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 with the Department of Public Works to get a dedicated crew to the area at night. Matthews encouraged people to call 311 to log complaints about trash so as to get appropriately acknowledged… Last month there were two break-in attempts at Moshi Moshi, resulting in a smashed window and broken front door. The intruders tried unsuccessfully to take the safe.
Coyotes
Coyotes have been spotted in Starr King Open Space, as well as on Carolina and De Haro streets. “I just saw coyote run down Carolina Street and into the Open Space,” Potrero Hill resident Kate Sheets reported on NextDoor last month. “It went behind the oak tree.” According to Deb Campbell, San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SFACC) spokesperson, pups born last spring that were kicked out of their den appear to be looking for new territory. “You should keep cats indoors and dogs on leashes. Pick up small dogs if you see a coyote. Be careful with putting bird feeders outside. The fallen seeds attract mice and rats, which attract coyotes. In addition, coyotes eat fruit that has fallen off trees and rodents that eat the fruit,” said Campbell. Campbell discouraged residents from feeding coyotes, which can be active day and night, or allowing dogs to play with them. Since 2016, Jonathan Young, an ecologist with the Presidio Trust, a federal agency that manages most of the Presidio, has been studying coyotes through the Presidio Coyote Monitoring Program, which tracks the animals with GPS radio collars. “The 2.5 square miles of the Presidio is home to one family unit of coyotes, which is comprised of six to eight individuals, on average,” said Young. The coyotes on the Hill likely don’t belong to this group. “Last year, of the six that left the Presidio, all but two have died. All of the ones that died were hit by cars. The two surviving ones are down the peninsula,” said Young. Residents with coyote concerns should call SFACC’s emergency number, 415.554.9400.
Haircuts
Salvatore Cimino has taken over his father’s barbershop at 1532 20th Street, renaming it “1512 Barbershop.” Sal offers old-fashioned haircuts in a single-chair shop. He’s as personable as the late Florindo “Flo” Cimino, a much-loved Hill icon, who opened in 1953, cutting hair well into his 80s. Sal previously worked at 1512 Barbershop in Polk Gulch. J.R. Eppler, Potrero Boosters president and an eight-year customer of Sal’s, said Sal is a third-generation barber. “He’s wonderful at conversation and definitely knows his craft. He can cut hair in a variety of different styles. Sal has a dedicated following and will bring a lot more foot traffic to that part of 20th Street,” said Eppler. Paula Kovacs, a Carolina Street resident, remembers a visit to Flo’s as a social call. “My cousins and uncle went there not just to get a haircut, but to enjoy a longtime friend. One of my cousins went to school with Flo,” said Kovacs. Kovacs said Sal is welcoming and professional, and got the shop’s old barbershop pole running. “He was able to use the existing 20th Street hardware and his Polk Street barbershop pole to fix the one here on 20th,” said Eppler. Cuts cost about $40.
Boss Honored
The Neighborhood Empowerment Network will posthumously honor longtime Dogpatch resident and community activist Joe Boss next month, placing “Louis Joseph (Joe) Boss” in the “NEN Hall of Fame”…Sapporo, which recently purchased Anchor Brewery, will be making significant infrastructure improvements to the facility over the next six months…Recology has shifted to trucks that have a single chamber to accommodate the increased number of boxes being discarded. Amazon isn’t a river in South America, but rather a torrent of cardboard washing over the land.
McRaccoon
A video of an apparent homeless man hanging out with a dead and bleeding raccoon at his McDonald’s table that went viral last month can be traced to Potrero Hill. The restaurant’s branch at Potrero and 16th streets had to close temporarily following the incident to sanitize the space after the bloody animal’s presence. In the video, the customer behind the camera tries to get the man to remove the raccoon from the table. Seemingly unresponsive, the man wanders around and shrugs before leaving the restaurant. Another customer picks up the corpse and throws it to the trash, before going back to his food. “The guy came in screaming, ‘Help, help, help!’” the man who shot the video told SFGate. “He came to the counter, and I thought it was a dog at first. The employees told him to leave and he went and sat down with it.”
Legacy Business
The Bay View Boat Club – a nonprofit organization formed in 1963 to promote recreational boating, with a focus on underserved neighborhoods and average citizens – was approved by the San Francisco Small Business Commission to be listed on the City’s Legacy Business Registry. The Club offers educational programs and family-friendly activities, including the Youth Boating Program, Women on the Water and Wharf Rats, averaged 50 to 80 guests daily, run by a team of more than 300 volunteers. “Since 1963, the Bay View Boat Club has been committed to the stewardship of the Bay shoreline,” said Club board member Cynthia Hall. “We are honored by our inclusion on the Legacy Business Registry as it will help us continue our vital tradition of bringing boating to average citizens and underserved neighborhoods.” The Registry recognizes longstanding community-serving enterprises as valuable cultural assets; there are currently 160 small businesses listed on it.
Quarantine
Recent detection of an Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) prompted state agricultural officials to place San Francisco County under a plant pest quarantine. ACP harms citrus plants, including oranges, mandarins, lemons, kumquats, pomelos, and limes, as well as related vegetation, such as curry leaf trees. ACPs are yellowish-orange and produce a white waxy substance. The insect can carry the bacteria that causes Huanglongbing, transmitting the disease to host plants. While this plant disease isn’t harmful to humans, there’s no cure once a tree becomes infected with it. The diseased tree, which will display blotchy or yellowing leaves, will decline in health, produce bitter, misshapen fruit, and eventually die. Though unappetizing, citrus fruit infected with the disease is safe to eat. The ACP quarantine prohibits the movement of citrus and curry leaf tree nursery stock, including all plant parts except fruit, out of the quarantine area, and requires that all citrus fruit be cleaned of leaves and stems before it’s moved out of the isolation zone. San Franciscans with citrus trees shouldn’t transport or send citrus fruit or leaves, potted citrus trees, or curry leaves outside the county. “Even though San Francisco County is not a commercial citrus producing area, we all play a role in limiting the spread of this insect,” said San Francisco Agricultural Commissioner Cree Morgan. “We plan to work closely with our community and State partners to protect San Francisco’s citrus trees from this invasive pest.”
