January 2012Letters to the EditorParking Editor, I’m a Third Street resident and business owner, potentially affected by the parking changes described in “Parking Meters May be Coming to Potrero Hill” (November issue). I was in no way notified of the proposed policy, nor can I find any public postings for a neighborhood meeting on the topic. I’ve scoured the various online governmental websites and find nothing concerning this issue. The only reason I saw the article was because an electronic version of it was emailed to me from a friend of a friend of a friend. A little more public notice might be due an issue that could have profound impacts on the community.
Third Street
I just read “Parking Meters May be Coming to Potrero Hill,” by Keith Burbank. As a San Francisco resident, homeowner and taxpayer who uses the 22nd Street Caltrain Station daily, I want to voice my opposition to putting parking meters in Dogpatch. It will discourage shoppers and take away from the character that makes the neighborhood such a great place. Many people park in Dogpatch to go for bike rides, runs and walks because it’s flat and one of the few places left where you don’t have to worry about getting back to your car by a certain time. Folks who commute using the 22nd Street Caltrain Station need a place to park without worry that they’ll receive a ticket. The fact that parking is free encourages the use of mass transit. I think what you’ll find is that the metered spaces around the Caltrain Station will simply lay vacant while folks park further south for free. Commuters are on the Peninsula for eight to 12 hours at a stretch; they’d have to pay $1/hour on top of the Caltrain fare. For many, this would double commute costs. Some commuters will just give up on Caltrain and drive to work, defeating the higher goal of using mass transit. What a waste. Give the locals a break and keep meters in the areas frequented by out of towners and the more congested parts of San Francisco.
Flood Avenue
Serpentine Editor, Just as I was remarking over the past few months that the View had expanded and drastically improved its journalistic content, I was shocked and dismayed by the December front page article, “Spiritual Serpentine,” by Peter Linenthal. Had it been the April fool’s issue, I might have understood your publishing it, but to give front page coverage to such new age crystal cult nonsense goes beyond the inexcusable. What next? May I suggest a column on the impact of serpentine on your horoscope, or a firsthand account of how it helps women achieve orgasm (check the new age literature). If Linenthal meant it in jest, it certainly was not obvious to me. I don’t pick up the View to read such metaphysical garbage rehashed from new age crystal therapy. Such utter nonsense merits one place: at the bottom of my cat’s litter box. With University of California, San Francisco building a bio-technology campus at the bottom of the hill, why not cover some of the real scientific research that’s taking place, or interview some of the top science experts who live on the Hill?
Missouri Street
In the View’s December’s issue Peter Linenthal waxes poetic about the Hill’s predominant rock’s properties. What he failed to mention is that Serpentine also naturally contains asbestos. When I built a house in 1996 and had to excavate, I was required to send the resulting debris to the hazardous waste dump. While the rock may have all the positive properties Linenthal discussed, they’re not the only ones.
23rd Street
Praise Editor, The View’s writing and layout has greatly improved. The November story on the homeless at Showplace Square (“Homeless Population Growing near Showplace Square”) was very good.
24th Street
Editor, I read the November Shortcuts section, “Exercised Dog,” about the Chihuahua that was being forced to run next to a Buick. This is really appalling. I applaud the women who confronted the abuser. The dog certainly needs to be taken from this guy. If individuals aren’t able to get the dog away from this man, I urge all the witnesses to call Animal Care and Control Emergency/Abuse line and give the Buick’s license number to the dispatcher. I too had to get a little dog away from an abuser many years ago. Fortunately, I was successful, with friends, in doing so, and it was ever so gratifying to take care of the little dog and find an excellent loving home. I hope there’s success in getting this Chihuahua taken from this animal abuser. Please continue to follow this story.
Haight Street
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This Month's StoriesSFMTA Temporarily Parks Meter Plan District 10 Supervisor Sees Herself as a “Connector” City Searches for Next Drop of Water Residents Mobilize to Defeat Proposed Parking Plan Herrera to Run for Reelection to City Attorney’s Office Hill Resident Designs Unique Garden Spaces Residents Question Whether Former Klein’s Space Suitable for a Pre-School Oscaryne Williams Infant and Toddler Center Provides Safe Place for Wee Ones to Thrive City College Copes with State Budget Crunch Mendell Plaza: Bayview’s Ailing Heart Third St. Business Corridor a Work-in-Progress Bayview Club Continues to Serve Southside Limon Rotisserie Adds Peruvian Flavors to Third St. Many After-School Programs Available on Potrero Hill Honey Available for Tasting at Thick House On-going Features
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