Short Cuts
PV Staff Burton Passes Potrero Hill resident, John Burton, an influential figure in California politics for decades, with a reputation as a straight talker, frequent use of profanity and openhearted discussion of…
Power Station Coming to Life
Jessica Zimmer Over the past year, Associate Capital has installed elevators, painted interiors, and finished the exterior façade of the Sophie Maxwell building, aka “The Maxwell.” The 105-unit housing complex, located at…
What Advice Would You Give Your Younger Self?
Sara Moss Be silly and creative! Don’t let other people dim your light!Teresa, 55, on 20th Street To try harder in school; expose yourself when you’re younger and not to hold grudges.Steven,…
Community Calendar: October 2025
10/3 FridayDance: Rooftop “Bollywood Nights” Dance Class at Salesforce ParkA Bollywood class and party for all ages and levels. Learn a combination of a 60-minute Bollywood or Bhangra dance. Hailing…
‘Blockheads’ Celebrates 10th Anniversary
Rebekah Moan “Blockheads,” an art installation in Woods Yard Park, across from Rickshaw Bagworks, is artist Dave Warnke’s favorite project. Warnke creates public art – stickers, posters, and other temporary pieces –…
The View Turns 55!
Damon Guthrie A brief overview of the last 55 years.
Camaraderie: The Heart of Potrero Hill’s Fire Department
Danny Pham Bradley Akers knew he wanted to be a fireman since he was a young boy. Today, he works as an H-2 firefighter with the San Francisco Fire Department, assigned to…
Hill Neighbors Clash with Developer over Kansas Street Fire Hydrant
It’s been 11 years since Dawson & Clinton first proposed constructing residences on five contiguous lots along 923 Kansas Street. Neighbors opposed the medium-density development and, after it was approved,…
Playgrounds, Dog Run, to be Added to Crane Cove Park
A new dog run, along with playgrounds designed to separately accommodate toddlers and older children, will open at Crane Cove Park this fall. The Port of San Francisco is spending…
Publisher’s View: Energy Affordability
Steven J. Moss California’s for-profit utility electricity rates – including Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) – have risen sharply over the past five years, faster and higher than municipal utility rates, or…
SF Parks Alliance’s Financial Malfeasance Wilts Greening Efforts
San Francisco Parks Alliance (SFPA), a 53-year-old nonprofit that acted as a fiscal sponsor for roughly 90 neighborhood organizations devoted to parks and open spaces, ceased operations in June, amid…
Letters to the Editor
Editor, In the “Publisher’s View” on loneliness in the July issue reference was made to someone as “a Black woman.” As I continued reading, I expected some context or relevance…
Mission Bay Affordable Housing Caters to First-Time Buyers, Descendants of Displaced
An affordable complex, located at 400 China Basin, has become home for families displaced by 1960s era “redevelopment” in San Francisco. “The journey in pursuit of happiness at 400 China…
Community Calendar: September 2025
9/4 ThursdayMusic: Steely Dan People in Plazas, a annual outdoor music festival, offers more than 130 lunchtime concerts, featuring an array of styles, in 15 plazas on or near Market…
Saints Dance in Potrero Hill
Peter Linenthal, Potrero Hill Archives Project The architecture of Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church, 500 De Haro Street, blends Russian Orthodox, Japanese Shinto, and Craftsman styles. Long lines of people can be seen at the…
Obituary
Abby Johnston April 3, 1940 – July 30, 2025 Abigail (Abby) Lee Johnston had a quiet charisma. She drew people to her with her quirky personality and big heart, according…
Hundreds of Studio Units Under Construction on De Haro Street
Moumita Chakraborty Shovel is hitting dirt at 300 De Haro Street, where an 11-story building consisting of 425 280- to 300-square-foot studios is being constructed. The residences will be “both furnished and…
Green Benefit District Renewed Until 2040
Sixty-one percent of 1,968 property owners approved renewing the Dogpatch and Northwest Potrero Hill Green Benefit District (GBD) for another 15-year term, until 2040. Support was significantly lower than the…
SF-Marin Food Bank Preparing for Sharp Reduction in Federal Support
Tamala Motta The San Francisco-Marin Food Bank, which has provided food insecure communities with access to nutrition for more than three decades, is facing new challenges amidst severe federal cuts to SNAP,…
Publisher’s View: Fulbright
In June most members of the Fulbright Student Program board resigned, after the Trump Administration blocked “a substantial number” of scholars from receiving grants. Like so many federal initiatives, the…
Short Cuts
SPCA Clipped Last month, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced that it was laying off 32 people, 11 percent of its staff. Two-thirds of the cuts…
War Interrupts an Internship
Like many of my generation, after I graduated from college I returned home to live with my parents. For the ensuing year and a half, I worked part-time at Grattan…
SF Funeral Home Offers Cremation by Fire or Water
Pacific Interment Service, on Folsom Street, was founded by Francisco “Frank” Rivero in 1992, the year San Francisco experienced a peak in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related deaths, 1,641. “He cremated AIDS…
Cathryn “Cat” Blum: Building Community on Potrero Hill
Kayla Whitehouse Cat Blum has long led the movement to transform the 22nd and Carolina streets intersection into a community gathering space. Blum has lived next to the median for the last…
Sabine Strauch Makes Wearable Art
Mission Bay resident Sabine Strauch didn’t intend to get into jewelry-making. The 27-year-old started oil painting as a teenager. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Cornell University in…