Mr Gary Testa, owner of the San Francisco Overlook project (earlier the Crestmont Hills development) is inviting neighbors and stakeholders to a meeting on February 13, at Midtown Terrace Community Room on Clarendon to discuss the proposed development. Since our Forest Knolls communities are directly impacted, I think it’s important for us to know about this, and attend if possible. (I’ve written about it earlier, HERE.)
Here’s his letter.
January 30, 2013
Dear Neighbors,
I am pleased to invite you to join me for an update on my proposed project, San Francisco Overlook, and for a brainstorming session regarding new ideas to make improvements to the neighborhood as a whole. I hope by now that most of you are aware of the project I’ve proposed for my lot at the end of Crestmont Drive. If you are unfamiliar with the details and would like to learn more, I invite you visit my project website at http://www.sfoverlook.com.
Over the last two years I’ve hosted a number of presentations and meetings discuss my proposal, solicit feedback and hear suggestions of ways to make my project better. Some requests are simply not possible to accommodate, such as building only 1/3 of the proposed homes (the proposed project already proposes a density significantly below what is permitted by code) or providing access from a street other than Crestmont (via land which I do not own), but I’m happy to say that my project is responsive to many key concerns such as hillside stability and fire suppression. In addition, I have specifically incorporated the request for more parking as part of my proposal. My proposal currently includes two parking spaces per unit, a 33 increase over the typical maximum ratio of 1.5 spaces per unit.
Your recommendations and suggestions have helped to improve my project and I appreciate your participation. However, I am aware that I still face opposition from some in the neighborhood and have been advised that the MSWOA board has hired an attorney to explore taking legal action against my project. Regardless of your opinion of the project, the fact is that a protracted legal battle will require significant financial assessments of all property owners within our owners’ association. [Webmaster: This refers to the Mount Sutro Woods Owners Association.] In light of the substantial potential costs to all members, I feel it is best to broaden this discussion to include all stakeholders.
My position is simple – I believe my money would be better spent for the benefit of the community rather than used to enrich attorneys. I also don’t believe that every homeowner should be required to pay for a legal action which he or she may not support or from which they may gain no real benefit. I’ve already invested a considerable sum in my project to date, and I’m prepared to spend whatever amount is necessary to defend my project and property rights should legal action be forced upon me, but I would of course prefer to avoid what I consider a waste of money and instead work with my neighbors to redirect such resources towards meaningful improvements to benefit the entire neighborhood. For example, pedestrian-scale street lighting could enhance property values and help keep cars from being burglarized and/or improvements to the existing common areas could enhance beauty and create usable areas to walk dogs and for children to play. These are only a few initial ideas; there may very well be other ore important priorities that we haven’t yet considered which is why I’m once again seeking your input with this invitation.
In the spirit of collaboration I recently reached out to the MSWOA board and began discussions about whether a community partnership of the kind I’m describing is possible. I’d like to now broaden this discussion and invite all my neighbors to participate in a brainstorming session about other general or specific contributions we could make. If you are a homeowner whose home is inhabited by renters and you feel it is appropriate to include your tenants in this discussion, please feel free to pass on this invitation to them.
Please join me:
Wednesday, February 13th at 7:00 PM
Midtown Terrace Community Room
280 Olympia Way (at Clarendon Ave.)
I hope to see you there, but if you cannot attend I still would like to get your thoughts and input. Please email me at info@sfoverlook.com or please feel free to call my outreach director, Jessica Berg, at 415-385-4876.
I got this message about new Neighborhood Emergency Response Training classes for December. All the information is below.
(There’s also a flyer that you can download here as a PDF file and print: NERT flyer dec 2012 )
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We have one more training in December! Please include this note in your District newsletter and/or add this information to your calendar.
This NERT Training is somewhat central but is for all people who live and work in the San Francisco. People may live and work in different parts of the city. This training may fit their schedule!
And…What a great (early) Holiday gift for someone you love, your relative, your neighbor, or your co-worker! Give them a copy of the NERT flyer (see attached), encourage them to take the training. Tell them the STORY of why to took the NERT training! Tell them how important it is to Prepare, to Mitigate (to make less harsh, less severe and less painful), and let them know that when we face a disaster like the East Coast has just experienced and continues to experience, we will be so much more ready in the Recovery phase and with stronger ability to put our lives back together again! Surely, no one expected this disaster to hit the East Coast such as it did!
