http://potreroview.net/ The Potrero View en-us Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:19:43 -0700 http://potreroview.net/news10999.html In a surprise announcement last month, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) said that it was eliminating the middle school that was located at the Enola Maxwell campus, and will replace it for one year with a charter school, Kipp High School, which will share the site with International Studies Academy (ISA). The decision angered many parents of Daniel Webster Elementary School students, who have been pressing the district to locate a kindergarten through eighth grade school at Maxwell. A K-8 school is needed, advocates insist, to keep families in the City and provide for the population wave moving to or near the Hill.  http://potreroview.net/news11000.html In 2008, harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) — marine mammals related to whales and dolphins — returned to the San Francisco Bay after a roughly seventy year absence. “The porpoises are back,” said Bill Keener, environmental lawyer and former Marine Mammal Center executive director. “They’re alive and well. If you stand on the Golden Gate Bridge after high tide, you’d see one hundred plus in an hour. I never expected to see them back in the San Francisco Bay.”  http://potreroview.net/news11001.html Kaiser Permanente shared its plans for a new development at 16th and Mississippi streets at an open house last month, drawing a crowd of San Franciscans opposed to and in support of the project, as well as those who want it sited in Bayview. Groups representing these three perspectives came wearing t-shirts expressing their views, as residents crowded Daniel Webster Elementary School’s auditorium to view information boards and speak with Kaiser representatives.  http://potreroview.net/news11002.html Last spring Southside residents gathered for the opportunity speak to City officials — Mayor Ed Lee, District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen, District 11 Supervisor John Avalos, and District 2 Supervisor and Budget and Finance Committee chair Mark Farrell — about the municipal budget at a meeting held at the Southeast Community Facility in Bayview. On a Monday evening the Alex Pitcher Jr., Community Room overflowed with San Franciscans of all ages and ethnicities, ready to listen to or be heard by their neighbors and City officials. Shamann Walton, Young Community Developers’ executive director, moderated the meeting. http://potreroview.net/news11003.html Residents of the Potrero Hill neighborhood west of Highway 101 are unhappy with a proposal to develop a six-story apartment building on Potrero Avenue and Mariposa Street. At a presentation last month to District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen and other City officials, the Verdi Club and Mariposa-Utah Street Neighborhood Association (MUNA) insisted that the project doesn’t fit with the character of the surrounding community. “It’s a monstrosity,” said Dean Dinelli, president of the Verdi Club, an Italian-American social club established in 1916. The Club would share a wall with the new building.  http://potreroview.net/news11004.html Last month the San Francisco Board of Supervisor’s Neighborhood Services and Safety Committee asked San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) director of transportation, Ed Reiskin, to discuss the agency’s parking meter plans. Committee members presiding over the hearing included District 9 Supervisor David Campos, who represents the Mission, District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar; and District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell, who sat in for District 7 Supervisor Norman Yee, who couldn’t be present, with District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen also in attendance. Reiskin answered questions from the supervisors, provided data on parking revenues, and explained the rationale driving parking meter expansion.  http://potreroview.net/news11005.html A couple of new tenants have moved into the Potrero Center. Smashburger, a restaurant with 200 locations across the world, is moving into the former Blockbuster space. And another branch of the Vitamin Shoppe has opened next door.  http://potreroview.net/news11006.html A little over a year ago, a fire broke out at the abandoned police station on the corner of Third and 20th streets, causing $200,000 worth of damage to a building that had sat vacant for more than 15 years. Now, finally, the City is getting ready to put the property up for lease. “We have not been great shepherds of this building at all,” said John Updike, director of real estate for the City and County of San Francisco.  http://potreroview.net/news11007.html LGBT seniors can face unique obstacles. As they age they’re more likely to be single, living alone, and without children or any connection to family. Partners and adult children assist the elderly in accessing social services and navigating life challenges. Without support networks, it can be difficult for aging members of the LGBT community to secure the housing, healthcare, and living assistance they need.  http://potreroview.net/news11008.html The City’s proposition couldn’t have come at a better time for Eskender Aseged. After seven years as a “nomad” restaurateur, the owner and chef of the Ethiopian pop-up, Radio Africa, had begun scouting for a permanent location when a City Hall official offered him financial assistance if he’d locate in Bayview. The arrangement, it seemed, would be mutually beneficial. “I was looking to move to an underserved neighborhood. I didn’t want to be just another restaurant on Valencia Street,” Aseged said. As for the City, “Their idea was to get businesspeople — particularly minority businesspeople — to move into the Bayview to improve the whole neighborhood.”  http://potreroview.net/news11009.html Robert Davis has seen Bayview change over the last few years. From his house on Quesada Avenue, the gelato business owner and community activist has watched as trendy restaurants and modern condominium complexes have popped up amongst the fast food restaurants and corner stores on Third Street, followed by an influx of new residents seeking more affordable, sunnier living. But for all that change, Davis said, one thing has remained a predictable and pernicious constant: when it comes to trash Bayview is still San Francisco’s most dumped-on community. http://potreroview.net/news11010.html Bayview resident, musician and anthropologist, Dr. Jose Cuellar, spent last spring at Harvard University, researching and recording musical instruments as a Hrdy Fellow at the Peabody Museum. But Cuellar did more than just academic work, reaching out to Cambridge youth and drawing 300 people to a musical event held at the university, in an effort that wasn’t part of his contract. “He’s a bridge. A connector. A natural force in a gentle way,” said Pedro Morales, of Cuellar. Morales, a first-year Masters student in theological studies, assisted Cuellar while the Bayview resident was at Harvard. http://potreroview.net/news11011.html On Tuesday nights at Yield Wine Bar, customers are challenged to go beyond their knowledge of viticulture and enology and dig deep into politics, pop culture, current events, and other subjects, heavy and light, as part of a weekly pub-style trivia competition. Since 2011, the six-year-old wine and gourmet grub spot at 2490 Third Street has sponsored the contests, which are hosted by bar manager and quizmaster Nic Candito, a 25-year-old transplant from Sacramento. http://potreroview.net/news11012.html     At McKinley Square someone has been stealing a fence around a small quadrant of the park’s grassy area designed to allow kids to roam safe and free from the residues left behind by dogs. Although no suspects have been identified in the fence-napping, suspicions center on potentially disgruntled dog owners, who prefer to use the flat green area on the top of the park rather than risk their pet in the fields of foxtails that cluster along the open space’s slopes.  http://potreroview.net/news11014.html June is bustin’ out all over — with films — at Frameline37. The San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival presents eleven days of queer cinema from June 20 to 30 at the Castro, Roxie and Victoria Theatres, and in Berkeley at the Rialto Cinemas Elmwood.  http://potreroview.net/news11015.html   There’s no question that the French are at the top of a short list of the world’s food giants. Haute Cuisine defined French culinary superiority throughout the 20th Century. Mid-century last Nouvelle Cuisine reinvented the French style by simplifying preparations and focusing on flavors. These days Paris remains the epicenter of cafО culture, bistro fare and patisseries. And a wave of modern cuisine has made its way into the unique cave И manger — food served in wine shops — that ironically resembles innovations emerging in Northern California’s farm-to-table scene.  It’s no surprise that I returned from a visit to Paris last winter packing a few extra pounds, thanks principally to the Au Poivre at Bistro Paul Bert. But, as the San Francisco Chronicle noted more than a decade ago, the distance between the City of Lights and the Dogpatch and Potrero Hill neighborhoods is far less than a trans-continental flight. The sunny side of the City features its own little Saint-Germain-des-PrОs.  http://potreroview.net/news11016.html Two months ago, Officers Marquita Booth and Mike Chantal were assigned Potrero Hill’s newly defined Northside beat, patrolling the 18th and 20th streets commercial corridors and Dogpatch. Beat officers are assigned to a designated location defined by Bayview Captain Robert O’Sullivan. They work 10-hour shifts, patrolling in uniform on foot or bicycle.  http://potreroview.net/feat10492.html S   even years ago, my wife, Debbie, and I opened a letter from the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), and jumped for joy. More accurately, Debbie did the jumping; I limited myself to a few fist pumps. Our daughter, Sara, had gotten into Alvarado Elementary School’s Spanish immersion track, a well-respected program that had a history of strong parental support. We’d won the school lottery, in which the City’s kids are assigned schools based on a formula that’s supposed to encourage educational equity. http://potreroview.net/feat10493.html Aggressive Headlines   After last month’s View went to print — with an article headlined “District 10 Supervisor Dodges View’s Inquiry About Development” — the paper was contacted by Andrea Bruss, an aide to District 10 Supervisor Malia Cohen. Bruss emailed the following about the subject of the story, a proposed development on Hooper Street: “I would say that we discussed this proposal when the project sponsor, Dan Murphy, filed his Preliminary Project Application (PPA) with the Planning Department about a year ago. As we discussed on the phone, the Planning Department provided extensive comments on this PPA. I would defer to the Planning Department’s comments, but I believe that as proposed today, this project would need zoning changes in order to move forward as currently proposed. Before the Supervisor would consider supporting or sponsoring any re-zoning of this property, the project sponsor would need community support and to continue to work to address the concerns raised by the Planning Department. Apart from Mr. Murphy’s project, the Supervisor has been working with Planning Department staff to look at potential changes to the code that would facilitate construction of new PDR space, given the significant demand we are seeing in San Francisco for PDR.” A pretty fulsome answer, which can hardly be considered a dodge. Perhaps, as described in the article, the fact that the developer immediately called the View back after the paper contacted the supervisor’s office, while the View didn’t hear back from the supervisor until its deadline had passed, was merely a coincidence. http://potreroview.net/feat10494.html Editor,   I’m writing in regards to your April 2013 article headlined “Changes May Be Afoot at the Housing Authority, or Not.” Might I suggest for your next issue: “Breaking News: World May End Tomorrow, or Not.” http://potreroview.net/feat10495.html June 12Workshop: Job Searching with Social Media     Looking for a job is tough, especially when you have submitted dozens of resumes and cover letters without response. This class will provide actionable steps, utilizing social media, to help get your resume in the right hands. Free. 2 to 3:30 p.m. San Francisco Main Library, Computer Training Room, Fifth Floor. Information: 557.4277. http://potreroview.net/feat10496.html Programs for Adults   The 55th Annual Potrero Hill Artists’ Exhibition The City’s oldest art show in is on display through July 26th. Drop by and enjoy the creative work of neighborhood artists! http://potreroview.net/feat10497.html     McKinley Square Community Association is a communication and discussion group regarding events and activities, clean up days, improvement and beautification, and other concerns, such as crime in the neighborhood. MSCA board meets approximately quarterly on the second Wednesday of the month. Look to the online discussion group for postings of upcoming meetings. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/McKinleySquareCommunity. Locations vary between the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House and Downtown High School. For updates, including sustainable gardening and park workdays, and our grant progress, check out the MSCA blog at: mckinleysquareblog.blogspot.com. http://potreroview.net/feat10491.html The last week of May and first three weeks of June is the time of Gemini. Gemini’s are about new things. If they’re bored, they move on to something else. Master of none, but the encyclopedia of the zodiac, Gemini’s, the third sign, are all about getting smarter all of the time, and telling everyone all the things they’ve learned.