Summer program @ Southern Exposure

A neighbor in Potrero Hill just sent this...

 An awesome summer program @ Southern Exposure for teens ages 14-21.

Its free and highly collaborative-and AWESOME of course....
 
Youth will work with 6 artists.
 
If they dont like the first day, they dont have to commit of course, but they ask the youth to commit to each class if they decide to come back.
 
The workshop is Monday and Wednesday from 1-4:30.
 
July 6th - August 10, with a two week exhibition.
Southern Exposure
3030 20th Street, @ Alabama (in the mission)
phone# 415/863-2141

Heavy Metals and Urban Gardens

We participated in this study, and I'm really happy for Jennifer and am impressed by the work she did in getting these data collected.  I'm also happy to say that, as a result of her study, I feel much more comfortable growing food in and eating food from my own back yard.

From her healthy gardeners website, her preliminary results show:

Potrero Hill (94107) and Noe Valley/Castro (94114) have either the highest or second highest average concentration for 5 of the metals of most concern. In addition, the Mission (94110) has the third highest concentration for each of these metals, with Visitation Valley/Portola (94134) & Bayview/Hunters Point (94124) having the lowest averages for these metals.

Raised bed gardens tend to have less metals than in-ground gardens.

Gardens in three of the five zip codes studied are more likely to have unsafe levels of lead than the other two zip codes;

There does not seem to be a significant difference in the amount of lead found in San Francisco gardens based the average household income of the surrounding area.

High levels of lead are more often found in predominately White neighborhoods, and to a much lesser extent Hispanic neighborhoods that border White neighborhoods, than neighborhoods dominated by Asian/Pacific Islanders or African Americans.

The zip codes with the oldest homes have higher amounts of lead in backyard garden soils than gardens in zip codes with much newer homes.

Read more at Healthy Gardeners

Crushing it in Dogpatch

It looks like Dogpatch is getting another urban winemaker, Dogpatch Wineworks, located at 2455 Third Street.  A writer at Luscious Lushes wine blog has their take on the new business.

This is from Dogpatch Wineworks' Facebook Page,

 Dogpatch WineWorks is a 15,000 sq ft urban winery located in the historic Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco. Our mission is to enable wine enthusiasts to realize their passion for all things wine.

We provide a portfolio of premium vineyards to choose from, equipment, facility and expertise that allows you to have a genuine winemaking experience in a fun environment.

You will select a vineyard and varietal and with our guidance you’ll drive all of the winemaking decisions that will create the style of wine you are looking to produce. Throughout the process you’ll learn a ton, have a lot of fun and end up with a wine you’ll be proud to share for years to come.

In addition to a state of the art urban winery Dogpatch WineWorks will host a tasting room pouring wines produced from some of California’s premiere vineyards, and an event space unlike anything else available in the Bay Area.

LGBT groups demand changes to SF Assembly district maps

From the Bay Area Reporter,

A coalition of LGBT groups is demanding changes to the proposed boundaries for San Francisco's two Assembly districts, warning the lines as currently drawn will dilute the community's voice in Sacramento.

The bipartisan group of LGBT agencies and political clubs is also asking the state's Citizens Redistricting Commission to give the city's sole Senate District it will have come 2012 an odd number so that openly gay state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) can seek a second term. Not only would he be barred from doing so until 2014 if the Senate District is given an even number, it would leave the vast majority of the city's LGBT community unrepresented by a lawmaker it voted for in the Legislature's upper house for two years.

"Please help make sure we keep San Francisco odd," said gay Treasure Island resident Owen Stephens at the Monday, June 27 hearing the redistricting commissioners held in San Francisco

Openly gay San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener, whose District 8 would be further split between the two proposed Assembly districts, also spoke in support of the letter sent in by the community groups. He also pressed for the Senate seat to be an odd numbered one.

"Otherwise two-thirds of my district will not be represented for two years," said Wiener. "For the last 20 years we have been able to win because the LGBT community of interest has been united."

Supervisor Malia Cohen, whose District 10 seat covers the city's southeastern neighborhoods and is also split between different legislative districts, echoed Wiener's comments to the panel.. 

More at the BAR

Neighbors Bring CSA's to their Neighbors

It's great to see neighbors coming together to bring Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) directly to their neighborhoods.

Just yesterday, I posted about Paige Boger's work to bring Eatwell Farms to the Bayview.

