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Jul-9-2009

What would you ask our Supervisor?

I’ll be interviewing Richmond District Supervisor Eric Mar soon for the blog. So I wanted to get input from all of you. What would you ask our Supervisor? Anything you want to know about him, his office, or city hall?

Some links and recent news about our “Supe”:

Supervisor Mar’s website
SF Examiner: Eric Mar is paving his own parenting path
Supervisor Mar urges State to Drop the Charges Against the SF8
Supervisor Mar on Twitter

Leave your question as a comment on this article or visit the contact us page to send us an email with your thoughts/questions for Mr. Mar.

Sarah B.


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 8:23 am | Posted under Community | 4 comments
Jul-7-2009

Star gazing at Lands End this Sat.

This Saturday night, the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers will host their San Francisco City Star Party at Lands End. The event begins around sunset with a short talk on any of a myriad of astronomical topics, after which participants begin observing through the telescopes.

The event begins at 8:30pm on Saturday, July 11 and participants should meet up in the large parking area in the Lands End section of western San Francisco on El Camino Del Mar. Click here for specific directions and exact location.

Never been to a star-gazing party before? Read the SFAA’s etiquette and tips guide.

The sky’s the limit!

Sarah B.


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 9:05 am | Posted under Events, Kids | Comments Off
Jul-6-2009

Richmond cleanup and waste dropoff – July 11

Here’s another chance to lend a hand to help clean up our neighborhood. The Department of Public Works is looking for volunteers on July 11 to help with graffiti paintovers, beach cleanup, litter pickup, removing weeds, and other beautification around the area of Fulton Street and the Great Highway.

The event runs from 9am to 12noon on Saturday, July 11. To volunteer or to get more information, email volunteer@sfdpw.org or call (415) 641-2600.

And if you’re overdue for a spring cleaning, The Community Clean Team will be out at Ocean Beach on July 11 too, allowing Richmond District residents to recycle, compost and drop off household bulky items for free.

This is a great chance to get rid of old mattresses, electronic items, appliances, yard waste, scrap wood and more. Check out the event flyer for the list of things you can drop off.

Goodwill will also be on site to accept donations such as clothes or furniture in resale condition (and used computer equipment).

You can make a dropoff appointment in advance by calling (415) 330-1300 or just show up between 8am and 12noon to drop off items. The dropoff will be at Fulton and Great Highway, in the parking lot across from the Beach Chalet restaurant.

This dropoff service is for Richmond residents only and proof of residence will be required.

Sarah B.

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 7:05 am | Posted under Community | Comments Off
Jul-4-2009

Town Hall Meeting with Supervisor Mar on July 8

The first one in May was such a success that Supervisor Mar and his staff will be holding another meeting on Wednesday, July 8.

This meeting will cover a variety of topics, including how you can do sidewalk landscaping in front of your house, community challenge grants for street improvements, community gardens and Pavement to Parks.

Adam Varat, who particpated in the first Town Hall meeting, will be join again and provide details on the application process for these types of improvements.

Richmond District Town Hall Meeting
Wednesday, July 8, 2009 | 6:30–8:00pm
Richmond District Neighborhood Center | 741 30th Ave


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 11:15 am | Posted under Community | Comments Off
Jul-3-2009

Police Blotter – July 3, 2009

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of June 19, 2009. To be added to their mailing list, email the station at SFPD.RICHMOND.STATION@SFGOV.ORG or visit their website.]

CAPTAIN RICHARD CORREIA’S MESSAGE
In the noteworthy incidents section below you will read about a brazen daylight attack on a woman on 2600 block of McAllister street. The suspect in this incident had been in the area for some time before the attack. The case is being investigated by two inspectors from the Department’s Sexual Offender Unit. The inspectors were in the District yesterday following up on possible leads and collaborating with our officers. If you have seen this individual or have and information about this case please call Sexual Assault Detail Inspector Elaine Economus at 553.1361.

Please have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day weekend

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 06/29/09 at 2:20pm plainclothes officers were in the area of Golden Gate Park near Conservatory Drive and saw a suspect who they knew to be on parole. When the suspect saw the officers approaching he said, “I didn’t do nothing”, and started tried to run. The officers detained the suspect and determined that he was in possession of narcotics and had a warrant for parole violation. A 38 year old male was charged with various narcotic related offenses and the warrant.

On 06/30/09 at 2:00pm a victim was sitting on an outbound #5 Fulton MUNI bus. As the bus came to a stop at Fulton and Arguello a suspect, who was preparing to exit the bus, grabbed the victims purse from her lap and fled northbound on Arguello. The victim and two other passengers gave chase on foot. The suspect dropped the victim’s during the pursuit, which the victim was able to recover. The two passengers, both young men visiting from England, caught the suspect on the 700 block of 2nd Ave and detained him until officers arrived on scene. The suspect, a 22 year old male, was charged with the theft.

On 07/01/09 at 7:25pm officers responded to a call of shots fired on the 600 block of 22nd Ave. A neighbor was reporting that they could see a male in the backyard of a residence firing a gun. The caller provided dispatch a description of the suspect and said the suspect had returned back into the home. When officers arrived on scene a male came out of the residence and asked the officers what was going on. The officers saw that individual matched the description of the suspect and detained him. Officers continued to arrive and check the surrounding homes and backyards to determine there were no injured parties. The officers went into the home that the suspect had just exited to do a well being check on the occupants. They saw the handgun and numerous marijuana plants in a downstairs bedroom. They also found identification belonging to the male being detained in this bedroom. Numerous shell casings were also found in the backyard. The suspect, a 26 year old male, was charged with discharging a firearm at an inhabited dwelling, discharging a firearm in gross negligent manner and narcotic violations.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
Between 06/26/09 at 5:00pm and 06/28/09 at 5:50pm on the 400 block of 28th Avenue a suspect entered a garage and took numerous tools. There were no signs of forced entry.

