Tonight: Opening Reception for Bernal Artist’s Home Paintings

May 1, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 1 Comment

Neighbor Lauren is a renter who lives (for now — gulp!) in the “iPad House,” the secret home on Perhalta near US101 that has been hidden behind a giant billboard since the dawn of freeway history:

She is also a photographer, and a painter, and a dog-owner, and in a glamorous new show that’s opening downtown tonight, she brings all these threads together:

I’m Lauren Elizabeth, an artist hailing from Alemanistan. I live in the secret iPad house, which is sadly up for sale (my partner and I rent, so the prognosis is not good). Naturally this has me very sad, because now that Bernal is the hottest place in the world, I fear we will have a hard time staying in the neighborhood, let alone San Francisco (we have four dogs – enough said).

Sob story aside, this has motivated me to take lots of photos of bernal houses on my walks, so I can remember the greatest place I’ve ever lived if the time comes to leave. These photos later translated into paintings, which will be on display at Hotel Rex (562 Sutter). The opening reception is Thursday, May 1 from 630 – 8pm. Also, 15% of the proceeds will benefit NorCal Family Dog Rescue.

Here’s my Artist Statement:

Home

A house is a painting. an extension of one’s self. It represents memories of the past, dreams of the future, and place in the present. It is what we make it.

A home is where the painting hangs. The space in our soul that gives it meaning and purpose. The vessel that holds our most beloved memories. We are the creators.

And at the creator’s feet, canine. reflection. The one animal humans have learned to simply walk with. They expand our world to create something greater than ourselves. They know no boundaries, and they claim without shame. Here I am! And there I was! With a dog, the world is our home.

Much love to Family Dog Rescue, and their mantra “a dog makes a house a home.” These paintings were created with my two family dogs at my side, and the inspiration came from our many walks together.

Let us each explore and create our most colorful worlds. preferably with a dog at our feet.

PHOTOS: Lauren Elizabeth, except for Secret iPad House, by Telstar Logistics

British Tourist Gives Bernal Heights Very Favorable Review

April 30, 2014April 30, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

British tourist and Honorary Neighbor Tony Quarrington is back in the UK after concluding his two-week vacation in Bernal Heights. If the Dominion of Bernalwood had a listing on TripAdvisor we’d likely be pulling five-stars right now, because Tony reports he felt the full Bernal magic during his stay.

In a post entitled “Ten Reasons for Loving Bernal Heights,” Tony summarizes some of the things he enjoyed most about going native among us:

A little more than a week ago, we had to leave our temporary residence in Bernal Heights for “home” in the UK.

But I do not want to put that experience to one side just yet (and we will be returning next year), without paying one final tribute to the neighborhood.

So here, in this fifth and final article in the series, are this visiting Englishman’s ten reasons for loving Bernal Heights.

Read the article to go deeper into the ten things Tony loved best about Bernal — it’s a thoughtful and thorough assessment. We look forward to his glamorous return in 2015.

Best of all, we’ve managed to garner this generous praise even before breaking ground on the construction of the fabulous Bernalbleu Hotel and Resort, which is scheduled to open sometime during the spring of 2375. Our beaches will be vastly improved by then, and we hope Tony’s heirs will be no less impressed.

PHOTO: Tony Quarrington

Neighbor Jackie Jones Grateful for Support, Hopeful for Return to Farmer’s Market

April 30, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

The fundraising campaign to assist Jackie Jones, our Bernal Heights neighbor and Alemany Farmer’s Market musical celebrity, was a massive success, raising $10,820 — twice the target amount — to help defray the cost of Jackie’s medical expenses and rehabilitation.

Neighbor Hannah Levinson, who spearheaded the fundraising drive, shares this update on Neighbor Jackie’s progress:

I went to Jackie’s house in Bernal this weekend; my second visit since the campaign ended.

I was hoping, of course, that she would be feeling better, recovering steadily. But I tend to forget that people in their 80’s don’t heal as quickly as people in their 20’s, and unexpected complications can arise from surgery. Jackie desperately wants to return to the market, but it seems like it may take some time for her to accept that she can’t return to the market alone, and that she will need someone to drive her and help her set up her instruments. She does plan to use some of the money from the campaign to hire someone to drive her to and from the market when she does go back. She mentioned that if anyone knows someone interested in driving her, she’d love to know!

