Thursday, May 31, 2012

Yellow Building Anniversary Block Party

Sunday, June 3
noon until 6 pm
1001 Minnesota Street

Piccino will be serving up some spring favorites like the pisello pizza and their fava falafel, a fashion show from MAC, and bubbles at DIG while we all celebrate one year in their beautiful Yellow Building.

Event Description: On Sunday, June 3rd, we will celebrate their first anniversary in their new home in the Yellow building (the actual 1st anniversary was on May 11th). They are planning to close the Minnesota Street cul-de-sac and have a block party-like event with music, prizes and kiosks representing all nearby Dogpatch businesses.

Ten Awesome Hikes

Photo: J. Hahn-Taylor

If you love hiking, but don't know where in the city to go, whether you've got kids or not check out the Hill Babies blog, where Jessica Hahn-Taylor has compiled a great compendium of the places she goes with her baby.

Start with the "Ten AWESOME Hikes in the Southeastern Part of San Francisco".

Guide to Moving to San Francisco

Drew Hoolhorst and Juan Leguizamon at The Bold Italic give some guidance on moving to San Francisco. None of the neighborhoods in the city fare any better or worse than the D10 neighborhoods he describes, so no one take too much offense, OK?

Only 60 percent of Muni vehicles run on time

Only 60 percent of Muni vehicles run on time (via The Bay Citizen)

Bay Citizen analysis finds some lines are rarely on schedule By David Suriano, Shane Shifflett on May 31, 2012 - 12:01 a.m. PDT Only 60 percent of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s buses, trains and trolleys on 68 routes arrived on schedule during the last six months of 2011 –…

McLaren Park Fundraising Pancake Breakfast

Sunday, June 10, 2012
9:30AM - 12:30PM
Louis Sutter Clubhouse
Wayland at University Aves

All you can eat pancakes, eggs, and sausage, fruit, milk, coffee, and juice

$10 Adults
$5 Children

All funds will go directly to helping McLaren Park

Organized by Help McLaren Park group

Hot Glass & Cold Beer

HGCB is Public Glass’ long-running series that combines exciting glass demonstrations, live music and food & drink for a night of great entertainment. For a $25 donation, you'll select a one-of-a-kind drinking glass hand-blown by a Public Glass artist that we'll fill with your choice of beer, wine or soft drinks all evening; at the end of the night, the glass is yours to keep. 100% of proceeds benefit Public Glass. (Glasses available while supplies last.)

Saturday, June 2
1750 Armstrong Ave, SF
6:00 - 10:00PM
RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/events/295670230523351/

Our featured artist for both the gallery AND demonstration parts of this event will be Jess Wainer. Jess Wainer is a glass and ceramic artist in Oakland, CA. She creates functional blown glass vessels and custom lighting designed to enhance living spaces. Drawing is her first love and the language through which she explores her passions and inspirations, namely: nature, women, and travel. Her innovative use of alternative photographic methods, combined with her distinctive illustration style, has made her work widely recognized by museum shops, galleries, collectors, and magazines worldwide. Her work has been featured at the SFMOMA Museum Shop, the Cincinnati Art Museum, Architectural Digest Russia, and in local hotspots such as the new Castro bar, Churchill. Jess holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design in Glass.

Check out her video bio @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcyO1DvfOKQ

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Temporary Two-Car T-Third Service

Friends have been emailing me today that they've seen multiple two-car trains on the T-line today. A check of the nextmuni.com site's live map, and sure enough, there they all are! As one pointed out, though, don't get used to it. They're likely running the longer trains to accommodate passengers affected by the N-Judah line being shut down for ten days. Still, the extra room on the longer trains is kinda nice.

Public Tour of Proposed McLaren Park Disc Golf Course

Proposed Disc Golf Map

A representative from the San Francisco Disc Golf club will lead a tour of the proposed 18-hole disc golf course in McLaren Park. Find out which trails, open spaces, woodland areas and picnic grounds will be affected. Meet your neighbors and other volunteers dedicated to protecting McLaren Park.

June Jordan School For Equity
City Arts & Technology High School
325 La Grande Avenue
Sunday, June 3rd • 11:00 am
Parking area for June Jordan School (near Brazil and La Grande)

From Save McLaren Park:

Public tour of proposed disc golf course
this Sunday, June 3rd, 11am

A representative from the San Francisco Disc Golf Club will lead a tour of the proposed 18-hole course in McLaren Park Sunday, June 3rd, 11am.

