Lots of news coming from Aziza, the popular Moroccan-themed restaurant located on Geary and 22nd Avenue.

Aziza just celebrated their 10th birthday, as well as earning another coveted Michelin Guide star for the third year in a row.

Back in March, we got word that head chef and owner Mourad Lahlou was looking to move out of the Richmond District and re-open Aziza downtown at 500 Jackson Street.

Today EaterSF reports that Aziza will be staying put for the time being. “Lahlou continues to look for the right new space for Aziza, and operations at his existing Geary Blvd location remain up and running as usual.”

Phew, we dodged that bullet. I’d hate for the neighborhood to lose its Michelin star winner!

Lahlou will also be at Green Apple Books on November 19 for a meet and greet in honor of the release of his new 400 page cookbook entitled “Mourad: New Moroccan“.

This book is anything but a dutifully authentic documentation of Moroccan home cooking. The great classics are all here–the basteeya, the couscous, the preserved lemons, and much more. But Lahlou adapts them in stunningly creative ways that take a Moroccan idea to a whole new place.

Stop by Green Apple on November 19th at 1pm to meet Lahlou, check out his new book (+ get it signed!) and sample some of his acclaimed dishes from what critics call “by far the best Moroccan restaurant in the city”.

Sarah B.

On Saturday, hundreds laid down in the sand at Ocean Beach to spell out “TAX THE 1%” to support the current wave of “We are the 99%” protests taking place across the country.

The event was organized by Bay Area taxi driver Brad Newsham. “I work hard every day,” said Newsham. “It isn’t right that I pay higher taxes than billionaires like Warren Buffet. And actually, Mr. Buffet agrees with me on this.”

Newsham hired a helicopter and photographer to fly overhead and take pictures. He also organized the “Slash Oil” protest at Ocean Beach in June of last year.

RichmondSFBlog reader Jean B. was on the scene, where she spotted Richmond District Supervisor Eric Mar and Supervisor (and mayoral candidate) John Avalos.

Sarah B.

Supervisors Eric Mar (L) and John Avalos | Photo by Steve Rhodes

Photo by Steve Rhodes

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

CAPTAIN KEITH SANFORD’S MESSAGE
The Police Community meeting held on Oct. 18, at the Richmond Police Station Community Room had representatives from Assemblywoman Fiona Ma’s Office, Supervisor Eric Mar’s Office, Rec & Park, DPH, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, SAFE and the Richmond Station Police Advisory Board. It was agreed upon that Supervisor Mar’s Office with SAFE would continue the meetings with the community on issues involving events in the Golden Gate Park . Contact Morgan St. Claire from SAFE for additional meeting information at (415) 553 1984.

Starting this coming Monday, 10/31/2011, we’ll be working on the 15MPH School Enforcement Operations with all police districts throughout the city of San Francisco. If you are traveling through our school zones during school hours, please limit your speed to the posted speed limit and be aware of students, families and staff.

Our next PCRF (Police Community Relations Forum) will be on November 15th, 2011 at 1pm and 7pm. The guest
speaker for the evening meeting will be a representative from MTA speaking on Red Light Camera Enforcement.

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 10/16 at 1:50pm, a male driving a van traveled south on 6th Ave from Geary. As he was upset with the police for towing his car previously, and he was also mad at the DMV, he intentionally drove head on into a parked patrol car parked across the street from Richmond Police Station. The police vehicle’s front end sustained serious damage. The 63 year old male was charged with felony vandalism.

On 10/23 at 3:07am, officers were called to an auto burglary in progress on the 100 block of 9th Ave. The caller provided a description of the suspect and officers located him at 7th Ave and Lake St . The caller identified the male as the same that he saw trying to break into a vehicle parked in a nearby carport. The officers checked that vehicle and found no damage. They were unable to locate the registered owner to determine if anything had been taken from the vehicle. The suspect had in his possession, numerous shaved keys that are commonly used to burglarize vehicles. He was also in possession of a Garmin GPS, an I-pod and two car remotes for Mercedes Benz. The 31 year old male was charged with possession of burglar tools, possession of narcotics and attempted burglary.

On 10/23 at 7:30pm, officers were patrolling the area of Martin Luther King Dr. near the windmill. The observed the suspect standing in the middle of the street with can spray paint can in his hand. When asked why he was standing in the street the suspect told the officers “I am just trying to finish the Y.” The officers then saw large writing in the roadway. The writing said “YOU PEOPLE ROCK!!! THKS” The suspect told the officers that he just wanted to “let the people know they are doing a good job,” and “This place has been vacant for 30 years.” The 51 year old male was charged with vandalism.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
Between 10/18, 8pm and 10/21, 6pm on the 300 block of 23rd Ave , a suspect gained entry into an apartment via an unlocked door. The suspect took cash, a laptop computer and an I-touch.

