Author: Todd_Lappin

Campos to Propose Increased Compensation for Ellis Act Evictions

/ Todd_Lappin / 159 Comments

meetingnoticefeb14

D9 Supervisor David Campos sent this press release to Bernalwood yesterday:

Saying that we cannot rely solely on Sacramento to solve our affordability crisis, Supervisor David Campos (D9) will introduce a local solution at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting to help Ellis Act-evicted tenants afford to stay in San Francisco.

The ordinance will require landlords who evict using the Ellis Act to pay the difference between the tenant’s rental rate prior to eviction and what would have been the market rate for that unit for two years. This ensures that relocation payments adequately represent true market costs and allow displaced tenants who would face dramatically higher rent costs the opportunity to stay in San Francisco.

Currently, landlords are required to pay relocation assistance amounts of approximately $5,261 per tenant capped at $15,783 per unit. Landlords must also pay an additional amount of approximately $3,508 for each displaced elderly or disabled tenant. The Campos law would keep the current law as a minimum, but in most cases, would make relocation reflect market increases.

“Almost every renter in San Francisco is just one eviction notice away from being displaced from our city,” said Supervisor Campos. “It is time that we recognize that tenants must receive assistance that is commensurate with market increases in rent if we are to truly address our affordability crisis and check the rampant growth of Ellis Act evictions.”

San Francisco housing prices have become increasingly unaffordable. The median home price has recently topped $1 million and according to a Budget & Legislative Analyst report on the displacement crisis in San Francisco, the median rental rate for all apartments in 2013 was $3,414. The City’s rent controlled housing stock, the largest stock of price controlled housing in the City, is under attack by speculators that use the Ellis Act to evict long term tenants and sell the units off at enormous profit margins. The current relocation assistance rates would barely allow a tenant to afford three months of rent in San Francisco and so most evicted tenants are leaving the City they have called home for decades.

“I will continue to work with Assemblymember Ammiano to pass State legislation placing an outright moratorium on Ellis Act evictions in San Francisco. In the meantime, we need local solutions now to assist San Franciscans who are being displaced today,” said Supervisor Campos.

The Chronicle has a story about the Campos proposal, along with a discussion of some of its potential pros and cons.

Also, a piece of paper we found taped to a pole told us D9 Supervisor David Campos will speak at a housing forum tonight, 6:30 pm at BHNC on Cortland.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

New Mural Takes Shape on Helipad House

/ Todd_Lappin / 27 Comments

helimural1

helimural2

Bernal Hill is swell place to go for a nature walk, but it’s also becoming a great place to view large-scale art. The mural on the old grain silos on the eastern waterfront is now complete, just as a new installation takes shape on the northern-facing facade of the “Helipad,” the contemporary home at the top of Folsom near Ripley.

Neighbor Regina previews what’s coming:

Life’s too short to live in a plain white house. Plus, the hottest neighborhood in America should have a hot pink element. The artist is Casey O’Connell and we just let her do her thing, which currently involves sharks with gold grills of the San Francisco skyline.

PHOTOS: Top, Monique Soltani. Below, Joe Thomas

Mockups Show Proposed Mosaic for Back of Bernal Library

/ Todd_Lappin / 16 Comments

Bernal.libboard1

Bernal.libboard2

Neighbor Brandon has an update on the new artwork that’s in development for the southern, playground-facing side of the fashionable Bernal Heights Library:

The second phase of the library mural is moving ahead. We have a design (viewable on our site, Tumblr, etc.) and also in hard copy form at the library and Heartfelt. We welcome comments on cards available at the library. Those comments will be shared with the library and art commission meetings which are coming up soon. Funding is at about 90 percent, and we’re looking for a few headline donors to put us over the top. If all goes well with the commission meetings, Johanna Poethig will begin work in early autumn.

Over on the Library Project Tumblr, there’s more information about the proposal, which mixes mosaic tile with neighborhood photography:

Bernal.libboard3

The “Story Cloud” is a cloud form created by the overlapping of wires to evoke connectivity. The cloud hovers at the top of the Bernal Library wall overlooking the playground and can be seen from the ground and from a distance. It is a place to tell the story of the neighborhood, conceptually and visually integrating with the site, architecture, playground and functions of the library. This form also references the digital “Cloud” holding information and linking together old and new ways of storing and accessing information. The cloud, fabricated out of glass mosaic, digitally designed and produced to have a pixelated look. Ceramic tile inlaid into this composition holds the pictures collected by the community. Binoculars will enable viewers to explore the cloud in a fun interactive element. This evokes the position of Bernal Heights, the views of the hill and then out over the landscape that surrounds it.

