2013 Neighbor’s Guide to Outside Lands music festival in Golden Gate Park

64 Comments

1. I might be in the minority for saying this but I’m looking forward to Paul McCartney’s appearance at Outside Lands this Friday night. It’s been 50 years since the Beatles began and I’ve never heard any one of them live. This might be my only chance. I’ll probably hike over and see what I can hear from around the perimeter. Of course I’m not one to pay those prices for a ticket.

   For once I’d appreciate it if they’d really turn the volume up when he’s on stage.

   I’m sure others will disagree. Older folks usually do.

2. As a longtime resident, I don’t much appreciate an annoyingly loud, expensive concert rendering my neighborhood’s T-mobile cell service useless for a good part of two days (possibly the reason there were fewer noise complaints last year). Hopefully T-mobile can boost up their service to avoid that this year–that would be a big improvement.

   But I’m glad that some local business really rake it in this weekend.

   Anyway, from now on will probably find out when this concert is and go to Tahoe for the weekend!

3. In the last couple of weeks there have been a number of temporary special event cell tower units moved in around Hellman Hollow and the polo field. They have their own power generators as well. Some of them have the AT&T logo on the side, on others there doesn’t seem to be any identification apparent. I spotted them on my bike rides around the park. There seem to be more of these temporary units this year then for past events. Can’t tell if T-mobile is among them. Let’s just hope for the best.

4. Neighborhood insider tip: someone just told me the non-festival spot to best hear the bands is at the Casting Pools.

5. This afternoon (08/6/13) I went by the casting pools. This year there is a perimeter fence along JFK drive that looks like it would block direct access to the casting pools. There are gates included as part of the fence that look like they would be used to restrict access to the casting pools area during the event. There were a couple of mobile home/office trailers in the casting pool parking lot now so it looks to me like it might not be accessible during the event.

6. Hey thanks, Anonymous, for the info. Sounds like the cell phone service issue might be taken care of. That would be great. I have my fingers crossed (and the hotline number written down just in case!)

7. So if not the casting pools, does anyone else have a suggestion for a free spot to hear the bands on the Land’s End stage, polo fields, nearest to MLK and Middle Dr. W? I wouldn’t mind just hearing one band on Sunday evening… but am not really sure where would be a good spot near there to sit/stand for 90 mins. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Enjoy the weekend!

8. @ Adam
   I’d guess the easiest thing to do would be just go out to Fulton across the street and bring a lawn chair or something similar. Oh, and bundle up!

9. Does anyone know what was going on tonight? Preview? Special VIP concert?

10. I have T-Mobile and have never had a problem with cell service during any years. Nicole, I believe most of what we heard this evening were sound checks and possibly some rehearsing.

11. Had the windows open yesterday and heard Paul McCartney play Coming Up during soundcheck yesterday (Thurs.), sadly, it wasn’t followed by Temporary Secretary.

12. If you do use the OL number to register a complaint or problem be sure to call 311 and/or the non-emergency number 553-0123 also. If you don’t call an additional number your issue will not be in the official count. The claim that calls and complaints were down is misleading because it reflects calls to city services not the Outsidelands people. In the past (and last year especially) neighbors reported that they could not get through to the OL number and that the other numbers refused to accept their reports. Insist they take a report and get a ticket number.

13. @Richmond Resident: do you know if access to the casting pools is, in fact, blocked now?
    @Derek: Ya, you’re probably right. Thanks!

14. I thought I heard Paul McCartney sound check last night (Thursday) around 7 pm. Sound was pretty clear at 20th and Fulton.

15. My 10 & 12-yr-old kids were just denied access to the park via 47th Ave, so I had to get in the car and drive them around the end of the park on the Great Highway so they could meet friends at the Boat Park @ 45th and Lincoln. Per the hotline answerer, it’s up to the security guards at the gate whether or not to allow pedestrian access there. Since the OL website says nothing about that being closed except to vehicles, I’m on my way over there now to see what’s what.

    I support concerts in the park, but no ped access to non-concert areas? That’s BS. Will report back.

16. Please do, Cath. And good for you for putting them to an answer. I intend to try to ride my bike near Lincoln and 36th this weekend, so I’ll be interested in hearing how it’s shaking out. I too support the concerts, but there should also be reasonable access for bikes and pedestrians.

17. I walked in that way, the security guy tried to stop me, and I pulled out the “Neighborhood 311” pages I’d printed from the OL website. Showed him where it only says that entrance is closed to vehicles, not peds, and informed him I’d be walking in and out all weekend. He didn’t pursue me, so that’s my plan. I called 311 to complain, just to be sure they get this fixed for future years.

    I needed a walk, anyway.

18. Well, it’s Friday at 4:18 pm, and no T-mobile phone or texting possible in my area of the Outer Richmond parallel to the stage near Balboa.

    Curious if anyone else is having this issue.

19. I have the same signal I normally have and can make calls and text messages. I am between Anza and Balboa on 20th.

20. Hey Mel–glad you’ve got service! I’m around 33rd Ave, not an expert on cell service, but I’d think this area is more jammed with usage since it’s close to the show.

21. I dunno because there are two stages near me, panhandle and twin peaks. It could also be the type of phone. Sorry you are having problems with service.

22. Hi:
    Live at 28th ave and Quintara, 1 mile from park and hear music and can see lights. Way too loud for park animals. 311 didn’t want to take complaint, made him and asked for it to go to Mayors Community Services and one to Rec and Park (that’s a joke), then he put me thru to police noise complaints and they directed me to OL – joke again. I suggest we demand that police dept keep track of complaints. Commander Richard Corriea use to be RPD liaison for SFPD, not sure who is now. Please make sure to tell SFPD to LOG the call! I love music, am a native and attended free concerts in GG Park growing up – this concert closes the park off to too many people, way too loud, way to expensive, and runs too late. If ended at 7pm, just think of all the biz neighborhood restaurants would get. I can’t believe kids couldn’t get to other side, Cath – good for you to show the details about vehicles/walkers. Please notice bright lights…. go to sfoceanedge to learn more about bright lights at beach soccer fields every night til 10pm! Owls, other birds, star-gazing, will all be greatly disturbed.
    Enjoy the music!

23. I’m sure this posting won’t mean much to anyone reading it, but after five years of being in remission, I was re-diagnosed with cancer a month ago. I go in for surgery on Tuesday, and I’m stressed out at what they’ll find. I’ve been a renter in the Richmond district for 13 years, I’m a decent neighbor, and I’ve tried to be as tolerant as I can of of Outside Lands, but tonight I’ve finally reached my limit. I learned this evening, probably naively, that Another Planet’s “complaints” number is useless, especially if you’re calling to complain about the volume… they’ve clearly just created it to make it look like they’re concerned about Richmond district neighbors (or, as I was told by their representative Ashley tonight, “a chance to vent”), but have absolutely no intention of doing anything to actually respond or change anything. I’ve reached my limit with the outrageous volume of this year after year, three day, ten hour-a-day concert, and I’m finally contacting an attorney on Monday. I couldn’t even carry on a conversation in my apartment without having to consistently raise my voice over the distorted noise. It became very clear to me tonight there is no possible way an event this incredibly intrusive in so many peoples lives can possibly be legal. As someone mentioned above (and my neighbors did today), leave the home you pay mortgage or rent on in order to avoid this for three days? Something is very wrong with this picture. Those of us who live near the park and want the simple right to peace and quiet in our own homes have been consistently treated like animals by Another Planet Entertainment. We were never given an option, we were just told. Enough is enough.

24. @JT what can i do to help? I don’t want any $ settlement… if we win, i will donate it to charity. But how can I get this crap to stop?

25. Really feel your pain, JT: hope it goes well next week for you. For the chronically ill, mobility challenged and most of the elderly of Richmond and Sunset Districts this event, a loud racuous arena-style rock concert is an absolute three day/nightmare. The park was never designed for 75,000 people in one very tightly packed area, there’s no official parking for the event.

    What surprising is the majority of the residents of both districts are single- or duplex homeowners not renters, that’s elsewhere in the city, and these homeowners haven’t gotten together as an organized political group and filed a class action lawsuit against the city and APE for permitting this event to happen year after year with no repercussions. The Polo Grounds and environs aren’t Central Park never designed for loud arena anthemic concerts, but now of course OSL is the new Coachella and on the concert going circuit because it only seems that cranks complain about this event and not average Joe homeowner.The bass line is moderated this year compared to years past, but it must still be absolute misery for the residents up to a mile and a half around the perimeter of the Polo Grounds. I love many of the bands that play at OSL but even I wouldn’t host a rock concert in my backyard for the consideration of my neighbors and that is what it amounts to. Someone needs to go knocking door to door to petition BOS/SFP&R that there are sufficient numbers of property-tax paying homeowners that are disrupted and inconvenienced by this event. All it it takes is one grassroots organizer to do something about it. As a long as only a few people complain, it won’t be taken seriously, but if that person has the power of numbers behind him or her, that’s a different story, as those are voters that can vote someone out of office. Just my 2c.

26. we had a community meeting last year in the Community Room — after begging for one for 3 years. The Capt. and his Lt. stood and praised APE for 20 minutes — and no residents were allowed to speak. Then APE praised the SFPD for 20 minutes — and no one was allowed to speak. When people grew restive and started to raise their hands, the Capt. leaned forward, pointed, and barked quite threateningly that no one was to speak. After about 40 minutes, people realized that this was all just a game, and some left. One very intelligent, calm, well-spoken woman was allowed to speak. she sounded like she knows the workings of the City of SF pretty well. She requested an accounting of the revenues for Outside Lands — but she hardly got to the 3rd sentence because David Heller (who had walked in about 5 minutes before — not quietly, like someone sorry to be disturbing a meeting, but loudly and walked briskly across the room to the far side instead of standing near the door. Though other people had been cautioned not to speak, for some reason, no reprimand was given when David Heller stood up (!), started pointing his finger at the women and yelling angrily (yes, yelling) “What do you want that information for?! You have no right to that information! What are you going to do with that information?!” As I said — no reprimand at all. And Mr. Heller, who is so involved with City and Richmond district politics, certainly must know that any citizen has every right in the world to request financial information regarding public property and public agencies. And it is absolutely no business whatsoever of his what that person might want it for. It was very strange to have someone who runs a beauty supply shop exhibit such angry, hostile and bizarre behavior and not have him asked to leave.

27. My sister lives on 21st at Cabrillo. I tried to warn her when they moved there since I know. but damn hard finding an apartment in SF. she is pregnant. baby due Aug 18. she has 2 kids, 2 and 5. she called me just now and told me the kids wouldnt take a nap or sleep or stop crying last night cat hiding under the bed all day. told me that at 9:30 she was lying in the bathtub with the door closed and toilet paper stuffed in her ears crying. nd she started crying when she called this morning saying she couldn’t take another 2 days. saw my neighbor yesterday morning putting stuff in her car. asked if she was leaving. she said yes and was really angry. two little kids. they are forced to go to her mothers in Sunnyvale every year.

28. Took the 31 bus inbound and my T-mobile 3G cell service worked again by the time I got to 28th Ave. So it seems like this particular problem may be a relatively localized issue, but still bad enough. I’d hate to think of anyone in need of emergency medical or other assistance being “out of luck” because of this concert and T-mobile’s failure to provide adequate service for a totally predictable problem.

29. Can’t stand the noises and pollution. Too much stress on the natural resources of the park. Unfair to rope off a public resource and charge admission. Noise pollution is as real as a physical intrusion. Parking situation is extreme hardship for those residents who really on street parking.

    Posted for Veterans Elec too.

30. Doesn’t seem like there is any accomodation on the part of the organizers and the only people sacrificing are the neighbors. I think residents shoudl get free street parking permits during this time. Everyone else 2-4 hours parking only. The city should love that idea! That way they can give out parking tickets, their favorite hobby/fundraiser!

31. Suzie again (#12 above). 100 feet south of the park off Lincoln Way. Paul McCartney was wonderful and enjoyed listening to him. A techno group or one with deep bass will not be so pleasant at the same decibel level. As someone put it: When I can hear it clearly inside with doors and windows shut and feel it when I touch the walls or the wine in my glass shimmies it is too loud.
    Cell phone reception has dropped significantly. My neighbor who has tickets says he checked his phone for messages and it showed none. Got to the Polo Fields near the boosters and suddenly he showed 4 text messages from earlier in the day.
    Lots of town cars trolling for passengers last night – a few with out of state plates. Folks in personal cars driving around late last night offering rides for cash. Neighbor with tickets also reported lots of food and beer vendors (unsanctioned?) outside of the venue; has high praise for the bacon hot dog. Guy on the corner selling water at $1 per bottle.
    Just watched a guy park his Mini a foot in someone’s driveway. When his passenger told him he was too far in he got out, looked and said he left them plenty of room & that they (the homeowner) didn’t need all the space. They left the car there and went to the park.
    People are entering the park where ever they want, tromping over vegetation and not using the paved paths – there is nothing pointing towards any of them either.
    Another neighbor asks: Why is it that the folks near the America’s Cup venue got a decibel limit & crowd limit? If a neighbor was having a party and it was this loud and causing parking issues he says he could call the police and they would come and handle the situation. He makes a good point.
    Still – looking forward to Hall & Oates!

32. PARKING HELL!!!!! music great, location great, money for the city great, but pissing off the people that live around the park is UNCALLED FOR!!!! OL should do something for us! (A FREE CONCERT, SOMETHING). we are the ones that suffer! and that’s that!… having this site to vent is also a laugh for OL… as if they even read any of this that people write! maybe the city should make them read each of these and reply to each one!

33. @Kenbo: that was last year, there was a paid APE intern that acted as a troll on this blog and was extremely combative with all of the complaints all the while extolling the virtues of the event. She said she “lived” in the Outer Richmond, but I bet that was really an office space for APE to coordinate vendors from one location near the venue. Wonder what she’s doing today; probably has better things to do than troll the Internet for anti-OSL/APE postings.

    Re: the neighborhood parking situation, when the concert promoters state “there’s no official parking for the event,” that says volumes about the impact the event will have on the surrounding location. On the weekdays leading up to OSL if you have a street side parking space and there’s no street cleaning, DO NOT move your car after Tuesday night.

34. NO, NO, NO! I fled my house yesterday and came home at 8:30 and was amazed that the sound was tolerable. By 9 p.m., the walls and floorboards were SHAKING and I was IN HELL again — excruciating.

    Now, 10 a.m. — and they’re BLASTING the soundchecks again.

    Is there another concert in the US that is held across the street from residences, right in the midst of a residential area – -that is allowed to got TWELVE HOURS A DAY for THREE DAYS? I do not believe so.

    This is actually CLASS WARFARE. This concert is here because the Richmond district does not “contribute” vast money to political candidates and mostly because we are a neighborhood of Chinese, Russian and Vietnamese immigrants. Because of this, our residents fear the government, expect it to run roughshod over them, and will NOT stand up to it or complain.

35. Suzie — what is it you don’t understand here?

    EVERYTHING about this concert is illegal. EV-ER-Y-THING

    There are occupancy restrictions for every area of GGPark — they are ignored. There are legal restrictions on noise levels — they are ignored. Golden Gate park is PUBLIC PROPERTY — it belongs to taxpayers, not to APE or Ginsberg — yet the owners of this property, the taxpayers are DENIED ACCESS AND USE OF this property for a full week in the midst of summer.

    Our property — Golden Gate Park — is being seriously damaged. The cumulative effects of all these huge events (Bay to Breakers, Outside Lands, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass) are shocking. I have watched it.

    Residents of this area are literally TORTURED for three days and driven from their homes. the SFPD turn over their job to APE, who ignore us and laugh at us.

36. THIS HELL. I am trapped in HELL.

    . Do we have to form a militia and seize our own public lands? Maybe that is actually what we have to do. The police ignore the laws. clearly been bought Promoter pays them off by hiring hundreds of cops for this. they wont bite the hand that feeds em. I pay $8000 a year in property taxes. For what? so I can be forced out of my own home and refused access to my parks and have the cops participate in torturing us?

37. reading the 1st posting here again. Richmond Resident is clearly a shill. APE or Mar wrote or had some as–licker of theres write it. sounds like some deaf teddybearish person clearly sucking up for
    something

38. It seems to me that the original OP merely enjoys Paul McCartney. Just because someone does not have the same viewpoint as you, this does not make him or her a shill for the BoS, Another Planet, Parks and Rec, etc. Thus, there is no need to toss insults at those who simply disagree with you.

39. Suzie again: Last night was pretty loud but it has been worse in the past. Couldn’t get through to the OL number (kept getting busy signal) and got disconnected at 311 when I insisted they take the complaint.
    The bacon hot dog folks got run out of the park and set up on the corner around 7:00pm. Two vendors right on the corner and another two houses in. They were blocking people as they crossed the street and running up trying to get customers slowing progress. They were also going to the cars that stopped for folks in the crosswalk. Neighbor called 311 & was transferred to non-emergency. SFPD showed up within 5 minutes & chased the two on corner but the one further away took off and hid behind a car. She started to set up again but saw something that spooked her and she left. They must have stayed nearby because we saw folks eating as they walked by.
    After the concert we saw a girl getting carried by two people; we were told she slipped on the plants trying to climb up to Lincoln Way to the bus stop. Of course it isn’t a paved path and there was no lighting.
    Neighbor from around the corner who was over last night says he was hit up twice by town cars and once by someone in a van while walking home @ 10:30pm.
    At least four times last night private buses turned off Lincoln Way and headed up the block – we aren’t a bus route! With town cars double parking for “clients” and folks flooding the street it made for a dangerous situation.
    Around 1:00pm saw a guy with a dolly loaded with at least 5 cases of beer head into the park.
    Hall & Oates are on now. Even though it is loud enough to hear the walls and windows aren’t vibrating like they were last night during Nine Inch Nails. Sometimes its not the music it is the kind of music.

40. Unless we could somehow round up every city official in San Francisco, along with everybody who works for APE, and force them to be on site for Every Single Minute of this 3-day massive migraine so that they would be forced to finally “get it”, I’m afraid nothing will change. It’s all about the money. If I wanted to listen to the bands playing this year, I would have bought a ticket. BUT I DON’T WANT TO. I do not begrudge those who want to. Knock yourselves out, have fun! Just don’t force everyone within a few square miles to listen to it too, inside their own apartment or house, for 10 hours a day. And no–no one should be forced to leave–temporarily or permanently–so that the mostly out-of-towners or out-of-city concertgoers can have three days of fun, fun, fun at everyone else’s expense. I like some of this music–truth be told, I liked listening to McCartney on Friday–but I still don’t think it was right to blanket two entire districts with the sound.

    The arguments that this is an urban environment, so we should deal with it; that it’s “only” three days a year, so we should deal with it; that we’re just complaining because we are old farts who don’t like to see anyone else having a good time; that it’s all worth it because somehow the city will reap economic benefits (but the public is not specifically told who, what, or how much)–these are all a disingenuous attempts to deflect the real issue: that few resident of the Richmond or Sunset were given a genuine say in this, and no one in any authority seems willing to address the complaints and offer even a compromise in any significant way. When I called the Richmond District police dept today, for the first time, to complain, I was given the APE number (useless). When I insisted on the police dispatcher taking my complaint and giving me a number, she did so. When I asked if anything would happen with my complaint, she said, “No.” Well, at least she was honest.

41. Many pooh pooh complaints about loud noise. But it has severe adverse health impacts.. Especially vulnerable are those who already have lost hearing and hear loud noises louder than those with normal hearing. SF has a noise ordinance. The State of California requires each jurisdictions need to have one. Concert noise levels need to conform to the SF noise ordinance.

    Another Planet says the city makes a lot of money out of holding the concerts. You can find out exactly how much by getting a copy of contract from the city through a Freedom of Information request. But how much money does Another Planet make? It is certainly not doing this for free.

42. What a joke. When I called the hotline number about use yesterday I was told if the get calls from an area they go check the volume. I asked how I can find out if they followed through and ran tests and if I can get the results of those tests. I was told I could not get that information and that I would have to trust them.. No recourse and no accountability. If there is not a larger action initiated by the neighborhood I simply intend to file small claims actions against them and potentially the city. If enough people file these cases they will need to spend a lot of money in legal fees to defend it because if they don’t answer to defend they will lose a default judgement. Each claim will only be for $5000 or so but if even 100 people file small claims suits the total cost of defense alone will become significant for them. It is time to make them stop and be accountable for their actions. Urban environment is one thing, but opening an open air concert venue across from where I live is beyond that. Imaging the reaction of the folks up in Pacific heights if this kind of noise was coming out of Alta Plaza Park. It wouldn’t be deemed a consequence of urban environment.