I’d like to say that Jackie will be back at the market in one or two months, but the truth is that I really don’t know how long it will be. But I do know that she’s attending physical therapy multiple times per week, and she is doing everything in her power to gain her balance by practicing at home, with the help of home care (which she can now pay for in the long term, thanks to everyone’s generous support).

I also know that this campaign – and the support from her neighbors in Bernal, especially – meant the world to her. Some of her neighbors have offered to help — I’m visiting her next weekend and I will find out if she’d like any additional help or company.

Stay tuned for additional details. Meanwhile, along with all the Citizens of Bernalwood, we continue to keep Neighbor Jackie in our thoughts, with best wishes for a successful recovery. Likewise, we extend heavy-duty gratitude to all the donors who contributed to the fund drive, and to Neighbor Hannah for leading the charge on the fundraising campaign and outreach to Jackie. Her efforts represent Bernal at its very best.

PHOTO: Jackie Jones in 2006, by Telstar Logistics

Let Us Now Celebrate 15 Years of Blue Plate (You’re Invited!)

April 29, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 7 Comments

We, the Citizens of Bernalwood, are fortunate to live in a land of tasty food plentitude. Yet amid our regular updates on all the deliciousness at our doorsteps, let’s take a moment to celebrate one of Bernal’s most esteemed and old skool eateries, Blue Plate on Mission at Valencia.

Blue Plate was delicious and cozy and local before delicious and cozy and local were cool. The restaurant is marking its 15th anniversary this year, with a series of dinner events scheduled for this week. (More on that in a moment.)

In an interview with Zagat (!!!) Blue Plate co-owner Jeff Trenam provides a capsule history of the restaurant’s run:

Zagat: Blue Plate has defied all logic about the restaurant industry to be open for 15 years – what’s the secret?

Jeff Trenam: I suppose it is a bit illogical to stay in the restaurant biz for 15 years, but when you enjoy your work and the people you work with, the time flies. [Co-owner Cory Obenour] and I have a relationship that is a little yin-yang, or maybe we are both just real yang. Whatever you want to call it, we help each other keep things in perspective. Essentially, we are having a dinner party every night which is supposed to be fun and nourishing, right? Throwing pans and screaming at people doesn’t sound very fun or nourishing or interesting. We try to give everyone a sense of ownership, employees and guests alike, and then have fun with them. Whether it’s the group visiting from Norway that we may never see again, our regulars, our farmers, delivery guys, wine reps or anyone of the great people that work with us, I suppose the secret is we really like the people.

Have there been any hard times or slumps when you wanted to just give up and close?

We have had our share of knocks but for the most part we have been very fortunate. We have a loyal group of supporters that have made tough times much easier to bear. We have weathered all of the tech bubble bursts without even noticing much of a difference. Of course, we are a neighborhood joint and not so trendy, so that helps. We haven’t been showered with riches from the bubble times and we haven’t been wrung out when they burst. Steady Eddy: that is more like us. For sure there have been times when I have wondered if the city really wants full service, independent dinner houses like us to flourish. We seem to bear the brunt of new taxes, labor laws and political crusades while large companies get tax breaks and incentives to move here. But it actually doesn’t matter. We are here and everyone needs a comfortable place to eat with friends.

Mission accomplished! Blue Plate remains a true neighborhood treasure.

Jeff Trenam reached out to us to invite all Citizens of Bernalwood to join Blue Plate’s 15th Birthday celebration this week. He says there will be feature flights from winemakers, along with special food pairings, and the complete details are below:

Celebrate 15 Years at Blue Plate

Bernal Heights Pioneer Blue Plate Celebrates Their 15th Birthday with a Series of Wine Dinners in May

WHO: Blue Plate, the seminal Bernal Heights neighborhood gem co-owned by Cory Obenour and Jeff Trenam.