Today, an email from Nova Wilson about bringing Greenhearts Family Farm to The Portola.

Nova writes,

Greenhearts Family Farm, a project of my sister and native SFer, Aurora Wilson and her partner Paul Hamilton, is delivering vegetable boxes to several families in our neighborhood. Their farm is down south in Halfmoon Bay. They are great people and deliver a great box of veggies and fruit. They also periodically offer organic meat and pasturized eggs.

To sustain their farm they sell subscriptions to their season's harvest; in this way the community (you) helps sustain a local thriving small family farm. If you are interested, give them a call. See the link for their website below.

http://www.greenheartsfamilyfarm.com/

SF Police Commission Meeting tonight in Visitacion Valley

SAN FRANCISCO POLICE COMMISSION AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29, 2011 6:00 p.m.
Ingleside District: Visitacion Valley Middle School
450 Raymond Ave, San Francisco, California
AGENDA
Pledge of Allegiance; Roll Call

1. Reports to the Commission (DISCUSSION)

a. Chief's Report - Review of Recent Activities 

b. OCC Director's Report - Review of Recent Activities 

c. Commission Reports - Commission President's Report - Commissioners= Reports 

d. Commission announcements and scheduling of items identified for consideration at future Commission meetings (ACTION)

2. Captain Daniel Mahoney, Commanding Officer of Ingleside Station, to address the Commission on Police Activities in the Ingleside District (DISCUSSION)

3. Public Comment
(The public is now welcome to address the Commission regarding items that do not appear on tonight's agenda but that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Commission. Speakers shall address their remarks to the Commission as a whole and not to individual Commissioners or Department or OCC personnel. Under Police Commission Rules of Order, during public comment, neither Police or OCC personnel, nor Commissioners are required to respond to questions presented by the public but, may provide a brief response. Individual Commissioners and Police and OCC personnel should refrain, however, from entering into any debates or discussion with speakers during public comment. Please limit your comments to three (3) minutes.)

4. Adjournment (ACTION)

Thanks to Russel Morine for letting us know about this

Job Openings

A couple of job openings of interest came across my inbox today - thought I'd pass them along:


UCSF Recycling Coordinator

Under supervision of the East Zone Manager, the incumbent is responsible 1) developing, implementing, and coordinating UCSF’s Mission Bay/East Zone recycling program for UCSF Facilities; 2) managing the collection, storage and removal of all refuse; and 3) developing and implementing education programs about refuse removal and recycling; the mandated recycling compost diversion goods are 75% by 6/30/2012 and zero waste by 6/30/2020; the Recycling Coordinator position exists for co-management of the UCSF Recycling, Compost, Re-Use, and Waste Reduction programs; areas of responsibility include planning, program development and evaluation, oversight of day-to-day operations, budget management and customer relations, acquisition of required equipment and supplies, monitoring of waste/recycling/compost hauler contract compliance, and implementation of program initiatives; and perform other duties as assigned.

US Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Engineer/Scientist

US EPA Region 9 is accepting applications for an open position in the Waste Division Permitting Office. This office leads hazardous waste permitting and corrective action cleanups to ensure adequate protection of human health and the environment. The successful applicant will serve as a project manager who will have the responsibility to develop permits for industrial facilities; work directly with the public to involve communities in the permitting and cleanup process; work with state governments on their permitting activities; and oversee corrective action cleanups on contaminated lands.

To Apply: www.usajobs.gov . In the “WHAT” box in the center of the page, on the opening date, type announcement number: LV-R9-DE-2011-0023

Laughing for the Health of It at Portola Branch of the SFPL

From SF Weekly,

"Laughing is like changing a baby's diapers -- it doesn't permanently solve problems, but it makes things more bearable for a while," says Beverly Bender. She's a certified laugh leader and laughter yoga instructor, and she believes that we should all be laughing more, for the sake of our health. Bender holds a free laughter workshop, "Laughing for the Health of It," at the S.F. Public Library's Portola branch Wednesday evening (tonight).

SF Weekly talked to Bender about the health benefits of laughing, getting adults to loosen up, and how to "fake it till you make it."

Read more at SF Weekly

Heron's Head Park will be closed, gated, and guarded for the 4th of July

Don't even think about going to Heron's Head park to watch fireworks this year.  The park will be closed, gated, fenced off, and a security guard may be present.  The following is from the folks at the Port:

Please be advised that the Port of San Francisco will be closing the entrance to Heron's Head Park from 4:00 PM on the 4th of July to 8:00 AM on the 5th of July.  The Port will install temporary fencing and a security guard may be present.  The closure is taking place for security and safety reasons, to protect the park as well as human and wildlife park users.

