Neighbor Esther recently found this note from the “Bocana Parking Psycho” (her phrase) plastered to the window of a parked car taking up two (2) precious street spaces:
Spotted on tonight’s dog walk. That’s a condom packet taped to the upper left.
PHOTO: Neighbor Esther
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 votersSouth Bernal: 1109 (50.1%) 864 (39%)
Ballots cast: 2212, or 25.31% of registered votersBernal 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 votersSouth Bernal: 1284 (58%) 783 (35.4%)
Ballots cast: 2212, or 25.31% of registered votersBernal 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
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.
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.
Many many many thanks to Neighbor Sarah for the notes and her dedication to keeping Bernal safe.
PHOTO: Telstar Logistics
The campaign was brief, and it was intense, but we are pleased to report that it was successful. Precitagate has come to a conclusion. With the support of the 24th Street merchants group, D9 Supervisor David Campos has announced plans to remove Precita Park from the Calle 24 district and restore it to the Citizens of Bernal Heights.
As you recall (because it happened just yesterday), Bernal Heights residents were surprised to learn — belatedly, and for the first time — that Precita Park had been included as part of the new Calle 24 Latino Cultural District created by merchants from 24th Street in the Mission. The resolution creating Calle 24 was sponsored by Supervisor Campos, and in a process that’s still not fully understood, Precita Park was included as part of the Calle 24 district — and thus may have been subject to various special use restrictions that a Calle 24 district designation may one day entail. Only, no one remembered to tell the residents and merchants of Precita Park that Precita Park was part of the Calle 24 district. Oops.
In any event, the inappropriateness of this has now been acknowledged, and Supervisor Campos’s office released a statement late yesterday to announce that Precita Park will be removed from Calle 24:
Recognizing Calle 24 Latino Cultural District is important to preserve the integrity of the neighborhood and promote its unique spirit. It was the intent of the community leaders and organizers working on this project to demonstrate the historical significance of 24th Street and the surrounding places that have impacted the neighborhood. Precita Park and La Raza Park were two of many significant landmarks included in the resolution. However, because of concerns related to future steps regarding the formal recognition of the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District, on Tuesday, I will submit a clarifying resolution that will amend the resolution and remove Precita Park and La Raza Park from the Latino Cultural District.
This is welcome news, and we are thrilled to see this matter resolved unambiguously. Bernalwood will continue to monitor the Calle 24 resolution to ensure that Precita Park is removed as promised.
Some outstanding issues remain, however. Like, how did Precita Park become part of Calle 24 in the first place? And why didn’t anyone tell us about it along the way?
Finding definitive answers to these questions has been challenging. Thankfully, we also heard from Erick Arguello, president of the Calle 24 Merchants and Neighbors Association, who writes:
Calle 24 SF is a community organization that lead the planning efforts for the [Calle 24] resolution with the Latino Historical Society and SF Historical Society. The Latino Cultural District is the resolution that covers the area. Precita Park, Potrero del Sol were added when the historical context statement was created. It brought together areas that had historical significance in the Latino community, its history and contributions for the area. Precita Park is were the first Carnaval events were held over 35 years ago and continues today. Many rallies and protest by the Latino community were held there when Los Siete were incarcerated. 24th and Mission BART Plaza also holds historical significance for the Latino Community, called Plaza Sandino by the community. This occured when many rallies and protest were centered on the plaza during the Central American war in Nicaragua.
Its a symbolic resolution that has no teeth to land use, the park, businesses or the surrounding Precita Valley. Many other areas or sites of San Francisco will be added when the SF Latino Historical context statement is completed. (Which is a separate project)
Its not a historic district, but a cultural district. The name itself may bring confusion. Its basically saying that Precita Park holds historical significance in the history of the Latino community of San Francisco. Calle 24 and the surrounding area holds many many points of history and culture and events.
If we offended anyone it was not the intention and a mistake on our part for not reaching out.
We are moving to remove Precita Park from the resolution.
Bernal Heights is grateful to Mr. Arguello for clarifying this, and for his understanding in removing Precita Park from the Calle 24 district. Soon, we hope to return to the pre-Calle 24 status quo.
24th Street will be part of the Mission.
Precita Park will be part of Bernal Heights.
Bernal Heights remains extremely proud of its Latino history and culture, and the borders that distinguish Precita Park from 24th Street will remain invisible and permeable, in an arrangement that provides rich benefits to both neighborhoods — as has been the case for decades and generations before, and (we hope) many more to come.
PHOTO: Precita Park on May 25, 2014, by Telstar Logistics
Let’s have another photo show! We begin with a big round of applause please for Ed Brownson, who snapped this classic California flaming sunset from atop Bernal Hill. Someone needs to reproduce this image in airbrush on the side of a 1970s custom van. Or an iron-on t-shirt graphic.
Sean Timberlake captured this jaw-dropper during last week’s full moon. Pour yourself a bowl of wow:
Want another one from Sean? Of course you do. Encore! Encore!
Here’s the glorious sunrise of May 14, brought to you by Gaelen:
Gaelen! Encore! Encore!
And finally, Neighbor Boris demonstrates some very strong photo kung-fu, and Sutro Tower appreciation:
With thanks to the Bernalwood readers who reached out to us, we reached out to our friends at the San Francisco Water Department to find out what’s up with the icky brown water flowing from some household taps in Bernal Heights today.
SFWater kindly responded, and launched a special alert about this incident — and what you should do about it:
A water hydrant was hit by a car on Mullen Avenue at Montcalm Street at approximately 4:30 AM, May 23, 2014, resulting in temporary, discolored water in the Bernal Heights neighborhood and surrounding area. The local fire station turned off the water but the change in pressure in the pipes caused some temporary discoloration of the water.
Why is my water is dirty or discolored?
Dirty or discolored (rusty, yellow, brown) is typically caused by sediments that have become stirred up inside of a water main or pipe. Any increase in water velocity through a pipe or main can cause increased friction against pipe walls that can stir up sediments. Common causes are main breaks, shutdown of a facility, loss of pressure or the opening of a fire hydrant in the immediate area.What to do?
First, avoid using your hot water so that you don’t draw discolored water into your water heater or boiler. Next, check to see if the water supplying your home or business is clear or dirty/discolored. To do this, open a tap (cold water) on the ground floor as close to the water meter (located in the street) as possible. Typically, this would be a hose bib at the front of the house or a downstairs utility sink. Run the water for 3-5 minutes to see if it runs clear. If not, turn off the tap and repeat in about 20-30 minutes. When the water runs clear at the ground floor tap, flush out your plumbing by opening faucets, and flushing toilets inside your home or business. If your hot water does not run clear, it is possible that the dirty/discolored water has entered your hot water heater or boiler. For safety reasons, it is recommended that you call PG&E or a plumber to flush the water heater or boiler.
Thanks for the useful info, and well played @SFWater!
PHOTO: Dirty water pictured is not in Bernal Heights, and not this year. Shown for illustration purposes only. 2012 photo by Ryan Wohleber via Flickr
It’s Spring Cleaning season. As you clean and sort your trove of worldly crap treasures, keep in mind that you will soon have the opportunity to dispose of these things, and put some money in your pocket, during the 2014 Bernal Heights Hillwide Garage Sale.
A Bernal Heights tradition, this year’s Hillwide Garage Sale happens on August 9, 2014, and Neighbor Michael Minson brings the heads-up:
Hillwide 2014 is scheduled for Saturday, 9-August from 9a-2p. Save the date!
Donations will be collected to get on the map, and all proceeds go to the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center. Last year we raised over $1,500, with 96 households registered! This year we hope to double that. Check Hillwide.com for updates (registration will open in early summer).
At the moment, we’re also looking for volunteers to join the planning committee. If any Bernal neighbors are interested in getting involved and helping us make 2014 a record-breaking year for the city’s largest single day garage sale, send me a note at Michael@MichaelMinson.com. We need people to help with PR and social media.
Neighbor Andrea Cohen lives on Elsie, and she recently took over the former JC Market at 820 Cortland. Now renamed Andi’s Market, Neighbor Andrea tells us more about her plans for the business:
I took over 3 months ago. We FINALLY got our sign up on April 23, replacing the old JC Super sign; we expect the new awning within the next week and a half.
We’ve gotten an unparalleled amount of support and goodwill from neighbors. The store is getting scrubbed from head to toe; huge volumes of expired inventory purged from the shelves. Its cleaner, brighter. But slow going, so pardon our dust. Although it looks a bit empty, theres actually more food on the shelves than there’s been in years. For real.
My goal is to welcome the diversity of the neighborhood into the store by focusing on convenience and value. And that’s a daunting task. There are Filipino, Latino, union worker, and more recent Bernalese folks. But everyone needs a convenience store open early, closing late and having necessities–from ice cream, frozen food, snacks, beer, to little drugstore and hardware things. We’ll try to do this by having some pallet sales, sensible prices and ease of shopping on Cortland. Oh, and did I mention the deli? Its coming. Don’t have a date, but soon. Simple, down to earth, two-handed sandwiches and prepared foods.
Keeping lots of the old products–traditional snacks and convenience foods, but gradually adding in the foods neighbors request, like organic milk and basic healthy alternatives. More family oriented products. We love hearing what those requests are, so please stop in and let us know the kinds of things you’d like to see in the store
The building is this historic and really large space. It was built as a Safeway in 1926, and then in the 1970’s, the landlord (at that time he ran the grocery) took a crane and lifted 2 truck trailers over the houses in back to create permanent warehouse space. As we get the store running more smoothly and get to know our customers, we are thinking of lots of innovative way to best use the volume of space we have.
Me and most of the workers live in Bernal, so community isn’t just a buzzword–its a truth.
UPDATE: No fair to mention that the store used to be a Safeway, without providing a photo. So here you go; you can see Safeway/JC Market/Andi’s just left of the old Cortland Theater:
PHOTO: Courtesy of Andi’s Market
Neighbor D. explains why some residents of Nevada Street are feeling a little more secure this week:
Well, the wandering zombie walker burglar ( as known to us on the 300 block of Nevada St.) was finally handcuffed & arrested last Friday evening. We refer to this guy as the “walker” because he looks like a zombie. He was captured after he tried (unsuccessfully) to pick our front door lock.
The zombie walker has been opening mailboxes, looking for packages and unlocked doors on both cars and houses for months now in this area. He is a tall, thin, African American male in in late 20’s / early 30’s. He is either homeless /transient, or his modus of operation may just be to appear homeless/transient.
I was heading from my kitchen area to my living room last Friday at 7:45pm to pull the shade on my front window down when I heard a noise from my front door handle. Then I heard the sound of something hit my front porch light, coming from these crazy looking, home made devices made from what looked like gardening tools. Then I saw the shadow of an unexpected visitor on our porch.
I immediately opened my front door as he walked down my front stairs to the sidewalk. I just looked at this crazy crackhead who tells me ” I ain’t doing nothing wrong” repeatedly. My response was “well you ain’t doing nothing right either, since you are clearly up to no good!”
My partner and watched him as he was went from house to house with his tools and Hefty garbage bag. We calked 911, and the SFPD nabbed him at Putman & Crescent as he was tossing all his stuff while being chased. Once we called SFPD, they knew his description immediately and the officers had him handcuffed within 10 minutes.
I will be pressing charges for attempted burglary.
Neighbor Jessie Schlenker has been doing some terrific Bernal Heights watercolors lately, and one of his pieces is now on display at the stylish Bernal Heights Library. Jessie tells Bernalwood:
I am a resident of Bernal, and like many, I’m head over heels in love with it.
My artistic relationship with San Francisco began the first time I visited the city on a family vacation. I grew up in suburbia, with its infinite varieties of the color beige, where navy blue and avocado were splashes of color. San Francisco was nourishment to this color-starved child. The variety and richness of the colors, languages, smells and the dense, visual texture of the city delighted my young mind.
The city during the hour of twilight is the focus of my work. As John Steinbeck so wonderfully puts it, “It’s the hour of the pearl. The interval between day and night when time stops and examines itself.”
The “hour of the pearl” is pure magic. The city and all her inhabitants start to relax into the evening. The sky is illuminated with fires of deep blue and turquoise while the city windows, cars, buses, bridges and streetlights glow with their own warmth. I become enchanted and feel compelled to capture that elusive light with the medium of watercolors.
My latest work is on display at the Bernal Library. it’s a painting of the corner at 18th and mission. Sorry, no photo of it yet.
It’s on display at the library because i’m part of the Russeller Watercolor Society that meets in their community room every other Friday from 1-5pm. I’m one of the organizers of the group. We have several wonderful watercolorists from the hill join us. Laurie Wigham paints with us, as you might remember.
IMAGES: Jessie Schlenker
Ailed Paningbatan from the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center invites all Bernalese to BHNC’s annual Community Congress, happening tomorrow, Saturday, May 17 from 9am to 1pm:
Hello Bernal and Excelsior Community! Just a reminder!
I hope this email finds you well! Im sure you all have been waiting patiently for this event. It’s finally here – time for BHNC’s Annual Community Congress! We hope to see you all tomorrow from 9:00am-1:00pm here at Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center.
BHNC’s Community Congress has been put together in our neighborhood since the 80’s. It is a space for us to discuss, strategize and create platforms for proactive progress and change in our neighborhoods! We’re very excited that this year’s Congress is focused on building relationships with everyone in the community, how we all can support each other, youth, seniors and their families going through different issues – especially in the face of a changing city.
Community Congress is BHNC’s premier event geared towards sharing the progressive work that is going on, and getting community input to guide all of our work in the coming years. There will be break out sessions that will be facilitated by our own community leaders, senior staff, neighbors to help guide some of the work that we will continue to do in the neighborhood together. A few workshops are the important and on going discussion about what community policing truly means in our neighborhood, how we can build a better relationship with our seniors in the community, and housing anti-displacement. All of these can have a serious effect in our neighborhood, in our families, in our future. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
I am calling all community members to spend this time with the neighborhood! It is critical that all neighbors are present and that every community is represented. This is our chance to come together and make sure no voice goes unheard especially at this time in the face of a changing city. Community Congress is a vehicle that brings the true spirit of collaboration and community to our neighborhood, and now more than ever we need everyone to get behind the wheel! I am looking forward to seeing you all there!!
Since its existence was first revealed here almost one year ago, there hasn’t been much news about the new market and eatery at 800 Cortland that’s going in to the old Bernal Heights Produce store at the corner of Ellsworth.
As you recall, the new place will be operated by the folks from Harvest Hills Market on Folsom at Precita. And since your Bernalwood editor shops at Harvest Hills regularly, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to inquire about the progress of 800 Cortland.
Frankly, we haven’t learned much. We understand that there’s been some construction, and much time has been spent dealing with various City permitting agencies. Some new equipment has been installed, including an ice cream machine. Still, no word yet on a target opening date, other than soon, hopefully.
Oh, and based on the lettering that appeared recently on the side of the old truck Harvest Hills uses to haul stuff around, the new place may now have a name: The Harvest Cafe and Creamery. Coming soon. Hopefully.
PHOTOS: Top, 800 Cortland in May 2013. All photos by Telstar Logistics
Bernalwood 