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”
–Anne Frank
~
Mission District San Francisco Fire Department Division of Training* Folsom St. @ 19th Street
Wednesday, 6:00PM – 9:00PM Classes start promptly!!! December 5: Class 1 December 12: Class 2 December 19: Class 3 January 2: Class 4 January 9: Class 5 January 16: Class 6
* Note: You must attend all sessions to gain the full benefit of the training. New students may not join on the second day of class. A Certificate will be issued. Make ups may be approved. Recertification – Take Class 5 & 6 – Or Call 970-2024 or – http://www.sf-fire.org/index.aspx?page=879
**SFFD DOT (Division of Training): 2310 Folsom Street between Shotwell & Folsom. Enter parking lot on 19th Street and park against masonry wall. DOT is the single-story building located next to Fire. Also see: http://www.nextmuni.com/ to arrive by Muni!
If you have any questions about the NERT program, please contact Lt. Arteseros at 415-970-2022 or email her at: erica.arteseros@sfgov.org,
Best regards and Thank you for Supporting the NERT Program.
Happy, Merry, and Safe Holidays to you and yours,
Edited to Add: I was sent this message from the West Portal Merchants Association:
“Many are saddened by the fire that has destroyed the building at the corner of West Portal Ave. The biggest tragedy is that there are over 60 displaced employees. Loss of employment just before the Holidays adds to the stress. An account has been set up with Bank Of America to accept donations. You can walk into any B of A Bank and ask to deposit into the “West Portal Fire” account. ALL money received will be distributed to the displaced employees. All overhead costs are being funded by the West Portal Avenue Association A.K.A West Portal Merchants Association. Please be generous to those most affected by the fire.”
West Portal Merchant’s Association
And the Greater West Portal Neighborhood Association noted that the city is trying to help and they’ll keep us informed.
“The City plans to expedite permits for repairs. In fact, Regina told me that Squat & Gobble already has their permits. They will help with legal and relocation activities. They are awaiting the Department of Building Inspections decision on if the Vin Debut building can be rebuilt or must be torn down.”
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There’s been a large fire at West Portal. Early yesterday morning, a blaze started at Squat and Gobble restaurant, and spread to the wine bar next door as well as an orthodontist’s office. There’s CBS report about it HERE.
I went by around midnight. Squat & Gobble is boarded up, so is the wine shop; and a fire-truck is parked beside them.
People in the bars across emerged from time to time to look. I’m guessing that each time someone new went in the bar, they were being told what had happened. A couple of buses and a train came by. Muni seemed to be running normally.
A white van – fire department surveillance of some kind? – sat in front of the West Portal Tunnel entrance. In front of the Studio Redz salon, a sad pile of debris was cordoned off with yellow tape and a traffic cone.
Even as I left, a few people stood on the sidewalk pointing at the burned out building. A smell of smoke still hung in the air.
[Edited to Add: A few more pictures, showing the damage in the day time. The inside was gutted. I took these on Oct 25th, but did not get around to posting them until now.
Soon, I hope, this will merely be a sad memory.]
CAFE FOR ALL SEASONS COULDN’T WEATHER THIS
In other, non-fire-related news: Cafe for All Seasons is apparently closed for good. The other day, I was surprised to see it shut mid-week and at lunchtime. Expecting a temporary closure, I jumped out of my car to read the note on their door for the dates. Instead, it was an eviction notice. Pity, that. First West Portal Bakery, gone equally suddenly, now this. I hope whoever moves in will be as popular as Goat Hill Pizza, which took West Portal Bakery’s spot.
Walter Caplan asked for publicity for this flyer, forwarded by George Wooding of Midtown Terrace. (Walter, thanks for clearing publication permission with Laguna Honda Hospital.) It’s for the Laguna Honda Community picnic, tomorrow 13 Oct 2012, between noon and 4 p.m. at the Betty Sutro meadow. Bring your own food and toys!
It’s coming up to Halloween, and Forest Knolls is organizing a candy loop…
Walter Caplan of the Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization (FKNO) dropped off a flyer at my place with the details. Laura Bloch is organizing this. Laura is at LJBloch@aol.com or (415) 504 8043.
Basically, if you’re in the loop (on the map below) and want to take part, have a pumpkin outside your house, and be ready for visitors between 5.30 p.m. and 8 p.m. The FKNO will provide pumpkins and pumpkin signs. (This doesn’t mean that homes that aren’t on the loop can’t participate. Just have a pumpkin visible, leave your porch light on, and have a stash of candy ready. That’s what I mean to do!)