Blue Plate offers a seasonal menu of New American cuisine and evolved comfort food by Chef de Cuisine, Sean Thomas. Intimate dining rooms inside a cozy San Francisco Victorian, a robust and eclectic wine list, and a secret garden to drink and snack, have made it a favorite of the Bernal Heights neighborhood.

WHAT: Come celebrate Blue Plate’s 15th anniversary by clinking crystal with celebrated wine makers from Palmina Wines, Sean Thackery Wines, and Skylark. Each night Blue Plate will exclusively feature one wine maker who will be on site to mingle and talk with guests. Chef de Cuisine, Sean Thomas will create special menus featuring new dishes and will bring back landmark hits from the past to showcase the wines.

Wine flights will cost $15 each night and will include five glasses of wine. Menu items will be listed a la carte.

Reservations available at www.blueplatesf.com or call 415-282 6777

WHEN: Thursday, May 1, 2014, 5:30 PM -10 PM Steve and Chrystal Clifton of Palamina Wines

Friday, May 2, 2014, 5:30 PM – 10: 30 PM Sean Thackery of Sean Thackery Wines

Saturday, May 3, 2014, 5:30 PM – 10:30 PM John Lancaster of Skylark

WHERE: 3218 Mission Street (at Valencia)  San Francisco, CA 94110

Congrats to Jeff and Cory, thanks for all the yum, and BIG CONGRATULATIONS on 15 delicious years.

PHOTO: Blue Plate’s iconic neon sign by Erik Wilson

Former Neighbor, Now Living in NYC, Remembers Us Fondly

April 29, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 13 Comments

Until late last year, Hilary Pollack lived in Bernal’s La Lengua Autonomous Zone. Then she moved to New York.

Now, as an esteemed member of the Bernal Heights Alumni Network, San Francisco remains on her mind, and she recently shared some memories on her blog:

I moved to New York on September 1st, 2013. I often get asked, by people both here and in California, whether or not I like it. And I feel like I should be completely sure how to answer them, but I’m not.

My coworkers, my parents, or my friends back in California (many of whom I still text or Gchat with on a near-daily basis, one of the few plus-sides of contemporary tech-communication norms) usually pose this question as well-meaning small talk, but I’ve yet to come up with a confident answer. I feel 100-percent sure that I needed to move here at some point my life, and 110-percent sure that I chose the perfect time to do it. But whether I think that New York is patently better to live in than San Francisco or any other decent metropolis? Well, I’m just not sure about that, no matter how many people tell me that the colloquial Big Apple is the best city in the world. There’s so much to it, I know, but it lacks trees (especially of the palm variety), decently priced avocados, and underdog charm (something that’s rapidly and violently being sucked out of my beloved San Francisco).

The house that I left behind was at the base of Bernal Hill. I would take 6-minute hikes from my front door to its peak, where I could ogle all of the Australian Shepherds in the city as they chased each other in circles around its slopes. Once, some local do-gooder mischief-makers dragged a stand-up piano up to the top of it, and people would play concertos and shit while others would sit in circles around them like hungry first-graders. Another time, someone made an expansive crop circle at its base out of red rocks. It was magical.

That’s just a taste; to finish the thought, read the whole thing.

PHOTO: via Hilary Pollack

Dog Poop Along St. Anthony’s Sidewalks Creates Unholy Mess

April 28, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 72 Comments

Our venerable neighbors at St. Anthony’s Immaculate Conceptions School near Precita Park have recently done a lot to beautify the sidewalk gardens along Precita and Folsom, with much of the work performed by students who attend the school. The gardens look great, but the St. Anthony’s community has a request for local dog owners: Please control your pets and pick up their poop!

Geno Lucero, St. Anthony’s Class of 1963, writes:

I volunteer at a school by Precita Park (St.Anthony – Immaculate Conception), where my family has attended over the past 100 years. I teach a drumline class there. I also help with other needs & concerns for the school’s staff, teachers, and families, who form a wonderful community.

The gentleman who takes care of the sidewalk gardens on Folsom St. & Precita Ave. has been frustrated that dog owners in the neighborhood are using these tended planted areas as toilets for their pets. I understand it’s human nature to allow this when walking a dog, but would like to reach out to area dog owners / walkers to address this issue.

