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Dec-11-2012

Build the gingerbead house of your dreams at the Conservatory, Dec. 15

This Saturday from 11am until 3pm is the 3rd annual “Frosting the Conservatory” event at the Conservatory of Flowers on Golden Gate Park.

This is the chance for gingerbread architects of all ages to build their dream house, complete with frosting, gumdrops and other must have candy accents.

The cost is $10 per person and includes a Graham Cracker foundation, tasty icing and edible candy decor. Purchase tickets in advance online or at the event. Proceeds benefit the Conservatory of Flowers Maintenance Fund, which helps keep the building frosty white.

Read about last year’s event at SFGate.com

Sarah B.

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 3:24 pm | Posted under Events, Golden Gate Park | Add comments
Dec-10-2012

Woman wins $1 million after buying lottery scratchers at Balboa Liquor

Christmas came early for an outer Richmond District resident who won $1 million after purchasing a winning lottery ticket at Balboa Liquor and Deli (3524 Balboa).

Congratulations go out to Li Hua Huang, who must be feeling pretty lucky right about now. She purchased four $10 scratcher tickets from the liquor store. Three were not winners, but the fourth earned her another free ticket – which ended up rewarding her with the $1 million prize.

Huang is married with a daughter, and runs two nail salons in San Francisco.

The liquor store made out well too – they earn a $5,000 bonus for selling the winning ticket.

Sarah B.

[Via SFAppeal]

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 11:38 am | Posted under News | 3 comments
Dec-10-2012

Is 3300 block of Fulton slipping away? Second sinkhole appears

Another sinkhole appeared on the 3300 block of Fulton between 9th and 10th Avenues last week, this time taking a fire hydrant with it (and ironically, creating a new parking space).

Early last week, a hole formed near the base of the fire hydrant near the corner of 9th Avenue and Fulton and as of yesterday, it had expanded and completely swallowed up the hydrant. It has been reported to 311 and cones from the SF Water Department have been positioned near it.

This is the second sinkhole on the block in the past couple of months. The first appeared in early October in the roadway and stopped a SUV in its tracks.

Resident Jim M., who lives on the block, says he’s concerned there’s something more serious happening under the street.

“What I’m worried about is the connection between the two incidents, there’s something else going on. I’m not convinced the city is solving the bigger problem of why there are two sinkholes within 20 yards of each other within 2 months,” he said.

In fall 2011, the city embarked on a year long upgrade project to the 5 Fulton bus line, which put the electrical feeder cables that power the trolley buses for the route underground. The year long project concluded earlier this spring, and required construction work on Fulton from 32nd Avenue to 8th Avenue. Much of that work was digging trenches under the roadway to make room for the wiring.

Whether these sinkholes are related to the upgrade project work remains to be seen, but let’s hope that DPW digs a little deeper to find out what’s going on.

Sarah B.

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 10:16 am | Posted under Muni, Safety, Transportation | 7 comments
Dec-10-2012

Local Links: Javaholics closes, Santa’s coming!, holiday events & more


Dolphins near Lands End on Dec. 6, 2012. Photo by Natures Lantern – David Cruz

Some local links to kick off your week. Happy Monday! – Sarah B.

  • We got word that Javaholics on the corner of 6th Avenue and Balboa has closed. No word on whether anything is queued up to take over the corner location.
  • Photographer Emelle Sonh has a new show at the Bazaar Cafe (5927 California) featuring photos from several of her series like Palm Plaids, Hydromancy, SF Sidewalks and more. There’s an opening reception tonight, Dec. 10 from 7pm until 9pm, or stop by the Cafe during business hours in December to view her work.
  • There’s a blood drive this Wednesday, Dec. 12 at the VA Hospital (4150 Clement) from 9am until 2pm. To donate, stop by the auditorium or make an appointment online at the Blood Centers of the Pacific website.
  • The owners of Tsing Tao Restaurant were slapped with a $339,716 fine for unpaid minimum wages, overtime and failure to provide itemized payroll statements for their 28 workers at the restaurant’s two locations at 3107 Clement and on Fillmore Street. The SF Business Times reports that “along with paying the fine, Tsing Tsao must maintain accurate daily records of hours worked by its employees, as well as provide employees with accurate wage statements.”
  • Santa is coming… to Angelina’s! On Thursday, Dec. 13, Angelina’s Cafe (6000 California) will host Santa himself from 2:30pm until 4:30pm, along with cookie decorating and a magic show from Professor Salamini at 3:30pm. Stop by for a pic with Santa and if you can, bring a new, unwrapped toy for their SFFD Toy Program bin.
  • Mmm chocolate… Modern Relics (771 Cabrillo) is hosting a Holiday event featuring a chocolate tasting with San Francisco’s premier artisan chocolatier Feve. Stop by on December 15 from 4pm until 8pm to taste some great chocolate and peruse the treasures at the shop. Plus get 10% off all jewelry designed by the owner, Alix Bluh.
  • Looking for some creative, handmade gifts to give this season? The new Creative Canopy studio (4338 California) is hosting a Handmade Bazaar on Saturday, Dec. 15 from 10am until 6pm. Stop by to shop for handmade cards, knitted items, paintings, photography, baked goods, pottery, pet items and much more from local artists.
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 5:16 am | Posted under Business, Shopping | 1 comment
Dec-7-2012

