, March 5, 2014 | 6:00PM to 7:30PM
Commodore Sloat Elementary School | 50 Darien Way (b/t Junipero Serra and San Rafael Way)
Learn more about the Participatory Budgeting process and how to develop your project ideas.

QUESTIONS?

MATTHIAS MORMINO Matthias.Mormino@sfgov.org 415.554.6516

VOTE ON THE PROJECTS
End of April (Dates to be Announced)
After proposals are finalized and submitted, community members like you will get to vote on which projects to fund!

West of Twin Peaks Central Council Meeting – Jan 2014

The West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WTPCC) had its first meeting of 2014 on January 27th, back in its lovely old club-house in Forest Hills. (The WTPCC is an association of associations; it has some 22 member organizations, including Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization.) Attendance was thinner than usual, perhaps because of the cold. But they got a quorum of 11 delegates and things went quickly.

NORMAN YEE, D7 SUPERVISOR

Our District 7 Supervisor Norman Yee was present, and he spoke about pedestrian safety, and about using some funds he has available for the West Portal playground, and also to expand some open space beside Ingleside library. He’s setting up a system where various projects will be posted, and the ones people want the most will get funded. (Here’s a link to that process.)

RECREATION AND OPEN SPACE ELEMENT (ROSE)

Sally Stephens spoke about the Recreation and Open Space Element of the General Plan. It sets guidelines for how the city will use its open space in years to come. She was part of a working group convened by the Parks and Recreation Open Space Advisory Committee (PROSAC) that made exhaustive inputs into the draft plan. However, when the draft came out, they found they still had significant concerns, and submitted comments. The comment period is now closed, but WTPCC will send a letter in support of the concerns of the working group.

MT DAVIDSON

Jacquie Proctor spoke on behalf of the Miraloma Park Improvement Club about concerns regarding tree-felling in the forest on Mount Davidson by the Natural Areas Program. The WTPCC decided to send a letter in support.

MT SUTRO

I was invited to give a quick update about Mount Sutro Forest. UCSF has made some significant changes to their original plan. First, the range of slightly confusing objectives in the earlier plan have been simplified to focus on Safety. This is good because it enables a rational conversation about what that means and how best to achieve it. Second, and this is important: UCSF has committed to continuing its ‘No Pesticides’ policy on Mount Sutro. It has used no pesticides there since 2008, but the earlier Plan would have used up to 3 times the amount of pesticide used by SF Recreation and Parks Department in its parks – repeatedly, for seven years. There’s also been some reduction of the acreage affected, and the number of trees potentially destroyed has been reduced to around 4-5,000.

Forest Knolls will be most impacted by the new plan, though, with most of the tree-felling in the portion of the forest above our neighborhood – the purple area in the map below. (I will write about this in more detail another time.)

I also spoke about the Natural Areas Program, which will affect one-quarter of Sutro Forest, including the narrow strip of forest along Clarendon Avenue, and on the Cole Valley side of the forest – and a total of 32 parks in the city. The new management plan (known as the Significant Management Resource Areas Management Plan) includes:

Cutting down 18,400 trees,
Restricting access to people and pets, and
Using increased amounts of herbicides.

PETITION

The San Francisco Forest Alliance has a petition up, asking the Mayor to rein in this program. (That’s HERE, in case you want to sign.)

Home owners – Message from Assessor’s Office

I got this advisory from the Assessor’s Office. I’m not clear what it takes to qualify for the $7,000 reduction in the taxable value of the home (not, presumably, in the tax amount!) but I’m putting it up here anyway in case it’s useful to someone.

[Edited to add: I got a helpful call from neighbor Barbara today, explaining that this deduction is used to reduce the taxable value of the home – so it would reduce actual taxes by about $72 or so. It applies to home-owners living in their primary home, not to investment properties. Most people have it, but it you bought a home here recently and moved, you may need to apply. More on the Assessor’s website HERE.]