Aerial View

Find out which trails, open spaces, woodland areas and picnic grounds will be sacrificed.

Learn the locations of concrete tee boxes, fairways and metal baskets.

Meet your neighbors and other volunteers dedicated to protecting McLaren Park.

Join us Sunday, June 3rd at 11am at the June Jordan School parking area. (Brazil and La Grande).

If you can volunteer to get the word out or distribute flyers, please contact Melanie@savemclarenpark.org or call the SMP hotline, 650-516-7657.

This is a unique chance to walk the proposed course with a disc golf representative.
Please make plans to attend!

--- Background details ---

Sensitive Species

Jeff Bowling of the SF Disc Golf Club recently presented a proposal for a new course in McLaren Park to the McLaren Park Collaborative, the District 11 Council, and the Excelsior District Improvement Association. Here are the important points:

At the District 11 Council meeting, Bowling said that Rec and Park believes "The Golden Gate Park disc golf course is overutilized,” and could be made better if there were another course to help “spread the damage”.

Bowling said that on a busy weekend the Golden Gate course hosts hundreds of players, adding that while progress has been made in dealing with various erosion, soil compaction, and tree damage issues, the crowds at Golden Gate cause considerable environmental damage.

Management Area

During his presentations, Mr. Bowling stated that the SFDG Club is open to other possibilities, adding that all they want is a place to play. Two options discussed are sharing space with a regular golf course, or using already-disturbed city land for a unique "artistic" disc golf course with large sculptures as obstacles rather than sensitive habitat areas.

Save McLaren Park questions why McLaren Park's untrammeled and sensitive open spaces should be sacrificed to lessen the damage in Golden Gate Park.

SF City Guides Free Tours

Dogpatch and Potrero Point

Neighborhood: Potrero Hill

Designated as a San Francisco Historic District, this colorful neighborhood has important ties to many of the city's past commercial industries. From its historic working class cottages and industrial age relics to the current proliferation of ultra-modern lofts, we'll explore the past and present of this surprising, eclectic neighborhood in transition.

Next Tour:

Sunday, June 3 at 11:00 am given by Bruce Smith

Location:

Meet at 18th Street & Tennessee. Muni 22 or T-3rd.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Mission Bay parking planning community meeting

Mission Creek Park Pavilion, 290 Channel Street, one block west of 4th and Channel Streets
Saturday, June 16
3-3:30 p.m. – Open House
3:30-4:30 p.m. – Public Comments (sign up by 3:20 p.m.)

The SFMTA seeks public input on the following:

Special event pricing to better manage parking demand during large events like Giants games and reduce congestion.
Extended meter hours to open up evening parking, particularly during evening games. This is separate from the SFMTA’s citywide Sunday metering proposal.
New meter installation schedule for meters approved in 2002, which will have SFparkdemand-responsive pricing to ensure an optimum level of open parking spaces as Mission Bay grows.

Before this upcoming meeting, I will send you an updated Mission Bay parking management plan. During the open house section of the meeting, attendees can review plan details, talk directly with project planners, and submit written feedback. The public comment period follows.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Mission Bay parking planning
CLICK HERE for directions to the meeting venue, including nearby public transit

Please feel free to email if you have any questions about the location or the project.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Mendell Plaza Presents

MENDELL PLAZA PRESENTS SATURDAY 1:30 – 4pm

Music Performances in Bayview Town Center

Third Street @ Oakdale Avenue

S.F. FREE events through June 30th, 2012

D10 Post Offices to remain open for now

In July 2011, the Postal Service announced that it would study the potential consolidation of more than 3,700 locations across the country. Included in that study were approximately 600 postal station and branch offices, which are satellite facilities of larger Post Offices and generally located in urban and suburban areas.

That said, any proposals to close these facilities have been placed on hold and will not close at this time. Going forward, the Postal Service will evaluate how best to incorporate them into long-term plans for effective and efficient retail service.

With this in mind, the five offices in the 8th district that were subject for review— McLaren, Visitacion, Bayview, the Civic Center, and downtown Federal building— will remain open for the time being.

