I’d stopped at Miraloma on an errand on Saturday morning and was going back to my car. The air was full of music. Where was it coming from? A cluster of passers-by stood on the sidewalk, listening and wondering.
Then I realized: A young violinist had set up inside Miraloma Cleaners, and it was her music that we were all hearing. It was quite lovely.
People gathered around, peering into the store. I had to leave, but as I got in my car, more people were stopping to listen to the impromptu concert.
Edited to Add (July 2012): I was sorry to hear that Earl Martin passed away last month, soon after this interview. I am honored that I had a chance to meet him.
Following the warm response to the 1961 picture of Forest Knolls I posted in Forest Knolls, Then and Now, I called Earl Martin to ask if I could post some more of his pictures here, rather than just linking them. He did better than just give permission: He kindly invited me over for a chat to the Midtown Terrace home he and his wife Connie have shared since 1957. Earl is 91, and Connie is 95, a gracious and engaging couple who were fascinating to talk to. They’re among the original residents who bought in while the homes were still being built.
Earl and Connie Martin in 1956 outside their partially built home
“We come from manual labor,” Earl said. He was a carpenter when he bought the house, and Connie was an occupational therapist working at a hospital. For mortgage purposes, though, Connie’s income wasn’t considered part of the household income. “Because I had a Union job,” Earl told me, “We could buy this house, and Connie could stay home with the children.” (Those daughters, of course, are all grown up: One is a doctor of optometry, the other a nurse specializing in neo-natal ICU care.)
Connie didn’t stay home very long. First she started teaching at a Sunday School, then preschool two mornings a week, then eventually she became a preschool teacher “until I got too old.”
Earl was an armorer in the USAAF during WWII, stationed in the UK with the “Bluenosed Bastards of Bodney.” (Click HERE for a 3-minute video featuring this airforce group.) Later, he was a carpenter until the 1970s, when a company take-over pushed him into retirement. After that, he worked with machinery, both research and development, and sales and repair. “He’s naturally a Mr Fix-It,” Connie said.
After he finally retired, his father-in-law interested him in the stock market. “I made more investing than I ever did working,” he said.
When they occupied their home, Forest Knolls was a barren building site. “They had heavy machinery out there, building the terraces. Then they planted rye-grass to stabilize it.”
Here are some more of Earl Martin’s photographs. I asked him about permissions: Anyone may reproduce the pictures, but with attribution to him.
In this picture, a few houses have been built…
TRANSFORMATION
I found another cool 20-second snippet of video: It’s an aerial view that shows the transformation from 1938 – when the forest was only about 40-50 years old, but much more extensive – to the neighborhoods there now in 2012.
This year, San Francisco reorganized its Supervisory Districts. I’ve been interested to know how the re-districting would come out, with plans of all kinds to change the boundaries this April. One proposal would have moved us (and Midtown Terrace) to District 8.
Well, the final maps are out, and we’re still in District 7. I was also pleased to see that our District includes all of Mount Sutro. One proposal had the boundary along Crestmont, which I didn’t like because actions on Mount Sutro would impact our neighborhood but we’d have less input.
[I talked about Redistricting in an earlier post, HERE.]
So here’s the map. Clicking on it will make a larger version come up.
What’s changed?
Not very much. Parnassus Heights, which is contiguous with Cole Valley, has gone into District 5. A small area East of Ocean Avenue has joined D11. A couple of small areas North of Holloway and just above the I-280 have been added.
In the map above, Forest Knolls is in pale yellow (and the forest is in green). The areas added to District 7 are in pink, and the areas subtracted, in orange.
A NEW SUPERVISOR
As some of you know, our supervisor, Sean Elsbernd, is termed out, and so there’ll be new candidates for a supervisory election. It will be held by ranked choice voting, which means you should choose the three candidates you like best and mark them in order of preference.
Who’s running (so far)?
1. Joel Engardio. He was one of the earliest to declare his candidacy. He stands for a sensible approach to city budgets, he’s small-business friendly, he supports dogs in our parks and off-leash areas, and he supports trees and urban forests. The reason I know so much about his platform is that he got in touch early. (I wrote about that HERE.)
