What’s Going On Inside That Big White Tent on Cesar Chavez?

/ Todd_Lappin / 24 Comments

Someday, Cesar Chavez Boulevard will be a glamorous, tree-lined thoroughfare equipped with clever design touches that allow cars, bikes, and pedestrians to share the street safely and efficiently. But today is not that day. Today, Cesar Chavez is a gnarled maze of traffic pylons, heavy equipment, and congested traffic. Yet amid all the construction chaos, one new feature is rather conspicuous: a large white tent that was recently erected at the intersection with Florida Street.

For residents of Bernalwood’s north side, the purpose of the tent has become the object of much conjecture and speculation. Some say the the tent will serve as the venue for a Teatro ZinZanni-style pop-up dinner theater, with the menu selected and prepared by chefs from the Hillside Supper Club. Others cite rumors which say the tent will play host to the bar mitzvah reception of young Herbert Schwartzmann of Peralta Avenue, who requested a “Bob the Builder” theme.

Fellow citizens, your Bernalwood investigative team is here today to tell you that those theories are incorrect. The truth of the matter is that the tent shelters the access point for a high-tech effort to stabilize the subterranean 19th century sewer pipe, which was recently supplanted by the brand-new pipe installed on the north side of the street.

The stabilization effort uses a technology called Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP) that involves stuffing giant, resin-impregnated felt tubes into the old old sewer pipe. You can see a pile of the felt tubes stacked up here:

The felt tubes are become solid when they are cured with hot water, which stabilizes the old sewer pipe — eliminating the need to dig up the street to remove it.

Here’s an explanation of the process from the website of Sak Construction, which is performing the work on Cesar Chavez

During the wet-out process, the felt tube, coated on the outside with a continuous impermeable layer of polyurethane, is resin-impregnated, fully saturating the felt so that no voids or pockets of air remain in the tube. The wet-out liner is inverted into the existing pipe using a hydrostatic head or pressurized air. As a result, the resin-saturated side of the liner interfaces with the wall of the existing pipe. The reverse side of the liner—which is coated with polyurethane—thus becomes a smooth interior surface to effectively carry the rehabilitated pipeline’s flow.

Once the liner is in place throughout the entire length of the pipeline that is being repaired, we inject hot water or steam to cure the liner resin. When properly cured, this provides a continuous, jointless “pipe-within-a-pipe” and restores structural integrity to the damaged pipe.

This video shows how all the pieces come together:

PHOTOS: Courtesy of @SomaFMRusty

Stealth Aircraft Captured Flying Over Bernal Heights

/ Todd_Lappin / 5 Comments

A planespotter affiliated with the Bernalwood Air Force captured something rather unusual this morning:

Just got back from breakfast with a friend, and we were checking out the city view from my back set of stairs.  To the east we saw a set of contrails heading west, and I speculated they were tourists heading to the bliss of Hawaii.  Just as they reached due south of us, they began to make a turn to the northwest with the second aircraft weaving along the patch of the first one,  Grabbed my Nikon and took a few shots and you can see what did a fly-by of SF.

Let’s zoom and enhance:

And even more:

Wow!  Look at that! There’s only one plane shaped like that: It’s a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, conducting an overflight above Bernalwood. For comparison’s sake, here’s a photo of a B-2 taken during a 2010 airshow:

B-2 from below

All that expensive stealth technology should come in very handy to evade La Lengua’s infamous “Ring of Salsa” defensive grid.

PHOTOS: Above, Bernalwood Air Force Planespotter. B-2 closeup up by Andrew Abernathy

Seating Options Multiply on Bernal Hill

/ Jobius (Joe Thomas) / 7 Comments

Bernal Chair 2

The east side of Bernal Hill is in full bloom, with abundant native wildflowers, grasses, and invasive radish. This year, there’s also a new addition: at least two wooden chairs have recently sprouted up.

Bernal Chair 1

The two specimens have decidedly different morphologies, but I’m not expert enough to determine if this is due to genetic differences or simply variation due to differing microclimates. (The one in the top picture enjoys some shelter from the wind.) If anyone in Bernal Heights has a background in geo-ergonomics, please feel free to weigh in.

PHOTOS: Jobius

Stop! Runaway Car Collides with Wild Side West

/ Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

It’s been a bad week for vehicular control here in Bernalwood. Last Saturday we had a car flip over on Precita, while on Wednesday a runaway car bonked into the sidewalk bench at Wild Side West on Cortland. Neighbor Teri tells it:

My friend took the shot. All I heard was that a runaway ghost car parked in front of BofA just slowly rolled across the street and hit that bench. Through the crosswalk!! It was Wednesday around 5:30.

Looks like damage was light and no creatures were injured, but… WHEW!

PHOTO: Neighbor Teri’s anonymous friend

Possibly Bernal’s Best Passive-Aggressive Parking Note, Ever

/ Todd_Lappin / 7 Comments

During a recent visit to the secret workshop of the Bernal Dads Racing Team, I spotted this note tacked to the wall. It had been left under the windshield wiper of one of the Dads’s cars, perhaps in jest — or at least half-jest.

Regardless, it made me laugh out loud, and it is definitely a candidate for nomination as the Best Passive-Aggressive Bernal Heights Parking Note, Ever.

The note says:

Please do not park your dilapidated crapwagon in front of my house. It scares my children and makes the house look better than it actually is.

That, ladies and gentlemen, is perfection — or at least near-perfection.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

Bernal Heights Looks Magical from International Space Station

/ Todd_Lappin / 2 Comments

Fellow Bernalnauts, here is  VERY unusual view of our glamorous neighborhood. This photo was taken two days ago by European astronaut André Kuipers, who is currently living aboard the International Space Station, roughly 224 miles above the summit of Bernal Hill.

The photo was discovered yesterday by an analyst from the Bernal Aeronautics and Space Agency. The full image is stunning, but unfortunately the resolution is… not so much. So when we zoom, crop, and enhance to take a closer look at ourselves, the quality is lacking. Here’s what we see:

PHOTO: André Kuipers via European Space Agency

Sad Foodie Laments Closure of Los Pastores Restaurant

/ Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

Horror! Neighbor Otto (and friend) are moving through the Kübler-Ross stages of grief and loss, because Los Pastores, the 4.5 star Mexican restaurant on Mission near Cortland, is gone.

Otto mourns:

Los Pastores, the best Mexican restaurant in the ‘hood has closed. It is now becoming the Cave Grill.

Not much known about the Cave Grill yet, but Grubstreet anticipated Otto’s response. They tell us what there is to be told:

A beloved, tiny neighborhood Mexican restaurant, Pastores (3486 Mission Street) in Bernal Heights, has closed, and many a neighbor will be sad to find they can’t get their chilaquiles or chile relleno anymore. Owner Irma Caderon built a loyal following over the past six years for her homey food and reportedly excellent soups and huevos rancheros. She received some early assistance from La Cocina back in 2007, but it appears she may want out of the business — though Grub Street has not yet confirmed if she’s moved on elsewhere. The new owner of the space is Ana Flores, and the new business moving will be called The Cave Grill.

PHOTOS: Neighbor Otto

Your SFPD Bernal Heights Crime Summary for April 2012

/ Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

Valiant Neighbors Sarah and Edie, who cover the Bernalwood Crime Beat so assiduously for us, attended the SFPD’s Ingleside Station Chief’s Meeting last week (so you didn’t have to). Here’s Sarah’s summary of the latest Bernal Heights crime news.

Edie Williams and I attended the Ingleside Community Meeting on 4/17, as did several other Bernal neighbors.  Edie typed up great notes, which I am pasting below.

[Ingleside Community Meetings are held on 3rd Tuesday of the month from 7 to 8 pm in the Community Room of the Ingleside station, 1 Sgt. John V. Young Lane at San Jose Avenue.  All are welcome to attend and ask questions. This is a great opportunity to discuss crime and other issues affecting the district.]

Captain’s report 4. 17, 2012
by Captain Daniel J. Mahoney
daniel.j.mahoney@sfgov.org

CRIME STATISTICS

Note that month = the last 28 days. YTD = 1.1.2011 – 4.17.2011 as compared to 1.1.2012 to 4.17.2012

Aggravated Assault:
19 incidents, down 39% from last month, up 24% YTD. 14 arrests made.  Primarily domestic violence, plus two shootings in the Sunnydale (more on this below).

Robbery:
24 incidents, up 14%, but down 33% YTD. 5 arrests made. Most robberies continue to be cell-phone-related, with an uptick in those occurring on MUNI buses. Captain has asked every officer to ride MUNI twice a day, especially the 8X, 9, and 14 buses.  MUNI has great video surveillance; many arrests stem from video captured on MUNI.

Sexual Assault:
3 incidents this month, but two occurred years ago (three years and 26 years, respectively) and were only just reported. One arrest made.

Burglaries:
48 incidents, up 41%, up 31% YTD. 2 arrests made. Up around Randall and above, most are bike thefts from garages. Thieves are still burgling homes with Asian symbols outside. Thieves have explained they target these houses because they believe members of the Asian community don’t trust in banks and keep lots of money in their houses.

Auto theft:
56 incidents, down 32% this month, up 25% YTD. 4 arrests made.  CHP arrested a man living in Bernal, and suddenly the number of auto thefts around Precita and Cortland has decreased, but now there’s someone new in the Excelsior region. Bernal area went from highest to lowest.  Excelsior area around “European” streets (Vienna, Naples, Madrid, etc) is now highest area.  Tomorrow chief will start targeting parolees that are in the area but haven’t checked in with their parole officer to see if they’re committing either auto theft or burglaries.  Most stolen car is still Honda – 90% are Hondas from late 1990s.

Auto burglaries:
Pretty stagnant number, so when it goes down, it usually means people just aren’t reporting the crimes.

Quintuple homicide in Ingleside at 16 Howth St.
Perp was in custody within 36 hours. Police believe he targeted that home – not a random crime. Captain set up a town hall meeting at CCSF; no new information was reported, but meeting served to allay concerns and get information directly from the police in charge. Five days afterwards there was a  homicide in the Taraval, a few blocks away from this one.  The victim there was also targeted, police believe.

SIGNIFICANT ARRESTS

Burglary on 200 block of Delta, an Asian house. Perps were two men from Bayview who broke a metal gate but didn’t make it inside. An alert neighbor was watching and immediately called it in. Police caught one on the stairs, the other around the corner. Police got their tools and an admission of guilt.

Just afterwards, chief and a plainclothes officer were walking down the street, and two officers were chasing a man with a gun towards them. Perp tossed a 9mm gun onto a roof and they caught him. This activity was because the head Towerside gang member was killed, body found on the street under the Bay Bridge approach.  In response, the Sunnydale gang taunted Towerside at a vigil and began carrying more guns. Sunnydale and Towerside gangs fought – they don’t like each other anyway. At the funeral, Towerside wanted to parade the casket through their area, so they rented a motorcycle with a glass carriage trailing it, and they paraded it all around the area. They wanted to go into Sunnyside, but police wouldn’t let them.  The police met with community liaisons to convey their disgust with the theatrical display glorifying this gang member.

ADDITIONAL UPDATES

Bike registration campaign:
Bike thefts are serious, but many, many owners don’t even know their serial number to report the theft and reclaim their bike, even for a $2000 bike. Police will set up an online site to register bikes, and put in owner name and serial number. Once the bike owner registers, he/she gets an Ingleside sticker. If someone notices the bike with the sticker, they can stop the rider, check their name, and check the database to confirm ownership and return the bike. Can also stick GPS on the bike to track it.

Traffic enforcement:
If there are hot spots that you think the police should pay close attention to, you can tell them directly at the Ingleside Police Station website / Contact Us.     http://www.inglesidepolicestation.com

Pedestrian v. vehicle:
Big operation in the Sunnydale tomorrow – checking licensing and vehicular safety.

Ops are two parts: 1) pedestrian safety (incidents result in many pedestrians being hurt). 2) look for pedestrians coming out into the middle of the street without looking.  The captain wants to improve safety by looking for all violators – not just one type.

Bike v. vehicle:
Will also do an operation to stop drivers in bike lanes, etc. Then will do the same to stop cyclists from running red lights and stop signs. Bicyclists running stop lights or signs are subject to same tickets that autos get for doing that.

Mission and Russia:
Traffic problem, people cross to the Burger King there, which is legal, even in this case where there’s no marked crosswalk. At 5pm teens gather at bus stop and get into fights, and the Captain has put more officers on it.

Safe Haven:
A program where merchants put up a sign in their window. If a person walking down the street and feels intimidated, they can go into a business with a sign and ask for help.

URGENT REMINDER

Police department will lose around 400 officers by 2014 through retirement. Without budget increase, there will be no new Police Academy classes to train new officers. This means that police will be taken off all the proactive programs that prevent crime before it happens, such as beat patrols, in order to react to the crime that takes place. Oakland, Vallejo, and Sacramento have all had to gut their police forces and now lack key departments like narcotics and gang task forces.  Basically, all they can do is respond the most urgent emergency calls.

We don’t want that. Support Chief staffing plan for 5 classes next year by calling or sending an email to Supervisor Campos:(415) 554-5144,David.Campos@sfgov.org.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

A Stoneman Connection Links Bernal Heights to Levon Helm

/ Todd_Lappin / 7 Comments

The death of Levon Helm, the former lead singer for The Band, late last week prompted a lot of media remembrances, yet the most interesting one I read was an oral history of the The Band’s signature song, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” Levon Helm sang the lead vocals in the song, of course, but here’s a version of it from “The Last Waltz” in case you need a refresher:

Anyhow, back to that excellent oral history of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.” This passage jumped out at me:

[“The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”] was the track that came to be seen as most typical of The Band album. Levon sings the song in the persona of Virgil Caine, a Confederate ex-soldier who served on the Danville supply train until General Stoneman’s Union cavalry troops tore up the tracks. The Richmond and Danville Rail Road was the main supply route into Petersburg where Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia were holding their defensive line to protect Richmond.

Stoneman was a pretty obscure character. You have to get into detailed histories of the Civil War to find him mentioned.

David Powell

General George Stoneman, c. 1860

In the closing days of the war, Major General George Stoneman, as the commander of the East Tennessee district, oversaw a raid by a division of Union troops across the rugged Blue Ridge Mountians into northwest North Carolina and southwest Virginia. Their orders were not to fight battles but to punish and demoralize the Southern civilians. Stoneman, having previously served under General Sherman in the Georgia campaign, had learned Sherman’s methods of “total war”– the concept of targeting civilian as well as military objectives in order to destroy the enemy’s will to resist. Stoneman’s cavalry troops were still exacting revenge on the Southern civilians at the time that General Robert E. Lee was surrendering at Appomattox. Stoneman’s forces plundered & destroyed tons of supplies, including foodstocks & grain, along with miles of railroad supply tracks. Even after the shooting war ended, they assisted in chasing down and capturing Confederate President Jefferson Davis. After the war, Stoneman remained in the regular army until he retired in 1871 at the rank of Colonel. He moved to California and lived on a large estate called “Los Robles” near Los Angeles. As a Democrat, he held several public offices and was Governor of the state from 1883 to 1887. Stoneman died on September 5, 1894 in Buffalo, New York. Even though Stoneman, on the surface, may appear to be just a footnote in the history of the Civil War, in that part of the U.S. where the borders of Tennessee, North Carolina & Virginia meet, his name lives in infamy. The exploits of his plundering cavalry troops in the last days of a defeated Confederacy are still a part of local legend. In this respect, I feel that Robbie Robertson succeeded in capturing this sentiment accurately in the song. 

I hadn’t realized that part of the song referred to an actual historical figure, and I immediately wondered if there was any connection between the Stoneman that Levon Helm sang about and the street by the same name in Bernal Heights.

Thanks to our excellent friends at the Bernal History Project (and their webpage devoted to the history of Bernal Heights street names), the answer soon became clear. Bernal’s Stoneman Street is indeed named after the same person:

Stoneman Street
A West Pointer who came to San Francisco in 1846 as a lieutenant in the Mormon Battalion, George Stoneman (1822-1894) was a career military commander with an uneven record in numerous Civil War campaigns. A major general, he freed the prisoners at Andersonville and led cavalry raids into the Confederacy. After leaving the Army, he settled in the San Gabriel Valley and was elected California governor, 1883-87. Camp Stoneman, a 2,500-acre Army base opened in 1942 near Pittsburg in Contra Costa County, was the jumping off place for more than a million troops headed for the Pacific Theater in World War II. It was later the separation center for soldiers returning from the Korean Conflict. The base was shut down in 1954. The cavalryman’s name was remembered in a different context when The Band, in a 1970 song by Robbie Robertson, included this couplet: Virgil Caine is the name, and I served on the Danville train/Till Stoneman’s cavalry came and tore up the tracks again.

In addition, let us not forget that Gen. Stoneman also leant his name to the chairlift that carries skiers and snowboarders up Bernal Hill’s steep north face. There’s no evidence in the historical record that Stoneman himself ever actually skied here, but even if he did, I very much doubt that The Band would have written a song about it.

PHOTOS: Top, mr.nunez.sfo, via Flickr. Gen. George Stoneman, via Wikipedia