Saw this men’s t-shirt tonight at Park Life on Clement. For those of you new-ish to the neighborhood, you may not know that for a long stretch – we’re talking 1917 until 2009 – our ‘hood was officially known as “Park Presidio”.

Even after all that time, it never really caught on so after taking office in 2009, Supervisor Eric Mar did the right thing and got us our original name back. More on how the Richmond District got its name.

Sarah B.

If you were tuned in last week, you’ll recall the story we did on the missing Octo-truck. We put out an APB for the truck who has developed a small cult following among Inner Richmond District residents.

Over the weekend, the truck was spotted – gasp! – in the nearby Sunset District at 19th & Irving. Is the truck two-timing us or has it moved to an even foggier climate? Only the Octo knows.

But it was reassuring to see the truck is just misguided and not lost altogether. Come home soon, Octo-Truck!

Thanks to RichmondSFBlog reader Sierra for snapping and sharing the photographic evidence.

Sarah B.

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of January 28, 2011. To be added to the station's mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]

CAPTAIN RICHARD CORRIEA’S MESSAGE
Last year’s preliminary statistics show that the two most dangerous intersections in the Richmond are both located on Fulton Street . The intersections of Fulton and Park Presidio and Fulton and 30th Avenue have been the location of six injury accidents each during 2010. In each instance a motorist or a pedestrian was injured. To give this statistic some broader context, there are thirteen intersections city wide that have had six collisions that involved injury. There are just eleven intersections in the City where there were more than six injury accidents in 2010. The intersection with the most in the City: Harrison Street at Fourth Street with fifteen. Next on the list was Market and Octavia with ten.

Please drive carefully on Fulton Street and mind the traffic controls. Officers will be focusing a good deal of their traffic enforcement efforts on Fulton, which I hope will provided some traffic calming effect in 2011.

During the past week in the District there were 22 traffic accidents 7 involving injuries. There were 7 citations issued for driving without a license or driving on a suspended license. There was 1 arrest for driving under the influence.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 01/22/11 at 2:00pm plainclothes officers were in the area of the Cliff House and noticed the suspect walking along 48th Ave , looking into the windows of parked vehicles. One of the officers stopped to talk to him and noticed the suspect was carrying a clear plastic bottle with a brown liquid inside. When the officer, after identifying himself, told the suspect to stop, the suspect replied he didn’t want to talk and kept walking. The officer again told the male to stop and asked what was in the bottle. The suspect replied “bourbon.” The suspect then ran towards Sutro Heights Park . After a short struggle with the suspect the officer was able to detain him. When asked why he ran the suspect told the officer that he had an outstanding felony warrant for his arrest. He was charged with being in possession of alcohol and resisting arrest.

Between 01/15/11 and 01/17/11 there were several commercial burglaries where the suspect gained entry by smashing the glass on the front of the business. Through forensic evidence a suspect was identified. Richmond Station officers were provided a photo of the suspect and on 01/23/11 at 3:30am officers saw the suspect at 7th Avenue and Geary. When the officers tried to detain the suspect he ran east on Geary and tried to get in a cab that had stopped on Geary at 6th Avenue . The taxi took off and the suspect ran onto 6th Avenue . The officers caught up with the suspect who resisted the officers attempt to detain him. After a struggle he was taken into custody. While the officers were on the scene they were approached by the owner of a business from the 300 block of 7th Avenue . He told them that he had just gotten to his café and found the front door smashed. Officers conducted a walk thru and the suspect was gone but had taken cash from the register. The officer reviewed the surveillance video from the café and saw that the suspect on the tape was the same male that the officers had detained at 6th Avenue & Geary. The 47 year old male was charged with two counts of burglary, possession of stolen property and felony vandalism.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 01/21/11 at 1:00am on the 1300 block of Lyon Street q victim was awoken to the sound of her front door opening. She went into her living room and saw the 2 suspects standing in the doorway of her open front door. One of the suspects said, “Oh, excuse me,” and they both left. She told the officers that she leaves her front door unlocked, but the front gate is usually locked. The suspects were described as males, 18-20 years of age with no further description provided.

On 01/21/11 between 5:45am and 2pm on the 3700 block of California Street a suspect gained entry into an apartment by prying open the door. The suspect took 2 laptops and a Play station 3.