His website is HERE. It has links to fun short (3-minute) videos about his platform: Budget, dogs, trees.
2. Norman Yee. I met Norman at a West of Twin Peaks council meeting, and today found a newsletter from him in my driveway. He’s currently president of the School Board, but we didn’t get a chance to talk about what he stands for, but HERE is his website.
3. Andrew Bley. I met him at a Greater West Portal Neighborhood Association meeting. Again, I didn’t get a chance to talk about his platform. His website is HERE.
4. F.X. Crowley. I haven’t met him yet, but HERE is his website.
5. Michael Garcia, who also I haven’t met. Again, his website is HERE.
Pretty soon, as the campaigns kick off, I expect various Neighborhood associations will start having candidate presentations. I’ll report on any I attend. Meanwhile, please feel free to comment.
[Edited to Add (22 May 2012): In the last few days, I’ve met F.X. Crowley, Andrew Bley, and Michael Garcia. I’ll be writing about them soon.]
A few residents of Forest Knolls may still remember what it looked like back in 1961 after the hillside was scraped bare and graded and covered with homes, some still under construction. When I happened upon this picture (taken by Earl Martin) on the Western Neighborhoods Project website, I immediately asked them for permission to reproduce it here. Woody La Bounty was kind enough to agree. It was taken at the dedication of the Midtown Terrace Playground, around 1961.
[Edited to Add: For more historic pictures of Forest Knolls and Midtown Terrace, click HERE.]
Here’s what it looks like today. Time and Nature and the green thumbs of residents over fifty years have transformed it from a building site to a green hill. This really looks like Forest Knolls.
Here it is again with some labels… (if you want to send in more, I can edit them in).
And here’s what the building site looked like, only three years earlier. Forest Knolls would be the bit labeled DEVELOPMENT.
If you’re like me, you may use Panorama Drive to cut across the hill to get to Tower Market or Safeway or just onto Portola. We need to bear in mind that it is actually a residential neighborhood. Apparently people have been speeding, and residents have been complaining.
So the police are acting. Here’s from Captain Feeney in the Park Station newsletter:
Speeders Beware! Radar trailers have been deployed on Roosevelt and on Panorama in Midtown Terrace. Where there are radar trailers there will sometimes be officers with radar guns to enforce the speed limits in these areas. Do not assume that the trailer is out there for decoration and for us to say we have done something about improving traffic safety. We cannot be everywhere all of the time but when we are, beware! We will take enforcement action. We have received several complaints about these and other locations throughout the Park District and I assure you that we will address each of them at one time or another. Please slow down and be considerate of those who live on the street you drive on. If you or your friends drive on Roosevelt or Panorama, slow down or risk becoming a statistic.
I went to the West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WTPCC) meeting last evening, at the beautiful Forest Hill clubhouse. The WTPCC is an association of associations; it has some 22 member organizations (including Forest Knolls).
COIT TOWER’S ON THE BALLOT
The Coit Tower initiative that I wrote about last time got enough signatures to go on the ballot, so you’ll be seeing it when you vote. It’s trying to push the SF Rec & Park to spend some of the visitors’ fees money to actually maintain the tower, which risks water-damage and cracks to its famous murals. WTPCC wants to write a supportive note on the ballot. It costs $200 + $2 per word. After a heated discussion about the exact wording, they decided to budget of $500 for it, and will sort out the wording later.
NATURAL AREAS PROGRAM DESTROYING TREES
Gus Guibert, Open Space committee, gave a hard-hitting presentation on what SFRPD’s Natural Areas Program (NAP) plans for Mount Davidson:
1600 trees to be felled, including clear-cutting a 3.86 area, with more tree losses expected to wind-throw;
suppression and removal of uncounted saplings under 15 feet in height;
closure of several trails.
Supervisor Sean Elsbernd said that with NAP’s budget merely $1.3 mn annually, this is an unfunded initiative. But the fact is, as I pointed out, that trees are already being killed.
(As an aside: On Mt Davidson, a number of trees have been “girdled.” If bark is removed all around the trunk of a tree, it starves to death. The San Francisco Forest Alliance (www.SFForest.net) has recently been organized to fight tree-felling, habitat destruction, use of toxic herbicides and waste of money better utilized elsewhere. I’ve joined that group. It’s trying to prevent further damage to Natural Areas including Mount Davidson.)