And if you have kids (or are a kid) who wants to trick-or-treat, come on over to the Forest Knolls loop and look for the pumpkin signs.
I got this message from Diane Rivera, NERT Advisory Board – Coordinator Chair (www.sfgov.org/site/sfnert)
October is here and we celebrate the anniversary of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, an important date for all citizens who live and work of San Francisco. As the Bay Area suffered extensive damage from this earthquake, the neighbors in the Marina district requested that the San Francisco Fire Department start a program to help people to be better prepared for just this type of an event. The Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) was established soon after and active fire fighters continues to train individuals and families in all neighborhoods. The NERT Teams will hold their semi-annual drill in the neighborhoods on October 20, 2012 as we bring continuing training to the NERT community in San Francisco.
The NERT training is a FREE, hands on, 20 hour training for all people who live and work in San Francisco. Our training allows individuals, their families, neighbors and friends to be resilient, to be ready for any emergency with confidence in their training if and when we will need to take care of ourselves and our families.
We bring three new training opportunities at this time and thank you for your support in helping us get the message out so the as many people as possible learn about this training. Please add information to your calendar section!
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So here they are:
1) Potrero Hill: St. Teresa Church, Connecticut @ 19th Street
Tuesdays 6:30PM – 9:30PM
October 9 : Class 1
October 16: Class 2
October 23: Class 3
October 30: Class 4
November 7, Weds:Class 5
November 13, Tues:Class 6
RSVP – REGISTER HERE FOR ANY CLASS http://bit.ly/y4R3nd
2) San Francisco State University, 800 Font Blvd.
Two Day Intensive!
Tuesdays 8:30am-5:30PM
October 9: Class 1, 2, and 3 – (In the Conference Center)
October 16: Class 4, 5, and 6 (In the Tower Conference Center
Parking – Garage 20 on October 9th & October 16th.
RSVP – REGISTER HERE FOR ANY CLASS http://bit.ly/y4R3nd
3) Personal Readiness Workshop
October 24
Wednesday, 6PM – 8PM Intersection for the Arts, 925 Mission St. (near 5th St.) SF
Tell your family, friends, co-workers to come to this workshop to learn more about the NERT program.
** To enroll -Call 970-2024 or – http://www.sf-fire.org/index.aspx?page=879 and provide Name, Phone & Number.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Lt. Erica Arteseros, Program Coordinator, Neighborhood Emergency Response Team at 415-970-2022 or email her at erica.arteseros@sfgov.org.
A few days ago – on 22 September 2012, to be exact – the Space Shuttle flew over San Francisco on its voyage to its new museum home in Los Angeles. Neighbor Ingrid Schultz was there with her camera.
Here’s what she writes: “I got up early, Saturday morning, drove down to Crissy Field. A lot of people had the same idea! For a change the fog held off….”
“…The small speck in front of the Endeavor is the spot plane that flew in front…”
Here’s a gallery that includes the original pictures (I cropped the ones above to fit into the column width).
Here it is again: The indefatigable Barbara with another Inner Sunset event!
The Inner Sunset Gazillion-Family Flea Market
Saturday, Sept. 29th, 10a to 4p
NW corner of Sixth & Irving
28 Families already participating!
To reserve a free table, with a $40 deposit, please call Barbara: 415/246-4748
Just two spaces left!
Come buy handicrafts, used clothing, furniture, junk, tools,
games, treasures, artwork, photography, CDs, plants, cookies,
more junk, kids’ clothing, some bric & some brac!
I got this announcement with the plan for the Inner Sunset’s Fourth Friday of September 2012:
Explore the Inner Sunset after hours! Enjoy specials, art exhibits, refreshments, and more from local businesses every fourth Friday of the month, from 6-9pm.
On September 28th, some of the fun things to discover include
Handcrafted jewelry, photography, free fresh-baked cupcakes and tasty wine at Pearl Gallery;
A community HU chant at Sheehan Chiropractic at 6:45pm;
Free Patxi’s Pizza at two secret locations; and
Bubbly and an additional 20% off sale items at Ambiance.
Head down to the 9th & Irving intersection and pick up a map of the businesses that are participating at any of the following locations: Urban Bazaar– 1371 9th Ave.; Pearl Gallery– 839 Irving St.; Park Smile- 1244 9th Ave.; Alaya– 1256 9th Ave.; and Paragraph– 1234 9th Ave. All venues, except 21+ only establishments, are family friendly.