The gardener installed “No Dog Pooping” signs (and replacements when the originals were stolen) and built individual fences around each garden to protect them. But the problem continues, and it’s become a public health concern for the children at the school and in the neighborhood. This is to say nothing of the damage done by pets when they scrape the plants with their paws after taking care of business. The dog urine alone is killing off plants.

There are numerous instances of dog owners / walkers just tossing their bags of dog poop on the sidewalks around the school & neighborhood, too. It’s not easy to monitor, but if our good neighbors can be proactive stewards, the entire neighborhood benefits.

This school just celebrated its 120th anniversary and as an alumnus of 50 years, I care deeply about not just the school, but this wonderful neighborhood which it has served. Precita Park is another dog owners’ “paradise”, and it, too, is used in a similar capacity. Families & children should be concerned when public health is at stake. I have been a dog owner and love them, but my priorities now are with the health and welfare of those affected by some of the area’s dog owners.

Message received? This admonition holds true over every square inch of Bernal Heights, and (unfortunately) it always bears repeating: Dog owners, it is your responsibility to manage your pets in a neighborly manner, and always always always clean up after your canines. No exceptions. No excuses. Just do it.

PHOTO: Top, Poop flags on Cortland, February 2013. Below, St. Anthony’s sidewalk gardens on Precita, via Geno Lucero.

Weekend Reading: Savvy Perspectives on a Changing San Francisco

April 25, 2014April 25, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 19 Comments

Let’s take a moment took to survey the City of San Francisco, which we can see so clearly from our elevated perch in Bernal Heights.

As you know, San Francisco is a place that was, in no small part, created by great economic booms. (We even named our NFL team after one.) We are now in the midst of the latest boom, fueled largely — but not entirely — by the growth of our local technology industry.

Fun Fact: Did you know that since 2007, the City of San Francisco has generated more new private sector jobs than 47 out of 50 states? Only Texas, New York, and North Dakota created more jobs than San Francisco. Wow. That’s kind of nuts.

Yet as every true student of San Francisco history knows, prosperity is an awkward thing. Prosperity brings new problems in San Francisco — most of all in the domains of housing and urban culture. Our current boom is no exception, and there has been ample grousing about the perils of gentrification, evictions, displacement, cultural homogenization, and the goddamn kids these days. Bernal Heights often appears as a backdrop in these teeth-gnashing pieces about the changes taking place in San Francisco, and some of the most cranky grumbling has even come from our very own Bernal neighbors.

So what is to be done? How did we get here? Who is to blame? What are we becoming?

Thankfully, a few thoughtful essays have been written recently that transcend the ideological hysteria and self-absorbed nostalgia that have dominated the conversation thus far. If you’re in the mood, they make for good weekend reading.

The first is a must-read piece of analysis by Kim-Mai Cutler, entitled “How Burrowing Owls Lead To Vomiting Anarchists (Or SF’s Housing Crisis Explained).” It’s a longread that masterfully combines quantitative data with historical perspective, economics, and policy analysis to clearly explain how and why San Francisco ended up being so darn expensive right now:

Everyone who lives in the Bay Area today needs to accept responsibility for making changes where they live so that everyone who wants to be here, can.

The alternative — inaction and self-absorption — very well could create the cynical elite paradise and middle-class dystopia that many fear. I’ve spent time looking into the city’s historical housing and development policies. With the protests escalating again, I am pretty tired of seeing the city’s young and disenfranchised fight each other amid an extreme housing shortage created by 30 to 40 years of NIMBYism (or “Not-In-My-Backyard-ism”) from the old wealth of the city and down from the peninsula suburbs.

Here is a very long explainer. Sorry, this isn’t a shorter post or that I didn’t break it into 20 pieces. If you’re wondering why people are protesting you, how we got to this housing crisis, why rent control exists or why tech is even shifting to San Francisco in the first place, this is meant to provide some common points of understanding.

This is a complex problem, and I’m not going to distill it into young, rich tech douchebags-versus-helpless old ladies facing eviction. There are many other places where you can read that story.

It does us all no justice.

If you read nothing else on this topic in 2014, Kim-Mai Cutler’s essay is the one to curl up with. The smartness will make your brain so much bigger you may need to buy new hats.

On the cultural side of the ledger, left-leaning San Francisco journalist (and former Bernal neighbor) Gary Kamiya just published a refreshing perspective on San Francisco’s current circumstances, and the phenomenon he calls The Change:

The Change is an unconquerable force of nature, like death. And much of the reaction to it recalls the first three stages of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s five stages of grieving: a combination of denial, anger, and bargaining. If we yell and rage loudly enough, if we find someone to blame, if we replace reason with hyperbole— [Leftist writer Rebecca] Solnit memorably compared newly arrived techies to ivory collectors in China—then somehow the city we know will come back. This reaction is not surprising. Cities are always dying—their phenomenology is harsh, irrevocable, tragic. The building or business that you saw yesterday, that was an old friend for decades, today is gone forever. Enormous changes are never easy to deal with, and it’s human nature to want to fight back, to assert control. So it’s understandable that many progressive San Franciscans, people whose values and vision I share, are kicking and screaming and spray-stenciling sidewalks as they watch their city turning into something they don’t recognize.

But cities are also always being reborn. And as I wander through our new city, I find myself open to it. I’m not convinced that it is really going to become a soulless simulacrum of Manhattan (or worse, Atherton). I’m curious to know what San Francisco in 2025 or 2050 will look and feel like. I’m interested in the young people who are pouring in. When I wander through Dolores Park on a hot Saturday afternoon and watch the throngs hanging out, talking, drinking wine, smoking weed, and listening to music, I don’t examine them suspiciously, trying to figure out which ones are the bad techies and which ones are the good baristas (except for the people playing that inane toss-the-beanbag game—they gotta go). As I walk through Nob Hill or the Mission or mid-Market and see the fancy single-family homes or the sleek high-rise apartments that are sprouting up here and there, I don’t inwardly groan (except with real estate envy). Mostly, I view them with equanimity, as if they’re seedlings growing in the forest.

For even if it were possible to keep San Francisco exactly the way it is—and it isn’t—why would anyone want to? Any such attempt would be antithetical to the very things that I value most about the city: its youth, its vigor, its ability to reinvent itself. Responding to the Change by calling for a culture war—as several leading voices of the left have done—is a recipe for personal bitterness and public divisiveness. Ultimately, it transforms tragedy, which is painful yet fruitful, into politics, which is painful and fruitless.

The intelligence and perspective Kamiya provides will have you thinking for days.

Happy reading, and have a great weekend.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

Old Bernal House Is Not Crappy, It Was Just Built That Way

April 25, 2014April 25, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 4 Comments

Neighbors Kiren and Carolyn are continuing with their big home renovation project, and along the way they are learning some enlightening facts about a few of the more unfortunate aspects of their home’s fundamentals:

The Internet tells me that no, our house was not built by someone so blitzed out on opium that he forgot to build the framing. Instead, it was built in a style that had brief fits of popularity across the US from the mid-1800s through the turn of the century. Called “plank framing”, with 12″ wide wood planks running vertically from the foundation to the roof. Battens could be nailed along the seams, though some owners find glued cloth instead.

According to one of the few writeups on the technique,

The low cost, combined with the little skill needed for their construction, made it a popular house type in communities where quick and/or inexpensive housing was in demand. Groups of these box houses are typically found in communities that were originally company-built mining towns, lumber camps, tenant or workers cottages on farms, and summer resort communities that were popular around the turn of the last century.

Despite all this, Neighbor Kiren retains impressive poise, concluding, “I feel better knowing that our bones were part of a construction trend (which admittedly was short-lived, probably for a reason), and not simply the result of sloppiness, corner cutting, amnesia, and the like.”

In other words, Neighbor Kiren and family are glad to know that whoever built their house was not necessarily hepped up on too much Goat Chaser — although it is also possible that they were.