On 01/21/11, between 7:30am and 4:00pm on the 100 block of 9th Avenue a suspect gained entry into an apartment and took cigars, a laptop and several game systems. There were no signs of forced entry.

Between 01/21/11 at 7:30am and 01/22/11 at 4:30pm a suspect gained entry into a garage by prying the lock on the door. The suspect took two bikes.

On 01/21/11 at 3:20pm two victims were walking north on 35th Avenue from Fulton. They observed the two male suspects walking towards them and when their paths were going to cross, one of the suspects brandished a knife at the two victims and pushed one against the wall. One suspect punched a victim in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The suspect then took the victims’ I-touch, cell phone and backpack containing school books. The suspects were described as males18-20 years of age, one wearing a white zip-up sweatshirt, the other in black.

Between 01/21/11 at 6pm and 01/22/11 6:45am on the 6000 block of Geary Boulevard a suspect gained entry into a business by smashing a rear door window. The suspect took cash.

On 01/21/11 at 8:50pm a victim was standing on the 1700 block of Divisadero talking on her phone. She felt someone trying to take the phone from her hand and initially thought it was one of her friends. She turned around and saw the suspect and tried to hold onto her phone. The suspect forcefully took it from her and ran east on Bush Street . The suspect was described as a male, around 20 years of age, with a skinny build, short braids, wearing dark clothing.

On 01/23/11 between 3:30am and 8am on the 2400 block of Turk Street a suspect gained entry into a garage via the tradesman’s entrance. The suspect took a set of golf clubs.

On 01/24/11 between 8am and 7:20pm on the 1000 block of Anza a suspect gained entry into an apartment via an unlocked kitchen window. The suspect took a TV, DVD player, a game system and controllers.

EaterSF reported last week that 3809 Geary, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, will soon be taken over by a new restaurant called Shabu Pub.

Shabu Pub is not open yet, but their permit application to sell alcohol was posted in the window on January 25th. They’ll also be doing some construction inside per the Job Card on the front door.

Even though they’re not open yet, the restaurant already has a website up, which declares the motto “Casual Dining with Seriously Good Beef”.

Shabu Pub is a great place to get some excellent and diverse beef in a really nice environment. The beef is presented in a very modern and upscale manner; flavors are big and bold, this is a place where taste counts. Service is good and the bar is already becoming a great place to hang out and relax.

There you have it – lots of beef, coming soon.

Sarah B.

The 76 gas station located at the corner of 25th Avenue and California is the latest neighborhood target of an ADA lawsuit, where plaintiffs are seeking damages for accessibility violations.

The gas station’s owner, Sam Zgoul, received a 2 page letter in mid-December from the law office of Nick Avtonomoff in Mill Valley, CA. The letter is addressed to several stakeholders in the property including Manuel’s Auto Repair which operates on the lot, and ZipCar, who uses four parking spaces on the property to store and rent out cars.

The letter was accompanied by a 19 page proposed complaint, outlining the grounds for the class action suit against the business owners. The complaint has not yet been filed with Superior Court.

The crux of the proposed complaint is about 1 parking space – a disabled parking space to be precise. In 2009, ZipCar began using the 4 spaces on the California Street side of the gas station to store their rental cars. At that time they took over the existing disabled parking space that was on the lot, bringing the disabled space count to zero.

By law, the gas station is required to have one, designated van accessible parking space for its disabled customers. The proposed complaint alleges that “restrooms, cashier, food and drink are inaccessible because their is no van accessible parking on the premises.”

In other words, because they can’t park adequately, disabled customers are unable use the restrooms, access the cashier, or purchase food and beverage. The complaint does not allege any violations with the restrooms or mini store on the premises – only that there is no designated space for disabled parking.

“I never have any problems with handicap customers,” Zgoul said. He works at the station 7 days a week from 6am until 10pm, and says he was never approached by a customer with complaints or noticed any customers having issues.

Nevertheless, Avtonomoff asserts that the plaintiffs in the complaint “consist of disabled persons who have used, or attempted to use, the facilities owned, operated or maintained by defendants.”

Zgoul took ownership of the gas station just one year ago, which already included the ZipCar franchise. He was not aware of any problems the previous gas station owner had with disabled customers.

