My wife, Debbie, and I were invited to a small dinner party last fall, to be held on an outdoor deck in the North Bay. Our host had assured us that he was COVID-compliant, but it turned out he was COVID casual, greeting us without a mask at his front door before ushering us to… Keep Reading
Editor, Please don’t make predictions. I picked up my copy of The Potrero View on Friday, November 6th, whereupon I was greeted by a clearly false first paragraph of a cover story, “You’re Fired!” The Democratic Party did not sweep the election. At the time I read the article, the presidential election was still too close to call. But… Keep Reading
Last fall Bridge Housing released 2020 Rebuild Potrero Impact Report, which reviews progress redeveloping the Potrero Annex-Terrace housing complex on Potrero Hill’s southside. The “Rebuild Potrero” project was launched in 2008 by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development and Bridge Housing Corporation, a nonprofit headquartered in San Francisco. Bridge Housing operates twenty-one properties… Keep Reading
Last month’s election attracted the highest participation level in three-quarters of a century, with 86 percent of those eligible voting, compared to 87 percent in 1944. While San Francisco was a sea of blue, Potrero Hill, Dogpatch, and Mission Bay residents voted for Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and approved City measures by especially wide… Keep Reading
Virtual — AlwaysTravel: Tour of the Great Barrier Reef with David AttenboroughAttenborough, who first visited the Great Barrier Reef more than 60 years ago, gives an introduction and narrates different videos. Free. https://bit.ly/36WGMUB Virtual and In-person — All MonthHolidays: Backstage Art AidWhile the nation waits for live performances to return, the stagehands of the International Alliance of… Keep Reading
With roughly 13 million people, Rwanda has experienced just three COVID-19 deaths for every million persons, compared to 742 per million in the United States. The small East African country’s success in dampening novel coronavirus demise has principally been due to a compliant population’s willingness to submit to a comprehensive lockdown. Last April, at the… Keep Reading
Plans to freshen up Esprit Park remain unsettled, with renovation unlikely to begin for at least another year. Enjoyed by people and dogs alike—as evidenced by the brown dirt patches and fenced off areas to allow grass to regrow— the almost two-acre green space in Dogpatch has been subject to competing visions over how it… Keep Reading
Polling data suggests that the Democratic Party will sweep the election. Joe Biden will become the 46th American president, the U.S. Senate will tilt Blue by a couple of seats, and the U.S. House of Representatives will remain solidly Democratic, though it’ll take time for all votes to be counted and legal skirmishes resolved. … Keep Reading
Slow Streets Phase III of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s Slow Streets program launched last month, with the addition of Minnesota Street from Mariposa to 22nd Street, 20th Street from San Bruno to Pennsylvania, Arkansas from 23rd to 17th streets, and an extension of the Mariposa Slow Street from Texas to Mississippi. Enjoy! Food Union… Keep Reading
San Francisco rents have dropped faster than any other major city in the country. According to Zumper’s October rent report, which analyzed data from more than one million listings nationwide, rents in the City have declined by 20 percent since last year. Zumper, which vends apartments and houses online, found that an average South-of-Market studio… Keep Reading
A group of volunteers is cultivating a garden that consists of plants native to the area, adapted to the soil above Serpentinite bedrock that’s prevalent along Vermont and 17th streets. The plot is being nurtured through a collaboration between the Potrero Gateway Project (PGP), California Native Plant Society – Yerba Buena Chapter, landscape architecture firm… Keep Reading
Though I’d lived in the house for several years, I’d never noticed the gate located at the end of a concrete side path that led from my front door to my neighbor’s fence. I’d walked the short trail to within a few feet of the fence, where further passage was blocked by a cluster of… Keep Reading
In-person (by appointment)Now through 11/30/20Art: “What Kind of Cool (Will We Think of Next)”Nancy Toomey Fine Art presents an exhibition of collaborative works by Rodney Ewing and Tahiti Pehrson, “What Kind of Cool (Will We Think of Next).” Visit the gallery by appointment: nancy@nancytoomeyfineart.com, 415.307.9038, or https://bit.ly/2TpxCcM. Minnesota Street Project, 1275 Minnesota Street. In-personNow through… Keep Reading
During normal times Potrero Hill resident, Paul Kleyman, could often be found sipping coffee at Farley’s, contemplating what to post next on his aging-focused blog, Generations Beat Online. A 40-year Hill resident, after Kleyman graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in journalism he was certain of one thing: he wasn’t going… Keep Reading
Robert BechtleMay 14, 1932 – September 24, 2020 Long-time Potrero Hill resident, photorealist painter, and former California College of the Arts faculty member, Robert Bechtle, died on September 24, 2020 from Lewy body dementia. He was 88. Bechtle was known for his extraordinary skill in memorializing the everyday, painting such images as the back of… Keep Reading
Voting is the heart of democracy, an opportunity for citizens to choose their leaders, and adopt or reject new laws and tax measures. According to Thomas Paine, “The right of voting for representatives is the primary right by which other rights are protected. To take away this right is to reduce a man to slavery,… Keep Reading
RescueSF wants to end homelessness in San Francisco, not in the next 10 years, but now. The coalition of neighborhood associations and concerned individuals plans to accomplish that goal by calling for a set of common solutions to be implemented throughout San Francisco, and the Bay Area. “In the past when we talked to district… Keep Reading
Proposition 14: Borrowing for Stem Cell Research Funded by Silicon Valley real estate developer Robert Klein, JDRF International – a nonprofit that funds diabetes research – and Open Philanthropy Project, this measure would authorize the issuance of a $5.5 billion bond to fund stem cell research. In 2004, voters passed Proposition 71 to create the… Keep Reading
The politics of the City College Board mirrors the dysfunction of the institution itself. Virtually the only people who seem to want the trustee job are those looking for a stepping-stone or who can’t find anything better to do with their time. Despite nonstop travails, including nosediving enrollment and continuous near bankruptcy, one trustee, whose… Keep Reading
Measure A, the “2020 Health and Recovery General Obligation Bond”, would dedicate $487.5 million of borrowed money to provide health care services to those without homes, renovate parks, and improve streets. According to the San Francisco Department of Elections, $207 million would be invested “…in facilities that provide treatment and permanent supportive housing for… Keep Reading
Proposition D, Sheriff Department Oversight and Inspector General Proposition D would amend the City Charter to create an independent Sheriff’s Department Oversight Board (SDOB), with an Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG would investigate complaints against the Sheriff’s Department and in-custody deaths and recommend new policies. The SDOB would hire the Inspector General, evaluate… Keep Reading
The Community Living Campaign: Turning Strangers into Neighbors and Neighbors into FriendsCLCs Community Connectors are organized around a group’s needs and interests, offering ways to meet neighbors and link with local resources. The mantra, “turning strangers into neighbors and neighbors into friends,” summarizes the program’s goal. During shelter-in-place CLC offers many activities on Zoom, including… Keep Reading