Here are a couple of photographs from the August event:
Golden Gate Heights Neighborhood Association hosted a District 7 Candidates’ Forum, and I went to see and make notes. Of the 9 candidates running for Board of Supervisors for District 7, 6 showed up. (Lynn Gavin, Julian Lagos, and Bob Squeri weren’t there.)
I’ll try to be impartial, but I’ll state my bias up front: I love trees and habitat for wildlife and those are my issues. Each candidate made their brief statement, and then the audience asked questions. The questions related to:
Parking: Sunday parking meters, extended parking meter hours. SF MTA (which is independent of the Board of Supervisors) has been talking about adding meters, extending hours, and adding Sunday meters. This will add costs for everyone, and push cars into the neighborhoods as they try to avoid meters.
The difficulty of getting downtown with so many road improvement projects going on simultaneously, and the need for interdistrict co-ordination
Lake Merced, which is currently managed (or not) by the SF Public Utilities Commission (because of the lake) and SF Rec & Park (for boating and fishing). Who should manage it? The gun club occupies – and has polluted with lead shot – 14 acres of land. Remediation may cost $5-10 million. Who pays?
Tree felling and pesticide use in the Natural Areas via the Natural Areas Program (NAP) – part of San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department. What are your views about the thousands of trees to be felled, especially the 1600 trees to be felled on Mount Davidson? (I asked this question.)
The need for affordable housingvs preserving neighborhood character. How to balance the two?
So in alphabetical order, here they are. (The pictures weren’t taken at the forum. I forgot. They’re from a bunch of other sources, so if any candidate wants the picture replaced – email me at fk94131 at yahoo.com.)
He introduced himself as a professional geographer and cartographer who’s done work for the City, a smart small business owner, father, and husband. (His daughter is 5th generation San Franciscan.) Sean Elsbernd appointed him to the Pedestrian Safety Committee. He’s also volunteered with Project Homeless Connect with the homeless, and with Project Open Hand, and plays guitar for children’s programs. He stands against the use of public funds in elections, and believes the money could be better spend on other things. Key issues: Homelessness, panhandling – and preserving trees.
Q&A
Andrew had to leave early (clashing appointment) and could only answer the first question, on parking. He opposes Sunday meters and extended hours, and sees a need for training the enforcement workers. People get tickets even when they’re legitimately parked, which becomes harrassment.
FX spoke about his deep roots in District 7 where he’s lived most of his life and raised his family – a neighbor. He was a stagehand and served on the Board of the SF PUC, and also on the Ports Commission. He spoke of a deeply personal reason to run; his brother John, ill of terminal pancreatic cancer, charged him with doing something to benefit the future generation. So he decided to run for Supervisor. His vision for San Francisco includes jobs, infrastructure, neighborhood character, reforming non-profit organizations, preserving green spaces.
Q&A
Parking. He thinks people should tell their supervisors about problems, and different places have different issues. For example, making parking difficult in West Portal will push people to Stonestown and Daly City malls.
Getting downtown. Since it’s an issue involving a number of districts, he’d bring everyone to the table to work out the problems.
Lake Merced. Dual responsibility is best, with both SF PUC and SF RPD on it. They are dealing with it now, it’s getting better.
Trees and NAP. He’d approve removing the dead and dying trees, working with the rest.
Affordable housing. The Mayor’s housing trust fund may help. He favors increased density on transit corridors, and more development in places like the 3rd street corridor, Treasure Island, and Park Merced.
Joel ran through his background – raised by a single mom, went to University of Michigan on a scholarship and became a journalist – a watchdog. He worked for the ACLU, on protecting everyone’s constitutional rights. Then he got a mid-career scholarship to Harvard, where he got a Masters in Public Administration because he wants to focus on working for people in the government. Hence his run for Supervisor. He stressed that as a candidate who had qualified for public funding, he was truly independent and not beholden to any special interests; he would be an advocate for the people of his district. People were concerned about ideological decisions in the government, and he stood for common sense: Focus on the basics before trying to raise more money. He supported viable small businesses in San Francisco; the city shouldn’t be a theme park with all the real work going on in Silicon Valley. As an example of common sense: there’s room for trees, and there’s room for native plant gardens, but spending tax money to cut down thousands of trees for the sake of native plants doesn’t make sense.
Q&A
Parking. Raising parking rates is unsustainable. It discourages people from going places by car, and hurts small businesses, who have to compete with places easier to get to. He also opposes parklets, which are difficult to maintain, and take away 3-4 parking spaces. He suggests SF MTA look for more revenue by cracking down on ticketless travel on Muni.
