The closed section of Park Presidio at Clement.

A nearly downed light pole resulted in a partial closure of Park Presidio Boulevard this morning. Police closed off the southbound lanes between Lake and Clement Streets, and the northbound lane between Clement and California.

According to SFAppeal, “The car crashed into the pole near Clement Street at about 4:35 a.m.,” fire department spokeswoman Mindy Talmadge said. She said the driver was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life threatening but couldn’t say if anyone else had been in the car.

Southbound drivers coming off the Golden Gate Bridge onto Park Presidio were routed around via Lake Street, backing up traffic into the MaCarthur tunnel. Northbound drivers were detoured off at Clement, many of them taking Funston down to California to get back on Park Presidio.

The closure began before 6am this morning and was still going on at 7:30am. A tweet from the Richmond District police station estimated the closure would last two hours.

All the while a KTVU helicopter hovered over the scene for 1+ hours, undoubtedly waking neighbors. Twitter user @dalbizo snapped a pic of a KTVU helicopter. Head over to ktvu.com to see the scintillating video footage from the chopper. Yawn.

Sarah B.

The leaning tower of light pole that caused the closure. Photo courtesy of RichmondSFBlog reader Bob H.

A KTVU News helicopter that hovered over the scene. Photo by @dalbizo

Traffic backed up on Funston between Clement and California.

An officer directs traffic at California and Park Presidio.

Next Monday, April 4, the Balboa Theater is screening a new documentary called “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead”.

It’s the story of Australian Joe Cross who was topping out at 310 pounds and battling a debilitating autoimmune disease. The film documents Joe’s journey to regain his health, which evolves into a mission to help a kindred spirit – an obese, American truck driver with the same disease – battle the same demons.

With doctors and conventional medicines unable to help long-term, Joe turns to the only option left, the body’s ability to heal itself. He trades in the junk food and hits the road with juicer and generator in tow, vowing only to drink fresh fruit and vegetable juice for the next 60 days. Across 3,000 miles Joe has one goal in mind: To get off his pills and achieve a balanced lifestyle.

While talking to more than 500 Americans about food, health and longevity, it’s at a truck stop in Arizona where Joe meets a truck driver who suffers from the same rare condition. Phil Staples is morbidly obese weighing in at 429 lbs; a cheeseburger away from a heart-attack. As Joe is recovering his health, Phil begins his own epic journey to get well.

Joe Cross himself will be at the Balboa for the screening, which begins at 7pm; tickets are $10 and can be purchased online in advance. Joe will stick around afterwards to discuss his film with audience members.

Sarah B.

A drug case was dismissed on Wednesday after a judge cited officer misconduct. The case involved a search and seizure of marijuana from a Richmond District residence, which resulted in drug possession charges.

This latest dismissal is on the heels of nearly 70 cases that were dismissed recently due to alleged misconduct by a plainclothes investigation unit at the Southern Station.

The case here in the Richmond District began on the afternoon of March 1, 2011 when police received a report of a pot smell inside a residential apartment building at Geary and 33rd Avenue.

Three officers responded to the call – Officer Michael Chang, Sergeant Gary Watts, and Officer Martinez. They gained access to the building by walking in behind a resident as she drove into the garage, shown in the video below.

Once inside, the officers asked the woman if they could search the building and according to their report, she gave them permission.

According to video surveillance from inside the building, officers then walked door to door inside the building, sniffing for pot.

During their search in the hallway, police ran into resident Wenzell McLaren, and claimed that they smelled burnt marijuana on him. Police then spoke with him in the hallway for nine minutes, asking for permission to search his room. McLaren refused.

McLaren did tell police that he had a medical marijuana card and went into his room to get his doctor’s note for medical marijuana, and a jar filled with pot.

As he re-entered his room, officers followed him into the apartment where two witnesses say Sergeant Watts drew his gun as they searched the room. Officers found marijuana and proceeded to arrest McClaren for drug possession. It’s unclear to me how much marijuana was found – SFWeekly says it was 410 grams – or ~ .8 of a pound – the Examiner says it was 4 pounds.

Public Defender Jeff Adachi held a press conference Wednesday to announce that the case has been dropped after surveillance video was reviewed, resulting in the judge citing officer misconduct. McLaren’s lawyer also alleged that the officers did not immediately identify themselves as police. Reference was made to the video below, where there is no sign of the officers wearing their police shields.