On 06/26/09 between 5:30pm and 9:30pm on the 5100 block of Geary a suspect entered an apartment and took keys. There were no signs of forced entry.

On 06/28/09 at 12:25pm a victim was doing her wash at the Laundromat on the 2600 block of McAllister Street. The suspect who was also present in the Laundromat struck up a conversation with the victim and a short time later the victim left. When the victim returned the suspect was still present. The suspect began a topic of conversation that disturbed the victim. As she tried to walk away the suspect grabbed her and pushed her into a door, breaking the door. A violent struggle ensued with the suspect finally fleeing the business. The victim’s screams drew the attention of passerby’s, one of whom gave chase but lost the suspect in the area of Parsons and Fulton. The suspect is described as 20-23 years of age, short
dark hair with a full beard. He was also in possession of a tan/white mixed mutt/pit bull dog. The victim was treated for her injuries.

On 06/29/09 at 12:00pm on the 100 block of 18th Avenue a tenant of an apartment building encountered three males in a staircase of the building. She asked what the individuals were doing there and they told her they were looking for a particular person. The tenant informed them that there was no one by that name living in the building and the males left. A short time later another tenant came home and found that the lock cylinder for the front door had been removed.

On 06/30/09 at 2:00am two victims were walking south on Stanyan Street towards Turk Street. They were approached by two male suspects, one armed with a gun, who told the victims to hand over their wallets. Both victims turned over their wallets and cell phones. The suspects fled north on Stanyan Street towards Geary Boulevard. The suspects were described as males in their 20’s wearing dark baggie clothing. This incident was not reported until 2:30pm that afternoon.

On 07/02/09 at 1:32pm on the 2800 block of Geary, a male walked into a bank and gave a teller a note demanding money. The teller complied and the suspect fled the bank in an unknown direction. The suspect was in his mid 30’s, heavy build, wearing a light colored baseball cap and a zip-up jacket.

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 1:42 pm | Posted under Crime | Comments Off
Jul-2-2009

Stolen SFBG van recovered on 25th Avenue

A few days ago, someone broke into the SF Bay Guardian’s parking lot at 135 Mississippi and stole their iconic van. SFBG posted on their own blog about its disappearance and asked readers to send in any tips on the thievery.

“…it’s ten years old, it’s all beat up — and it has the Guardian logo all over it and a Best of the Bay mural on the side. Hard to hide. It’s value is probably more sentimental than economic at this point, but we miss it — after all, we used the van as the cover of our Best of the Bay issue back in 1999, when it was brand new. We commissioned the van-mural, designed by Tim Racer at Racer-Reynolds Illustration and painted by Rich Ayer at Signmakers, and we’d hate to see the artwork chopped up or painted over.”

The good news is that the van was found Wednesday morning by the SFPD on the 100 block of 25th Ave. According to SFGate, a teacher from Corte Madera found the van.

“Kevin Mahoney, 35, says he was heading to San Francisco to meet a friend for lunch. Around 10:30 a.m., less than an hour after reading about the pilfered vehicle on SFGate, he reportedly spotted the vehicle parked in its full artistic glory on 25th Avenue near El Camino Del Mar in the tony neighborhood of Sea Cliff.

“It stood out like a sore thumb,” said Mahoney.

He alerted police soon after. “I was happy to be able to put closure to the whole thing,” he said.

Sarah B.

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 3:19 pm | Posted under Crime | 1 comment
Jul-2-2009

Weekend savings at Green Apple

Great savings this Independence weekend at everyone’s favorite independent bookstore…

This weekend only, Green Apple will be offering 25% off on all their bin books. Plus their sale on new DVDs continues: all new DVDs are at least 10%, and many are 25% or 50% off, even box sets.

On top of those great savings, Green Apple is offering another 10% off to help support their Creepshow Camp program.

Summer sessions at the creepy, crawly kids’ camp is starting soon and Green Apple wants to sponsor as many kids as possible to attend. So this weekend, print out the coupon below and use it towards any purchase from July 3 – 5. You’ll get 10% off your purchase, and they’ll also donate 10% towards scholarships for Creepshow Campers.

Want to get Green Apple news and discounts right in your inbox? Sign up for their newsletter.

Sarah B.



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 1:59 pm | Posted under Shopping | Comments Off
Jul-1-2009

The 1906 quake and fire in the Richmond District

I’ve always kept this fascinating site in my Favorites… For the 100th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, the Bancroft Library launched a website that brings together historic photos and documents from the event. You can spend hours looking at the fascinating photos.

While there weren’t many residents in the Richmond District in 1906, the site contains many high-resolution photos of the damage that was sustained by the buildings in the “Outside Lands” at the time. A slanted house on 11th Avenue, a crumbling orphanage at 7th and Lake, a sagging building near the old chutes on Fulton Street, the refugee camp that spanned the length of Park Presidio Boulevard – all of them stunning reminders of the destruction that the city had to come back from.

I’ve included a few photos here in the post, but I recommend visiting the site’s interactive map to start your exploration. Click here to see more photos from the Richmond District. The site’s search also works very well, making it easy to look up photos by street, landmark or neighborhood. Be sure to check out their panoramic view of the city post-earthquake which they stitched together with a series of photos taken from the roof of the Fairmont Hotel.

The Western Neighborhoods Project also has a great history of the 1906 earthquake refugee shacks that were used to house earthquake refugees. Hundreds were erected in Camp 25 that was located on what is now Park Presidio Boulevard. After the camps begain closing in 1907, “refugees hauled cottages to private lots, and often cobbled together two or more to form larger residences.”

Sarah B.


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 10:09 am | Posted under History | 2 comments