Separately, Sean Elsbernd discussed the America’s Cup, and also the planned new Parks Bond of $185 mn.
NERT TRAINING STARTING 15 March 2012
If anyone is interested in NERT (Emergency Response) training, it’s on offer at Aptos Middle School Thursday evenings starting March 15th and running through April 26th. It’s free, and kids (especially grade school age) are welcome with their parents. Click here for the flyer (It’s a PDF file).
JOURNALISTS HONORED
Patrick Monette-Shaw, who has been investigating Laguna Honda Hospital’s issues around its Patients Gift Fund, was awarded the James Madison Freedom of Information Award. WTPCC congratulated him. His advocacy pushed the City into a full audit of the Fund.
Mitch Bull, who publishes the Westside Observer, ran the articles. He pointed out that it’s the small neighborhood newspapers that actually have freedom of speech. (I agree. Westside Observer ran a story about Sutro Forest back in November 2009, when most papers were in lockstep favoring the Native Areas Program and tree-felling.)
(Other problems relating to Laguna Honda Hospital: Right now, it’s a loud whiny aircon system that’s eroded an estimated $50,000 each from the value of nearby homes in Midtown Terrace by rendering their yards unusable.)
I have to say I’m an admirer of neighborhood newspapers and newsletters that address day-to-day issues that impact our lives. Will blogs ever replace them? I don’t know, but I’m glad that these newspapers are available online as well. It makes their archives easy to access long after the last paper issue got tossed out.
I’ve posted here before about Joel Engardio, one of the candidates for Supervisor for District 7. (Sean Elsbernd is termed out this November.)
At the time, it was because of his forest-friendly video. (Click on the owl picture to watch the 2.5 minute video.)
He’s made another 2-minute video, this one about dogs in San Francisco. I’m not a dog-owner, but I am pleased our neighborhood is dog-friendly. As I said in In Praise of Dog-Owners — paws on the street mean eyes on the street.
Click here for Joel Engardio's dog video
If you’d like to find out where this candidate stands – clicking on the picture above will take you to the video.
A couple of weeks ago, Joel Engardio contacted me. He’s running for District 7 supervisor. (Some of you may already know – as I didn’t – that the current District 7 Supervisor, Sean Elsbernd, terms out this year.)
Joel doesn’t like the idea of wasting millions of dollars to cut down trees, close trails and deny access, use toxic pesticides on public land, and destroy habitat. He wanted to use some of the pictures from the SutroForest.com website (of which I’m webmaster) in a short video. Sure, I said. That’s a cause I believe in. (He asked separate permission for photos on the site that were taken by someone else.)
Clicking on the picture below will take you to the video he made. It’s sensible and it’s beautiful and well worth watching. (Also see the Comments below.)
He’s not a single-issue candidate, though. Here’s what his website says he stands for: Common Sense. Accountability. Fiscally Responsible. Socially Progressive.
I asked if he wanted to say something here, and he sent me this note:
I’m running for supervisor to bring more common sense and innovation to City Hall. We must champion the entrepreneurial spirit to create jobs and fund the programs we need. Throughout my career, I have fought for the social issues San Francisco cares about like marriage equality, immigration and human rights. As your supervisor, I will fight for the fiscal responsibility and government efficiency San Francisco needs to be a vital and vibrant city that works for everyone. Every effort by City Hall must be held accountable and measured for success. I’m running in District 7, but will work for all San Franciscans. That’s why people are supporting me citywide. Please join us: www.engardio.com
I don’t know who else is running for District 7, so I’ve no idea what they stand for. But I have to say I’d be pretty happy to have Joel Engardio as my Supe. Or even as a Supervisor, even if it’s not for my district…
… which could happen.
ARE WE DISTRICT 7?
Right now, Forest Knolls is in District 7. But as readers of this site will know, we’re in the middle of the ten-year redistricting exercise. The initial draft planned on moving Forest Knolls, Midtown Terrace, The Woods all into District 8. The Supervisor there is Scott Wiener, and he’s there until 2014.