Getting downtown. The Westside needs an advocate. The City’s “transit first” policy sounds good, but becomes counter-productive for many westside areas – an example of ideological thinking that lacks common sense.
Lake Merced. It should have only one manager, the SF PUC. Too many cooks spoil the broth. The gun club should have been required to carry insurance; since it doesn’t, it’ll have to be the SF PUC.
Trees and NAP. We should leave them alone. San Francisco has no native trees! He’s not against native plants, but he doesn’t think the ideology should determine the use of tax dollars for cutting down trees.
Affordable housing. The city needs growth, it needs housing, but it also needs to preserve single-family homes. He favors development in certain areas, for instance Park Merced, and along transport corridors, where he’d be okay with ownership condos.
Mike has an MBA from Loyola in New Orleans, and ran a couple of small businesses. He moved to San Francisco when he became an options trader after he bought a seat on the Pacific Stock Exchange. He’s on the board of St Stephen’s and of the YMCA and volunteers in various areas. Former Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed him to the Ethics Commission and later to the Board of Appeals. He has 40 years of business experience, and 10 years of government experience. He noted a Chamber of Commerce survey found people were most concerned with the economy, pensions (or pension reform), and quality of life issues, i.e. homelessness. He thinks pension reform is essential going forward, with a cap on retirement benefits for new hires.
Q&A
Parking. Mixed feelings. Some West Portal merchants want Sunday meters because otherwise people park their cars and go elsewhere. But in other places – like the Zoo – it becomes a de facto tax on the poor and on small businesses.
Getting downtown. The problem is the cumulative impact of multiple projects all over the city. When such projects are planned, SF’s planning department tries to stagger them to avoid impacting residents too much. SF MTA could easily do the same with some planning.
Lake Merced. SF PUC has the deep pockets, they should manage it. No use going after the gun club for remediation, they have no insurance and can’t pay.
Trees and NAP. It’s ironic that the city forces people to adopt the street trees in front of their property, whether they want to or not; but then it turns round and chops down trees. SF RPD hasn’t engaged the neighbors in the process of planning. Though he’s a friend of Phil Ginsburg (head of SF RPD), he’s against NAP in its current form. (He used his summation speech to push the Parks Bond 2012 to say that even if it funds NAP, you should vote for it because it will be used to refurbish playgrounds.)
Affordable housing. It’s important to do it sensibly with infill, not overbuild. He definitely wants to preserve the character of D7 – where people have lawns.
This is the first time I’ve seen Glenn Rogers. His platform is listed on his website, and that’s pretty much what he ran through in his statement: Creating a Department of Public Safety; standardizing fire hydrants so all firehoses can access all hydrants; tax Recology (the garbage company); Parks Bonds should include maintenance costs (at present, they’re restricted to capital expenditures); plant road medians with native plants; install solar windows in downtown buildings (like solar panels, only they’re windows, and they generate electricity), and those buildings should have green roofs.
On the questions:
Parking. Glenn said SF MTA hired new parking enforcement people each costing ~$50, 000 annually and thus needed to write a lot of tickets to cover the costs, but didn’t think they could. He facetiously suggested they break all the meters so they could ticket everyone.
Getting downtown. He suggested more research. Adding bus lanes, for instance, wouldn’t help because cars encroach all the time.
Lake Merced. He supported dual responsibility, and also closing the gun club. He didn’t think they would shift to steel ammo, because lead is cheaper – so as long as they stay, they’ll pollute.
Trees and NAP. Eucalyptus poisons the soil through allelopathy, so eucalyptus forests are deserts where nothing grows and there are no birds or animals. [This is factually incorrect. See photos HERE for pictures of the lush understory on Mt Sutro, and HERE for a partial bird-list for the forest.] On Mount Davidson, the city should cut down enough trees to show the cross, however many trees that is.
Affordable housing.Park Merced shouldn’t be built up, it’s is not transit-friendly. A shuttle to the BART doesn’t count. It will increase traffic congestion. But affordable housing is important. We want our police, firefighters, and educators to be able to afford the city.
Norman said he was a 3rd generation San Franciscan, and his focus was improving the lives of families and children. Though he initially trained as an engineer, his true interest was education, and so he went back for an MA in education. He was President of the School Board for 8 years. He believes his strength is getting people together to discuss and work out problems. He mentioned some successes of the School Board – reducing truancy, raising test scores, reversing declining enrollment, and saving the Sunset Childcare Center that ran out of funds mid-year leaving working parents stranded.