June 2 Third St Clean-Up in Bayview

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Where to Eat in Dogpatch, San Francisco's Up-and-Comingest Neighborhood

From Bon Appetit Magazine

In San Francisco, arguably the most food-obsessed city in the U.S., the tiny Dogpatch area is nurturing new talent, while fresh openings keep the Mission District on the map

h/t E Shaddix

Friday, May 18, 2012

Square 34 - Bayview landmarks

From SFGate,

Photo: L Hafalia/The Chronicle

Square 34 takes us straight down Third Street into the Bayview district, and our victor in this square is well known to the neighborhood's residents.

Indeed, Sam Jordan's Bar has been a fixture of life here since its 1959 opening. Jordan was once called Mayor of Butchertown, as the slice of San Francisco just south of Islais Creek - once home to cattle pens - was called.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Mendell Plaza Presents...

From the SF Bay Guardian,

Mendell Plaza Presents... May 19

Every Saturday, as part of a 12-week free concert series, the Bayview Opera House transforms Mendell Plaza into a music-filled oasis. (I visited on May 12 and fell in love with the sounds and sights of this Bayview spot.)

While listening to soulful live tunes, you can join in on a game of dominoes, stroll through the organic community garden to check out some vivacious kale fronds, or head over to the 100% College Prep Club table.

The Club is an inspiring organization that offers youth in the Bayview-Hunters Point after-school tutoring, with the ultimate goal of getting them into college. The Club also takes its students on college tours to help motivate them and explore learning opportunities outside of San Francisco. These kids are an amazing and multi-talented bunch! All the musicians who performed were either former graduates of the program or soon off to college. Pretty impressive.

Thanks to the beautiful weather, there was a large turnout from the Bayview-Hunters Point community. Even the pup guarding the bbq stand gave a howl of appreciation for such a fun and vibrant event.

Third St Gym Fitness Crawl

Fitness through Boxing at the
Third Street Boxing Gym, 2576 Third St

Led by Paul Wade and his team of experienced trainers, Third Street Boxing Gym, the premier boxing gym in the Bay Area, is proud to bring you the Fitness Crawl!

What is a Fitness Crawl, you ask? It's similar to a pub crawl, but instead of hopping from pub to pub, the Fitness Crawl allows you to experience the wide range of workout regimens offered by our trainers. Over the course of the day you'll have the opportunity to receive hands on instruction as you learn basic boxing techniques, as well as participate in various circuit training exercises designed to get your heart pumping!

Whether you're an experienced boxer, a fitness enthusiast, or just looking to use boxing as a means to reach your fitness goals, the Fitness Crawl is adapted to every skill level and delivers a fast-punching, hard-hitting cardiovascular boxing workout to help you shake up your workout routine!

Tickets for $20 are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/250045

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Rental prices SOAR in the Bayview and across the city

Map created for Curbed SF by LiveLovely

For those of you looking to move or rent anywhere in San Francisco, my sincerest condolences. While rents are up across the city, only in Seacliff have they risen more (percentage-wise) than in the Bayview. Last year, the average Bayview apartment rented for just under $1100. Today, it's up 135% ($1500) to nearly $2600. Rents in the Bayview are now on par with those in Diamond Heights and nearly as high as the Mission and Bernal Heights. Potrero Hill's rents have increased 51% ($1100), and while those in Visitacion Valley are up 60% ($700) as compared to this time last year, it still ranks as the absolute least expensive place in the city to rent.

Read more at CurbedSF

h/t L Springer

New Bayview Library Hardhat Tour

Wednesday, May 23, 12-1pm

Come to a hard hat tour of the DPW managed new library under construction at 3rd & Revere Streets.

Limited to 25 people.

Sign up at http://sfdpw.eventbrite.com/

Project info at http://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=2000087501

Other DPW tours available:

Chinese Recreation Center (Sneak Preview)
Thursday, May 24, 1-2pm
Get a sneak preview of the DPW designed newly constructed recreation complex at 1199 Mason Street @ Washington. Limited to 25 people. Project info.

Parklets Guided Tour
Thursday, May 24, 5:30pm-6:30pm
Join the Planning Department for a tour of some of San Francisco's coolest parklets and learn about this phenomenon that's taking over San Francisco. Limited to 15 people. Project info.

Oceanside Treatment Plant Tour
Friday, May 25, 10am-12:30pm
Have you ever wondered what happens to the dirty water from your shower, bath, laundry and toilet after it goes down the drain? What about the runoff from lawns and gardens, and rainwater and car washing? Come take a tour of PUC's Wastewater Treatment Plant to find out how the City gets dirty water clean again! Limited to 30.

