Neighbor Jen lives in Bernal’s La Lengua Autonomous Region, and (unlike us) she is an early riser. She has put her Circadian rhythm to good use by sharing these lovely photos of Bernal Hill taken from her home on Sunday morning, in the wee hours of the new day:
I live at the bottom of Bernal (aka La Lengua), and I get up ridiculously early. It’s pretty nice to see that bright pink light filtering through the curtains.
PHOTOS: Neighbor Jen
Courtesy of Eric Fischer, king of the map geeks, your Bernalwood editor was alerted yesterday about a 1941 map detailing a freeway proposal that would have required the construction of a 2945 foot-long automobile tunnel under Bernal Hill.
Unlike other unrealized plans to tunnel through our neighborhood, this scheme would have created a tunnel running underneath the most central parts of Bernal Heights, via Andover starting at Cortland on the south side, and exiting beneath Shotwell on the north:
On the bright side, the exaggerated side-cut elevation of Bernal Hill is rather cool:
There’s a lot of obvious things for everyone to dislike about this idea. Yes, of course, cutting the neighborhood in half and clogging it with smog-belching automobile traffic would have been terrible and all… but the real issue for me is that the northern portal of the Bernal Heights Tunnel would have been located on the exact location of my Precita Avenue home:
Indeed, it appears that the very spot where I write this sentence right now would have been appropriated to make way for a four-lane concrete slab carrying traffic in and out of the northern tunnel opening.
All in the name of progress, naturally.
What this means, of course, is that in some sort of alternate science fiction timeline, the tunnel project was approved and completed, resulting in the condemnation and demolition of my home. Which means I never ended up in Bernal Heights, and Bernalwood never existed, and we would not be enjoying this lovely day together.
Of course, in an alternate-alternate science fiction timeline, it’s also possible that I used a chronological wormhole to return to 1941 as a time-traveling NIMBY to prevent the construction of the Bernal Heights Tunnel from happening in the first place. It’d be kind of like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator, only I’d be armed with vast wads of inflation-appreciated cash and an intimate understanding of bureaucratic minutiae. (As an added bonus, I’d probably also warn them about Pearl Harbor.)
Or perhaps that’s not science fiction at all. Perhaps the only reason we are enjoying this lovely day together at all is because some Future NIMBY actually did travel back in time to prevent the tunnel from ever being built!
The mind reels…
PHOTOS: via the ever-fabulous Eric Fisher
After all the awkwardness and thinly veiled acrimony, they managed to work it out. Now, Bernalwood is pleased to share the news that Breakfast with Enzo has returned to the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center for his weekly Saturday show, beginning tomorrow, Saturday, January 11.
Children of all ages rejoice:
Enzo Garcia and Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center (BHNC)
are pleased to announce the continuation of
Breakfast with Enzo every Saturday from
10AM to Noon for $6 per person at
BHNC’s multi-purpose space at 515 Cortland Avenue.
The first show of 2014 will take place this Saturday, January 11th.Enzo Garcia and BHNC are committed to working together to ensure that the community continues to enjoy Breakfast with Enzo. We appreciate everyone’s understanding while working on a mutually beneficial way to continue the performances.
As a recent member of BHNC, Enzo is providing time for Rachel Ebora, BHNC Executive Director, to speak briefly about BHNC and how we as a community can help the organization achieve its mission to preserve and enhance the ethnic, cultural and economic diversity of Bernal Heights and surrounding neighborhoods.
For more information or to become a member, please visit bhnc.org and when you join up please send an email to enzogarcia@earthlink.net with “JOINED BHNC” in the subject field.
See you at show, and thank you for supporting your community.
Enzo Garcia and Rachel Ebora/BHNC
PHOTO: via Yelp
As you may recall, Bernalwood recently explored the history of the Bernal Heights branch of the Doggie Diner restaurant chain that ruled the corner of Mission and Cesar Chavez from the 1960s until the 1980s.
You may also recall that three giant Doggie Diner fiberglass mascots survive to this day as a traveling trio of cultural ambassadors mounted to the back of an old trailer:
And you may even remember that many Citizens of Bernalwood were overjoyed by these same doggie heads last October, when they were spotted on Folsom Street wearing sporty knit wool cozies:
Well, the doggies are now 50 years old, which is why the esteemed John Law, custodian of the Doggie Diner heads, has launched a worthy Kickstarter campaign to fund their restoration:
I and a small handful of friends have been bringing these local icons to charity events, parades, and art happenings for the last 20 years FOR FREE and for the sheer joy of it. These local icons are the only things that seem to brighten the day of everyone who sees them—every time—and for me, that is worth all the labor and expenses that I have poured into them years.