Meanwhile, the West of Twin Peaks Central Council is fighting to keep these neighborhoods in D7. (The report on the meeting to discuss that is here.)
Here’s the map they propose:
(The colors indicate various neighborhood associations.)
Chances are that WoTPCC will prevail. We’ll know by April 15th, 2012. That’s when the redistricting commission has to submit its final map.
Another day, another visit to a lovely building. This time, it was the Forest Hill clubhouse to attend a meeting of the West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WTPCC). This is a group of some twenty neighborhood organizations, including Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization, The Woods, and Mt Sutro Woods Home Owners Association.
Here’s my take on it — and things you might want to act on.
SF RPD PROPOSES A $185 mn BOND
San Francisco Rec and Parks had a bond issue back in 2008 and want to come back for more. Though Dawn Kamalanathan made an excellent presentation, with pictures of kids and playgrounds, I got a sense of skepticism from the room.
The first set of questions related to the funding: If SFRPD borrows $185 mn from the public, it will have to pay interest and then pay it back… with taxpayer funds. Where, people wanted to know, are the repayments coming from?
The second issue was that SFRPD has spent money on extensive capital improvements, but it doesn’t have the operating budget to maintain them – or indeed, anything else. One example was JP Murphy Playground, where they renovated and improved the clubhouse, and then laid off the director and closed it down. Someone else quoted a park in her area, where improvements were made and all the gardeners laid off or retired and weren’t replaced.
A third set of concerns – where I also spoke – was about the Natural Areas Program and how funding it is leading to tree felling, habitat destruction and a growing use of Tier I and Tier II pesticides. Is this a good idea to fund?
Later, someone pessimistically told me that bond measures always pass because they’re paid for by home-owners but voted for by renters – and renters are the majority in San Francisco. I dunno. I was a little puzzled at the tone of the whole thing. It was not exactly, We really need to do these specific things, and so we need the money. It was more like, We really want to raise some money, and so you tell us how you want us to spend it. Odd.
SAN FRANCISCO OVERLOOK
The steep hillside above the planned development
As readers of this site will know, the old Crestmont project slated for the dead end steep slope on Crestmont Drive has been revived in a new guise: San Francisco Overlook. (My article on the original project is here.) An Environmental Impact Report has been submitted to City Hall, and it’s under review.
The WTPCC wrote a letter in support of the Mount Sutro Woods Homeowners Association, which is spearheading the resistance to this dangerous project. (The picture here is the steep slope just above the planned development.)
COIT TOWER PRESERVATION GROUP
Jon Golinger made a presentation explaining that though the San Francisco Rec and Parks Dept (SFRPD) is making maybe $500 thousand a year from Coit Tower, it’s not maintaining the place at all. Lights are broken, signs are outdated and warped, and worst of all, there’s water damage on the historic murals. Meanwhile, SFRPD wants to change the concessionaire and rent out the space for private events.
The group is trying to get enough signatures to put a measure on the ballot to force SFRPD to spend some of the money it makes off Coit Tower in maintaining and improving it. If anyone would like to collect signatures for them before Feb 4th, please email me at fk94131@yahoo.com, I have a signature sheet. Their website is at ProtectCoitTower.org
REDISTRICTING SAN FRANCISCO
Every ten years, San Francisco’s districts are redrawn, based on population. This year, the growth in population in District 6, because of all the new building there, means all the lines have to be redrawn. Here’s the preliminary draft of the proposed new districts.
According the the tentative plan proposed by the Redistricting committee, Forest Knolls, Miraloma Park, Mount Sutro Woods, and Galewood Circle, The Woods and Twin Peaks Improvement Association would all move to District 8.
The concern for WTPCC is that such an arrangement would mean that the concerns of the homeowners of the current District 7 would be over-ridden by the quite different concerns of the voters on the other side of Twin Peaks. They have made a different proposal. In the map below, everything within the blue boundary would be D7. (The colors denote the various Neighborhood Organizations.)
I think it’s a pretty good option, but I’m concerned that Mount Sutro goes into an entirely different district. Rising as it does above our neighborhood, everything that happens there (at least on this side) affects us. If the trees are felled and there are landslides when their roots die, our neighborhood is where they’ll land. If they start using pesticides as the Natural Areas Program does regularly on Twin Peaks, it’s our area it’ll wash into. If the tree-felling destroys the windbreak, guess which neighborhood gets the wind?
