Author: Todd_Lappin

Fiesta on the Hill Comes to Cortland on Sunday

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

The mother of all Bernal Heights street festivals comes to Cortland this Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY: Fiesta on the Hill!

Fiesta on the Hill is a community based, high-profile and energetic Festival with an attendance of over 20,000 friends and neighbors from San Francisco‘s Bernal Heights area, neighboring communities and the greater Bay Area. The event is in its 22nd year and continues to grow.

The Festival benefits the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center whose mission it is to preserve and enhance the ethnic, cultural, and economic diversity of the Bernal Heights District of San Francisco and surrounding neighborhoods.

Cortland will be closed to traffic, so pedestrians can roam with impunity. There will be a petting zoo, pony rides, and climbing wall for the Junior Citizens, along with lots of yummy street food and artists selling stylish schwag to enhance your luxury lifestyle. See you there.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

Lotus Garden Vietnamese Restaurant Set to Reopen

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

And now for some tasty news.

Remember that terrible three-alarm fire that devastated a building on Mission Street near Valencia last April? And how the damage forced the closure of the much-loved Lotus Garden Vietnamese restaurant?

At the time, if you recall, Lotus Garden owner Kathy Tang was very worried about the future:

The great amount of fire burned my restaurant and will take a few months for them to just rebuild the whole building. oh my god how can my family and i survive. My restaurant is my and my husband’s only income.

Six months later, things are looking up. Neighbor Amanda from the Bernalwood Intelligence Agency recently heard word that Lotus Garden was poised to reopen, and she gave our hotline a ring-a-ding-ding to share the news. Then we called Kathy Tang to confirm.

Kathy tells Bernalwood that Lotus Garden hopes to reopen on October 18, in the same location. She said the restaurant “maybe will look better” (cute!) with new paint and lighting.

“We hope our old customers who used to love us will still come see us,” she said. It’s been a rough six months, she admitted, but she had a special message for the Citizens of Bernalwood:

“Thank you to everyone who was so concerned about us,” she said.

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics

Shoe Fairy Visits Bernal Heights Resident

/ Todd_Lappin / 18 Comments

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Reader Nina was visited by a veeeeery special guest this week: The Bernal Heights Shoe Fairy! Let her tell the tale:

I was visited by the Bernal Shoe Fairy a few nights ago.

I was pushing the stroller out the front door when I noticed a pair of shoes in a plastic bag, securely closed with a rubber band, placed gently in my stoop planter box. They were hot pink, which actually matches my hair color right now. I thought it was a strange coincidence. I was not surprised, however, to find such a random thing at my doorstep, as people are always leaving things in front of my house. Bits of pottery in the other planters, used condoms, random bits of clothing, you know, whatever. There was a funeral going on at the church next door, so I thought maybe someone from the church just wanted to stow the shoes there until after the service.

So I left the shoes alone overnight, expecting the owner to come back for them by the morning. Lo and behold, the shoes were still there this morning. My curiosity increased. My husband said “it’s garbage night, just toss them out”, but they looked like decent shoes. I can’t just throw out a pair of shoes. Suede, hot pink, booties with a mini heel, looked in good condition. I was starting to think that it was not a coincidence that these shoes were left on my door step. I decided to bring the shoes in for a closer inspection.

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PRADA. Someone left a gently used pair of PRADAS at my door! It’s gotta be the shoe fairy, right?

Only problem is that the shoe fairy got my size wrong. These are labeled a 36, which translates (thank you, Google) into a US 5.5 or 6. No way can I squeeze my giant post-baby feet into these beauties.

I write to you, Bernalwood, both to thank the shoe fairy publicly for thinking of me (I do, actually, need a pair of hot pink shoes for a wedding this weekend, if they had been the right size this would have truly been a magical gift), and to see if anyone else out there is a size 36 and in need of some hot kicks.

Angry Parents Rally at Paul Revere School

/ Todd_Lappin / 40 Comments

Vintage Coke Sign

There’s rebellion afoot at Paul Revere School on Tompkins, with a rally that was scheduled for 8 am this morning taking place to protest the policies of the school’s principal. The SF Appeal carries the story:

Parents at a school in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood are holding a rally Thursday to call for the removal of the school’s principal for what they say are unfair regulations.