Twenty years of hauling them around on a rickety trailer and 50 years in the sun has taken its toll, and they are in desperate need of repair. But restoring a vintage, 10-foot-tall, 300lb fiberglass and metal sculpture is complicated, labor intensive, and expensive—and we have three of them! We need to raise $48K in just 30 days to get the work done.
Though these Doggie Diner heads do not live in Bernal, history has made them a part of us. And as further evidence of this project’s bona fides, Billy Collister, one of the metalworkers participating in the restoration effort, was the contractor who completed my home renovation years ago, so your Bernalwood editor is quite comfortable endorsing both his workmanship and industry.
Most importantly, amid constant socio-economic change and the multi-generational transformation of our neighborhood’s landscape, seldom do we have the chance to preserve a such a tangible slice of an older, even weirder San Francisco.
Especially one that’s so easy to park.
This is one such opportunity. You can donate to the Doggie Diner Restoration effort right here.
PHOTOS: Top, Historic photos of Bernal’s Doggie Diner at the corner of Mission and Cesar Chavez.
Neighbor Alex, the keeper of the Gillibus, has seen a lot of things during his tenure as the Bernal Heights custodian for a large yellow former school bus, but until now, he has never seen anyone try to pass off a counterfeit Department of Parking and Traffic parking notice.
Neighbor Alex speculates “Santa brought somebody a color printer for Xmas.”
A few weeks ago, Bernalwood’s Cub Reporter and I visited the superchic Lowe’s home improvement store on Bayshore at the foot of Cortland. Inside, we noticed a display in the paint department celebrating the 2014 Pantone Color of the Year, a shade of purple called Radiant Orchid:
Radiant Orchid blooms with confidence and magical warmth that intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination. It is an expressive, creative and embracing purple—one that draws you in with its beguiling charm. A captivating harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid emanates great joy, love and health.
Right? Totally.
Now, fast-forward to Monday evening. Bernalwood pal @valjoy9 shared a photo of a spectacular sunset over Bernal Heights. And wouldn’t you know it… Bernal is soooo fashionable and soooo au courant that even our sunsets occur in the Pantone Color of the Year:
PHOTO: @valjoy9
It might be the relatively large size of the home at 11 Wright in Bernal’s northeast corner, or maybe the modern amenities and handsome finishes. Or perhaps it’s the effects of a hallucinogenic drug that’s somehow entered our water supply…
Whatever the cause, we must note that CurbedSF gets it just right in a story by Miss Sally that runs under the headline, “Bonkers Real Estate”:
Do check out the sale of 11 Wright in Bernal Heights for your daily dose of San Francisco residential real estate madness. The 3-bed, 2,220-square-foot home was put on the market in mid-November asking $1.299M, and it just sold for $1.5M. That’s $201K over asking.
That is completely bonkers.
PHOTO: via Redfin
Bernalwood must have slept through the alarm, because somehow we missed the news that GreenLid Smoothies had opened in the glamorous 331 Cortland food marketplace. But for the fact that we recently had to refill our supply of Paulie’s Pickles, it might have taken even longer for us to bring you this important green drink news. For this Bernalwood can only apologize.
Regardless, lovers of blended green kale-based smoothie drinks will be pleased to know that Andrea Talley has opened her GreenLid kiosk in 311 Cortland. She tells us:
Neighbors and fellow green juice lovers,
There is a green mmoothie bar located in Bernal Heights! It’s in the marketplace at 331 Cortland Avenue. At long last the wait is over.
What’s a green smoothie, you ask? Unlike juice, green smoothies maintain all of the fiber and nutrients of the whole fruit and leafy green. Each smoothie is made with fresh, local fruit and vegetables like kale, avocado, apples and oranges. There are no added sugars, no preservatives and each smoothie is gluten-free and vegan!
GreenLid Smoothies began making fresh, all natural green goodness last year- delivering smoothies to commercial offices around the city. Toward the end of the year, they decided to open the doors to the public. When you go to the smoothie bar, you’ll see (and recognize) every ingredient that goes into the blender and taste the freshness.
Right now there are three flavors on the menu: Almond Banana, Apple Ginger and Orange Mango. These smoothies are seriously good! Check them out at 331 Cortland Avenue.
PHOTO: Andrea Talley, by Telstar Logistics
Neighbor Sarah, your vigilant volunteer Bernal Heights crime reporter, attended the SFPD Ingleside Community meeting just before the Xmas/New Year break, and she filed these summary notes on current Bernal Heights crime trends.
Before we jump into that, however, there’s a quick update on the fatal shooting that took place at the Alemany housing project on December 14. The SFPD now believes that Clifton Chapman, the teen who died at the scene, was a participant in the robbery that preceded the shooting. The San Francisco Examiner reports:
A teenager was arrested in connection with the Dec. 14 homicide of 16-year-old Clifton Chatman, police Sgt. Danielle Newman said Friday.
