Gpn Spring 2008

Spring 2008

GLEN PARK NEWS Volume 26, No. 1

Official Newspaper of the Glen Park Association www.glenparkassociation.org

Published Quarterly

Glen Park Wakes Up

Glen Park begins to stir before the morning sun even thinks of climbing above the hills that embrace Sussex and Swiss streets. Along Diamond Street, chairs sit atop tables in local eateries, resting where they were placed the night before. A runner jogs past recycling dumpsters anchored against black, by green and blue containers Murray on Kern Street. Around Schneider the corner a man pumps stationary bicycle pedals at SOL GYM, while across the street a truck driver carries crates of intralibrary loan books into the branch. Along the east side of Cherney Street, automobiles are apparitions, having abandoned their parking spaces in anticipation of 7 o’clock street cleaning. On the next block, a crowded 44 O’Shaughnessy idles next to Citibank, disgorging passengers who jaywalk across Bosworth to BART. Others join them, a few stopping long enough to purchase a paper from a newsboy, cocooned in his newsstand, barricaded behind a windbreak of San Francisco Chronicles. Glen Park is awakening. Another low-riding hybrid 44 O’Shaughnessy moves up Bosworth, past the canyon where an owl insulates itself in a eucalyptus tree, its morning chill allayed by a meadow of feathers. As the early threads of daylight roll back the last blanket of night, while much of Glen Park continues to sleep, Janet Tarlov ties her yeast-blemished apron around her waist, steps in front of her Canyon Market baking bench, and begins slinging around 50-pound bags of organic flour. Chenery Crimestoppers See Page 15

Destination Bakery at 6 a.m.

Photo by Michael Waldstein

“Baking is very physical work. It’s like yoga practice,” Janet says. It is hours before the first of her 50 employees will report for work. A petite woman of 41, the mother of two boys aged 8 and 6, Janet and her husband Rich first had the idea for the Canyon Market in 1998. After careful preparation, they saw their dream of a family-owned and operated market come true two days before Thanksgiving, 2006. Glen Park residents, especially those who enjoy fresh baguettes,

whole wheat and multi-grain rye breads, ciabatta, freshly baked croissants and bear claws, are the beneficiaries of Janet’s pre-dawn heavy lifting. The environs around Wilder and Diamond streets are still a bit deserted when Janet begins wrestling the unwieldy sacks of flour. She has company, though. “The humming of the Chenery Park dishwashing machines is comforting,” she confides, as she sculpts a breakfast roll one morning. CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Glen Park Association Meeting Notice Wednesday, April 9th, 2008, 7 p.m. NEW DAY!!!

St. John’s School, 925 Chenery St.

Supervisor Dufty Town Meeting

Strong Turnout in Primary Vote

Glen Park came out strong for Sen. Barack Obama in the Feb. 5 Democratic primary, handing him 2,196 votes. Sen. Hillary Clinton landed in second place with 1,612 votes. And while Obama could not claim a blowout in Glen Park, the vote does reflect the by momentum the Illinois Rachel senator is riding nationGordon ally. It also showcases the split among the Democratic electorate. Clinton, the junior senator from New York and former First Lady, trumped Obama in absentee votes cast by Glen Park residents, 712 to 660. But it was Obama who surged on CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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From the Editors U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, Glen Park’s representative in Congress, died Feb. 11 of esophageal cancer. He was 80 years old. Lantos, who was serving in his 14th term, had announced in January that he would not be seeking reelection. A Democrat and the lone Holocaust survivor in Congress, Lantos served as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee and was a staunch human rights advocate. While his legislative passion focused on world affairs, he did not ignore the bread-and-butter constituent issues in his home district, which included San Mateo County and part of San Francisco. In 2005 he helped secure a $3.4 million federal Department of Transportation grant aimed at pedestrian, transit, biking and traffic safety improvements around the Glen Park BART Station. Securing the grant was an essential component of the Glen Park Commu-

Glen Park News

2912 Diamond St. #407 San Francisco, CA 94131 (415) 908-6728 [email protected]

Editor-in-Chief Deputy Editor Photo Editor Design Editor Copy Editor Advertising

Elizabeth Weise Rachel Gordon Liz Mangelsdorf Mary Mottola Denis Wade Nora Dowley

Reporters

Gail Bensinger Dolan Eargle Jean Halprin Ashley Hathaway Andrea O’Leary Karen Peteros Murray Schneider Bonnee Waldstein

Columnists

Photographers

Vince Beaudet Bevan Dufty Susan Evans Alma Hecht Denise Sanderson Michael Walsh Elizabeth Mangelsdorf Ellen Rosenthal Michael Waldstein

nity Plan. The congressman’s efforts long will be appreciated by Glen Park residents who are eager to see safer streets in the heart of our village. We hope that Lantos’ successor will be diligent in helping Glen Park implement the plan. The front-runner for the job is former Democratic state Sen. Jackie Speier, who announced her intent to run for the Congressional seat prior to Lantos’ death, and received his endorsement. Speier lives in Hillsborough. Four other candidates have filed to run: Former California Public Utilities Commission member Greg Conlon of Atherton; Mike Moloney, a retired businessman from Foster City; San Francisco investor Barry Hermanson; and Dr. Michelle McMurry of San Francisco. Conlon and Moloney are Republicans, Hermanson is a member of the Green Party and McMurry is a Democrat. Regardless of party affiliation, all will appear on the same ballot. A special primary election has been set for April 8 to decide who will serve out the remainder of Lantos’ term, which ends in January. If no one candidate receives a majority vote, the top vote-getters from each party will face

off in the June 3 election. Given the state of the nation’s souring economy and the gridlock in Washington when it comes to finding solutions to end the war in Iraq and to unravel the health care crisis, it is understandable that bread-and-butter neighborhood issues may not get the top attention of our next representative in the House. But we want to make sure they won’t be forgotten. There’s still a lot of work to be done—with help from federal, state and city officials—to improve Glen Park. We are eager for the attention. And the editors of the Glen Park News express our condolences to the family of Tom Lantos, and to offer thanks for his public service. n

Join the Glen Park Association Only $10 per person. PO Box 31292 San Francisco, CA 94131 or online at www.glenparkassociation.org

The mission of the Glen Park Association is to promote the collective interests of all persons living in Glen Park, to inform and educate about neighborhood and citywide issues, to promote sociability and friendships and to support beneficial neighborhood projects.

GPA Board of Directors and Officers for 2007 President

Michael Rice 337-9894 [email protected] Vice-President Michael Ames 239-4347 [email protected] Treasurer Dennis Mullen 239-8337 Recording Secretary Kim Watts 902-4767 Corresponding Secretary Tiffany Farr 215-2320 Membership Secretary Heather World [email protected] Health & Environment Volunteer needed [email protected] Neighborhood Improvement John Walmsley 452-0277 Glen Park News Elizabeth Weise 908-6728 [email protected] Public Safety Volunteer needed [email protected] Recreation & Park Richard Craib 648-0862 Traffic, Parking & Transportation Volunteer needed [email protected] Zoning & Planning D. Valentine [email protected] Program Volunteer needed

Glen Park News

The Glen Park News is published quarterly by the Glen Park Association. Signed articles are the opinions of the authors and not necessarily those of the Glen Park Association. To advertise in the Glen Park News call 908-6728 or e-mail advertising@ glenparkassociation.org.

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Glen Park News

Glen Park Association News High-Tech Parking Program Nixed, Dangerous Trees Evaluation Sought

No Pilot Parking Program A pilot plan to install new, hightech parking meters in the village that can change their rates depending on demand by Elizabeth and times has been quashed by Supervisor Weise Bevan Dufty. The plan was proposed by the Department of Parking and Traffic and supported by the Glen Park Association at the January GPA meeting. This pilot program would have been a six-month test, to see if the systems could be used around the city. While numerous questions were asked by residents at the GPA meeting, there was strong neighborhood interest in being part of the experiment. However, at its January meeting the Glen Park Merchants Association told DPT staff that the organization was strongly against the pilot program. It asked DPT not to consider the pilot program. Supervisor Dufty, who also attended the meeting, said he would not support a parking pilot in District 8. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency had been excited about the possibilities of new approaches to parking management. But agency representatives said that without the support of the merchants and the district supervisor, it cannot pursue a parking pilot in Glen Park. Ric López of the Merchant’s Association told GPA president Michael Rice that the merchants were concerned that extending meter hours to 8 p.m. might create problems for residents and that higher meter rates might discourage customers. The Merchants felt Glen Park should wait until parking rules were the same everywhere.

Tree Danger Another issue that the GPA has taken up is concern about the trees on Elk Street by the park. During the big January storm, two cypress trees were uprooted and fell within the park, one of them crushing a portion of the fence around the tennis court. Two years ago a eucalyptus tree between the tennis courts and Elk fell across Elk Street, damaging a home and leaving part of the neighborhood without power. At GPA meetings, residents have expressed concerns about some of the older and less healthy trees in the park during future major storms. The GPA has been calling and writing to the Recreation and Park Department about the condition of the trees. On Feb. 18, GPA President Michael Rice sent a formal letter to Yomi Agunbiade, general manager of Rec and Park, asking for the following: 1. A survey by a professional arborist of the condition of trees in the grove, to determine their health and risk of falling, 2. Based on that survey, pruning and, if necessary, removal, of unhealthy trees, 3. A replanting program. Rec & Park had not responded by our press time. Elections In elections, the board of the Glen Park Association was reelected at the January 2008 meeting. Currently serving are Michael Rice, president; Michael Ames, vice president; Dennis Mullen, treasurer; Kim Watts, recording secretary; and Heather World, membership secretary. Longtime vice president Jeff Britt stepped down and the GPA thanks him for many years of dedicated service to the neighborhood. n

Richard Craib, founder and longtime booster of Friends of Glen Canyon Park, built his family home on the rim of the canyon in the 1960s. As this photo illustrates, Glen Park is never far from his thoughts, no matter where he and his wife Sandi travel. The 125-foot-tall statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Mt. Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, may be spectacular, but Rich made sure to bring his favorite reading material along just in case. Photo by Sandi Craib

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Spring 2008

Sangha Finally Gets Rolling Glen Park is now officially part of the worldwide sushi phenomenon! Sangha, at 678 Chenery St., opened its doors to by local diners on Dec. 21 Ashley Hathaway and since has been busy developing signature sushi rolls and other tasty bites for its customers. Sangha is a Sanskrit word that means “community,” and the elements of a community are very important to owner Ric López, who also owns the restaurant Le P’tit Laurent across the street. Being of Mexican heritage, a Latin influence in the food served at Sangha is also very important to López. Asked, “Why Latin-Japanese fusion?” he answers, “Why not!” Sangha’s chef Gerardo Torres is originally from Mexico City. After brief stints at sushi restaurants in Santa Cruz, he helped create menus for SOMA’s Blowfish Sushi and Bernal Heights’ Maki Sushi. Torres plans to continue creating new rolls and dinner plates at Sangha for quite some time. López adds that the Latin community he connects with here, as well as what is happening in Japan, was influ-

ential in creating the sushi restaurant for Glen Park—all part of the sushi wave rolling over every continent around the globe. In the culinary world of Japan, sushi means “vinegared rice”—usually served with a topping such as raw or cooked fish, egg or vegetables. Sliced raw fish served alone is called sashimi, and sushi rolled up in nori (dried pressed seaweed called laver in English) is called maki. On a typical sushi restaurant menu, you will see these items listed respectively as Nigiri—sashimi—and Maki, or simply Rolls. Not surprisingly, the birthplace of sushi as we know it was indeed Tokyo, Japan, in the 19th century “Edo” era, although it can be argued that it dates back as far back as the 7th century when Southeast Asians discovered the technique of pickling. The Japanese soon took the skill one step further by packing fish with rice. The fish would then start fermenting and subsequently the rice produced lactic acid that caused the pickling of the pressed fish. In any case, it was simply a basic grab-and-go snack centuries ago, but over time soon morphed out of the

Sangha has opened on Chenery Street.

Photo by Ashley Hathaway

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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Glen Park News

Glen Park’s Showbiz Duo Twenty-seven actors crowded onto the stage of the Shotgun Players theater one rainy evening in January for the curtain call by of “Salvage,” the final Gail Bensinger play in Tom Stoppard’s trilogy about love and politics in 19th century Europe. Standing in a far corner behind the audience was a small woman with magenta streaks in her short dark hair. Behind the nearby window of the sound booth was a burly blond man moonlighting from his day job making animated films. The two of them—director Susannah Martin and temporary sound designer Torbin Bullock—are Glen Park’s own show-biz couple. Their careers have been intertwined ever since Susannah made her debut directing the senior-year musical in high school; Torbin was in the cast. The classmates were friends then, but didn’t become a couple for another decade. Now they’re the sort of couple who feed straight lines to each other. Susannah says they’re both 36, nearly 37. Torbin: “I’m 18 days older.” Susannah: “Every year he tells me on his birthday all the things he knows that I won’t know for another 18 days.” She’s originally from Boston, while he’s a native San Franciscan. She’s always known that she wanted a life in the theater. He lucked into a job and a career he loves. After high school—where, Torbin says, Susannah was “a classic ’80s punk girl, with a Mohawk and all that jazz”—she went to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University, then spent six months in London, and another year in New York, doing odd jobs in the theater that never brought in enough money to be

able to get her own apartment. So she came back to San Francisco. “In ’94 you could actually afford to be a renter here,” she recalls. She intended to stay for only a year or two. “Here I am, 14 years later.” She has worked theatrical odd jobs here, too, but she’s making a name for herself in local theater circles. In 1999, she co-founded a theater troupe called Paducah Mining Co., which survived for five years. Then she went off to UC Davis for a master’s degree. Directing the conclusion to Stoppard’s “The Coast of Utopia” trilogy was an exercise in instant theater. The three plays follow the personal lives and evolving philosophies of the men and women present at the creation of the great political upheavals of the 19th century, only to watch the movements they brought into being pass them by. Shotgun presented the plays as staged readings on three successive Wednesday nights. Torbin grew up living all over San Francisco—the Haight, Ingleside, Outer Richmond, Fillmore, Cow Hollow. His father started out as an actor, and spent two years in the San Francisco cast of “Hair.” When Tom Bullock ended up as “a postproduction guy” in movies, his son worked with him during summer months and picked up the rudiments of film editing. Torbin took occasional production jobs, but he never intended to work in film, sound and music editing. After a couple of years at City College, he found a short-term production job at an obscure company in Point Richmond. The company was Pixar, and the film was “Toy Story.” “It took me a good three or four weeks to figure out what was really going on, and what I found was that they were really making something new and amazing,” he says. He and Susannah were roommates then, living on 24th Street in Noe Valley above Hopwell’s restaurant, now Le Zinc.

Susannah Martin and Torbin Bullock in their home in Glen Park. Photo by Liz Mangelsdorf

Torbin has worked since then on a succession of hits—“A Bug’s Life,” “Monsters, Inc.” “Cars.” Now he’s working on Pixar’s as-yet-unnamed 2011 release, about which he will say only that it’s “cool.” Post-Stoppard, Susannah directed a fully-realized production of George Bernard Shaw’s “Mrs. Warren’s Profession” for Shotgun Players. Even she is a little dazzled by back-to-back plays from two such heavyweight authors. The couple, who married in 2006, happened upon their Glen Park home on their way to brunch at Pomelo on Church Street: “We’ve lived here for five years and we love it,” Susannah says. “You don’t feel like you’re in the city anymore. You feel like you’re in

this little European village.“ Although Torbin works in Emeryville, while Susannah’s various jobs take her all over the Bay Area, they tolerate their commutes. As she puts it, “When are we ever going to live in a neighborhood with a community like this, so why would we want to leave?” Torbin knows a straight line when he hears one: “Especially now, with Eggettes,” he says. “Mrs. Warren’s Profession,” directed by Susannah Martin, is on view at Shotgun Players Theater, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, from March 19 – April 20. Take BART to the Ashby station; the theater is across the street from the station’s parking lot. n

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Redone Sunnyside Park— A Real Swinging Hot Spot Sunnyside Playground and Park finally has a children’s playground after decades of wishing and planning. Since a formal by Andrea opening in mid-November O’Leary 2007, the sound of laughter from both children and adults alike has not stopped. Neighbors, whose feet keep turning toward and walking them into their new neighborhood gem, are particularly pleased to see many groupings of old friends, now scattered to the many corners of San Francisco, rendezvous in Sunnyside to catch-up, visit and meet new babies. More than a decade ago, residents and park advocates, spearheaded by Sunnyside Park Families & Neighbors ([email protected]), relentlessly pressed for funding that would bring renovations to facilities residents had repeatedly prioritized. The park is surrounded by several distinct neighborhoods that do not have a park down the street, and Sunnyside is considered their neighborhood park. Families had to drive across town to find recreational facilities. SPFN members created and displayed a board titled “Imagine” then “RE-Imagine Your Park” to solicit input from residents, and to draw attention from any moneycontrolling agency possible. After being included on—then removed from—lists where funding was allocated, success was eventually achieved; setting in motion a $3.7 million upgrade of one of San Francisco’s most unique multilevel hillside public spaces, which offers many surprises and fabulous views. When imagining the ideal park, residents clearly wanted an open and multi-aged kids’ playground next to the grass field, to allow children to run from play equipment onto clean grass

and back. To promote active exercise, volunteers have collected colorful tennis rackets for anyone happening by to give a ball a bounce over the net of the newly surfaced tennis court. Long hoped for and consistently at the top of the wish list was a place where adults or children can have a party. The big wooden table near the playground is a favorite with youngsters, but adults want a place to gather away from squealing kids where they can listen to a jazz trio. Groups and organizations want alternatives to dull rooms to hold an outdoor meeting or to conduct a fund-raiser. Early morning neighbors seek places to practice martial arts movements. The place for all these activities is The Plaza, which is bringing people together just as plazas do throughout the world. Free Tai Chi classes are held there every Saturday morning at 9:30, and everyone of any age or physical capability is welcome, no experience necessary. While many park capital renovations throughout the city have had budget overruns, Sunnyside astonished everyone with a surplus. That surplus will be spent on renovations to the recreation center “clubhouse.” Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) barrier removal is the focus of the expenditure, with bathrooms and the kitchen undergoing the most changes. The rest of the main room will be one large space with few doors and fewer walls to make use of every inch possible. Bathrooms off The Plaza also will be refurbished. This work is expected to be completed in Fall 2008. Sunnyside Park welcomes neighbors from Glen Park to come for a visit and come often. n

Balboa Playground Revamp: Community Effort Pays Off After long years of fundraising and effort, Balboa Park’s playground has finally been renovated. A group of neighbors and parents worked hard to replace outdated playground equipment with new, safe play items. Together with the Neighborhood Parks Council and San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, they were able to get a grant from Kaboom and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons to build a new playground.

The grant covered the cost of new playground equipment but did not include installation. To make that happen, more than 500 community volunteers descended on the park on March 4 to construct the new equipment. The playground Park is on San Jose Avenue at Sergeant John V. Young Street (the road that leads to Ingleside Police Station, between Havelock Street and Ocean Avenue). n

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Glen Park News

The Allure of Comfort Food— A Palatable Draw to Glen Park As I walked down College Avenue in Oakland, I thought about stopping at one of the tempting cafes for lunch but decided no, I’d rather take BART back to Glen Park by Jeanne and eat a spinach pasty at Halpern Cafe Bello. As I watched the East Bay hills drift by, I realized I’d done the same thing the day before, in downtown San Francisco, when I was about to stop for lunch at Kuleto’s Caffe, and the day before that in West Portal. Instead of going anywhere, it seemed, my choice was always a spinach pasty at Cafe Bello. Even when I’m home, I sometimes create an errand—dropping off a pair of slacks at Clean N’ Save Cleaners, buying fresh veggies for dinner at Canyon Market, picking up a book at the library or Bird & Beckett. I walk down the hill, through the park, along the trail behind St. John School, across the empty lot, and then I cross Diamond Street to the cafe. Odd, I thought on the train, for a person who loves new places, people, and food. Very odd. Is it the ease of not having to make a decision? Hold on to your habits and live a stress-free life? Maybe. Is it that I’ve trained the folks at Cafe Bello to heat the pasty just so—two minutes in the microwave and then two or three in the toaster oven till it’s crispy brown? That way, I can cut it into a dozen small pieces, noting the spinach green and carrot orange before bringing each steaming bite to my lips—mmmmm. And to be able to read at the same time. Sip lychee tea. Maybe it’s just my hedonistic pleasure in the whole experience, that crunch just before my teeth close over the crust and my tongue explores the feta and pepper.

These are all possibilities, of course. But I’ve concluded that the real reason for the BART rides home and the mileand-a-half walks down the hill and then back up is that pasties bring me back to a very happy summer in my life, to the first and only time I had a steady diet of pasties, 48 years ago. My first summer as a married woman—a newly pregnant one, at that—we spent at Northern Michigan University on the shores of Lake Superior, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It was Sputnik time and the U.S. was trying to catch up with the U.S.S.R. by beefing up the math and science curriculum throughout the country. My husband, an assistant professor of mathematics, was on a National Science Foundation grant to teach what was then called “New Math” to high school teachers. Then they could teach it to their students as part of the grand effort to land men on the moon within a decade, a true “mission accomplished” story. While he taught, I took courses toward my master’s degree. The Upper Peninsula (UP) touches three of the Great Lakes. In the mid19th century, huge deposits of copper and iron ore were discovered there, and the UP actually produced more mineral wealth than the California gold rush. Miners by the thousands crossed the Atlantic and northeastern North America, mainly from Cornwall, England, and also from Finland and other European countries. The Cornish wives knew how to cook what miners needed for those long days underground. They mixed potatoes and onions and whatever vegetables and meats were available into a stew thicker than chicken

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Cafe Bello owner Greg Jensen.

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Glen Park News

Solar Power a Hot Success in Our Sun-Friendly Village One of a series of interesting things about the Glen Park neighborhood

From my deck overlooking some of Diamond Valley, I realized I could spot as many as five newly installed solar panels. by Becoming taken with Dolan the notion of findEargle ing more of those big rectangles, I climbed higher and higher to see how many I could spot. Eventually ending up on a wooden platform above Poppy Lane at the edge of the projects in Diamond View on Moffitt, I spotted five more. In fact, after heavy pressure on PG&E by this reporter, the total number of solar installations tied into the electric grid in the 94131 zip code (which is almost exactly the boundaries of Glen Park) was revealed. It’s an astounding 76 for our edge-of-the-fog belt neighborhood. That puts us high in the rankings for solar power in San Francisco. The leader is 94110, Mission/Bernal, with 99. We are tied with 94114, Noe Valley/ Castro/Corona Hgts./ Duboce. Note all three are contiguous. City total is 676. Once we looked at the pavement and what is under it. Then we looked at the nice homes, admiring their placement, views, architecture and ornamentation. The only time we looked up was to see who had satellite dishes. Keep looking for our birds but also let the chic electrique panels catch your eye. One maximum installation is on Chenery Street, where the owners have hooked their large system to the grid—they produce power all day for their own use, feeding into the grid any excess as the meter runs backward, then take advantage of the grid on evenings and days of low light when needed. Of course, some homes in Glen Park unfortunately face north, or are too shaded at times of maximum sun; nevertheless, there are quite a few chances to take advantage of the face of the sun. And not all of these solar arrays are producing electricity—some are water heaters (thermal solar), usually those of just two or four panels. So what started me on this particular odyssey? Cruising down Folsom the other day around 17th Street I was startled to see half a square-block parking lot full of cars completely shaded from the sun by solar panels. I’d once seen something like this in the San

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Fernando Valley. For Los Angeles that meant cooler cars and free power. For San Francisco I wondered about the fog. Not to worry, they still produce, although less under clouds than under full sun, says PG&E. That’s good news for us. Folsom and 17th is only about two miles from Glen Park, so about anything in the way of electricity that happens there probably affects us in Glen Park one hundred-thousandth of a second later. Such a momentous new array is important; I counted 576 panes at 17th and Folsom. But oddly, given all the hype around solar power, PG&E has said almost nothing about it. I set out to find out more. The totally unmarked square block has its doors all sealed. The parking lot has rolling gates operated by electronic cards. Back in my office I called the PG&E media number. A pleasant lady said she’d have someone call me right back. After more calls and several weeks, PG&E’s media man Joe Molica came through. The 17th and Folsom project began as an experiment. It’s not a major developing program, he told me. The system is just feeding into the grid. While fairly efficient, it’s not as good under clouds as full sun and PG&E doesn’t yet have data on the whole system available for the press. So does solar make sense? Judging from the costs and results given in the web sites below, with the proper considerations for siting and installation, it could take less than 10 years for a solar system to pay for itself. After that your power’s free. To see another big solar project, look around next time you find yourself hopping onto SFO’s AirTrain after a quick BART trip to the airport. The passageways from the International Terminal to the older terminals are covered with so many flat panels that it looks like a pond. It’s a project of the owner of SFO, the City. Useful References: The “Resources” section of GPA’s web site, glenparkassociation.org, has lots of useful information. SolarCity.com provides data on how to form a group for rebates (the more members, the less cost). For instance, $700–$3,000 each for 5–20 participants.

Park Bonds Will Pay Off, Some Day

Coming our way: $4 million in bond money to refurbish Glen Canyon Park. But when will we see it? Good question. On “Super” Tuesday, San Francisco voters agreed to let the City sell the next round of bonds to finance the open-space by plan that was approved Gail Bensinger in a 2000 referendum. Our park didn’t make the first round of funding back then, but it did make the most recent one. Under Rec and Park ground rules for the upgrades, the timing of the next phase depends on how quickly the firstround jobs get finished. Projects on which work is still being done include the Upper Noe Recreation Center at 30th and Sanchez streets. Other rec centers, pools and playgrounds are still getting their finishing touches. Rose Marie Dennis, public affairs director for Rec and Park, explained that no date has been set for the new bond sales. “The City is on a strict bond schedule,” she said. After the new bonds get a go-ahead, she estimates, “then the planning process begins again for the next 12 projects.” Glen Canyon Park is No. 10 on that list. Thus the uncertainty over timing. Dennis wouldn’t be pinned down, but she predicted the sales are probably a couple of years off. Among the projects that may be undertaken with the $4 million are renovations for the recreation center, the playground, the day camp, sports facilities and pathways. Lighting, irrigation, improved access and upgraded landscaping also may be part of the plan. Regardless of when the work actually starts, it is supposed to be finished by 2013, when voters will be asked to pony up for the next round of improvements elsewhere. It’s been a half-century since Glen Canyon Park has received so much attention. We’ll have to be patient for a few more years. n Also gives estimates on the total rebate per participant. The Glen Park Association is forming a group right now. Findsolar.com provides estimated cost, price and benefits, and savings on various providers. n

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Glen Park News

Imagining Mr. Chenery... Considering that Chenery Street is the “Main Street” of Glen Park, surprisingly little is known about its early days. For instance, how did it get its name? The first reference by Bonnee to Chenery Street is as Waldstein the site of the Fairmount School in 1864. However, it would seem that the school was actually on the future Chenery Street, as the street hadn’t yet been officially named. The street name Chenery first appeared in the San Francisco City Directory, in 1868. The directory, far more than an address (or later, telephone) book, was financed by advertisers, and was something of an annual almanac of San Francisco. Residents were listed with their occupation as well as their address. The directory listed streets and their boundaries, pictured the city map of the moment, showed who was who in society and—most ambitiously— updated “The Progress of the City,” which described growth in population (138,950 in 1868), public works achievements, railroads and other indicators of the ascension of San Francisco as a growing, dynamic metropolis. The boom and bust of real estate markets familiar to San Franciscans is nothing new. In 1868, according to the directory, the city was digging itself out of a 10-yearlong depression, which had followed the wild volatility of the Gold Rush days. Real estate prices were on the rise. In 1868, San Francisco was expanding in every practical direction, mostly toward the south and west, including the city’s “outside lands,” which included present-day Glen Park. That year, according to historian Mae Silver, “people living in the area were carriage makers, stablers, bakers, civil service workers, painters, and men working in the building trades.” The Fairmount Tract, a triangle formed by Castro Street, 30th Street and San Jose Avenue, encompassed Chenery Street. It was developed in the 1860s, Chenery Street appears on the 1871 map of the Fairmount Tract. From then until 1895, Chenery Street was listed in the City Directory as extending “Ss Thirtieth St. to Randall, thence to Castro.” In those very early days, development along the street was sparse; the Joost brothers’ San Francisco and San Mateo line would not be barreling down Chenery Street until 1892. The city map of 1873 showed the plot of the original Fairmount School, which was established at its current site on Chenery between 30th and Randall streets. Emma

Bland Smith in her book, San Francisco’s Glen Park and Diamond Heights, notes that the school had 137 students in 1870, in a small wooden building. Nearby on that block, today’s 5159 Chenery, was the French Laundry building, circa 1873. Albert Bracht, owner of the building for the past five years, relates that the working class people of the area were far from needing the services of a French laundry. Rather, “the building was an office building for the laundry. It wasn’t a French Laundry building on Chenery Street. Photo by Michael Waldstein retail operation, but serviced the hospitals and downtown hotels of the day. nia in August, 1849. He first went to although actual records of a real estate The property next to the building, No. the mines but shortly thereafter went to transaction involving purchase of the 47, and the land behind it where Robert Sacramento, where he opened the Globe land where Chenery Street is located Pritikin’s ‘Chenery House’ is now, was Hotel and was also a broker for products could not be found. Did Chenery purthe location of the hot-water vats and coming from back east. With a couple of chase the land and name it after himself, drying fields for the laundry.” partners he went into the steam boating or did one of his illustrious associates Further “uptown,” at the northwest business, and prospered until the great buy the land and name the street in corner of Chenery and Fairmount streets, fire of 1852 that left Sacramento in honor of Chenery? the 1873 map shows a triangular prop- ruins, including his properties. He Richard Chenery married twice and erty that today resembles remained involved with had five children. He went back east in a corner market, which steam boats and various 1879 to Belfast, Maine, where he helped perhaps dates back to that Did Chenery other commercial proj- establish the waterworks system. He time. At the “far end,” ects. Having amassed died on July 27, 1890 at age 73. 657 Chenery at Castro, purchase the the then-considerable The personal qualities of Richard sits the Tietz house, the fortune of $240,000, he Chenery were extolled in a tribute oldest residence in Glen land and traded his belongings for recorded in the Memorial Book (No. Park, built in 1872. gold dust and slugs, and 14) in the Society of California Pioneers In 1897, Chenery name it after set out on a steamer for (courtesy of librarian Pat Keats): Street became “FairPanama. “In person he was of commanding mount Tract, from 30th himself? In 1856, Chenery was figure and his picture shows a remarkably near Church, S and SW.” one of the organizers of handsome man. In later life his uniform It wasn’t until 1922 that the military Vigilance and flowing white beard made him a man Chenery Street was listed, as we know Committee in San Francisco, was to be observed in the multitude. He was it today, “Fairmount Tract, 30th near elected its chief officer and awarded the liberal to a fault; cheerful in disposition; Church S & SW to Elk.” title of Colonel. In 1857 he represented genial and pleasant and always and The Chenery name originated in San Francisco County in the California everywhere a gentleman…he moved England, apparently as a regional name, State Assembly as a Republican. The on his course untouched by the sins and the earliest reference being 1393, refer- same year he formed a construction weaknesses incident to the frontier life ring to John Chenery at Barton Mills, company, which later (in 1866) built a of new states.” Suffolk. It might be extracted from road from Marysville to Oroville. He A grandson, Leonard E. Chenery, “chesne” which translates to “oak tree.” attended the inauguration of President born in 1869, is the one who carried on So how did this name end up on a street Lincoln as one of the mounted guards. the Chenery name in San Francisco until in Glen Park? Under the Lincoln administration, 1940. Leonard was variously listed as Richard Chenery, son of Nathan Chenery was appointed Navy agent at a clerk, bookkeeper, and vice presiChenery, was born in Montague, San Francisco, disbursing millions of dent with the firm of Allen and Louis, Massachusetts on June 20, 1817. dollars for the government until after which moved all over the city and Marin According to an account of families of the end of the Civil War. County between 1892 and 1940. Eastern Massachusetts, “He may justly Between 1869 and 1875 he was For many years Leonard lived at be regarded as one of the builders and an importer and wholesale jobber of 1869 California St. He too probably makers of the state of California and liquors, a thriving industry in San Fran- rose in the ranks of San Francisco socithe city of San Francisco.” cisco. The firm was named Chenery, ety, as he is mentioned in the society Though seemingly largely forgotten Souther, and Co. The business disap- column following the 1906 earthquake: in our city, Chenery was an extraordi- pears from public records after 1875, “The Leonard Chenerys were burned nary example of ambition, achievement and for the next few years Chenery’s out and lost all of their effects, which and civic involvement in the burgeoning occupation was listed as mining. were valuable. They are with friends days of California and San Francisco. Richard Chenery was first listed in on Pacific avenue, near Buchanan He moved to New York City at the San Francisco City Directory in 1868. street.” age 18, working at an uncle’s store; His name appeared with the first of his So: Was Chenery Street named farmed in Wisconsin for seven years; several occupations, “real estate.” after Richard Chenery? If it was, June returned to Massachusetts to the dry This is the strongest evidence that 20, his birthday, should be “Chenery goods business; and came to Califor- Chenery Street was named for this man, Day” in Glen Park. n

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Spring 2008

Saved Newspapers in the Glen Park Association

GPA President Michael Rice, seeking background information about the back-issues that reveal what’s been going on in Glen Park, including bits “New Park On Martha Hill.” The January 1979 Glen Park Perspective, the monthly tabloid I pull out of the by Michael Glen Park Association archives, headlines Rice a story on the City’s acquisition of two acres at the top of the hill south of Bosworth Street. The site was purchased through the 1974 Park Renovation and Acquisition Fund, and apparently saved the hilltop from residential development. A side article covered the naming of the new park for Dorothy Erskine, a longtime open-space activist who promoted the Park Renovation and Acquisition Fund. It’s clear the neighborhood worked hard to save this hilltop. I follow the story of Glen Park’s open space through the dusty archives, with an article in April 1979, on the history of festivities in the canyon. I know we see many good photographs of the canyon in early days, but did we know that Jimmy “Scarface” Williams performed balloon ascensions there? That 1979 story covered the annual May weekend of the Pickle Family Circus days in the park. That grew into the years of Memorial Day weekends with the Pickles and the San Francisco coop nursery schools’ fair bringing happy crowds from all over the city. The happy noise, laughter and cheers carried for blocks. The Pickles moved on, and the fair and the circus disbanded by the early1990s. There is a big gap in the Glen Park Association newspapers after about 1980 to the early 1990s. The archives pick up again about 1992, as a quarterly newsletter. In December 1992, we read about the “Glen Park Panhandle,” the strip of green space north of Bosworth. Again, the neighborhood saved this from being sold off as “surplus” City property (left mostly from the widening of Bosworth Street). This “panhandle” is still an intermittent trail from Lippard almost to the canyon: weeds and rocks in one block, a real paved path in another, now waiting for the 2003 “draft Community Plan” to upgrade this connection.

Trees became part of the Nameplate adorning the Glen Park Perspective in the 1970s.

Image courtesy of Michael Rice

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Glen Park News

Archives Give Glimpses of Neighborhood History

organization he heads, gets down and dusty with the contents of boxes of of history from long before these neighborhood papers were published

Pages from the archives illuminate the history and events of the neighborhood.

