Although San Francisco high schools slightly exceeded the state average for students graduating within five years of starting, San Francisco International and Downtown high schools, both in Potrero Hill, had low graduation rates in 2023. According to the California State School Dashboard website, www.caschooldashboard.org, 88 percent of San Francisco Unified School District students graduated within… Keep Reading
As a result of Assembly Bill (AB) 413, as of January 1, 2024 drivers are no longer allowed to park within 20 feet of a crosswalk, marked or unmarked, on the side from which traffic approaches an intersection. In places with curb extensions – wider sidewalks that shorten the length to traverse the street –… Keep Reading
The Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District (GBD) has its annual board elections this month, in advance of a year in which the organization will work to convince taxpayers to renew its charter for another 10 years, and launch new projects, including potentially to “clean and green” Dogpatch’s freeway underpasses. There are five… Keep Reading
Lots of indicators suggest that we Americans are struggling. Twice as many should-be students are missing more than 10 percent of the school year than before the pandemic. Drug overdose deaths rose roughly three percent in 2023, after several years of double-digit increases; well more than 70,000 dead annually. In the first six weeks of… Keep Reading
Crime Last month, Wok & Go, located on the corner of 24th Street and Potrero Avenue, received a order for a delivery to Connecticut Street between Wisconsin and 25th streets. When driver Xiong Zou arrived three young men, one brandishing a gun, robbed him of the food and $31 in cash. Zou wasn’t injured during… Keep Reading
In the heart of Potrero Hill, where the city’s pulse beats a little differently, Farley’s is celebrating a remarkable milestone; 35 years of serving up not just java, but a sense of community, warmth, and connection. The shop has woven itself into the fabric of Potrero Hill, evolving from a coffee accessory store into a… Keep Reading
This month Sequoia Fabrica – featuring a wood and textile workshop, 3D printers and laser cutter, electronics, crafts and fine arts stations – opened at 1736 18th Street. Co-founders Max Omdal, Maggie Frankel and Emeline Brule hope that the makerspace will foster the next generation of designers and craftspeople. “We’ll have a balance of two… Keep Reading
3/2 SaturdayArt: MakeArt Family Day & 20-Year Birthday PartyThe Museum of Craft and Design celebrates 20 years with MakeArt Family Day. Revisit favorite activities like Maia Scott’s soap sculpture and Chris Myers’ buildable ArtBots project, then create audible stitched stories with Liz Hernández and Charlene Lu’s Interactive Embroidery. Free with admission;12 and under always gratis. 11 a.m.… Keep Reading
Founded in 1909 on a lot presently occupied by the Potrero Hill Public Library, for a time Daniel Webster (DW) Elementary School was one of the Hill’s three main schools, along with Irving Scott and Patrick Henry. DW relocated to Missouri and 20th streets in 1917. Its building was remodeled for seismic safety in the… Keep Reading
MBC BioLabs wants to develop shared laboratory, office, conference, and community rental space for biotechnology startups at 700 Indiana Street. Prospective Dogpatch neighbors indicate that they don’t generally oppose life science/biotech labs but contend that the parcel isn’t zoned for what MBC BioLabs proposes to do. The 0.71-acre property is located between Indiana Street… Keep Reading
Pedestrians throughout San Francisco have noticed what appear to be random incidences of the grinding down of portions of sidewalks. The patches of polished cement are sometimes adjacent to trees. They often appear nearby unresolved cracks, bumps, and uplifted pieces of cement. The polishing is being executed through StreetTreeSF, managed by the San Francisco Public… Keep Reading
Nestled in a walkway outside Uber’s Mission Bay headquarters at Pierpoint Lane and Bridgeview Way is a tall, highly reflective serpentine structure that bounces sunlight from its geometric, shiny, stainless-steel tiles. The installation is roughly three and half stories tall. Its shape is akin to a futuristic spaceship composed of three slithering snakes coiling up… Keep Reading
Facts are facts. The sun rises and sets as expected by the clock, even if time itself is subject to deeper exploration. Black men are incarcerated at much higher rates than whites. The earth’s temperatures are rising more or less as predicted by complex, data-driven, climate models. Smoking cigarettes elevates the chance of getting lung… Keep Reading