“Story Cloud” meets the criteria of the participating Bernal community to combine compelling and dynamic visuals, preserve the aesthetics of the building, express the values of the community, enhance the experience of the programs and resources offered by the library, identify with Bernal history, present and future. The “Story Cloud” integrates with the other artwork on the Library by adding a third natural element. The wave form unfolds on the front of the building, the tree is rooted and branches out on the side and the cloud hovers over the playground bringing our attention up to the sky. Children in the playground can enjoy the cloud form, elements of discovery and story telling.

PHOTOS: Bernal Library Art Project

Your Bernal Heights Crime Report for January 2014: Yearly Crime Trends, Traffic Tickets, and It’s Still Robbery Season

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

SFPD

Neighbor Sarah, your invaluable volunteer Bernal Heights crime reporter, attended the SFPD Ingleside Community meeting on January 21, and she filed these  summary notes on the latest Bernal Heights crime trends. (Many many many thanks, Sarah!!) Read on, read carefully, and stay safe:

Notes from Ingleside Community Meeting, 1/21/14

Captain Falvey presided.

He handed out the December and 2013 (Whole Year) Compstat page – attached. The district has averaged 11 homicides a year – there were 8 in 2013.

Robberies ended up being up only 2% for the year, which is remarkable because earlier in the year, when robberies were rampant, we were at one point up 72% vs. the prior year. There was a big drop in Q4 vs. 2012, but in January, robberies seem to be taking off again. Multiple crews appear to be involved. They are focusing their plainclothes officers in areas where the robberies have been occurring and have been getting tips from community members. They are also seeking help from the Violence Reduction Team from downtown.

Captain Falvey looked at past robbery statistics. Before 2013, the average was 441/year. In 2013, we had 393. Robberies are getting more violent, however. The chief wants to lower all felonies in 2014 (I didn’t catch by what %).

Property crimes are up 33% since the pre-2011 average. 2011 is when “realignment” began – ie, releasing certain people from state prison. SF has received 650 people released from state prison since then.

Violent crimes were up 1% (citywide, they were up 11%), and property crimes were up 7% (citywide, 12%). The station made 752 felony arrests, up 26% vs. 2012.

Burglaries – average 42/month. On page for mid-20s this month.

Ingleside wrote 8941 traffic citations in 2013, second-highest in city. This correlates with SFPD staffing (ie, goes down when there are fewer cops). The focus in 2014 is pedestrian safety. “Focus on the Five” means police focus on five most dangerous intersections and five most often-implicated violations in collisions (e.g., running red light). Using word “collision” vs. “accident” in vehicle/pedestrian cases. 32% of Ingleside citations in 2013 were in Focus on the Five areas. District has 20% of all intersections in city. Goal is to increase tickets by 10% in 2014.

Also conducting education campaigns for pedestrians, motorists, cyclists. SFSAFE has developed flyers with details on violations and fine amounts. Our district had a fatal ped/vehicle collision on 12/31 – an elderly man struck by pickup. Driver arrested.

Capt. Falvey underwent “active shooter” training led by the SFPD SWAT team in Jan. at 3rd and Evans. Whole department is going through it.

Still focused on preventing robberies, auto theft, and auto boosts.

Bike thefts – look for people wearing headlamps – suspicious unless they are out biking.

Look for cars slowing down when they see pedestrians (ie, scouting for robbery victims)

Scam going around that you need to get a prepaid card and provide PIN because your relative didn’t show up for jury duty – don’t fall for it.

You can look up Compstat for whole city at sfpolice.org.

ALERT – Auxiliary Law Enforcement Response Team – looking for new volunteers to get certified, must be NERT-certified first

UPCOMING EVENTS

Ingleside District Gun Buyback – April 5 – Budget of $50K+, location will be in Vis Valley/Sunnydale area

National Night Out – August 5 – at Police Academy in Diamond Heights (should be a great & fun venue)

Crime stats (Click to enlarge):

InglesideCompstatJanuary2014

PHOTO: Top, Telstar Logistics

REVEALED: The Titillating Messages Hidden Within Bernal Heights Street Names

/ Todd_Lappin / 11 Comments

iLureTom

Neighbor Michael Nolan has made a startling discovery: There are secret messages encoded within the street signs that hide in plain sight on every corner of Bernal Heights.

We do not know who created these secret messages, or who they were intended for. Yet thanks to Neighbor Michael’s astute decryption skills, we can now read the [vaguely smutty] messages revealed by rearranging the letters contained within prominent Bernal Heights street names.