Things started to get strange about a month before the letter arrived. Zgoul says a man was on the block every day, several times a day, taking photographs. The man would often come with his wife to gas up their Ford Explorer.

Zgoul asked the wife why her husband was taking pictures. “Oh don’t listen to him, he’s crazy,” she told Zgoul. Zgoul last saw the couple a few days before the letter arrived.

Turns out the mysterious photographer was probably an investigator for Avtonomoff, who mentions in the letter that they have “numerous photos, taken over many months by counsel and investigators.”

Since the letter arrived, ZipCar did add a disabled parking space on the south side of the gas station’s lot which is reserved for disabled customers. According to ADA law, the spot includes the required “Van Accessible” signage.

Zgoul says he has not been contacted since the letter arrived and he has not contacted Avtonomoff because he does not have a lawyer. “I don’t have the money to hire a lawyer,” he told me. The letter states that Avtonomoff “will only accept, and welcome, contacts by licensed attorneys.”

While ADA law caps damages at $4,000 for each violation, the potential financial hit from the suit could be much higher for Zgoul and his co-defendants.

According to the complaint, plaintiffs are seeking “recovery of statutory compensation for damages in the sum of $4,000 each, per occurrence, general damages, including damages for humiliation, embarrassment, and emotional distress. Plaintiff(s) claim punitive damages. Plaintiff(s) further seek recovery for reasonable attorney fees, expenses and costs.”

If a suit is filed, Zgoul will be required to file a response within 30 days. But Avtonomoff and his clients seem most interested in working out a settlement and avoiding trial, as evidenced by this portion of the letter:

“Therefore we request that you have your counsel contact this office… Your counsel should have a working knowledge of the factual and legal matters raised in the Complaint, and be prepared to discuss settlement. We expect all matters, including remedies, damages, attorney fees and costs, to be resolved within 60 days.”

The 76 gas station is yet another in a long list of Richmond District businesses that have been hit with ADA lawsuits; several of them have gone out of business as a result.

In reaction, the city’s Small Business Office created an ADA guidelines document for small businesses, and began better publicizing a loan program via Opportunity Fund that is available to businesses needing to make ADA upgrades.

In keeping with the other complaints, this latest is also targeted at a business owner whose primary language is not English. Zgoul, an American citizen, immigrated to the Bay Area from Jordan twenty years ago, but freely admits that his English is “not so good.” He told me that understanding the letter and the complaint has been a challenge.

“I think the Mayor should stop this kind of thing,” Zgoul said when referring to the string of ADA lawsuits that have been putting the squeeze on small businesses. Several of Zgoul’s disabled customers have vowed to show up and support him at the courthouse if the case does go to trial.

Zguol says the potential lawsuit not only threatens his business, but also his family. “I’m feeding 11 mouths from this station. If something happens to me, I’m going to close. Because I can’t afford it.”

Sarah B.

The disabled, van accessible parking space that is currently available at the station

The four spaces that ZipCar uses on the property

Hats off to exuberate1001 who put together a nice video of her visit to Paul’s Hat Works; they also recently launched a new, fancy website.

If you haven’t ever stopped in to visit this retail anachronism, be sure to! They’re located at 6128 Geary near 25th Avenue. Say hi to the four creative ladies that own the shop; they all answer to Paul.

Sarah B.

Just a heads up that I added some functionality to make the blog more readable from smartphones like iPhone, Android, Blackberry etc. So instead of seeing the full, web version of the blog, smartphones will get a more handy format that is faster and easier to navigate.

Best of all, you don’t have to do a thing. Just visit http://richmondsfblog.com from your smartphone and you’re good to go. The mobile version includes search and access to all the articles and pages on the normal website. Just miniaturized.

If you have any issues with it, please let me know!

Sarah B.

Next Sunday, go big or go home with a special live screening of Super Bowl XLV at the Balboa Theater (3630 Balboa Street).

Enjoy the game in crisp, HD quality on a screen that’s much bigger than anything your friends have in their living rooms. Plus it’s in Dolby Stereo sound so every hard tackle will leave you breathless. Not to mention the entertaining multi-million dollar commercials that play during the game.

This year’s game pits the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Green Bay Packers. I think the fans will be as entertaining as the game, right?

Tickets to the screening are just $5 and kickoff is promptly at 3:30pm.

Who are you rooting for next weekend?

Sarah B.