FEBRUARY 18 MARKS DEADLINE TO APPLY FOR
HOMEOWNERS’ PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION

San Francisco, CA – The deadline for property owners to file their Homeowners’ Property Tax Exemption is Tuesday, February 18, 2014. Homeowners who own and occupy a home in San Francisco as their principal residence on January 1st of the year for which they are claiming the exemption could qualify for a $7,000 reduction in the taxable value of their home.

According to state law, full exemption is available if the filing is made by 5:00pm on February 15. Since February 15 lands on a Saturday and since Monday, February 17, is a national holiday, the Office of the Assessor-Recorder will accept applications postmarked or received by Tuesday, February 18, before 5:00pm. Claims filed after February 18, but before December 10, may still be eligible to receive a partial exemption. Qualified homeowners will see the exemption deduction reflected in their annual Notice of Assessment Value in July.

There are no fees associated with filing a Homeowners’ Property Tax Exemption. Interested homeowners in San Francisco can find the forms in both English and Spanish by visiting the Form Center at http://www.sfassessor.org or calling 311. Completed and signed forms should be mailed to: Office of the Assessor-Recorder, City and County of San Francisco, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 190, San Francisco, CA 94102.

NERT Workshop & Training

I got an email asking me to signal-boost three new Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) 6-session training series – and a one-time NERT workshop.

NERT will be holding one workshop and three (3) new training beginning February 13 and March 18, 2014. Please add our PDF flyer to your E-Newsletter/Website for the coming weeks. We find that citizens will take the NERT training as it fits into their schedule.

[Here’s the PDF flyer: NERT 14-03-18-14-FebMar_Trainings ]

NEW! Personal Readiness for a resilient Community
One time workshop for you and your neighbors!

WHEN:Thursday February 13, 2014 6:30pm-8:30pm
WHERE: SFFD Division of Training
2310 Folsom St. enter through parking lot gate on 19th St
http://bit.ly/KqZV4g

REGULAR NERT CLASSES

STARTING FEBRUARY

1) Noe Valley – Thursdays
Holy Innocents Church
455 Fair Oaks St @ 26th St

February 20, 6:30-10:00p: Class 1
February 27, 6:30-10:00p: Class 2
March 6, 6:30-9:30p: Class 3
March 13, 6:30p-10:00p: Class 4
March 20, 6:30p-9:30p: Class 5
March 27, 6:30p-10:00p: Class 6
Register: http://bit.ly/1cxowvc

2) Civic Center – Tuesdays
Hiram W. Johnson State Building (Identification needed)
455 Golden Gate Ave. @ Polk St.
Milton Mark Conference room, lower level

February 25, 8:30a-4:30p: Class 1 & 2
March 4, 8:30a-4:00p: Class 3 & 4
March 11, 8:30a-4:30p: Class 5 & 6
Register: http://bit.ly/1c57A3J

STARTING MARCH

3) Ingleside – Tuesdays
Lick Wilmerding HS
755 Ocean Ave. @ Howth

March 18, 6:30-10:00p: Class 1
March 25, 6:30-10:00p: Class 2
April 1, 6:30-9:30p: Class 3
April 8, 6:30p-10:00p: Class 4
school closed April 15
April 22, 6:30p-9:30p: Class 5
April 29, 6:30p-10:00p: Class 6
Register: http://bit.ly/1fn93kq

The San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) is free training from the San Francisco Fire Department in how to help yourself and your neighbors prepare for and respond to a disaster by working together. The 20-hour training taught by First Responders includes personal preparedness, light search and rescue, disaster medicine, shutting off your utilities, and how to participate as a member of a neighborhood response team. NERT also offers continuing training for graduates and activities that support building robust neighborhood teams. For more information, visit the NERT website or contact Lt. Erica Arteseros at (415)970-2022 or sffdnert@sfgov.org.

Thank you,

Diane Rivera
Coordinator Chair
San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team
KG6QLX
415-753-1443
http://sf-fire.org/index.aspx?page=879

[FOUND] Lost Ginger Tabby Cat: “Boycat”

Update: Boycat’s been found!

