Vernon Long, director of The Village, served as master of ceremonies Nov. 6 during mid-day festivities as several students celebrated their graduation from a training program of the Visitacion Valley Jobs, Education and Training program. Participating students included: Ronda King, Taneeka Edwards, Truenetta Webb, Deborah Oloa, Mua Matamua, Sherrita Blankenship, Cynthia Ah-Van, Anna Patton and Vitolia Ufau.

Senator Milton Marks 1920-1998

People said that "Uncle Milton" would come to any event. This statement does not reveal what a wonderful man Senator Milton Marks was, and how much he loved his city.

This was a "politician" who did not count votes! Senator Marks knew that many of the most needy could not read or write--could not even sign their names--and would never vote. Yet, he gave these non-voters his time, his attention, his legislation, and even his own clothes.

I remember him as a man who sent a closet-full of his "old" suits--barely worn--to be distributed to the severely handicapped adult men who attended the program where I worked over 20 years ago. I know this was typical of the man, and his entire family, whom he involved in all sorts of wonderful projects to benefit the citizens of his beloved City.

San Francisco should never forget Milton Marks. Our hearts go out to his fine family. I hope that they know that we intend to be there in their support in this sad time, and that they know they can call on us for anything they might need.

Julie Kavanagh, Executive Director
Visitacion Valley Community Center

r"Giving Thanks" at the Community Center

Inspirational music and good food were a part of the festivities Nov. 24 as a packed house at the Visitacion Valley Community Center auditorium turned out for Roy Barker "Giving Thanks" '98.

Scheduled guests included Mayor Willie Brown and Supervisor Amos Brown as well as Vernon Glenn of KRON-TV, along with members of the San Francisco 49ers. Musical inspiration by the Touch of Class Choir complemented an exquisite pre-Thanksgiving banquet. 

Teens Help Drive Anti-DUI Message Home

Teenagers across the state are joining the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), law enforcement agencies and community organizations in December to promote California's Drunk and Drugged Driving (3D) Prevention Month.

The annual campaign is designed to curtail the tragedy associated with impaired driving during the holiday season by attracting attention to the dangers and consequences associated with drunk driving.

This year's focus will be underaged drinking and driving. Last year the OTS released a study predicting a 33.5 percent increase in the youth population during the next 10 years and a corresponding 24 percent increase in the number of teen-involved drunk driving crashes.

"We are now concentrating our efforts on teens," said OTS Director Arthur Anderson. "Unfortunately, teens involved in motor vehicle crashes are at fault 66 percent of the time. Take the inexperience factor and combine it with alcohol usage and we have a very deadly combination."

California's signature event for 3D Month, "Lights on for Life," a one-day observance in which law enforcement officers drive with their headlights on all day in remembrance of those individuals killed or injured in alcohol-involved crashes will be held on Friday, Dec. 18. 

VVMS Girl's Softball Has a Successful Season

by Bernie Parra
VVMS Softball Coach

The girls' softball team at Visitacion Valley Middle School (VVMS) enjoyed another successful season, achieving a 5-3 mark and a third-place finish.

Most exciting game of the year came when the Falcons overcame an 8-run deficit in their final at-bat to post a 10-9 victory over James Lick. The highlight came when Rachel Rodriguez spanked a two-out, two-strike pitch into left field for a base hit to win the game.
Another highlight of the year came when Sapina Vae came in relief to halt a late game rally by Martin Luther King. MLK had scored six times in the inning before Vae came in to pitch, slamming the door shut and saving the game 9-8.

Sapina Vae became one of the leading hitters on the team, hitting 4 home runs. Racquel Rodriguez pitched all of the games except one and struck out a total of 32 batters. She also hit a pair of home runs.

Jaconie McDowell played a flawless first base while Jessie Nguy and Teela Hunkin anchored the infield on defense. Bohini Peleki was also a valuable member of the squad, slamming doubles and triples.

Other stand-outs included Tiffany Lucas, Shalondra Rose (captain), Roshana Newt, Sharron Jarvis, Tiffany Haynes, and Leslie Simms. 

Bicycle Coalition Distributing Free Lights in S.F. Neighborhoods

In a citywide effort to brighten bicyclists, advocates and health officials have joined together for a Get a Light safety campaign. More than 200 bike light sets will be distributed for free Dec. 10 in five neighborhoods by volunteers with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (SFBC).
"Light stations will be set up at some of the most popular bike routes in the city, including the Bayview, Western Addition, Civic Center, Mission and Portola neighborhoods," said Leah Shahum, SFBC program director. “Our volunteers will be lit from head to toe, so bicyclists passing by who need lights will not be able to miss us."

Surveys show that more people would use lights on their bikes at night if bike lights were less expensive and easier to find, and if riders better understood the safety benefits of being well lit on the road. The safety campaign was made possible through a grant from the City’s Department of Public Health.

Lights and safety information will be distributed Dec. 10 from 5-7 p.m. at the following intersections:
*Bayview: Third Street and Oakdale Avenue
*Western Addition: Turk and Webster Street
*Mission: Valencia and 7th Streets
*Civic Center: Market and 7th Streets
*Portola: Silver and San Bruno Avenues. 

Unlicensed Contractor Arrested for Defrauding S.F. Woman

S.F. District Attorney Terence Hallinan announced Nov. 12 the arrest of Jerzy Surmaj, an unlicensed building contractor alleged to have defrauded an elderly San Francisco woman out of approximately $40,000 in connection with work done on her home's foundations in 1997.
Hallinan’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit has charged Surmaj with several felonies, including residential burglary, fraud and fraudulent use of an invalid contractor's license number. Allegations that the crimes were committed on an elderly victim are included. Surmaj is also charged with contracting without a license, a misdemeanor.

After noticing the appearance of cracks in her foundation walls, the elderly San Franciscan hired a structural engineer to assess the damage and recommend remediation measures. She began taking estimates from contractors for the foundation reinforcement work.
Surmaj, doing business as "J.S. Masonry," contacted her and was eventually hired to do the work. After the work began, the costs began to escalate dramatically. The woman’s son became suspicious and checked on Surmaj. He learned Surmaj's license number and business name were false and that Surmaj in fact had no license at all. Another contractor, this time legitimate, inspected Surmaj’s work and determined it was useless. It wasn't at all consistent with the engineer's recommendations and had to be demolished before proper work could be done.

According to Hallinan, "This woman had lived in her home here in San Francisco since 1962. It represents her financial security. To victimize her this way is intolerable."

Hallinan also emphasized the importance of always asking for references and checking the credentials of any contractor being considered for any kind of construction work. He also stated his office has no tolerance for anyone committing contractor fraud, especially those who prey on the elderly.

Anyone concerned about the possibility they have been the victim of contractor fraud should call the California State Contractors Licensing Board, a division of the Department of Consumer Affairs, at (415) 469-6200, or Laurel Pollack of the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit at (415) 551-9575. 

Cleaner Natural Gas Taxis Taking Run Up San Francisco Hills

Taxi passengers in San Francisco have a unique opportunity during the next few months to ride in one of the country’s cleanest cars—the Ford natural gas (NGV) Crown Victoria.

Ford Motor Company and PG&E joined together to bring a natural gas taxicab demonstration program to three S.F. taxi companies. Two NGV Crown Victoria taxis are being driven by the Regents Cab Company, National Cab Company, and Yellow Cab for one month each. All natural gas fuel used for the program will be provided free by PG&E.

"At Ford, we’re dedicated to environmental actions that can make a difference right now," said John Wallace, Ford's director of Alternative Fuel Vehicles. "We hope to combine the city of San Francisco’s tremendous interest in natural gas vehicles with Ford's expertise in building them."

"PG&E is proud of its continued commitment to the environment," said Norm Stone, PG&E's director of New Energy Markets. "We're excited to be part of a project that will have an immediate positive impact on San Francisco streets."

The blue and yellow taxis are easy to recognize, with "Clean Air Vehicle" labels prominently displayed.

PG&E began using natural gas vehicles in its company fleet in the early 1970s. To increase the use of natural gas vehicles, PG&E has helped set up numerous fueling stations and currently operates 33 such stations at sites throughout northern California.

The taxicab is based on Ford’s dedicated natural gas Crown Victoria. When first introduced in 1996, the vehicle was the first mass-produced dedicated natural gas car in North America and the cleanest internal combustion car on the road. It remains among the cleanest today, meeting California's strict Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) standard. In simple terms, the NGV Crown Victoria taxi emits two-thirds less smog-forming hydrocarbons than allowed.

The NGV Crown Victoria is one vehicle in a lineup of Ford natural gas products that also includes a dedicated natural gas F-250 pickup truck and Econoline van, and bi-fuel Ford Contour sedan, F-Series pickup and Econoline van. Ford continues to offer the industry's broadest range of alternative fuel vehicles, including those powered by natural gas, ethanol, propane and electricity. 

New Booklet May Help Sleepless Americans

Research has shown that nearly 40 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders, costing them an estimated 16 billion dollars in health care costs annually. In 1997 the average American got 243 hours less sleep per year than the average American in 1969.

The Sleep Research Institute in Washington, DC has published a booklet, Getting the Sleep You Need, giving information and suggestions on what to do when you can't sleep.

"Many people have trouble sleeping and don't know where to turn for help," said Heather Kerrigan, director of the institute. "We've published a booklet that can help them with their situations."

Consumers can receive a copy by sending $5 to cover postage and handling to: Regional Fulfillment Center, Sleep Booklet #:SL-950, 2124 Broadway, #104, New York, NY 10023. Consumers can also get this information from the institute's web site at: www.institute-dc.org. 

Program Assists Families in Paying for Childcare

In a collaborative between Wu Yee Children's Services, Audrey L. Smith Child Developmental Center and Children's Council of San Francisco, the Children’s Services Fund of San Francisco Vendor Voucher Program assists San Francisco low-to-moderate income families in paying for licensed childcare for children ages 0-13 years old.

The program is designed to serve single parent families who are working or have been offered employment, and two-parent families of which either parent is working and/or offered employment, and the other parent is working, or enrolled in school or job training. Through the program, parents will be free to choose any licensed child care provider, as well as receive child care counseling and choosing child care information.

Registration is ongoing and enrollment is based on availability of open slots. For more information and application forms, please contact: Wu Yee Children’s Services at 391-8993; Children's Council of San Francisco at 243-0700; or Audrey L. Smith Child Developmental Center at 292-7747. 

San Francisco's Old Chinatown of the pre-1906 earthquake and fire comes to life again in 30 evocative photographs of Arnold Genthe, a self-taught photographer who took the pictures between 1896 and 1906.

These images  will be shown as a group for the first time at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum from Dec. 19 through Mar. 28, 1999. They allow the viewer to experience the exotic sights and rich street life of the colorful neighborhood that was once San Francisco’s Chinatown. The photographs were purchased by the California Palace of the Legion of Honor from Genthe's estate shortly after his death in 1942.

Although Genthe did not record the exact dates that the prints were made, they probably date from between 1910 and 1920. Prints on display include street scenes, images of merchants and peddlers, families with children, and neighborhood buildings.

Arnold Genthe (1869-1942)
Genthe came to San Francisco from Germany in 1895 as tutor to the eldest son of Baron and Baroness von Shroeder, who belonged to one of San Francisco's wealthiest and most influential families. Genthe was a classical scholar who had recently earned a Ph.D. in philology from the University of Jena, and he quickly became a part of San Francisco's thriving artistic and literary scene.

Shortly after his arrival in San Francisco, the 26-year-old “Herr Doktor Genthe” began making photographs of Telegraph Hill and Chinatown. In 1897 and 1898 his photographs were published in the local magazine The Wave, and often accompanied articles by regular Wave contributor and novelist Frank Norris.

Genthe was a steadfast adherent to the rules of the pictorialist school of photography, which emphasized the photograph as an expression of the creative genius of the photographer rather than as an accurate document of the subject. While most of the prints of Genthe's Chinatown series were relatively unaltered, some were cropped, retouched, and otherwise modified to excise such Western elements as English-language signs and non-Asian pedestrians.

In 1898, after Genthe's tenure as tutor was completed, he opened a highly successful portrait studio on Sutter Street, where he made his living photographing the elite and wealthy citizens of Northern California. Sadly, Genthe's studio was destroyed in the 1906 fire and earthquake, along with his equipment and most of his negatives. Only the Chinatown negatives, which were stored on a friend's vault, have survived.

After the earthquake and fire, Genthe's images of the now-lost Chinatown enjoyed an immense popularity. They were reproduced in two publications, Pictures of Old Chinatown (1908) and Old Chinatown: a Book of Pictures (1913).

In 1910, Genthe moved to New York City where he became an established and successful professional portrait photographer, employing such notables as Dorothea Lange as assistants. He died there in 1942.

Old Chinatown
By the time Genthe began photographing Chinatown, it was a thriving neighborhood with a history of nearly 50 years. Originally, in the early 1850s, Chinatown comprised just a few blocks around Portsmouth Square, but by 1895 it had grown to cover a 10-block grid stretching north to south from Broadway to Sacramento Street, and from Kearney to Stockton Streets from east to west.

In the 1890s nearly every major city in the United States had a neighborhood known as "Chinatown." San Francisco's Chinatown, however, was the Chinatown, a distinctive, semi-mythical urban district of national renown. To the Chinese, it was known as "Tangrenbu," or "port of the people of Tang."

Chinatown, like most distinctive San Francisco neighborhoods at the turn of the century, was a mix of the Old World and the New, but at the same time was a thoroughly American entity. Genthe, however, chose not to focus on this aspect of Chinatown, but rather on his romanticized perception of the neighborhood's folk culture and its perceived exotic nature.

Chinatown was devastated in San Francisco's 1906 earthquake and fire. The majority of the conflagration's survivors fled to Oakland and other parts of the East Bay, but 500 former Chinatown residents were housed in refugee camps in Golden Gate Park and later Fort Point. Chinatown was eventually rebuilt and repopulated, despite attempts of a handful of racist political leaders to relocate Chinatown to the Hunters point area or to do away with it altogether. 

Department of Transportation and HUD Grants for S.F.

Three Bay Area transportation projects will be benefiting from $10.05 million in Department of Transportation (DOT) discretionary funds while three HUD grants will help two San Francisco-based housing organizations and the Low Income Housing Fund.

Primary recipients of the Transportation funds will be a seismic retrofit of the Golden Gate Bridge which will receive $7.75 million and the China Basin Ferry Terminal project which will receive $2 million.

"The Golden Gate Bridge is a critical link in the Bay Area transportation system, serving some 130,000 vehicles a day," said Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). "Unfortunately, the bridge is also vulnerable to the nearby San Andreas and Hayward faults, in fact, the San Andreas fault is just seven miles from the bridge."

Pelosi was joined by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) in securing these funds which are in addition to the $26 million the Congresswoman fought for in the FY99 Omnibus Spending bill. Woolsey's district includes the northern part of the span. "To solve the North Bay’s transportation problems we have to protect the Golden Gate Bridge," said Woolsey. "If the bridge is damaged, the North Bay would be cut off."

The China Basin Ferry project includes the construction of ramps, floats and associated support structures for the ferry terminal. "Ferry service provides an essential transportation alternative throughout the Bay Area where most of the major highways currently operate at or near capacity during peak hours," said Pelosi. "Improving passenger ferry service is a wise investment in alternative travel that relieves traffic congestion on area roads. That’s good for the local economy and the environment."

Also receiving DOT discretionary funds totaling $300,000 will be the Presidio Trail and Presidio Segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

A $3.6 million HUD grant for the Low Income Housing Fund is part of the Market-to-Market program, designed to maintain affordable housing.

"Through this program the Low Income Housing Fund will be able to support training programs for low income housing tenants who have an opportunity to purchase their homes," said Pelosi. "Affordable home ownership is an important way to sustain our communities and improve the quality of life for all of our neighbors."

The Low Income housing Fund will administer the program in 17 states including California. It will distribute the grant following an application process which will begin next year.

Two HUD grants are also designed to enhance the region's affordable housing, community development and fair housing initiatives.

"The success of the Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC) in this competitive grant process enables us to sustain our neighborhoods and build our communities," said Pelosi. "I am also pleased that San Francisco-based California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) will receive a grant which will enable it to work to protect our state's rural poor from housing discrimination."

The CCDC will receive $416,018 dollars to provide technical assistance to Bay Area groups committed to affordable housing and community development, but unfamiliar with JHUD procedures.

"With this grant we become a HUD resource in the community using our knowledge, gained over 21 years, in support of new affordable housing and community development initiatives," said CCDC Executive Director Gordon Chin.

CCDC is a leader in the community, managing more than 1,000 units of affordable housing. Additionally. CCDC provides citizenship and educational classes, as well as counseling and translation services for its residents.

CRLA will receive $100,000 under the Fair Housing Initiatives Program to develop, implement and coordinate a fair housing public interest campaign in English and Spanish in California's rural agricultural communities.

"This grant enables us to reach the poorest and most marginal minority communities with information about how to address housing discrimination," said Ilene Jacobs, project coordinator for CRLA. 

Survey Says Californians More Likely to Attend Arts Activities

Californians are more likely to attend arts events and activities compared to other Americans, according to a recent survey conducted by the University of San Francisco and the National Endowment for the Arts. Bay Area residents, the poll found, are most likely to have attended an art event.

Based on survey results, there were approximately 50 million adult admissions to arts events during the one-year period ending in October 1997.

The first-ever comprehensive arts survey for California—-California Survey on Public Participation in the Arts (CSPPA)-—found that 56 percent of adult Californians attended at least one of eight types of arts activities during the year from Summer 1996 to Fall 1997, compared to 51 percent in the rest of the United States. This means that more than 13 million adult Californians participated in at least one of the following activities—jazz concerts, classical concerts, operas, plays, musicals, ballets and other dance activities and art museums and galleries during the year. The number jumps to about 17 million if attendance at arts and crafts fairs and visits to historic parks and neighborhoods or touring historic buildings are added.

The CSPPA Survey includes responses from a random telephone sample of 2,476 respondents from across the state. Respondents are also divided into six different California regions, providing a more detailed look at geographic differences in how California participates in the arts.

The survey also touches on the areas on the areas of desire for increased participation. About 75 percent of those surveyed identified one or more core activities they would like to do more. Of these, half (or 9 million people) said they had not participated in a specific arts activity during the last year but had been an audience via TV, radio or recordings. They represented new or renewed live audience potential, said Orend. Another quarter (4.5 million) had participated but would like to increase their participation in one of the eight activities. These figures, said Orend, suggest an enormous potential audience, even if each interested person attended only one additional time.

These optimistic figures, however, should be tempered by results on questions about barriers to increased participation, according to Orend. About two-thirds of the respondents who wish to increase participation said they lack the time, which often means that other activities like family needs or simply the chose of other types of leisure pursuits take precedence over the chosen arts activities. These kinds of choices may be difficult to overcome by the arts community, making changes in attendance behavior more unlikely than simple desire to do more may suggest, Orend said. Other barriers include cost, availability and location. 

Grants Awarded for Waste Prevention and Recycling Projects

The San Francisco Recycling Program has awarded $550,000 in grants to organizations for innovative waste prevention and recycling projects. Grants include:

*$16,000 to Christmas in April to collect used building materials such as doors, windows and major kitchen appliances and reuse them in low-income homes and nonprofit centers; to give material referrals for other nonprofit organizations and to set up a lending library.

*$27,747 to the Fort Mason Foundation to develop procedures for buying recycled goods, doubling recycling and ultimately operating a zero-waste facility.

*$39,800 to J. Edwards and Associates to coordinate the salvage and reuse of durable goods and building materials from apartment buildings.

*$14,720 to the San Francisco Conservation Corps to employ youths in to development and promotion of a recycling pilot program in the Housing Authority’s Alice Griffith Garden Homes.

*$24,400 to VIDA (Spanish for "Life") to collect unwanted or unused medical equipment and supplies and send the equipment to projects in Latin America.

Friends' Library Store Fills Holiday Needs

Are you tired of the commercialism of the holidays? Does shopping in a chain store go against your conscience but you still need to find a unique gift? Ease your mind and shop at the Friends' Library Store.

Located on the second floor of the Main Library, the Store features literary gifts, books and special products based upon the collection of the San Francisco Public Library. Store hours are: Monday-Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Friday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 437-4832. 

Homeless Pets Make Yuletide Debut at Neiman Marcus

This holiday season the homeless cats and dogs of San Francisco are getting a fabulous location and stunning artistic surroundings at Neiman Marcus to show off their charms to potential adopters.

"We're proud to be a part of this heartwarming San Francisco tradition," said Ann Paolini, general manager of the downtown store.
The animals will appear in the windows on Neiman Marcus' Geary Street side through Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (6 p.m. on Sundays).

Each pet is available for adoption and will be medically screened, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered. 

S.F. Ballet Supports Fire Fighters Toy Program

For the tenth year in a row, San Francisco Ballet is joining forces with the San Francisco Fire Fighters Toy Program and collecting toys to distribute to families in need. The War Memorial Opera House Lobby is the designated drop-off location for toy donations during the Ballet's performances of Nutcracker.

New unwrapped toys will be collected during matinee and evening performances Dec. 15 through 31. Toys and monetary donations can also be dropped-off at any of the 41 San Francisco fire stations.

For further information about donating toys, call the SFFF Toy Program at 777-0440.