Between 10/19, 5pm and 10/20, 9am on the unit block on Commonwealth, a suspect gained entry into a premise by prying open a window on the second floor. Once inside the suspect pried open 7 additional doors, damaging the doors and frame, but there appears to be no loss.

On 10/25 between 12:30pm and 5pm on the 400 block of 31st Ave , a suspect gained entry into an apartment and took cash and clothing. There were no signs of forced entry.

On 10/26 between 10:15am and 5pm on the 400 block of 11th a suspect pried open the front door to a residence and took cash. A neighbor reported hearing a loud bang around 4pm, but thought that the victims were home.

The surfers are coming! Next Tuesday, the 2011 Rip Curl Pro Search “Somewhere in San Francisco” event will kick off, featuring some of the sport’s top surfers as they battle the elements of cold, foggy and turbulent Ocean Beach.

The Rip Curl Pro Search is the only event on the ASP World Tour with a floating license, allowing it to move to a new location each year. While the Search events typically take place in warmer climates, organizers were looking for a tougher challenge this year.

“We chose San Francisco to reflect a completely different side of the Search,” said Rip Curl Marketing Manager Dylan Slater. “We also wanted to show the grittier side of the Search. It’s not all about tropical elements and Indonesia. This event is about the world’s best surfers versus the elements. The potential for Ocean Beach is big, perfect A-frames. And we wanted to see the Search interpreted in this completely new, different and lively environment.”

The contest will feature 36 of the world’s top surfers, vying for a piece of the $425,000 purse for the event. The event is comprised of a 12 day “contest window” during which organizers hope to have four full days of competition (27.5 hours total, based on 30 minute heats); ideally, days with the biggest waves and best conditions.

Among the field of competitors will be Kelly Slater, a household name thanks to his adventures out of the water with a bevy of celebrity romances. Slater is favored to win the San Francisco event, which would be his 11th World Title.

Despite its reputation for unruly winds, fog banks, and an arduous paddle out, two-time Search winner Mick Fanning is looking forward to the challenge, telling Surfer Magazine, “I haven’t spent any time in San Francisco so I’ll be scoping it for the first time. From what I hear they get plenty of swell and there’s some quality waves in the area. I can’t wait.”

To add to the grittiness of the event, personal water craft, aka jet skis, have been banned from the competition by the GGNRA. They’re typically used to tow competitors out to the big waves, and provide quick aid in the event of a mishap.

The event will also feature the nation’s top 16 junior surfers, competing in the Rip Curl Gromsearch National Final.

Every morning by 7:30am, organizers will decide to either run for an approximate 8am start or go on standby for a possible later start or call the event off for the day. As soon as the final call has been made, they will notify all parties, post message boards and update the event website. The latest contest call information can be found in the status bar of the live.ripcurl.com homepage.

The location of the competition will be Stairway 18-20 at Ocean Beach, across from the Beach Chalet restaurant. The site could shift further north up the beach to Kelly’s Cove at Stairway 1 if “conditions and or sand bars (which makes the wave take better shape) are much better than the main site.” More event info

If you can’t make it out to the beach or want to leave the chilly winds to the surfers, you can still catch all the action via the live stream from the Rip Curl website.

Surf’s up! Are you going to head out to Ocean Beach or tune in for the action?

Sarah B.

Ok, exhale… The Balboa Theatre will survive! The San Francisco Neighborhood Theater Foundation announced yesterday that it has teamed up with theater Director Gary Meyer to keep the Balboa open, and develop a long-term plan for its future.

And to prove their investment in keeping the theater open, the Foundation also announced that it has secured its lease through 2024.

Balboa Director Gary Meyer shared the news in his weekly newsletter this week, and talked about his role in the new partnership:

The Theater Foundation plans to initiate a fundraising campaign immediately to cover the costs of necessary repairs and improvements to the Balboa Theatre. I will continue to operate the theater under the guidance of our General Manager Roger Paul and his terrific staff for the time being but together we will look for someone who can put their full energy into making the Balboa an even better place to enjoy the movies.

As I have stated previously, I cannot do both my full time job at the Telluride Film Festival and all of the things necessary to make the Balboa a continuing success. There is a tremendous amount of “behind-the-scenes” work that goes on to get the films, promote them and oversee the business.

The Balboa Theater opened in 1926 and was built by the Levin Family who operated a network of San Francisco theatres that included the Metro, the Coliseum, the Coronet and the Vogue.

