When the Bay Area shelter-in-place mandate went into effect in mid-March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, galleries in the DoReMi arts district shuttered. New exhibitions were postponed; current shows extended indefinitely. Galleries initially invited visitors to view exhibits by appointment, but most have since transitioned to online-only viewing spaces. Online observation generally consists of…
Is it presently possible to take SAT or ACT tests? The College Board cancelled June SAT test dates. Students who have credit/no credit report cards or want to attend a “select” university should plan to take the SAT and/or ACT this fall, if possible. Though most colleges are test optional for the Class of 2021,…
San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) staff have confirmed that pre-construction activity for a proposed Mission Bay elementary school will be deferred until 2022, with construction commencing the following spring. The campus’ estimated opening has been pushed from 2023 to 2025. Lot 14, a 2.2-acre parcel along Owens Street just off the traffic circle at…
During the first quarter of 2020 Mission Bay biotechnology companies and nonprofits pivoted from researching a wide variety of illnesses to focusing principally on creating COVID-19 diagnostic tests, medical interventions, and vaccines. Some of these entities now face supply chain delays and shutdowns. They’re working to source the live animals and chemicals needed for their…
Like many others, shelter-in-place orders and likely lingering constraints on large gatherings in the face of public health risks has forced the Potrero Hill Democratic Club (PHDC) to reorient its political organizing efforts. PHDC meetings can draw up to 50 people to the Potrero Hill Neighborhood House for presentations on such issues as how to…
John Borg, who has occupied a 20th and Illinois streets building for almost 30 years, will soon move from Dogpatch unless he can find a new space for his sustainable schwag enterprise. Borg runs Eco Imprints, Inc., a City and County of San Francisco green-certified product enterprise that’s part of Green America’s Green Business Network.…
In her 1975 essay “The Laugh of the Medusa,” French theorist Helen Cixous coined the term Écriture féminine: writing by women for women as a means of self-examination. By writing about pleasure and taking pleasure in writing, Cixous posited that composing could constitute an act of feminine liberation. So, too, it might be with visual…
During normal times, not an hour goes by without a small crowd gathering outside the Smuin Ballet Studio at the corner of 17th and De Haro streets. Bus riders, children on their way home from school, and shoppers with bags full of groceries stop to marvel at every mesmerizing arabesque, grand jeté, and pirouette through…
The March 16, 2020 San Francisco Department of Public Health order for people to shelter in place until April 7 triggered a fundamental change in life on the Southside. Individuals were told not to leave their homes except for “essential” functions, including to purchase groceries, gasoline and medical services. People are allowed outside to exercise,…
One-quarter of San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) incident reports in Potrero Hill and Dogpatch so far this year have involved vehicle larceny. Other robberies, including bike theft and stolen packages, made up 11 percent of SFPD reports in the neighborhoods. Eight percent involved motor vehicle thefts, with seven percent associated with burglaries. The percent distribution…
The Embarcadero Shelter Access for Everyone (SAFE) Navigation Center, located at Seawall Lot 330, opened last December. By February, 130 beds at the facility were taken, 100 percent occupancy for the startup phase. Plans to ramp up to 200 beds by the end of the year were put on hold when the San Francisco Department…
One of 826 Valencia Mission Bay’s first year goals was to work with third-grade classrooms at schools in Bayview and Potrero Hill, providing weekly writing support. Since last August, 826 staff and volunteers have worked with Herman Shepard, Starr King Elementary School teacher, to design whimsical and weird, Common Core-aligned writing lessons. From personal narratives…
Like many other nations, Rwanda enforced a shelter-in-place order from mid-March to the end of April. Half-way through the social shutdown, as increasing numbers of people lost their livelihoods, a communique was issued: “In the context of the fight against COVID-19, and in solidarity with the most affected Rwandans, the Government of Rwanda has decided,…
HELPFUL LINKS AT THE END OF THIS STORY. Starting Tuesday, March 17, the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) will provide free breakfast, lunch, fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, and shelf-stable meals to all children ages 18 and younger. A child needs to be present to pick-up food; no registration, identification, nor proof of school…
A handful of civic organizations track land use changes in Dogpatch and Potrero Hill, and advocate on behalf of residents at City Hall. Among the most prominent of these are the Potrero Boosters, Potrero Dogpatch Merchants Association (PDMA), and Dogpatch Neighborhood Association (DNA). The Boosters focus on issues that impact Hill residents. “What makes the…
Virginia Woolf’s 1928 novel Orlando: A Biography, tells the story of a poet born in Elizabethan England who lives for three centuries. Along the way the main character, Orlando, meets several key figures in English literature and mysteriously changes sex from male to female, making the novel both a history of English letters and an…
Southside San Francisco has long hosted cutting-edge clothing companies. Almost a half-century ago Esprit de Corps transformed a former wine warehouse into its corporate headquarters, ultimately leaving behind Esprit Park in Dogpatch. The first generation of self-heating jackets were created at the American Industrial Center, on Third Street, by a former The North Face executive.…
The Tuesday before “The Big Show,” Castle Bing Bong – Rock Band Land’s Treat Avenue headquarters – is bustling with activity. Dozens of young rockers playfully wander throughout the building, excitedly greeting their bandmates with giggles and high-fives. The sounds of vocal warmups, synthesizer beats, scattered drumming, and enthusiastic chatter spill out of various rooms,…
Located a few steps from Muni’s 20th and Third Street T-Line stop, the Sea Star is a contemporary bar with a long history. The establishment’s décor – a canoe hangs above the pool table, there’s seaweed-esque wallpaper, a diving helmet sits behind the bar – pays homage to its name and Bay proximity. Its extensive…
There are roughly 1,600 species of native bees in California. The insects are active when their favored flowers – those that provide nectar and pollen to support reproduction – are available. When those florae aren’t present, neither are the bees. Although some bees are active during the rainy season, most are either still developing or…
PlayGround, a resident company and founder of Potrero Stage, located on 18th Street, is in its twenty-fifth season. The theater group started 2020 with its third annual PlayGround Solo Performance Festival, presented through February 9. “Showcasing eleven creator-performers, including eight Bay Area premieres, this festival pairs two one-act solo performances together into full double-bill evenings…
Decathlon, one of the world’s largest sporting goods retailers, opened an outlet at Potrero Center last fall. It’s the French merchants’ third Bay Area location, joining a large Emeryville store and a small space at 735 Market Street. The 40-year-old company fancies itself as the Trader Joe’s of sporting goods, integrating in-house design, production…
Over the past decade and a half Potrero Hill has become denser and more lux. The latest development wave may have started in 2007, when Whole Foods moved into a 165-unit complex at 450 Rhode Island Street. In 2016, Martin Building Company started constructing 177 apartments at 88 Arkansas Street, across the street from Jackson…
Dogpatch, once thought of as Potrero Hill’s ugly stepsister, not long ago emerged as San Francisco’s up-and-coming neighborhood. The area is in the midst of a growth spurt the likes of which it’s never before seen in its one hundred-plus year history. Cranes dominate the landscape, multi-unit buildings sprout from long-empty lots and cinderblock warehouses,…
A family that’s owned land for four generations at the southern tip of San Bruno Avenue wants to build a seven-story housing development utilizing the state Density Bonus Law to gain exemption from City height limitations. Early indications are that neighborhood opposition to the project will be fierce. San Francisco’s zoning restricts structure heights on…