Author: Todd_Lappin

Good Samaritans Seek Owner of Doggie Found in Precita Park

/ Todd_Lappin / 5 Comments

founddoggie

Neighbor Rebekah is searching for the owner of this wayward doggie:

On the full-moon evening of Friday the 13th, a dog was found roaming Precita Park. She looks like a Manchester Terrier or Min-Pin and appears to be about 9-18 months old, approx 25 lbs. Sweet and very scared with no microchip or collar. For now she is being fostered by Precita Park’s dogwalker-whisperer, Luke. If anyone recognizes this cutie, could they call Animal Care and Control or (415) 518-3984?

If the owner is not located, the dog will likely become available for adoption.

UPDATED With Audio: Bernalwood Talks About Bernalwood on KALW Public Radio 91.7

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

bernalwoodkalwTonight on KALW public radio 91.7, your Bernalwood editor will be on the air for the City Visions show along with several other glamorous San Francisco neighborhood bloggers to talk about What It All Means:

Is hyperlocal journalism here to stay? [Bernal neighbor] David Onek speaks with some of San Francisco’s citizen journalists about the stories they’re breaking, the financial challenges they face, and life on the neighborhood beat. Join the conversation by calling 415.841.4134 during the show, email us at cityvisions@kalw.org or post a comment here anytime. Monday at 7 pm.

Guests:

-Todd Lappin, founder and editor, Bernalwood

-Rose Garrett, managing editor, Hoodline

-Kevin Montgomery, founder and editor, Uptown Almanac

-Roy McKenzie, founder and managing editor, The Castro Biscuit

Listen in, and if you decide to join the conversation, please do reveal yourself as a Citizen of Bernalwood! Extra credit to any and all who identify themselves on-air as the Bikini Jogger.

UPDATE, 9 pm, 16 June

KALW "City Visions" host David Onek

Well, that was fun.

Your Bernalwood editor snapped this glamorous photo of  KALW City Visions host (and celebrity Bernal Neighbor) David Onek during our on-air conversation earlier tonight. The whole thing is now online, so you can listen as we discussed how the sausage gets made at Bernalwood and several of the City’s other esteemed neighborhood blogs. Crazy bonus thanks to Neighbor Margaret, for the terrific phone call.

Ecosexy New Film By Celebrity Bernal Heights Neighbors Is “An Ecosexual Love Story”

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

ggm_small

Bernal neighbors and celebrity filmmakers Beth Stephens and Annie Sprinkle have created a new film that’s starting to hit the festival circuit. It’s called “Goodbye Gauley Mountain: An Ecosexual Love Story,” and it’s coming home to San Francisco this weekend.

Neighbor Beth says, “The film is about stopping mountain top removal by engaging our deep love for the Earth. We’ve invented a new sexuality, Ecosexuality, to express this love and to help make the environmental movement a little more “sexy, fun, and diverse.”

Their film was shown at the Sheffield Film Festival in Sheffield, England this week, and it’s playing for SF Indie Fest at the glamorous Roxie Theater on Saturday June 14 and Thursday June 19.

Here’s the ecosexy official summary:

Goodbye Gauley Mountain: An Ecosexual Love Story is the autobiographical documentary of ecosexual lovers Beth Stephens’ and Annie Sprinkle’s journey from San Francisco to West Virginia to visit Beth’s family and join the fight against a devastating new coal mining technique, mountain top removal. While we all use the electricity generated by coal, mountain top removal (MTR) is little known outside of West Virginia and this film exposes its social and environmental injustices in one of the most poverty-stricken regions of the United States. It also explores the devastating global consequences to us all, even those living far beyond the destruction of the endangered, bio-diverse Appalachian Mountains. By juxtaposing sadness and humor, love and greed, beauty and devastation, it braids Beth’s West Virginia coalfield hillbilly past, with the promise of ecosexuality in order to deploy new strategies of resistance and make the fight against environmental destruction more sexy, fun, hopeful and diverse. It asks, what would happen if we changed our relationship from Earth as mother, to Earth as lover? It encourages gay, lesbian, bi, trans, inter, fairy, and eventually ecosexual communities to find creative ways to engage environmental justice. This is how Stephens and Sprinkle come to marry the Appalachian Mountains and join the fight to abolish MTR. It’s a compelling story of small communities facing annihilation for short-term corporate gain, but it’s also a story about hope, love-and how, finding strength together, we can resist, and fight for justice in our own queer loving ways.