PHOTO: Exposed plank framing at Neighbor Kiren and Carolyn’s house, via Bernal Renovation

Finished Starbucks Commercial Makes Bernal Life Look Rather Aspirational

April 25, 2014April 25, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 26 Comments

Remember when Starbucks filmed that commercial on Bernal Hill a few weeks back? Well the commercial is now live, and we can see our role in it.

The video is a montage that celebrates the simple pleasures of an enlightened urban lifestyle flush with fashionable friends, a well-curated collection of accessories, vintage 4×4 vehicles, warm beverages, ample amounts of leisure time and… lots of colorful boxes on Bernal Hill:

UPDATED: Paulie’s Pickling on KQED’s “Check Please, Bay Area” Tonight

April 24, 2014April 24, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 12 Comments

It’s showtime! Cortland’s Paulie’s Pickling, which may be Best Jewish Deli in San Francisco, will be the focus of tonight’s exciting episode of KQED’s Check Please, Bay Area.

Neighbors Paul and Liz, the soft-spoken proprietors of Paulie’s Pickling, didn’t give us the heads-up about this. No, we heard it from the street, in the Jweekly:

CHECK, PLEASE: A “Check, Please! Bay Area” episode featuring Paulie’s Pickling will debut at 7:30 p.m. April 24 on KQED-Channel 9, with many replays to come. Also, the show will air on KQED radio (88.5 FM) at 6:30 p.m. April 27.

“Check, Please!” features three Bay Area residents giving their opinions after sampling three local restaurants (each recommended by one of the participants). Paulie’s Pickling, a Jewish-style deli counter in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights, will be the first segment.

“I have no idea who nominated us,” said Paulie’s co-owner Liz Ashby, who was raised Orthodox in Newton, Mass. “But when the producers called and asked if we wanted to be on the show, I said, ‘Of course!’ Who would say no?”

Over a two-month period, the “mystery diners” came in to eat, and on two occasions, the KQED crew came by to do some filming and interview Liz and the other owner, her husband, Paul.

Neighbor Liz is right. Who would say no?

One quick P.S. about the whole “Best Jewish Deli in San Francisco” thing. There’s this. And there’s also this:

For Passover earlier this month, your Bernalwood editor had two actual Jewish grandmothers over for dinner. One Jewish grandmother was raised in Brooklyn; the other in Jersey City. With two actual Jewish grandmothers at the table, your Bernalwood editor did not want to run the risk of screwing up the traditional Passover brisket. So I asked Neighbor Liz from Paulie’s if I could order a few pounds of her rather amazing brisket instead, to serve to two actual Jewish grandmothers. Neighbor Liz said no problem, and it came with some wonderful gravy, and I heated it all up, and dayenu it was incredible. But you don’t have to believe me when I say it was dayenu incredible. Two actual Jewish grandmothers at our Passover table certified that the brisket from Paulie’s Pickling was dayenu incredible. They were very impressed.

So there you go.

Keep that in mind as you listen to whatever the mystery diners have to say on “Check Please, Bay Area” tonight. In your Bernalwood editor’s house, Paulie’s Pickling is Jewish Grandmother Tested and Jewish Grandmother Approved.

UPDATE: It’s live!

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

Your Bernal Heights Crime Report for March, 2014: Stats Show Improving Trends, Recent Unpleasantness Notwithstanding

April 23, 2014April 23, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 19 Comments

Let’s not dance around it: From a crime and tranquility perspective, the last few weeks have really really sucked. In the meantime, however, Neighbors Sarah and Edie attended the monthly SFPD Ingleside community meeting, and they shared their (typically) wonderful notes on local crime trends, which are actually rather encouraging:

Ingleside Police District Monthly Community Meeting April 15, 20141
Captain’s Report by Captain Tim Falvey timothy.falvey@sfgov.org

Ingleside Crime Trends as of March 24^th

Overall violent crime is down 14% YTD, robberies down 21%.

Overall felony crimes are down 16% since last year.

Burglaries are down 28% YTD. Police are trying to get down to pre-realignment numbers (prior to the early release of criminals due to prison overcrowding).