Neighbor Michael provides this handy decoding guide:

Moultrie = I Lure Tom

Esmeralda = Males Dare

Precita = At Price

Peralta = Lap Rate

Powhattan = Tap on What

Massasoit = Sam Is a Sot

Prospect = Pet Corps

Norwich = Chin Row

Mirabel = I Ramble

Lundys Lane = Sullen Andy

PHOTO: via Ben Rosengart

Bikini Jogger Spotted, Briefly, by Puzzled Bernal Neighbor

/ Todd_Lappin / 20 Comments

bernalbikini This morning brings a fleeting glimpse of Bernal’s fast-moving Bikini Jogger. Neighbor Jonathan logged it:

Bernal bikini jogger sighting – 1/28, morning.

While starting my car I noticed a yellow blur in the rear view. Puzzlement soon turned to excitement, realizing I was witnessing a mythical Bernal celeb – the bikini jogger. By the time I came to my senses to record the event, she slipped back into the Bernal foliage and quickly out of sight.

Neighbor Noah Invites You on a Trip to Stylish North Korea

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

bernalwooddpnk

Neighbor Noah Lang lives in Precitaville, and he runs the wonderful Electric Works fine art press in SoMa. He’s a terrific fellow with superb taste, and I suspect he’d be a great travel companion. That’s important, because Neighbor Noah would like you to join him on a tour of North Korea.

Yes, just imagine the surreal sensation you will feel as you compare notes with Neighbor Noah about your favorite Cortland Avenue boutiques while taking in the art and architecture of exotic Pyongyang!

There’s an informational meeting about the trip happening at Electric Works (1360 Mission St., first floor) on Thursday, January 30  at 6:30 pm. Until then, Neighbor Noah writes:

I took my first trip to North Korea, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2008 as a side trip from Beijing while attending the Olympics. It was an amazing, eye-opening trip.

The DPRK is perhaps the least-well understood country of our times.  And while relations between the US and the DPRK are strained, travel there is relatively quite safe.

While traveling in the DPRK, we will be under auspices of Koryo Tours. They are by far the most experienced, most trusted company that offers travel to the DPRK.  Their connections go back over 20 years and they offer access to this secretive country that no one else can or does. During this art and architecture tour, we will gain access to buildings and sites that have previously remained closed to all other Western travelers.

The people behind Koryo Tours are responsible for, among other things, several interesting films on the DPRK.  Several of these films, including “A State of Mind,” “Crossing the Line,” and “The Game of Their Lives” offer a look into this mysterious country. I highly suggest watching what you can before the tour. All are available through Netflix.

But I’m inviting you to travel with me on a once-in-a-lifetime tour to a country like no other.

The sights in the DPRK are unlike those in any part of the world.  Many people who have traveled there have compared it to stepping into a time machine.  Pyongyang is an amazingly clean, modern showcase city: the jewel of the DPRK.  During the tour you’ll find a sparkling city, lined with trees, fountains and parks.  The architecture is what caused me to take a second look while traveling there. These were not your typical Stalinist-era concrete monstrosities. That’s when I first thought of a trip devised to have a focused look at its idiosyncratic design and often surprisingly playful nature.  The public art, while all supporting the vision of the DPRK’s founders, is quite powerful; the mosaics, statues and painting all impressive.

Dates are April 12—19, 2014. Travel is from Beijing to Pyongyang and back. Please visit the itinerary page for a detailed description of the tour.  We need to be in Beijing on the 10, and flights can be scheduled home as early as the the evening of the 19th.

PHOTO: via Noah Lang

Wine Cereal Now Half Price at Corner Liquor Store

/ Todd_Lappin / 6 Comments

WineCereal

Gentrification Alert! Gentrification Alert!

This is how it happens: First comes the ridiculously delicious pizza, then, next thing you know, they’re selling breakfast fare for oenophiles at the liquor store just up the street.

Neighbor David, who took this photo on the corner of Mission and Cortland, writes:

Wine Cereal! really, what more is there to say? #OnlyInSF

The always-astute @friscolex noticed the same as well:

So what’s next?

We can only imagine: Bourbon frozen waffles? Champagne energy drinks? Courvoisier beef jerky? WHEN WILL IT STOP?

PHOTO: David Spector

Wednesday: Cesar Chavez Ribbon-Cutting to Celebrate Our Sexy New Infrastructure

/ Todd_Lappin / 46 Comments

Chavez Nuevo

chavezjan2014

It took two and a half years, a lot of dirt-digging, and plenty of construction-related delays, but at long last, the Cesar Chavez Improvement Project is nearing completion.

Frankly, I think it looks vastly better than it did before, and way better than Army Street ever looked in it’s long history of arterial awfulness. We also got some sexy new sewer pipes out of the deal, and a dedicated (though unseparated) bike lane. Yet I confess: I’m a sucker for long overdue infrastructure projects and decorative palm trees.

