Top 10 Richmond District stories of 2014

This blog is approaching its fifth birthday and we’re never short of amazed at what piques readers’ interest every year. We’ve given up trying to predict it! Special thanks to all our reader-reporters who send us news and photos from the neighborhood – we couldn’t do it without you!

Happy New Year,

Sarah B.

HONORABLE MENTION: Paddleboarders meet whales off Ocean Beach
This one just missed the Top 10 list and it’s too great to not have on here. A couple of guys went out on their stand up paddleboards in May and encountered some wildlife after turning into Kelly’s Cove. Check it out (skip to 2:00 mark for the really good stuff):

10. Monster fish removed from Mountain Lake
Mountain Lake was in the news several times this year due to the ongoing remediation and restoration efforts taking place at the park. In April, we published some photos of mutant-looking fish that had been taken out of the lake by a Presidio Trust intern. That was the first effort from the Trust to eradicate the non-native species from the lake, where for decades, residents have dumped their unwanted aquatic life.

By November, the Trust had reached the end of its rope and resorted to blitzing the entire fish population in one fell swoop by dousing the lake with a chemical that kills anything with gills. Fish began rising to the surface immediately, and over the course of the next two weeks, they recovered and disposed of the tens of thousands of dead fish.

In about 6 months, conservationists will begin reintroducing native species like three-spined sticklebacks, western pond turtles and chorus frogs into the lake.

Photo by Jonathan Young

9. Outside Lands: A closer look at Rec & Park revenues and the event’s impact
Anything having to do with the Outside Lands music festival is always a hot topic on the blog. So this year we decided to look at how much revenue the city really gets from this event, which some Richmond District residents love or despise thanks to its 3 day disruption of the normally quiet west side.

In 2014, Outside Lands had $19,063,003 in gross sales and overall attendance of 202,963 people. Rec & Park’s share? $2,417,724 according to Connie Chan, spokesperson for SF Rec & Park. Plus $88k in reimbursed expenses for Rec & Park maintenance/workers at the event (this does not include SFMTA or SFPD costs).

Does the revenue justify the inconvenience to the neighborhood? Reactions were mixed from commenters so this will probably continue to be a hot button. For better or for worse, we can expect an annual influx of 200,000+ concertgoers every August until at least 2020, along with annual estimated revenues of $2.25 million to Rec & Park.

8. City’s first batting cages, InFieldSF, open on Clement Street
In what seemed like an impossibility, some batting cages opened in a storefront on Clement near 20th Avenue. After complaints from his Little League players and parents about not having easy access to a practice facility, owner Michael Falzone decided to take matters into his own hands and open up InFieldSF. The location is a deep space with high ceilings in the back, which was perfect for two side by side batting cages. There’s also a tee-ball hitting station in the front of the space for younger players. Batter up!

7. Photos: Up close and personal with a fearless car burglar
On a rainy night in April, reader Brian witnessed firsthand how thieves rip off a car in the Richmond District. First there’s the smash and dash – the thief smashes the window, runs off, and waits until police have come and gone. Then they returned to the car and took stuff from it. All while being yelled at and photographed by Brian, which didn’t deter them at all.

6. Bicyclist, cars and MUNI bus involved in accident at 8th & Balboa
A car accident that involved three forms of transportation – cars, a bus, and a bike – took place in September. Around 8 in the morning, a car hit a bicyclist and then crashed into a 31-Balboa MUNI bus at the corner of 8th Avenue and Balboa. Both driver and cyclist were taken to the hospital with injuries. The cyclist, Nathaniel L., left a comment on the blog to say he suffered three fractured vertebrae and would be in a brace for months.

5. Face-slapping massage business goes under
The most unusual (legal) business in the neighborhood closed its storefront after 2 years at the corner of 14th Avenue and Geary. The business offered “face slapping massages” that were “100% chemical free” and cost $350 for a 15 minute session (or a bargain $1,000 for 4 sessions). The treatments purported to “make you look like a celebrity, face slapping to look younger, and face slapping to charm your significant other”.

This was THE most discussed and shared story that we posted on Facebook this year with 35,000 views thanks to it being shared 90 times. Readers poked fun at the news with comments like “this is a real slap in the face to the neighborhood”, “Turns out that it’s not covered by Obamacare”, and “Perhaps the headline could be “Face Slapping business closes – owners take it on the chin””.

4. Report of Illegal Sex Businesses in the Richmond District
What goes on behind closed doors is usually overlooked, but not when those closed doors (and windows) are at street level and advertising massage services. In June, a Chronicle reporter tagged along with a city health inspector and the SFPD on their visits to a few massage parlors in the city.

“Each and every massage parlor was cited for at least one violation – and many of them showed clear evidence of human trafficking,” the story reported. At one Richmond District business, a patron tried to hurry out as police arrived, pulling his pants up with one hand.

Couple that with the two sisters who were arrested around the same time for allegedly operating a brothel in the neighborhood, and the Richmond District was beginning to sound like a human trafficking haven. “Qiao “Judy” He, 37, and Gaineng He, 36, both of San Francisco, were booked into County Jail on suspicion of pimping and pandering. Investigators said the women ran two brothels out of residences at 385 7th Ave. and 4719 Geary Blvd., where they charged men up to $200 to have sexual intercourse with young women.”

3. Alexandria Theater sold and under new ownership
Considered THE neighborhood eyesore since its closing in 2004, the Alexandria Theater on the corner of 18th & Geary has remained a hot topic since the blog began. In July we got the good news that someone had finally purchased the building which has already been approved by the city for redevelopment. The new owners immediately cleaned up the graffiti, repainted the front of the theater, and installed sturdier, attractive fencing around the entrance.

At the time, the new owners were doing some research to decide what would work best in the old theater building (the approved use includes a small theater, a restaurant and some commercial spaces). Regardless of what goes in the theater building, they will move ahead with building residential apartments on the back parking lot on 18th Avenue.

2. Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic in Golden Gate Park calls it quits
“When we first started, we were a couple of grease-balls, a car and a sandwich,” Jimmy O’Keefe said when he described the first ever “Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic” that he organized in Golden Gate Park in 1988. It was just him and a few friends, parked on the road next to Lindley Meadow. That grew into hundreds of cars that stretched across Speedway Meadow every year in October, welcoming car enthusiasts from all over the Bay Area. But after 25 years and skyrocketing permit fees, Jimmy put the picnic on blocks and locked the garage door.

The story generated a lot of discussion (81 comments!) for its representation of the changes that have taken place at Rec & Park, where the thirst for revenues has pushed out some smaller, long-running events from the park (like this Debardchery event). Jimmy himself had spent his career as a Rec & Park gardener, so the whole debacle left a bitter taste in the mouths of readers.

But all was not lost. In October, former fans of Jimmy’s event organized to keep it going as “Old Car Picnic”. It took place on October 18 and they plan to keep it as an annual event.

1. Q Restaurant closes
We do love our food here in the Richmond and nothing proved that more than when Q Restaurant, known for its funky comfort food, closed its doors after 16 years and became the talk of the blog. The owners decided to call it quits for personal reasons and that meant the end to tater tots, baked beans and legendary duck confit for its fans.

The story on the website had 27 comments and just over 4,000 page views. On Facebook it was even more discussed with 41 comments and, wait for it, 34,000 views of the story thanks to 156 shares of the story.

In a neighborhood jammed with Asian restaurants, Q was one of the few American food spots in the Richmond. Nothing has opened up in the space yet, and we haven’t heard any rumors about what might go in there.