43. Golden gate park was sold to ape. This is not ours any longer. Where is the environmental impact studies? I know firsthand there are owls,coyotes,hawks,foxes,etc. that make this their home. They have no choice as to where to live. The park is not suitable for this large an event. Move this to shoreline. I use the park for exercise etc. and am shut out for a week. i know it will smell like urine for days. Trash will be everywhere and plants trampled. Like every year. Way to go sf! We think we are so green and progressive. what a joke. i love music and have BOYCOTTED every year. This is not right place for this activity. I live mile and half away and my dining room table vibrates as I am eating dinner – thanks vampire weekend. I can’t believe people think this is appropriate use of the park. Wtf. Angry homeowner & tax payer. I am a musician but this is bs.

44. Just called number from ol. Took my info, told me they can send volume meter, I said it’s over in an hour. Girl was confused. I got clear impression they won’t do jack with my complaint.
    I called 311, they said call ol. I said transfer me to police, they did. Dispatcher said call ol. I said did so. Anything else I can do? They said no. There is nothing else because APE has a noise permit.
    Who is the official that grants this and why is he still employed? Oh never mind. It’s sf.
    We sold our park to corporate BS. Welcome to the new order.

45. UGH! I just called the hotline to complain about the loud music (9:20 pm Sunday). The person who answered the phone offered to send someone out to check the noise level — I told him not to bother–. If I can hear the music perfectly with all doors and windows closed, it’s too loud. I can deal with the privatization of GG park for a week, and I can deal with the actual festival and its attendees on Friday and Saturday, but late Sunday night?! I have to be up at 4:50 am Monday. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ music is not my idea of a soothing lullaby. PLEASE end the show by 7:00 on Sunday. At least pretend you consider the impact on the neighborhood, APE!

46. Gerry:

    I will certainly be filing with small claims with you, and I encourage everyone on this board to do the same. Please keep us posted on any information you may have on this blog. This is the first step to seeing change.

    A posting above describes a (there were actually two of them) meeting that was held with the SFPD, Rec and Park, and Eric Mar’s representative re: these concerts a year or so ago. I was at that meeting, and we knew it would go nowhere. Mr. Mar never even made any attempt to show up; he sent his aide instead. We all agreed on decibel levels, and I can tell you that listening to the appalling volume of the concert right now as I type this, those agreements have clearly gone out the window.

    Eric Mar was very aware that when David Lee was running against him as supervisor that Mr. Lee had planned to deal with these concerts when he got into office. Mar started a smear campaign falsely accusing Lee of trying to stop rent control when he realized he was losing the election, and snuck his otherwise-unemployable self back into office. Within a month he had renewed the city’s contract with Another Planet for another NINE YEARS, which was his way of spitefully throwing a tantrum that his constituents had planned on voting him out of office due in large part to his promoting these concerts. This is how he’s treated the people in his district. The money to these concerts go to Rec and Park, but I am more than confident there’s quite a bit of it going under the table to several others also.

    Despite the incredible amount of crap neighbors have had to put up with these concerts, Another Planet or Hardly Strictly have NEVER offered to compensate neighbors for all the discomfort these concerts have caused us in any way. For what they’re making off our inconvenience, they should be putting everyone in hearing distance up in the Hilton for three days. Instead, they continue to collect the money at our expense and the concert’s volume grows louder year after year.

47. I initially called the OL hotline this evening when Vampire Weekend made my teeth and apartment rattle (actually, I called this morning during the ridiculously loud soundcheck, but even though they say the line is staffed at 10am, no one answered at 10:15am). The woman who answered said they would take into account my complaints when reviewing decibel levels for next year, so obviously means nothing for this year. She was useless. I followed the advice above and called 311 – they said I had to call the non-emergency police line (he also sounded confused as to why I was calling 311 even though others have obviously called). When I spoke to the dispatcher at the non-emergency line he initially told me to call the OL hotline and I said I had already and repeated what they told me. He then said he’d send out a police car under some other complaint for me, and that when they got here I could talk to them. They were all very honest though that we couldn’t do anything, but they said they had had a lot of complaints. I suppose if enough people call and complain and get the police out maybe something will have an effect. Both the dispatcher and the police who came to talk to me (who were incredibly nice!) seemed very interested that the girl mentioned reviewing decibel levels for next year, i.e. was blatantly ignoring this year.

    It’s 10:20pm now on Sunday and I can still hear people on the streets, despite living on the fourth floor of a building and shutting all my windows. I also witnessed some really dangerous driving yesterday where people almost ran over pedestrians in an effort to get to a parking spot.

    I also sent an email to the National Park Service, as they are the agency that actually runs GGP. This is from their mission statement on their website:

    Park Mission
    The Golden Gate National Parks mission is to preserve and enhance the natural, historic and scenic resources of the lands north and south of the Golden Gate for the education, recreation and inspiration of people today and in the future.

    Preserve and enhance – what a joke.

    I’m willing to do anything to get this to end. It’s worse each year and the neighborhood and park suffer. If they can recall the governor, surely we can recall Mar?? I live a mile from the main stage (26th/Geary) and it shouldn’t be this loud. My parents live on 11th/Fulton and they can hear it all too.

48. Nine more years? Say it ain’t so…I am stunned. This park does not belong to park and rec. it belongs to the residents of sf, ca, or USA. Not some self serving agency that wants to fatten its budget at residents expense. Get these crooks out.

49. You can thank your wannabe-hipster supervisor for that one, Erik. And he’s supposed to be representing US, not working against us.