Liberty Cafe Will Close, Morph Into Something New and Mysterious

/ Todd_Lappin / 57 Comments

Liberty Cafe

Get ready to say goodbye to the venerable Liberty Cafe. Neighbor Juliana noticed this rather dramatic bit of news that was just posted on the Liberty Cafe Facebook page:

Last Hoorah – Liberty will be closing it’s doors on Monday, 6/16 and reopening after a slight remodel on Thursday 6/19 as a new restaurant! Please stop by between now and Sunday to say goodbye to Liberty…

InsideScoop says the new place will focus on burgers and beer (per countless Bernalwood commenter requests). Watch that space.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

Mae Krua Kiosk Coming Soon to 331 Cortland, for Thai Food Like Grandma Used to Make

/ Todd_Lappin / 28 Comments

anucha2

This is Anucha Kongthavorn, and he preparing to set up shop in the fabulous 331 Cortland marketplace. His business will be called Mae Krua, and he will serve up Thai food like grandma used to make. Anucha tells Bernalwood:

My name is Anucha Kongthavorn and I’m originally from Thailand. I’ve loved to cook since I was a child. I spent a lot of my early years watching her cook. She always consistently cooked the most delicious food and I strive to be like her. Every weekend, my mother left me with her and I always helped her to prepare. I fell in love with the joy of cooking watching my grandmother work long hours in a traditional Thai restaurant. That is where I learned how to cook authentic Thai food.

To me America is the land for opportunity, coming from a poor family, I independently moved to San Francisco to make my dream come true. I went to City College of San Francisco (CCSF) and worked ay the same time to earn experience and know what’s it’s like to cook for Americans and adapt to the culture. I always keep my eye on this dream. I worked at Thaistick in San Francisco and Millbrae for 6.5 years. I have never had a business of my own, but it is still part of my dream.

In Thai, Mae Krua means a women who cooks to serve for her family. This is the name I’d choose for my business. Mae means mother. Kua means kitchen.

I love to present my food to people to people who live here so they can try authentic Thai food that is different and unique to what I’ve learned from my Grandmother and what I’ve learned here in America. My kiosk is going to serve only unique food which is adapted from my own experiences and my Grandmother’s recipes. They will love to have this food and bring it home for their loved ones.

I make a Curry Rice Balls stuffed with fine cheeses. These will be a delight for people who are vegetarian. Some will also be made with Tofu and Bean Cake. I will serve salad with my own dressing such as Curry Dressing and Sesame Dressing. The community will love to try my food because it will both be healthy and delicious.

I will be very happy if you decide to give me a chance to start my own business with you, even though I have never had a business here. I think you would be very pleased to have me as an addition as well.

Helpfully, Anucha also shared this launch menu:

maekruamenu

PHOTO: Anucha Kongthavorn by Anucha Kongthavorn

Bernal Heights Featured on Cover of Aspirational Fitness Magazine

/ Todd_Lappin / 25 Comments

runnermundo

Well, isn’t this rather stylish?

Neighbor Travis just got his July 2014 issue of Runner’s World, and — wouldn’t you know it! — the cover shot shows some buff-looking dude standing astride our very own scenic-looking Bernal Hill.

Run Strong! Stay Cool! Avoid Dog Poop!

Meanwhile, if you want to know what a homegrown Bernal Hill running superstar looks like, ignore the guy shown above, and instead look for this fleet-footed guy cruising around the neighborhood.

