News Year The New Year wasn’t kind to print publications, starting with a sharp decline in the number of neighborhood newspapers informing San Franciscans. The Castro Courier, New Fillmore News, and Westside Observer all suspended their operations in December or January. “Extra, Extra, Read All About It!” is quickly morphing into “Nothing to See Here!”…
Murder One woman is dead, another in custody, after a stabbing last month that occurred on the 1400 block of Kansas Street, according to the San Francisco Police Department. The victim, identified by the San Francisco Medical Examiner as Latanette McDaniel, 35, was transported to the hospital where she was pronounced dead. Officers arrested Vernisha…
Shots A 27-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries last month when he and another male were shot while walking in the area of 17th and Mississippi streets at around 10:45 p.m. on a weekday. The younger fellow was taken to a hospital; the older bloke was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. No suspects have been identified…In another…
American Patriot On a lovely summer day last month, Farley’s was packed with caffeinated conversationalists and computer-focused singles, spilling onto the outside parklet. Suddenly, a voice bellowed, “Go back to where you’re from! You’re ruining our country!” A White guy sporting shades, a straw hat, and accompanying white mustache and soul patch started loudly haranguing…
Industrial Plant Potrero Hill’s northern neighbor, the Design District, is host to both an increasing concentration of high-end condominiums and specialized manufacturing. Not long ago, Tempo Automation opened on Alabama Street, producing prototype circuit boards. The future is unfolding right before our eyes. Blink once, and family-owned pharmacies and soda fountains are gone; blink twice,…
Bagels and Cream Daily Driver, a café, creamery and bagel bakery, opened last month in a 7,000-square-foot, two story, space in Dogpatch’s American Industrial Center. One of the owners, David Kreitz, developed the bagel recipe, which apparently is not quite Montreal nor New York style, but an excellent vehicle for the establishment’s cream cheese and…
Hotel for Warriors The Golden State Warriors want to add lodging and condominiums next to the Chase Center basketball arena under construction in Mission Bay. The basketball team plans to propose a 142-room hotel and up to 25 upper-floor condos at the northeast corner of the 11-acre project site, near the intersection of South Street…
John Martin and Eugene de Sabla started out as gold miners along the Yuba River, harnessing hydroelectricity to power their excavations. After successfully building hydro plants in Nevada City and elsewhere in Northern California, in 1900 they created the Bay Counties Power Company, constructing a 140-mile transmission line, the world’s longest at that time, to fire…
Crime The San Francisco Police Department’s Bayview Station has a new captain: Valerie Matthews. Captain Matthews has been with SFPD for 28 years; most recently with the Major Crimes unit. She was posted to Bayview three years ago, and since then has noticed an alarming increase in the homeless population and street garbage. She’s working…
Parks Reviewed The latest Controller’s Office scorecard on park maintenance revealed a mixed bag for green spaces in District 10, which as a whole was rated at the lowest end of the upkeep spectrum. The Utah-18th Street Mini Park and Potrero Hill Recreation Center appear to be in great shape, with rankings that exceed 97…
Hilltop Hilltop Grocery, at 1309 20th Street, is being absorbed into what’ll become a two-bedroom single family home. The store, which’d been owned by 90-something-year old Linda Wong and her late husband since 1958, closed two years ago, after being only intermittently open the previous decade. A residence has existed above the retail space since…
Burglaries According to San Francisco Police Department officer Pat McNichol there’s been (another) uptick in automobile burglaries and break-ins, particularly around Illinois and 22nd streets. And earlier this fall there was a robbery on 20th and Connecticut streets. If you call 911 from your cell phone, make sure to give your location. Electric The University of…
Serpentine Subject to Shakedown Recently, Serpentine, in Dogpatch, got an email from a person calling herself a “PR manager” with the subject line “Reputation.” The sender, who said her name was “Natasha Nixon,” claimed she’d been hired by one of Serpentine’s competitors to share negative information, such as “awful photos of the food containing hair…
Recess Over Recess announced that it’ll close at the end of this month; the building the play business occupied recently sold again, and the asking rent for the space is increasing another 35 percent. Not so long ago Potrero Hill was home to do-it-yourself teddy bear factories, mom and pop ice cream stores, and video…
Out-of-State Politics Potrero Hill residents Steve Phillips and Susan Sandler are leading efforts to invest $10 million to support Stacey Abrams’ quest to become Georgia’s first African-American woman governor. Phillips is a former San Francisco Unified School District board member and author of Brown is the New White: How the Demographic Revolution Has Created a…
Nabbed Last month, the San Francisco Police Department arrested a prolific automobile burglar near the Potrero Annex-Terrace Housing Complex. According to Officer Patrick McNichol, the suspect was nabbed as a result of solid constabulary work and luck…Prompted by an increase in pedestrian activity, an all-way stop has been installed at 18th and Minnesota streets. Walk…
Homeless Sheltered According to the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the Central Waterfront Navigation Center has housed 147 guests since it opened last spring, 28 of whom have been placed in permanent housing. Currently, the facility has 52 guests and 10 vacant beds. DHSH’s Randy Quesada said that complete “dashboards” on Navigation Centers,…
Food The San Francisco Police Department is fielding foot patrols at Jackson Playground… The proprietors of Pera Restaurant are now running the eatery located just around the corner, Papito, as well as the venerable Cha Cha Cha in the Mission…speaking of tasty, Florida-based The Spice Lab is vending Olive Oil Herb Blend – red peppers,…
Neighborhood Empowerment A decade ago a coalition of activists, neighborhood and merchant associations, nonprofits, faith–based organizations, foundations and academic institutions launched the Neighborhood Empowerment Network, to inspire San Francisco neighborhoods to become more resilient. Last month, NEN presented its 10th annual award for Outstanding Neighborhood Watch Group to Kansas Street SAFE Association. Dogpatch won the Comeback…
Corovan Last fall, Superior Court Judge Cynthia Ming-mei Lee issued an order that upheld San Francisco Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors approvals for a mixed-use project at 901 16th Street and 1200 17th Street, known as the “Corovan” site. Save The Hill and Grow Potrero Responsibly had argued that portions of the development’s environmental…
Parking A parking space dedicated to handicapped individuals is now available in front of the Potrero Branch Library, with an additional public space for 20th Street shoppers, replacing the two Zipcar spots formerly located there. The change was sparked after Hill resident and former mayor Art Agnos conveyed to San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Director…
Endorsement Likely before most District 10 voters are aware that there’s an election, or know who the potential candidates may be, last month Mayor Ed Lee endorsed Board of Education president Shamann Walton for District 10 Supervisor in the November 2018 ballot. “Our City needs leaders like Shamann Walton, who are truly committed to improving…
New Future Kansas Street resident Keith Goldstein predicts that Anchor Brewery’s new owner, Sapporo, will develop the facility into condominiums by 2030. And rumor has it that the now Sapporo employees were asked to sign new job agreements with language stating that they can be fired at any time, for any reason…Potrero Democratic Club president…
Anchor’s Away! Anchor Brewing, which first launched 121 years ago, is being sold to Japan’s Sapporo Holdings Ltd. Anchor Distilling, which produces spirits, such as Junipero Gin and Old Potrero whiskey, isn’t part of the deal, and will become a separate company. Anchor representatives said its beer will continue to be brewed on Mariposa…
Resident Shot Last month, Potrero Hill resident, Jesus Sandoval, headed to the Mission for a night out, according to Rebecca Muzquiz, a friend who spoke with him at her aunt’s house, where Sandoval had been living. “I remember Jesse asking me for hair gel before he went out,” she said, adding that he generally wore…