Our gray/brown/black Maine Coon cat, Rosie, has been missing since yesterday afternoon [6 Jan 2012] from her home at +++ Christopher, near Oak Park. She is an indoor – outdoor cat, but rarely stays out long. She has a collar and tag, but it’s hard to see under all her fur, and has been known to fall off. She is usually afraid of strangers, and has never been in a fight.
If you’ve seen her, please email or call us at [Edited to remove] . Thanks!
Edited to Add: Good news! Rosie is safe home. Here’s the note I received:
“Thank you to everyone who expressed concern. Rosie seems to have gotten accidentally detained in a neighbor’s garage. She’s fine, and we’re happy to have her home.”
A bright pink card from our neighborhood organization appeared in my mail today, thanking me for “making the holidays brighter in our Forest Knolls neighborhood by lighting up your home.”
Yes. Though we decorate for ourselves, we’re really decorating for other people… and in the process, creating a sense of celebration. So I’d like to continue what has become a tradition* here and publish a selection of lights around our neighborhood. (It’s a selection and not comprehensive; I may have missed some homes, and my camera missed some others, giving me only a bright blur…clicking on a picture takes you to a larger version.)
And here’s wishing everyone a wonderful year ahead in 2012. Happy New Year!
[*This website has been around long enough to actually talk of a tradition! This is the third holiday season.)
Forest Knolls is organizing a Trick-or-Treat loop this year! It’s from 5.30 pm to 8 p.m on Monday Oct 31, and is being coordinated by Laura Bloch. Here’s the flyer:
(The loop starts at the bottom of Forest Knolls drive, up via Oak Park, left on Christopher to Warren Drive, and then follow Warren Drive until it meets Oak Park.)
At the request of Walter Caplan, we’re posting this letter from the Principal of the Clarendon School. (Click twice on it for a clearer copy if this looks a bit blurry.)
Last Sunday, our neighboring area Midtown Terrace had its annual block party. (I didn’t go, but I’m hoping to get a report on that soon, and when I do, I’ll post it here.) [Edited to Add: I did – scroll down.] And it started a correspondence on our neighborhood Yahoo Group.
“I just drove by the Midtown Terrace block party in envy. Would love to have something like that for our street one day. I can already envision the jumpy house in the Forest Knolls cul-de-sac. Any interest out there?” wrote one of our neighbors.
Walter Caplan, President of the Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization (FKNO) immediately responded:
Funny you should ask. The Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization was recently granted [funds] by Sutro Tower Inc. to be used for a FOREST KNOLLS block party. I have been talking with some neighbors, and the consensus is that we should have a block party next spring [i.e. 2012], and likely situate it on Oak Park at the curve just beyond Warren Drive.”
A number of people thought it would be a good idea (including me). I heard from someone who grew up here that they used to do stuff like that, but I guess as the young people grew up and left, so did the parties… It’s time to start again!
Some of those who responded also volunteered to help out in making it happen. So… with any luck, we’ll be on for the block party next spring.
Edited to Add: And here’s the report, also from Walter:
October 2nd started out like most foggy mornings and the Midtown Terrace Homeowners Association (MTHOA) volunteers were worried that a cold day would keep some people from attending the annual MTHOA Block faire. By 11 am the morning mist had turned into a beautiful sunny day and hundreds of local residents were streaming to the annual block party. Like always, the party was in full swing by 1 pm.
After seven years the MTHOA has become a real neighborhood success and a looked-forward-to event. The first “block faire” was held at Midtown Terrace Park and only 43 people showed-up. Once the MTHOA started blocking off Dellbrook Avenue the annual block party became a very popular neighborhood event. Featuring free food and drinks, face painters, caricature artists, two inflatable jumpers, cotton candy, music, popcorn, a bubble machine and the ever-present Mr. Scruffy the clown, the entire MTHOA neighborhood is now attending an event that has become an annual neighborhood celebration and tradition. There are scads of moms with kids, few teenagers (they think it uncool to be seen at this event), senior citizens, and the dads who seem to come for the food and usually leave as quickly as possible so that they can watch the Sunday afternoon football game. Stay ten minutes or stay four hours, MTHOA is awfully glad that everyone showed up to spend some time with their neighbors.