 

Tiny Bernal Eartquake Shack Selected for Cool Style Contest

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

coolquakeshack

Neighbor Elyse lives with her girlfriend Olivia in a gen-u-ine 1906-surplus earthquake shack here in Bernal Heights. Their tiny home was recently selected as a nominee in Apartment Therapy’s “Small, Cool” contest:

Name: Olivia
Location: San Francisco, CA
Square Feet: 250
Division: Teeny-Tiny
What I Love About My Small Home: The best part about our converted San Francisco 1906 Earthquake Cottage is easily the vaulted ceilings. Not only do they look beautiful but they make the space look much larger than it really is. We also love how smart our landlords were when renovating this tiny cottage, making sure to put closets and storage areas in every typically unused nook and cranny. This home might be small but it’s just the right amount of space for us and our tiny dog.

If you would like to help stuff the ballot box, you can favorite it here.

PHOTO: Via Apartment Therapy

3rd Cousin, Formerly Kinfolk, Launches Restaurant Kickstarter Campaign

/ Todd_Lappin / 28 Comments

3cousinkinfolk

There’s yet another Kickstarter campaign underway for a new Cortland restaurant going in to the old Pizza Express space. Formerly known as Kinfolk, the new restaurant will be called 3rd Cousin, and chef (and founder) Greg Lutes brings the details:

Since you have been following Kinfolk on Bernalwood, I’m sending you a link to my Kickstarter campaign. In addition to a new permanent home, Kinfolk is being renamed 3rd Cousin. With the new name, comes lots of community involvement and support, including Windows from A.G. River, local wines from Brian Harrington, video by Steve Sisler and a new logo designed by Bernal Heights own beloved artist, Toby Klayman. I’m very excited to finally be putting down permanent roots in the neighborhood and look forward to continued service to the residents of Bernal Heights and surrounding areas.

Here’s the summary, from the Kickstarter campaign page:

My goal is to provide a Michelin quality, fine-dining experience in a relaxed and welcoming family atmosphere. As a chef, my greatest joy is interacting with my customers throughout the meal service, sharing their experiences of the culinary partnership we have created.

I started Kinfolk out of desire to share my passion for creative organic food, and I continue to refine my unique take on New American/Californian cuisine. The concept has really taken off, and people really came out and supported me — and they continue to support me by dining with me and keeping the dream alive.

After 6 months of cooking from the heart — bringing folks together and creating community one plate at a time — I’ve been fortunate enough to find a permanent home for my pop-up Kinfolk, at 919 Cortland Avenue, just a few doors away from where I am currently cooking 903 Cortland. With the move and the new space we decided to give it a new name: 3rd Cousin.

You can back Chef Greg’s Kickststarter effort here.

Your Superhyperlocal Analysis of 2014 Primary Election Results from Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 37 Comments

bernal2014primary

We voted on Tuesday! (You did vote, didn’t you???)

As you might have heard, in the closely watched primarily battle to succeed [Bernal resident] Tom Ammiano for the District 17 State Assembly seat, D3 Supervisor David Chiu prevailed over D9 Supervisor [and Bernal resident] David Campos by five points citywide. (The two will face-off again in the general election in November.) Meanwhile, Prop B, which limits waterfront development, passed citywide in a 59% to 41% vote.

All politics is superhyperlocal, however, so what was the tally like for voters from Bernal Heights? And for different parts of Bernal Heights? For this, we turn to Neighbor Adam K., who just scored a truckload of Awesome Points by preparing this tidy package of Bernal Heights election data and analysis. Over to you, Adam:

I looked at just two votes: the Campos/Chiu race and the Prop B ballot initiative (concerning waterfront development).  I was interested in the Campos/Chiu totals mainly because of chatter in other posts about how representative of Bernal Heights Campos is or isn’t, and I was interested in the Prop B results because of chatter in other posts regarding development and growth issues.