Transbay Terminal Presentation
(Hard Hat Construction Tour)
Friday, May 25, 10am-11pm
The Transbay Transit Center Project is a visionary transportation and housing project that will transform downtown San Francisco and the Bay Area's regional transportation system by creating a "Grand Central Station of the West" in the heart of a new transit-friendly neighborhood. Learn more about the project's progress on this tour. Limited to 40. Project info.

Monday, May 14, 2012

Mayor Lee announces long-term lease & expansion of Wholesale Produce Market

Mayor Edwin M. Lee and Supervisor Malia Cohen today announced new legislation to approve a long-term, 60-year master lease agreement and expansion plans for the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market located in the Bayview. The Wholesale Produce Market is a hub of San Francisco's fresh food system, providing a steady supply of fruit and vegetables to restaurants and local grocers with nearly $500M in gross annual revenue.

Quint St Bridge Replacement at the HPSCAC

Tomorrow (Thursday), the Hunters Point Shipyard Community Advisory Committee (HPSCAC) Planning and Development Subcommittee is scheduled to hear from the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) regarding the Quint St Bridge replacement project. The meeting will take place at the Shipyard site office trailers conference room, near Innes Ave and Donahue St. A subsequent presentation to the full CAC has apparently been postponed, according to the SFCTA.org/quint website.

As you may recall, I've created a petition at http://chn.ge/quintbridge that asks the SFCTA board (made up of all our supervisors) and the SFCTA CAC to reject the street closure/berm plan and to pursue a bridge option for the site. If you haven't already signed the petition, I'd like to ask that you go to http://chn.ge/quintbridge and do it now. There are already 24 signatures, and I'd like to thank all who've taken the time to sign on. The SFCTA is basing support for the project on seven year old outreach and a very different plan presented to residents at that time, so every new voice that they hear is vitally important to keeping Quint St open for residents and businesses alike. If you’re not comfortable with the language of the petition or want to write something more personal, please write to board members (Chair David Campos, david.campos@sfgov.org; Vice-Chair Scott Wiener, scott.wiener@sfgov.org; D10 Supervisor Malia Cohen, malia.cohen@sfgov.org) and the CAC (cac@sfcta.org).

The project will be discussed at the following SFCTA meetings, at the last of which the board will make a policy decision on how they want to proceed:

May 23     Citizens Advisory Committee     Scheduled for Wednesday, May 23, 6:00 PM, 100 Van Ness Ave., 26th Floor

Jun 12     Finance Committee     Scheduled for Tuesday, June 12, 11:00 AM, Room 263, City Hall

Jun 19     Plans and Programs Committee     Scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, 10:30 AM, Room 263, City Hall

Jun 26     Authority Board     Scheduled for Tuesday, June 26, 11:00 AM, Room 250, City Hall

For more, please visit: http://d10watch.blogspot.com/2012/04/petition-to-sfcta-re-quint-st-bridge.html

Call for Artists: Port Pier 92 Public Art Project

Call for Artists: Port Pier 92 Public Art Project

Issued: May 4, 2012

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Monday, July 9, 2012 (11:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time)

Images of two grain silos and cranes

Applications are available through SlideRoom
(https://sfgov.slideroom.com/)

Visit the SF Arts Commission for more information.

All Good Pizza for Mother's Day

From All Good Pizza, 1605 Jerrold Ave:

We are hosting our first guest chef event at All Good Pizza

Sunday, May 13th- Mother's Day, from 11AM - 3PM!

Our wonderful friend and Jerrold Avenue neighbor, Andre Ned, will take control of our smoker and for just $10 you can enjoy his smoked chicken, potato salad, and baked beans, served alongside of our kale salad and garlic bread. Meals include ice tea or lemonade.

Treat your mama or another important lady in your life to lunch!

Tickets may be purchased in advance at All Good Pizza.

We are also hosting a seedling sale benefiting From the Ground Up and Eatwell Farm will be there to sample and spread the word about their wonderful community supported agriculture. For the last year, they have been delivering weekly boxes of incredible organic produce to the Bayview.

For more details please visit our website: http://allgoodpizza.com/events-at-our-location/

McLaren Park Disc Golf Meeting

. Meeting TONIGHT, Wednesday, May 9, 7 PM

A new attempt to install an 18 hole disc golf course in McLaren Park is under way.