The SFNTF has a history of keeping old San Francisco movie houses going. It purchased the Vogue Theater on Sacramento near Presidio in 2007.

“It’s great to be able to save another of San Francisco’s last remaining neighborhood cinemas, said Alfonso Felder, president of the SFNTF. “Gary Meyer has done an incredible job keeping the Balboa going and providing the Richmond district with an exceptionally well programmed neighborhood theatre. We’re looking forward to working with Gary to establish a plan to keep the Balboa’s marquee lit for many more years.”

On November 5th at 10am, the SFNTF will host an open house at the Balboa. Members of the Theater Foundation’s Board of Directors will be present to answer questions and solicit input. Fundraising efforts will also be discussed.

Hurray for the Balboa and the SFNTF! I’m thrilled that this neighborhood landmark will remain open and provide entertainment for the next generations of movie fans.

Sarah B.

Adolph Sutro was a visionary whose passion for engineering, building and collecting culminated in his grand masterpiece – The Sutro Baths. The baths opened to the public in 1896 as the world’s largest indoor swimming pool establishment, and later morphed into an ice skating rink and museum, housing Sutro’s exotic treasures that he had collected from around the world. The Sutro Baths closed in 1966 and burned down soon after.

Next Friday, the Balboa Theater will premiere a brand new documentary about Sutro Baths entitled Sutro’s: The Palace at Lands End, directed by Tom Wyrsch who created the acclaimed 2010 documentary, Playland at the Beach.

Journey back in time to revisit Sutro Baths when it was in full operation. Through interviews, film footage, and hundreds of photographs, this film not only allows us to relearn and finally understand Sutro Baths’ history, but also to feel and experience it. See The Seven Pools, Sutro Railway, Merry Way, Sutro’s Cliff House, Ice Skating Rink, Egyptian Mummy Museum, Tom Thumb Exhibit, Musee Mecanique, Torture Museum, Lord’s Last Supper, Ito, Giggling Ghost, 1963 & 1966 Fires, Sutro Ruins, and much, much more. A nostalgic trip back in time told by historians and the people that were there. (84 min.)

As a native San Franciscan who is too young to have visited Sutro Baths, I am fascinated with its history. I love the videos of playful swimmers taken in 1897 just after they opened, and a glimpse into its later years as seen in the 1958 film “The Lineup”. All that’s left today are some oceanside ruins, but even those emit some of the old magic of Sutro’s playhouse.

I can’t wait to see the film, which brings together great video footage and photos that have been collected over the years of this grand San Francisco landmark. I guarantee that if you see it, the next time you glance on the ruins that are there today, you’ll have a whole different picture in your mind of what used to be.

The film opens at the Balboa next Friday, November 4 and runs for one week; tickets are available online ($7.50 – $10.00) or you can buy them in person at the box office.

Don’t miss it!

Sarah B.

Last week, the students at Argonne Elementary School at 18th & Cabrillo got a lesson in how to beautify their campus. Step 1: remove some of the concrete and replace it with a garden.

For the past 10 years, Argonne students have been visiting the Children’s Garden at the San Francisco Botanical Garden as part of their Youth Education Program. From that came a desire for Argonne to start its own garden on campus.

Then in February 2011, the Botanical Garden announced a new program called “Grey 2 Green”, designed to teach residents how to transform their sidewalks into attractive, landscaped areas. “Less concrete. More jungle.” is the program’s theme, which is a joint venture with the Department of Public Works.

Argonne School was selected to pilot the program and after 3 months of work, 240 square feet of sidewalk along Cabrillo near 18th Avenue was converted into a garden with 15 varieties of California Native plants, as well as bee and butterfly habitats.

The garden celebrated its grand opening last Friday which included a ceremonial planting of a Strawberry Tree (Arbutus Marina) by the students.

“Our school community has been transformed by this partnership with Grey2Green,” said Tina Eshaghpour, Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) Green Argonne Chair.

“We have seen concrete sidewalk, where people dump trash, transformed into a learning and community meeting place, where students delight in the butterflies that visit and neighbors pause to give us a smile and express appreciation for making our street more beautiful.”

Interested in transforming some of the grey outside your home into green? The Grey 2 Green program is still underway. Around 250 residents have attended the workshops so far this year, and the final one for 2011 will be held on Saturday, November 12 at the Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park from 9am until 10am.

Sarah B.

Thanks to everyone who voted in the mayoral poll here on the blog. As you can see from the results above, it’s still a pretty tight race.

Note that even though Ed Lee won the poll, these votes were cast before the latest controversies over his campaign that came to light this week. So we’ll see how this shakes out on election day.

Remember to vote for real on November 8!

Sarah B.