The results might surprise some readers (or maybe just commenters) of Bernalwood, where the comments appear to skewer against Campos and against Prop B (or pro-development). But as I understand it, these results are pretty indicative of historical Bernal Heights voting patterns.  Interesting to me, considering its hot status as the “it” neighborhood, North Bernal skewers more left than South Bernal.

The quick take-away is that in this election, with about 25% of registered Bernalites voting, Campos beat Chiu 55% to 35%.  And Prop B won by a bigger margin, 60% to 35%.  The vote numbers are very close, with one deviation: it appears that some number of folks who voted for Prop B did not vote for either Campos or Chiu (Campos got less total votes than Prop B did, while Chiu got about the same number of votes as no votes on Prop B).

Here are the details:

Assembly:

Campos                         Chiu

North Bernal:              1330    (59.5%)           722      (32.3%)
Ballots cast: 2234, or 27.55% of registered voters

South Bernal:              1109    (50.1%)           864      (39%)
Ballots cast: 2212, or 25.31% of registered voters

Bernal Heights total:    2439   (54.85%)        1586    (35.7%)


Prop B:

Yes                        No

North Bernal:              1359    (60.8%)           772      (34.6%)
Ballots cast: 2234, or 27.55% of registered voters

South Bernal:              1284    (58%)              783      (35.4%)
Ballots cast: 2212, or 25.31% of registered voters

Bernal Heights total:    2643    (59.45%)        1555    (34.9%)

(Numbers in parenthesis are percent of total votes)

PHOTO: 2014 Primary Election Day in Bernal Heights, by Sarah Rogers

Bernal Heights Real Estate Report: Ridiculous Spring 2014 Edition

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

BernalHomes.May2014

The latest monthly real estate report from Downing & Company indicates that the Bernal real estate boom show no sign of abating — which is good or bad, depending on your personal situation. Either way, the average sale price in April 2014 hovered at around 1.03 million, with the median at $998K. Downing says:

April was a busy month for home sales in Bernal Heights. Last month 18 sales were completed at an average sale price of $1,028,722.

With the cat out of the bag about Bernal Heights being named the hottest neighborhood in the country and all the hype that came with that designation we thought it would be interesting to take a look at some recent price appreciation on a few homes in this ‘hood. Some of the results we found were impressive.

Case in point, the sale of 315 Coleridge Street. Back in January 2012 this home was purchased for $850,000. It just sold for $1,501,000 representing a 78% bump in value. But here’s the real kicker – this home was NOT significantly renovated prior to its recent sale. That is some serious organic price appreciation over a 28 month holding period.

Here’s another one – 3261 Harrison Street. Back in July 2011, this home was purchased for $842,500. It sold last month for $1,250,000, a 48% increase in value. And how about 165 Elsie Street. Its prior sale was in December 2009 at $862,000. This home recently sold for $1,315,000, representing a 53% increase in value. Like the Coleridge property, neither of these homes were significantly updated prior to sale.

Those are some healthy price gains in a relatively short period of time. So what’s driving up prices? The hype factor? Tech job growth? The tech IPO market? The severe imbalance in the supply & demand of homes for sale? International investors? Low mortgage interest rates? A combination of all these things? Take your pick.

Click through for a more detailed breakdown of the sales mix.

IMAGE: Downing & Co.

Your Bernal Heights Crime Report for April 2014: General Trends Good, But Rapes Are Up

/ Todd_Lappin / 11 Comments

sfpdtaurus

Neighbor Sarah, your invaluable volunteer Bernal Heights crime reporter, attended the SFPD Ingleside Community meeting on DATETK, and she shares these notes on the latest Bernal Heights crime patterns.

Executive Summary: Trending positive.

Read on, read carefully, and stay safe:

Here are my notes from the May 20 community meeting at the Ingleside Station. Amber from the BHNC and several other Bernal neighbors attended as well.

Capt. Falvey presided.