The Examiner reports that prosecutors are considering an appeal, and Police Chief Jeff Godown didn’t see any issue with the case after reviewing the video.

“I’m not going to overreact every time Jeff Adachi comes out with another video or press release,” Godown said.

UPDATE: Thursday, 3/31/11, 10am: At a press conference, SFPD Chief Jeff Godown says it will be ‘business as usual’ at the Richmond District station after latest dropped case. [SF Examiner]

Sarah B.

Clement Street merchants received flyers yesterday from the Richmond District police station (pictured below). The flyer reports of increased commercial burglaries along the street, and advises merchants to beef up their nighttime security.

To avoid being the target of a break-in, police are suggesting that merchants secure their money and valuables in a safe after business hours, and leave some lights on inside their business at night.

The recent police blotters that the Richmond District police stations sent out don’t mention many Clement Street incidents, other than a burglary on the night of March 13th on the 500 block of Clement. A suspect gained entry into a business by first prying open a rear door, and then breaking a window. Cash was taken.

One Clement merchant who received the flyer told me she’ll be taking the police station’s advice and making changes to her after-hours security routine.

“I will for sure get a security box for cash changes. I’m going to leave more lights on at night like the police officer suggested, even if it will rack up my electric bill,” she said.

Sarah B.

This Saturday will mark the official grand opening of the Institute on Aging’s (IOA) new Senior Campus, located at 3575 Geary near Arguello. The project first broke ground in 2008 and includes a 3-story, 50,000 square foot building that houses offices and health and social support programs for seniors, along with a 150-unit residential housing development, also for seniors.

The IOA has been around for 25 years and its mission is to help seniors live independently, or “age in place” as some refer to it. To further that mission, the IOA offers a comprehensive array of programs and services that seniors can participate in by visiting the campus. Some participants come on their own, others via IOA transit vans that pick them up from their homes. Some are dropped off by family members or caregivers.

Once at the IOA Senior Campus, clients have access to a myriad of programming and services including art programs, geriatric care, psychological counseling, and social day programs.

I was taken on a tour of the new Senior Campus recently, which will welcome the community this Saturday, April 2 to a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony from 11:30am until 2pm.

It’s unlike any senior center that I’ve ever visited. There’s plenty of natural light flooding in to the building, peaceful courtyards, lots of pleasant earth tones and other natural touches, as well as state-of-the-art facilities to facilitate the health and social support programs that IOA offers.

The light and airy front lobby immediately sets the tone of the new building, which was designed by architect Ignatius Tsang of Tsang Architecture. Tsang wanted the building to reflect on the cycle of life and the wisdom that comes with age. To illustrate that, Tsang implemented a circular design to the building whose centerpiece is a round, open courtyard. Even as you walk through the curved hallways, you notice a tiled ring that runs continuously around the bottom floor.

The center courtyard of the new IOA Senior Campus, complete with fountain.

Tsang also kept his primary audience in mind while putting on the finishing touches. As you walk around the building, you notice a variety of floor materials, colors and textures blended in together. I was told this was by design as many seniors look down at the floor to aid in walking, so Tsang wanted to ensure that their view was as interesting as possible.

Another of the building’s highlights is the “Tree of Life” mural by artist Neil Seth Levine, which you see as soon as you walk in the door. Composed of over 1 million tiny glass tiles, the mosaic runs from the basement level all the way up to the second floor, and depicts trees and leaves in different times of day and seasons. When you see it in person, it’s hard to believe it only took two and half weeks to construct.

The Tree of Life mural by artist Neil Seth Levine, as seen from the 2nd floor above the lobby.
Inset: a closeup of the tiny tiles that make up the mosaic.

The new Senior Campus was 10 years in the making and cost $100 million to build. The 50,000 square foot building includes 70 offices, 2 activity / rehabilitation rooms, 5 conference rooms, and a large meeting room / auditorium. About 140 IOA staff will work in the new campus building, many of whom are being brought in from other IOA offices. All but one of the five Geary Boulevard campuses of the IOA will be merged into the new senior campus. Only the 2700 Geary location will remain open.

$15 million of the project’s cost was funded by donations to the IOA from private donors, just 210 to be exact. Longtime San Francisco philanthropists Richard and Rhoda Goldman provided a lead donation of $2 million to the project. The IOA’s total fundraising goal for the project is $18 million, so they are still looking for donations to help retire the debt.