No fires outside of the designated barbecue pits, and no fireworks are allowed at Heron's Head Park.

Please contact Ruben Solis at the Port Authority if you have any questions or concerns about this proposed closure.

Emergencies can be reported to 415-274-0400 or by calling 911.

Man gunned down, killed on SF street Tuesday

From SFGate

A 26-year old San Francisco man was gunned down Tuesday afternoon, shot in the back while walking on San Bruno Avenue in the city's Portola district.

The victim, identified as Neilson Bates, was shot multiple times in the upper body at 3:30 p.m. while walking on San Bruno Avenue near Paul Avenue. He died at 4:50 p.m. at San Francisco General Hospital, police said.

"He was walking when the suspect approached him from behind and shot him multiple times," Officer Albie Esparza said. "The victim dropped to the ground and the suspect fled on foot to a waiting white car on a corner nearby."

Read more at SFGate

Potrero Hill carjacking victims pulled over for punks that flagged them down

From the San Francisco Examiner,

Two people were carjacked after their vehicle was flagged down by four men in Potrero Hill early Tuesday, police said.

The victims, a 21-year-old woman and 30-year-old man, stopped the car after one of the thugs flagged them down at 25th and Dakota streets around 2 a.m., police said.

One of the carjackers pulled out a gun and demanded their property. The victims handed over a cellphone.

The thugs then stole the car and fled, police said. The car was later found unattended.

No arrests have been made.

Interested in joining a CSA?

I just received this invitation from a neighbor, Paige Boger, and thought I'd pass it on.  Her contact information is at the bottom:

Nigel Walker & his wife Lorraine run Eatwell Farms together with their 14 year old twin sons Eric & Andrew and Cameron who is 23 and soon returning from 2 years abroad in Budapest with the Peace Corp.

Their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Basket is truly a bountiful sight to witness each week (or bi-weekly) based on your subscription preference. Nigel also raises THE BEST PASTURED EGGS on the west coast -- HANDS DOWN... These can be a part of your subscription as well and also available weekly for purchase at Rainbow Grocery. He mills fresh whole wheat flour from about 8 different varieties of wheat each week for delivery as well. With all of this and some other treats you & your family can truly eat better than kings!

The pick-up spot will be close to 3rd & Innes. Nigel will start us out with a minimum of boxes because of my connection to the farm -- but Paige really wants this to be a great stop on his route and to blow him out of the water with our initial subscription..Paige is   looking for 15 more members to start the location -- she already has about 5. The 4 box trial - one per week (over 4 weeks) or one every other week (over 8 weeks) is $108 without eggs, or $140 with a dozen AWESOME SO TASTY YOU CAN’T BELIVE IT EGGS in each box! As a member you’ll also be able to add extra veg to your box, say your having a big party, or some wonderful Rosemary Salt.

The farm also hosts a wide variety of Farm Events for Member throughout the year. Strawberry Picking Days, Tomato Canning Parties - Lavender Cutting Events and all sorts of opportunities to truly connect with your food and the whole lot of people who care for it before it comes to you!

Eatwell Farms has been a integral part of the Ferry Plaza Market each Saturday for almost 15 years. You can find the farm stand directly behind Sur La Table on the Corner of the Market in the back. 

Paige is currently geting a list of people together who are interested, then she'll pass the info onto the Liz, the CSA Manager -- and hopefully we can up and running within a few weeks!

Meeting Notice: Southeast Community Facility Tonight at 5:30

There will be a Special Joint Meeting of the Southeast Community Facility Commission & the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission

Today, June 28th, 2011. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission meeting will be from 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM to be followed by a joint meeting with the Southeast Community Facility Commission from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM.

The Southeast Community Facility is located at 1800 Oakdale Ave at Phelps.

For many years the community has voiced their concern about the Southeast Community Facility. Tonight come learn about the Community Benefits Plan that will not only bring back classes that were taken away from the Southeast but will speak on overdue improvement to the facility.

Do not miss this opportunity to hear what is going on in your community. Invite your friends and neighbors. Food will be provided.

This is a meeting that you SHOULD NOT MISS.

The closest accessible BART station to the Southeast Community Facility is 24th and Mission.
Accessible Muni lines serving the Southeast Community Facility include #23 Monterey, #24 Divisadero, #44 O’Shaughnessy, and #54 Felton buses, and the T Third Street LRT. Further information can be obtained by calling (415) 923-6142

PARKING: 4:00PM there is additional parking both at the visitor’s lot and internal lot off the Jerrold St. at the SEP. John is setting up a shuttle to run room 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM every 10 minutes from each lot for those who park at the SEP. Similarly I asked John to set up a shuttle to run folks back to the SEP lots at the end of the meeting.

If you have any additional questions regarding tonight's meeting or the Southeast Community Facility please call the office at 415- (415) 821-1534

Let's continue to get involved and remain active.

Deemed "Too Serious", Ritual Coffee Bans Artists' Work

That's one SERIOUS cabinet!

There's a storm brewing, with Ritual Roasters owner Eileen Hassi at its eye. The article that is creating all the caffeine-buzz first landed on SFist.

Although this is all happening at the Valencia St Ritual Roasters shop, I mention it here for a couple of reasons. First, photographer Varese Layzer is a member of SF Camerawork, a gallery space that is supporting the opening of a show tomorrow at the Bayview Opera House (read more about it here). Second, the owner of Ritual Roasters operates a store inside the Flora Grubb nursery on Jerrold St, and so policies regarding artist-relations and content at one location can logically be assumed to apply to another. Third, our neighborhood is home to Hunters Point Shipyard Artists, one of the last remaining artist communities in the city, and so relations between that community and local businesses are important.

I for one do not want "tapestries of heavy metal lyrics" and other, "fluffier stuff" to be the only art that I see when I go into a local coffee shop that has gallery space. I want to see it all - stuff that makes me smile, wince, wonder.  I especially want art that makes me think.  I really like to see our privately owned spaces providing wall space to artists who may otherwise not have a venue to display their works, and hope we don't only get to see the fluffy stuff, needing instead to step through the doors of SFMOMA to get anything thought-provoking.  Thank goodness we have spaces like ART94124 and Javalencia to display pieces we may otherwise not get to if we only were to go into Ritual.

Broadened Efforts Focus on Providing Summer Job and Educational Opportunity

From the San Francisco Sentinel,

District Attorney George Gascón announced today that a group of San Francisco youths will be selected for paid summer internships in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office this summer.

The announcement was made at the Bayview Hunters Point YMCA, where for the past two years the District Attorney’s Office has been helping to fund the YMCA-run CARE program.

This credit reclamation program assists high school students through an intensive academic program that allows students to recover school credits lost as a result of truancy or dropping out. Participants are then able to successfully transition back into an academic setting where they can earn a high school diploma.

Read more at SF Sentinel

Cesar Chavez East Community Design Workshop #2

Since Fall of last year the San Francisco Planning Department has been working closely with residents, workers, and businesses in the Mission, Potrero, Bernal Heights, Bayview and Dogpatch neighborhoods to develop a community-supported vision and design for the eastern portion of the Cesar Chavez corridor. The community plan re-thinks Cesar Chavez Street as a vital connector of the surrounding neighborhoods, and a safer, more pleasant place for people to live in, work in or travel through the area.

The upcoming workshop will take place tonight, Monday, June 27, at 6PM at the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center, 1294 Potrero Ave at 25th St.

For more information: http://www.sf-planning.org/index.aspx?page=2626

Bicycle Riding Shooter Injures Two

In the seven years I've lived in the area, and have gone to Third and Palou to catch MUNI, I don't think I've read about as many shootings and problems at this corner as I have in the past few months.

From SFAppeal,

Two teenage boys were injured when they were shot by someone on a bicycle in San Francisco's Bayview District on Sunday afternoon, police said.

The shooting was reported shortly before 2:30 p.m. near the intersection of Third Street and Palou Avenue.

The victims, ages 16 and 17, were at the intersection when the shooter rode up on a bike and opened fire, striking one of the victims in the torso and the other in the hand, according to police.

The suspect fled and had not been found as of this morning, police said.

The victims' injuries are not considered life-threatening, according to police.

Anyone with information about the shooting is encouraged to call the Police Department's anonymous tip line at (415) 575-4444 or send a tip by text message to TIP411.

PG&E Lines in our Backyards

PG&E Pipeline Map

PG&E recently sent out to residents in District 10 an informational flier regarding high-pressure natural gas pipelines running beneath our feet.

More information can be found on the PG&E website.

The good news that I get from this is that PG&E has documentation on the section of the line that literally runs through my backyard AND they're planning to do high-pressure water testing of the line sometime this year.  Of course, the fact that they HAVE the documentation doesn't mean the pipe is in good shape.

The bad news is that the reason they're pressure-testing this line is that it's of the same vintage as the pipeline that blew up in San Bruno last year.

An article in Sunday's SFGate paints a grim picture:

A Pacific Gas and Electric Co. gas pipeline running up the Peninsula into San Francisco has a long history of cracked and poorly constructed welds and even exploded once - but it's not the one that blew up in San Bruno last year.

The pipeline is known as Line 109, and it failed disastrously in 1963 in the Bernal Heights neighborhood in San Francisco. The blast injured nine firefighters and led to the heart-attack death of a battalion chief.

Documents contained in a mountain of just-released PG&E paperwork show that over the years, the company has found flawed welds up and down the 50-mile line. But there is no evidence in the records that in all that time, the company ever revealed the problems to state regulators.

Read more at SFGate

What bothers me the most is that within San Francisco, the color-coding on the map indicates that the pipeline that is set to be tested is still being used at full pressure, while the pipeline that runs south of Geneva Ave into San Mateo Co. is being run at reduced pressure.  The entire line is of the same vintage as the one in San Bruno that blew up last year, so why has the pressure only been reduced on part of line, and importantly for those of us in Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, Bayview, Silver Terrace, The Portola, and Visitacion Valley, and NOT on our section within San Francisco County?

DPW 1300 Third St Public Safety Building Construction to begin later this year

DPW is looking for construction workers in all trades to build this project.  All are invited to attend a meeting at:

Southeast Community Facility
1800 Oakdale Ave., 
Thursday, June 30, at 1PM.

For those not in the construction trades, but who are still interested in the on-going Mission Bay construction projects, you can read up on the project here (the link should open up a PDF):

http://www.sfredevelopment.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=601

The building will retain the historic SFFD Station 30 Firehouse and will build a new six-story structure on the site around it.  The new Public Safety Building will house a Fire Station, Police Station, and Police Headquarters, and will add something like 400 employees and 350 daily visitors to the area, leading to an increase of about 245 official vehicles.

Visitacion Valley Branch Library Re-Opening

The Visitation Valley Branch of the SF Public Library is anticipated to re-open on Saturday, July 30 at 1PM.  Check the SFPL Website for more information.

And, if you have any overdue books, according to SFGate, you shouldn't expect to get a reminder in the mail starting July 1.

Newsletters from Sacramento

At the suggestion of Senator Yee's office, I've added a section to the left-hand side of the blog to link folks to our SF Sacramento delegations' newsletters.  You'll find links to the newsletters for:

Assemblyman Tom Ammiano

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma

Senator Mark Leno

Senator Leland Yee

Happy Pride Weekend, Everyone!

Bayview Police Station Weekly Newsletter

The officers at the Bayview Police Station are in the process of planning a new community policing model which they believe will link the officers with the community in a more efficient way to perform problem solving in the various neighborhoods of our district.

Within the next few weeks we will identify all of the community organizations and reach out to the leadership of those organizations to provide a liaison supervisor from the police station to the organizations who want a point of contact. For example, if the Portola Steering committee wants to have such a liaison, a sergeant from Bayview Station will be the link to the Portola group and will be obligated to attend the Portola meetings and be the focal point to resolve community based problems, i.e. graffiti issues, drug house, or any other quality of life issue in that neighborhood.

If you are a leader of a merchant group, residents’ association, non-profit, neighborhood watch or other organization and would like to have a station liaison, please email Paul.Chignell@sfgov.org.
Bayview Station holds community meetings with the Captain on the first Tuesday of each month. They are working on holding these monthly meetings at various locations within the Bayview to help provide access and convenience to all residents who wish to attend.

The next meeting is on Tuesday, July 5th, 6:00 pm BAYVIEW STATION COMMUNITY ROOM 201 Williams Avenue (Cross Street Newhall)

Incidents of Interest:

San Francisco bank robber caught in Bayview after cop recognized him

From the San Francisco Examiner,

A bank robber was caught in the Bayview neighborhood Sunday morning after an officer walking a foot beat recognized him.