The 20 or so parents at Paul Revere School, which teaches pre-kindergarten to eighth grade students, are taking issue with principal Sheila Sammon, who is in her second year at the school.

Sammon has allegedly instituted new rules such as issuing demerits for students taking bathroom trips, said Phillip Pierce, an organizer with Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, a group that advocates for low-income and immigrant families.

Any Paul Revere families care to weigh in on the controversy? Comment away.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

A Safety Update from PG&E About That Anxiety-Generating Gas Pipeline in Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 7 Comments

As you may recall, last week Bernalwood introduced you to Line 109, a PG&E gas pipeline that has recently become the focus of much concern, in light of potential safety issues that could cause the line to explode in a searing fireball — much as it did here once before, in 1963.

Bernalwood has since been in contact with Paul Parmley, a representative from PG&E, who offered to answer any questions we have about Line 109 in Bernal Heights. And indeed, we had some questions. So here they are, along with the answers we received from Mr. Parmley.

Q. What detail can you provide about the section of Line 109 that runs through Bernal Heights?

Line 109 through the Bernal Heights neighborhood is 26-inches in diameter. Line 109 has a maximum operating pressure of 145 psig. The current pipeline was installed in 1981 and 1982, and it was pressure tested during construction to 550 psig for eight hours. The pipeline operates at less than 19% of the specified minimum yield strength (SMYS) at this location, providing a considerable margin of safety.

Q. Have any sections of the line in Bernal been replaced in the last 50 years?

The section of Line 109 in the Bernal Heights neighborhood, between Alemany Blvd. and Cesar Chavez, was installed in 1981 and 1982.

Q. When was Line 109 last inspected, and how?

PG&E has a comprehensive inspection and monitoring program to ensure the safety of its natural gas transmission pipeline system. PG&E regularly conducts patrols, leak surveys, and cathodic protection (corrosion protection) system inspections for its natural gas pipelines. Any issues identified as a threat to public safety are immediately addressed.

Patrols: PG&E performs regular patrolling of transmission pipelines to look for indications of pipeline leaks, missing pipeline markers, construction activity and other factors that may threaten the pipeline. Line 109 through the Bernal Heights neighborhood was last patrolled in August 2011, and everything was found to be normal.

Leak Surveys: PG&E regularly conducts leak surveys of its natural gas transmission pipelines. After the San Bruno incident, PG&E performed additional ground leak surveys for its entire natural gas transmission system. Leak surveys are generally conducted with a leak surveyor walking above the pipeline using leak detection instruments. Line 109 was last leak surveyed in April 2011, and no leaks were found.

Cathodic Protection System Inspections: PG&E utilizes an active cathodic protection (CP) system on its gas transmission and distribution pipelines to protect them against corrosion. PG&E inspects its CP systems every two months to ensure they are operating correctly. The CP systems on Line 109 were last inspected in September 2011, and everything was found to be operating correctly.

Integrity Assessments: PG&E also performs integrity assessments of certain gas transmission pipelines in urban and suburban areas. Line 109 had an external corrosion direct assessment (“ECDA”) in 2009. This assessment identified no issues requiring corrective action.

Q. Have the records pertaining to the Bernal portion of 109 been validated?

PG&E pressure test records for Line 109 in the Bernal Heights neighborhood are complete.

So there you have it. The good news is, our section of Line 109 is relatively new, and thus hopefully does not have any of the shoddy, 1950s-era welds that were blamed in the San Bruno explosion. Likwise, it seems that an active inspection regimen is in place to validate the line’s integrity.

This is encouraging stuff, and we are grateful to PG&E for for providing such detailed information. Yet given the magnitude of PG&E’s recent mismanagement of its pipeline infrastructure, and the tremendous potential for harm, unwavering diligence will be required by both Bernal Heights residents and our local authorities to ensure the pipeline will remain safe for decades to come.

As Reader Tara commented earlier this week:

Thanks for asking for a summary and please post an update whether or not you receive a reply. This article about PG&E in SF Gate yesterday got me even more pissed off and scared about this. Trying to think about what we can do as influential citizens of Bernalwood.

How to Add $350K in Home Value in Just Four Months (Maybe)

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

SocketSite says the 1,231 square-foothouse at 580 Banks was originally listed for sale in July 2010 for $848,000. Reason prevailed, however, and it didn’t sell. So after a series of dramatic price cuts, the property eventually turned over for $442,000 last July.