Next door at 3595 Geary are the Coronet Apartments, a new 150-unit, low-income, residential housing complex for seniors. It’s managed separately by Bridge Housing, who rents out the studio, 1-bedroom and 2-bedroom apartments for $450 to $700 per month. The apartments are expected to have their official opening in June; about 40 units are currently occupied.

53 of the Coronet Apartments are allocated to participants in IOA’s PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program. PACE enables seniors with chronic health conditions to receive care in the community while continuing to live at home. In April, the IOA’s Senior Campus will open their PACE clinic, offering an array of medical services for PACE clients.

An outdoor area on the second floor. The Coronet Apartments overlook it from the right.

The new Senior Campus also includes a large meeting room on the lower level which the IOA has made available for public rental. The room includes a raised stage (with a wheelchair lift) and can hold up to 150 people. The room is also outfitted with full audio visual equipment. Revenues made from renting out the room will be put back into the IOA’s operating budget.

Also on the lower level are new class and storage rooms for the IOA’s Center for Elders and Youth in the Arts (CEYA) program. Art classes in poetry, dance, and the visual arts are taught around the Bay Area, some in collaboration with youth and youth organizations.

Aside from providing valuable art programming to seniors, CEYA also helps fund itself through its Corporate Art Lending program. The best works of art that come from CEYA participants are scanned, printed and framed in-house at the IOA, and are then lent out to corporations who pay a fee – $4,000 to $7,000 – to lease entire gallery exhibitions. The program offers complete gallery installations with themes like “San Francisco: Literal to Abstract”, “Time Changes” and “Flowers”.

One of the new CEYA storage rooms in the lower level. Those cabinets house the framed
prints that are part of the program’s Corporate Art Lending program.

In addition to being a valuable resource for seniors, the IOA also wants to be one for the community. The IOA mans a special phone hotline, 415-750-4111, that anyone can call with questions about senior health, aging, elderly care, anything really. There is an intake department at the new Senior Campus which answers the hotline and assists callers.

Janet Howell, Director of Communications and Marketing at the IOA told me they receive about 500 calls a month to the hotline, which is printed on senior literature that is distributed all over the Bay Area.

“We’d really like for the community to know that we are the premiere resource for aging. So whether or not we can help you personally, we should know who can,” Howell said.

To take a tour of the Institute of Aging’s new Senior Campus, stop by the grand opening event this Saturday from 11:30am until 2pm. For more information on the IOA, visit their website or call 750-4111.

Sarah B.

Another small courtyard off of one of the day program rooms.

The large meeting room / auditorium that is on the lower level. Available for public rental.

You might feel under-dressed when you visit the de Young Museum’s latest exhibition, Balenciaga and Spain. That’s because it features the timeless, elegant couture fashions of Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972).

The exhibition illustrates Balenciaga’s expansive creative vision, which incorporated references to Spanish art, bullfighting, dance, regional costume, and the pageantry of the royal court and religious ceremonies. Balenciaga’s impeccable tailoring, innovative fabric choices, and technical mastery transformed the way the world’s most stylish women dressed.

One great fashion icon deserves another, so the exhibition is guest curated by Hamish Bowles, European editor at large of Vogue. It features 120 haute couture garments, hats, and headdresses by Balenciaga. Some of the most iconic pieces include a dress ruffle inspired by the flourish of a flamenco dancer’s bata de cola skirt, an embroidered bolero jacket, and a velvet-trimmed evening gown.

The exhibition was originally conceived last year by Oscar de la Renta, who began his career in fashion working at Balenciaga’s Madrid couture house in the 1950s. For the de Young Museum, the themes were expanded to include twice as many objects, drawn from museum and private collections around the world, some of which have never been seen before. A special loan of seventeen pieces comes from Hamish Bowles’s own collection.

Balenciaga and Spain has six areas of focus that reflect themes from Balenciaga’s thirty year career: Spanish art, dance, bullfighting, religious life, the Spanish court, and regional dress.

As legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland vividly described him, “Balenciaga was the true son of a strong country filled with style, vibrant color, and a fine history,” who “remained forever a Spaniard… His inspiration came from the bullrings, the flamenco dancers, the fishermen in their boots and loose blouses, the glories of the church, and the cool of the cloisters and monasteries. He took their colors, their cuts, then festooned them to his own taste.”

The Balenciaga and Spain exhibition is open now at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park until July 4, 2011. Admission to the show is $25 for adults, $22 for seniors 65+, $21 for students with current ID, and $15 youth 6–17. Admission is free for museum members and children 5 and under.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the museum, and also include admission to the special exhibition Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico.

And don’t worry, black tie is not required for admission though I’m sure Señor Balenciaga would appreciate the gesture.

Sarah B.

Cristobal Balenciaga. House photograph of evening ensemble; dress of black silk crepe and
“chou” wrap of black silk gazar, winter 1967.

Cristobal Balenciaga. Evening bolero jacket of burgundy silk velvet and jet and
passementerie embroidery by Bataille, winter 1946.

Cristobal Balenciaga. Evening ensemble of black silk gazar and wool, ca. 1951.

It’s great to see our local restaurants pitching in to help with the relief efforts in Japan. Last week we told you about Rumble Fish’s efforts (23rd & California).

Over the weekend we learned of a joint fundraising effort between the George Washington High School Eagle Pride Club and restaurant Volcano Curry at 5454 Geary near 19th Avenue.

The restaurant will donate 25% of each patron’s bill to the The Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund, established by the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC).

Just drop in to Volcano Curry for a meal anytime from now until April 30th and present the card below. And just like that, you’ll be doing your part for the relief effort in Japan. They’re open daily from 11am until 9pm.

Sarah B.

A RichmondSFBlog reader contacted me the other day, asking why one of his favorite local restaurants, Korean eatery Han Il Kwan, was closed for construction (1802 Balboa at 19th Avenue).

After a quick lookup of their permits on the Dept. of Building Inspection website, it appeared that they were making accessbility upgrades.

I visited the restaurant on Sunday where I spoke with Dennis, one of the managers. I suspected that the repairs might have been made in response to an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) lawsuit which have become very commonplace in the Richmond District, and the city.

Dennis confirmed that Han Il Kwan did complete the repairs after pressure from an ADA lawsuit.

The restaurant first received a letter in 2010, accusing them of being non-compliant with ADA regulations for disabled access to their restaurant and restrooms. The violations were with the entrance and restrooms. Dennis said while the entrance did not contain any steps, it was fairly steep. And the restrooms were too small to accommodate a patron in a wheelchair.

At first, Dennis said, they were angry and ignored the letter because they didn’t know what to do. But then the pressure continued and the owner decided to invest in the repairs. The building permit on file with the DBI lists the costs for the project at $35,000.

Repairs included the installation of a new, electric front door and completely new men’s and women’s restrooms that are large enough to accommodate a wheelchair, “and even allow it to turn and move around in the restroom,” Dennis explained. The restaurant was closed for 10 days during the upgrades, and just re-opened on March 23.

Disabled plaintiffs have filed numerous lawsuits against minority-owned businesses in the Richmond District, mainly restaurants and a gas station. Dozens of merchants have received these letters, which threaten further legal action if the business does not settle with the plaintiff or make the repairs.

Han Il Kwan’s case never went to court, and it’s unclear if in addition to their repair costs, there was a settlement cost for the restaurant. Dennis was unsure who the plaintiff was in the case or who their attorney was, but it sounds eerily similar to the cases we covered in a January article.

Ultimately, Dennis said, “we are very happy to still be in business.” When I spoke with him, he was well aware of the fate that businesses like the “Big Heart” Video Cafe on Geary met when they were forced to close down because they couldn’t afford the repairs and legal hassles. Other businesses that have closed include Thidwick Books on Clement Street and Pot de Pho Noodle House on Geary.

Out of curiousity, I took a look at records on justia.com to see if Craig Yates, the plaintiff I wrote about in January, is still filing ADA suits against local businesses. The answer is yes. His latest filing, from March 16, is against You See Sushi at 94 Judah in the inner Sunset.

Let’s hope that the city’s efforts to educate small business owners on the issue is well underway. Back in January, Supervisor Carmen Chu announced a campaign to educate small business owners about about their legal rights and responsibilities with regards to ADA compliance.

But even if educated, most small businesses are not able to afford a $35,000 price tag like Han Il Kwan paid to make their accessbility upgrades. And many mom and pop businesses don’t even have a lawyer.

Clearly these lawsuits are not going away, and the plaintiffs and their lawyers are persistent – and very patient. Unfortunately we’ll likely see even more businesses close this year in the Richmond District as the suits filed last year, move forward.

Sarah B.

The new front door which can be opened electronically.

The two new restrooms in the rear of the restaurant, both accessible. Inset: inside the women’s restroom.