San Francisco Disc Golf Club's representative Jeff Bowling recently sent emails to a variety of community groups and park-involved individuals to present the club's plans which he claims to be a response to community input. Save McLaren Park's Coordinating Committee has requested Mr Bowling give us a walking tour of the proposed course.

Mr. Bowling will be presenting his plan to the McLaren Park Collaborative at its monthly meeting this Wednesday, May 9, 7 PM, at the Crocker-Amazon Clubhouse. The SMP Coordinating Committee and representatives from other McLaren Park interest groups will be there to listen and join the discussion.

        •       Half of this course (the fairways between Brazil St. and Shelley Loop) is recycled from the previous proposal. If implemented, it will, over time, diminish one of the lovelier meadows and woodlands in the park. Much of this area is designated as “Sensitive Species and Important Bird Habitat” by Rec and Park's own Natural Areas Plan.

        •       The “new” part of the proposal, below Persia and Mansell, will overtake an existing picnic area, including several sidewalks now used by a wide variety of park users. This area is also surrounded by important bird and wildlife areas.

        •       The proposed course will also interfere with the increasing pedestrian traffic along the newly installed and inspiring Philosopher's Way Trail and other walking, hiking and biking networks.

We are researching this new proposal and will keep you up to date as things develop. But for now, Please tell us what you think! Help our efforts, ask questions. Have you heard about this proposal? How do you spend time in this part of the park? What do you know about the plants or animals here? Get in touch, please!

Send us an email Or leave a message or a text at Save McLaren Park's voicemail: 650-516-7657

UCSF Mission Bay Third St Garage

From the UCSF Mission Bay Community listserv:

Today there are sample segments of “channel glass” being installed on the UCSF Mission Bay Third Street Garage—on the north side, facing the plaza. There will be 6 pieces of new channel glass, and 2 pieces of the old channel glass (side-by-side, for comparison). The new glass has been sandblasted to give the translucent effect that was originally expected. You might want to view the mock-up after dark as well as during the day. If all goes well, the replacement glass will be ordered and targeted for installation in the December 2012-January 2013 timeframe.

Please give Barbara Bagot-Lopez your feedback by Monday May 14.

Background:

Construction of the UCSF Mission Bay Third Street Garage at Mission Bay campus was completed in 2007. Upon completion, many people both on and off campus were disappointed with the appearance of the façade, especially along Third Street. The “channel glass” was transparent, in contrast to the translucence shown in the architectural renderings, and resulted in a clear view of the concrete structure underneath.

During the period of time when UCSF was meeting with neighbors in efforts to remedy the problem, some glass started to crack, necessitating the removal of all glass from the garage. We anticipated that upon settling with the contractor, the replacement glass could be treated to give it a translucent appearance. It took quite a while for UCSF and the contractor to reach a settlement!

While this Garage has tried our patience, it has generated very positive benefits as well. In 2007, UCSF began donating $5 per car each time a fan who attended a San Francisco Giants game parked at the UCSF Mission Bay Third Street Garage. The first recipient of the funds was the GreenTrust SF Central Waterfront, a community-based nonprofit organization that works to realize a greener central waterfront; they received $58,460. The current recipient is the Blue Greenway project is of the San Francisco Parks Alliance, which has received $33,140 so far.

Other UCSF Mission Bay campus news from Sandra Beck of UCSF Capital Programs:

Today we opened the courtyard adjacent to the Smith Cardiovascular Research Building, and Nelson Rising Lane now connects through to Third Street. On Monday, the courtyard between Rock Hall and the new Neurosciences Research Building will open, and the Fifth Street pedestrian path will open a few weeks later.

Potrero Hill Elementary School a Success

Kudos to the parents at Daniel Webster Elementary, at 465 Missouri Street in Potrero Hill. You have one of the best organized and most tenacious school fundraising operations in the city.

From SFGate,

Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

Six years ago, they were idealistic new moms living on Potrero Hill and embarking on an unlikely quest: saving their neighborhood school, Daniel Webster Elementary, from closure by the San Francisco school board.

I'm back!

If anyone even noticed, I hadn't been posting the past week due to being away on vacation. But I'm back! Please look for me to begin posting at my usual rate, and catching up on some things that happened in the past week.