Moms and kids seem to love this event the best as everything is designed to make children happy. So many kids who now live in Midtown Terrace are now going to different schools and rarely get a chance to meet. Mothers with children are constantly meeting other moms with children and forming lasting friendships in the community. Events like the MTHOA block faire have turned out to be a great way to keep the neighborhood a community. The local fire station parks a truck and gives tours of the fire engine and lets the kids ring the bell. Almost 400 people were served this year and that’s not even counting the hundreds of kids who attended. A block party is great way for a neighborhood to become a community.
The Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization hopes to create a similar block party for our residents in the spring of 2012 at a centrally located spot – possibly on Oak Park just past Warren Drive.
Neighbor Lulu Carpenter sent me a series of pictures of the Blue Angels flying by, taken from her home in Forest Knolls.
And this last picture isn’t of the Blue Angels, it’s the view from her house… but it’s so gorgeous I thought I’d publish it. Thanks for sharing these, Lulu!
ETA: And here’s one more picture, not from Lulu or Forest Knolls — it’s Sutro Tower, the fog, and the Blue Angels.
This is the second note that SF SAFE sent me, that I mentioned in the previous post. It’s relevant to most of us, so I thought I’d publish it here. (SAFE is a community crime prevention organization sponsored in cooperation with the San Francisco Police Department.
SECURITY CONCERNS FOR HOUSES
AND OTHER SMALL RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES OF TRADITIONAL (MOSTLY WOOD) CONSTRUCTION
Most Homes Can be Secured by Methods that are Cost-Effective, and Aesthetically Acceptable
Definition of Burglary (Section 459 in the California Penal Code): Burglary is simply entering a premise for the purpose of committing a theft or a felony. (The definition does not require forced entry.)
The Good News and Bad News
The bad news is that the average home is not difficult to enter without a key. The good news is that preventing intrusion can usually be accomplished with cost-effective measures that do not detract from the appearance of your house.
About Half of Residential Burglaries are Unforced Entries
Most burglaries and other serious crimes involve some degree of opportunism. Burglars often watch a group of houses from the street, a park, or some other vantage point. They notice schedules and patterns of the people coming and going. They also notice small valuables (such as laptop computers) being carried in, or lying on a table that is visible through a window. They are willing to do significant climbing to access an open window. While some people assume that climbing to a window would be blatant, the burglar considers it an opportunity.
What about the Other Half of Residential Burglaries ?
Force is used to make entry in about half of residential burglaries. The most common tool for a burglar is a prying tool, usually a simple screw driver. A great deal of force can be applied to a door with such a tool, without making much noise. Some burglars do break glass to gain entry to a house, but usually not large panes of glass. The glass most often broken in residential burglary is a small pane in a window on which the glass is sectioned into small panes. After breaking one pane of glass the burglar reaches through and turns the interior handle on the lock. Lack of visibility to the window from the street or neighboring properties increases this vulnerability. Avoid adding a lock that requires a key for exit, which is against the code because it could prevent your escape in an emergency.
Most Residential Burglaries Occur During the Day
Most residential burglaries occur during the day as the burglars usually prefer to enter when the resident(s) are not home. They want to get in and out without being detected. Always check who is at your door when somebody rings or knocks. This does not mean that you should open the door to a stranger, but speak to them through the door to make your presence known. If at any point the person acts suspiciously, or is in any way aggressive or belligerent, call the police.
Some burglars do enter homes at night while residents are sleeping. Still most of these burglaries do not result in assault as long as the resident does not try to stop the burglar. San Francisco Police refer to burglary of an occupied residential unit as a “hot prowl”.
So What About an Alarm System?
A burglar alarm on a dwelling unit can serve as a good back-up communications tool for security. If despite your reasonable efforts to maintain good physical and procedural security, a burglar still enters your dwelling, the alarm should help limit their time inside if not lead to their arrest. Keep in mind an alarm does not physically prevent anything from happening. Maintain good physical security so that you are not over-reliant on the alarm system.