Now that we’ve endured several years of congestion in the cause of  building of a better future, we’re all invited to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony tomorrow, Wednesday January 29, at the new (and newly named) Si Se Pueda Plaza in front of The Palace restaurant, at the intersection of Mission, Chavez, and Capp Streets:

DPW will host a ribbon cutting for the completion of the Cesar Chavez Streetscape Improvement Project on Wednesday, January 29th, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. Please see the attached flyer and below for more information.

The newly designed corridor improves safety for people walking, taking transit, and biking on the street. The project also added greening, stormwater-management features and road repaving. Together, these improvements will enhance the neighborhood for many years to come.

Thank you,

DPW Project Team

Cesar Chavez Streetscape Improvement Project Ribbon Cutting

Date: Wednesday, January 29th, 2014
Time: 11:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Si Se Puede Plaza, 3047 Mission Street (NE Corner at Mission & Capp streets)

chavezribbonPHOTOS: Top, by Telstar Logistics

Tuesday: Meeting to Discuss Rerouting the Muni 67 Bus on Ripley Street

/ Todd_Lappin / 47 Comments

67 Uphill

67ProposalJan2014

There’s been a long-simmering dispute between a group of north Bernal neighbors and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency over the location of the existing 67 Muni bus stop on Ripley Street near Folsom.

Bernalwood is told that a group of neighbors on Ripley really really really want the stop relocated, to avoid gumming up their street with two-way bus traffic.

Here are the specifics of the proposed change, along with the details about a community meeting taking place on Tuesday, January 28 to discuss the matter, via the SFMTA’s public announcement:

Proposed Change

The SFMTA, in response to neighborhood concerns, is proposing a reroute to the inbound 67 Bernal Heights (towards 24th Street BART) via Bernal Heights Boulevard. Buses traveling to the Mission District and 24th Street BART Station would travel on Bernal Heights Boulevard between Bradford and Folsom Streets. Buses traveling towards Cortland Ave. will travel on the existing routing. The proposed routing leads to the following stop changes:

  • The stop at the northwest corner of Ripley St. and Alabama St. would be discontinued.
  • The stop on Ripley at Folsom would move across the street to a stop on Folsom Street before the intersection with Ripley.
  • The stop on Bradford at Esmeralda would move back to the stop sign where Bernal Heights Boulevard and Bradford meet (approximately 80 feet south).

There are no proposed parking changes at this time. There are no planned changes to the street design as part of this project.

Public Outreach Meeting

This proposal will be discussed at a public meeting at the following date and time:

Tuesday, January 28 at 6:00 pm
San Francisco Public Library – Bernal Heights Branch 500 Cortland Avenue

If you have further questions or would like to submit comments regarding the reroute proposal, please contact:

Jeff Flynn
Transit Service Planning Manager – San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Phone: 415.701.4646
Email: jeffrey.flynn@sfmta.com

In advance of the meeting, Bernalwood has received some strongly-worded commentary about the proposed rerouting from several Bernal neighbors. A flyer circulated by Neighbor Veronica says:

Long term residents are been left out of the conversation regarding changes – the notices are limited to a small number of people and not given enough time.

  • We having people who don’t use the service attempt to change something that has been working for over 30 years.
  • The issues they are attempting to tackle can be easily tackled with technology (i.e. communication or mapping devices we use on our phones to see where the buses are.)
  • Our taxes pay for this service.

From your neighbors who use this service all the time, we ask that you support us in keeping this service intact by EMAILING:

Another neighbor summarizes the state of play this way:

The Ripley folks between Alabama and Folsom are lobbying the SFMTA and David Campos to reroute the inbound 67 (toward BART) over Bernal Heights Blvd to avoid the buses passing and getting “stuck” on Ripley.  There’s only one bus line that serves the North Slope and moving the stop at Ripley and Alabama to Bradford and Bernal Heights Blvd effectively cuts it down to ½ bus service.  I use the bus every day to get to BART and I’m perfectly capable of walking to Ripley and Folsom (although my dogs are going to be barking in my high heeled shoes) but there are a number of elderly and disabled persons who may not be able to swing the uphill walk.

A neighbor who now rides the 67 regularly comments:

I moved offices and can now take the 67 every day to work. Its proximity to my house was in the plus column when I bought this place 4+ years ago, after having lived in Bernal 7 years prior. When I had surgery, and couldn’t drive for a month, that stop being across the street meant I could go to the farmers market and up to Cortland for groceries and to be in the world. I would have been isolated otherwise. When I imagine myself being twice my age, still living here, it’s comforting to imagine the same could happen. […]

I worry about the elderly neighbors on Alabama who I think will be more isolated if this goes through. I worry that total ridership might go down and that that might catch the eye of downtown number-crunchers looking at lines to cut. The 67 is really a connector for Bernal, and I don’t want to see that go away.