San Francisco police apprehended and booked Earl Jason Casaclang, 32, of San Francisco for robbery of a bank and attempted street robbery.

Around 2 p.m. Saturday, June 18, officers from the Bayview station responded to a bank robbery in the 2400 block of San Bruno Avenue.

SF Public Health Department ethics under investigation – hearing June 23

From The Bay View,

The Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing on the ethics of the Department of Public Health and the Lennar Corp. related to the department’s role regulating environmental health impacts Thursday, June 23, at 1 p.m. in City Hall, Room 263. The hearing was called in response to a community report released by Bayview Hunters Point community organizations in the SLAM Coalition earlier this spring exposing email communication the Health Department and Lennar in an effort to conceal information about adverse health impacts.

The report details a series of emails since 2006 between EPA, the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and Lennar that reveal a manipulation of facts in order to conceal information regarding asbestos exposure from construction activities at the Shipyard and present false claims in support of Lennar’s redevelopment plan. The emails were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

More at The Bay View

End to San Francisco redevelopment may be near

From the San Francisco Examiner

As state budget wrangling continues in Sacramento, San Francisco’s Redevelopment Agency is waiting for the end — or a significant change — to what it does.

The end of the agency in The City could mean the ax for nearly a dozen projects that would provide hundreds of affordable-housing units, according to Redevelopment Agency Executive Director Fred Blackwell.

Blackwell addressed the agency’s commission Tuesday to discuss the limbo condition of two state Assembly bills that passed muster with lawmakers last week, but have yet to be decided by Gov. Jerry Brown, who wants to eliminate the agencies statewide.

“The hit in San Francisco would be pretty substantial,” Blackwell said in a phone interview, noting threats to efforts such as business revitalization on Third Street in the Bayview district and a push to revamp the mid-Market Street neighborhood.

BART hosts Seat Lab Today

Today at Justin Herman Plaza (Embarcadero BART Station) from 10AM to 4PM, BART is hosting a seat lab to get rider feedback on proposed new seating options. Check it out if you're in the area.

Blue Greenway Bike Tour

Saturday, June 25, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Warm Water Cove to Candlestick Point

RSVP & More Information

Join the Neighborhood Parks Council and the Bicycle Coalition this Saturday, June 25, as we pedal the Blue Greenway; a land & water network on San Francisco’s south eastern waterfront from China Basin to the Southern Border. This tour will stop at 6 locations along the waterfront to identify future bicycle connections, gaps in the existing trail system, and opportunities for bicycle access along the southern waterfront.  FREE

·        The tour begins at Warm Water Cove (24th Street/Michigan Street)

·        India Basin / Bayview folks: There will be a stop at India Basin Shoreline Park to hear about the Community Vision for new active recreation and transit opportunities on San Francisco Bay.

·        Riders will pass through the Hunters Point Shipyard—open just for this tour!

·        The tour ends at Candlestick Park State Recreation Area.

Enjoy breathtaking views of the bay, learn the history of the area, and enjoy a thrilling ride on the Blue Greenway!

A New Name Is Needed As Executive Park Nears Being Reborn

From SocketSite,

Approved by the Planning Commission, the plan to raze and redevelop the central office components of the 70-acre site adjacent to Candlestick Point with 1,600 housing units and 70,000 square feet of retail with buildings rising up to 240 feet tall is back in front of San Francisco’s Land Use and Economic Development Committee this afternoon to vote on the amendments to make it so.

With the development currently dubbed "Executive Park," as a plugged-in tipster writes: "Since the project will become mixed use, it could use a new name." That it could. And we know just who to ask.

Portola Watch Group announces Project Safety

Portola Watch Group announces "Project Safety" highlighting current projects while encouraging participation by the neighborhood.

June 25th 11:00am -12:30p

2975 San Bruno Ave S.F. CA 94134 

1. Promoting San Bruno Lighting Project 

2. Monthly meetings
3. Encouraging community engagement

Why attend?
1. Honoring Pedro for the heroic act in coming to aid a SF Police officer while he was being attacked as well as for apprehending the attacker.
2. An opportunity to meet with Supervisor Campos
3. An opportunity to meet with Police officers so they can share their experience with the neighborhood and receive feedback
4. Meet the AB Martial Artist Management team and learn more about their Program that helps disadvantage kids.