If your dwelling unit is shared by several people coming and going on different schedules, then all members of the household should discuss the responsibilities of using an alarm system before purchasing one. All occupants must in fact be out of the house when the interior motion sensors are armed. (Or at least occupants must not enter zones in the house where motion-sensors are armed.). Arming only perimeter sensors, and not interior motion-sensors, will help in some houses. Alarms are not usually recommended for common areas of multiunit residences.
Visibility and Upkeep, Deterrents or Attractors
Visibility and general upkeep are very important factors in preventing crime at or near a property. Some people question if increased visibility and attractiveness of a property will actually attract the burglars. The answer is that you want to make the improvements in a manner that is advantageous for prevention: Minimizing obstructions to visibility, using adequate lighting, and general upkeep of properties allows residents, neighbors, and police more opportunity to observe the area and recognize suspicious activity. As many criminals are opportunists, they prefer to target areas where their activity can appear casual and discreet without having to actively hide.
Take the Initiative
Many people forgo making improvements to the security of their homes for the fear of just thinking about it. If they knew exactly what to do, they would do it. However, prolonged worrying about crime without addressing one’s own vulnerabilities actually contributes to anxiety and dysfunction. Most residents who have been burglarized say it’s better and more reassuring to become educated on the topic and implement the necessary improvements. A security assessment of a home instructs the resident how to strengthen its security so it can better defend itself against burglary. This is analogous to a self defense class that teaches people how to protect themselves against physical attack. Then you can run your errands, go to work or on vacation with a justified sense of security and comfort rather than with anxiety
or a false sense of security.
Neighborhood Watch- Crime Prevention as a Collective Effort
In addition to strengthening the security of your home you may want to consider (if you have not already) establishing a Neighborhood Watch on your block. Neighborhood Watch is a very effective process for neighbors to acquire all the essentials for practicing awareness and communication in an organized fashion with the police to prevent crime in the immediate area. Call Oona Gilles-Weil, SAFE’s Program Director (415-553-1982) if you would like to start a Neighborhood Watch, or ask any questions about that program.
Recently, the Forest Knolls Neighborhood Organization passed round flyers with safety tips and SF Parks Station Police phone numbers. One of them used information from the organization SF SAFE, so we asked permission to use it.
They not only gave us permission to use their copyright material, they sent us another useful document we’ll post later: Security Concerns for Houses.
For now, here it is, (with emphasis added):
Residential Burglary Prevention Tips 10 Best Tips for Residential Security
1. Keep doors and windows locked when away from the home. Approximately half of all residential burglaries are made via unforced entries.
2. To lock a door or window means it is held tightly in place, and does not budge when pushed, pulled, or lifted. Even if a window is open for ventilation, (no more than three inches), it should be locked tight in that position to eliminate movement.
3. In addition to being equipped with good locks, a door and door jamb should be of sound construction.
4. Garage Security: Burglars see the average garage as a not-so-secure cache of valuables. Generally the larger garages that store more cars, experience more entries and exits, and hence more chances for a burglar’s opportunistic entry.
a. Disconnect any exterior electric key switches or electronic number pads that open your garage door. Use either a remote control opener or a key.
b. Bikes in a locked garage need to be locked securely to a sturdy bike rack (such as with a motorcycle chain and lock), at least as securely as when the bike is parked outside in public.
c. Most storage lockers are designed for storing non-valuables. A secure storage compartment has sturdy walls, doors and locks like the entryway of a building.
d. A locked vehicle in a locked garage does not keep laptops, purses, PDAs, backpacks secure. Remove all valuables.
5. Keep the property in good repair and appearance as much as possible. Good maintenance enhances the look of good security. Maintain visibility.
6. Mark your valuables for identification and recovery. Keep an up-to-date inventory of your valuables, include serial numbers, photographs, and physical description of each item. Learn about the Operation Identification Program by calling SAFE. Try not to keep valuables in a visible location in your home.
7. Install a 180 degree wide angle door viewer on your front door and look before opening it.
8. Be alert when answering unsolicited visitors and callers. Do not provide entry or information to people until you have determined who they are and that you have reason to provide such access.