Another lost kitty, this time from San Francisco’s Inner Sunset neighborhood, across from Golden Gate Park. Here’s the photo and the message from Heather, the cat’s owner.

“Boycat” big orange male striped tabby with green eyes and white tip of his tail – 15 pounds, big sweet cat, indoor only, he has never been outside and will be scared and confused – likely hiding. Is he in your garage or yard? Hiding on your spare tire? No collar, no chip. Escaped from our apartment at 1220 14th avenue (the big apartment building on the corner behind Andronico’s) sometime during the day Thursday January 16th. He will be unable to find our apartment door, as it is upstairs in an apartment building.

Please catch him if you can – he is sweet and mild, or please all even if you see a wandering orange striped tabby. He is our pal and we hate to think of him lost and scared! Call any time! [number deleted]. Thank you.

And here’s some further information:

We have had 2 sightings that place him running across Lincoln from the area of our building the day he went missing, and one in the Arboretum [i.e, the Botanic Garden in Golden Gate Park] just inside the gardeners’ entrance near 10th [Avenue] yesterday, so we are continuing to look for him!

If you see him, please call Heather!

Uncaptured Moonrise Over the Bay

Driving back from an errand over Twin Peaks last evening, I saw someone pull his car over, stop, and get out. He was looking fixedly toward the East. I wondered what he’d seen.

It was the moon, rising redly from a low-lying belt of haze. I pulled over, too, in a wide space on the road, and tried to get some photographs with my cellphone. It didn’t work. None of them captured the red color of the rising moon.

I tried to adjust the color in the picture below, but that didn’t work either: it made the whole picture reddish. Still, it has a painterly look I rather like, even if it doesn’t look like the moonrise I saw.

All I can do is to say, like Shakespeare, “This blogger, with cellphone, car, and bush of thorn/ Presenteth Moonshine” and hope you can imagine it.

The Barn Owl Died of Rat Poison

I just heard back about the dead barn owl found in Glen Canyon. It was found to have died of rat poison. Here’s what they wrote us:

The dead Barn Owl we found and took to WildCare for rodenticide testing, Patient #1754, was found, indeed, to have died of rat poisoning.

Many people don’t know that when a hawk or owl or other predator eats a poisoned rodent, that animal gets poisoned too. Please STOP using rat poisons (rodenticides)! These poisons are killing the very animals, like this Barn Owl, that naturally control rodents.

The Barn Owl was found to be internally toxic, diffusely discolored and badly hemorrhaged throughout. There was evidence of a heavy load of the rodenticide brodifacoum in her system — enough to kill her.

Shockingly, over 86% of tested WildCare patients show evidence of exposure to rat poisons! These animals are eating poisoned rodents and carrying varying loads of toxic poison in their systems as a result. Rat poison used by residents of San Francisco is having dangerous and detrimental effects on the wildlife of our area. A Great Horned Owl was found dead last year due to the same rat poisoning.

Rat poisons kill by making whatever animal eats them bleed to death internally – slowly and painfully. While the poisoned rats or mice are still alive, they (and their deadly load of poison) can be consumed by other predators including cats and dogs. Rodents are the basic food source for a number of different predators all the way up the food chain. It is a terrifying prospect; to kill many animals while targeting only one. We need to find better ways to live well with wildlife.

If you need help with any wildlife issues, please contact WildCare Solutions at 415.456.7283 (456-SAVE), or http://www.wildcarebayarea.org/wildlifesolutions.

Barn Owls are one of the most common owl species in the country, but seeing one, especially in the City, is always a treat. These silent nocturnal hunters often appear completely white against the night sky as they glide over open spaces in search of rodent prey. A family of Barn Owls can eat over 3,000 rodents in a single 4-month breeding season, which makes them a magnificent source of rodent pest control, but also one of the most common victims of secondary rodenticide poisoning. Barn Owls nest early in the season, usually producing eggs sometime between January and March.

A special thanks to everyone who made a contribution to the testing, especially to the San Francisco Forest Alliance for their substantial donation.

I’ve seen barn owls very occasionally in our area. They’re beautiful. I am so sorry this happened.