Fresh & Easy Hiring Event, Friday, June 24 10AM-5PM

The Bayview Opera House at 4705 Third Street is hosting the Fresh & Easy
Neighborhood Market hiring event THIS Friday, June 24 from 10AM-5PM.

The store at 5800 Third St is scheduled to open on Wednesday, August 24.

Laundry to Landscape subsidies available

San Francisco Water Power Sewer is now accepting applications for a Laundry-to-Landscape Pilot Graywater Program. The program offers a $95 subsidy toward the purchase of a $100 laundry-to-landscape kit that will divert your clothes washer water directly to your landscape for irrigation. Program participants also will receive a free training workshop and a Graywater Design Manual for Outdoor Irrigation that provides step-by-step guidance on designing, installing, and maintaining
your laundry-to-landscape system.

The pilot program will help provide the City with valuable data on water savings and the potential market for graywater systems in San Francisco. Up to 150 qualifying single-family and two-unit San Francisco residential properties are eligible to participate. The Urban Farmer Store is helping implement the Laundry-to-Landscape Program. For more program information or for site requirements, visit www.sfwater.org/landscape or contact The Urban Farmer Store at (415) 661-2204.

For other water saving programs such as rebates, free indoor and outdoor water use assessments, and free water saving devices visit http://conserve.sfwater.org or contact San Francisco Water Power Sewer - Water Conservation Section at (415) 551-4730.

Filling San Francisco storefronts could start with better system to track vacancies

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner

Vacant storefronts line streets in neighborhoods such as the Bayview and the mid-Market Street area, but just how many retail spaces are empty throughout The City is a tough number to pin down.

That would change with a centralized, citywide system to track vacancies, according to a proposal of new programs from the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

Vacant storefronts have a number of harmful effects on surrounding communities, including crime and graffiti and discouraging investment in the neighborhood, the proposal said.

Read more at the San Francisco Examine

Bayview Third Street revitalization has way to go

From SFGate,

When Bayview merchant Marvin Robinson hears about the millions of dollars San Francisco is investing in Parkmerced, Treasure Island and Hunters Point, or the special Twitter tax break for Mid-Market, he gets a little frustrated.

Stepping out the front door of his small business at the corner of Third Street and Palou Avenue, he sees vacant stores with barred windows to his right and corner boys slinging drugs to his left. And he says he doesn't see the city doing much about it.

More at SFGate

EVENT: First Exposures at Bayview Opera House

Event: Wednesday, June 29, 6-8 pm 

First Exposures at Bayview Opera House   

Environmental Injustice: It Ain't a Pretty Picture

Join SF Camerawork as we support First Exposures and Breast Cancer Action at the Bayview Opera House!

Breast Cancer Action partnered with First Exposures to provide education and empowerment to budding young activists regarding the involuntary environmental exposures linked to breast cancer and other health problems. The First Exposures students then created original and powerful artwork in response. The result is a stunning collection of images that speak to the power held by youth. 

Together, Breast Cancer Action and First Exposures present this work in an informative and important exhibition.

More Information >> 

Image credits left to right: Hugo Molina, Carolina Sanchez, Mariana Castro

UPDATE: Driveby shooting at Palou & Phelps

Here's an update from SFGate to my post from this morning,

San Francisco Parking and Traffic Department employee was shot and wounded today during an apparent road-rage incident in the city's Bayview District, police said.

The victim, a painter, was driving a city truck with another employee in the passenger seat at about 8:30 a.m. when he made a turn on the 1800 block of Palou Avenue, angering a nearby driver, said Officer Albie Esparza, a police spokesman.

The motorist began cursing at the painter, who tried to drive away. The assailant pulled out a gun and fired numerous shots, one of which hit the painter in his shoulder, Esparza said.

The victim, whose name wasn't disclosed, was treated at San Francisco General Hospital and released. The gunman fled and has not been arrested.

San Francisco Black Film Festival begins tonight

From BeyondChron,

The San Francisco Black Film Festival returns this Friday, June 17 and opening with several new films, including the Mario Van Peebles directed "Things Fall Apart" starring Curtis (50 Cent) Jackson III, Ray Liotta, and Lynn Whitfield. 50 Cent and Brian A. Miller wrote the screenplay and Randall Emmett produced the film. Also among the local, national and international films to be screened at the SFBFF is "Black, White and Blues," written by Morgan Simpson and George Richards, co-starring and also directed by Van Peebles with Michael Clarke Duncan, Kiele Sanchez, Taryn Manning and Tom Skerrit.