9. Consider having an alarm system installed as a back up to the physical and personal security measures you have taken. Obtain estimates from at least three companies before purchasing a system.
10. Join or establish a SAFE Neighborhood Watch on your block to network and plan a crime prevention strategy for your block. Contact SAFE at (415) 553-1984 for more information.
If you see any suspicious activity, immediately report it to the police at (415) 553-0123. Call 9-1-1 in an emergency.
Be prepared to provide a description of suspects involved.
A neighbor had this posted on Facebook, and I’m publishing it here with permission. It happened in our neighborhood, a few days ago. Someone lost control of their car on a slope, hit a couple of parked vehicles, and flipped over.
The sound of it was horrible – I thought it was the next door construction site dropping the giant dumpster… then I started hearing all the sirens and walked out and saw that mess…
It’s a brand-new Subaru. It still has the yellow dealer’s plates. Hope everyone’s insured.
The best part? The driver was taken to hospital — and released the next day.
[ETA: I suppose I should add, please drive carefully on our neighborhood’s steep roads, people. Whether you live here or are visiting.]
[ETA 2: The neighbor who took this picture didn’t say exactly where it was, but sent an additional pictures along.]
[ETA 3: Okay, it was on the 1st block of Devonshire (see comments).]
Here are more pictures:
This was the first car hit:
And then the Subaru “drove up” this car, and overturned.
It attracted a lot of attention, official and otherwise.
We’ve been following the situation of the Laguna Honda Reservoir over the past months. The issue in summary: The Reservoir, situated at the intersection of Clarendon Avenue and Laguna Honda Boulevard, belongs to the Water Department. They had used a corner of it below Clarendon during the renovation project, assuring the neighbors that they would restore it to greenery afterward. Instead, last year, they decided to make it into a gravel yard and headquarter their dive team there. (The details are here and here.)
The neighbors — particularly at The Woods, which is right next to the spot and overlooks it — were very upset and have been in discussion with the SFPUC about it.
But it wasn’t over; and the neighbors have been following up with SFPUC.
Another issue is that a beekeeper has been permitted to place a number of beehives in this area (which is otherwise inaccessible to the public. Some neighbors are concerned about how it looks, and also about how the bees might behave.
It seems that there’s been some kind of a resolution, at least for now. This is a letter from Judith Clarke, President of the Woods Home-Owners Association. (It’s published here with permission and added emphasis.)
I wanted to give you an update on what is happening at the Laguna Honda Reservoir. On August 24, 2011, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) cleaned up the piles of gravel and dirt that had been stored on the Laguna Honda site for about a year. They also removed the pipes that were stored there and raked the loose gravel to allow the plants to grow.
The SFPUC will be working up the street at the Sutro Reservoir to do seismic retrofitting. This work will begin in either November or January. The SFPUC will not use the Laguna Honda Reservoir area for that work.
At this time, there is no movement by the SFPUC to move a trailer and/or shed onto the Laguna Honda Reservoir site for their Dive Team, as had been discussed previously. I spoke with Suzanne Gautier of the SFPUC and she told me that she does not know of any movement in that direction at this time.
This is good news and thank you to all who donated money and participated in the efforts to prevent the installment of the trailer. We must still be vigilant in watching that area in case something changes in the future. Please continue to report any activity. We are still discussing the issue with Sean Elsbernd, District 7 Supervisor, and other members of the Board of Supervisors. Our attorney is not doing any work for us at this time, but she is available to us to provide legal advice and work in the future.
The tarps that covered the beehives on the far side of the reservoir were damaged by the storms we had this year. Currently, there are no tarps covering the fence to hide the beehives. Some homeowners had indicated that they did not like the tarps. Others have said they want the beehives hidden. Please let me know what your preference is for having the tarps on the fence. We have an opportunity to influence whether they are put back or not. Thank you.
Judy Clarke
President, The Woods of San Francisco
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in comments and I’ll send them on. [ETA: This post has been edited to remove personal/ non-public information as requested.]
Then I realized: A young violinist had set up inside Miraloma Cleaners, and it was her music that we were all hearing. It was quite lovely.
FOREST KNOLLS NEIGHBORHOOD 