Police Blotter – December 7, 2012

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of December 7, 2012. To be added to the station's mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]

CAPTAIN SHARON FERRIGNO’S MESSAGE
The San Francisco Police Department is pleased to announce our latest tool in crime prevention. The Line-Up is a crime prevention tool that allows the public to get involved through social media. The goal is to get the public involved in solving cold case files by watching and identifying video surveillance of suspects committing crimes. Contact information will be listed below and the public can be anonymous if they choose. The San Francisco Police Department will be releasing one video per week of suspect(s) involved in a criminal act. Remember, you have the power to make a difference in our community. Be a crime fighter and help us in identifying these criminals. To access this please log onto SFPD.

Central Police Station has recovered a significant amount of electronic equipment and other items stolen in auto burglaries. Members of the public can go to the website and review the photos of the property. There are instructions as to how to recover your property if you see it amongst the photos.

For additional information on Crime Statistics, go to the SFPD Website.

Our next Community meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 6pm. It will be in the Community Room, here at Richmond Station, 461 6th Ave. (NOTE TIME CHANGE)

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 12/01/12 at 10:10am, a caller contacted 911, reporting that he was watching two males dragging bikes down the street with the locks still attached to the tires. The suspects were seen north on Arguello towards Anza St . The officers responded and located the suspects on 2nd Ave at Geary Bl. Both males claimed that they had found the bikes on the street. While conducting their investigation, and trying to determine where the bikes came from, the officers transported the two males to Richmond Station, and the bikes were in the back of the patrol cars with the trunks ajar. At this time, the victim who had been out on a walk was returning home to the 600 block of Arguello. He then observed his and his wife’s bikes in the back of the patrol cars and flagged down the officers. He told the officers that he had been gone for about a half hour and the bikes had been in his garage when he left. The officers went to the victim’s home and saw that the garage door was now fully open. While conducting a search of one of the suspects, officers found a checkbook belonging to someone else, with a check written out to the suspect. The officer was able to contact the person who the checks belonged to and he said he had ordered checks and never received them in the mail. He did not know the suspect, nor did he write him a check. The two suspects, 23 and 29 years of age were charged with burglary, possession of stolen property and possession of burglar tools.

On 12/03/12 at 6:30pm, officers conducted a traffic stop on the 500 block of 34th Ave. The officers determined that the drivers’ license had been suspended. Further investigation revealed an expandable baton in the car as well as numerous cell phones and an iPad. The driver told the officers that he had purchased these items at 7th and Folsom St from an unknown male and that he buys and sells phones from Craigslist. Officers were able to power up the iPad and find contact information for the owner. They spoke to him on the phone and were told that the iPad had been taken from his office in Novato 4 days prior. The 20 year old male was charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of stolen property and driving with a suspended license.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 11/29/12, between 6am and 8:30pm on the 200 block of Arguello, a suspect gained entry into an apartment and took a laptop. There were no signs of forced entry.

On 11/29/12, between 8am and 3pm on the 400 block of Arguello, a suspect pried open the front door of an apartment and took 3 laptops, a camera and a watch. It is unknown how the suspect got into the building.

On 11/29/12, at 12:30pm, a tenant from an apartment building called the police as she had seen two males entering her neighbor’s apartment on the 2900 block of California St. When officers arrived they found the victims front door unlocked but as she was not home, were unable to determine any loss or if a burglary had been committed. When the victim returned home, she discovered that two rings had been taken. The neighbor described the suspects as Hispanic, both heavy set wearing knit caps.

On 11/29/12, between 6:10pm and 6:30pm, a suspect gained entry into an apartment by unknown means and took a laptop and a camera. This occurred on the 200 block of Arguello.

On 11/30/12 at 6am, the residents of a home on the 1300 block of Cabrillo, locked up and went to work. At 9:20am, a neighbor heard someone knocking on the victim’s front door, but thought it was a delivery. The neighbor then heard the victim’s dog barking. The neighbor then left his own home at 9:30am and saw that the victim’s front door had been forced open. The loss was jewelry, laptops and a camera.

Between 12/01/12, 12pm and 12/02/12, 11:25am on the 3200 block of Cabrillo, a suspect gained entry into a garage and took 2 bikes and 2 helmets. There were no signs of forced entry.

Between 12/01/12, 8:30pm and 12/02/12, 9am on the 300 block of Arguello, a suspect gained entry into a garage by unknown means. Once inside, the suspect entered an unlocked vehicle and took items, including a spare key for a second vehicle parked inside. The suspect then stole the second vehicle.

On 12/02/12 at 8:24am, the suspect entered an ATM vestibule on the 5100 block of Geary through an unlocked door. The suspect then tried to enter the main doors of the bank which were locked. The suspect pulled on the doors several times, causing damage and then threw a brochure holder when he could not get the doors open. The suspect then lay on the floor and fell asleep and about an hour later, awoke and fled the scene.

On 12/03/12 between 11:15am and 12:05pm on the 500 block of 20th Ave , a suspect gained entry into a home by prying the front door. The suspect took a laptop, cameras, jewelry and cash.

On 12/03/12 at 2:40pm, the two victims were walking on the 400 block of 3rd Ave , approaching their home. They
looked up to the front door and were surprised by the suspects exiting their home carrying their flat screen TV and Xbox game system. They confronted the suspects, one of whom pushed the victims aside, the other pointed to his waistband as if to say he had a weapon. The victims ran and saw the suspects fleeing in a charcoal colored Jaguar. One suspect was described as a black male in his 50’s wearing a fedora and a green dress shirt, the other was a white male, 45-55 wearing a blue rag on his head.

Between 12/04/12, 8pm and 12/05/12, 6am on the 3200 block of Clay St, a suspect gained entry into a garage and took the vehicle that was parked inside. The homeowner had forgotten to shut the door.

On 12/05/12 at 6:30pm, the victim was on the #1 California MUNI line, which had stopped at 19th and California to
let off passengers. The victim was texting on her phone when the suspect suddenly grabbed it from her hand and fled the bus. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male wearing dark clothes.

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 11:09 am | Posted under Crime | Add comments
Dec-6-2012

Be part of Paul’s Hat Works’ interactive Christmas windows

The creative ladies at Paul’s Hat Works (6128 Geary) are at it again. Every Christmas, they come up with fun ideas for their windows and this year, they’re looking for some willing participants:

This one is quite classy and classic, the twist being that we are having people dress up as Santa, Mrs. Claus, or an Elf, and sit in the window drinking tea or hot chocolate, and making snowflakes or Christmas cards. This could be you!

If you’re interested in adding a little holiday cheer to the windows at Paul’s Hat Works, email howdy@hatworksbypaul.com to set up a time to participate. Aside from earning the envy of onlookers, you’ll also get a 10% off coupon for your contribution.

I hope the ladies have a stellar Claus top hat that folks can wear…

Sarah B.

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 5:10 am | Posted under Business | 1 comment
Dec-5-2012

Tesco ready to walk away from Fresh & Easy in US. What’s it mean for our store?


The grand opening of the Fresh & Easy store in June 2011

News hit the wires today that Tesco, the largest supermarket group in the UK, is launching a strategic review that may lead to the closure or sale of their US-based Fresh & Easy market chain of stores.

Only a few of the 200 Fresh & Easy stores in the U.S. are making a profit, and Tesco chief executive, Philip Clarke, said during a conference call that it was “likely that our presence in America will come to an end.”

It’s only been 18 months since the new Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market opened on 32nd Avenue near Clement, and it’s unclear from this latest news whether or not it will survive.

We reached out for a comment from Fresh & Easy spokesman Brendan Wonnacott, who had only this to say: “Our focus remains on our people and our customers. It is business as usual in our stores and we look forward to bringing our neighbors the same delicious, wholesome and affordable food they have come to expect from Fresh & Easy.”

The Fresh & Easy brand has been around in the U.S. for about five years, but it was only in 2011 that San Francisco got its first two stores in Hunter’s Point and the Richmond District.

Ideally Tesco will sell or partner with another company to keep the store here in the Richmond District open. Before the Fresh & Easy moved into 32nd and Clement, the building had been vacant for several years after an Albertson’s Market closed down.

In its statement about the company’s plans, Tesco said that it has been approached by parties interested in all or part of the business, or in partnership with Tesco, and that it would give an update on the situation in April 2013.

Fresh & Easy’s fate is still to be decided, but it sounds like nothing will change until at least the second quarter of next year. And we’ll assume for now that the neighboring CVS Pharmacy will stay put.

In the meantime, we will have a new Grocery Outlet store opening up in the old Delano’s Market space at 28th Avenue and Geary early next year. So no matter what happens with the Fresh & Easy location, competition is going to get even stiffer.

Sarah B.

BBC: Tesco to review future of Fresh and Easy US chain
NY Times: Tesco Backing Away From U.S. Operations

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 1:18 pm | Posted under Business | 26 comments
Dec-4-2012

Letter to the Editor

To the crew at the Richmond SF Blog:

So here I sit, bored out of my mind, in humid and sticky Kailua, Hawaii. Not much to do but watch palm trees sway. (Big deal!) The first 4 days of my planned 17 day vacation now long gone and fondly remembered, wishing I was in SF. I don’t care if it’s raining heavily in SF. I’d rather be in SF than here.

To give you guys a little heads up: Sarah B might be more familiar with who I am… I am Randall of Rhode Island. For about a year in advance, I booked a vacation in which the first 4 days of my vacation were to be spent in SF, with the remainder of said vacation to be spent in Hawaii. I can say with assurity that the 4 days I spent in SF were not nearly enough.

I was blessed to be in SF over the Thanksgiving Day weekend. Enjoyed some truly gorgeous weather; it was 70 when I stepped off the plane. The warm and blue skies continued throughout most of my time in SF. I did have one foggy couple of hours on Sunday AM in the outer Richmond, but truth be known was that that particular weather at that particular time was perfect for me. I’m a marathon runner, and I ran some distance out to Ocean Beach and back; that kind of weather is supurb for distance running. (Gotta say, some of the hills of SF were, well, let’s just say, challenging, to a runner who lives at sea level in RI.)The highlight of my distance running in SF was running the Golden Gate Bridge; I did that twice. Man, I get goosebumps thinking about what a thrill it was, seeing The City from the iconic GGB while running. It was magical.

During my short visit to SF: I did NOT visit Fisherman’s Wharf, did NOT ride a cable car, and did NOT go to Ghiradelli Square. Rather, I visited the Richmond (both Inner and Outer), Dolores Park, the Haight, the Castro,(where I saw my first legally naked man in public ever), a funky area of Fillmore Street, some of the inner Sunset, and got lost in the Presidio. Enjoyed some of SF’s finest dining at the Toy Boat and at Bill’s Place.

While I didn’t actually stay in the Richmond (I wanted to), my B&B (at Divisidero and Ellis) was easily walking distance to it. Once I crossed over Arguello, I knew I was offically in the Richmond.

I truly feel that I have now seen a small portion of the “real” San Francisco. The parts of SF where real San Franciscans live, toil, love, dream, fight, fall in love, and have their hearts broken. I don’t think I have missed anything by intentionally not making the “mandatory” walk down Lombard Street or visiting Pier 39.

In any event, San Francisco has now forever charmed my heart. It will be eternallly special for me. I may have not seen what some say are it’s “best” areas, but I want you to know that what I did see, for all of it’s good and what may be considered bad, well, it was all pretty darned lovely to me.

Note: Next time I read someone make a snide comment in the blog about the area around 48th and La Playa, or empty storefronts on Clement Street, I’m likely to tell them to…well, forget that thought. I’ll keep my thoughts to myself. I just wish some naysayers would realize how darned lucky they are to live in SF, despite the problems they perceive it has. If the Richmond is that bad, go oahead, try Cleveland, Buffalo, or Minneapolis in January. (They’ll come running back to SF, trust me on this!)

Thank you all at the Richmond SF Blog for your service to the Richmond and San Francisco and making me aware that there’s a whole lot more to San Francisco than the just the Marina, Telegraph Hill, and Union Square. Well, thanks, sort of. The Richmond is now my “secret”. Not sure I want it becoming too too popular!

I can’t wait to return!

Sincerely,

Randall of RI

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 9:54 am | Posted under Golden Gate Park | 19 comments