I’m sure people who live between Alabama and Folsom on Ripley would be thrilled to see the change. That block is narrow and driving it can be kind of a pain. Frankly, though, it feels very Bernal-y, every time I drive that block and see an approaching 67 and pull over so it can pass. The driver and I wave to each other. It’s friendly and neighborly.

And a neighbor on Folsom writes:

Wow! The SFMTA actually listened to the neighbors. I’m impressed. Ripley neighbors will rejoice!

This isn’t so bad, but then, I don’t know anyone who will be directly affected by the changes. I’m not sure how many people use the Ripley/ Alabama stop [that will be discontinued], but making the bus stop at the top of Folsom at Ripley isn’t so bad. I like the idea of the bus stopping at the top of the hill. It seems like people would want that, instead of having to walk a couple more blocks up. There were more extreme options, including making Ripley one way.

My only concern is that there is much more traffic on Folsom that will have to stop or go around buses. Perhaps that will slow people down but… probably not.

Proposals like this are inevitably contentious, so if you have an interest in the matter, Tuesday’s meeting at the Bernal library will be a good place to make your views known.

PHOTO: Top, Telstar Logistics

Suspected Drunk Driver Hits Pedestrian on Mission at 30th

/ Todd_Lappin / 10 Comments

accident. mission st/30th

missionjan2414

There was a lot of police activity on Mission at 30th Street on Friday night. The SF Chronicle carries the awful story:

A driver was arrested on suspicion of DUI Friday night after he allegedly struck a pedestrian at a San Francisco bus stop, leaving her with life-threatening injuries, a police spokeswoman said.

Police believe the driver collided with a 35-year-old woman at a bus stop at Mission and 30th streets around 8:10 p.m., San Francisco police Sgt. Danielle Newman said.

The woman was taken to a hospital where she is being treated for injuries that are believed to be life-threatening, the sergeant said.

“She will probably have quite a long recovery,” Newman said.

The sergeant said the driver, identified as 45-year-old James Bell of San Francisco, was arrested on suspicion of DUI causing injury and a hit-and-run.

PHOTO: Mission at 30th on Friday night. Top, by William McLeod via MissionLocal. Below, by Laura Helen Winn.

Neighbor Ashley Illustrates the Horrifically Beautiful Weather on Bernal Hill

/ Todd_Lappin / 8 Comments

droughtdiaries1

droughtdiaries3

droughtdiaries4

droughtdiaries2

This winter has been freakishly warm and dry, which is simultaneously wonderful and alarming. Bernal neighbor and superstar illustrator Ashley Wolff has been documenting this phenomenon in her #DroughtDiaries2014, an ongoing series of illustrations that capture these warm-weather days as seen atop Bernal Hill.

droughtdiaries5

Watch for more in the series on Neighbor Ashley’s stunning Flickr page, which she has shared via the Bernalwood Flickr Group

Real Estate Report: Low Supply + High Demand = $1.14 Million Average Sale Price and 24 Days to Contract

/ Todd_Lappin / 23 Comments

bernalrealestate122014

The real estate people at Downing & Company have compiled their most recent summary of Bernal Heights home sales, calculated before Bernal Heights was declared the Best Neighborhood in the Entire Galaxy. The report for December indicates Bernal inventory remains tight, with relatively few properties hitting the market. The result of low supply and steady demand is (surprise, surprise!) an average sale price of $1.14 million and rapid sales once homes become available. Downing & Company says:

Single-family home prices in Bernal Heights ended the year on a high note. During the month of December eleven (11) homes traded hands in this neighborhood at an average sale price of $1,135,364. This figure was relatively close to the average in November that clocked in at $1,163,250, which represented the highest average price during 2013. Keep in mind with the relatively small number of homes that sell each month in Bernal Heights the average and/or median figures are subject to fluctuations due to high and low end sales and should be taken with a grain of salt.

The interesting question to ask is what’s next for this neighborhood? Recently, Bernal Heights was named as the hottest neighborhood in the country by Redfin. Will prices continue to push higher or have they hit a plateau? It will be interesting to see how things unfold with all the hype surrounding this charming ‘hood. One thing is certain, its still a sellers market out there. The homes that traded hands during December sold very quickly. They were on the market for an average of only 24 days before going under contract.

Read Downing’s original post for a home-by-home breakdown of the sales shown in the image above.