    And mel: I think you may have missed the point of HELL’s APE posting about Paul McCartney: Richmond Resident had to make a little jab at the end of his comment (“Older folks usually do.”) Obviously the Einstein doesn’t seem to realize the “older folks” grew up listening to McCartney… he’s 71, for Christ’s sake! This sounds like the same person who was making similar nasty little posts a couple of years ago to get a reaction (“Louder music, please.”)

50. Just walked out to the ATM on Geary. Tons of concert-goers walking east probably because three packed 38s passed them by in the Inner Richmond and no town car was gonna pick them up this far from the venue. You would think the hoodie generation would have been told to dress appropriately for a San Francisco summer but no. This event needs to move primarily for the lack of parking and ingress/egress issues of that portion of the park. It is not well served by public transportation because the planners never envisioned one tiny corner of the city to hold 75,000 people at once. Any event that bills itself as having no official parking has bought out the local pols and those elected officials have sold out constituency for a profit. It’s sad what a once proud city had come to: sold out to outsiders who neither respect the rights of the residents nor recognize the traditions that make San Francisco what it once was.

51. Hey Mr. Mar. If I wanted to wake up to urine at my front steps, trash at the front of my house and impossible parking, I would have bought a house in the Tenderloin.

    They need to just this thing down to two days and shut down the event at 7pm every night.

    Let me know how to do the small claims thing because I’m in!

52. Dan, you guys went off on the “J” guy (I think it was his name) last year and the one before. He did not sling insults initially, and this did not occur until it got to the point that others were doing so first. My point is just because someone does not agree with the banter; they/we are labeled shills and such. I personally do not have a problem with the concert. However, if they are indeed breaking laws then do take it to court and pursue it to the fullest degree. But, for the past 3 years, I have read loads of complaints and idle threats of doing so, yet no word of true action.
    I live on an Ave in which the acoustics of all stages (it is not limited to the latter part of the park) intersect. There was an MC hip-hop concert I found a bit annoying, but that is mostly due to my personal taste. I did like hearing Stevie Wonder last year, Paul McCartney this year and the Red Hot Chili Peppers from in front of my doorstep. Additionally, my Ave is also horrible for parking throughout the year. It is also a thoroughfare for the Fulton, 31, and 38 lines. As a result, on any given weekend, there is loads of trash, loud people, and urination at times (especially after USF and SF State starts the fall semester). I am sure my Ave is not unique to this but it seems many forget that this is an on-going thing in our neighborhood and throughout most of the City.
    So, as I said, not everyone is going to agree with you. And, allow me to affirm, I am not a shill, I think Park and Rec is quite flawed, and I DID NOT vote for Mar in the last election. I am not a “whippersnapper,” I am 41. So, please do not accuse me of anything (not specifically directed to you Dan). I do not agree that the festival should be killed if it is within legal parameters as decided by a court. On the flip side, if it is not, I support that as well.

53. Thanks, Mel. If I remember correctly, “J’s” logic was very manipulative and something started to look very fishy in his postings, and several of us noticed it. I can’t remember the exact postings, however. He started to sound like a union rep who definitely had an agenda other than what we were talking about. Re: your neighborhood having trash, loud people and urination on any given weekend, I live right on Fulton across the street from GGP and have never witnessed that – unless there is a concert going on. My street is usually kept very clean. I totally agree with you re: “legal parameters…” from what I and many others are seeing, however, it is NOT being operated within those, nor within the agreements we made in meetings with the city, APE, Rec and Park and the SFPD a couple of years ago. Personally, I have to agree with Suzie: I work communicating with people all week, it’s my job. I greatly value coming home to peace and quiet in my own home, especially on the weekends. This is clearly not my idea of that..I can only tell you that living across the street from this concert this year was appalling. I was unable to be heard talking in my own apartment.

    I also enjoyed listening to Stevie Wonder last year. Somehow the fog was just right that night. I DID NOT enjoy listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers or Paul McCartney blasting in a very vibrating, distorted manner through my apartment windows this year. I have a right to peace and quiet in my own home, and I pay for that. If I want to go see Lady Gaga or the Scissor Sisters as I did last year, I fully understand and respect that others may not enjoy listening to them. So I see them in an auditorium, where I don’t foist my preferences onto others who may not want to participate and force them to have to listen to them with me. It’s about boundaries and having the right to make a choice.

    Lastly, I also agree with your statement that “…for the past 3 years, I have read loads of complaints and idle threats of doing so, yet no word of true action.” This is the crux of our problem. The Richmond district seems to be a district with a great deal of apathy compared to say, the Mission or the Castro, and a lot of that may be cultural. Until people step up and start meeting, sharing information as to how to stay together on this (for instance, Gerry’s small claims idea is an excellent plan), and being a little more assertive, the complaining will be limited to the Richmond District Blog, which will get us nowhere. I’ve written to Feinstein, Pelosi and Brown tonight, and am in the process of looking for an attorney tomorrow. I encourage as many people as possible to follow through also. Their sites and email addresses are on the web. Otherwise, there will just be a successive series of years where things will only get worse. I agree with Erik: these people are crooks, and a number of us have been taking the brunt of it for years now. And it’s all due to apathy.