The December 1995 Glen Park News reports on a “Master Plan for Glen Canyon” process, looking at user groups, automobile access, and natural resources. It’s a shock to note this master plan, now part of a citywide recreation and park “Natural Areas Plan,” is still under way. We can recall, though, that those efforts in the ’90s resulted in limiting parents driving their children up the canyon to Glenridge Nursery School during the school year, and to Silvertree Day Camp in the summer. A new drop-off at Diamond Heights Boulevard and Sussex Street helps keep the cars out. With regular publication of the News for the past 10 years, we know the Friends of Glen Canyon Park organizes volunteers for clean-ups, bird walks and native plant care. City funds and a large anonymous donation created the boardwalk past Silvertree and the cutting back of invasive plants in Islais Creek. Stories in the News tell us about the hawks, owls and coyotes. We read that the landscaping and the recreation building don’t get the maintenance we expect and need. Catching up to 2008, we voted overwhelmingly last month for Proposition A, the $185 million Clean

and Safe Neighborhoods Bond. San Francisco voters approved the ballot measure on Feb. 5 with 72 percent in favor. Prop A is part of the City’s new 10-year capital plan to upgrade San Francisco’s recreation and park facilities. Glen Canyon Park is designated in the bond measure for “repair and/or renovation of the recreation center, the children’s play area, day camp, courts and field; restoration of roads and pathways; upgrades to the infrastructure including lighting and irrigation, modifications to improve accessibility, and overall reconditioning of the park landscape.” It’s a bit daunting to see the 30-plus years of steady efforts to keep our parks as one of the great resources of San Francisco—and the neighborhood. I recognize many of the names of the neighbors who spent many hours and days in the park and at City Hall supporting these plans. I know there will be new names to carry this on, and more good stories in the Glen Park News. n

Michael Rice is president of the Glen Park Association

Images courtesy of Michael Rice

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View from City Hall After a period of delay, the Glen Park Neighborhood Plan is springing forward in 2008, with the first of a series of community meetings to define the specific projects for implementation. With the help of the late U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos, we were able to secure $3.4 million in funding to complete by Supervisor a full environmental Bevan analysis of the project, as Dufty required under California law. Currently, the 2003 Glen Park Community Plan serves as the primary document detailing the neighborhood planning framework. It was collectively designed to guide future planning proposals and to preserve the unique character of the Glen Park Village. The Community Plan will now serve as a tool for the implementation of proposed neighborhood changes, through the creation of a Glen Park Area Plan and the introduction of local revisions to the Planning Code. The next step in the planning process is to develop the Area Plan, consistent with a vision for the neighborhood and based on community input and many of the objectives and policies established in the Community Plan. This step will include the organization of three to four community meetings, in which: • Participants will be updated on the earlier community process and the current status of the project, i.e., the next steps toward establishing an Area Plan and implementing projects; • Key elements of the Area Plan (transportation, land use, urban design) will be outlined; • Results of the transportation studies (carried out by the consultant) will be shared, providing the opportunity for

informed community feedback; • Potential zoning controls for implementing desired land use changes will be discussed with the community; • Community consensus will be reached for specific components of the draft Area Plan and Code revisions. Once the meetings are set, we will provide mailings and other notices. We anticipate returning to the Glen Park Elementary School, where the original meetings were held. While I am disappointed that progress lagged over the past two years, we have secured steady increments of the federal grant and many positive changes have come to Glen Park with the Marketplace’s completion, new restaurants and businesses, and closer management of parking spaces, among others. Should you have any questions about the Glen Park Area Plan, please don’t hesitate to contact Charles Rivasplata of the Planning Department (5586255 or [email protected]) or Boe Hayward of my office (554-6968 or [email protected]). In closing I want to remember Congressman Lantos. Tom was a great friend and he was very proud of securing a federal earmark to guide and protect the future of Glen Park. Over the coming months, your input will guide improvements to mitigate traffic congestion, improve pedestrian safety and keep the character and charm that makes Glen Park so wonderful and unique. n

How we Voted

Obama came out ahead of Clinton. At some precincts, such as 80 Digby and 151 Lippard, the race was close. At others, such as 345 Chenery and 395 Addison, Obama’s lead was formidable. Citywide, San Franciscans backed Obama over Clinton 52 percent to 44 percent. Far fewer Glen Park voters cast ballots for Republican presidential hopefuls. Of those who did, 147 went for Sen. John McCain, followed by 57 for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 28 for former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and 13 for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. McCain also won the citywide GOP vote. n

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Election Day, taking 1,496 to Clinton’s 900. Former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, who dropped out of the race prior to the primary election, drew 85 votes, 65 of which were cast absentee. Five other Democratic contenders, who like Edwards left the field before Election Day, together grabbed 22 votes. The Glen Park News analyzed election results from the ballots cast at eight precincts in Glen Park, or in precincts immediately adjacent to the neighborhood’s traditional boundaries. In all of these eight precincts,

Bevan Dufty serves on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing Glen Park and surrounding neighborhoods in District 8.

Spring 2008

Spring 2008

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Glen Park News

If You See Bees Swarming, Call a Beekeeper for Help Over the past year, most have heard of the honeybee affliction called “Colony Collapse Disorder.” CCD has by certainly been one Karen Peteros of the worst—and, strangely, one of the best—things to happen to honeybees in many years. As a result of the media attention given to CCD, more people than ever are aware of the importance of honeybees and native pollinators. And, as the only insect to produce a food consumed by humans as far back as 2,000 B.C., more people than ever are interested in keeping honeybees. While new people are looking to learn more about honeybees and about possibly becoming a beekeeper, existing beekeepers are looking for new ideas (and to old ideas) of how we can help keep our bees healthy. At the National Beekeeping Conference in Sacramento in January, and at the first national conference of organic beekeepers in Arizona this February, preserving and perpetuating locally adapted “survivor” colonies of honeybees was emphasized as an important strategy to help honeybees regain overall health as a species. I have been thinking about this a lot and how everyone, including those of us in Glen Park, can play a role in helping to perpetuate locally adapted “survivor” honeybee colonies. Beginning in March and into summer, honeybee colonies that have been able to survive the winter and stay healthy will be sending out swarms to establish new colonies. The sad news is that only about one in six swarms will locate an appropriate nesting site, build comb and put up enough honey and pol-

len store to survive its first winter. For urban and suburban honeybees, the news is even sadder because the best nesting sites are within the walls and attics of houses, garages and sheds. Unless the nest is readily accessible, most people will choose to exterminate a honeybee colony rather than have a beekeeper open a wall and remove the colony, then still have the chore of making the repair or hiring someone to do it. If you see a swarm this spring or summer don’t be afraid, because the bees in a swarm are gentle. They have no brood or honey stores to protect, and they are only interested in finding a new home. And please, do not reach for the nearest can of pesticide! Instead, pick-up your phone and call me, or send me an e-mail. Introduce yourself, give me your phone number and a description of the location where you saw the honeybee swarm. Either I or one of my beekeeping colleagues will do our best to capture the swarm before it has the chance to move into someone’s wall or attic, or build its nest in a location that will be its doom during the coming winter. If we can capture the swarm, we will take it away and give it a good home in a new hive box. Who knows, we may be able to capture a swarm within our own neighborhood which, as a “survivor of the fittest,” could become the parent colony of a Glen Park stock of honeybees that will stay healthy and productive in our very own neighborhood and in other neighborhoods throughout San Francisco. n Karen Peteros can be reached by telephone at 290-2582 or by e-mail at [email protected]

They Know the Drill Glen Park Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) volunteers huddle during a citywide drill last October. With NERT teams from other neighborhoods covered by our fire battalion, they planned drill operations in Holly Park. They organized teams, set up a disaster staging area and assessed “damage” in the neighborhood. Glen Park NERT welcomes new members anytime. Anyone can become a certified NERT member by taking the S.F. Fire Department instruction, which includes earthquake preparedness, personal and family preparedness, disaster skills, disaster medicine, light search and rescues, team organization, and skills practice. For more information, and to sign up for NERT classes, visit www.sfgov.org/sffdnert.

Glen Park News

Spring 2008

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Glen Park Library Campaign Needs More Cash Donations The Glen Park Library Campaign has proudly raised almost $200,000 of the estimated $500,000 that Friends of the by San Francisco Public Marian Chatfield- Library committed to provide all the Taylor furniture, fixtures and equipment in the new Glen Park branch! These privately raised dollars were used to pay for all those things—tables, chairs, desks, computers, and much more—that make the Glen Park Library a real neighborhood home, and that public bonds (overwhelmingly approved by voters for branch construction and related costs) could not be used to purchase. Almost 200 individuals, families and businesses have contributed to the Glen Park Library Campaign, in amounts ranging from spare change dropped in jars at local shops to $50,000 gifts, and everything in between! And—there is still time to make your contribution to support the Glen

Park Library Campaign, and to be recognized for your generosity. All gifts of $1,000 and above— which can be paid over a period of three years—entitle you, the donor, to recognition on a handsome plaque prominently displayed in the branch. You can engrave your name or the name of someone you wish to honor or remember. The current donor plaque in the Glen Park Library is a paper facismile of the final engraved version that will be created in about a year. In addition, a few naming opportunities still remain for individual “stack end” plaques and room-area plaques. n For more information about how you can support the Glen Park Library Campaign, please call or e-mail Marian Chatfield-Taylor at Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, 6267512 x103, or marian.ctaylor@friend ssfpl.org.

Check It Out at the Library! We had a wonderful Opening Day celebration for the Glen Park Library on Oct. 13, by Denise 2007 which was very well Sanderson attended and for which we had perfect weather. Since opening, the library has become a hub of activity. It seems a week doesn t go by without someone who has never before been to the branch applying for a library card. Many of our new patrons had never been to the old location (now the expanded site of Bird & Beckett Books), so they don t know the new branch is six times larger or that it is in a new location. Many of the patrons have been commenting on our new library smell. With our larger space comes expanded programming. Be sure to call for exact times and dates. Our programming now includes: • Infant/ Toddler lapsit for ages birth to 3 years on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. • Pre-school story time for ages 3 to5 years on Tuesdays at 11:15 a.m. • Family story time occurs monthly 7 p.m. on a Wednesday. • Pre-school video program occurs monthly on a Tuesday at 11:15 a.m. For adults, we have a monthly Book Club on the third Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. Call for the latest selection. We also have started basic, hands-on computer-training classes. This spring, we have author visits and art programs going on, as well. For teens, we have just hired a teen services librarian who will be at the branch two days a week so we are

hoping to start doing some special teen programs. With all these goings-on, you might wonder how to keep track of it all. The library now has an online web log or blog, which lists all the upcoming programs, library news and spotlights on books. The address is http: //glenparklibrarysfpl.blogspot.com. The general library website also has event listings: http://sfpl.org At the branch, we have flyers for all our programs and the monthly newspaper At the Library, which includes news and events of all the libraries in the San Francisco Public Library system. Upcoming programs: Saturday, April 5 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. is our Family Open House. Kids crafts provided by Simla Akyol from It's a Piece of Cake, and music performed by the Familia Pena-Govea. Light refreshments will be served and a raffle will be held. On Tuesday, May 6 at 10:30 a.m. is Out and About with Kids: From Getting Across Town to Traveling Around the World. The presenter will give a presentation followed by discussion. This program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and the branch. If you haven’t been to new library yet, please come on down for a program or to peruse our expanded collections or perhaps take in our new library smell! Glen Park Branch 2825 Diamond Street San Francisco, CA 94131 355-2858

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In Glen Canyon Park Whether foggy or sunny, a walk in Glen Canyon shows wildlife and plants celebrating spring. At the Levi site, north of the field behind the rec center, where overgrown Eucalyptus by were culled in 2005 to Alma allow native flora’s Hecht return and Islais creek’s improved flow, the season is in full swing, putting on its annual show. The once-intrusive restoration markers disappear amidst the new greenery. Chandeliered red flowering currants attract hummingbirds and dwindling populations of native bees. Coyote brushes host other indigenous insects which, in turn, provide healthy meals to hungry birds and butterflies. Coffeeberries’ young leaves in bright emerald green surround clusters of inconspicuous greenish-yellow star-like flowers. By summer, they will turn into purplish-black berries resembling coffee beans. Sticky monkey flowers with bright orange trumpets herald attention. Long ago, when the creek flowed freely, Native Americans mixed sticky monkey flowers’ young stems and leaves into their salads. Also, the flowers and roots with their antiseptic qualities were applied to expedite healing minor scrapes and burns. Before the Eucalyptus trees were planted, the broom and ivy invaded, and the Himalayan blackberry choked, the banks of Islais Creek supported a thriving village culture. Perhaps the canyon was a seasonal settlement, but certainly with protection from westerly winds, an abundance of fish, rabbits, deer, wild vegetables, and rushes for constructing baskets, it could have been a yearround home. Next time you come to chuck the ball for your dog or munch a sandwich while walking past the Levi site, imagine the creek flowing beyond where it now disappears underground and continuing far beyond the rec center all the way to the Bay. Picture your sandwich garnished with bright monkey flower’s leaves instead of romaine. And as you walk up the path, rather than being annoyed by seeing identifying markers, stretch your imagination and visualize the recently cleared patch continuing the lush and colorful display of the Levi site. Now temporarily free of the exotic invasives’ choke-holds, it has the chance

to return to a biodiverse landscape. We hope you will enjoy the transition, as well as the spring show of established plants, butterflies, bees and birds. Eco-Notes Things you can do to be a Friend of Glen Canyon without actually working in the field or writing checks, are in your own gardens. Those prolific yellow flowering Scotch and French broom plants—Cytisus spp—are scourges. Eradication efforts cost taxpayers millions of dollars annually. Though once readily available to buy, they are now illegal to sell. So dig them out or cut them down before winds carry more of their seeds into nearby woods and rocky hillsides. Appropriate substitutes could include the above-mentioned coyote brush, as well as goldenrods and Oregon grapes. Read on for an introduction to these plants now available at local nurseries. Coyote brush—Baccharis pilularis—grows in clay soil, half to full sun. They are drought and wind tolerant. The many flowering heads in clusters are what attract butterflies; the insects they support are not harmful to other plants and are beneficial food for birds. Typically round shaped, coyote brushes can grow to 10 feet high. Goldenrods—Solidago californica—bloom around the same time as ragweed and are often falsely accused of causing hay fever. That’s a shame, because they are wonderful additions to end-of-summer/early-fall gardens, lighting up the space in brilliant yellow spires several feet high. Enjoyed by butterflies and bees, they go mostly dormant in winter, which is a good time to cut them back to the ground. Goldenrods accept full sun or light shade, and benefit from occasional summer drinks. Spiders and Birds will be the subjects of two walking tours in the canyon this April and May, and it’s almost time for Pancakes in the Park, too. Details and dates are in the Community Calendar on Page 20. n Alma Hecht is a neighbor and Friend of Glen Canyon. She owns Second Nature Design, an award-winning sustainable landscape design concern. Alma would be happy to awaken your garden design dreams. Contact her at 586-6578 or www.secondnature.bz.

Glen Park News

Digging the Dirt: News from the Garden Club

Winter has been the time to learn about plant groups that work for Glen Park. There are three specific plant groups that you may want to consider: orchids, palms and succulents. Orchids are so wonderful, and what a great thing that we can grow some outdoors in Glen Park. Our cool, misty weather by is good for them. Plants Susan should be in bright shade Evans and be bought from an ethical dealer, who buys from an ethical wholesaler. If you’re not sure, try Plant It Earth on Market Street. Try Masdevallias in pots, never letting them dry out completely. The many blooms are simple but bright in orange, white, red or yellow. In our neighborhood, one orchid that can grow big is maroon flowering Cymbidium Dorothy Stockstill. The Sobralia has lavender flowers with bamboo-like leaves, making it a great alternative to invasive, real bamboo. Palms are also good for Glen Park. These are monocots, not trees, and are related to orchids. They transplant easily and need well-drained soil. They provide movement and visual interest. Palms can be good for our small gardens because they can grow tall but shade very few other plants. The indestructible palm here is the Mediterranean fan palm, because it withstands our heavy winds. It will grow more graceful if in bright shade, but it thrives in our sun. If you have heavy shade, the Chamadorea Metallica can be grown in a pot and will grow to four feet in height. If you have sun, try Chamaedorea Radicalis—it looks like bamboo.

A very tall but slow grower is the Chilean Wine Palm. You grow this one for the generations to come. To see its full beauty, go to Sunnyside Conservatory on Monterey Boulevard, which was created more than a century ago. Our information came from Jason Dewees, a palm specialist at Flora Grubb Gardens. Some succulents are native to Glen Park, and are a great way to save on your water bill. A succulent is any plant that stores water in its stems or leaves. If you want to grow them, cut off a side stem and let it form a callous over the cut part for a few days by leaving it outside in the shade. Then just stick that stem into the soil. The recommended medium is granite gravel, and sand with some potting soil. This will protect the plant from rot, for which these plants are quite susceptible to. Give them lots of afternoon, west sun. One succulent we have is Sedum Spathein. It has a bright little yellow flower and would be good for a rock garden or a pot. It is best on a north-facing slope and near serpentine rock common to our neighborhood. Glen Park also has Dudleya Farinosa, better known as hen-and-chicks. Get these plants at Strybing Arboretum during the native plant sale. The spring sale is May 5, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park near the Ninth Avenue entrance. It’s time to plant, so get digging! n

Armed robbers held up Glen Park Association president Michael Rice at gunpoint by on March 12 at 8:40 p.m. Elizabeth at Chenery and Surrey Weise streets. The two suspects went through his pockets and took his wallet and book bag. In previous armed robberies in the neighborhood, the culprits dumped empty wallets and purses along Cortland Avenue. Ingleside’s Lt. Daniel Gardner immediately sent two plainclothes officers into Bernal Heights with an unmarked patrol car as backup. Twenty minutes later, at Eugenia Avenue and Wool Street, Officer Angelique Marin was approached by two suspects

with Officer Anthony Ravano nearby. When Ravano identified himself, one of the suspects ran. Marin gave pursuit while Ravano detained the second man. Officer Robert Toomey apprehended the first man near Holly Park. Along the route the young man had taken, the officers found a loaded handgun and the book bag taken in the Glen Park robbery. The suspects, teenagers from the Hunters Point neighborhood, were arrested and charged with robbery. In February, a 39-year-old woman was robbed on the 300 block of Chenery , the third in a string of robberies. A suspect in that crime was also quickly apprehended. For more details, see the Glenparkassociation.org website.

Susan Evans is a member of the Glen Park Garden Club, which welcomes new members. E-mail her at [email protected].

Two Evening Gunpoint Robberies: Walk Alertly

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Comfort Food

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

pot pie, and spoon portions onto hardy dough. After rolling or pinching the dough so it became a sealed container, the wives baked the pasties until they became firm, crusty hand pies, perhaps eight inches long. Into her husband’s metal lunch pail, a wife would pour strong, steaming tea, close an inside lid over the tea, place the pasty on top to keep it warm and lock the pail. With it firmly in hand, the miner would walk out into the cold, dark UP mornings and into the darker mines. Pasties (pronounced PASS-tees) were still popular in the UP long after most of the mines had closed. Between a class in statistics and one in modern American poetry, I bit into my first one in the university cafeteria, where they were a staple. Like Lake Superior white fish, you could find them anywhere in the UP, and you probably still can. But

Sushi and Sangha

Spring 2008

those pasties, however delicious I may have found them in 1959, contained too much potato and meat for my taste now. And they were messy. When I discovered the new San Francisco version—small, healthy and tidy—I was delighted. After trying them at several cafes, I got very particular about how they should taste and feel to the tongue. The only place that makes me happy every time I eat them now is Cafe Bello. On my BART ride home from Oakland, I decided the reason I didn’t eat on College Avenue that day, or downtown the day before, or in West Portal was simple: pasties are my comfort food. They date back to a delightful, romantic time in my life—new bride, mother-to-be, master’s-degree-to-be, easy hairdo, lots of reading and walking, nary an ache or pain. One could do worse than be a lover of pasties. n

grilled asparagus, and a jalapeno corn fritter, just to name a few. There is a “fast-food snack” realm and into a nice selection of premium cold sake global delicacy. Sushi as we know it (you won’t get the warmed-up version today is now a multibilhere!), red and white lion-dollar industry. wines, two kinds of One might ask, where Japanese beer and a At Sangha, does the world get all the Mexican cola. fish to satisfy the sushi The interior of the food and demand? Sangha is understated Well, the Tsukiji and simple, including customers are fish market in Tokyo a somewhat specis one place, for sure. meant to stand tacular wall sculpture It’s the world’s largest made of stainless marketplace for seafood, out, not the walls steel, bronze and copand much of what ends per by artist Grant up on our sushi menus Irish and another around them. originates there. It is metal sculpture by enormous, chaotic and complex—books Irish that serves as a windbreak just have been written about it—and I can inside the front door. Awnings now tell you from personal experience it is a grace the exterior. sight to see! There are edible sea creaLópez says the colorless interior tures on display at Tsukiji (pronounced was all part of the plan. He wants the SKEE-jee) that would boggle anyone’s food and the people inside to stand out, mind, and the average American has a not the walls around them. n palate for only a small fraction of what is available there. However, that palate is responsible for the growing popularity of sushi. Sangha is open for lunch and dinner Here in Glen Park, some of the Tuesday – Sunday. Reservations are signature maki served at Sangha are accepted for parties of six or more. the Nooshi roll, which has shrimp tem- Phone 333-0101. pura, avocado, cucumber and mango; the Ecstasy roll, with maguro, bincho, On Patrol avocado, jalapeno and green onion, and the Ric roll, made up of Cajun shrimp, Officer Mike Walsh’s popular colavocado, tomato, cilantro, snow crab, umn for this issue was the victim of jalapeno, red onion and lemon zest. a computer disaster, and On Patrol “Small plates” are some of Sangha’s will return in the summer issue. other delectable offerings and include cilantro salmon, soy-glazed chicken,

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

Spring 2008

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Glen Park News

Glen Park News

Glen Park Wakes Up CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Once when she accidentally locked herself out of the store early one morning, Café Bello baristas came to her rescue, lending her a cell phone so she could call home. In appreciation, Janet brought her coffee-making saviors a loaf of piping-hot bread fresh from the Canyon ovens. Janet doesn’t believe such neighborliness is an anomaly. In fact, one of her four bakers, Jaime Brilhante, is on loan from Destination Bakery. Janet and Rich believe there is enough business for everyone here. “Destination Bakery makes the most awesome Danish,” Janet enthuses. “We have a symbiotic relationship here in Glen Park—we patronize their bakery, they shop in our market.” Nestled against Castro Street’s last block, three quarters of Destination’s floor space is devoted to preparation tables and a proof box that owner Joe Schuver, an avuncular baker habitually given to wearing rumpled hoodies, uses as a way station for his sticky buns, scones and cinnamon rolls.

Spring 2008

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Heated to high temperatures, Joe’s ovens are radiant, and when his morning neighborhood regulars begin trickling in at the crack of dawn, each is greeted by the wealthy aroma of Joe’s freshly baked French bread and the warm chords of a Mozart piano concerto. “I wanted to create a destination place,” Joe says. “A place so good, people will walk and drive here to sample our pastries.” Joe, 53, worked for neighborhood fixtures Judy and Charlie Creighton for one year before buying the shop. But not Judy’s recipes; Joe brought his own. Destination is modeled after European bakeries, trading quantity for quality. “It takes patience to explain to some of our customers that we bake just enough to run out by closing time. We never begin the day with day-old rolls and buns,” Joe says. With years of experience as a Hunters Point wholesale commissary baker, Joe offers camaraderie as much as he serves croissants. Com-

fortably intimate, Destination morphs into Joe’s Place, offering its early morning habitués a highly accessible and informal meeting place to discuss the latest Ruth Rendell mystery pulled from a Glen Park Branch library shelf or to take a straw poll predicting which Democrat will win the California Primary. “We came together accidentally four years ago because Joe’s tables are so cramped,” says Blanche Bebb, a 73-year-old retired Kaiser hospital X-ray technician, who, along with retired City College of San Francisco department head Zoanne Nordstrom, is one of the anchors at Joe’s Place. “We solve, or say we do, the world’s problems,” Blanche nods. Blanche has lived in Glen Park for 16 years. When she is not helping out behind the counter at Bird & Beckett Books & Records on Chenery, she enjoys an evening bowl of French onion soup at Le Petit Laurent. First arriving in San Francisco in 1967 to attend a Vietnam peace march, Blanche quickly became envious of friends who lived in Glen Park. “Everything here is

so cute, so nice, particularly the canyon,” Blanche says. Deborah Barr, another Destination morning regular, echoes Blanche, volunteering that Joe’s culinary talents extend far beyond those enjoyed by patrons of the two-legged variety: “Joe gives all the dogs in the neighborhood biscuits.” Like Canyon’s Janet Tarlov, Joe employs a corps of bakers. Victor Tano, 47, arrives an hour or two before Destination opens at 6:30 a.m. A graduate of the California Culinary Institute, Victor, formerly a printer, enjoys the solitude of Chenery Street early in the morning. Smiling, Victor says that baking at Destination offers familial as well as professional compensations: “I used to come home smelling of machinist oil. Now I come home and I smell like cinnamon. My kids love it!” So does the neighborhood. n Murray Schneider is a retired Daly City high school principal and longtime Glen Park resident.

Glen Park E-mail Lists

Real Estate in Glen Park

The Glen Park Association hosts a free electronic mail list open to all Glen Park residents. It is moderated by membership coordinator Heather World and consists of a weekly calendar and news update, with very occasional late-breaking news stories and police updates. To subscribe, send e-mail to [email protected]. Also, don’t forget the allnew Glen Park Association website at www.glenparkassociation.com

The housing market in Glen Park is still strong. And there’s good news for buyers and sellers: mortgage relief is coming. The government has increased conforming loan limits for high-cost areas, including San Francisco. This allows Fannie by Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase or guarantee loans with a Vince Beaudet cap placed at roughly $730,000. This will allow more buyers to qualify for lower-cost mortgages. FHA loan limits also have been increased. The 13 properties sold in Glen Park from Nov. 13, 2007 through Feb. 18, 2008 accounted for eight fewer than the 21 homes sold in the same period last year. However, selling prices in Glen Park are firm, with more than half of the homes sold during this timeframe meeting or exceeding the asking price. Following are the 13 properties sold:

Other neighborhood lists include: Ingleside Police Station Crime Report

To receive a copy of the Ingleside Station Newsletter please send an e-mail to: [email protected] Glen Park Parents Over 550 families in Glen Park and environs. Includes groups for new parents and parents-to-be. Moderated and spam-free. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/glenparkparents/ Glen Park Expectant Parents group E-mail [email protected] for information. Gay Glen Park A low-traffic list for gay and lesbian residents, their friends and families. Moderated and spam-free. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gayglenpark/ Glen Park Dog Owners [email protected] Glen Park-Fairmount Heights Neighbors Association [email protected]

Address

List Price

Sold Price

142 Burnside 151 Burnside 631 Congo 150 Everson 168 Everson 203 Fairmont 525 Laidley 212 Miguel 18 Natick 208 Surrey 326 Surrey 24 Sussex 291 Sussex

$699,000 $769,000 $599,000 $739,000 $829,000 $1,803,000 $1,295,000 $1,150,00 $695,000 $849,000 $949,000 $1,059,000 $1,580,000

$733,000 $790,000 $585,000 $775,000 $800,000 $1,803,000 $1,340,000 $1,005,000 $655,000 $849,000 $1,025,000 $1,030,000 $1,530,000

Realtor Vince Beaudet works for Herth Real Estate. He can be reached at 8615222 x333 or [email protected].

Spring 2008

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Glen Park News

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Glen Park News

Glen Park Association

Quarterly meetings are held in January, April, July and October. Everyone is welcome, members and non-members alike. Annual membership dues of just $10 support the Association’s important work on behalf of the neighborhood.. Next meeting: Wednesday, April 9, 7 pm, St. John’s School, 925 Chenery St. Note the new day.

Friends of Glen Canyon Park

Meetings and Plant Restoration Work Parties: Third Saturday of each month, 9 am–noon. Next dates: April 19, May 17, June 21. Meet behind the Recreation Center. Tools, gloves and instruction provided. Learn about botany and ecology, exercise your green thumb, enjoy entertaining camaraderie or examine public-lands management issues. Weekly Work Parties: Every Wednesday, 9 am–noon. For the current week’s meeting place contact Richard Craib, 648-0862. To join Friends of Glen Canyon Park or learn more about their activities, contact Richard Craib at 648-0862 or Jean Conner at 584-8576. Special Community Events: Sunday, April 6, 10am: Spiders of Glen Canyon Walk, cosponsored by Friends of Glen Canyon Park & CNPS, Leader Darrell Ubick. Sunday, May 11, 9am, Glen Canyon’s Birds, a walk led by David Armstrong. Sunday, May 11, 10:30 am following the Bird Walk: Pancakes in the Park. Enjoy pancakes & syrup, sausage, coffee and orange juice, $5 donation.

Glen Park Branch Library

The new library on Diamond Street has become a hub of activity. With more space has come expanded programs. For specific dates and times, call the library at 355-2858. Children’s Programs: Infant/Toddler lapsit, ages newborn–3, Tuesdays, 10:30 am. Preschool Storytime, ages 3–5, Tuesdays, 11:15 am. Family Storytime, monthly on a Wednesday, 7 pm. Preschool Video Program, monthly on a Tuesday, 11:15 am. Adult Programs: Monthly Book Club, third Wednesday of each month, 6:30 pm; call for the month’s selection. Computer Training Classes, basic and hands-on; upcoming classes include “Internet 101” and “E-mail.” Check the library for dates and times.

Spring 2008

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Community Calendar Author Visits and Art Programs are scheduled for spring 2008; get details from the library. Teen Programs: A new Teen Services Librarian will be at the branch two days a week; check for upcoming special Teen programs. For More Information: A new online “blog” lists all upcoming programs, library news and spotlights on books. Visit http://glenparklibrarysfp l.blogspot.com/. The general library web site also has event listings, at http: //sfpl.org. The Glen Park Branch has flyers for all its programs, as well as the monthly newspaper At the Library, which includes news and events of all the libraries in the San Francisco Public Library system. Spring Special Events: Saturday, April 5, 2–4 pm: Family Open House. Kids’ crafts provided by Simla Akyol from “It’s a Piece of Cake” and music performed by the Familia PenaGovea. Light refreshments and a raffle. Tuesday, May 6, 10:30 am: “Out and About with Kids: From Getting Across Town to Traveling Around the World.” Presentation, followed by discussion. Cosponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library and the branch.

SFPD Community Forums

Third Tuesday of each month, 7 pm, Ingleside Police Station, John Young Way off San Jose Avenue. All residents are encouraged to participate in the informative monthly Community Relations Forum hosted by Capt. Denis O’Leary. Drop in and get acquainted with the dedicated people who keep our neighborhood safe. Meetings are subject to availability of the captain; to check, call the station at 404-4000. Next dates: April 15, May 20, June 17.

Kiki-Yo Sessions

The Kiki-Yo fitness studio, 605 Chenery St. near Castro, offers a variety of physical wellness courses. Visit their web site, kiki-yo.com, or call 5875454. Community Hatha Yoga Classes: Fridays, noon–1:15 pm, taught by Jennifer Chein. Suggested donation $10 but no one is turned away, and 50 percent of the donation goes to City Youth Now, which supports children in the juvenile court system (www.cityyouthnow.org/ home.php). Meditation Makes Sense: A threeweek course beginning Thursday, March 20, 6–7:30 pm. Suggested donation $10.

Bird & Beckett Events

Bird & Beckett Books & Records continues to present a variety of literary and musical events in its spacious new location at 653 Chenery St. (the former Glen Park library site). For latest information, check the web site, www.bird-beckett.com, or call proprietor Eric Whittington at 5863733. Unless noted, all events in the bookshop are free; donations are always appreciated for the performers and participants. Coming Events: Jazz in the Bookshop: Every Friday, 5:30–8 pm. March 21, April 4, April 18 – Don Prell’s SeaBop Ensemble. March 28 & April 25 – The Henry Irvin Quartet with vocalist Dorothy Lefkovits, alto player Bishop Norman Williams and drummer Jimmy Ryan. April 11 – The Jimmy Ryan Quintet with Joel Ryan, Rick Elmore, Scott Foster and Bishu Chatterjee. ± Poetry with Open Mic: 1st & 3rd Thursdays, 7–9 pm: March 20 – Poets Carlos Suarez and Jerry Ferraz. April 3 – Poets Marv Hiemstra and Paula Hackett. April 17 – Poets Katherine Hastings, Jack Foley and Adele Foley. May 15 – Poet David Meltzer joins forces with Los Angeles jazz pianist Theo Saunders. & Three book groups meet monthly at 7 pm; everyone is invited. Note that some days of the month have changed. Bird &Beckett Book Club: 1st Wednesdays. A book is discussed each month; participants choose the next month’s selection. April 2 book is Puccini’s Ghost by Morag Joss. Political Book Discussion Group: 2nd Thursdays. Current issues. April 10 – call for the title. Eminent Authors’ Birthdays: 4th Thursdays. For these open readings, bring a short piece from the works of a favorite writer born during the month to read aloud. Literary Talks: Last Sundays. March 30, 4:30–6 pm – Walker Brents III discusses Coyote, the Native American trickster figure. Children’s Story Time: Every Friday, 11 am. Ruth Maginnis and others read a variety of stories for the preschool set. Special Events & Fund-Raisers: Sunday, April 27, 4–7 pm: Benefit for Bird & Beckett featuring poets David Meltzer, Diane di Prima and Michael McClure. $35 per seat, $25 standing room. Limited availability—tickets on sale at the bookshop

beginning April 1. The store will be closed during this event Sunday, May 4, 2–7 pm: “Big Bash at the Clubhouse #2” at the Miraloma Clubhouse, 350 O’Shaughnessey at Del Vale. Music, dance, poetry, food and more—to celebrate the launch of the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation whose mission is to present and document the work of local musicians and poets. Tickets at the bookshop beginning April 1 and at the door, $10 each. Sunday, May 11, 4:30–6:30 pm: A commemoration of the Berkeley Poetry Revolution of 1968, with John Oliver Simon, Charles Potts and Richard Kresch. Free.

Choral Performance

Saturday, April 5, 8 pm, & Sunday, April 6, 7:30 pm: St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Church Street at Valley Street. Karl Jenkins, The Armed Man – A Mass for Peace. Details at www.sfchoral.org/ upcoming.html. n

Join the Bookstore, Receive Discounts

A membership at Bird & Beckett Books & Records brings rewards for shoppers, while helping keep our neighborhood bookstore by afloat. Denis New and renewing Wade members have five levels of membership to choose from, each with its own annual fee and perks. Discounts apply on all merchandise except newspapers and magazines, all year. The options: Beboppers—$35—receive the new B&B coffee mug, and a 10 percent discount all year. Existentialists—$50—receive the new Bird & Beckett T-shirt (available in five sizes and three colors!) and a 12 percent discount. Bohemians—$100—receive the mug, T-shirt and a 15 percent discount. Medici members—$500—receive the mug, T-shirt, a handy tote bag, free shipping to the provinces, and a 20% discount. God/dess members—$1,000— receive all of the above, plus a substantial 25 percent discount for the year. Maybe even an extra T-shirt and mug. n