Q&A
Parking. He’s against Sunday meters, and he’s personally observed mistaken enforcement. When he pointed it out to the Parking worker, she didn’t reverse her actions, she just went off, leaving an bunch of erroneous tickets. Norman thinks that downtown parking rates should be raised instead, since it will impact outsiders more.
Getting downtown. Norman said he’d fight for the interests of our district.
Trees and NAP. The plan for Mount Davidson is a bad plan. We should manage dead and dying trees, and replant trees. We should preserve recreational access and usage.
Affordable housing. Norman’s facing this problem right now: His adult daughter would like to stay in the city, but is not sure if she can afford it. He thinks multi-unit developments are possible, but need to allow ample time for stakeholder inputs – and make the effort to do it right.
It was an interesting evening, and kudos to Golden Gate Heights for setting it up. I’m hoping to attend more forums, and get their views on a broad range of issues. Meanwhile, I welcome any comments.
There’s a candidates forum for District 7 candidates Thursday 30 August 2012. It’s hosted by the Golden Gate Heights Neighborhood Association, and its President says you’re invited. So if you’re curious about the nine contenders, most or all of them are expected to come to the forum. I’m planning to be there. (There’s a full list HERE, and video of five of the nine.)
Listen to the candidates, ask questions, share refreshments.
District 7 Supervisor Candidates Forum
Golden Gate Heights Neighborhood Association
Thurs, August 30 at 7 pm at
Parish Hall, Christ Church Lutheran, 1090 Quintara St at 20th Ave, San Francisco
Down the hill from us in the Inner Sunset, the interesting and eclectic store Urban Bazaar (“Fair trade & locally handmade gifts“) is celebrating its second anniversary. They asked me to post this … they’re having an “Urban Bazaar-B-Q” and party!
The festivities will include:
Barbecue & beer from noon ’til we run out
Birthday cupcakes & treats
Live art by local artist Rick Kitagawa, all day
Free workshops & demos by local artists, including…
12:30-2 pm: Terrarium Making demo with Brandi & a chance to make your own terrarium!
2-3:30 pm: Mustache on a Stick workshop with Briana!
All day: Fabric covered jewelry making with Stephanie Bolton of Since Sass, $5-10 materials fee
When: Sunday July 29th, 12:30-6:30pm
Where: Urban Bazaar, 1371 9th Ave., San Francisco
Contact: (415) 664-4422, Urbanbazaarsf.com
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Sounds like fun. I looked up Rick Kitagawa. His website says, “I make paintings of monsters, illustrate creepy things, and make prints on the side as well!” (This lonesome Cthulhu is one of his pictures, which is also available, I think, as a t-shirt…)
Crafter Stephanie Bolton has a shop on Etsy, Since Sass. It’s got a whole bunch of handmade pouches and purses, but what she’s doing this time is fabric-covered jewelry.
Since Brandi of Urban Bazaar plans a terrarium workshop, I thought I’d put in this terrarium picture from their website.
Earl and Connie Martin in 1956 outside their partially built home
Some time ago, I’d written about meeting Earl and Connie Martin, original residents of Midtown Terrace. Earl had taken a lot of photographs of Forest Knolls and Midtown Terrace in the 1950s and early 1960s, when they first moved here. When I asked permission to publish them, he kindly invited me over to their home.
Today I was saddened to learn that he passed away last month, soon after my May 2012 interview. My thoughts go out to his family. I was honored and fortunate to meet him.
I was out of town until yesterday, and flew back on the 4th of July. The first thing I noticed was that a *lot* of people on the planes and in the airports wore celebratory clothes, almost as though they were trying to make up for having to fly on the holiday. Amid the men and women wearing T-shirts with flags and eagles, there was a cute five-year-old in a blue-starred bodice and a red-and-white striped skirt.
Usually we watch the fireworks from Tank Hill or Twin Peaks, but last night we drove down to the Marina and watched, double-parked, from near the Safeway. It was splendid, and I’d forgotten how different it feels watching from up close. (One year we did the Hornblower cruise, and it was amazing… we’ll probably do that again some time.)
And did you hear what happened in San Diego? The entire 17-minute 4th of July fireworks display went off in about 30 seconds… they’re still trying to figure out the technical glitch, but the result was spectacular!
Barbara Oleksiw is organizing the annual Solstice Party, and asked me to run this notice. We’re all invited!
Annual FREE Inner Sunset Summer Solstice Party Saturday, June 23rd, 8 to 11p, Sixth & Irving
Come enjoy complimentary Live Music, a BBQ dinner & warm Drinks, on the Longest Day of 2012! We’ll have *plenty* of outdoor heaters, if necessary. All welcome!