54. (Monday morning) I enjoyed hearing Paul McCartney Friday from the sidelines with a couple of hundred other people in the “Peanut Gallery” outside the VIP entrance next to Spreckels Lake. With the slight hills of the Richmond District and the mix of one to four story buildings the impact of the noise/music would seem to vary widely due to sound waves bouncing various ways. I wonder if the largest stage should have been at the out end of the polo field so the music would go the other way? Was the layout the same last year or did they change it?

    We can at least all be thankful for the cool August weekend. The impact would have been worse if it was one of those hot spells where we have to leave the windows open all day/night long.

55. This is our 4th year of living at the entrance (30th & Fulton). The improvements I saw were —

    * concert goers seemed less wasted (loud) as the herds walked up 30th at concert end each night. Maybe beer prices went up.

    * music wasn’t as loud as last year (to us) – plates didn’t rattle.

    * dates — thankfully, they kept it on the weekend before the weekend of back to school for us sfusd families.

    Worse than before —

    * less traffic control on our block. Last year police on motorcycles kept people from double parking. Not this year — towne cars, cabs and mustache cars were double parked 24/7.

    * neighbors renting parking resulting in “businesses” in front of homes — seems several neighbors wanted to make $ off the event by renting their driveway parking spot. Great, if you use a reputable service that makes a small fee and keeps the arrangement as somewhat accountable, but a new homeowner neighbor who we assume rent through CL had two SUVS parked outside for three days with a business set up — the sellers had two young children screaming “bottled water $1” in front of the rented parking spot until 10:30-11pm each night. Rent your driveway and it seems you could be adding to the madness.

    * street vendors — guys roaming up/down 30th selling t-shirts from dyffle bags, an older woman each night who had a moving truck loudly loading her hot dog stand at 12am. We see traffic control at many major events policing foot traffic, but in this case, there is no monitoring of the insane foot traffic that floods 30th at concert end.

    The upside, for me, was hearing Paul McCartney, but the trashing of the neighborhood takes people behaving badly to a new level.

56. Mar and the SFPD and the unions have wrapped up, tied with a ribbon and delivered us on a platter to APE in exchange for a lot of jobs for their boys (and girls). and reporter who tries to complain suddenly gets free backstage passes or invited to a box seat the a 9ers game — and that’s the end of that. What we have here, folks, is a truly awesome example of ignoring the law and graft and corruption and collusion between branches of city government to do it. What has Mar ever done for this district but sell it out to the highest bidder?

    You know Mar had so few supporters in the Richmond that he couldn’t even gather enough signatures before the last election to have his filing fees waived — and all he had to do was get people to sign a paper saying they wanted him to run, NOT that they’d vote for him…) In the last few days, he had to spread the same lie he used to beat Sue Lee the first election — which is that his opponent was going to stop rent control. Not even a campaign issue. Not even possible in this city. Not on anyone’s agenda. The level of desperation would have been funny if it wasn’t so pathetic. Rose Pak and SIEU had to ship her kids in by the busload to rescue him…and now all of us will repay the favor he owes her and the SIEU.

    . We had Happy meals and then we had him trying to tell the Grammys what to do. Meanwhile, he destroyed Petco’s offer years ago to take over the old Walgreen’s (because he’s close pals with some indie pet store owners in the neighborhood who support him). He’s done nothing at all about the Alexandria. During the elections he suddenly rose from the dead and started talking about it and that’s been almost a year and do you see anything done? He’s been missing in action for 5 years and will be for another 3 while our once nice neighborhood becomes an f-ing eyesore. Notice how the Sunset blossomed while Carmen Chu was supervisor there? Compare and contrast with the Richmond under McGoldrick and his hand-picked successor, Mar?

57. Anybody interested in beginning a recall process against Eric Mar? Perhaps that will get his attention.

58. Gerry, there’s no point. It won’t go anywhere — we are a neighborhood of immigrants, half of whom hardly speak English and most of whom will not engage with the government (except to file applications for free medical, housing or food, etc.) What is needed here is a class-actions suit — perhaps the ACLU?

    We cannot turn to ANY of our local politicians because they are all feeding at the trough. Even Kamala Harris would do nothing, as she is from SF and is “in bed” with all of the politicians in this city and can’t afford to make them mad as she climbs up the political ladder. It has to be someone independent.

    Ginsberg was chief of staff to our Lt. Governor, Newsom. And while mayor, Newsom was found to be using cocaine and having an affair with a woman who was married to one of his staff members, remember? Ginsberg has the dirt on everyone.

    The illegal rape of the soccer fields, against the night sky ordinance, etc? That’s just one example. You don’t remember the Stowe Lake concessions? The attempt to hand over Louis’s at Lands End to his out of town friends? The 25-year please that APE got on the Bill Graham Civic center (25 years?!!) That’s public property — belongs to US. And APE got that for a SONG (25 years?!) — and they got it right when the public thought of “mid-Market” as a cesspool…but Ginsberg, having all the “insider” info knew that mid-Market was about to be developed and become all trendy…and somehow, that plum, prime spot went to APE very quickly for a song.

    Just like one of America’s most important parks has now been turned into a commercial concert venue and industrial yard for AT&T by Ginsburg to benefit APE.

