precita.org

Precita Park Cleanup

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:38:00 +0000

Please join Precita Valley Neighbors at the childrens’ playground in Precita Park. Spring is here! We will be weeding and cleaning up Precita park, the childrens’ playground, and the Alabama/Precita triangle. Bring gloves. We will supply the tools and compost bags.

Let’s make Precita park more beautiful!

Precita Valley Neighbors Meeting Summary

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:05:00 +0000

Meeting notes from Saturday, February 20th 2010 SUMMARY

David Robinson (285-5957) and Demece Garepis (641-0507) Co-Chairs. Email address changes to demecegarepis@yahoo.com

SUMMARY:

1. SFPD PVN Liasion: Sergeant Lynn O’Brien is our new SFPD group liaison.

2. PRECITA PARK AGGRESSIVE DOG REPORTING: Officers John Denny and Bruce Herndon strongly recommend anyone who has been a victim of aggressive or malicious dog behavior in Precita Park to please report. If you experience aggressive or menacing dog (on or off leash) behavior, if you ask, the dog owner by law must provide you their name, address, and dog vaccination record. Please report: 1) either by phone at 553.8090 or john.denny@sfgov.org. 2) Call Park Patrol Officer Marcus Santiago 242.6391. This is the best way to stop leash or unleashed dog aggression in the park.

3. NOISY CELL PHONE POLE AT ALABAMA/MULLEN: There is a large unattractive pole mounted boxes, as well as the cell antenna which has been mounted on a steel extension at the top of the pole. For further information we visited this internet site which maps cell towers throughout SanFrancisco http://www.city-data.com/towers/cell-San-Francisco-California.html Interestingly enough, there are maps of both 21 and 51 FCC registered cell tower locations in San Francisco, with numerous antenna and multiple frequencies. However the Mullen street location is not listed, nor mapped on this site. The site does note that not all towers must be registered in the FCC database, so the maps may not include all cell tower in the area. Then we consulted a more detailed listing of cell towers found at:http://sfocellsites.com/

The 5/25/09 map shows one tower on Mullen Street, which appears to be the only cell tower within Precita Valley. Other nearby cell towers appear to be located on taller buildings on Mission Street, and St. Luke's Hospital on C. Chavez. From our quick review of at this and other discussion sites, it's obvious that not all cell tower locations can be found in one central database. While this one is labeled "T-Mobile" the author has noted that ATT shares cell antenna at numerous T-Mobile locations. Our initial impression is that this tower is situated in a location that provides line-of-sight coverage for virtually all of Precita Valley, which is why it was probably placed on this pole. We assume the cell phone provider provides fees to PGE and/or the City to operate from this location and this fills an otherwise "gap" in their service area. There may be some viable alternatives to this tower, but would require further research and discussions with the mobile providers, as well as the City. There don't appear to be any cell towers at the top of the Hill, the existing antenna on top of Bernal Hill are microwave towers for transmission from downtown skyscrapers via Bernal, to relays further down the Peninsula on San Bruno mountain. It's conceivable that cellular antenna could be relocated there, but there would be significant costs of doing so. Another idea would be to perform a more detailed topographic survey of Precita Valley, with the goal of locating antenna location not immediately adjacent to private residences, such as Bernal Heights Boulevard. Finally, the recent complaints, and this discussion have focused on the aesthetics associated with the electrical distribution boxes and their placement on telephone poles immediately in front of homes. Further research and actual monitoring may be indicated regarding electromagnetic radiation, particularly for those residents closest to the antenna at the top of the phone pole on Mullen. Since the Mayor's office has taken a public interest in radiation emissions from cell phones, perhaps someone from his office could request a radiologic survey be performed by the City's Dept. of Public Health. These measurements should be performed within the homes of those individuals living closest to the source, that is, the floor of the closest home/apartment to the antenna at the top of the pole.

4. HIDDEN STOP SIGN: DPW has been notified about the Alabama stop sign obscured by large tree: request for tree pruning and moving sign closer to street curb.

5. There was a Peralta/Mullen Mini Park Clean Up– Saturday, February 27th.

6. PRECITA PARK MAJOR CLEAN UP: MARCH 6th SAT. 9AM-NOON - JOIN US!

Precita Valley Neighbors Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:02:00 +0000

Saturday, February 20th, 9:30am – 10:30am
Charlie’s Café Folsom/Precita

1. Our new SFPD representative Sgt. Lynn O’Brien will discuss the uptick in crimes and how to watch for casing activities and prevent future crimes.

2. There have been more aggressive dog incidents in Precita Park. Sgts. John Denny and Bruce Herndon will advise us on how to prevent aggressive dog interactions in advance and how to report them.

3. Park Improvement Grant ideas for better Precita Park maintenance and use.

4. Mullen Street Cell Tower: What we can do to determine harm and push for solution.

5. MARCH 6th SAT. 9AM-NOON: BIG PRECITA PARK CLEAN UP – JOIN US!

Cesar Chavez Redesign moving forward

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:40:00 +0000

Mission Local has a good piece on the Cesar Chavez Redesign:

The first phase, which is likely to start this summer, involves redoing the sewage system to reduce flooding.

Above ground, the second phase will involve planting more trees, using energy-efficient street lights and converting the three lanes of traffic in each direction to two lanes. With concerns over safety, a 14-foot tree-lined median and widened curbs will be paved to decrease the time needed for pedestrians to cross the intersection. Bicyclists will also be able to enjoy the additional street space through permanent bike lanes.

More at Mission Local. It's all part of the Mission Streetscape Plan.

Precita Park

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 06:27:00 +0000

Beautiful day in Precita Park right after the rains, and after the park was mowed.

Bernal Heights Library Re-Opening celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:25:00 +0000

After a long renovation, the Bernal Heights branch library (500 Cortland at Andover) is reopening on Saturday, January 30 with a big party. Ceremonies begin at 1 p.m. The Friends of the SFPL are organizing refreshments, music, and giveaways, and you can check out books and other materials from 2 p.m. [More details]

Bernal History Project members will be in attendance to answer questions about the neighborhood, show pictures and maps, and gather research for our archives. (Have photos or stories to share? Come on by!)

70,000 gallons

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:34:00 +0000

Last night's storm dumped 1.8 inches of rain on San Francisco. That's about the equivalent of 70,000 gallons of water landing just on Precita Park.

Sunday, we also received about an inch of rain in SF, which is about 47,000 gallons hitting Precita Park.

That's a lot of water!

So if the grass is mushy, now you know why.

(Each inch of rain falling on one square foot is 0.63 gallons.)

Precita Park Auto Burglar caught

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:56:00 +0000

Captain’s Message:

Outstanding Auto Burglar Arrest! At 2:40 a.m., Thursday (14-Jan-10) morning, Officers Dudley and Almaguer responded to an Auto Burglary in progress in the Precita Park area on the 1300 block of Shotwell. Once obtaining the suspect’s description, they traveled into the Mission District and captured the suspect!

Here's the details:

Officers Almaguer and Dudley were sent to investigate a car break in progress. The officers arrived and were met by a reportee who told the officer’s that he witnessed a theft. The reportee gave the officers the description and direction of the suspect. The suspect was carrying a car stereo that he had removed from the car with wires still hanging from it.

The reportee went as far as to cautiously follow the suspect and continued to report to dispatch. The officers began to search for the suspect with the information provided by the witness. Two blocks away the officers located a possible suspect that was wearing the same clothing and carrying a car stereo with wires hanging. The officers decided to detain this suspect. The suspect was arrested! Because of the willingness of this courageous member of the community, this suspect is in custody and will no long be loose in our community.

These kinds of crimes only get solved with input from community members. If you see a crime in progress, CALL 911.

Aggressive off-leash dogs in Precita Park

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:37:00 +0000

At the last Precita Valley Neighbors meeting, issues about aggressive off-leash dogs in Precita Park has come up. Officer John Denny will talk about this in our February 13th PVN Meeting.

Here's some excerpts from a discussion with Officer J. Denny:

First and foremost, anyone who encounters a dog that exhibits "menacing and/or aggressive behavior" (Article 1, Section 42 of the San Francisco Health Code) should immediately summon the police who should then respond and take control of the situation as well as document the incident with a police report. If the incident is in progress or if all parties are on scene then I would urge a 911 call. (The direct cell phone number to a SF 911 dispatcher is 553-8090)
What many people (and, alas, police officers) are unaware of is that a police report should be made ANY time a dog exhibits menacing and/or aggressive behavior. While a bite is obviously an example of menacing and/or aggressive behavior, such behavior ALSO includes lunging, snapping, charging and near-miss bites or bites that occur without leaving any marks.
For example, if a dog owner is walking his/her dog down a sidewalk and the dog is on its hind legs pulling at its leash while snapping and snarling (hopefully it is on a leash) while trying to get at people or other dogs, it only takes the snap of a chain or the drop of the leash and the dog is free and, as such, creates a danger to the public. I suggest calling the police via 911.
ALL reports of dog aggression should find their way to my desk where an investigation shall be initiated. Many times the result of the investigation require that a Vicious and Dangerous Dog Hearing be held to determine remedies that would prevent future incidents involving the dog in question. As I am the scheduling officer for the hearings and my supervisor is the hearing officer (Sgt. Herndon) the process usually runs smoothly (now I've jinxed it).
So , in short, and we will expand on this topic at our meeting, nobody should be in fear of being attacked or having their dog attacked by while in public. There is a mechanism in place that deals with specific dogs. But the mechanism is engaged only once we know about the aggressive dog and its actions (via police reports).

Precita Valley Neighbors meeting notes

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:33:00 +0000

Notes from the Precita Valley Neighbors meeting on 9-Jan-10:

1. Sergeant Lynn O’Brien is our new SFPD group liaison. She will cover our February 13th Meeting.

2. There have been more aggressive dog incidents in Precita Park. Officer John Denny will talk about this in our February 13th Meeting.

3. Park Improvement Grant ideas for better Precita Park maintenance and use: discussion concerning a legal fenced dog run in Precita Park. The group discussed whether an enclosed dog run area may be safer to contain (illegal) off leash dogs than the current undivided space between (illegal) off leash dogs and people.

4. Precita Park area Caesar Chavez and Bernal Traffic Calming updates will be presented by DPW and MTA.

5. Neighbors are working with 500 Precita owner to encourage organic food store. Prior tenant’s liquor license is suspended and will not be renewed there.

6. Neighbors are working with an environmental consultant addressing antenna installation near Alabama/Mullen, which is very noisy and was put up without notification. (more info)

7. DPW has been notified about the Alabama stop sign obscured by large tree: request for tree pruning and moving sign closer to street curb.

8. PVN is in the process of working on permitting and maintaining plants inside the new pavers adjacent to Charlie’s Café.

Loud Tmobile Microcell at Mullen and Peralta

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 05:42:00 +0000

Tmobile has installed a microcell on a PG&E utility poll at Mullen and Peralta. Most people notice it not so much because of the antenna at the top of the pole, but because of all the equipment that was mounted on the pole. And as the neighbors near it say, the noise from the cooling system for the electronics is really, really loud, and it's mounted on a pole less than 8 feet from the adjacent home's front door.

The neighbors also say that there was no advanced notice that this equipment would be installed, nor any information on who was installing it.

At least Tmobile did try to address appearance issues- the equipment is all painted the same color as the telephone pole and isn't a glaring grey box. But they should be required to make something that operates almost silently. We could understand if it was a very hot day that perhaps the fans might run more loudly; but after dark when it is 50 degrees out and the fans in it are blowing away loudly. And it's making this sound 24 hours a day.

From a design perspective, this is not called for.

Hopefully, Tmobile will deal with the issues of this installation.

Tmobile Microcell Noise Issues from Team Precita on Vimeo.

Precita Valley Neighbors Meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:30:00 +0000

Precita Valley Neighbors Meeting
Saturday, January 9th, 9:30am – 10:30am
Charlie’s Café Folsom/Precita

AGENDA:
1. Our new SFPD representative will discuss the uptick in crimes and how to watch for casing activities and prevent future crimes.

2. There have been more aggressive dog incidents in Precita Park. Discussion will include a SFPD officer familiar these interactions and how to prevent them in advance.

3. Park Improvement Grant ideas for better Precita Park maintenance and use.

4. Precita Park area Ceasar Chavez Traffic Calming updates.

At least our potholes aren't this bad (so far)

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:51:00 +0000

Big pothole on 24th near Bryant. So big a delivery truck got stuck in it!

Not only is it deep, but it has undermined the street near it. 24th is currently closed. You can't tell so much from these pictures because we couldn't get close enough, but the hole is actually much bigger than the break in the pavement above it. It goes down about 3 feet, and the pavement is only a couple inches thick.

Car Breakins on Harrison on New Years Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:25:00 +0000

Officers Hurwitz and Daggett were on patrol at 07:45 pm when they heard two separate calls in the span of a half an hour in regards to cars being burglarized.
The officers suspected these calls were related, and responded to the area. They located a suspect who matched the description inside a car which did
not belong to him. The officers took the suspect into custody and he later admitted to entering three vehicles which did not belong to him with the intention of stealing items.

Great work Officers Hurwitz and Daggett catching the criminal!

No Peddlers

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 01:15:00 +0000

Did you know it's actually against the law for a solicitor to knock on your door or ring your bell if you have a "No Peddlers" or "No Solicitors" sign in public view?

SEC. 870. - PEDDLING WHERE SIGN "NO PEDDLERS" DISPLAYED PROHIBITED.

It shall be unlawful for any peddler, or any person pretending to be a peddler, for the purpose of selling or pretending to sell, goods, wares or merchandise, or any article, material or substance of whatsoever kind, to ring the bell or knock at the door of any residence or dwelling whereon a sign bearing the words "No Peddlers" or words of similar import, is painted or affixed so as to be exposed to public view, or to peddle or pretend to peddle goods, wares or merchandise, or any article, material or substance, of whatsoever kind, in any building, whereon, or wherein a sign bearing the words "No Peddlers," or words of similar import, is painted or affixed so as to be exposed to public view.

Parking Rule Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:33:00 +0000

Earlier this year, the Board of Supervisors made changes to the existing SF laws prohibiting parking of vehicles on the street for more than 72 hours. The new rule allows people to park cars for 7 days before they have to move them.

So before you get upset for not moving their car for several days, remember that the law has been changed and now vehicles only have to be moved weekly.

Bernal Heights Robbery

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:29:00 +0000

From the Police Blotter:

There was a robbery in Bernal Heights on Wednesday the 25th around 5:45 p.m. A person was sitting in Martha Brothers coffee on Cortland when the suspect came in and forcible took the victims laptop. The heroic citizen chased after the suspect and retrieved his laptop. I am glad the victim was not injured during this incident. Please be aware that these incidents do occur in coffee shops. Safeguard your property!

Precita @ Folsom Aggravated Assault Arrest

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:16:00 +0000

Tuesday, Oct 27th, 2:20 pm, Precita @ Folsom
Aggravated Assault Arrest

Officers Thompson and Altamirano were sent to investigate an aggravated assault case. There were several witnesses at the scene. The witnesses told the officers that they observed two men in a verbal argument and that one of the men struck the other several times with an object. The witnesses called the police and stayed in the area and or followed the suspect until the police arrived. All of the witnesses positively identified the suspect. This was important because the victim’s injuries did not allow him to do so. Thanks to the courageous acts of these socially responsible community members, a violent criminal has been taken off our streets. This illustrates how our Community and Police partnership can work at its best.

[Anyone have more details on this? Was it a neighbor who was involved or a park user or? We too thank the witnesses for reporting this and making sure the violent criminal was apprehended. - Editor]

History of the Precita Valley Lands

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:08:00 +0000

Some interesting history of the Precita Valley Lands: Bernal Bernal Everywhere via Burrito Justice: "UC Berkeley has the 1857 map for the Bernal land claim settlement – the tract is enormous, click to see the entire thing."

Check out the link for some interesting history.

Oakes Children's Center incidents

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:53:00 +0000

There have been more incidents recently at the Oakes Children's Center, the school for developmentally delayed and emotionally disturbed children on Treat,

Wednesday, October 21st at 8:46 am
1500 blk of Treat

Police report: Vandalism to Property: Officers Saari and Trujillo responded to a school, where a student who was involved in a verbal altercation with another student and became disruptive. The student picked up a chair and smashed a classroom window. The student was cited and released.

This is not the first Police response to Oakes, in fact some neighbors who live nearby say that there are police cars there several times a week. There was also a police car on Tuesday this week.

A few days ago, a neighbor was walking home and saw a student outside the facility on Treat "having a tantrum and throwing around garbage cans, hitting cars". Other neighbor said a student threw a brick and damaged their car (apparently they didn't report this to the police). There have been other occurrences of students outside the building, standing in the middle of Treat Ave, blocking cars and not moving.

We have heard other complaints from neighbors about the busses that bring the children to and from the campus which then have to make U-turns at the top of Treat, and double-park for extended periods of time on the street in front of the school.

This is in contrast to what the Oakes people told neighbors at the August 15th, 2008 community meeting before the school opened, when they said "buses will offload on Folsom or drive through [the parking lot]."

This is the 2nd year of operation for Oakes at perhaps it is time for another community meeting to address neighbors concerns?

We got this a little late...

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:06:00 +0000

From the city of SF:

Thursday , October 15th - The Great California Shake Out Drill - (10/15 at 10:15 am) Asking people to register at the website and, at a minimum to practice drop, cover and hold on drills. We will also be sounding the city's outdoor public warning system at this time. (Media outreach will take place prior to notify all members of the public)

Obviously not enough media outreach, because it caught us by surprise this morning.

Help clean the children's playground with Supervisor Campos

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:16:00 +0000

Demece Garepis sends us this:

Supervisor David Campos/Precita Valley Neighbors

CALL TO ACTION ALL PRECITA PARK NEIGHBORS!

Saturday, October 3rd, 9:00am – Noon

at Childrens’ Playground in Precita Park

AGENDA:

1. Supervisor Campos will help us clean up the Childrens’ Playground and Precita Park: a) Sign Installation in the Childrens’ Playground b) Clean up of rubber tiles in Childrens’ Playground c) Painting benches and picnic tables d) Trash removal in Precita Park e) Painting Benches in Precita Park f) Butterfly Garden and park flowers maintenance

2. Supervisor Campos will be presented our letters to liquor stores owners and SFPD demanding a modification on local liquor licenses to stop selling alcohol after midnight.

3. Show Supervisor Campos Precita traffic calming is not working despite our best efforts, especially along the Precita Park perimeter and our solutions.

REFRESHMENTS: water and pastries will be provided for all volunteers

Commercial Burglary near Bryant and Precita

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 20:59:00 +0000

Commercial Burglary: Friday, September 18th, 2009 6:61am 2900 block of Bryant St

Officer Saari and Officer Giannini responded to an alarm of a business. Once on scene, officers discovered the business had been burglarized. Entry was made by force from the suspects to the lock and door. Unknown suspects had fled the scene prior to officers' arrival. Loss is a computer, valued at about $200.00 and a cash register drawer. No suspect information available at this time. Case #090966848.

Vandal arrested

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:09:00 +0000

Saturday, September 5th at 2:59 pm
400 block of Precita

Vandalism and Parole warrant Arrest

Officer Alvarenga and Gritsch responded to a man vandalizing cars. They immediately found the suspect, who seemed to be under the influence of some mind altering substance. The officers were fast acting and were able to detain and get an ambulance to assess the suspect. Their investigation also showed that the suspect was wanted on a parole warrant. Needless to say one less criminal in the Ingleside. Report number 090916495

Robbery on Precita (suspect know to victim)

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:07:00 +0000

Monday, September 7th, 12:00 pm 200 block of Precita Burglary

Officer Ferronato and Antonian responded to a residential burglary. When they arrived they spoke to the victim and the witness that lives in the house. The witness relayed to the officers that he was at home in his room when he heard the back door open. When he went to investigate he found a young lady that is familiar with the owner of the house. She was carrying a laptop that did not belong to her. The officers were able to locate the suspect and she is now a guest with the SF Sherriff! Report number 090918231

(This seems more of a "crime of passion" rather than a robbery. -Editor)