Fast-forward four months, and the big numbers are back in play:

Sporting a remodeled kitchen and bathroom on the second floor, two new legal bedrooms and bath on the first floor, and new windows throughout, the now four-bedroom home has returned to the market listed with 1,822 square feet for $799,000.

But will the upgraded home will sell at the upgraded price? Let’s watch and see.

PHOTOS: MLS via SocketSite

Fat Albert Loves Bernal Hill

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Eye to Eye Fat Albert

Okay, let’s tell it straight: Bernal Hill isn’t a great place to watch the Blue Angels during Fleet Week. Sure, it’s comfy if you want a wiiiiiiide perspective, but most of the action happens near Fisherman’s Wharf, so the Navy’s F-18s look like little bugs zipping across the skyline. Plus, Bernal is so far south, we don’t even get many good flyovers during the airshow. (PRO TIP: F-18 flyover aficionados should try taking in the spectacle from the green on Treasure Island. Whooooosh!)

Yet for fans of “Fat Albert,” the lumbering C-130 transport plane the Blue Angels deploy to haul their gear, Bernal Hill is a prime viewing spot. Fat Albert uses Bernal Hill like a giant pylon as it loops around the City, and that means lots and lots of dramatic flyovers. In that respect, despite the fog that cut the airshow short on Sunday afternoon, Fleet Week 2011 did not disappoint. Hi neighbor!

Hello Albert

Here’s Fat Albert with that mysterious giant shrub thingy on the northeast part of Bernal Summit — together at last:

Fat Albert over Bernalwood

Oh, just in case you’re wondering what it’s like in the cockpit of Fat Albert as it zooms around like it does, this video should satisfy your curiosity. Just buckle in and follow the bouncing hula girl on the dashboard:

Hey Hey Hey! See you next year…

PHOTOS: Top two images, Ben Buja. All others, Telstar Logistics

New Plantings in Precitaville, Courtesy of Your Neighbors

/ Todd_Lappin

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Planting in Precitaville

On Saturday morning, while you [may have been] out trying to pick up a few tipsy sailors where in town for Fleet Week, some of your neighbors in the Precitaville Administrative Zone were hard at work planting a new butterfly garden in the traffic bulb on the corner of Precita and Folsom. Led by the intrepid Demece Garepis of the Precita Valley Neighbors group, much earth was tilled and many plantings were lovingly placed in the ground. Beautiful!

On behalf of all the Citizens of Bernalwood, we say: Thank You!

PHOTOS: Telstar Logistics

Skywriting Over Bernalwood

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

It’s a little challenging to read, but Rihannon Charisse captured some Fleet Week-related skywriting over Bernal today:

Sky writing over Bernal! “GREETINGS SALUTES THE CENTENNIAL OF NAVAL AVIATION”

That “Centennial of Naval Aviation” thing is a fascinating historic tale with a fun local twist, and earlier this year my alter ego, Telstar Logistics, wrote all about what happened during that big day on San Francisco Bay in January 1911.

Here’s a little preview:

Happy Fleet Week!

PHOTOS: Rihannon Charisse, history.navy.mil 

Who Created that Cool Kinetic Sculpture in Holly Park?

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

La Principessa Errante, a blog about San Francisco art and architecture, has the answer. The sculpture is called Odonatoa, and it was created by Joyce Hsu:

Born in Hong Kong, Joyce Hsu received her BFA from the Mount Allison University in Canada in 1996 and her MFA at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998. She works out of Oakland and creates all kinds of mechanical sculptures.

This kinetic sculpture of painted stainless is one of many insects that Joyce has created.

PHOTOS: La Principessa Errante

Trippy Clouds and Empathy for the Vassals of La Lengua

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

Bernalwood Norrhwest

I took this photo with my iPhone last weekend while waiting for the traffic light on Valencia Street at Cesar Chavez. In the flash of an instant, I had two distinct thoughts:

1) Wow, doesn’t Bernal Hill look lovely against that freaky-streaky sky?!

2) No wonder those uppity La Lenguans resent us, the Overlords of Bernal Heights. It must feel so frustrating for them, to live down in the flats, having always to look up at our glamorous hill that towers majestically over their homes and drinking establishments. Poor poor La Lenguans.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics