[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of April 29, 2011. To be added to the station's mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]

CAPTAIN RICHARD CORRIEA’S MESSAGE
On April 27, 2011 SFPD Captain Greg Suhr was sworn in as our Chief of Police. He is a fourth generation San Franciscan and a thirty-one year veteran police officer with tremendous experience and outstanding credentials. Chief Suhr is well respected by members of the department and, speaking for all of us here at Richmond Station, I can tell you that we are just delighted and inspired by his appointment and we look forward to his leadership.

On Saturday April 23, 2011 Richmond Station participated in the Recreation and Park’s annual Spring “Eggstravaganza” Rib Barbeque cook-off competition. You may recall that last year, much to the chagrin of the other more experienced contestants, we took top honors for our barbequed ribs. Our competitors from other stations and fire houses were ready this year—but not ready enough. Team Richmond took first place trophies for ribs and desserts. We also won the trophy for best presentation. We raised a great deal of money for Recreation and Park Programs and everybody had a great time.

There have been three aggravated assaults in Golden Gate Park in the last ten days, and seven trees have been vandalized. If you notice any suspicious activity in or around the Park please call 911 immediately.

On April 30, 2011 between 10:00AM and 2:00 PM we will be participating in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Take Back Program. A receptacle will be set up in the lobby at Richmond Station for folks to deposit unwanted prescription medications for environmentally friendly destruction. Please drop off any outdated or unneeded prescriptions that you may have at home.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 04/24/11 at 9:00pm a male who lives on the 2600 block of Sutter contacted the police to report that he was the victim of a burglary. The crime occurred over a two day period while he was away from his home. Officers responded and spoke to the victim as well a neighbor. The neighbor told the officers that on 04/23/11 at 2:30am he heard a loud bang and noises from the victim’s residence. He looked out the window and saw a female placing a computer and other items into a cab. The neighbor noted the cab company and cab number. While Richmond Station Inspectors continued to investigate the incident officers downtown took a female suspect into custody for a shoplifting on 4/25/11. The suspect had in her possession property belonging to the burglary victim. It was later determined that she was the suspect from the burglary and was charged accordingly.

On 04/24/11 at 3:00am officers were called to a fight that was occurring on the 3100 block of Cabrillo. The caller stated he could hear arguing coming from a dark SUV parked in front. Officers located the two subjects inside the vehicle. During the investigation it was determined that the male suspect was in possession of Methamphetamine. The 34 year old was charged with narcotic violations.

On 04/25/11 at 2:50pm officers were called to a fight in progress on Manzanita and Mayfair. The call was updated that the victim was attempting to detain a male who was trying to break into cars. Officers arrived and took custody of the suspect. The victim told the officers that he was walking back to his car when he observed the suspect trying the door handle of the vehicle. The suspect walked away from car and tried the door handles on 4 other vehicles parked along the street. The suspect then went into the Laurel Village parking lot and tried several more door handles. The victim then confronted the suspect, who immediately struck the victim in the face with an open hand. The suspect took off running. The victim gave chase while yelling to passerby’s to call 911. The victim caught up with the suspect and held him until police arrived. The 19 year old male was charged with auto tampering and battery.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
Between 04/22/11 at 5:45pm and 04/23/11 at 6:30am on the 100 block of 6th Avenue a suspect gained entry into a garage and took coins from the vehicle parked inside. There were no signs of forced entry.

Between 04/22/11 at 11pm and 04/23/11 at 6:15am on the unit block of Atalaya Terrace a suspect gained entry into
a residence while the victims were sleeping and took a bike that was inside. The front door is left unlocked.

On 04/24 at 5:00pm a victim was standing by her parked vehicle on the 300 block of 31st Avenue. The suspect approached her and started a conversation. The victim didn’t respond to the suspect’s overtures. The suspect then grabbed the victim’s cell phone from her hand and fled south on 31st Avenue. The suspect was a male, 17-18 years of age, wearing a blue “Hollister” sweater and blue jeans.

Between 04/25/11 at 5:30pm and 04/26/11 at 7:30am on the 400 block of 7th Avenue a suspect gained entry into a garage and took a Fastrak and tools from a vehicle parked inside. There were no signs of forced entry.

Between 04/25/11 at 9pm and 04/26/11 at 6am on the unit block of Lupine a suspect gained entry into a garage and broke into two vehicles parked inside. The suspect also took a bike. There were no signs of forced entry into the garage.

On 04/26/11 a fraud scheme was perpetrated in the district that resulted in an $80,000 loss. At 11am on that day a suspect approached a victim in a parking lot of a local supermarket. The suspect convinced the victim that he (the suspect) had two bags that contained a large sum of money. The suspect told the victim he wished to donate his cash to a church and the victim agreed to drive him to one that was nearby. When they arrived at the church the suspect exited the vehicle and climbed the front steps and knelt down to pray, but did not go inside. At that time a second suspect arrived and said he wanted to donate money as well. The first suspect told the second that he would need to prove he was trustworthiness if they were to become partners. The first suspect handed the newly arrived suspect a bag purported to contain money and drove around the block with the victim. When the victim and first suspect returned the second suspect was still standing there. The suspects convinced the victim that he should donate a large sum of money as well and that for participating in this deal he would make a large profit. The victim drove with the suspects to his home and removed cash from his safe. All three left the victim’s home. The victim then gave the suspects his money and in return they handed him their bag. The suspects then told the victim that to prove they were trustworthy the victim could drive around the block with their money, and they would hold onto the victim’s money. The victim then drove around the block and when he returned the suspects were gone. The victim checked the suspect’s bag and found it only contained newspaper. The suspects were described as males, 40-45 years of age, both spoke with accents. One of the suspects walked “bow-legged”.

A great pic of the intersection at Geary and Park Presidio from the SFMTA Photo Archives. The picture was taken to show new street lighting that was installed.

Photo from the SFMTA Photo Archive.

The fresh new facade of Cinderella Russian Bakery & Cafe

Cinderella Russian Bakery & Cafe at 436 Balboa must have gotten an invitation to the ball recently, because she’s all dolled up!

The cafe underwent an exterior face lift and added a new awning, tables, chairs and window coverings, giving the cafe a fresh new look.

The cafe was established in 1953 and is a neighborhood favorite for its authentic Russian pastries, meat pies and selection of entreés, soups and specialties.

According to their website, they are also now offering hot and cold sandwiches, and salads. You can even email or call ahead for curbside pickup.

Take that wicked stepsisters! Cinderella is stepping out.

Sarah B.

Inset: the before shot of the cafe’s exterior.

Sad news today from Ocean Beach where a surfer was found dead. The news was initially reported by Hugh from ob-kc.com.

A woman walking her dog along the north end of Ocean Beach came upon an unconscious, male surfer at about 11:45am, rolling around in the surf. There was no sign of a surfboard nearby.

According to Hugh’s tweets, several rescue units responded including a SFFD ladder truck, park police, lifeguards, surf medics and SFFD EMS.

They worked to revive the surfer for at least 20 minutes doing CPR, but were unable to save him.

Rescue workers guessed that the surfer may have been knocked unconscious while he was in the water, but it wasn’t clear what happened.

Hugh, who also surfs, said there was nothing particularly bad or unusual about today’s surfing condition. “It wasn’t big today, just messy, blown out wind crap.”

Thanks to Hugh for reporting on this very sad and unfortunate accident.

UPDATE 4/28/11: From SFAppeal: Dan McMenamin of Bay City News reports that Jonathan Luhn, 44, of San Jose, was identified today as the victim. Luhn was taken to the University of California at San Francisco Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy is scheduled for today, but the official cause of death might take weeks to determine, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Sarah B.

This Sunday from 1pm until 5pm, the Friends of Mountain Lake Park Playground (FMLPP) are hosting a playground party to kick off their upcoming renovation project.

Sunday’s party is a chance to have fun, meet other neighbors and also find out more about the plans for the playground renovation.

Activities will include face painting, a special appearance from a SFFD fire truck (1:30pm), live music from Enzo (3-3:45pm), free ice cream courtesy of Toy Boat Dessert Cafe, and a raffle with prizes like free tickets for the SF Giants, Conservatory of Flowers and Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park.

The FMLPP, a volunteer organization, is working with the Neighborhood Parks Council, Friends of Mountain Lake Park and the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Council to raise the necessary funds for the renovation, which they hope to complete by 2013.

FMLPP volunteer Jennifer Fetner estimates that the renovation budget will be in the range of $1.5 – $2 million dollars. The group hopes to raise half of the money in grants and the other half from private donors.

The party will be held at Mountain Lake Park Playground, which can be entered at 12th Avenue and Lake Streets.

Sarah B.

The main play structure at Mt. Lake Park Playground

Judging by the photos, families had a great time at SF Rec & Park’s Eggstravaganza Easter event last Saturday at Sharon Meadow in Golden Gate Park. There was an egg hunt, petting zoo, rides, games, face painting and lots of activities to keep everyone busy. See more pics

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Sarah B.

Golden Gate Park’s bandshell – made from toothpicks! Photo by Tinkering Studio

How many toothpicks does it take to depict the key landmarks of San Francisco, including Golden Gate Park’s Music Concourse bandshell and Dutch Windmill? 100,000 or so. Plus 35 years of hard work.

You’re looking at photos and video from Scott Weaver’s “Rolling Through The Bay” sculpture which is on display at the Exploratorium’s Tinkering Studio until June 19.

Not only is the city of San Francisco depicted with tiny toothpicks, Weaver’s sculpture is also a marble run, allowing ping-pong balls to take various tours through the city.

Weaver, a resident of Ronhert Park, CA, first debuted “Rolling Through the Bay” back in 2008. Another interesting factoid about the sculpture – it’s made from toothpicks thrown at him and his wife (in lieu of rice) during their wedding.

Hmm, that’s a lot of toothpicks… How many times has Scott made that trip down the aisle?

Sarah B.

One of Golden Gate Park’s Dutch windmills, depicted in toothpicks. Photo by Tinkering Studio

The recently remodeled interior of Ashley’s Cafe at 7th & California. Photo by Ashley’s Cafe.

On the recommendation of RichmondSFBlog reader Susan, I stopped in at Ashley’s Cafe on Tuesday night for dinner, located on the corner of 7th Avenue and California.

It was formerly known as Kaju Cafe, and is still run by the same owner, named Ashley. In early March, she reopened under a new name – Ashley’s Cafe – and debuted an interior remodel which is warm and relaxing.

On the cafe website, Ashley wrote about her inspiration for the change:

One day, I found myself alone again behind the counter wondering how to renew the dream. My passion for food and coffee is fourth generation to me! With a small core of family, neighbors, and friends I stalled my family’s future to rebuild this corner of sunshine. First came people with incredible charisma to work there, then, tweaking the cuisine. Finally, the remodeling.

In addition to a new look for the cafe, Ashley’s also extended its hours to stay open every night until 10pm. The menu is diverse and has a nice selection of hot beverages, breakfast, lunch and dinner items. The cafe also serves beer and wine.

For dinner, I had the homemade organic chicken pot pie with a side organic mix spring salad ($12). They also offer an organic vegetarian pot pie. The pie was delicious with a perfectly toasted, crusty top and an abundance of peas and chicken. The salad was very fresh with a light, tasty vinaigrette.

The homemade, organic chicken pot pie with side salad, $12.

Ashley’s menu includes several sandwiches like the Bulgogi Cheese Steak ($9), which was the recommendation from Valerie behind the counter. It’s made with a Korean beef that is marinated in pear juice, giving it a bit of a sweet taste. They also offer a traditional BLT with applewood bacon, an ultimate veggie sandwich, and your standard fare like salami, ham and cheese, and turkey avocado.

In addition to the usual breakfast fare like bagels, omelets, scrambles, and homemade granola, Ashley’s offers a unique dish that is sushi rice over two cage-free eggs with bacon or ham on the side ($10).

Ashley’s menu also includes a few salads, fresh-squeezed orange juice and lemonade, as well as a kid’s menu with items for $5 or less such as grilled cheese and turkey cheese sandwiches.

So the next time you’re looking for a casual spot to grab coffee or a meal, check out Ashley’s Cafe on the corner of 7th and California. They’re open Monday through Friday from 6am until 10pm, and from 7am until 10pm on weekends. The cafe also offers free WiFi (ask for the password at the counter), and advance ordering by phone.

I’ll definitely be heading back to try their hot chocolate, fresh lemonade and chocolate chip cookies – my faves!

Sarah B.