Homicide The San Francisco Police Department has launched a homicide investigation after a man was killed and another injured following a Mission Bay shooting last month. At around midnight on a Sunday officers were called to the 100 block of Berry Street, where they found a man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was… Keep Reading
Four out of five San Franciscans claim they workout at least once a week, with almost half doing so as part of formal or informal group classes. A number of facilities offer a diversity of opportunities to “move it” in Dogpatch and South-of-Market (SoMa); a few are described below. Dogpatch Pilates is a new addition… Keep Reading
Rapid robotics creates mechanical arms that undertake the uninteresting, unclean, and unsafe work a human would otherwise have to do, according to the company’s chief marketing officer, Kim Losey. Numerous manufacturing facilities have challenging labor environments, such as meat-packing facilities, where employees are subject to near-freezing temperatures. Robots can replace people in those jobs. “The… Keep Reading
A concerned neighbor has requested that the proposed permit for 945 Minnesota Street be withdrawn from the Historic Preservation Commission’s (HPC) calendar, asserting that it doesn’t comply with the San Francisco Planning Code (SFPC). “It is not allowable to use illegal construction at the adjacent property to justify building in the Required Rear Yard and… Keep Reading
Edward Hatter has been the executive director of the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, also known as “the Nabe,” since 2004. He recalls applying for an internship at the Nabe in low-income housing development when his grandmother, Enola Maxwell, served as the nonprofit’s ED. “I remember seeing the announcement on her desk. Then I had to… Keep Reading
The designation “San Francisco” was first applied to the San Francisco Bay in the early-16th Century when Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed into the inlet. Cabrillo named the bay, and the surrounding expanse, for Saint Francis of Assisi, a Catholic monk identified with poverty, charity, and humility. In 1775 Spanish explorer Juan Manuel de… Keep Reading
Now through 3/2 SaturdayLunar New Year: Dragon on ParadeZodiac on Parade features five wooden dragon statues installed in and around San Francisco. The publicly submitted artwork reflects upon the culture, people, and traditions surrounding the Chinese New Year. For more information on the installations, planning a route to find all five dragons, and details for… Keep Reading
In November a staffed Pit Stop public toilet opened in Franklin Square Park. Friends of Franklin Square hope that the temporary toilet will ultimately be replaced with a permanent facility. Franklin Square Park Pit Stop costs $290,000 a year, paid by San Francisco Public Works. That covers staffing, unit rental, water, soap, hand towels, a… Keep Reading
Potrero Hill was mostly used as pastureland by European settlers during the 19th Century. The earthquake and fire of 1906 triggered mass migration into the community from adjacent neighborhoods, including South of Market, with newcomers establishing modest dwellings. As Dogpatch industrialized, the Hill’s population increased, with residents commuting to shipyard and canning companies. The Great… Keep Reading
Enola D. “Miz” Maxwell, Sophenia “Sophie” Maxwell, and Edward Hatter are part of a generational line of civic advocates, which began with Enola’s arrival to Potrero Hill. Enola was born on August 30, 1919, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She moved with her children, Barbara and Ronnie, to San Francisco in 1949, following her mother, Lena… Keep Reading
One of my dominant childhood memories is of my father’s constant quest to get something for nothing. He’d pile my three sisters, my mom and me into our station wagon and troll the streets for shopping center and bank openings offering free cookies, balloons, and plastic key chains. I’d eaten hundreds of those flower-shaped shortbread… Keep Reading
Political Fallout Farley’s has been a Potrero Hill small business stalwart for coming up on 35 years, fostering community by sponsoring an annual Halloween pet parade, inviting artists and musicians to share their craft, and creating a homey place for families and friends to enjoy a cuppa and a snack. It has a newsstand! Which… Keep Reading