Auto theft numbers are flat. Police did an abatement exercise in March, arresting 6 people driving stolen cars, and they’re hoping to see a further drop off in April stats.

Auto break-ins are still high. On April 1, 5 cars were broken into in a 2-block area.

Enforcement efforts, situation updates, and things to remember

Traffic and Pedestrian Safety. Pedestrian safety is a high SF priority. One major danger is in intersections where a driver is turning left and concentrating on cars coming towards them rather than on the pedestrians in the crosswalk. As a pedestrian, pay attention while crossing streets.

In the Ingleside, the Focus on the 5 campaign, where police target the 5 worst traffic infringement intersections in the area, has resulted in a 32% increase in traffic citations. Drive safely, and if you notice a bad intersection, email http://www.sdfpdinglesidestation@sfgov.org

Current problem areas for speeding in the Ingleside are Teresita Blvd at Isola Way, Alemany near Corpus Christie School, and Cayuga near Balboa High School. The police currently have a radar trailer on Teresita Blvd; slow down if you don’t want a ticket. If you have a spot that needs the trailer, contact the Captain.

Update on Gambling storefronts.

Gambling shacks are businesses that provide computers with gaming programs, and sell internet access time for gambling only. Look for storefronts with covered windows, where not everyone is allowed in, and security cameras may be present. They tend to attract drug dealers, prostitutes, and others intent on criminal activity, and cause increases in neighborhood crime.

32 states have declared stores that host computers with internet gambling access to be illegal gambling sites. In March, the State Supreme Court also in California agreed. The city attorney sued NET STOP at 4455 Mission, which is now closed. Captain also took the ruling to the two remaining storefronts in the Ingleside. One had already closed, the other is protesting and wants to stay open.

Tips to remember and share with your neighbors.

Fraud: People have been getting calls from official agencies saying someone is under arrest and they need to pay to get out. For example: FBI calls, says your relative is here, go get a gift card, scratch off number and read it to us to pay bail. Sheriffs Dept. asking for payment via gift card or from on your account or your relative will stay in jail. Neither the FBI nor the Sheriff”s Department will ever do this, so spread the word. Also people call and say you won some money, but must pay the taxes in order to receive it. Don’t believe any of these ploys. Hang up and call the police.

Home Burglaries: 10 or 11 this month. Half were through an unlocked or open window or door. 2 were open garage doors. During warm weather we all like to open windows to enjoy the fresh air. However, remember that once a burglar makes his way over a fence, through a side yard, or up over a roof and into one back yard, then it’s easy for them to jump the fence from house to house, looking for open doors and windows and other opportunities. Also, if you’re going on vacation, please don’t announce it beforehand on social media. Thieves can locate your comments online, figure out where you live, break in and clean out your house.

Auto Burglaries: If you have an older Honda, use a Club. Don’t leave valuables in your car, or even anything that might look interesting. If you have a garage door opener, take it out of your car whenever you park it – especially outside your house.

Successful gun buyback on April 5th. The Ingleside Community Police Advisory Board co-hosted a gun buyback and the line was 1½ blocks long for an hour. Police received 188 weapons, incl. 80 handguns & 6 assault rifles. These appeared to be guns people had in their homes, so this means that burglars won’t be able to steal them and use them. If you have a gun or ammunition, just call the police and ask to turn it in, and police will come by and pick it up for you.

Q/A:

Tagging and Graffitti:

What can owner do about graffiti on her house under construction? Take pictures & file a report with the police graffiti abatement officer. Often police can identify the tag and, with information about multiple tags by the same tagger, charge the tagger with a felony rather than a misdemeanor. Then paint graffiti over, turn lights on at night, let neighbors know what’s happened and show them the pictures of the tags, so they can keep an eye out, too.

Increase in tagging around freeway fences and nearby houses. Police arrested three people tagging and checked their cell phones. They had photos of all the tags they’ve done around the city, boosting the amount of damage done, and were charged with a felony. (It’s a misdemeanor if damage done is less than $400, more than $400 is a felony.)

Shooting at the Pacific Super. Two guys were talking, one reached into his car, the other pulled out a gun, and shot. An innocent bystander was hit in the let. Police have a good description of the vehicle, and are moving forward on the case.