Bring a dessert to share, if you wish. To volunteer: Barbara 415/2.46.47.48
I was sent this notice to share with everyone: “The Inner Sunset Merchants Association has decided to create a monthly after-hours event in the neighborhood, and we’re hosting our first one this month, on Friday June 22nd 2012.”
Since this neighborhood is just down the hill from us, it’s a nice thing to explore. I’ve always felt that our side of the city has too little going on after hours. This would be a welcome addition.
Explore the Inner Sunset after hours!
Enjoy specials, art exhibits, refreshments, and more from local businesses every fourth Friday of the month, starting at 6pm and ending between 9-10pm.
On June 22nd, some of the fun things to discover include the opening of a 2-week art show at Urban Bazaar (1371 9th Ave), with original artwork by local illustrator Nidhi Chanani (the picture above is one of hers), plus free refreshments; and a showcase of handcrafted jewelry from La Paz, Bolivia at La Paz Imports (1342 9th Ave).
Head down to the 9th & Irving intersection on the N-Judah and pick up a map of the businesses that are participating at any of the following locations:
Urban Bazaar- 1371 9thAve.;
Pearl Gallery- 839 Irving St; Blackthorn- 834 Irving St.;
Park Smile- 1244 9th Ave.
All venues (except 21+ only establishments), are family friendly.
Today was the transit of Venus. That’s when the earth’s orbit lines up with the orbit of the planet Venus in such a way that we see Venus silhouetted against the sun. In San Francisco, it went from 3.09 p.m. to 9.49 p.m.
As spectacles go, this was quiet: a tiny black dot moving across the sun and taking nearly seven hours to do it. As special occasions go, it was very special: This is the last one for the next 105 years. Not in our time, or our children’s time. Maybe our grand-children or great-grandchildren will see the next one.
I definitely wanted to see it.
Mary Allen, in a comment on my post about the eclipse, mentioned solar-viewing spectacles available from Edmunds Scientific, but also that they were back-ordered. (Thanks, Mary!) Though I ordered them right away, they didn’t arrive in yesterday’s mail. Too bad.
So I made my way to the roof of the California Academy of Sciences at 3.20. I’m a member there, and their e-newsletter said they’d have scopes set up. They did, and quite a few people had gathered to see what was going on. We got there just in time to see the little black Venus dot start its transit across the sun on one of the solar viewers.
“It takes the light 8 minutes to get here from the sun,” someone said.
“Yes, but only 5 minutes from Venus,” said someone else. “If you got here 8 minutes ago, you wouldn’t have seen the dot.”
After a while, we left. We had 6 p.m. evening engagements that we needed to prepare for.
IN THE NICK OF TIME
The doorbell rang at 5.30 p.m. There on the doorstep, just in the nick of time, were the solar viewing glasses. I opened the box, picked a pair, and went to the window to see the phenomenon. Sure enough, there it was. I actually got to see it, not just an image of it:
Next planet over, crossing in front of our favorite star.
Someone sent me this notification, and I’m posting it here in case anyone’s planning to drive out the week of June 11.
Daly City is bracing for large crowds the week of June 11-17 as golf fans converge on the Olympic Club for the 2012 US Open. Widely regarded as the premier golf event of the year, the US Open is expected to draw more than 200,000 spectators during the week. Although the golf course is located in San Francisco, a majority of the fans attending the event will pass directly through Daly City, potentially causing unprecedented traffic delays in the area near the Olympic Club.
Officials from the United States Golf Association (USGA) have planned ways to mitigate traffic in Daly City, but transporting 200,000 people to the Olympic Club in a single week will undoubtedly affect regular traffic flow along John Daly Boulevard between Junipero Serra Boulevard and Highway 35 (Skyline Boulevard).
Additionally,
John Muir Drive will be closed to the general public for the duration of the event (residents who live at Lakewood Apartments will be issued parking permits and will be granted access from southbound Highway 35 in the eastbound direction only).
Highway 35 will be closed to all northbound traffic between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. during the U.S. Open. Only one lane of southbound Highway 35 (the western-most lane) will remain open to the public.
Motorists are advised to avoid the area of Highway 35 north of the Highway 1 interchange in Pacifica. Highway 1 and I-280 are the preferred north/south alternate routes during the U.S. Open.
PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Fans planning to attend the U.S. Open are encouraged to take advantage of free parking at Candlestick Park. The USGA has arranged free shuttle service from Candlestick Park to the Olympic Club (and back) throughout the event.
A shuttle for BART riders will be available from the Colma Station. Absolutely no event parking is available near the Olympic Club.
CLOSURES
The Olympic Section of Westlake (the neighborhood north of John Daly Boulevard, between Highway 35 and Lake Merced Boulevard) will be accessible only to residents and their guests. On-street parking in the Olympic Section during the U.S. Open will require a permit.
Westlake Park, the Doelger Senior Center, Larcombe Clubhouse and the Pacelli Events Center will not be open from Monday, June 11 through Sunday, June 17.
The Library and Recreation Services Administration offices will be staffed and open for phone inquiries Monday, June 11 through Friday, June 15. However, no parking will be available for drop-in visitors or in-person registration. If you need assistance from the Library and Recreation Services Department during the U.S. Open, please call (650) 991-8001 or FAX (650) 991-0303.
All Daly City facilities will re-open Monday, June 18 barring any play-off rounds.
For more information about the 2012 U.S. Open, visit www.usopen.com. For more information and a map of the roads around the Olympic Club CLICK HERE.
A few days ago, I joined the Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) tree tour of Cole Valley, just over the hill and to the east of us. It was led by Mike Sullivan, who likes trees (in fact, he wrote The Trees of San Francisco). In 2010, I went on a tree-walk he led in Forest Hill, which was excellent.
VOTE FOR FRIENDS?
Friends of the Urban Forest helps people who want street trees planted in front of their homes. If neighbors get together and call them in, they’ll help figure out if there’s space for trees; if there are utilities and things underground there; what kind of tree would work well in that place; and then get the trees at a discount. Their volunteers care for the trees for three years after they’ve been planted, so they are well-established. As San Francisco loses trees to various mishaps, they’re trying to keep up and replace them.
City trees fight pollution and clean the air, so they’re important quite aside from their beauty. (Though the beauty is important, too; homes on tree-lined streets are valued up to 30% higher than homes on treeless streets.)
You can help FUF to win a grant for $10,000. Odwala is giving this money to the the top ten tree-planting organizations, and FUF is nearly there. Your vote counts for a lot. (One person can only vote once.) If you’d like to help, CLICK HERE for the link to the voting page.
THE TREE WALK
Cole Valley has some great trees. We started down at Parnassus, near the Walgreens, where the first tree we encountered was Victorian Box. It’s a popular street tree; it’s large enough to look like a tree, but doesn’t try to claim the sidewalk. This street has several.
Unfortunately, when three trees outside the Walgreens were killed in a rare freeze about 15-20 years ago, the owner decided not to replace them. It’s bare sidewalk there.
This interesting tree is a Bailey’s Acacia, also called a Golden Mimosa. It wasn’t in bloom , but Mike said that in season, it’s completely covered in yellow flowers. I looked it up on the Internet, and it’s quite spectacular.
It wasn’t only trees. He stopped under a rather gnarled tree, but what he showed us was the house: It was the childhood home of Governor Jerry Brown. Right here, in Cole Valley. The tree, incidentally, is a Brazilian pepper tree; its berries, apparently, taste peppery.
The next tree was a magnolia champaka, a tree whose flowers are sweetly scented, something between jasmine and frangipani. The flowers of this tree are used in worship in temples. Mike plucked one of he flowers and passed it around. The tree apparently came from Sloat Nursery, and the owner was lucky; they usually need a warmer less windy climate. But this one’s clearly thriving.
Another non-tree: Or perhaps I should say, a former tree. Pat Montandon, a prominent San Franciscan, lived here in a house whose gate was formerly flanked by two stately Monterey cypress trees. After one was felled by a storm, causing some property damage, she decided the second one had to go as well. But rather than just removing it, she had the tall stump carved into “The Angel of Hope.”
We walked on to one of Mike’s favorite trees: A New Zealand Christmas tree, a species that is generally covered with red flowers. Only this one is a mutation; its flowers are yellow.
Descended from two trees discovered in New Zealand in 1940, it was planted only a few years later by the owner of a nursery garden behind the house. It’s now maintained by his daughter and son-in-law.
Though it wasn’t in bloom, it was an interesting tree with a rounded shape and a lot of aerial roots.
The Tree Tour continued into the Sutro Forest. There we split from the group and wandered homeward over the mountain and through the woods. (That report is on the Sutro Forest website, HERE.)
FOREST KNOLLS NEIGHBORHOOD 