The film festival also highlights local filmmaker Kevin Epps on Opening Night with his documentary "Straight Outta Hunter's Point 2," a follow up to his 2002 groundbreaking acclaimed documentary "Straight Outta Hunter's Point." Epps revisits the neighborhood for a look at the current state of the community and the myriad of social and economic issues. Among other local filmmakers in the festival is San Francisco native Jacquie Taliaferro, who recently returned from the Cannes International Film Festival promoting his film "10-10 Gotta Win" edited by Trey Houston that takes a look at the San Francisco District 10 Race for Supervisor and how it parallels similar themes of access to power, economic stability and education in other communities across the nation.

More at BeyondChron

Driveby shooting at Palou & Phelps

Police have cordoned off the area and it was still closed to through traffic as of 9:30.

Officers on the scene said that shots were fired from one car to another as they drove northward on Palou, injuring one. The victim's white Toyota Sienna minivan came to a stop a block away, at Palou and Quint.

A bus bridge appears to have been implemented for the 24 line through the area.

Hearing on Muni T-Line

From Supervisor Cohen's June Newsletter:

Specifically, the hearing will explore how effective the line has been in providing reliable transit service to neighborhoods of the southeast part of the City. While service has improved since the opening of the T-line, other technical and operational issues remain that negatively impact the average speed and reliability of the light rail route.   It is important for City officials to hear directly from residents and workers who use the T-line regularly.  Please join the conversation by participating in the hearing on:

Monday, June 20
1:00pm
Room 262, City Hall

If you are unable to attend the hearing in person, you may submit
written comments to:

Alisa Somera
Clerk of the Land Use Committee
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Room 244
San Francisco, CA 94102
Alisa.Somera@sfgov.org

My comments...

Childhood Trauma Linked to Learning Problems, Obesity

From MedScape.com,

Childhood trauma is linked to learning and behavioral problems and obesity, according to the results of a chart review reported online June 8 in Child Abuse & Neglect The International Journal.

"Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) including abuse, neglect, and histories of domestic and community violence are significant public health concerns in the United States," write Nadine J. Burke, MD, MPH, from the Department of Pediatrics, California Pacific Medical Center, Bayview Child Health Center in San Francisco, and colleagues. "In order to study the effects of traumatic experiences on child development, we studied the relationship between the prevalence of ACE categories in a specific urban population and both psychological and physical outcomes: learning and behavior problems as identified by the primary care physician (psychological development) and obesity (physical development). These particular outcomes were chosen because they are risk factors for adult chronic conditions."

The investigators reviewed medical records of 701 patients seen at the Bayview Child Health Center in San Francisco and coded medical chart documentation of ACEs. Each ACE criterion endorsed by a traumatic event received a score of 1, for a total score ranging from 0 to 9.

A clinical measure reported by the pediatrician, based on both objective learning data (eg, low academic achievement) and objective behavioral data (eg, history of violent behavior), was used to classify learning/behavior problems. Overweight or obese was defined as a body mass index (BMI) within the 85th percentile or above.

At least 1 category of ACEs was documented for most patients (67.2%, N = 471), and 4 or more ACEs were documented for 12.0% of patients (N = 84).

Increased ACE scores, and exposure to 4 or more ACE categories, were associated with an increased risk for learning/behavior problems and obesity.

"There was a significant prevalence of endorsed ACE categories in this urban population," the study authors write. "Results from this study demonstrate the need both for screening of ACEs among youth in urban areas and for developing effective primary prevention and intervention models."

Limitations of this study include cross-sectional design; history of ACEs obtained from the caregiver, creating sampling bias; and lack of formal assessment of learning/behavior problems.

"Future studies should look prospectively to evaluate whether targeted interventions may attenuate the risk of chronic problems, such as learning/behavior problems and obesity, and assess whether universal screening and early intervention can reduce the risk of subsequent adverse events," the study authors conclude.
The Lennar Urban Corporation supported this study. The study authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

Child Abuse Negl. Published online June 8, 2011. Abstract

Seniors Protest Dangerous SF Intersection

San Francisco residents take over the road for Sunday Streets

From SF Examiner,

The Bayview has been a part of Sunday Streets since the event’s debut in 2008. This year, the route included the historic Dogpatch area and Lower Potrero Hill. As always, it featured a full roster of activities, live music, cultural performances and special events Sunday.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner