A Word From Captain David Lazar of Ingleside Station

I am serving as your new Police Captain and would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is David Lazar and I am a 4th generation San Franciscan. I was born and raised in the City and I am a graduate of Miraloma Elementary. During my teenage years, I lived on Teresita Boulevard and in my twenties I lived on Rio Court. I now live less than a block outside Miraloma Park in the Forest Hill Extension and I consider this community my home.

This is my 18th year in the Police Department. During my career, I have been assigned to 8 police stations, 6 investigative assignments, and as the Lieutenant at the Police Academy in Diamond Heights. In my last assignment, I served as the Commanding Officer of the Homicide, Robbery, Gang Task Force and Special Investigation Divisions. I am fortunate to bring this experience with me to the Ingleside District.

It truly is an honor to have been selected by the Chief of Police to be the Commanding Officer of Ingleside Station. I have some big shoes to
fill in following both Captain Chignell and Captain O’Leary, who are great leaders and champion the concepts of community policing. Public Safety, quality of life, and problem solving are my priorities for Miraloma Park. I read every police report and I watch the activity closely in our community as it relates to crime and traffic. It’s important that I receive feedback from the residents and merchants so that I may make informed decisions as to deployment strategies. We have enjoyed having a lower crime rate lately and I will be focusing on traffic enforcement related to speeding and stop sign violations on Teresita Boulevard. You have some of the most dedicated, hard working police
officers in San Francisco.

The Ingleside Police District is the second largest district in San Francisco, with 6.5 square miles and 114,000 residents. We cover the
Miraloma Park, Diamond Heights, Bernal Heights, Outer Mission, Excelsior, Noe Valley, Sunnydale, and  Visitacion Valley neighborhoods. I served as a Sergeant at Ingleside Station from 1996 to 1999. Back then, there were 84 officers assigned to the station. We now have 125
officers assigned to Ingleside Station and I am grateful for the staffing.
The Department has been privileged to be the subject of several organizational studies in the last several months. The Police Executive
Research Forum was one of the consulting organizations which studied the SFPD. The studies included efficiency, staffing, foot beat, and
technology, to name a few. From these studies, the Police Department received approximately 350 recommendations, with 47 of those
recommendations set aside at the station level. The Department decided that Ingleside Station would be the pilot station to implement the recommendations, and when successful these new ideas would extend to the remaining district stations. Ingleside has now been the
Phase 1 Implementation Station for the last 6 weeks, and we are achieving our goals.

I look forward to working with the Miraloma Park Community and will be meeting at the Miraloma Park Improvement Club on June 4.* I hold a
monthly Police Community Relations Meeting, which is on the third Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. The meeting is held in the community every other month. If you would like to subscribe to Ingleside Station’s daily newsletter, you may send an email to
sfpdinglesidestation@sfgov.org. I may be reached at 415-404-4030 or at david.lazar@sfgov.org.

*This refers to the MPIC Board Meeting; members may attend but to speak must ask in advance.

Reminder: MPIC Annual Election

As noted last issue, the Miraloma Park Improvement Club will hold its annual election for Directors and Officers on Thursday, June 18, 2009
from 7 to 8 pm, at the MPIC Clubhouse. The election will be part of an open-house social event with wine and tasty treats, which our District
7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd will attend. The theme will be “How Can the MPIC Better Serve Miraloma Park.” Please come, make your
suggestions to the Board, and bring your neighborhood and city-wide questions and concerns to Supervisor Elsbernd. As of May 1, on the
ballot for re-election as Director are current Directors Karen Breslin, Sue Kirkham, Dan Liberthson, Gary Noguera, and Kathy Rawlins.
Nominated to stand for election for the first time is Thad Sauvain. Dan Liberthson is standing for a repeat term as Corresponding Secretary.

Glen Park Canyon Bird and Plant Tour a Wonderful Experience

by Dan Liberthson, MPIC Board Member

On May 2, Allan Ridley, a former biology and ornithology teacher, and his wife Helen McKenna-Ridley, SF Botanical Garden docent, led 25
avid birders and plant spotters on a walking tour of Glen Park Canyon. A light rain fell—just enough to bring the birds out to bathe and hunt
bugs and to perk up the plants and flowers, and a plethora of natural beauty opened before us.

After examining a bulky great-horned owl’s nest in the fork of a eucalyptus, recently vacated by the adult couple and their newly airborne offspring, we met the thigmotropic (moving in response to touch) native sticky monkey flower, pollinated by bees and hummingbirds, and once used by the Miwok and Pomo tribes as an antiseptic promoter of healing in scrapes and burns. Hummingbirds zoomed: Anna’s hummingbird (the only Bay Area native) and the Allen’s and rufous types (both Mexican migrants), and we watched an Anna’s shake bugs from the foliage and grab them out of air. Cedar waxwings, an “eruptive” species that appears unexpectedly in flocks, flew among the treetops avoiding a landing red-tailed hawk, from whom they actually had little to fear, as red-tails eat only land animals like voles and mice, while red-shouldered hawks indulge in other birds and aquatic life (crabs, frogs) as well as land animals. So, red-shoulders nest near water, in this case the branch of Islais Creek that flows through Glen Canyon, while the red-tails prefer homes near open space.

Some chickadees nested in a hole made last year by a downy woodpecker (the smallest local woodpecker, a riparian or riverside-dwelling species) which had moved on to other quarters. Dominant in the fields were wild oats, a European species brought over by Spaniards to feed their horses. Like most exotics (non-native plants), wild oats are annuals, which for some reason outbreed the largely perennial natives, so that there are only a few native spots left in the City. Recently, though, the CA Native Plant Society has been restoring areas of native plants in Glen Canyon, and the Miraloma Park Improvement Club has expanded its garden of native plants from Glen Park Canyon (across O’Shaughnessy Boulevard), located in front of the Clubhouse.

Among plants, glistening with raindrops, we saw native elderberry and alder trees, California sycamore, coast live oak (scrub oak), horsetail
rushes, lupine (glorious blue covering the hillsides), wild radish (sparkles of violet and pink all around the canyon), rattlesnake grass (shake it and hear the rattle!), the lovely California golden-eyed grass, Missouri iris (elegant violet whorls), coffee berry (a laxative, containing
cascara), checker mallow, and soap lily (used by the tribes to stun fish and make soap and twine). A fiesta of birds foraged and fed their
offspring, including house finches, black-headed grosbeaks, pygmy nuthatches, Bullock’s orioles, white-crowned sparrows with their lovely
fluting song, Wilson’s warbler (“a great little bird,” commented Allan, “yellow with a black yarmulke”), ravens (wonderful aerial acrobats and
wind riders), Pacific Coast flycatchers, and bush tits (which build sock nets of spiderweb and lichen hidden in droopy trees).

“Rushes are round, while sedges have edges,” we learned, and eucalyptus flowers are a popular food source for many nectar-sipping birds, but their sweet liquid dries up and gets sticky, plugging bird beaks and nostrils, sometimes interfering with breathing and perhaps even killing the birds. For their expert and enriching introduction to all these plants and birds, which had passed unnoticed, or at least unnamed, as I walked my dog in Glen Park Canyon, and for a magical 2-hour nature tour, I thank Allan and Helen many times over. We all hope they will be back again next Spring.

The Housing Element: Planning Issues for All to Consider

From the Editor: In this issue of the Miraloma Life we devote considerable space to the important process by which the Planning
Department is creating the next Housing Element (HE), for which it has solicited public input in several outreach meetings. First, we offer an
article by Jed Lane, a student of Urban Design at SF State University, which explains the theory of the HE process in the broader historical
and governmental context. Next, we present a letter sent by the MPIC to Planning Director John Rahaim outlining the MPIC Board’s position
on the HE and supplying the neighborhood perspective the Department has solicited. We hope readers will contemplate these articles and
then present their own ideas to the Planning Department and to the Miraloma Life, to further a general discussion about the HE and
development of an optimal plan.

Why Plan? What is the Housing Element and Where Is it Taking Us?

by Jed Lane, Westside native, Miraloma Park resident

In 1969 the state legislature mandated that local governments “adequately plan to meet the existing and projected housing needs of all economic segments of the community.” Periodic Housing Elements (HEs) have addressed this requirement. San Francisco’s 1990 HE was
updated in 2004, but the 2004 HE, though accepted by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), was never
enforced because of a lawsuit brought by neighborhood groups over the lack of an environmental impact report (EIR). The courts ruled that
all impacts of the HE could not be “mitigated,” as the City claimed, and that an EIR was required. The City is preparing this EIR as the 2009
HE is being written. That both the 2004 and 2009 HEs are being worked on simultaneously is confusing to some, who ask “why not abandon the 2004 HE and just work on the 2009 HE?” The answer is that each new HE builds on the previous one: only the changes must be studied, discussed, and assessed for impact.

So why plan? The 1969 state law mandates that local governments describe how they will address the housing needs of all economic strata. Though the City is required to show the state that, via zoning and land-use policies embodied in the HE, SF has addressed projected
housing needs, the private sector actually will build the houses, which it cannot be forced but must be induced to do. The state HCD Department analyzes and projects the growth of the state in each region, and informs the regions of what they need to do. In the Bay Area, the regional entity is the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), which breaks down projected growth by city and county.
Negotiations do occur at this level, and ABAG will play a larger role in the future because regional transportation issues are now tied to land
-use policy.

Since the HE is a part of a General Plan tied to regional, state, and federal planning goals, overarching aspects affect HE proposals. A
driving force behind current requirements and planning is the need to address green house gas (GHG) emissions and related global
warming. A relatively new aspect of the HE links transportation to housing creation in an attempt to curb GHG. Each component of the HE will be more or less controversial to residents, groups, and neighborhoods, depending on how it impacts them. Understanding the reasons for HE provisions in the context of federal and state laws will promote more relevant public discourse.

San Francisco (with the Climate Action Plan of 2004) and the CA State Assembly (with AB32 in 2006) mandated reductions in GHG emissions, and the State Senate (with SB375 in 2008) put teeth into the laws, requiring that if regions don’t act to reduce GHG, they lose state and federal transportation dollars. A major emphasis resulting from these laws is reduction in carbon-fueled vehicle miles traveled (VMT), either by using alternative-fuel vehicles (leaving the responsibility of transportation up to the individual) or by improved mass transit.
The State likes the former option because it would not have to build adequate infrastructure and provide workable mass transit systems.
The latter plan would reduce GHG more, but would be most effective if ridership reached high numbers via increased density.

Urban centers in America grew as economic centers for trade or transit of trade. Originally, San Francisco, like Boston and New York, was
designed for walking, but later additions south of Golden Gate Park and west of Twin Peaks were designed for the auto, with easy parking in
front of houses and at daily destinations. Thus, our western neighborhoods stand to be impacted by efforts to reduce VMT, but these largely single-family housing zoned areas will need better service from MUNI to succeed in cutting VMT by getting people out of cars. I confess that I drive everywhere, but as a realtor I know that many people don’t want to own cars. Providing housing for such people on transit corridors without parking would meet their needs, assuming good mass transit, and allow for more units per structure with less height and bulk than if parking were required. The idea of “greater density” on transit corridors and at transit hubs is thus appealing to planners. Historically, planning was done from the top down (resulting in such redevelopment failures as Japantown and the Fillmore), but now a bottom-up approach is favored, so the Planning Department is organizing events around the City to discuss the HE and get public input. As HE proposals are discussed, it will be important to understand the motivation of the planners and the ramifications of the plans in order to have a productive dialog.

I believe cities should be dynamic and evolving, but this should happen with the help of informed citizens who delve into the issues and
understand the decisions. The planners are asking for community input because they need to know how people live in order to design better
living habitats. In this process, knowledgeable and respectful people will be listened to and those uninformed and disrespectful will be tuned
out. Planners moderate between government dictates, developers, and residents. They are also public servants who work for us and need
our help to know what’s important to our lives in our western neighborhoods, these “suburbs in the City.” Let’s work to afford the planners the thoughtful and accurate input they need to write the 2009 HE.

From the Editor: While recognizing the appeal to planners of the concept of “transit hub” or “transit corridor” development (referred to in Jed Lane’s article) as promoted by CA state law, the MPIC does not support the current concept of transit corridors as developed in 2004 HE, because in this document the transit corridor was defined so broadly as to encompass and open for extensive development large areas beyond the immediate major transit routes, potentially including areas such as the whole of the West Portal district and Miraloma Park’s
Portola commercial area. We believe add ional density and reduction in parking would be destructive to the existing neighborhood character
of these two traditional commercial venues in our area, and therefore undesirable. The Planning Department has given indications that in
the 2009 HE it will not emphasize the transit hub concept in the West of Twin Peaks but rather at or along major transit routes like the Geary
Muni corridor and BART stations. The MPIC Board believes this approach would help to preserve the residential and small commercial
neighborhood character of Miraloma Park and most of the West of Twin Peaks, while still affording progress toward reduced GHG. We
invite residents to tell us what they think about this issue by phone, email, or letter, using the contact information on the back page. The
MPIC Board’s views are stated in the following letter.

To: John Rahaim, Director, San Francisco Planning Department

Dear Director Rahaim:

Like most other West of Twin Peaks (WOTP) neighborhood and home-owner organizations, the Miraloma Park Improvement Club (MPIC), which represents about 2200 homes on the slopes of Mt. Davidson, wants to preserve our RH-1 zoning, which we see as essential to maintaining quality of life and property values in our community. In support of our zoning, we have in the past resolved to protect in our neighborhood the current height and mass limits, rigorous design review according to our Residential Design Guidelines, now Standards (adopted in 1999 by the Planning Commission), a continued ban on illegal units and no legalization of these units, the current NC-1 zoning of our Portola commercial district, and a 1 to 1 ratio of parking spaces to dwelling units, existing and new. Additionally, Miraloma Park and most WOTP neighborhoods are nearly 100% built, with little room for new housing permitted by the zoning we seek to preserve. Therefore, we would expect most housing developments to be planned for other areas that have more available land for new construction. The MPIC believes that most West of Twin Peaks neighborhoods are in agreement with us on these points. We are aware, however, that in other parts of the City the needs and desires of neighborhoods are different from ours, and we appreciate your request for input to the HE process from all neighborhoods. It is heartening and encouraging to us that the Department has recognized that neighborhood input is crucial to successful planning. For this reason, we are letting you know what’s important to our lives here in these West of Twin Peaks neighborhoods, and what positions we have taken.

We are aware that planners are subject to the requirements of state and city laws, including the new drive toward the reduction of green
house gases (GHG), fulfillment of ABAG-projected housing needs, and pressure from the developers who want to build the housing. We
believe that a balanced, thoughtful approach, with an attempt to plan for these demands while keeping in mind the character and desires of
individual neighborhoods, will strengthen the cooperative process between planners and the public in the development of a mutually
beneficial and forward-looking 2009 HE.

In the light of demands from city, state, and federal legislation, we urge planners to draft a realistic and practical HE that meets these demands for the required 5-year term of the plan without compromising zoning and quality of life in the West of Twin Peaks neighborhoods. While we realize that GHG reduction is imperative, effective and affordable public transit augmentation must precede policies promoting restriction on the use of personal cars. In citywide planning, the reduction and restriction of destination parking to induce increased use of public transit is fine in theory, but in our hilly neighborhoods that are poorly served by MUNI the effect of such planning will be isolation and
suffering unless MUNI service is increased to provide us ready and efficient access to the high-volume transit lines. Instead, what we see
now, due to budget constraints that show no sign of ending, is a further reduction in already insufficient Muni service, an increase in cost of both Muni and BART, and no plan (much less reality) to provide a means for our communities to function without as many cars and parking spaces.

The state and city have currently mandated GHG reduction, and as private citizens we may also support this, but neither the city nor the
state now, or for the foreseeable future, has the money to create a mass transit system that will help achieve this goal without seriously
impacting our quality of life. We ask the planners to recognize these hard facts and come up with a plan that mitigates the impact of
strategies mandated or adopted to reduce GHG.

Moving forward, while we, as involved citizens, work to protect our neighborhoods, we also will be scrutinizing the projected population and housing numbers from ABAG, as well as plans to meet those projections. We will also be actively working to be sure that the development community input is balanced by that of the residential, neighborhood community. In the past we have seen too much one-sided planning, but we now believe that the Planning Department is responsive to the community of residents, and we applaud the change and are committed to work with the Department to provide input and review of plans.—MPIC Zoning and Planning Committee

Miraloma Park Residential Guidelines

Adopted in 1999 by the SF Planning Commission to promote preservation of neighborhood character by encouraging residential design compatible with neighborhood setting, these Guidelines can facilitate the complex and often frustrating process of permit application and design review and can prevent costly, time-consuming Discretionary Review proceedings. The Guidelines are at www.miralomapark.org.

The Short Happy Life of Francis Macphotochromer

by Garrett Griffin (©2008, Garrett Griffin)

Unlike Hemingway’s fictional Francis Macomber, who traveled to Africa to hunt game, Francis Macphotochromer has only to go out the rear
door of his house where his backyard Serengeti lies before him. It beckons Francis, tempting him with opportunities for wild life hotography without all that dust, heat, pestilence, bad water, strange languages, and real dangers.

In Francis’ backyard, he has only to turn over a rock to discover a large Wolf Spider still cold and sluggish in the weak morning sunlight. With little movement from the spider, Francis aims and takes several shots, not with a .30-06 rifle with 220 grain bullets, but a digital Nikon camera and close up a lens. He turns, and there hovering before him is a beautiful butterfly. It lands on a geranium, and Francis pounces with his Nikon, capturing an image of the brown beauty. He looks up in time to spot a mature red-shouldered hawk lift off the branch of a eucalyptus tree. Francis snaps three shots in quick succession, capturing the raptor pumping his great wings on takeoff. Pleased with his kill, Francis moves on. A Vilnius bumble bee hovers near a purple Madeira bush. Francis drops to a knee and shoots again, freezing the bee in mid-flight as it approaches the Madeira. A little further, a red dragon fly poses for Francis, who takes advantage of the moment, getting a beautiful close-up of a slender red thread of an insect.

Bigger and more dangerous game lurks not far off. Three feral cats named Grandma, Daddy, and Big Brother circle their food dish. Francis
creeps nearer, hiding behind a rose bush and deftly shooting all three of the show-boating wild felines. Farther on, waiting for the cats to
finish their course at the food dish, Bandit and her offspring Pick and Pocket, the resident raccoons, hungrily look on from under a lilac bush.
They are next in line at the feed trough. Francis takes out all three with A red-shouldered hawk lifts off from an eucalyptus branch. one shot.
He stealthily creeps along another 30 feet, where he spies Flower and her offspring Daisy, Maisy, and Lazy, the neighborhood skunks. They
are next in line behind the raccoons. Francis takes several more shots, being quite careful, aware of their powerful defenses. The animals
all act very polite, letting whoever was eating finish before taking their turn. It’s all very civil and orderly. Occasionally, the pecking order
changes, but seldom is there a conflict.

Francis rapidly fills his SD chip with trophy shots. On the way back to the house, he spots Opie the elusive opossum. Opie is high in a plum
tree, so Francis quickly goes into the house, runs up the two flights of stairs, and out onto a deck above the marsupial. He carefully aims
and then blasts away at Opie, taking him from above. He looks at the LCD screen and smiles, happy with his day’s hunting.

Francis Macphotochromer has taken more game in a couple of hours than Francis Macomber took in several weeks in Africa. He wasn’t
uncomfortable and didn’t spend any money. Sure, the animals weren’t as big, scary, or glamorous as African game, but with a little forethought, care, and a touch of Photoshop, his backyard trophies can look just as impressive in an 8 X 10 inch frame.

[Note: This article was originally written for The Photochrome Camera Club of San Francisco; see photochrome.org/ club on the Web.]

Legal Ease

Contractors, Liability, and the Law

by Mary Catherine Wiederhold, Esq.

In 1962, California became one of a minority of states that allowed a contractor’s employees to seek recovery from the property owner for
injuries caused by a negligent general contractor. In addition to the state workers’ compensation insurance, the law allowed the injured
employee to sue the homeowner for damages. This column discusses the current law of “independent contractors” and a homeowner’s
liability when there is an injury.

In 1993, the California Supreme Court decided that a homeowner who hired an independent contractor who became injured while on the job
could not be sued when the homeowner did not cause the injury. It reasoned that because workers’ compensation covered the contractor’s
employees, the homeowner or general contractor should not be held personally liable. Workers’ compensation entitled all employees to
recover benefits for injuries arising out of their employment. After the 1993 case, the courts would not allow employees of an independent
contractor to sue the homeowner. Even if the general contractor illegally did not have workers compensation insurance, the injured worker would still receive benefits under the state’s uninsured employers fund. The rationale was that injured workers would receive a “windfall” if allowed to collect workers’ compensation and sue homeowners for their injuries.

In 2008, however, the Court of Appeals decided that a worker, who was an independent contractor and not an employee of the general
contractor, and therefore was not covered under workers compensation insurance, could sue a third party for damages. The court’s decision was based on the fact that an independent contractor hired by the general contractor had no access to workers compensation insurance. In that case, Jeffrey Tverberg was an independent contractor who had been hired by a subcontractor of a general contractor who had subcontracted the installation of a canopy. Mr. Tverberg was injured when he fell into a hole that had been dug where the canopy was to be installed. He sued the general contractor and the property owner who hired the general contractor.

Mr. Tverberg was not an employee and had no access to workers’ compensation insurance. Therefore, the court allowed his lawsuit to go
forward. In February 2009, the case involving Mr. Tverberg was accepted for review by the California Supreme Court, so we do not yet know if this rule will survive.

A legal commentator argued that this case represents an end-run around the earlier 1993 case decided by the California Supreme court.
But if an injured worker has no insurance and cannot sue for his or her injuries, then we all end up paying for the worker’s health care
through increased taxes and medical insurance premiums.

Homeowners should be especially careful when hiring contractors. Many general contractors hire subcontractors to perform specialized
trades such as electrical and plumbing. Some of these subcontractors may be independent contractors and therefore a homeowner might
be liable if there were an injury.

DESIGN MATTERS*

by Peter A. Zepponi, AIA, Architect

This column addresses basic residential design and home improvement topics of interest to Miraloma Park residents. If you have a question or topic you’d like considered for a future article, please send an email to pazdesignmatters@aol.com, call 415.334.2868, or visit
www.zepponi-architects.com.

Q: What are some simple, cost-effective ways to make my house more ‘green’?

A: Pick the low hanging fruit first. These are old houses. Start with the easy things. When people think about going ‘green’ and saving
energy, and being environmentally friendly, one of the first things they think about is solar panels or energy efficient mechanical systems, or
any number of devices you can buy and add to your home to make it ‘better’. The trouble with this kind of thinking is that every device
contains ‘embodied energy’ required to produce it, and some devices take a lot of energy to make and can be very expensive to purchase.
So before you even go there, change your mindset and pick the low hanging fruit first. By that I mean that most of us live in old houses built when materials were plentiful and energy was cheap, so not much attention was paid to thinking about the energy efficiency of the home as a working engine. There are a number of simple, cost-effective measures you can take to improve your home and the environment at the same time. Rather than adding something new to your house, fix areas where energy and resources are being wasted. Apply this strategy first to get the biggest bang for your buck. Who cares how efficiently you are creating energy or heat if it is all just escaping out poorly sealed doors and windows? This is the principle of Resource Conservation.

Here are a few ideas:

Step 1: Seal exterior doors, windows, and holes with weather stripping, caulk, or foam.

Step 2: Replace incandescent light bulbs with screw-in fluorescent bulbs, especially on the porch.

Step 3: Replace you furnace air filter. Dirty filters make the furnace motor work much harder.

Step 4: Fix your leaky faucets, toilets, and showers or replace them with certified energy efficient “WaterSense” new ones. Look for the new
“dual flush” toilets with 0.8 gallons per flush (gpf) for #1 and 1.6 gpf for #2.

Step 5: Insulate exposed hot and cold water pipes and HVAC ducts. Condensation on cold water pipes can cause building moisture and
mold.

Step 6: Insulate accessible walls, floors, and attics. Most older houses have no insulation, and it’s really important to conserve energy.
Blown-in insulation is most convenient for already built structures.

Step 7: Put glass doors on your fireplace to keep the heat in your living room rather than losing it up the chimney.

Step 8: Replace your old thermostat with a programmable one.

These low-cost, simple measures will improve the energy efficiency of your home and conserve resources, including your money. First pick
these low hanging fruit and then start thinking about all the other possibilities, especially if you are planning a remodel. You don’t have to do everything at once. However, if you are remodeling, take advantage of the opportunity to make informed choices and improve the quality and efficiency of your home one step at a time.

* This column and its content are intended to be a source of general information. Applicability to your specific project should be verified.

Peter A. Zepponi, AIA – Architects, is an architectural firm in San Francisco specializing in residential and commercial architecture. A
Certified Green Building Professional – Build It Green. 

Then select the link on the right side:  Community Updates  http://www.sfgov.org/site/police_index.asp?id=31355
Then, scroll down and see this e-mail link for the Ingleside Statiion  sfpdinglesidestation@ci.sf.ca

To join the e-mail list, all you need to do is send an email to the captain of the Ingleside Statiion to request to be added to the mailing list.  They ask you include your name and telephone number if there is an issue with your email (but it is not required to do so).

You are invited to join Miraloma Park neighbor, Jacquie Proctor, author of San Francisco’s West of Twin Peaks, (http://www.MtDavidson.org/) on a guided tour of Mt Davidson on Saturday, June 20th at 1:30 pm. Explore the inspired history of San Francisco’s highest hill on this hike through our 38 acre nature preserve to the amazing view and gigantic monument at its summit.

The walk is free and sponsored by the San Francisco City Guides (http://www.sfcityguides.org/).  Trails can be windy and muddy.  Wear a jacket and sturdy shoes.  Meet at the 36 Muni line bus shelter at Dalewood and Myra.

Goodbye, Again: Against SFPD District Captain Rotation

by Karen Wood

As the founding member of the MPIC Board Safety Committee, I’ve worked closely with Ingleside Police Station since 2000, participated in the Efficiency Plan focus group process and in the Fair and Impartial Policing Citizen Advisory Committee, and have spent many hours each week working with Ingleside Station on community safety challenges.

My experience has taught me that the routine rotation of district captains without cause is absolutely and irredeemably counter-productive to community policing, which requires solid working relationships between captains and community members. These relationships develop over time: it takes several years for a captain to develop meaningful knowledge about his or her district and to gain the trust of residents. I have worked with four captains since 2000.

Now, once again, we undergo the process of orienting and getting to know a new captain who, for his part, must begin the complex process of learning about the Ingleside communities. This is a steep learning curve: intensive knowledge of neighborhoods and their residents requires several years of application, and intensive, rather than superficial, knowledge is what we who work with our officers have come to expect.

I first learned of the concept of community policing during the Efficiency Plan process. During those meetings and at so many community meetings that I’ve attended over the years, the consensus of opinion has been that community policing requires consistency both in staffing and in communication, two components of good policing that are inseparable. I am truly at a loss to understand the practice of transferring commanding officers who are doing a fine job in their districts and who have forged solid relationships with residents.

The explanation commonly offered for this practice is that frequent rotation of district commanding officers prevents the formation of  “fiefdoms,” meaning, one supposes, that long tenure at a district station leads to insubordination in a commanding officer. This concern reflects poorly and without justification on the quality of command staff supervision.

But for the community as a whole, the routine transfer of captains without cause hinders the smooth and well-functioning collaboration of community and Department. It prevents all concerned—captains, residents, and officers, as well—from achieving optimal results from our efforts and enforces on all a relentless cycle of orientation and re-education, again and again. This process presents a disincentive for community volunteers, like me, to continue our efforts when they are repeatedly frustrated.

Substantial public financial and personnel resources have been dedicated to fund consultants and studies aimed at improving the effectiveness of our police force. But this simple measure— allowing captains to remain in their districts as long as their performance is strong—will do more to promote good relationship building and communication than all the studies we taxpayers have funded.

Neighborhood Social with Supervisor Elsbernd for June MPIC Election

The Miraloma Park Improvement Club will hold its annual election for Directors and Officers on Thursday, June 18, 2009 from 7 to 8 pm, at the MPIC Clubhouse. The election will be part of an open-house social event with wine and tasty treats, which our District 7 Supervisor Sean Elsbernd will attend. The theme will be “How Can the MPIC Better Serve Miraloma Park.” Please come, make your suggestions to the Board, and bring your neighborhood and city-wide questions and concerns to Supervisor Elsbernd. All members in good standing with dues paid by Monday, May 18, 2009 may vote in the MPIC Board election. Nominations from members in good standing will be accepted at the MPIC Clubhouse from 7 to 8 pm on Thursday, May 21 after which nominations will be closed.

As of May 1, on the ballot for re-election as Director are current Directors Karen Breslin, Sue Kirkham, Dan Liberthson, Gary Noguera, and Kathy Rawlins. Nominated to the ballot to stand for election for the first time is Daniel Homsey. Dan Liberthson is standing for a repeat term as Corresponding Secretary. The position of Recording Secretary will be vacant, as Kathy Rawlins has tendered her resignation from that office as of the end of June, 2009. Nominations for the position of Recording Secretary from members in good standing are welcome.

Water and Sewer Rates Are Rising Why and How

by Steve Lawrence (Forest Hill)

WHY:

Water is supplied to San Franciscans by a City department called the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), which is separate and unrelated to the State Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Water rates have been rising, and between today and 2018 need to rise, if all goes as planned, at just under 10% per year. Rarely does all go as planned; construction costs often overrun.

What construction? SFPUC is in the middle of a $4,400,000,000 Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) to protect the water system from earthquake, to prepare it to survive drought, and to make it capable of being properly maintained.

Nearly two-thirds of the water system’s water goes to wholesale customers, which are cities and water agencies between SF and San Jose, and eastward. San Franciscans must pay less than half the bill for WSIP, about $2300 for every San Franciscan. Water bills must rise to cover the cost of WSIP. Nearly half the expected duration of WSIP has passed. So far, projected costs have risen about 20% from original estimates. To date, a bit under 20% of the WSIP funding has been spent and 20% of the work accomplished. During the next 6 years, 80% of the work remains to be done.

In that work there are a few very large projects costing over $200 million. These include building a new water line under the Bay (Bay Tunnel and Bay Division Pipeline No. 5, east and west sides), a new dam at Calaveras reservoir in the Sunol Valley, and a second tunnel between Sunol Valley and Fremont, called the New Irvington Tunnel. There are many smaller projects, about 80 in all. Water lines will be seismically upgraded so that the movement caused by an earthquake, unless very large, should not break the lines. Many other improvements must be made to a water system that is now 75 years old.

At the conclusion of WSIP, San Franciscans will need to use less water than now. Average use today is about 89 million gallons per day (mgd); in 2018, we must use no more than 79 million mgd from the regional water system. WSIP will build a recycled water plant, and in San Francisco will develop more ground water, which will be blended in with our naturally pure mountain water. In all, we should have 85 mgd available. San Franciscans will use less water per person per day because toilets and other fixtures will be more water efficient, appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines will use less water per load, and landscaping will be less thirsty.

How goes WSIP? This author, who has watched since inception in 2002, notes many delays to date. The very large projects mentioned above have suffered delays of more than 3 years. If no earthquake strikes before completion, this may work to the city’s advantage, because construction costs have recently plummeted.

The goal of WSIP is to avoid a situation like that after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Some day an earthquake will strike. Then the question will be: Are we prepared enough to avoid a mass exodus of citizens and business, from which it will be hard to recover? If drinking water is lost for a long time, that question could have a negative answer. Water rates are rising in an effort to head off that catastrophe.

In addition to paying for interest and financing costs of the bond indebtedness authorized by the voters in 2002 to fund the above physical improvements, costs of delivering water are rising because of other expenses. These include programs for conservation, raising Lake Merced and groundwater levels, use of recycled water, increased street sweeping (now under SFPUC’s budget), a new headquarters building, and more.

HOW:

Rates charged for water and wastewater service are going up. Although these rates have risen 15% per year for the past 5 years, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), which provides these services, now says that water rates need to rise more beginning July 1. According to SFPUC, both water and wastewater (sewer) service rates will rise about 10% for the typical customer.

Some believe that water rates are actually rising more than SFPUC claims. For the median customer, who uses 7 units of water, one calculation found that the water bill would rise 17.5% per the proposed rates to start July 1. A unit of water is 748 gallons, enough for the typical San Franciscan for 12 days.

Rates will be decided by the Commission of SFPUC at a public meeting on May 5. After the Commission decides on rates, the Board of Supervisors has the power to reject them.
So far, little opposition to the rate hikes has surfaced. At a recent meeting of the Rate Fairness Board, which advises the Commission concerning rates and how to structure charges, only two members of the public testified. In the past, many dozens have spoken.

Rates are rising faster than inflation because the SFPUC is in the middle of a program to improve reliability of the water system, especially after earthquake and during drought, and to better permit maintenance. The Water System Improvement Program is expected to cost $4.5 billion, and is to be completed by 2015. Also, at the end of that program San Francisco is expected to use less water. Because less water will be sold, more must be charged for each unit delivered. On the wastewater side, SFPUC is nearing completion of its 5-year program to address critical problems with its wastewater system, including flooding. Later on, it expects to issue a master plan outlining longer term improvements, at a cost of $3.2 billion according to recent estimates.

While capital improvements are perhaps the main source of future rate increases, the cost of providing water and sewer service have also risen because programs tangentially related have been picked up by SFPUC. A greater proportion of street sweeping costs are now paid through wastewater rates than in the past. Lake Merced, once cared for by the Department of Public Works (DPW), is now SFPUC’s responsibility. Greening programs, Department of Environment, and Mayor’s office employees are all paid for by SFPUC. Some believe these programs are picked up by water and wastewater rates because the city’s general fund is short.

On May 5, not only rates but also the rate structure is up for decision by SFPUC’s commissioners. SFPUC staff have proposed that there be two tiers of rates for all residential customers, a low tier applying to the first 3 units of water used per month, and a higher (more expensive) tier for water and wastewater thereafter. SFPUC believes this encourages conservation.

Critics, however, say that despite years of tiers there is no proof that conservation is in fact promoted. Tiers penalize those living in larger groups, even when each member of a family or household uses small amounts of water. Because SFPUC does not determine how many people there are living in each household, it cannot distinguish between the water waster and the larger household, and under tiers it charges a greater average price to both. Critics call this “the family tax,” and suggest that the SFPUC needs to address the inequities this rate structure would create.

The May 5 SFPUC meeting will take place from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in San Francisco City Hall Room 421. There is an opportunity for public input, and those concerned about the proposed rate and rate structure changes are urged to attend and speak their piece. There will also be opportunities for public input when SFPUC’s recommendations are taken up by the Board of Supervisors.

Tales of the Great Quake Enchant Once Again

by Dan Liberthson
On April 6, an enthralled gathering at the MPIC Clubhouse listened to Neil Fahy, geologist and professional lecturer, talk about lessons in leadership to be learned from the great SF quake of 1906. Using remarkable slides culled from various archival collections, Neil brought to life the story of what happened during the quake, with particular attention to the strengths, weaknesses, and conflicts among the key leaders at the time. We learned about Fire Chief Dennis Sullivan, who, after planning for the response to the quake for many years, had the misfortune to be killed beneath a falling chimney during the actual event.

Young immigrant banker A.P. Giannini kept his Bank of Italy open when all other banks closed during the disastrous quake and the ensuing fire, and lent money on no security to all comers—a trust in his community that was rewarded by long-term loyalty and the stellar growth of what became the Bank of America. One of the leading scoundrels of the time, kick-back king and dirty-money man Abe Ruff, was cut out of the action when Mayor Schmidt, considered a lightweight by General Frederick Funston of the Presidio and many others, rose to the occasion and instead appointed honorable and efficient citizens like Freemont Older and M. H. de Young to the committee overseeing the response and rebuilding. Shoot-to-kill orders from the Mayor helped deter looting, while attempts to block the fires by dynamiting buildings in their path did more damage in many areas, partly because of inept use of the explosives, than the quake itself.

All the while the “regular folks” muddled through, helping and supporting one another as best they could, whether living in temporary tent shelters in Golden Gate Park or in the remaining habitable lodging. Neil’s grandparents on their ranch in the south-east part of the City took in several families who had lost their homes, feeding them with crops grown on the premises and recompensed for costs by the government. What a thrill it was to imagine, as vividly recreated by our able presenter, ranch and farm life in the midst of San Francisco, in a bygone time before the seemingly inevitable concreting over!

Look for Neil to return in the Fall with a presentation about the making of Golden Gate Park—another memorable tale spun by a fine story-teller of our City’s history.

So Long to Nathan Rutherford and Lou Johnson

by Kathy Rawlins

The Miraloma Life newsletter has often eulogized past Miraloma Park Improvement Club Board members. I would like to take this opportunity to remember two neighborhood residents who, although they were not Board members, were nonetheless quite outstanding in their own ways and contributed to the betterment of the neighborhood through their efforts of environmental beautification.

Lou Johnson, as has been noted in a previous MLL article, was a kind and gentle soul who provided neighborhood support for many causes. One of these, which lives on in his memory, is the Melrose-Detroit Garden. He and his wife, Yvonne, helped establish this place of beauty and peace where there had been trash and weeds. They received many plant contributions to the garden and volunteers helped in its upkeep.

Nathan Rutherford, another valued member of the community, was a friendly face to those on the 300 block of Molimo Drive. He always gave a smile and a wave to anyone passing by. Nathan could be seen during holiday times creating beautiful floral arrangements in his garage and then loading them up to give to friends and acquaintances. In his later years, he took it upon himself to improve his garden in both the front and back yards, which his landlord supported wholeheartedly. Many neighbors complimented him on his industry, and many received starter plants from him to spread the beauty. Not only is his garden flourishing, but since it is entirely drought tolerant plants, it is an example of good ecology for all to admire and imitate.

I suspect that many of us, in our hurried daily lives, drive the hills of our neighborhood without taking enough time to admire the efforts of residents to make their homes and gardens attractive. At this lovely time of year, I would invite everyone to make time to walk the streets and take pleasure in the gardens we usually drive past with a glance. Let your neighbors know you appreciate their efforts to beautify our community by a smile or a compliment. This will give them that ‘pat on the back’, the recognition all unsung heroes appreciate from time to time, and it will lift your spirits as well as theirs.

In closing, I would like to say again “Thank you, Lou and Nathan–the world is a more beautiful place because you were here.”

The Los Palmos Neighborhood Community Garden

by Gundula Schmidt-John

Fragrant frisias, bold anemones, colorful plants, and lush green scrubs will welcome you at the Los Palmos Neighborhood Community Garden (LPG), a neighborhood oasis that Friends of the LPG invite our Miraloma neighbors to visit.

The LPG is located at the intersection of Foerster and Los Palmos Drive, just east of 195 Los Palmos Drive. Once filled with weeds, this plot has now been transformed by the loving hands of the Friends of LPG and other neighbors. The Friends work weekly on landscaping and organize biannual Community Work Parties to help to bring the neighbors together.

Come and stroll down the easily accessible paths to view the Garden at many levels, or sit on one of the benches and admire a stunning landscape abundant with colors and flowers. In addition to many plants, the Garden has mature flowering plum trees, our own fruiting apple tree, an herb patch, and a vegetable farm. Our colorful sweet peas and towering watsonia were the highlight of last year’s MPIC Garden Tour. Butterflies, hummingbirds, and other small birds abound, and the garden provides a site for monitoring bee migration.

Financial aid for the Garden comes from a monthly collection of recyclables that are dropped off by the neighbors. Other contributions are welcome: please contact Gundula at 195 Los Palmos Drive, phone 586-4871. The Friends of the LPG hope you will enjoy your visit, especially now that the Garden is in full bloom. We thank you for all your support. As always, the Watsonia bulbs contributed by neighbors have grown into the highlight of our Spring Garden.

What’s Happening with NERT?

by Phil Laird

Recently I spoke with Lt. Erica Arteseros, Program Coordinator for the Fire Department’s Neighborhood Emergency Response Program (NERT) to get an update on the status of the program. Following are some of the topics we discussed.

By the time you read this article the annual NERT citywide drill will have come and gone. If you, like me, glanced at your NERT badge and realized that it had expired, you may wonder how to renew it and whether it is worth the trouble. We can renew our NERT certifications only by attending one of the Class #6 sessions (the last of the six training classes). This class reviews the “take-home exam” questions on basic preparedness from the NERT manual and then conducts a hands-on drill for basic skills such as triage and search and rescue. You will probably be surprised at how easily these skills fade and how quickly knowledge evaporates over time. To recertify, pick a Class #6 to attend and email or phone NERT to signal your intention to go, so that they can prepare a new badge for you. Classes are on the web site, www.sfgov. org/sffdnert (click on “training schedule”). Send the email to sffdnert@sfgov.org with the word “RECERT” as the subject. Or phone (415) 970-2022.

So, is it worth it? What does NERT “certification” mean? There is no evaluation of NERT volunteers to test whether they have mastered any specific skills. A NERT badge certifies only attendance at the NERT training classes. I find this seriously concerning: I don’t want someone to attempt to pull me from a collapsed building or to attend to my injuries just on the basis of having sat through 20 hours of training classes. I asked Lt. Arteseros about this, and she acknowledged that, unlike First Responder and EMT training, NERT does not have the resources to manage a large-scale assessment and certification program. Still, I think that the use of the term “certification” implies a level of competence that most NERTs do not have.

NERT is, however, developing specialized training programs that go beyond the basic six classes and do entail some certification. The San Francisco Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is part of a nationwide program to establish local teams of medical, health and other volunteers to strengthen the public health infrastructure and improve emergency preparedness. Required training includes FEMA IS-700 training, Incident Command System training, and First Aid/CPR. A series of optional, specialized classes can follow, depending on the type of support the NERT may be interested in. Note that you do not need to have any prior medical training to participate.

The “Rescue Drill” program offers training in specialized skills for aiding fire fighters at the scene of a disaster in their neighborhood—loading and unloading hoses, advanced cribbing, securing victims in Stokes stretchers, and such.

Recently the Battalion Chief managing this program retired, and until a new Chief is assigned, participation is limited. The training calls for more physical activity than other NERT functions. If interested, contact your neighborhood coordinator (Jed Lane for Mt. Davidson/Miraloma Park).

Other advanced programs that have been in place for a while include Ham Radio Communications (HCT), Incident Command (ICS), and Leadership Teams/Block Captains. In my opinion the greatest potential for the NERT program is to help organize neighborhoods quickly following a disaster so that immediate local services can be provided, needs assessed, and those needs communicated to City responders. Those neighborhoods that coordinate quickly and effectively will be the ones that recover first, and Incident Command training provides most of the necessary knowledge and skills. Attending NERT drills also helps reinforce teamwork skills because the activities are conducted in neighborhood-based groups.

I asked Lt. Arteseros about the status of the NERT budget in the face of the current financial problems. NERT did suffer a mid-year cut to the budget, and its future funding is tied to that of the San Francisco Fire Department. But training classes are underway and will hopefully continue throughout the year. Asked about her biggest concerns, she said she is frustrated by the number of people who still don’t know about the NERT program, despite the well-publicized “72hours.org” campaign this past year. NERT is launching a new Family Preparedness program to increase personal preparedness in San Francisco. An attractive alternative for those of us too busy to attend 20 hours of classes, it consists of a one-time workshop to inform individuals and families about how to prepare for major emergencies. The program is conducted in conjunction with neighborhood organizations such as SF Safe. Fire department officials will visit with the neighborhood group to offer a package of risk awareness and disaster planning tips, an overview of NERT training, and support for neighbor-to-neighbor pre-planning.

NERT was created in the aftermath of the Loma Prieta earthquake, when hundreds of volunteers came to help fight fires and rescue victims, but their potential could not be realized because of their lack of training. This situation recurred after the Cosco Busan oil spill, when again hundreds of people wanted to help with the cleanup but could not be used for lack of training in hazmat situations. Whether the training consists of basic preparedness for families or advanced First Responder Certification, having a population with the knowledge and skills to respond to a disaster will determine how well we fare in the next big quake or other major incident.

Fifty Years Ago in Miraloma Park:: Highlights from the May 1959 issue of Miraloma Life

compiled by Phil Laird

MPIC President Cecil Hickman writes: “We here in Miraloma Park have been promised a mechanical signal at Fowler and Portola. Let us see that this promise is carried out. This is election year! Nuff sed.”

Miraloma Church News: “What’s in a name? We have decided that as well as being identified with the community we should also be identified with our denomination. The word ‘community’ adds little, so the congregation voted to change our church name to ‘Miraloma Reformed Church.’”

Reginald Glazbrook writes: “I had the honor of serving as President of the Miraloma Park Improvement Club for the year 1957. The Club was very active that year, mostly due to various issues that came up pertaining to the keeping of our area as a first-class residential zone. This involved many special meetings of the Board of Directors and committees.

“Individually and in a body we made many appearances at the City Hall before the Planning Commission, the Board of Permit Appeals and the Board of Supervisors. Fortunately, nearly all of our fights were victorious. This was mainly due to the efforts and hard work performed by my efficient committee members.

“During my tenure of office…I originated and had made the plaque with the past presidents’ names and dates engraved thereon which proudly decorates our clubhouse.”

[Note: The plaque still decorates the north wall.]

Important Notice About the Housing Element

The City of San Francisco is holding public hearings about the 2009 Hoiusing Element of the General Plan, which will govern, among other matters, how much and what sort of housing will be built over the next decade, and what rules and zoning will apply to that housing. City residents are encouraged to educate themselves about the Housing Element, and to make their voices heard at these meetings. As the Planning Department puts it, “We want to hear directly from residents about their issues and needs related to housing, so that the 2009 update really does reflect the diversity of our City’s viewpoints and incorporates policy ideas that address these issues and needs.”

Conveniently for Miraloma Park residents, one such meeting will be held at the Miraloma Park Improvement Clubhouse (350 O’Shaughnessy Blvd at Del Vale) on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Please come to learn about and contribute to this vital aspect of SF planning.

Table Tennis In Glen Park?

by Charlotte White

Who’s up for exercise that’s far from deadly boring?

Come to Drop-In Table Tennis on Wednesday evenings, 6:30 - 9:00 PM, at the Glen Park Recreation Center (Elk at O’Shaughnessy/Bosworth). It’s free! All skill levels are welcome. Just bring paddle, ball, peelable clothes, tennies, and a hang-loose attitude, and head for the joyous hollering. Believe me—I go most weeks. For details, call 337-4705, and ask about Drop-In Badminton, too.

In Memoriam: John Lockley, Former President of the MPIC

John Lockley, a Teresita resident and attorney who died on March 6 at age 96, was one of the most dynamic presidents in the history of the Miraloma Park Improvement Club. During his tenure (1956-7), he ensured the preservation of Glen Canyon as an open space, helping to stop a large development planned for the area. He was instrumental, together with others, in integrating Miraloma Park by insisting on an end to the practice of including racial restrictions in the covenants in property deeds, which had been determined to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Over the course of a long career, Mr. Lockley served as a federal tax prosecutor and Assistant United States attorney and handled one of the most important defining cases in the area of water rights and land law, Miller v Lux. After retirement at age 80, he continued to teach the law well into his 90s, and was an arbitrator until his death. He provided pro bono law services for diverse churches and temples, as well as a number of farmers and non-profit organizations.

Mr. Lockley’s surviving family, including Miraloma Park resident Jo Lynne Lockley, request that donations in his memory be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor at 300 Lake St., SF, CA 94118. “He loved the law,” said Jo Lynne. “He believed in order, fairness and justice.”

Woodblock Color Print (1924)

Matsue Izumo sees a crescent moon

orange sunset rippling in wavy water

a lit window

—Dan Liberthson, ©2009

Thursday, June 7, 7:00 pm: MPIC Board Meeting
MPIC Clubhouse, 350 O’Shaughnessay at Del Val

Thursday, June 18, 7:00 pm: MPIC Social and Election
See Newsletter for details

]]> http://www.miralomapark.org/news-and-notices/holiday-photos-ready-for-viewing/feed/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-april-2009/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-april-2009/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:00:22 +0000 admin Newsletter Archive http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-april-2009/

A Grand Bird and Plant Tour of Glen Park Canyon

Miraloma Life Volunteers Invited

75th Anniversary of Mount Davidson Cross

What is the WOTPCC?

Legal Ease

What is the CSFN?

NERT News

Parks and Open Space Planning Meeting

Fifty Years Ago in Miraloma Park: Highlights from the April 1959 issue of Miraloma Life

Make Some Music!

A Grand Bird and Plant Tour of Glen Park Canyon

by Dan Liberthson

Friends and neighbors, you have an incredible treat in store. Allan Ridley and his wife Helen McKenna-Ridley will be giving a 2-hour walking tour of Glen Park Canyon on Saturday, May 2, followed by a chat about what we’ve seen (and not seen) at the Miraloma Park Clubhouse. Allan may be familiar to some of you who have gone on his wonderful birding tours of Mt. Davidson in past years.

Allan Ridley, MS,  taught biology and ornithology at the Urban School of San Francisco.   Helen McKenna-Ridley, MS, taught biology and environmental science at George Washington High School and became principal of Raoul Wallenberg High School. Helen is an experienced docent at the San Francisco Botanical Garden (SFBG) in Golden Gate Park. Together they have traveled widely and have led birding and natural history trips to Costa Rica, Ecuador, New Zealand, and Australia. On the first Sunday of each month at 8:00 AM, they lead a bird walk through the SFBG.

For the May 2 event, we’ll  meet behind the recreation building in Glen Park Canyon, parking on Elk Street (which runs between Diamond Heights Boulevard and Bosworth Street) or side streets off  Elk Street. Enter the park by following the alley from Elk Street behind the tennis courts, and meet behind the recreation building. The tour will start at 9:00 AM sharp and last about 2 hours. After the walk, we will gather for refreshments at the Miraloma Park Clubhouse, 350 O’Shaughnessy Boulevard at Del Vale, at about 11:15 AM, chat, and Q&A. Here are the essentials:

Event:    Birding and plant tour of Glen Park Canyon with Allan Ridley and Helen McKenna-Ridley

Date:    Saturday, May 2

Time:    9 AM for the walking tour, 11:15 AM for gathering at the Clubhouse

Place:    For the walking tour, meet behind the Recreation building in Glen Park (enter from Elk St. behind tennis courts). For the gathering after, Miraloma

Park Clubhouse, 350 O’Shaughnessy Boulevard at Del Vale (enter the parking lot from Del Vale). See miralomapark.org for more information.

Miraloma Life Volunteers Invited

With the retirement of our long-time editor, Joanne Whitney, the Miraloma Life is interested in hearing from volunteers interested in doing editorial and/or publication work for the newsletter, whether on an ongoing basis or in a supporting capacity. Those interested in editing should have some background therein, and those interested in doing the layout/publication should have experience with Adobe InDesign software. As you know, the newsletter is a 12-page publication that comes out in the first week of every month except July and August. Experience as its Editor or Layout Artist/Publisher would be useful to anyone who wants to supplement his or her resume, and is a rewarding way to serve the community. Please send email responses to miralomapark@gmail.com or leave a message on our voicemail, (415) 281-0892.

75th Anniversary of Mount Davidson Cross

By Jacquie Proctor

Seventy-five years ago, in 1934, the highest cross in the world was dedicated and lit for the first time by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, 11 years after

George Decatur organized the initial Easter Sunrise event atop Mount Davidson in 1923. After more than 5000 San Franciscans hiked up the City’s highest hill before dawn to hear the Dean of Grace Cathedral at that first Easter Sunrise service, Decatur worked to make it an annual event, which continues to this day.

Three years after that first service, in 1926, The Municipal Record reported that “the subdividers’ axe and steam shovel were heard on Mt. Davidson’s lower slopes, destroying in ruthless fashion the beauties of nature” and that “ardent nature lover, Mrs. Edmund N. “Madie” Brown, was aroused over the destruction.”  She “made a plea at the Commodore Sloat Parent-Teachers’ Association on April 12, 1926 for the preservation of Mt. Davidson,” still privately owned by subdivider A.S. Baldwin. Madie campaigned for 3 years with the PTA and the Federation of Women’s Clubs before the City appropriated $15,000 to purchase 20 acres of Mt. Davidson for a public park. The park was dedicated 80 years ago in December of 1929.

The Easter sunrise event continued to grow in popularity, with annual attendance reaching 30,000 during the Great Depression. Temporary crosses had been constructed on the eastern viewpoint atop Mt. Davidson, but with this high level of attendance, George Decatur was inspired to raise $25,000 in private donations to build the cross we see today. The architect and engineer of San Francisco’s highest buildings, George Kelham and Henry Brunnier, designed the 103-foot high reinforced concrete monument. The fundraising committee included Margaret Mary Morgan, the first woman elected to the Board of Supervisors, and Mrs. A.S. Baldwin, who donated the 6-acre summit of the hill to the city for the permanent location. On March 3, 1934,
thousands of San Franciscans watched as the final granite slab cornerstone was laid. Underneath it is a crypt containing a copper record box filled with historical items, including 1933 city telephone directories, copies of area newspapers, and a transcript of the 1845 deed of Mt. Davidson to Don Jose de Jesus Noe from the first Mexican Governor of California, Pio Pico. During the ceremony, Mayor Angelo Rossi appointed the Boy Scouts of the San Francisco area as guardians of the record box, which was accepted by William H. Worden, Jr., Eagle Scout of Troop 88. Three weeks later, on March 24, 1934, President Roosevelt, lit the cross at the request of the park founder, Madie Brown. She wrote:

“As Chairman of Arrangements, I have dared to dream that our President would press the button in Washington, D.C., which in turn would light for the first time this giant cross in San Francisco. It seems most appropriate that the President, who has brought light to many a darkened American home and who, through his new deal, has instilled the principles of the Golden Rule into American business, should take part in this cross-lighting ceremony.”

A crowd of 50,000 people surrounded the cross at 7:30 PM when President Roosevelt tapped a golden telegraph key to send a signal over a special direct circuit provided by Western Union, 3702 miles in length, from the White House through Chicago to Mt. Davidson. The signal lit the twelve 1000-watt floodlights for the first time, making the cross-visible 50 miles away.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of the monument’s dedication, the Council of Armenian Organizations of Northern California (now owners of the cross) and Troop 88 are planning to open the copper record box during this year’s Easter Sunrise Event on Sunday, April 12.

Miraloma Park resident Jacquie Proctor is the author of Images of America: San Francisco’s West of Twin Peaks, published in 2006 by Arcadia Publishing.

What is the WOTPCC?

by Dan Liberthson

The West of Twin Peaks Central Council (WOTPCC), like the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods (CSFN) discussed on page 7 in this issue of the Miraloma Life, is an “umbrella organization” including neighborhood organizations in San Francisco. However, unlike the CSFN, which admits neighborhoods City-wide, the WOTPCC  represents only neighborhoods in the West of Twin Peaks area and comes together to work on issues of particular importance to that area. The WOTPCC comprises 17 neighborhood organizations and over 10,000 homeowners in the West of Twin Peaks area of San Francisco, and the Miraloma Park Improvement Club is one of these member neighborhoods. The others are Balboa Terrace, Forest Hill, Forest
Knolls, Greater West Portal Ingleside Terraces, Lakeshore Acres, Lakeside Property Owners, Merced Manor, Midtown Terrace, Monterey Heights, Pinelake Park, St. Francis Homes, Sherwood Forest, Twin Peaks Improvement, Westwood Highlands, and Westwood Park. Delegates from these organizations meet on the fourth Monday of each month at the Forest Hill Clubhouse, a lovely Maybeck building just off Dewey Circle.

Since its origin in the mid 1930s, the WOTPCC has had a special interest in zoning issues, as most of its neighborhoods comprise exclusively single-family homes and are zoned for such homes (RH1 zoning). Early efforts to change that zoning led to cohesive opposition by the Council under its first president, John S. Curran. The continued interest of the Council in preservation of zoning was demonstrated at its March meeting, at which a substantial turnout listened to a presentation by John Rahaim, Director of the Planning Department, and then questioned him specifically about three RH1 zoning elements that have long been fiercely protected by the Council: a requirement for at least one off-street parking space for each home, a prohibition of
secondary units (illegal “in-law” apartments), and strict height limitations (currently 35 feet).

In recent years, moves by the Planning Department to promote “transit hubs” with higher height limits, greater population density, and a reduced requirement for off-street parking spaces have alarmed WOTPCC’s neighborhood organizations, as the implementation of such zoning modifications could degrade the character and quality of life in our single-family neighborhoods and small commercial districts (like West Portal and Miraloma Park’s Portola shopping area).

Mr. Rahaim’s responses indicated a sensitivity to neighborhood character and zoning concerns that appeared to reassure many of the delegates of the Council’s member organizations, who nonetheless made it clear that they intend to protect their zoning, as the WOTPCC staunchly has done since its founding. The MPIC, which represents the entirely RH1-zoned neighborhood of Miraloma Park, identifies strongly with the Council’s conservative approach to zoning issues, and has consistently lent its voice to the unanimous opposition by the Council’s member organizations to any potential erosion of West Side zoning.

Their website at westoftwinpeaks.org provides Board minutes and a calendar of events.

Legal Ease

By Mary Catherine Wiederhold, Esq.

A few months ago I wrote about jury service in San Francisco. I am a litigator and have done trials. Some people believe that lawyers are not asked to serve on juries, but this is not true. In July 2008, I received a jury summons, for which I sought a postponement because I was an attorney in a trial. But when the jury summons arrived again in January 2009, and I could not postpone it any longer. I was to report to the Civic Center Courthouse, which mostly has civil trials. Unfortunately, I had to participate as a lawyer in a trial on the date I was to report.

When I went down to the jury service room in the Civic Center Courthouse on January 26, I told the people who were going to check me in that I was starting a jury trial. They refused to check me in. I went upstairs to the second floor, answered the 9:00 AM roll call in Department (courtroom) 206, and told the presiding judge that my client and I were ready for trial. I then stated that I had received a jury summons and that the personnel downstairs were refusing to check me in. The presiding judge stated, “You have to do your jury duty,” and then dismissed me. My client and I eventually settled her case.

Not wanting to be a juror scofflaw, I called jury services at the Civic Center Courthouse, told them my situation, and asked what could be done. They told me to come in and serve on February 5. So on February 5, at 8:45 AM, I entered the courthouse with my knitting and two books.

The Jury Services Room is on the lower level of the courthouse. It is a large, dark-paneled room that seats about 150 people. Free internet service is available. In the center of the room are a heavy wooden table and chairs. On either side are two large glass etchings with some phrases from the U.S. Constitution. Beside the phrases, etched into the glass, are pictures of the bodies of the Framers without their faces.

A video, which I could not see but could hear, informed me that I had to be at least 18 years old to serve, have no felony convictions, and be a U.S. resident. I qualified on all counts. The video discussed the importance of being a juror. After a short wait, my name was called, along with those of many other people, and we were told to report to a courtroom on the sixth floor. The clerk in that courtroom called our names and made certain we were all present.

The courtroom was one of the smaller ones. The court reporter sat in front of the witness stand, across from the clerk, near the judge’s raised desk. The bailiff sat in the back near the corner. The attorneys sat at the large table in the center of the room. The judge came out and explained who the parties were and introduced the court reporter, the clerk, and the bailiff. She said that three-quarters of a jury needed to agree in a civil trial, but not at this trial. This was a criminal case, and the verdict had to be unanimous. Because it is unusual for a criminal case to be held in the Civic Center Courthouse, I was very interested. The judge explained that the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution mandated jury trials in criminal matters. She introduced the Deputy District Attorney, the Deputy Public Defender, and the defendant. She stated that the defendant was being charged with a felony of possessing drugs and with two other felony charges. She said it would be a 5-day trial, and she gave the times and days that court would be in session. Giving a schedule was helpful for people with children or dependent family members, and for arranging work.

Twelve people were called to sit in assigned seats in the jury box and 6 more people were assigned seats in front of the box. This began the process in which the judge and the lawyers ask questions to individual jurors to determine if they could be fair in this case. Each potential juror stood and provided his or her name, neighborhood, length of residence in San Francisco, highest educational degree, spouse’s or domestic partner’s employment, number of children and their ages and occupations, and other information. This information give the attorneys a sense of who the jurors were. As a litigator, I find it helpful when people present this information slowly, because attorneys write it down in shorthand and use these notes for follow-up questions to the
potential jurors.

The judge also asked if any of the potential jurors were members of victims’ rights groups, if they would evaluate the testimony of law enforcement differently than other witnesses, and if they had any moral or religious beliefs about judging other people. The Deputy District Attorney began questioning the jurors by thanking them for showing up for their jury duty. She then asked if the jurors believed that “no one tells the same story twice.” The Deputy Public Defender objected, and I wondered if this might be an issue in the case. When the Deputy Public Defender asked questions, he told us about the “reasonable doubt” standard, and how it is a higher standard than clear and convincing evidence or preponderance of evidence. Then he asked the
potential jurors about their biases about the defendant’s being a drug addict and if they would tend to discount his testimony because of this. He also asked whether the jurors would believe a police officer more than a person who was not a police offer. We then adjourned for lunch for about an hour and a half.

After lunch, court reconvened with more questioning, and some potential jurors were let go. After I and other potential jurors were called to the witness box and questioned by the attorneys, the judge and the attorneys went into her chambers and discussed which jurors should be excused “for cause.” “For cause” means that the judge says that a potential juror might have a bias or information that might interfere with his or her deliberations. I was excused “for cause” because I knew one of the witnesses in the case.

The whole process took about a day, and it was interesting to me to see the process from the other side, as a potential juror rather than an attorney. Although I traditionally thank potential jurors when they first file into the jury box for my trials, from now on I will be even more appreciative of their time.

What is the CSFN?

by Gary Noguera

The Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods (CSFN) is an “umbrella organization” comprising representatives from most San Francisco neighborhoods who come together to work with the City on issues of importance to individual neighborhoods and to the City at large. The CSFN started when the Planning Department rejected the proposals of concerned neighborhood organizations for amendments to height and bulk limits in the Planning Code. The San Francisco Foundation gave a small grant to the Coalition to help it on its way, a neighborhood group in the Sunset served as its first fiscal agent, and a part-time secretary was hired to set up meetings, produce a newsletter, and recruit other neighborhood organizations.

Planning Association for the Richmond (PAR) President Martin McIntyre convened the first meeting of the CSFN on September 11, 1972, with 47 representatives of the neighborhoods present, covering most areas of SF. Today, there are 43 member organizations from all parts of the City.

The CSFN was incorporated in 1991 as a 501(c)4 nonprofit civic organization with a Board of Directors made up of representatives of all member organizations. It has held candidates and issues forums to educate the members and the public. It has, through member participation and lobbying, supported its member neighborhoods on issues affecting the broad community, and continues to monitor various City departments to insure fair treatment of all City residents.

The Miraloma Park Improvement Club (MPIC) plays an active role in the CSFN. We send a representative to CSFN monthly meetings to voice our opinions and vote on issues of concern to us and to all City residents. Our delegate, yours truly Gary Noguera, is currently the President of the CSFN, and sits on the Board of Directors. Thus, the MPIC affords its members the important benefit of direct representation at CSFN and a voice that will be heard City-wide.

NERT News

by Jed Lane

In last month’s article I wrote about new studies done to inform the City’s citizens and administration of the imminent danger of residential destruction from an “expected-size” earthquake. An expected-size earthquake is one the size of the 1989 Loma Prieta quake, not the Big One that is also expected.

The Richter scale, developed in 1937, is used to measure the relative force of the energy released when the tectonic plates in the earth slip along one another, causing earthquakes. The Loma Prieta quake was 7.1 on the Richter scale, and the slip was 25 miles long on the fault (where the two shifting plates meet). In the 1906 quake, which is estimated to have been 7.7 to 7.9 on the Richter scale, the slip was 296 miles long on the San Andreas fault.  A quake that is 9.0 on the Richter scale releases 1000 times the energy of a 7.0 quake.

When next we experience a large quake in the 7.1 range close to the San Francisco, the SPUR and CAPPS reports show there will be massive loss of housing. The City is not prepared to take care of us in that event. Are we prepared to take care of ourselves?

Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) training prepares you to be aware of your surroundings in earthquakes and other disasters and provides guidance on the necessary plans to be self-sufficient after the event. In April, on the anniversary of the 1906 quake, NERT will hold its annual City-wide drill. At the drill, NERT members from across the City will gather to practice the skills they’ve learned and will have the opportunity to interact with the Fire Department and other City leaders.

Drill time and location: April 18, 2009 from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM at Everett Middle School on Church St. at 17th St. The entrance to the school yard is on 17th St.

Here on Mt. Davidson, we should be having a conversation focused on how to be organized, so that when faced with the upheaval that will be going on all over the City, we will be able to care for ourselves, our families, and our neighbors and rebuild the community. This conversation should take place first in your home and then with your neighbors. Neighbor-to-neighbor conversation is just the beginning; knowing where our neighbors live and what their needs are likely to be is equally important.

Almost all members of the MPIC Board have been through the NERT training program, and we are evaluating the community leadership that will be required. We will not be able to do much without organized support from all residents, or if general panic and a “mob mentality” develop. So we ask that all Miraloma Park residents “Be safe – Be prepared – Get NERT trained,” and join us in this vital conversation about survival and recovery after a big quake.

Contact me (Jed@JedLane.com,  415.425.9810) if you have any questions or would like more information on NERT or the SAFE Block Captain program.

Parks and Open Space Planning Meeting

by Jed Lane

On March 4, 2009 a community meeting was held at the Miraloma Park Clubhouse to provide community input to the San Francisco Planning Department for the Regional Open Space Element (ROSE). This plan is being developed is part of the General Plan and has not been updated for a very long time.

Members of the community were asked to speak to parks and open-space issues, looking forward 100, 50, and 25 years, and to the immediate future. The meeting was facilitated by staff of the Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC) and moderated by DeeDee Workman, President of Workman Associates, a public affairs consulting firm, and the past Executive Director of San Francisco Beautiful.

Visionary ideas were shared and current concerns were discussed. Full notes from all the meetings can be found at openspacesf.org/OSmeetingnotes. If you would like to participate, additional meetings are scheduled, with the meeting schedule provided at www.sfnpc.org/2009OSworkshops. You can also organize your own meeting by contacting the NPC for their “meeting in a box” program.

We have more open space in our neighborhood than most. With Mt. Davidson, Twin Peaks, and Glen Canyon close by, it is easily possible to walk to a semi-natural space. In recognition and continuation of the past stewardship of citizens who prevented residential encroachment on Mt. Davidson and a freeway through Glen Canyon, we need to do our part for our kids and their kids. If parks are your issue, join with the leaders in your community to help advocate. If you don’t think you can make a difference, look at all that has been accomplished by Andrea O’Leary and her neighbors at the Sunnyside Playground and the Sunnyside Conservatory.

Contact me for more information: Jed@JedLane.com;  415-425-9810.

Fifty Years Ago in Miraloma Park: Highlights from the April 1959 issue of Miraloma Life

compiled by Phil Laird

Cecil F. Hickman, MPIC President, wrote:
“For the regular monthly meeting of April 16, our program chairman has secured an excellent foreign film [“Scandinavian Rhapsody”]. Showing time is approximately 35 minutes. Due to a great number of requests by other organizations for this film, we are having an early showing—probably 8:20 PM—to permit a second showing elsewhere in the City later this same evening…

“It was decided by the Board of Directors that no official action would be taken by the Club in regard to the changes in #36 bus schedule until and unless valid protests are received in sufficient number. We will need a number of sound objections to rebut the big reason for the curtailment of service—dollars and cents. Please phone Streets and Transportation Chairman Edward White with your views on this matter…

“I have received information…to the effect that at long last we may say goodbye to the “Shack” off Molimo Drive… The owner has contracted to have the edifice torn down within 2 weeks. Let us see!

“I hope everyone had a Happy Easter. How thankful we should be that we live in the beneficent shadow of the Cross—not the ominous shadow of the hammer and sickle!”

Excerpts from other articles:
“ ‘They said it couldn’t be done.’ But seeing is believing—the Scouts managed to change a Girl into a Boy Scout. Eleanor Mirabella finally made it at this last High Court of Honor. She was made a First Class Scout of the Boy Scouts of America. Her son, Michael, and Seth Samuels both made Eagle Scouts this month of March and were honored at a High Court of Honor dinner held on March 24 at the Community Church.”

“Billy Price, our 11-year-old carrier, fell for the fascination of a house under construction, and also fell 12 feet through a stairway. No stairs. He suffered a broken collar bone and was out of school a week. A steel brace was necessary for 8 weeks, but he is now looking forward to the baseball season. Good batting, Billy.”

Folk Dance News:
“Our group is having its usual amount of fun each Tuesday evening. We have been honored with the presence of several dancers from other dance groups lately. It is nice having you, and do come more often.

“Our teacher is really giving us a workout these days, putting the finishing touches to many new dances. What fun!”
“Teacher of slip cover and drapery making from your own material. $3.00 per lesson. For further information call …”

In 1959, annual dues for membership in the Miraloma Park Improvement Club were $2.00.

Make Some Music!

Upcoming Neighborhood Event Announcement

Are you a musician or a songwriter? Do you have a band? We are planning a neighborhood event for Saturday June 20th at Sunnyside Playground that will showcase the many musically talented residents of our neighborhoods and we want you to show your stuff!

The event will include all ages presenting solo recitals and acoustic or amplified ensembles in any style or tradition. Other musical groups will direct us in making a joyful noise with implements everyone brings: spoons, buckets, jugs, washboards, or even just hollow heads and puffy cheeks.

A segment will showcase original songs written for the event with special recognition for songs co-authored by kids and parents around the theme of what goes into and comes out of the three bins. Call it the BBG Song (Black, Blue & Green): Silly – Serious - Gross – Anything Goes!

We are seeking a graphic designer to design a poster for the event.  Contact Andrea O’Leary at Jultonedes@aol.com (or call 334-3601) or Jed Lane at Jed@JedLane.com to offer your talents or to be part of the planning.

]]> http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-april-2009/feed/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-march-2009/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-march-2009/#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:00:55 +0000 admin Newsletter Archive http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-march-2009/

A MPIC Special Presentation: THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE OF 1906 – Lessons in Leadership

Miraloma Life Editor Retires - Volunteers Requested

Water Department Projects Progressing Toward Completion

“Graffti Watch” Program Trains Miraloma Park Volunteers

Neighborhood Parks Have More to Celebrate

Mt. Davidson Hike March 21st

Special Event: Parks & Open Space Discussion

NERT News

New Feature Announcement

Design Matters

For Everyone’s Sake, Back Up Your Files!

Clarification of the MPIC Tax-Exempt Status

A MPIC Special Presentation: THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE OF 1906 – Lessons in Leadership

Neil Fahy, who presented a marvelous lecture and tour on SF geology last Fall, is back with a first-class slide show about the Great Earthquake.
Neil’s interest in the 1906 quake is two-fold. First, as a professional geologist, he is fascinated by how this major earth-shaking event developed. But just as much, as a native San Franciscan brought up with family stories of the quake, he is intrigued by how people behaved during and reacted to this critical event. The Fahy family came to the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sierra Nevada in the 1860s in search of the riches of California. In 1906 Neil’s father lived at Dolores and 29th Streets and his mother was on a truck farm at the present site of the Daly City Bart Station.

Neil’s presentation is focused largely on the people involved, particularly the leaders who got the City through the turmoil and on the road to recovery.  How did the major players react in that time of crisis and what were their roles? Neil will tell the story of the most influential individuals, including Mayor Schmidt, political boss Abe Ruff, newspaper owners Fremont Older and M. H. de Young, Fire Chief Dennis Sullivan, General Frederick Funston, and young banker A. P. Giannini. But he will also paint a picture of how “regular folks” (like his parents) dealt with the situation.

The anniversary of the Great Quake is April 18 and the oldest survivor of the event, Herbert Heimie Hamrol, died recently. Please join us on April 6 for a vivid glimpse of this bygone era and the triumphs and failures of its people and leaders. Light refreshments will be served.

Date: Monday, April 6
Time: Gather, 7:45 pm; start, 8 pm.
The lecture will be about 45 minutes long and will be followed by a question-and-answer period.
Place: Miraloma Park Improvement Club,
350 O’Shaughnessy Blvd at Del Vale.

For more information, visit miralomapark.org
or phone (415) 281-0892.

 

Miraloma Life Editor Retires - Volunteers Requested

Joanne Whitney, Editor of the Miraloma Life for many years, is retiring.  We thank Joanne for helping to make the Miraloma Life one of the best neighborhood newsletters in San Francisco. For now, Dan Liberthson has taken on the role of Acting Editor and Phil Laird will take care of layout and publishing. Both are MPIC Board members.

We are looking for volunteers interested in filling these positions on an ongoing basis or to serve as back-ups. Those interested in editing should have some background therein, and those interested in doing the layout/publication should have experience with Adobe software. As you know, the newsletter is a 12-page publication that comes out in the first week of every month except July and August. Experience as its Editor or Layout Artist/Publisher would do credit to anyone looking for ways to supplement his or her resume.

 

Water Department Projects Progressing Toward Completion

by Amy Sinclair, SFPUC Public Relations Officer

Water system improvement projects in and around Miraloma Park are making progress!

The seismic retrofit of the Stanford Heights Reservoir, located at Teresita Boulevard between Agua Way and Rockdale, is more than half-way complete.  The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) began the project in 2007 to prepare the drinking-water reservoir to withstand the next major earthquake.  In addition to seismic upgrades within the reservoir structure, improvements to the exterior will include a new security fence and drought-tolerant native plants, grasses, and wildflowers around the perimeter.

The new water pumping station on Agua Way at La Bica is currently under construction and is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The building will house energy-efficient water pumps and an emergency generator that will help ensure delivery of water after emergencies such as an earthquake or a major storm.  The SFPUC collaborated with the Miraloma Park Improvement Club Board, drawing on the neighborhood’s Residential Design Guidelines, to create a design within the context of the architectural character of the homes on Agua Way.

Visitors to Mt. Davidson will notice new surfaces on several popular trails and construction work taking place on the water storage tank at the top of the mountain near the cross. New water pipeline installation is complete and the tank is undergoing a major renovation to improve water pressure, fire protection, and stability during an earthquake.

The SFPUC would like to thank residents for their patience as we rebuild your water system. 

Stay informed and comment on water, sewer and municipal power improvement projects throughout District 7 by joining the SFPUC’s new community blog: http://sfwaterdistrict7.blogspot.com/
 

 

“Graffti Watch” Program Trains Miraloma Park Volunteers

by Sue Kirkham

Graffiti are a persistent menace that reduces property values and degrades the quality of life for everyone. Located at the intersection of two major thoroughfares, Miraloma Park sits in the crosshairs of graffiti vandals. That our neighborhood is comparatively free of graffiti is due to the work of our Anti-Graffiti Team that has been abating graffiti in and around our neighborhood for well over a decade.

Still, there is an arms race of sorts between the taggers and those fighting their destructive maneuvers. New types of tags appear, only to be countered by tag-resistant signs and new, eco-friendly products to remove them. The most effective weapon, however, remains the shoe leather and elbow grease of volunteers who remove graffiti as soon as we see them.

Recently three members of Miraloma Park’s Anti-Graffiti Team joined other volunteers from neighborhoods around to city to be trained and equipped for graffiti abatement on public property. Sue Kirkham, Peter Renteria, and Phil Laird spent a Saturday morning with Merle Goldstone from the Department of Public Works (DPW) and regular members of the San Francisco Graffiti Watch Anti-Graffiti Program to learn how to remove graffiti safetly and effectively from signs, mailboxes, poles, signal boxes and other public property.  We also came away with some new equipment that will make the task a little easier and with bright fluorescent yellow vests identifying us as part of the Graffiti Watch program.

The Miraloma Park Graffiti Abatement team is made up of Board Members and other concerned residents of Miraloma Park.  Some work in teams of two to abate graffiti; others go solo. Some volunteers take care of their block; others go farther afield.  Long ago we learned that it is especially important to keep free of graffiti property along the throughfares boarding Miraloma Park: Portola, Monterey and O’Shaughnessy.  Graffiti typically hit the commercial areas and thoroughfares first. If left in these locations it gives license to the offenders to begin penetrating the residential neighborhood.

Graffiti Watch is a city-wide program of DPW that trains, supplies, and supports volunteers working to abate graffiti in their neighborhoods. Anyone can sign up for the free two-hour training session, after which they can obtain supplies from the city. The website for the program can be visited at www.sfgov.org/site/sfdpw_page.asp?id=33011, or you can call Merle Goldstone, Public Information Officer for Graffiti Abatement, at 415-760-1943.

The graffiti scourge erodes property values and, left unabated, leads to an increase in crime.  Please join us in keeping Miraloma Park a Park a graffiti-free zone.  Sign up for the San Francisco Graffiti Watch program, or contact Sue Kirkham to learn more and see how you can participate in preserving your quality of life in Miraloma Park.  Phone 415-333-9840, or email info@suekirkham.com.

 

Neighborhood Parks Have More to Celebrate

by Andrea O’Leary

Recreation and Parks Department Acting General Manager Jared Blumenfeld is touring all SF park sites to assess them and talk to staff and residents. Jared is very open to public input and will visit Glen Park, Sunnyside Park, and Sunnyside Conservatory on Wed., Mar. 4. His visit schedule and blog are at http://www.sfgov.org/site/recpark_index.asp?id=92180.

Two surpluses achieved in the Sunnyside Playground & Park renovation completed in 2007 will fund a rehab of the rec. center “clubhouse” (starting Mar.) and fulfillment of another item or two from the community’s Wish List. The clubhouse has been opened up to permit larger gatherings, will meet all ADA requirements, and will have  new kitchens and bathrooms. Sunnyside Park Families & Neighbors (SPFN ) will celebrate with the community the great results achieved when neighbors come together and persist.. SPFN will work with new Rec. & Park Neighborhood Service Area 5 Manager Eric Andersen (Eric.Andersen@sfgov.org) to sponsor another community meeting to discuss desired programming and public access to the Park and Sunnyside Conservatory. To contribute and participate, e-mail SPFamilies@aol.com.

A collaboration of neighborhood advocates (SPFN, Friends of Miraloma Playground, Southern Miraloma Activity Club, Bella Vista Neighbors in Action, and Friends of Sunnyside Conservatory) has won a $2,000 grant from the Neighborhoods West of Twin Peaks Convener Group (DCYF) to produce a “Make Some Music” event in Sunnyside Park in June. Live bands will perform and help visitors make music together. Families will compose, perform, and win prizes for songs about keeping our neighborhood clean and green.

Construction proceeds at the Sunnyside Conservatory, with renovation of this historic Landmark to be complete in October. The octagon-shaped building was once a horse and buggy turn-around. Restoration includes retaining the old-growth redwood, enclosing the building and the west wing, and adding lighting, heating, and bathrooms. The grounds will retain the famous palms plus new landscaping and hardscapes and a delightful art element. Friends of Sunnyside Conservatory have followed this project closely and plan a reopening celebration suitable to the site’s splendor. Send comments/suggestions  to SunnysideConservatory@gmail.com.

 

Mt. Davidson Hike March 21st

You are invited to join Miraloma Park neighbor Jacquie Proctor, author of San Francisco’s West of Twin Peaks, on a guided tour of Mt. Davidson on Saturday, March 21, at 1:30 PM. Explore the inspired history of San Francisco’s highest hill on this hike through our 38-acre nature preserve to the amazing view and gigantic monument at its summit. The walk is free and sponsored by San Francisco City Guides (www.sfcityguides.org). Trails can be windy and muddy. Wear a jacket and sturdy shoes. Meet at the 36 Muni line bus shelter at Dalewood and Myra Way.

 

Special Event

The Miraloma Park Improvement Club is hosting a
 Parks & Open Space Discussion
March 4, 2009
6:00 to 8:00 PM
At the MPIC Clubhouse
350 O’Shaughnessy Blvd. at Del Vale

The purpose of this event is to gather public input to develop the Parks and Open Space Element of the San Francisco General Plan.  If you

have ideas, concerns or general feedback, join us and be heard.
For information specific to this event, email:
Jed@FogCityGuide.com

For general information or comments, email:
Susan.Exline@sfgov.org

For information on the outreach effort, email:
mkritzman@sfnpc.org

For information on the meeting’s purpose, see:
www.openspacesf.org

 

NERT News

by Jed Lane, Miraloma Park/Mount Davison NERT Coordinator

Two recently published articles explore preparing the City for a major earthquake so that we will be able to shelter in place and recover our lives in a short period of time. San Francisco Planning & Urban Research (SPUR) has released Part 1 of a multiyear, three-part paper, “The Resilient City Initiative,” which attempts to create a “comprehensive approach to disaster planning” (see SPUR’s Urbanist Issue 479 “The Resilient City,” at http://www.spur.org/documents/020109_article_01.shtm). The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection (DBI) has published the “Community Action Plan for Seismic Safety,” or CAPSS (see http://www.sfcapss.org/index.html).

Both organizations detail the actions needed to prepare for what they term “the expected quake” that is likely to occur within the 50-year lifecycle of a building. An expected quake could be as strong as the 1989 Loma Prieta quake but closer to us, not centered far away in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and thus even more damaging. Both groups argue that “soft-story” buildings are most urgently in need of attention. The first floors of such buildings are large open spaces with no interior walls to brace against a twisting action. The City’s effort will focus on soft-story buildings of three stories or more with five or more housing units. Five buildings of this type collapsed in the Marina in the 1989 quake. Actions are planned for these multi-family, wood framed, soft-story buildings throughout the City.

A soft-story building is defined as any building with an abundance of wall openings in the first story or, more precisely, with openings that occupy 80% or more of  any one wall or more than 50% of any two walls. Note that this definition applies to nearly every home in Miraloma Park! There are tens of thousands of homes like ours in the City, all vulnerable in a strong quake: wood-framed, two or three stories over garage, and with the garage and front entrance in the same wall. On our typical 25-foot wide lots, the reports state that seismic remediation can be done fairly inexpensively. For more information on how to prepare your home to emerge from a quake in good shape,  and a list of resources, go to http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/eqmaps/fixit/resources.html.

After a damaging quake, how long will it take to the City as a whole to return to its pre-quake functionality? SPUR sets goals and timelines answering this question if the quake happened now and if it happened after appropriate preparation. Disturbingly, they report, current building codes are based only on the requirement that new buildings not collapse, not that they be usable or repairable after the damage. Thus, as things are now, it would take 3 years to get 85% of people back in their homes and  even longer to re-house 100%. The overall goal should be to have 95% back in their houses within 24 hours.  SPUR also looked at water, gas, electricity, transportation, and medical services, and noted that preparing for the preservation and restoration of these “lifelines” will require regional cooperation.

The Building Department’s CAPSS sets a goal of minimizing damage from an expected quake by revising building codes to attain more resilient buildings that can be more quickly repaired and rebuilt. Their study shows an expected loss of one-quarter of the existing housing stock (8,600 to 100,000 units) in a major quake.

Those of us who think about the eventual big quake and work in and on neighborhood issues often look to the experience of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. The neighborhoods that were rebuilt after that devastation had organizations with experience in taking positions before civic leaders. Areas without such organizations may never come back. In Miraloma Park, we are fortunate to live in a neighborhood with a structured organization to represent us. Since our neighborhood was built (in the 1920s and 1930s), the Miraloma Park Improvement Club (MPIC) has been working on issues that impact Miraloma Park and the City as a whole. The work continues, and we would welcome your involvement. Be safe—Be prepared—Get NERT Trained.

 

New Feature Announcement

Miraloma Life plans to publish a calendar of events in our neighborhood.If you have a Tai Chi class in the park, a model airplane club, a parenting group, a home-brew club, or a neighborhood watch group, please let us know when and where you are meeting and we will publish this information in the Miraloma Life, which comes out the first weekend of every month except July and August.

We want to increase awareness of the many groups active in our neighborhood and to support your efforts.To submit your event, use the submission guidelines for articles described on the back page of this publication. Be sure to supply your contact information.

Nothing unlawful or commercial will be published. Comments or questions? Call Jed Lane 415-425-9810.

 

Design Matters

by Peter A. Zepponi, AIA — Architect

This monthly column addresses basic residential design and home improvement topics of interest to Miraloma Park residents. If you have a question or topic you’d like considered for a future article, please send an email to pazdesignmatters@aol.com or call 415-334-2868 (website: www.zepponi-architects.com).

Q: How can I take advantage of the current economy?

A:  Leverage the market with a negotiated fixed fee based on detailed plans and specifications.

You have 30% equity in your home, a good job, good credit, you don’t want to move, and you’ve been putting off a remodel for years because it’s been too expensive.  If this describes you, then you have an ideal opportunity as a qualified homeowner wanting to remodel. 

If you intend to do some remodeling, now would be a good time to start planning it. Market pressures are making construction pricing very competitive and I expect that trend to continue over the next few months.  I have several new clients who are taking advantage of the historically low interest rates and favorable construction costs, and you might also benefit by timing your project to derive advantage from current market conditions.  I believe there will be a market low around May/June, corresponding with high unemployment rates and low interest rates. A funded project that is permitted and ready to bid by the end of April will have perfect timing in your favor.  By May, however, most contractors will have taken a job to make sure to have work through the summer months, so bidding might not be as competitive as it currently is. 

If you miss the current window, your next best tactic will be to negotiate with contractors who want to ensure they have another project in the pipeline behind the one they are currently working on.  You can favorably negotiate that situation as well, but not as hard-line as with a contractor who still needs to land a job to get through the dry summer months.  The next window for good pricing will be in September/October, when contractors have finished up summer work and are looking for something to carry them through the winter.  You would be in a good situation then if most of your work is indoors and feasible during the rainy winter months, because outdoor projects could not start until good weather.  Therefore, you will have a larger pool of available contractors vying for your project, which should result in more competitive bidding.

When you are ready to bid your project and hire a contractor, you should negotiate a fixed fee. Now is a terrible time to hire someone on an hourly time-and-material (T&M) basis, as attractive as they may make this seem.   Instead, hire an architect or other professional to prepare a detailed set of bid documents.  Most such professionals should be able to earn their fee by the value they bring to the project in negotiating, bidding, and minimizing “unforeseen” conditions that can drive up costs.   Many large construction projects have slowed down or stopped, which means that some contractors have no jobs to put their crews on. Therefore, they will put workers on your project if you are paying T&M, but without other projects in line, the contractor and the workers will have no incentive to finish quickly, and may drag out the work to continue getting income.  This worst-case scenario does not apply to all contractors, but why run the risk that you will be taken advantage of? 

Rather, give contractors clear drawings and specifications so they can provide you with an itemized bid that you can review and compare against other bids.  Any good contractor should know what a job will cost within +/- 10%.   Good plans protect both owner and contractor by minimizing misunderstandings and disputes.  Hire the contractor who gives you a fixed fee based on a thorough itemized bid.  This will not necessarily be the lowest bidder, but the contractor you are confident will do the job for the quoted price and, very importantly, the contractor with whom you have the best rapport.
This column and its content are intended to be a source of general information. Please verify applicability to your specific project.
Peter A. Zepponi, AIA—Architects, is an architectural firm in San Francisco specializing in residential and commercial architecture. 

 

For Everyone’s Sake, Back Up Your Files!

by Phil Laird

Sorry to break it to you, but your computer—the one you use for just about everything—just took its last byte and expired in a glorious puff of smoke. Yup: everything on it is gone. Toast. RIP. Of course, you have it all backed up in a safe place, right?  RIGHT??  All the bookkeeping files and tax records for the garden club?  The list of donors to be invited to the annual awards dinner?  Five years of emails, contacts, and bookmarks?  Gone? Please don’t say that. Wake me up when this nightmare is over.

Backing up your computer files doesn’t require any fancy software or complex procedures. The main idea is simplicity itself: there should never be just one copy of any file you can’t afford to lose. It isn’t necessary to back up your entire hard drive: just the data. Sure, you have gigabytes of stuff on your drive, but most of it is the operating system and the programs you use to work with the data. For most people, the crucial data themselves are much snaller, maybe a few hundreds of megabytes in selected files. All you need to do is copy these files somewhere else. Copy them NOW—as soon as you finish editing them—and get in the habit of copying your files as you close them. Otherwise do so at the end of a day’s work; but you still may lose that day’s work if your machine fails before you back it up.

The “somewhere else” where you back up your files could be a thumb-drive you plug into your USB port. It could be an external hard drive you dedicate for backups: they’ve come way down in price, and they can be connected immediately to another computer. It could be a CD or DVD that you burn on your computer. It could even be on the Internet, using one of the net storage services (from which you can download the files to another computer). But, sorry, copying from your C drive to your D drive on the same machine isn’t good enough. (That puff of smoke? That was your D drive.) 

What about backup software? Quality software can simplify and automate the process as well as compress files to save space. But using backup software requires some care. For example, I run Windows Vista on my desktop, but I have a laptop with XP that I take with me to work. Vista has a nice backup program built in. Trouble is I can’t restore it with my laptop.

Which points to the second main principle: backing up is only half the story; you need to be able to restore from the backup. If you are copying your files “as is” to another location, no problem.  But if you are using software that compresses or encodes the files, you need to test out your restore process. Pick some file that you’ve backed up, choose a temporary space on your computer, and retrieve the file from the backup to that location. If you encounter any problems, you should either change your backup procedure or write a note to remind yourself how to resolve the problem next time.
 
Which brings us to the third main principle: remember that you may not be the only one who needs to retrieve the backup data. You may change jobs or move to another city and hand the files off to whoever takes over. Or you may be out of town when your partner calls to say the computer has died and he or she has to print last year’s annual report. Will these people be able to retrieve the data from your backup?

The popularity of digital media presents a challenge for backing up. Digital files—photos, videos, podcasts—are big files. Moreover, they don’t compress much because they are already in a compressed format. So copying them to another location means that location has to be big, too. My partner is a photographer and faces this problem constantly, like anyone who works with digital media. A favorite mantra of photographers is that the difference between a mediocre photographer and a good one is that the good photographer has a much larger wastebasket. While unfair, this maxim reminds us that not all digital files are worth saving. The wedding pictures, sure.  Your kid’s concert recital, of course.  But of the six hundred shots of Yosemite, I’ll bet that about ten are real keepers. Back those up and leave the rest to their fate.

So do it yourself - and everyone who depends on you - a huge favor and take the time to back up your data. Now. I’ll wait here ‘til you’re done. No pressure. Really.

 

Clarification of the MPIC Tax-Exempt Status

The membership renewal forms in the December and January issues of Miraloma Life incorrectly stated that the annual dues are tax deductible.  The MPIC is registered as a 501(c)4 non-profit community organization. As such, we are exempt from paying taxes on donations to the Club. However, under the 501(c)4 rules, donations made to the Club, including annual dues, are not tax-deductible to the donor. 

We are in the process of converting the MPIC to full tax-exempt status as a 501(c)3 organization; this will allow all donations to the Club, including dues, to be taken as a tax deduction.  We apologize for this error.

 – MPIC Board of Directors
 

 

]]> http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-march-2009/feed/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-february-2009/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-february-2009/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2009 19:00:54 +0000 admin Newsletter Archive http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-february-2009/

Clubhouse Native Plant Garden Renewed and Expanded

A Tribute to Ron and Aaron Proctor

Wally Hirsch

A Great Gift

Trash Talk

Cold and Flu Myths

Missing Elephants

Late Winter Outside Prescott, Arizona

Fool’s Luck

Banana Slug Passing

Where is Miraloma Park?

Mind the Tree

Legal Ease

Rent the MPIC Clubhouse

Clubhouse Native Plant Garden Renewed and Expanded

by Dan Liberthson

Native California plants are threatened by invasive weeds and grasses and need special care to survive. They are part of our heritage and play
an important role in the survival of many insect and bird species, which have evolved in concert with these plants over millennia. Therefore, the
MPIC is particularly proud to host a native plant garden dedicated to the plants from the immediate local area—specifically Glen Canyon Park
across O’Shaughnessy from the Clubhouse.

Established about 12 years ago, our native plant garden has the potential to become one of the biggest and best in SF, as it extends in length
the entire frontage of O’Shaughnessy Boulevard and is 15 to 25 feet wide. The MPIC Board recently approved funds to expand this important
community resource with new plants purchased from the California Native Plant Society and planted with the help of Jake Sigg, longtime active
Society member and native plant preservationist.

Getting plants into the hard, clayey ground along O’Shaughnessy is tough enough—I rented a 2-man posthole digger to prevent days of futile
scratching away with a spade. Many thanks to Board Member Jim O’Donnell for helping me man this contraption and get the ground ready for the
plants. With Jake’s help, the plants then went into the ground quickly. So we are off to a great start for this growing season and on our way to
realizing our dream for the MPIC native plant garden

However, as every gardener knows, getting the plants in the ground is just the beginning of the job. Never much of a gardener, I now find myself
the lead caretaker of the MPIC native plant garden, and I’m finding out how much is really involved. First and foremost, keeping the young and
growing plants sufficiently watered is critical, and when the rain does not cooperate, this involves twice or thrice weekly trips to the Clubhouse
for watering sessions. To assist in this task and to keep down the costs of water use (which the Club must bear), I have installed seeper hoses
at my own expense.

Keeping down the invasive weeds and grasses by hoeing and hand plucking, as well as spreading woodchips (obtained on a hit-or-miss basis
by calling around to local arborists) to block their growth, are other significant investments of time and labor, though the exercise has been
enjoyable and is supposedly good for me. But as time goes on, I may need help with these chores, and the Club could certainly use help in
defraying the cost of water (a particular concern in this time of drought and likely water rationing) and other incidentals involved in keeping the
garden healthy.

For this reason, I would like to establish an email and phone list of people who would like to help out with occasional donations of labor, and I
want to appeal to everyone to think about donating a small amount of money earmarked for this project to help the Club with costs. To join the
email/phone tree for maintenance work, please call the Club number (281-0892) and leave your name, phone number and email address, or send
this information to me at liberthson@comcast.net. To help out financially, please send your check, with a notation that the contribution is for the
native plant garden, to MPIC Native Plant Garden Fund, 350 O’Shaughnessy Blvd. SF 94127.

Thinking and acting green, and taking preservation of the environment seriously on the local level, are important first steps to worldwide
conservation. I hope everyone in Miraloma Park will help us make a big local contribution through nurturing our Native Plant Garden. Thank you
for any contribution you can make.

 

A Tribute to Ron and Aaron Proctor

by Dan Liberthson for the MPIC Board

The Board of the Miraloma Park Improvement Club would like to extend our gratitude to the many generous neighbors who have worked for the
benefit of their community over the years. Particularly, in this Holiday Season when we are counting our blessings, we want to thank two
individuals who have carried the MPIC on their own shoulders into the Internet Age—Ron Proctor and his son Aaron Proctor.

Together, Ron and Aaron have donated many hours of their expertise to expand and maintain miralomapark.org, the MPIC’s excellent website.

As our Webmaster, Ron has consistently and diligently worked to keep the website up and running, while Aaron has suggested and carried out
design improvements that have made the site a pleasure to use.  Miralomapark.org is now a repository of key Miraloma Park Documents,
including our Residential Design Guidelines and an archive of the MPIC newsletter, the Miraloma Life, as well as a Message Board that permits
neighbors to communicate about issues, and links to other important SF organizations and institutions.

Ron and his wife, Jacquie, have lived in Miraloma Park since 1980. They were pleased to receive a Miraloma Life in the home they purchased,
immediately got involved in the MPIC, and have been neighborhood volunteers ever since. Ron has served as MPIC Vice President and Jacquie
as Treasurer. Their son, Aaron, grew up in Miraloma Park and graduated from Lowell High School in 2001 and UCLA in 2005. He now works as the
Web Site Designer and Manager at the UCLA film and theater school.

Ron and Aaron’s enthusiastic and generous volunteer participation in the website project has saved the MPIC Board a great deal of cost and
time, and has given us a site that stands out among those of other neighborhood groups. We offer them our unreserved appreciation and
thanks, and we thank the Proctor family for their tradition of volunteering on behalf of the neighborhood over so many years!

 

Wally Hirsch

by Sue Kirkham and Dan Liberthson

The Miraloma Park Improvement Club was saddened to hear about the recent death of Wally Hirsch.  Wally was a long time resident of Miraloma
Park and served on the Board of Directors of the MPIC as Sergeant at Arms.  He was a San Francisco police officer and in retirement
volunteered his time as a juvenile counselor. A generous and friendly man, Wally often helped the MPIC with safety-related issues and could be
counted on to provide a voice of balance and reason in any situation. We were privileged to work with Wally Hirsch, and we will remember him
fondly.

 

A Great Gift

by JoAnn Eastep

Recently, I was invited to a christening followed by a party at the home of the mother.  I knew that the baby already had plenty of clothes and
more toys than I could imagine him every getting around to playing with.  I racked my brains for a special gift and finally came up with a United
States Saving Bond.  But how to purchase one remained a mystery.  A friend suggested the I contact a bank so off I went to West Portal.

What I found out was that purchasing a bond was not quite as easy as it was in the past when I purchased several bonds for my own son (now in
his forties).

The bank gives you a form to complete. For the most part it is pretty easy.  You need to fill in the recipient’s name, address, co-owner (if there is
to be one) and the denomination of the Savings Bond.  The kicker, however, was the additional requirement that you had to have the child’s
social security number.

I laughed heartily (more fool I) and explained to the teller that this was a new born baby and was not ready to enter the work force.  To my
surprise the teller replied that all babies are now issued social security numbers shortly after birth. The government really does get you.

I contacted the child’s mother who explained that she had received an application form from the hospital to be filled in when she went home.
Shortly after sending the form to the proper government office, christening boy was legal and had a social security number.  I got the social security number, and went back to the bank with my completed form.

In my case, the process may have seemed longer than I anticipated but a US Savings Bond is a great gift.  The cost is just half of the maturity
value.  That is, a $50.00 bond costs $25.00.  What a nice gift that can be saved until maturity.  The child, when a  young adult, can splurge the
money or reinvest in a UD Saving Bond.

 

Trash Talk

by JoAnn Eastep

Another week and tomorrow is trash day.  All the food scraps, plant materials, napkins, paper towels have been sorted into the green cart.  The
blue cart is filled with newspapers, magazines, assorted metal and plastic cans, bottles and allowed containers In addition to all the old mail, bills
have been shredded and tied up in a plastic bag for the blue cart.  Wait a minute.  Were the plastic bags that contained the shredded material as
well as plastic bags that contain peanuts for assuring the safety of fragile materials sealed with tape? But that is such a production!  Why not just
put all the shredded material, peanuts, etc. in a bag and stuff it far down into the cart?

Well,  for one thing,  as soon as the truck puts the cart on the lift to dump it, the shredded paper, peanuts, even cans fall out of the bag and blow
all over the neighborhood.  The garbage collectors do not have the time to stop and pick up whatever scatters. So take the extra minute to seal
all loose items.  If your plastic bag is big enough just tie the of the bag closed..  If not use sealing tape to make sure the contents do not fall into the street.

If you have any questions about exactly what goes into what can, contact the Residential Recycling  (415) 355-3700.

Make your property and your neighborhood a better place to live by recycling and by separately your throwaways properly.

 

Cold and Flu Myths

by Joanne Whitney

Last month we talked about some cold and flu myths.  Here are some more which if read carefully might help you stay healthy.

First of all, it is not too late to get a flu shot.

Myth 6:  “Feed a Cold, and  Starve a Fever or Vice Versa.
Not True Feed both a Cold and a Fever.  For either a cold or a fever the body needs more fluids (obtained from foods).
Myth 7: Vitamin C, Echinacea, or Zinc Can prevent or cure a cold.Unlikely. Research has shown that these products cannot prevent a cold.
Myth 8.  Antibiotics can cure a cold or the flu
Absolutely Not True.  Antibiotics kill bacteria.and cannot kill cold or flu viruses. Using too many antibiotics cause bacteria to become resistant
and the more frequently antibiotics are taken the more resistant bacteria become to the drugs.
Myth 9  Once you catch a cold or the flu all you can do is wait for it to pass.  Not true for the flu. There are some flu medications which if taken
early can reduce symptoms.

Myth 10 You can treat  a cold or the flu with chicken soup
Possibly. There is some data that chicken soup reduces symptoms

 

Missing Elephants

for Regina

You are gone now,
Callie, Lulu, Tinkerbelle,
who filled my eyes full.
But your absence,
even bigger than you,
is more present
than anything in this zoo.

You and your huge hearts
have moved to a paradise
like those we humans manage
near reservoirs, golf courses—
but yours is near tree courses,
grass courses, sky courses.

You are together
and you are free.
We are neither.

©2009 by Dan Liberthson

Late Winter Outside Prescott, Arizona

A lake nurses its rim of snow
and slow ducks on its mild swell.
The silence is so pristine,
the unbroken snow so virginal
I cannot let things alone
but like a schoolboy loosed
pack a snowball and throw
at a bobbing ring-necked drake.
The shot falls short and the duck
unflustered in his gaudy colors
glances at me, as if he knows
in Spring males of every species
cannot let anything be.

©2009 by Dan Liberthson

Fool’s Luck

Tremendous crackling in the branches:
wild turkey, tail akimbo, teeters on a limb
barely thick enough to hold it, maybe not—
so precarious yet so certain,
pompous and riotous as a clown,
blind to coyote’s tracking eye.

Stuttering cries: another heaves into sight,
ungainly mate or brother crashing on
the same encumbered route one wingbeat
from disaster but somehow rising
to tear through the woods’ net
and come safe home.

©2009 by Dan Liberthson

Banana Slug Passing

kid’s plastic trick, fat pepper slice.
Immobile, unknowing death or life,
on the damp path’s shoulder it lay
amid twigs, leaf litter, and crumbled soil
split between hard sun, soft shade.

And I forgot it. Stepped past think-
ing this and that on the way to what
needed to be done. Until an hour
later I took that path again
and found it six inches
from where it lay then.

It’s alive, I realized, and this time saw
the snub curved snout, sex sack
bulging at the neck, radiating antlers
reaching out, back ridge subtly
s-curved as it moved imperceptibly
to any briefly present being.

It was then I saw the trees growing.
Sensed the muscles in their limbs
bulk and twist as they made themselves
thicker, longer, through my watching
years. When I looked down again,
the slug was gone, and I had no idea
what time it was.

©2009 by Dan Liberthson

 

Where is Miraloma Park?

by Phil Laird

“Where in the world is Miraloma Park?” may seem a strange question for someone living in Miraloma Park to ask. But in fact the precise
boundaries of Miraloma Park (M.P.) are not well known. So let’s take a Grand Tour. (You can walk it in about an hour.)
We start at the corner of Portola Drive and O’Shaughnessy Boulevard, across the street from the McAteer Campus of the School of the Arts.

Head down O’Shaughnessy Blvd. (only the houses on your right are in M.P.) to Malta Drive. Turn uphill on Malta (houses on Malta, Valletta, and
Vista Verde are in MiraGlen, not M.P.) to Stillings Ave., where you will turn east (downhill). Houses on both sides of Stillings are in M.P.
At Congo turn right. (Sorry, Congo—you’re not in M.P.) Proceed to Melrose Ave. where you turn right and walk to Teresita Blvd. Houses in this
section of Melrose are included in M.P.  Proceed downhill on Teresita to the “T” intersection at Foerster St. Here the route becomes tricky. You
have to cross Foerster, turn left and walk down the 700 block (included in M.P. but not beyond the 700’s), and hike up the short, steep section of
Melrose with a few houses numbered 319 and up.

This is a cul de sac, but the boundary of M.P. continues from here over private property up the embankment to where Melrose Ave. and Stanford
Heights Ave. intersect. To get there on foot, you will need to go back uphill on Foerster, turn left and climb to the 300 block of Melrose Ave. At
Stanford Heights Avenue you are back on the M.P. frontier.

Now hike down Melrose, only the north side of which (up through the end of the 400 block, on your right) is in M.P., to Lulu Alley, an unlabeled
easement that begins just before 500 Melrose. This first section of Lulu from Melrose to Los Palmos Drive (number 495) is paved, but the next
section that rises to Burlwood Drive (number 100) is not paved (although it is passable if dry). For the third section, however, from Burlwood to
Cresta Vista Drive (number 300), you will need to hire a jungle guide because it is overgrown and virtually impassible.

But the boundary of M.P. passes through here and even continues over private property up the escarpment to Sherwood Court. Jungle guides
are in short supply these days, so to get back onto the boundary at Sherwood, you will need to take a substantial detour by following Burlwood
east to Bella Vista Way, north on Bella Vista to Molimo Drive, up the steep hill on Molimo to Myra Way, and up an even steeper hill to the
intersection of Sherwood Ct. where the 36 bus has a turn-around. Whew!

If you have a jungle guide, don’t send her home just yet. Continue on Myra Way and head down the steep hill along Dalewood Way—but keep to
the right of Dalewood inside Mt. Davidson Park because the houses on Dalewood are not in M.P.  At the bottom of the Dalewood hill, turn right
along a short stretch of Lansdale Ave. (which is not in M.P.), and then turn left onto a one-block section of Juanita Way (in M.P.), arriving at busy
Miraloma Drive. Turn right on Miraloma and follow the 43 bus downhill (only the houses on your right are included in M.P.), to Portola Drive,
pausing to admire the recently restored Fire Station 39. Walk uphill east along Portola (again, only the houses on the right-hand side are in M.P.)
back to our starting point at the intersection of O’Shaughnessy.  Here you pick up your well-deserved water bottle and an “I survived the
Miraloma Park Grand Tour” T-shirt.

 

Mind the Tree

by Phil Laird

The prospect of winter storms bringing heavy rain and wind should remind us to be mindful of trees in Miraloma Park, or more precisely, the
potential hazards posed by trees. We are fortunate to live in one of the most arboreal areas of the city. But with the beauty comes both risk and
responsibility. Rain-saturated soil and gusty winds can topple trees that otherwise would be quite stable. A number of underground streams flow
unseen through our yards. Swollen by the rains, they can undercut and topple trees without any ground-level signs of instability.

Environmental factors also put trees at risk. Excavation near a large tree can damage its root system and cause it to fail. Saplings with extensive
root systems planted too close to a house can eventually argue with the foundation of the house—causing the loss of both. Pruning or topping
trees by non-expert landscapers or gardeners can alter the shape, balance, and health of a tree. Utility companies are required by the PUC to
prune trees growing near poles and wires. Naturally their priorities are to protect their property, not the health of the tree.

In our area, the Monterey Pine, Monterey Cyprus, and Blue Gum Eucalyptus are the species most likely to cause problems. They establish easily
and grow quickly, providing the owner with rapid gratification. But their shallow roots and susceptibility to infestation make them increasingly
hazardous as they mature. These and all trees become more susceptible to attack by fungus and insects as they age. Pitch Canker and the Pine
Bark Beetle are devastating the Ponderosa and other western pine species throughout the southwest. A trip through the southern Sierras and
northern Arizona will shock the traveler seeing entire acres of dead trees for the first time.

In most cases homeowners are responsible for damage caused by falling or breaking trees on their property, including “street trees” on the
sidewalks. Residents should inspect large trees on or near their property regularly and ask themselves where the tree or its largest branches
would fall. Signs to look for include cavities or large splits in the trunk, dead branches, and extensive growth of moss or fungus on the trunk.

Uplifted soil or walkways may just be roots reaching the surface, or they may be the first sign of lean. An experienced arborist is the person to
call to assess the condition of a tree. Plans to prune a tree or plant a new one near a house should also involve a tree expert. And most
importantly, an expert should be called to inspect periodically all large trees near residential structures.

 

Legal Ease

by Mary Catherine Wiederhold, Esq.

California courts are beginning to hold that one-sided arbitration clauses in real estate purchases are unfair to buyers.  If you are buying a home
that contains an arbitration clause in the purchase sales agreement, you should consult with a real estate attorney before signing.

One recent example concerns a developer, Toll Dublin, LLC, which built a large condominium complex in Dublin beginning around 2004. The
developer then sold seven condominiums to buyers during March and April 2005.  In their purchase agreements for their homes, the buyers
initialed that they had received copies of numerous documents.  These documents comprised 800 pages and included a Title 7 Master and
Dispute Resolution Declaration.  The Title 7 Master Declaration defined dispute as “any claims relating to the purchase, sale, condition, design,
construction or materials, . . .”  This declaration had been signed by the developer, but not the buyers, and recorded in 2004.  There was also a
list of covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&R’s) that had been recorded by the developer in 2003 that defined what type of dispute had to
be arbitrated.  It specifically excluded fraud from arbitration.

The buyers sued the developer in Alameda Superior Court alleging among causes of action, fraud. The buyers alleged the developer had
allowed conditions in “Building 13”, where they had purchased their units, to become saturated with water.  Once the interior of the building had
become saturated, mold began to grow.  The buyers alleged that the developer had knowledge of the condition before the buyers closed
escrow and did not notify them of the conditions.  Once escrow closed in April and May 2006, and some buyers had moved into their homes, the
developers then demanded that the buyers move out, in some cases telling the buyers to leave their personal property behind because it was
so damaged by mold. The developer moved to compel arbitration.

The trial court decided that based on Title 7, which specifically excluded fraud from arbitration, that the developer’s motion was denied.  The
developer appealed.  The court of appeal held that the buyers could sue the developer.  The court reasoned firstly, that the buyer’s arbitration
agreement did not cover fraud.  Although there is strong public policy in favor of arbitration, the court held that this policy cannot be used to
“enforce provisions of an arbitration agreement that, as here, either do not exist or were so poorly drafted that another party cannot be
presumed to have agreed to them.”

The court also looked at whether the arbitration agreement was “unconscionable” and the agreement was one-sided.  It  found that the
agreement  was because the buyers were given it on a “take it or leave it” basis.  Therefore, the developer would have little reason to sue the
buyers, but the buyers’ claims would only be discovered after escrow closed.

Furthermore, the court disliked the fact that the declaration had been recorded in 2004, more than two years before any of the buyers closed
escrow on any of their homes.  This suggested to the court that the agreement had been unilaterally imposed on all buyers of the 264 home
project.

While this case covered a large developer, some of the logic of the decision can be applied to single family home owners selling their homes.

Arbitration agreements can often save people from the large expense of litigation.  But poorly drafted arbitration clauses in sales contracts can
sometimes generate their own litigation.

 

Rent the MPIC Clubhouse

New Piano
New Electrical System
New Water Heater
Beautiful New Floors

Members get a discount.
Trash and recycling available.
Call 415-281-0892 for rates/availability.
Free parking is in the adjacent parking lot.

]]> http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-february-2009/feed/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-january-2009/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-january-2009/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:33:33 +0000 admin Newsletter Archive http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-january-2009/

Hats off for the 2008 MPIC Holiday Potluck Party!

Attention Miraloma Park Resident

Community Gardens Thrive In San Francisco

I Am Honored to Serve!

We’ve Lost One of the Best

Park  News

Legal Ease

Some Cold and Flu Myths

In Memory:  Elizabeth Mettling

 

Hats off for the 2008 MPIC Holiday Potluck Party!

by Dan Liberthson

This year’s Holiday Potluck was, by all accounts, the best yet, attended by some 90 people all of whom appeared to be having a fine time. Laura Lee and her band provided the usual wonderful musical environment, and the inimitable Boswick the Clown entertained kids and adults alike with his act, his antics, and his remarkable balloon hats. There are many volunteers to thank for making this annual feast and entertainment possible, perhaps foremost Kathy Rawlins, whose wonderful decorative designs graced the mantelpiece; Newton Don, who took the terrific photos are now on our website at miralomapark.org; and Board members Mike Naughton, Karen Wood, Cassandra Mettling-Davis, Karen Breslin, Robert Gee, Phil Laird, Jim Ilardo, and Dan Liberthson, who helped with various aspects of set-up, clean-up, and administration.

But those who really make the party happen every year are, of course, YOU—our Miraloma Park neighbors who come to celebrate the season and contribute to the festivities your best dishes and your good cheer. Here are the winners in each category of this year’s Potluck prizes, whose delicious contributions helped us open the Holiday Season with wonderful culinary treats.

Entrée: (1) Jambalaya - Charles Frye; (2) Teriyaki Salmon - Eugenia Lau; (3) Santa Fe Chili - Newton Don; (4) Turkey Lasagna - Shannon Chu
 
Appetizer (only one was brought): (1) Irish Soda Bread - Pauline (no last name given)
 
Side dish/salad: (1) Garlic Noodles - Norma (no last name given); (2) Cranberry Deliciousness - Scott Ludke; (3) Baked Beans - Yvonne Hipskind; (4) Pecan Pear Pleasure - Michael Fox
 
Dessert: Baklava - Wendy Frisk; Pretzel Salad - Jeff & Satish (no last names given);
Lemon Bars - Jimmy Lau; Strawberry/Lemon squares - May Cheng
     
There were many other wonderful dishes, so all cooks please give yourselves a round of applause, and all other diners please second that. If you fell in love with any of the winning dishes and would like to get the recipe, give us a call or email us with your request and we will try to obtain it for you from the cook (we can’t guarantee success, but will give it the old college try.)

We also thank the local merchants who donate gift certificates as prizes to spur us on to the culinary heights.

This year our supporting merchants included:

Mollie Stone’s Tower Market on Portola, a fine and friendly place to shop
Paradise Pizza on West Portal, with tasty pizza and Italian cuisine
Shaw’s Ice Cream on West Portal, with many delicious flavors
Papenhausen Hardware on West Portal, my favorite place for hardware needs
Critter Fritters in Glen Park, with a nice variety of pet supplies and a resident cat
Destination Bakery in Glen Park, for wonderful baked goods (I like the tarts)
Cheese Boutique in Glen Park, home of delicious cheeses and gourmet foods
Quixote Mexican Grill on Dewey at Woodside (really good burritos and other stuff)
Bird and Beckett Books and Records in Glen Park, a bookstore, performance center, and  local treasure
Dan Liberthson, author of The Pitch is on the Way: Poems About Baseball and Life (available at Pitchpoems.com)
Jacquie Proctor, author of San Francisco’s West of Twin Peaks (available at MtDavidson.org)

As always, we urge you to support our local merchants as they have supported us, and help to preserve the remarkable assortment of stores that enrich our neighborhood’s Portola commercial area and the adjacent shopping districts in Glen Park and West Portal.

The MPIC thanks everyone, residents, merchants, and entertainers, who have helped make our Holiday Potluck tradition so rich and rewarding, and we wish one and all a happy and prosperous New Year.

      

Attention Miraloma Park Resident

Last month, we invited you to renew your membership in the Miraloma Park Improvement Club (MPIC) by sending your annual dues and returning a form which was inserted in Miraloma Life. We include the form again just in case in the mad rush of the Holidays you lost it and forgot to send it in.  If you are not currently a member, please consider joining to support your neighborhood volunteer organization dedicated to maintaining and improving the great quality of life we enjoy in Miraloma Park.  We operate as a non-profit neighborhood organization working with neighbors, our district supervisor and city agencies on a broad range of issues that serve the needs of the community.

Our board members work diligently to maintain our Clubhouse and keep it charming and beautiful for rental at reduced rates for MPIC members.
The MPIC produces The Miraloma Life, our neighborhood’s monthly newsletter, and our website www.miralomapark.org. 

In 1999, the MPIC produced the Miraloma Park Residential Design Guidelines, which were adopted by the San Francisco Planning Commission.  The guidelines help insure that when homeowners improve their property, they do so within the context of their surroundings, while maintaining the character and charm of our neighborhood.

We put on many fun and educational events throughout the year including historical presentations, local area tours, candidate and local issue forums, kitchen and garden tours, and social events including our annual holiday party in early December.

Safety on Teresita and other roads is an on-going effort that is critical to everyone’s well-being.  The MPIC board works diligently with city officials to reduce speeding using careful placements of stop signs, speed monitors and other  traffic calming tactics.
ships with the officers at Ingleside station, insuring that Miraloma Park remains the peaceful and relatively crime-free neighborhood we all enjoy. 
Graffiti is a type of vandalism and urban blight that is not tolerated in our neighborhood by the MPIC.  Our board members consistently and swiftly eradicate graffiti as soon as it appears. 

The quicker it is removed the less likely it will reappear. Please fill in the form and join us in these activities.

Mike Naughton
President, MPIC

                          
Community Gardens Thrive In San Francisco

by Phil Laird

My friend Mike is an avid gardener. Among the crops in his garden are herbs (our supply of fresh thyme depends on him), rhubarb, Lisbon lemons, dahlias, euryops, clivia, and carnations. Mike lives in an apartment; his gardening happens in an 80 square-foot plot, part of a community garden near Glen Park. Besides the twenty individual plots, there is a common area with fruit trees, kiwi vines, roses, camellia, cottonwood, rhododendron, - trees and shrubs too big for individual plots.

Mike serves as the coordinator for his community garden; the waiting time to obtain one of their plots is about two years. We who live in Miraloma Park and have back yards (front yards too, if we haven’t paved them over) can easily forget that the majority of SF residents live in apartments with limited opportunities for gardening. Widow boxes aside, apartment dwellers face a challenge if they want to grow their own flowers and vegetables.
 
I confess that I am a rather poor gardener. Fortunately I live with someone who is both more talented and more energetic. Together we do our best to make our front yard presentable and interesting, all the while fending off challenges from gophers, dogs, thieves, and oxalis. Our back yard we reserve for ourselves, plants we like to grow that may or may not be appealing to others. Occasionally we try to grow food. Our first attempt yielded lemons that looked like grapefruit and tasted like this newsletter. The zucchini we planted this past summer grew beautifully but faster than expected; by the time we harvested them, they could have been mistaken for footballs. But we succeed in growing roses, ferns, maples, and a blend of native and non-native plants. Watching the hummingbirds, doves, jays, bees, butterflies, and squirrels they attract is a lot more exciting than watching cage fighting on cable.

For some years I lived in the Fenway section of Boston where, from my apartment window, I could see dozens of industrious people tending plots in the Fenway Victory Gardens. The gardeners there were not friendly: they were there to work, not to chat with folks strolling through the Fens. Mostly they grew flowers because vegetables were too easily raided by all the four- and two-legged critters sneaking about the park at all hours. All but a few gardeners abandoned their plots during the New England winter, leaving a barren metaphor for the ravages of the season. But here and there a kind gardener had devoted a corner of his valuable real estate to holly and other colorful evergreens, a promise to the rest of us that winter’s dominion would not prevail. During the holidays grateful Fenway residents would hang ornaments and laud the solstice with song.

Social scientists ascribe the primal need for gardening to six factors: food, beauty, solace, therapy, community, and education. Among these, the latter two are often undervalued.  For while gardening is often a solitary endeavor (as it seems to have been for the Fenway gardeners), community and street-corner gardens foster civic consciousness and social ties. Several schools–among them our own Miraloma School—are putting outdoor gardening into the curriculum as an active way of raising environmental awareness.  Bee culture also has a useful place in the schools. In the 1950’s my primary school had a small beehive with a glass wall that did much to enliven our science classes. “Bees in San Francisco” may sound reminiscent of “Farms in Berkeley??”.

But, in fact the San Francisco Beekeepers Association meets monthly at the Randall Museum, maintains an informative website (sfbee.org), and lists volunteer beekeepers who visit schools on request. So where are all the hives?

 Most are tucked away out of sight—in community gardens, in remote sections of Golden Gate Park, and on rooftops—but many backyard hives exist. That incredible baklava that was a hit at the MPIC holiday party in December? It was made with honey from the hive of a SFPD officer who regularly patrols our neighborhood.

The inspiration for this article is a newly published book by Alex Hatch entitled “Cracks in the Asphalt: Community Gardens of San Francisco.” The author features thirty of the more than one hundred community gardens in San Francisco, with maps and full-color photographs. The book is worth the $20 price if only for the extraordinary photography of Stacey J. Miller, who has mastered the difficult art of photographing garden landscapes. 

One of the gardens featured in the book is Arlington Garden, the one where my friend has his plot.

A check of community gardens in the city shows that the majority are on land owned by DPW and RPD (Rec and Park Dept.). Others are on property held by the housing authority, the school district, the port authority, the state, the federal government, and private individuals who make land available for public gardening. Prior to 2003 the San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners, known as SLUG, had responsibility for most of the community gardens. SLUG also ran a federal program for economic development and job training, but the organization disbanded following revelations of financial and political mismanagement. Today no central agency manages all community gardens, but several organizations offer support and advocacy. The San Francisco Garden Resource Organization (SFGRO) musters volunteers and raises money in support of community gardens. Garden for the Environment (GFE) provides technical information and education to gardeners. San Francisco Green Schoolyard Alliance (SFGSA) encourages public schools to establish outdoor learning environments on school properties. Friends of the Urban Forest helps residents plant trees along neighborhood streets.

 And the San Francisco Parks Trust (SFPT), formerly the Friends of Rec and Park, raises sums large and small for major parkland improvements and local projects, notably street and sidewalk parks.

Patches of city-owned land too small to develop dot our city and our neighborhood. When they become eyesores, neighbors sometimes offer to plant and maintain them. Getting approval from the owner is only the first challenge: a plot of more than a few square feet needs fencing, water, and waste removal service, even if neighbors pay for the plants, tools, and supplies. A strip adjacent to Miraloma Playground is a prime example. When Rec and Park began renovating the ball field, neighbors lobbied to have irrigation extended down to the strip, which they promised to maintain. To date the proposal is still in the works, according to Jed Lane, who organized neighbors on Bella Vista for this effort. Elsewhere in the neighborhood a large triangle of grass along Marietta Drive had long been cared for by a conscientious neighbor.

 But last year the neighbor notified the city that he was no longer able to maintain the lawn and asked the owner, the Department of Public Works (DPW), to take over the maintenance.

 Over the summer and fall the patch degenerated into brown thatch and dog poop. But thanks to the efforts of Supervisor Ellsbernd, DPW has now installed working irrigation lines, and if these are properly applied, the neighbors will soon see an attractive lawn, host to a forsaken Monterey Pine aging quietly at the corner.
To this success story we may add two others: the Melrose-Detroit Garden and the Los Palmos Garden (at Foerster), where for years the neighbors have transformed neglected properties into beautiful oases for all to enjoy. Community gardens and street parks add so much character to a neighborhood, to its sense of community, and to its property values. Converting a neglected patch of land into a garden takes only a few citizens with time, energy, and vision.

 

I Am Honored to Serve!

Finally a clear day, after all that rain and cold, warm enough to open the window and lie down next to the cat in the patch of sun brightening the greens and reds of the living room carpet. Ah, we need the rain, lots of rain, but we need the sun too, for thawing frozen bones and frosty skin. Doze a bit, sink into the warmth, feel for a few moments the loveliness of being alive and feeling pleasure—no demands, no one to please. Eyes half closed, doze. But what is this strangely shaped shadow that flits across the window and over my face, barely sensed through the spaces between my eyelashes? Annoying, this, but let’s have a quick look, just to make sure nothing’s wrong—then back to nap. Oh, my! Kitty’s jumped up and started hissing at the open air, fur puffed and tail erect, looking very much the brave, no-nonsense Marshal Cat. And now the shadow resolves, and the object that caused it glides in through the window, circles the room once, and settles in my lap. A paper airplane, made from a brown grocery bag, perfectly formed, covered with irregular but emphatic scrawling, and, of course, signed with the familiar paw print. Duty calls. Alas! -Ed [Please forgive my editorial comments on the letter below—I felt that M. Coyote would want me to clarify a few points.]

My fellow Miralomans, I bring you great tidings and cause to rejoice. The President-Elect, responding to an urgent letter on my behalf from the United Animal Federation, Miraloma Park Chapter, has acknowledged the electoral irregularities that led to his winning office despite overwhelming public support for yours truly (see last month’s Miraloma Life). While legally unable to reverse the officially recorded verdict declaring victory for his campaign, he is able and willing to offer me an important post in the new administration. Your humble servant, M. Coyote, is in fact proffered the cabinet post of Vice President in Charge of Animal-Human Relations (VP-CAHR in admin lingo). This appointment is especially significant because the new First Family cannot have a canid in the residence, as the youngest of the Family does not tolerate the dander of canine species, making me, you might say, a sort of official surrogate doggie.

Though accompanied by no salary and no particular privileges, the position represents much more than a mere gesture; it is, rather, a long-sought recognition of the urgency and legitimacy of formal animal-human relations, and offers me a podium from which to reinforce the vital importance of animal opinion and cooperation to our national security and well-being. Rest assured, dear Miralomans of the two- and four-legged persuasion, that although empowered only to speak and not to enforce, even with no executive authority, I will strive diligently to serve the animal kingdom down to the last robin, opossum, squirrel, and chipmunk. [Surely he must mean by “serve” to work on behalf of, as the other meaning would be inconsistent with his message. -Ed.]

Lest any species not included in the above representative list take offense, let me reassure all creatures that I will avail myself to them and them to me with no reservation, without prejudice to any, in the interest of their betterment and reward. Gone are the days when only those bearing immoderate gifts or promises of food and drink got the ear and helping paw of the government. I will be a representative for all, even the smallest and least able among you to provide me a succulent morsel. You may have faith in me to deal even-handedly at the dawn of this bright new era in our mutual history, be confident of this, I prey you. [Editor’s Note: sic—a typo, or should I say, paw-o, or perhaps a Freudian slip?]

And let me put on notice all miscreants, including the notorious raccoon and crow gangs, that no violation of peace and harmony in our beloved community will be tolerated. Let sweet ratty no longer tremble in his burrow, let the mild sparrow cease to worry for the welfare of her family, let vole and marmot rejoice in the security of their dens, let the delicious bunny rabbit [Another typo here? Was “delicate” intended?-Ed.] and the engaging groundhog, the multitudinous mouse and the myriad mockingbird, sing and burble in their peaceful dreams, no longer in fear of the raptors and predators among you, for I promise that none of you will become appetizers for them when I have my way, and indeed, they will get their just desserts. [A trifle ambiguous, but I think we must take this in good faith to mean that no one will be eaten, not that only he will and no other predator will eat them or that they will be entrees or desserts, not appetizers.-Ed.]

I, the redoubtable M. Coyote, promise with paw on breast and tongue in cheek that in this new era there will be a chicken in every pot—figuratively speaking, of course, stop that indignant clucking!—as no actual chickens will be harmed in the making of this new world. In closing, my friends, let me sum up in the incisive fashion you have come to expect from this candidate, without reservation. Read my lips—no new noshes. [Surely he does not mean “status quo” here, i.e., continued consumption of the same old foodstuffs, but rather no carnivore habits at all. Yet I seem to recall a few years ago a vow on his part to become a vegetarian that was somehow—shall we say—lost in translation?-Ed.]  

I remain—

Ever your devoted servant and benefactor,

M. Coyote, Esq.
  

 

We’ve Lost One of the Best

by Dan Liberthson

Elizabeth Mettling, former President of the MPIC and long-time Board Member, died on December 1 after a brave battle against lung cancer. Born on October 13, 1930, Elizabeth was a fifth-generation San Franciscan. She walked across the Bay Bridge when it opened, visited the 1939 World’s Fair on Treasure Island, and frequented Bohemian North Beach in the 1950s. The loving mother of three children and grandmother of three more, she opened her creative, artistic, and intellectual mind not only to her family but to everyone who lived around her, friends and neighbors. Elizabeth was a serious reader with many interests, and a font of local historical lore.

We knew her as someone who was always willing, based on her own reading and analysis, to take a position she felt was in the community interest, and to follow up her words with deeds. With her caring spirit, she was especially concerned about and active on issues she considered vital to health and well-being—her own and that of others—such as, given the unbridled advance of technology, the potential dangers of the proliferation of electronic and microwave transmission devices near schools and in public places.

Gifted with a remarkable memory, verbal skill, wit, and humor, she made her arguments well, and was heard with respect by City officials, including Mayors Jordan and Brown. We will miss Elizabeth Mettling’s compassion and keen spirit, but we are grateful to have known her and to have received the wonderful gift of herself that she gave so freely.
                
 

Park  News

Some neighborhoods in San Francisco are lucky enough to receive attention from city agencies and non-profits who identify the needs of residents and bring in services to address them. Some agencies even set-up local beacon offices. Our immediate neighborhood is not so lucky, and generally relies upon grass-root groups who volunteer personal time, energy and talents to encourage involvement from their nieghbors, contributions from local businesses, and lots of good ideas to write grants that fund activities in public parks, gardens, schools, and other places where neighbors can come together.

Sunnyside Park Families & Neighbors (SPFN} has been sitting at the table of the newly formed “Neighborhoods West of Twin Peaks Convener Group” sponsored by the SF Dept. of Children, Youth and their Families (DCYF) who share information of interest to families. DCYF has made monies available for those who have been involved in the Convener Group to apply for a grant to fund activities that emphasize interaction between children, their families and neighbors.

SPFN will meet the January deadline for grant submission requesting a share of the monies to stage two or three events or programs in our various local gathering spaces: Miraloma Athletic Field, courts and Rec. Center , Sunnyside Playground and grass field, the MPIC clubhouse, and possibly local schools and churches. Some ideas include “Miraloma Olympics,” musical sing-along concert with a contest for a “Blue, Green & Black” song composition to promote recycling and keeping parks and the neighborhood green and clean, community picnics and games, mural or tile fundraisers, vine Tee-Pees plantings, and the very popular “Scooter-O-Rama.”      Your ideas are actively sought after! No idea is too wild—don’t forget to include teens and seniors. Call or e-mail suggestions to Jed Lane (425-9810, jed@jedlane.com) or Andrea O’Leary (334-3601, SPFamilies@aol.com).
 

             

Legal Ease

by Mary Catherine Wiederhold, Esq.

This column discusses employment arbitration agreements.  In California, it has been a long held belief by judges that one of the main purposes of arbitration is to resolve disputes more quickly. While this may be true, arbitration sometimes led to unfair decisions because large employers could impose arbitration unilaterally on their employees.  Many arbitration “agreements” provided that the employee could not sue the employer, but the employer could sue the employee.  Furthermore, employees were usually forced to “agree” to arbitrate on a “take it or leave it” basis, usually right before they begin their first day on the job.  
  
The American tradition of legal arbitration traces its origin to the Court of Chancery in 15th Century England.  A chancery court permitted parties to petition directly to the King to resolve disputes.  This was controversial, however, because it bypassed juries and placed new powers in the hands of judges.  It also eliminated certain procedural safeguards.  In the United States, arbitration was used by the securities industry beginning around 1872 as a way to resolve business disputes, personal contracts and other matters.  The California Arbitration Act passed in 1927, governed mediation and arbitration procedures.

The California Supreme Court resolved some of the controversies concerning arbitration in employment contexts in 2000.  The case involved employees suing their employer for, among other reasons, ending their employment because they were heterosexual.  The employer countered by filing a motion to compel arbitration of their claims.  The Supreme Court ruled that an arbitration agreement between an employee and an employer cannot deprive an employee of certain basic legal rights.  For example, an arbitration agreement cannot limit remedies that would be available in court, such as the awarding of punitive damages for malicious conduct and attorney fees for the prevailing party.

The court also ruled that arbitration rules apply equally.  For example, if the arbitration agreement could not provide that employees were required to answer certain questions or produce documents before an arbitration hearing, but the employee was not required to provide anything. This is an important right since it is the employer that usually keeps documents such as employee evaluations, pays raises based on merit, and length of employment that an employee needs to prove her side of the case. 
 
The court also found that the employer must pay for the cost of arbitration if it imposes it within an agreement on the employee.  One negative aspect to arbitration for employees was the high cost of arbitrators who can charge up to $4,000 per day in addition to site costs of $200 to $500 per day.  An employer is in the unique position and usually has the deepest pockets to pay for this type of expense more than the terminated employee.

The supreme court also ruled that an arbitration agreement must be bilateral.  An employer could not compel arbitration but reserve the right to block an employee’s effort to arbitrate. 

In August 2008, the California Supreme Court ruled that all parties may agree and obtain a review of the arbitrator’s decision by the Superior Court.  This is important because prior to this decision, arbitrators could make rulings that were counter to the law’s requirements and the decisions could not be reviewed.

 

Some Cold and Flu Myths

1.  Myth:  The flu is just a bad cold.  Truth:They’re not even cousins.

Colds and flu are both caused by viruses. But they’re different strains. It’s hard to tell which you have, but here are two clues:

Colds come on gradually. First, it’s a sore throat, then a runny nose followed by a cough. The flu, on the other hand, hits at once. Colds don’t generally produce fever. With flus, you may be burning up. (Exception: Children can run high fevers with colds.)

 2.  Myth: A cold affects your nose, throat and chest. The flu strikes your stomach.
Truth: Not quite.

The flu can make you nauseous, but in only about a third of cases. Usually, when you’re sick to your stomach, it’s for a different reason – another virus, a bacterial infection or food poisoning.

 3. Myth: Cold weather makes you catch a cold or flu.  Truth:  It’s just a coincidence.

Except for the fact that both colds and flu happen mostly in winter, there’s absolutely no climate connection.
 People do spend more time indoors within sneezing distance of infected friends, relatives and co-workers.
Cold and flu viruses also survive better in winter, when humidity is lower. The longer they survive, the more chances they have to infect you.

Cold air may also be hard on the respiratory system, making you more susceptible to infections.

4. Myth: Getting a flu shot can give you the flu. Truth: Not even close.

The vaccine is made from a dead flu virus. It can’t infect you. Any reaction you may have is due to the vaccine’s proteins and chemicals, Edelman says. So, even if your reaction feels like the flu, it’s not the flu.

5. Myth: Breathing the same air as a sick person can make you sick.
 True.

Coughing and sneezing can send viruses into the air. And you could get sick inhaling them. But that’s not likely. More common: A sick person rubs her eyes or nose, picks up a telephone and deposits germs that can live there for several hours. You pick up the phone, rub your eyes or nose, and the germs have claimed a new victim.
To avoid catching a bug – or giving it to someone else – wash your hands or use hand sanitzer often during cold and flu season.

 

In Memory:  Elizabeth Mettling

  
Silver
like moonlight but
warmed by sunlight,
that was her whole tone,
color of soul and body¯
impossibly fair skin, flawless,
fine plate hair in skeins,
pure intent woven through,
contralto silver the voice
lilting now only in memory,
absent but hauntingly present
like the chime of a distant bell.

Temperament of silver,
humanly malleable but firm
in her care, her love
for us, as she would rise
from deep brooding
to speak with bright reason
of doing what was right
for the children, the parents,
the neighbors, the citizens¯
everyone on green earth.

Silver ringing true
as she tilted against towers,
cell phone or Sutro Heights,
as against giants whose greed
might harm us, loosed
by our neglect to give the lie
to their hirelings, always
more enamored of coin
than the public good.

Quixote, she took up our causes
and was her own Sancho too,
laughing in the wise dirt, moonlit,
holding a bota of wine,
its arcing stream reflecting
silver the gleam of her eyes,
laughing at malarkey,
hers and the world’s,
even as she tried to sweep
the broad horizon free
of its cobweb of hazards.

So rare was Elizabeth
that she thought of others
in the same breath as herself.
In her you did not hear
the grinding and lurching
our parts tend to make
when we try to shift interests
from ours to theirs.

Now she is gone,
part of the neighborhood’s soul
torn from its hilly body
and carried off beyond the dark sky.
But not beyond memory,
where she shelters and waits
through the winter storms
until the next fight with City Hall
when she will look up, wise
light in her eyes, and counsel,
“Yes, you can do that, but
you’ll have to watch those bozos,”
laughing a peal of pure silver.

by Dan Liberthson, ©2008

]]> http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-january-2009/feed/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-november-2008-2/ http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-november-2008-2/#comments Sat, 06 Dec 2008 19:00:04 +0000 admin Newsletter Archive http://www.miralomapark.org/miralomalife/miraloma-life-online-november-2008-2/

Annual Holiday Party

Dear Miraloma Park Resident

Wanted:  Writers for Miraloma Life

Ingleside Station Information

Miraloma Park Residential Guidelines

A New Year’s Resolution That You Can Keep

Whatcha Gonna Do?

Do It Right: Use an Architect

Legal Ease

A Shopping Experience

Fools’ Luck

Benefits of Dollar-Cost Averaging

Stopover

Flight and Descent

Annual Holiday Party

 Fire-up the oven and get out your favorite recipe to prepare for the MPIC Holiday Party and Cook-Off. The event will take place at the MPIC clubhouse on Sunday, December 7 from 5pm to 8pm.  This has always been the highlight of the year, as neighbors join together to share the warmth of the fire, the tastes of many wonderful dishes, and the merriment of the entertainment.

The banquet will be hosted by the MPIC, who will provide roast turkey, ham, and a variety of hot and cold beverages including our famous champagne punch. Everyone attending is encouraged to bring a dish to share. Please bring enough for at least twelve people.   Remember, the more you bring, the more people can sample, and the more votes you’ll have and a better chance to win one of the spectacular prizes. 

Categories include Appetizers and Salads, Main Dishes, Side Dishes and Desserts.

Winners of the each category, will choose from among gift certificates and gift items from our local merchants. Past donors have included Tower Market, Round Table Pizza, Bird and Beckett Book & Music Store, Creighton’s, Miraloma Cleaners, Tower Burger, Chenery Park Restaurant and many others.  Those not able to bring a dish to share will be sked for a small donation
 
Music will be provided by the very talented Laura Lee Brown and Company.  An encore appearance was requested after they performed so well at last year’s party.

Also, to the delight of young and old, Boswick Turnstyle, Jr., clown extraordinaire and veteran of Ringling Brothers/Barnum & Bailey Circus, will perform his holiday magic from 6 to 7 PM.

 

Dear Miraloma Park Resident,

We invite you to renew your membership in the Miraloma Park Improvement Club (MPIC) by returning the enclosed form with your annual dues.  If you are not currently a member, please consider joining to support your neighborhood volunteer organization dedicated to maintaining and improving the great quality of life we enjoy in Miraloma Park.  We operate as a non-profit neighborhood organization working with neighbors, our district supervisor and city agencies on a broad range of issues that serve the needs of the community.

Our clubhouse, located at O’Shaughnessy and Del Vale, was built and donated to the neighborhood in 1937 by the original developers of Miraloma Park.  It’s a charming and beautiful room with a stage, kitchen and fireplace.  Our board members work diligently to maintain it, and it is available for rental at reduced rates for MPIC members.

The MPIC produces The Miraloma Life, our neighborhood’s monthly newsletter, and our website www.miralomapark.org.  The newsletter and website provide a means for us to reach out to residents to inform the community of our activities.  Residents also contribute to the dialogue, covering various topics of interest.

In 1999, the MPIC produced the Miraloma Park Residential Design Guidelines, which were adopted by the San Francisco Planning Commission.  The guidelines help insure that when homeowners improve their property, they do so within the context of their surroundings, while maintaining the character and charm of our neighborhood.

We put on many fun and educational events throughout the year including historical presentations, local area tours, candidate and local issue forums, kitchen and garden tours, and social events including our annual holiday party in early December.

Safety on Teresita is an on-going effort that is critical to everyone’s well-being.  The MPIC board works diligently with city officials to reduce speeding using careful placements of stop signs, speed monitors and other
 traffic calming tactics.

The MPIC has zero tolerance for any criminal activity in Miraloma Park.  Our active Safety committee’s mission is to maintain close relationships with the officers at Ingleside station, insuring that Miraloma Park remains the peaceful and relatively crime-free neighborhood we all enjoy.  We promote “community policing”, encouraging neighbors and officers to know and collaborate with one another.  We have worked very effectively with the City Attorney and SFPD advocating for code enforcement and curbing criminal activity, including drug house abatement.  The Safety committee has also been vocal with SFPD management supporting a full staff of officers at Ingleside station, insuring that our neighborhood gets its fair share of patrol car coverage.

Graffiti is a type of vandalism and urban blight that is not tolerated in our neighborhood by the MPIC.  Our board members consistently and swiftly eradicate graffiti as soon as it appears.  The quicker it’s removed, the less likely it is that it will re-appear.  The MPIC initiated this effort many years ago, and it is the reason why Miraloma Park is typically graffiti-free, unlike most other San Francisco neighborhoods.

Our dedicated volunteer Board of Directors give freely of their time to help to make this community a better place to live, but we cannot succeed without your support.   Also, the more members we have, the more credibility we have with city agencies, allowing us to more effectively lobby on your behalf.   Please fill in the 2009 membership form in this month’s newsletter, and send it in with your check.  We greatly appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

Mike Naughton
President, MPIC

 

 

Wanted:  Writers for Miraloma Life

               
We are always interested in stories about life in Miraloma Park, about the strange and not so   
strange denizens that one can encounter on an evening walk up and down our gentle hills.  Why not write about
what you have seen and let us all share in you  experieneces.

The website is very popular but your ideas can reach an even  larger audience if you organize them for publication in  
Miraloma  Life.

If you write poetry or prose or articles about health, gardening, home improvement, home care, home safety, please let your neighbors have the benefit of your knowledge.  Contact the editor at whitneyj@pharmacy.ucsf.edu.

 

Ingleside Station Information

 

Captain: Denis F. O’Leary
San Francisco Police Department
1 Sergeant John Young Lane, S.F., CA 94112
Desk: (415) 404-4030
Fax:    (415) 404-4008

To receive a copy of the Ingleside Station Newsletter please send an email to:
InglesideStationNew sletter-subscrib e@yahoogroups. Com

 

 

Miraloma Park Residential Guidelines

The Miraloma Park Residential Guidelines were adopted in 1999 by the City Planning Commission to promote preservation of neighborhood character by encouraging residential design compatible with neighborhood setting.  Residential Design Guidelines can facilitate the complex and often frustrating process of permit application and design review and can prevent costly and time-consuming Discretionary Review proceedings. Guidelines at www.miralomapark.org.

 

 

A New Year’s Resolution That You Can Keep

 by Joanne Whitney, pharmacist

One of the easiest New Year’s Resolutions to keep is to clean out your medicine cabinet in the first week of January every year.  If you are like most of us,  your medicine cabinet contains unfinished vials of antibiotics and over the counter drugs, old band-aids, dirty gauze, some never-to-be-used again makeup, empty lipsticks, congealed deodorants, rusty nail clippers, ancient toothbrushes and an endless variety of half-empty tubes and bottles with no labels.

Check the expiration date of all products in your cabinet including herbal, vitamin and homeopathic preparations.  When you find expired products, throw out these useless items since they will not be effective and will get in the way of your finding something you really need.

Moreover, some prescription medications like tetracycline antibiotics can form dangerous derivatives after prolonged storage.  Taking such expired products can make you very sick.

Also consider that the hot, humid and easily accessible bathroom cabinet is not a good place to store medicine. Bathroom conditions hasten the degradation of most medicines. A better place would be somewhere cool, dark and dry where children cannot get to them

A locked closet is an excellent alternative.

 

Whatcha Gonna Do?

Here’s a quiz: You’re walking or driving in the neighborhood and you see some people spraying graffiti on a wall. You should:

(a) Go over and tell them to stop.
(b) Pull out your spray paint can and offer to help.
(c) Turn up the volume on your iPod and ignore it.
(d) Call 911.
(e) Call 553-0123.

The correct answer, of course, is the last one: the number to report a non-emergency to the police. Unfortunately the response to your call, both the time for the dispatcher to answer and for authorities to respond, is often infuriatingly slow.

Recently the neighborhood has been plagued by juveniles hanging out between or after classes in places where they are not welcome: alleys, front stoops, back yards. Some of them have been using or sharing drugs, threatening residents, and vandalizing property with graffiti. What do you do if you see a bunch of them gathered near your house? In most cases, nothing: it is not a crime for kids to hang out in a public space. But if they are committing a public nuisance, tagging, or trespassing, then as long as no injuries are threatened and no serious crime is being committed, the 553-0123 number is the one to call. If you see a crime in progress—especially assault, theft, or breaking and entering—then call the emergency number 911 from a land line or 553-8090 from a cellphone. You need not identify yourself, but you should provide as detailed a description as possible, including the gender, race, and attire of the people, time, location, and the number of individuals involved.

Captain O’Leary of the Ingleside Police District also requests that you report anyone you see acting suspiciously in ringing doorbells or prowling around people’s yards. And if you find a vehicle parked in your vicinity with expired registration, send an email with the license plate number, description and location to Denis.O’Leary@sfgov.org (or you can call the station at (415)404-4000). The station also has an anonymous tip line: (415)587-8984. 
Graffiti vandalism continues to be a plague in the area, owing in part to the number of juveniles attending school at the nearby McAteer/SOTA campus and the Youth Guidance Center. Taggers compete with each other for prominence, so removing the graffiti as quickly as possible is essential to prevent it from proliferating. If the graffiti is on public property, call 38-CLEAN (282-5326) or the city’s switchboard 311.  You may need to call again if there is no response within a couple of days.  If possible, photograph the tag and email it to the Graffiti Unit of the SFPD (sfpd_graffiti_unit@pacbell.net) for use as evidence in prosecuting the vandals.

Recently an alert neighbor spotted a group of kids hanging out behind the Miraloma Park clubhouse, drinking, smoking, and tagging the building and the furniture. He called the police non-emergency line. It took two calls, but the police arrived and stopped the “party” before more serious damages occurred. The police cannot be everywhere, but with us as their eyes and ears we can help keep our neighborhood clean and safe.

 

Do It Right: Use an Architect

By Cassandra Mettling-Davis, Architect

Some people mistakenly believe that an architect only provides a product in the form of drawings for a building project, when, in fact, the architect performs a variety of services for a client. An architect is a licensed design professional, and may only use the word “architect” if he or she has a license issued by the State.  California state licensing requirements, which are administered by the California Architects Board, require that individuals must have 8 years of combined education and professional experience under the direction of a licensed architect, pass a rigorous 27 hours of examinations and an oral interview before being awarded a license to practice in the State of California. 

There are many reasons why a homeowner should consult a licensed architect when embarking on any home remodeling or expansion project.  The process of remodeling can often be overwhelming and complicated.  Even people who consider themselves to be creative and talented in the area of home improvement can benefit from the experience of an architect.  One certainly wants to ensure that the money spent on their project is maximized, that the desired outcome is clearly communicated to the builder, and that the end result meets or exceeds all of one’s expectations.  Overseeing construction on a project can be a second full-time job for the homeowner, and disputes between owners and builders during construction are inevitable. Using an experienced architect as your agent during construction can minimize these disputes, and save you cost overruns and untold anguish. Here are some of the services that a licensed architect can provide:

Pre-Design: Your architect should listen to you and comprehend what your goals are. He or she should also clearly communicate to you the entire process, including possible obstacles that can arise.

It is important that the architect acquire background information on a project before embarking on the design.  These items may include finding out if special planning and design guidelines apply to your neighborhood, unique site conditions, and whether the homeowner plans on staying in the home long-term or may possibly sell in the future.
 
Design Development: To fully utilize your architect’s experience and skills, several alternative designs should be reviewed.  By examining different possibilities, you can proceed with confidence knowing that various options were considered. In some cases, reworking the existing floor plan is a better solution than adding an addition or a new floor. Many of us have underutilized garage spaces that can be developed in a more cost effective manner than adding a floor.  The architect can present ideas that the homeowner may have overlooked that can greatly improve his or her ideas.  The architect considers potential designs in terms of ease of construction, the effects of shadow and light, while taking into account building code requirements. Experienced architects take into account the effect an expansion may have on adjacent properties and mitigate any negative effects through conscientious design measures. 

It is a good neighbor policy to discuss expansions in the early stages of design to find out what your neighbors’ concerns might be and to address them.  We are, after all, in close quarters in this City, and good neighbor relations truly improve the quality of life. 

Architects have access to many building material resources, and are up-to-date with the latest products.  Architects typically provide finish material specifications such as tile patterns, trim, flooring selection, plumbing fixture choices, and color schemes, to name a few. 

Construction Documents: The architectural drawings serve several purposes.  They document what the client’s end result should look like, provide the information required to obtain building permits, communicate information to the builder so that a comprehensive construction cost estimate can be provided, and serve as part of the contract between the owner and the builder. 

Building Permits:  Architects need to be knowledgeable of the building and planning code requirements and stay abreast of changes, as these codes are constantly being revised.  Being able to navigate the approval process at the building and planning departments is an art in itself, with different jurisdictions having different methods of obtaining permits.  It is advisable that your architect have experience with the building department applicable to your project, especially with larger projects. 

Bidding and Negotiation: The architect can assist the homeowner in identifying the right contractor for the job, review the owner-builder agreement and make sure that the owner’s best interests are upheld.  The architect also can make recommendations to the owner that the payment schedule to the builder is fair to both parties.

Construction Administration:  It is in the best interest of the homeowner to have the architect observe construction periodically to make sure that the work is being performed in a manner consistent with the building plans. By providing oversight during the construction process, the architect can help to see that the completed project meets the satisfaction of the client and that all items promised by the construction agreement are met, prior to final payment to the builder.

For more information and what to expect from your architect visit the California Architects Board at http://www.cab.ca.gov/.

 

 

Legal Ease

by Mary Catherine Wiederhold, Esq.

This column will discuss jury duty for the Superior Court of San Francisco. 

The county of San Francisco has two courts that use juries: the Civic Center Courthouse at 400 McAllister Street and the Hall of Justice at 850 Bryant Street.  The Youth Guidance Center at 375 Woodside Avenue does not use juries because it deals with offenders under the age of 18, and therefore the proceedings are confidential. 

The United States and California Constitutions guarantee the right to a trial by jury.  The San Francisco Jury Commissioner is authorized under state law to randomly select names of licensed drivers from the Department of Motor Vehicles and from voter registration records.  You are qualified to be a juror if you are a U.S. citizen, are at least 18 years old, know enough English enough to understand and discuss court testimony, are a San Francisco resident, have not served on a jury within the last 12 months and are not a convicted felon. 

Potential jurors are entitled to a six-month postponement of jury service.  This is available by completing Box A on the Response Form to the jury summons and returning it to the court.  If you do not ask for an extension, the Jury Commissioner mandates that you, as a potential juror, be available anytime during a five-day period that you are called for jury duty.  San Francisco has a system for checking by telephone whether you have been called to serve.  If you are not required to report during the week, then your jury service is completed for the year.  If you are asked to report to a courthouse during the week but are not assigned to a courtroom for jury selection on the day you report, then your service is completed for the year.  If you are, however, assigned to a courtroom for jury selection, then you are required to serve for the trial’s duration unless you are excused by the judge. 

Your employer is not required to pay you while you are on jury duty.  Your employer is required, however, to give you time off to serve.  State law prohibits an employer from firing you for taking time off to serve on a jury, provided reasonable notice is given to the employer. You may be excused from jury service if you have a physical or mental impairment, serving would be an extreme financial burden, or need to take care of another person and there is no one else available to do it.

The biggest complaint I receive as an attorney from potential jurors is: “Why do jurors have to wait around so much?”  The reasons for the wait are complicated.  Before a trial begins there is often an effort to settle the case.  Additionally, attorneys argue before the trial begins what evidence should be presented to the jury, and which order evidence should be presented.  During the trial, issues come up and the judge may need to hear arguments from the attorneys outside of the presence of the jury.  The jury is not supposed to hear arguments about why evidence should be admitted or why certain witnesses should be allowed to testify.

Readers with ideas for future columns may write to the author at mcw@mcwrealestatelaw.com
 

A Shopping Experience

Sitting outside the “Amish” furniture store
somewhere on the back side of the Catskills
a grizzled woman smokes filters and looks away
from where I bide my time on a wooden barrel.
“Wife’s inside,” I venture, “so I’ve time to kill.”
The woman shifts to look even further away
but a gray cat with swirling chocolate markings
glides to my side, wraps herself neatly
in plump tail, lifts her head and offers green eyes.
She accepts a stroke or two and sits companionably¾
that I come from a far coast no matter to her.
“Scat!” the cigarette woman hisses sharply
and the cat leaps to a highboy on the porch,
then all the way to the roof in a great bound.
Padding up the slope she glances back once,
neatly nods her head and then vanishes
elegantly and forever over the peak.
Cigarette woman’s throat catches and she
rasps harshly to clear it, but does not speak.
I watch the door again. No one walks out.
Never have I felt quite this lonely.

Fools’ Luck

Tremendous crackling in the branches:
wild turkey, tail akimbo, teeters on a limb
barely thick enough to hold it, maybe not:
so precarious but so certain all the while,
pompous, big and riotous as a clown,
blind to the still coyote’s tracking eye.
Stuttering cries as another hoves in sight,
ungainly regal mate or brother crashing on
the same encumbered route one wingbeat
from disaster but somehow rising
just enough, this time, to tear through
the woods’ net and come safe home.

Copyright©Dan Liberthson, 2004

 

 

Benefits of Dollar-Cost Averaging

by Eddy Gutierrez

When I meet with clients who are new to investing, I like to tell them about ‘’dollar cost averaging.” Over the long term, it has historically been a smart, low-cost and potentially profitable way to invest.

Dollar-cost averaging simply means investing a set amount of money at regular intervals, usually on a monthly or quarterly basis over a period of years, regardless of what’s happening in the market.  For instance, if you plan to invest $3,000 a year, using the dollar-cost averaging method, you will invest roughly $250 each month.

Consequently, you will buy more shares when the price is lower (during market troughs) and fewer shares when the price is higher (at market peaks). As the months go by, the average cost per share will turn out to be less than the average of the purchase prices. This disciplined approach to investing cuts down on the risk of investing a lump sum at a market high and helps you to continue buying at market lows when others may be selling and missing out on potential future gains.

Dollar-cost averaging doesn’t eliminate risk
Dollar-cost averaging may be an easy and disciplined way to invest, but it doesn’t guarantee that your investments will rise in value, nor does it eliminate the risk that you could lose some or all of your money. Since the method involves continuous investment in securities regardless of the fluctuating price levels, you should consider your financial ability to continue purchases [through periods of low price levels] before deciding to invest this way.

Three major benefits of dollar-cost averaging
· Prevents procrastination. Some investors have a hard time getting started. They may know they should be investing, but they never quite get around to it. Once begun, dollar-cost averaging can be an easy way to commit to regular investing.

· Avoids market timing. Dollar-cost averaging helps you participate in the stock market regardless of current economic conditions.

· Minimizes regret. Even the most unflappable investor may feel a tinge of regret when an investment proves to be ill timed. Worse, such regret may cause you to disrupt your investment strategy in an attempt to make up for your setback. Dollar-cost averaging can minimize this regret because you make multiple investments, with none of them being particularly large.

This information is not intended to be a substitute for specific individualized tax, legal or investment planning advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. recommends consultation with a qualified tax advisor, CPA, or financial planner. The information presented here is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice.  The investment strategies and advice mentioned may not be suitable for everyone. Schwab believes the information is reliable, but does not guarantee its accuracy, timeliness, or completeness. Any opinions expressed herein are subject to change without notice.

Periodic investment plans (dollar cost averaging, dividend reinvestment or Charles Schwab & Co. Inc.’s Automatic Investment Plan, do not assure a profit and do not protect against loss in declining markets. Since the plan involves continuous investment in securities regardless of fluctuating price levels of such securities, you should consider your financial ability to continue purchases through periods of low price levels before deciding to investment this way.

Eddy Gutierrez is Financial Consultant with Charles Schwab & Co. and has been working with clients in the San Francisco area for the past 17 years.

 

Stopover

During a three-hour layover in Milan
I found the airport gate, followed the chainlink
fence to the first branch street, wandered
past a bar, its open door spilling out song,
a warehouse with workers smoking, chatting,
one sleeping on a bench after lunch,
found my own bench and sat beneath
a tree with thin vital leaves glowing
in Fall sun, branches sheltering, like ribs
of a gauzy umbrella, nipple-shaped buds
swaying gently in the light warm breeze.

I had nearly two hours to learn each crack
and bump in that green bench, each finger
of the breeze, each curve in the tree limbs.
Only a few people walked by, but those I
memorized instantly: the teenaged girl
undulating in too-warm leathers, the old man
worn grainy as a black and white photo,
the kerchiefed mother guiding a pram
holding the universe of her sleeping infant
carefully over the curb, around my splayed legs,
smiling as if she saw me sprawled there every day.

I was supposed to be traveling to Greece,
but somehow, like my tree, I had grown roots
in this way station, found life more nourishing
than in any wrecked temple or palace I would see
in Achaia. Later, I showed photos to friends,
but had none of this place that felt most like home,
and was reluctant to describe the scene nurturing
within: tree enfolding me, its rough and smooth
textures giving my eyes play through those hours, 
green patterns in sifted yellow light refreshing me
deeply as a forest glade, now seeding my dreams

©2008, Dan Liberthson
for more, visit “Liberthson.com”

Flight and Descent

Days and days of rain past,
the cloud breaks open and lets
a shard of blue show through.
Just there, at eleven o’clock,
a hovering hawk slightly rocks
side to side, tail and wing feathers
feeling to hold the shifting wind.
Suddenly, silently, celebrant, he
stoops into a double barrel-roll
to thrill his close-trailing mate.
My lungs try to draw up and in
the whole sky
wracked with adoration
while she tips her wings
lightly, steadies, and shows
no sign of being swept away.

I have climbed to the summit
of my steep yard to escape
the sour smell of brain work,
snug stale air sagging
within the house like the dull
remnant in a downed balloon.
And for my labor I have earned
the certainty of being earth-
bound. I would give my whole
crabbed frontal lobe to win
what Madame Hawk assumes
her natural due. But I must
let go my heavy breath, give back
the borrowed air and descend,
stair by narrow stair, as new clouds
crowd in and the rain begins again.

©2002, Dan Liberthso
 

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