Two people were shot that day in the Bernal Heights area, and police say the shootings happened during the course of an attempted robbery.
The intended robbery victim was walking in the 500 block of Alemany Boulevard near Ellsworth Street some time after 11 p.m. The victim was surrounded by a group of teenage boys, and one of the boys demanded the victim’s cellphone. One of the boys pulled out a handgun while the others rifled through the victim’s belongings.
Although the victim complied with suspect’s demands, the boy with the gun shot the victim in the face, Newman said, but the shot glanced off his face and struck Chatman, who was reportedly one of the robbery suspects.
Now, on to Neighbor Sarah’s regular crime summary:
Notes from Ingleside Meeting, 12/17/13
Captain Falvey presided. He has now been captain at Ingleside for 15 months.
CRIME TRENDS (see attached Compstat report):
November was pretty good – key arrests + education campaigns likely led to low crime for the month. Got 20+ guns off the streets early in the month.
First 15 days of the month – 17 robberies.
Then made a few key arrests.
Last 15 days of the month – 3 robberies.2013 started out very high with robberies — this has improved with arrests, but, as we know in Bernal, that doesn’t mean the accused will stay locked up for long, so we should not get complacent.
City-wide, crime is up 13% YTD. In our district, it’s up 7%.
GANG TRENDS
Over the past several years, gangs have shifted from drug-dealing to stealing cell phones. Now moving on to property crimes (e.g., auto boosts) because they can efficiently get property to sell and face lower penalties than for robbery. Police believe gangs are coaching one another to shift to break-ins and burglaries.BURGLARIES
Lots of entries through garage doors (41% of burglaries in district last month were through garage). Remember to take your garage-door openers inside when you leave your car and make sure all entry points to your garage (and from garage to house) are secure).Continuing trend of houses being built or remodeled getting broken into – tools & appliances stolen. Don’t use realtor-style lockboxes to hold keys! These can be pried open. Also seeing theft of Ford Econoline vans subsequently used in appliance robberies.
Call police if you see this happening to a neighbor’s house. Remember: would you want someone to call if they saw this going on at your home?
HOMICIDES
City at 47 homicides YTD for 2013 (five years ago, it was 94).
Homicide at 580 Alemany – investigation continuing (See update above). First homicide in district in 66 days.PAROLEES
Question about how police keep track of parolees and people on probation. SFPD works with those departments and does Fugitive Recovery Team days where multiple agencies sweep an area and visit the parolees and people on probation in a given area.TRAFFIC SAFETY
Traffic accidents are up this year city-wide. Drivers, slow down! Pedestrian safety initiative going on. More people than ever are on bikes, too. Ingleside has 20% of city’s intersections.GUEST SPEAKER
Sarah Nichols, Community Boards
(415) 920-3820She’s an attorney and got involved with Community Boards this year.
They resolve disputes through mediation. Oldest public mediation service in US.
Help parties find resolution themselves.
Often disputes are among neighbors, roommates, HOAs, families
$40 to open a case – can be waived for harship
17,000 local mediators trained since inception
85% of disputing parties have approved of outcome
Confidential, safe
You contact Community Boards – they contact 2nd party (you don’t have to)
1-3 mediators per issue, 3 hour mediation (can be daytime, night, weekend)
Mediators are matched to disputing parties in terms of age, demographics, language, etc.UPCOMING EVENTS:
Ingleside district gun buyback will be April 5 – save the date!
PHOTO: Top, Telstar Logistics
Happy New Year!
We begin 2014 with news of a surprise direct-action by members of the knitting underground on two trees located at the eastern end of Precita Park, inside the beloved children’s playground.
Analysts from the FBI and Knitting World magazine have examined the guerilla stitch-work, and determined it to be of exceptionally high quality. No one knows who was responsible for this daring infiltration, but we can say this: They were pros.
Meanwhile, Neighbor Noah reports that denizens of the playground have responded to the yarning with squeals of glee and occasional tree hugs:
PHOTOS: Top, Linda Burbank; Middle, Karen Zuercher; Below, Noah Lang
Tonight is Christmas eve, and we can’t think of a better way to kick-start the spirit than by watching this terrific acapella carol recorded by Neighbor Mindi Hadan at her home on Anderson Street with friends Kristine Johnson and Judy Butterfield:
Enjoy, and have a fantastic holiday!
Improbable Thing Alert! Improbable Thing Alert!
Neighbor Linda just filed this report from Precitaville:
There’s a real snowman in Precita Park, Folsom side!
… and indeed there is!
Meanwhile, Linda reports that the old truck at Harvest Hills Market on the other side of the intersection has embraced the holiday spirit as well:
PHOTOS: Neighbor Linda
Photographer Rachel snapped this beauty recently atop Bernal Hill, and somewhere, we suspect Jimi Hendrix was smiling.