    What does Ginsburg get for destroying GGPark and the Soccer Fields? Hmmmm. You tell me. I also note how the soccer fields have been totally let go to ruin since Ginsberg has been here (talking about the benches). My guess is this: He’s going to totally neglect them, then he’ll make an announcement about how something HAS to be done…then it will be announced the Rec & park doesn’t have the funds to redo the benches…and Ginsberg will use this to turn the Polo Fields into a full-time bowl for concerts. I don’t know this, but I know how he’s operated in the past. And I’m sure he would love to put gates on the Polo Fields, build new seating and do this. It makes perfect sense, given his clear love for being part of the music scene.

    It’s been clear as a bell for years now that Ginsberg he is on a mission to privatize our public lands and turn them into money makers for his cronies. Break laws and ignore ordinances that neighbors fought for years to have on the books? No matter. Ruin a park that is larger than Central Park, a crowning jewel of urban planning and our city, even though he’s supposed to be the man protecting it? Doesn’t seem to matter, does it?

59. I live near 34th and Sloat (miles away) and this is the first year where I wasn’t calling the the OL hotline to complain. They must have re-positioned the speakers and lowered the volume compared to previous years so that it wasn’t blasting into southern part of the Sunset – It was the worst in 2009 where literally, my insides were vibrating and I had to hear the damn noise not just in my block but also loud in clear in West Portal, and in the Stonestown movie theater.

60. Gerry, I would definitely support you in this effort, and stoirin is right. I just received a reply from a complaint I made to the Entertainment Commission that Park and Recs are in charge of concerts in the park. We had meetings with them, several people went to THEIR monthly meetings and ppresented evidence of how much damage was being done to the park, and arrogant Phil Ginsburg ignored it all. Yes, they’re ALL “in bed together.” But I still think we need to act, and by acting that means a civil suit that will cost the city as well as APE $$$.

61. Maybe Outside Lands needs to try an alternate venue like Crissy Field. Otherwise Candlestick Park parking lot or the Cow Palace might be options. There really are a lot of options when you don’t have to consider parking arrangements. If alternate venues seem too sterile they could truck in trees in pots.

62. Dan, Stoirin, Erik, and anyone else who is stinkin’ tired of being treated as if our legitimate complaints are irrelevant: Count me in for something beyond bitching in a neighborhood blog. That is ultimately pointless. I can’t attend meetings during the week because I don’t work in S.F. now, but I would still be interested in getting some legal involvement here, since that’s the only thing that seems to get attention–and maybe, if enough people join in–some action. As I said previously, I’d be open to some kind of compromise on this whole issue, but for 6 years now, it’s basically been: Richmond and Sunset people–take it or leave it. And Richmond Resident: NO to Chrissy Field! Almost just as bad as the park. I vote for the Cow Palace (or the grounds where it once was) or AT&T Park.

63. Dearest Neighbors, Please review the City Budget and note the vast majority goes to “Health & Human Services.” The Health Department is the largest City Department. My family has only once since 1875 had the need of that department, which is when everyone in my homeroom at high school was tested for tuberculosis. They tested too early and I spent a year with weekly doctor visits and INH out of my own pocket. I also spent 5 days at Mt. Zion undergoing multiple barium tests and refused exploratory surgery, for a diagnosis that any doctor with overseas experience would have seen was a concomitant to TB (which I had not yet been diagnosed with).

    As to noise, there is only one Police Officer at the Richmond Station who has undergone “training” to use the one sound meter they have. This individual cannot be scheduled to work all the hours needed to cover the noise.

    Park & Rec and Muni have been systematically gutted ever since Feinstein was Mayor in order to transfer funds to Health Department. This attracts more “indigent” non-residents to avail themselves of free services.

64. I’ve lived on this block for over 40 years.
    Sunday night crowd was louder and rowdier than previous nights. Garbage cans were out for next day pick up and quite a few were knocked over. The crowds did not stop our Sunday recycle thieves; at least four regulars showed up during the day.
    New addition to the fare trollers were airport vans and large black SUVs with darkened windows. At one point there was an airport van double parked on west side with doors wide open while the driver solicited passengers on the corner and two town cars double parked on east side making it almost impossible to get through. A City Prius showed up and made the van move but ignored the town cars. A limo parked in bus stop on Lincoln for hours but despite two calls to MTA nothing happened. It forced the bus to stop in the street and further block/back up traffic.
    Someone sent me a screenshot of Yeah the Giants twitter feed from Saturday – they got a police escort from SFO because they landed late. Wrong!!
    The sound at times was way loud. Even when it wasn’t overly loud vibrations could still be felt.
    Regarding public input – I am aware of only one meeting ever scheduled for Sunset people. It was years ago with the Sunset Neighborhood Coalition (a group that does not post its agenda and does not return email requests for agendas or respond to questions). Meetings were continuously rescheduled until they eventually took off for the summer so essentially there were no meetings. There needs to be meetings for people on both sides of the park at a place and time convenient for everyone – like a weekend at a local playground or church at a decent time of day. APE should be forced to pay to notify all neighbors of the park at least two weeks in advance.
    Checked out Park Please. I have no problem with people renting out their driveways (they should get something back for the hell we go through) but there is a problem with people renting out street spaces – they don’t own the street space in front of their house.
    Katy Tang will not have my support or vote until and unless she steps up to help ALL her consituents effected by this situation.
    While this might not make sense to some I look forward to HSB – no sound issues, park is not shut off for weeks to users, no street hustling, no illegal taxi/town car issues, a mellower crowd that leaves at a decent hour. Love the special kid shows on Fridays A real gift to the City.

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