Man jailed for threatening people with a big chain is back on the street. He’s carrying a really long knife and threatened a female roommate at his house on Laura and Alemany. Lots of people live in that same house / police called repeatedly.

Complaints from Sunnydale residents about non-residents parking cars there. DPT and police cleared out the parking lot. A few were stolen, others had expired registrations and were towed.

Arlington & Randall, near Fairmount School: large commercial trucks belonging to California Carpet & La Copa Loca Ice Cream park there for over limited 72 hours, double park, and block views in intersections. People have been seen moving things from one vehicle to another, and spray-painting the trucks with graffiti art.

Coleridge St. at 7 pm, a neighbor was robbed at gunpoint and knocked over. Officers around the city are viewing the video to identify the perps. Ingleside has easy access from freeways, so many criminals who come here to rob are from other places.

Leadership HS students concerns about police. Two students, waiting at the J stop for the train, were recently asked by the police to what school they were from and then asked to leave J stop. Their teacher reports they are good kids, so what might be done to improve the relationship between police and Leadership High students? A: on May 7^th there will be a Youth Summit at Balboa HS, sponsored by the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center. Participating youth write youth/police dialogs and consult with local police for their point of view; they will act out the dialogues at the Summit.

Upcoming Events and Activities:

More info at: http://www.inglesidepolicestation.com/#! community-announcements

May 7^th Youth Summit at Balboa HS. Youth write youth/police dialogs in consultation with police to understand police point of view, and then act them out at the Summit.
Recruiting HS Cadets for the SF PAL Cadet Program. Program runs 4 weeks in the summer, 6 hours a day. It teaches discipline and after students successfully complete it, they can intern at local police stations. A great opportunity for any HS student interested in a career in law enforcement.
National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5^th, 2014, 5pm @ Police Academy, 350 Amber at Duncan, behind Christopher Playground. Join your neighbors, meet the officers, enjoy the barbecue, and attend presentations on pedestrian safety, SAFE, ALERT, and more.
Next Ingleside Police District Community Meeting, May 20, 7pm. Ingleside station.

PHOTO: Telstar Logistics

Inspiring Sidewalk Graffiti Asserts Bernal Heights Hegemony

April 23, 2014April 23, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 3 Comments

Though at first blush it looks like the kind of thing that might have been created by the Bernal Heights Chapter of the Young Nietzscheans, this sidewalk aphorism photographed in Bernal by varsovienne is actually a quote from Marianne Williamson’s 1992 book A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles.

Here is the complete passage:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Citizens of Bernalwood… go forth and liberate!

PHOTO: varsovienne via the Bernalwood Flickr Group

New Red Hill Station Seafood Restaurant Coming to Cortland

April 23, 2014April 22, 2014 / Todd_Lappin / 19 Comments

Alongside the planned perma-Kinfolk, EaterSF brings the news that Bernal Neighbors Taylor Pederson and Amy Reticker plan to open a new seafood restaurant at 803 Cortland, in the soon-to-be-former Blue Star Elephant space:

The new restaurant will be taking over from Thai spot Blue Star Elephant, which will shutter at the end of this month. Named for the Bernal neighborhood’s nickname of ‘Red Hill’, the new spot will be seafood-focused, with a raw bar (think oysters and clams) plus a rotating menu of seasonal, California-style cuisine. Pederson will helm the kitchen, and hopes to focus on sustainably-sourced seafood.

The new space will also serve as a fish market of sorts. Reticker, who’ll be running the front-of-house operations, says they hope to open at 4pm daily with an offering of market fish so that people can drop in, learn cooking tips from the seafood pros and take home something to prepare for dinner themselves.

In the meantime, Red Hill Station has planted flags on the Twitter, the Facebook, and the Interwebs. There’s a late February Facebook post which says:

we are excited and pleased to announce the birth of “Red Hill Station”!

we will be a small, 28 seat neighborhood place

there will be a raw bar, oysters, clams, mussels, tartares, in addition to an 8 item menu which will change daily…we plan on doing brunch saturdays and sundays.