CRIME STATS AND TRENDS (See attached Compstat report)

Overall, good in April.

The one startling number is rape – 10 vs 5 YTD. In 2/3 of cases, was a known suspect (date rape or spousal rape). Made 5 arrests this year for rape.

Robberies down 25% YTD. On pace for 16 in May vs 36 last May. Average has been 32/mo over past 2 years.
Cell phone robberies down, but two recent thefts/robberies on bus near Glen Park BART – someone grabbed phone from passenger and jumped off bus at bus stop. Don’t look at your phone when you’re riding MUNI, esp. if you’re sitting near an exit or approaching a stop.

Not a lot in the way of robbery patterns right now.

Aggravated assaults up, driven by domestic violence and family violence.

Burglaries are down 25% YTD. Only one bike stolen in Bernal from garage – recent arrests seem to have nabbed right people.

Auto boostings down too. Auto thefts remain high – got grant from downtown to have license-plate-reading devices on patrol cars. 26 arrests YTD, 7 last month. Stolen cars still mostly used for transportation and turn up at some point. Increase in cars from other districts being recovered in our district. Pre-2001 Hondas and Acuras make up about 50% (which is actually down from levels in past).

Ingleside is 2nd largest population, 6th highest in crime in SF, 3rd safest per 1000 people (Richmond and Taraval have less crime).

Felony crime overall down 15% YTD.
Auto theft is current priority.
Serving a lot more search warrants these days.

TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT

1000 citations in April, +35% YTD Huge emphasis for SFPD

No traffic trailer right now – one loaned to Sunset/Yorba because of recent collisions and one in the shop (should be back soon)

77-year-old pedestrian struck at 30th/Dolores – report says pedestrian was crossing against light.

Parents, do not cross with kids in middle of the street! Teaches them it’s OK.

ILLEGAL GAMBLING OPERATIONS

Court ruling against sweepstakes gambling; Cybertime and Netstop closed down. One cafe left – City Attorney meeting with cafe’s attorneys.

The other trend here is vacant buildings with windows covered, machines inside. Working with City Attorney to go after property owners.

GRAFFITI ABATEMENT – Officer Martin Ferreira

He has been in this unit for three years. 201 arrests last year: 175 adults, 26 juveniles. Dispels myth that most graffiti vandals are aimless youth. Profile is more thrillseeker, “extreme sport” type.

5 arrests last month in Ingleside – from 2 incidents, one on Mission corridor, one on Alemany corridor. One crew was from LA. Total of four adults, one juvenile arrested.

White garbage containers (to hold bins inside) being tagged in Outer Mission. Remove graffiti right away – best deterrent. Lights and cameras good as well.

If your house is hit, make a police report with cost estimate to repair damage. Threshold for felony is just $400 in damage.
Most juveniles arrested are sent to program where they have to paint over graffiti for 96 hours in total.

Current prolific tagger is “Spark” – not IDed yet.

Send photos of tags to graffiti unit – martin.ferreira@sfgov.org
Most graffiti is NOT gang-related (95% is NOT gang) except in certain corridors in Mission (22nd/Florida)

Who is responsible for graffiti on AT&T boxes? AT&T. Call 311 to notify. DPW will notify AT&T. Eradication is key.

EVENTS

8/5 National Night Out at Police Academy (350 Amber next to Diamond Hts Safeway), 5-8pm. Will be a really good event – specialty units, police demos, free BBQ, giveaways, lots of stuff for kids.

Q&A

Problem house in Central Bernal – old occupants coming back after having been evicted and after property owner settled with City Atty. Question about why no arrests? Property owner needs to sign citizens’ arrest but has not done that. Sale pending and new owner should take over soon.

Glen Canyon Park – people speeding down Elk, running stop signs. Camps about to start. Request enforcement.

InglesideCompstatApril2014

Many many many thanks to Neighbor Sarah for the notes and her dedication to keeping Bernal safe.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics