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| Results from Survey
of Valley Merchants and Residents
by Gerry L. Galvan Visitacion Valley merchants think too many people hang around the business area, a problem exacerbated by a prevalence of crime, dirty streets and too many shops selling similar wares. These complaints were lodged during a recent survey conducted by the San Francisco State University's Public Research Institute and the Mayor's Office of Community Development (MOCD). A similar survey also revealed that many Visitacion Valley residents consider crime, litter and dirt on the streets, an inadequacy of suitable items on store shelves, loitering, and lack of ample parking as serious social problems. According to the PRI survey: "both groups of respondents (23 merchants and 237 residents) shared similar opinions about Leland Avenue" while "both groups reported that safety was a major concern." Also cited as serious problems were: Leland Avenue not being known as a shopping area and the overall reputation of Visitacion Valley, areas needing immediate action if the neighborhood is to rise from its current social and economic level. But respondents to both surveys were unanimous in expressing optimism of the area's potential. Many suggested an improved police presence with a quicker response time and beatifying Leland Avenue and its surrounding area would once again make Visitacion Valley attractive to new businesses, including chain stores. Businesses residents would most like to see on Leland Avenue include: a supermarket (49 percent) followed by a hardware store (31 percent), a movie theater (30 percent) and a well-known chain store (27 percent). These were followed by: a coffee house or cafe, bookstore, variety store, shoe store, and a clothing store. When the Mayor's Office became involved last summer in revitalizing an economically impoverished Leland Avenue, 13 sites were chosen to place drop-off boxes to retrieve surveys from respondents. Highest rates of response came from Visitacion Valley Elementary School, followed by Sari-Sari Food Store, The Shop, and Forty-Niner Cleaners. Of the 733 resident surveys distributed
in English, Spanish and Chinese, 176 were completed for a response rate
of about 24 percent.
Further discussion of an 89-page PRI
report generated from the surveys was discussed at a special meeting on
Jan. 22 at Visitacion Valley Community Center where MOCD's Gloria Woo and
Jay Smith explained the tabulations to the Leland Avenue Revitalization
Planning Committee. Findings were further reported to the Visitacion Valley
Task Force at a regular monthly meeting on Jan. 24.
Committee Votes Design Study for Playground in Little Hollywood by Ralph Oroquita
Little Hollywood residents Don Bertone, Ron Gibson and Ralph Oroquita attended the meeting to make oral presentations and present two packets of neighborhood information and statistics before giving each committee member a copy of a request for funding letter concerning the neighborhood park on Lathrop Avenue. The letter also included a request for a clubhouse, restrooms, drinking fountains, and land acquisition. These requests were given a priority two status. It will take a maximum effort by the neighborhood to get the majority of the community to sign a petition stating its residents want a community center in Little Hollywood. Such a petition of affirmation would assure Recreation and Park agencies that this is what the neighborhood wants and could lead to priority one status for funding a design study next year. Both the Little Hollywood Committee and Little Hollywood Association will jointly conduct the petition drive. A member of the Advisory Committee recommended that neighborhood residents ask for corporate sponsorship to help fund community park renovation, a good idea that will be discussed at future community meetings. A very special "Thank you" is in order to the very special people on the Advisory Committee who advocated to fund this renovation request. Little Hollywood Residents Monitor Changes in Their Neighborhood by Ralph Oroquita HAZARDOUS WASTE QUARTERLY MEETING
The daily volatile organic compound (VOC) air emissions are limited to under six pounds per 24-hour period for the one day per month for the small business collection day and the special off-site collection events that are held three times per year. Another agenda item was the formation of a community review team for massive spills, fire, or explosion and evacuation for worst case scenarios drills held at the hazardous waste facility A possible link to the fire department, police department and the Hazardous Materials Team was also discussed. The next quarterly meeting was set for April 22, 1998. SUNNYDALE SEWER PROJECT
Representatives from the PUC had originally announced plans at the Oct. 25, 1997 meeting of the Visitacion Valley Task Force to supplement the neighborhood's current sewer system with a tunneling project utilized to install a 12-foot diameter pipe east of Bayshore Boulevard to the Sunnydale Pump Station at Harney Way. West of Bayshore, a new open trench line ranging in diameter from six to eight feet would be built along Sunnydale Avenue. The tunneling method of construction is more expensive than the open trench construction method. Two or more 20-by-40-foot underground flow control structures would also be constructed. Approximately 30 percent of assessed land value is paid for the utility right-of-way assessment. RETAINING WALL AND EROSION LANDFILL
The size of the wall will be related to the contour of the slope as it goes from east to west. A slope will be used of two-foot horizontal fill for each foot of vertical rise needed to maintain the slope for the backfill and landscaping. Earth moving equipment was brought in during the second week on January and work was started the following week. The fill soil is laid down in layers and compacted to insure stability. A well-designed wall and landscaping
will enhance the value of the Norcal/Sanitary Fill property while ensuring
to a greater extent the stability of the hillside and the homes located
above it.
New CD-ROM and Book Chronicle Social History of San Francisco After more than three years and 10,000 hours of planning and production, a new approach to the study of San Francisco urban life, a participatory social history in the form of an interactive multimedia computer program titled Shaping San Francisco, was released on Jan. 22. Accompanying this exciting new CD-ROM is an equally interesting 374-page anthology of social and historical perspectives called Reclaiming San Francisco. Having drawn on volunteer time from writers, researchers, photographers, community organizers and most importantly, regular people who were compelled by the chance to investigate some piece of the City's past, Shaping San Francisco's creators anticipate feedback, criticism, and input, which will be incorporated into future releases. Chapters on the new CD-ROM which sells for $35 focus on the history of the labor movement, racial politics in San Francisco, land use, the history of women and feminism, immigration from many parts of the world, the emergence of gay San Francisco, the artistic life of the city, and the specific history of each neighborhood. Also explored are ways San Francisco's urban development has always depended on the transformation of the land and the Bay-Delta ecosystem. By placing the history of everyday life at the center of the broader historical processes, Shaping San Francisco shows that the people who are usually left out of the historical record were not passive victims, but people with their own hopes and agendas. For example: A young Filipino interviewed his grandmother about Kearny Street's Manilatown in the 1940s. A high school teacher collected photographs from the 1800s documenting the spread of San Francisco's built environment over the land. And college students in an American History class sorted through the archives of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union to explore industrial automation in the mid-20th century. Plans call for an expanded, two-disk version of the CD-ROM, available from Cloverleaf Multimedia (626-2060), to be released later this year and available for free viewing at kiosks at several locations around the City. More than two dozen authors contributed to Reclaiming San Francisco, a collection of 22 essays on history, politics and culture which compliments the multimedia version. Chapters on the Comstock Lode, excavation in the Civic Center and the Beat Generation are joined by entries on murals, tenants and a photo essay on movie making in the City. Editors of this recommended work describe it as "an anthology of fresh appraisals of the contrarian spirit of the City--a spirit resistent to authority or control" and that "San Franciscans are unusually ready to challenge the corporate agenda for their city." Published by City Lights Books, this volume is essential for anyone interested in where San Francisco is going, as it relates to where it has been and where it now is. Afrocentric Parenting Conference in the Mission Professionals, practitioners, educators and interested community members who work with African American families can share skills about parenting and the African American family in a free conference on Friday, Feb. 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the San Francisco Christian Center, 5825 Mission St. The third annual Afrocentric Parenting Conference, which will kick-off National Black Infant Health Week (Feb. 15-21) is sponsored by the S.F. Department of Public Health's Black Infant Health Improvement Project. Call 554-9611 to register. Senior Valentine's Day Dance All senior adults are invited free to attend the annual Senior Adults' Valentine's Day Dance at the San Francisco County Fair Building, 9th Avenue and Lincoln Way in Golden Gate Park. Featuring live music of the Maury Wolohan
Band, the dance will be held on Thursday, Feb. 12 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.
Call 666-7079 for more information.
State Assembly Approves Bill to Protect Domestic Violence Victims A California bill which would enhance the state's efforts to reduce and prevent domestic violence was unanimously approved Jan. 26 by the Assembly. "Current law doesn't state who's responsible for telling the police that the courts have ordered an abuser to stay away from their victim," said Assemblyman Kevin Shelley who authored the bill. "Without this entry, police officers can't confirm the validity of protective orders and are prevented from enforcing them." AB 1531 requires court clerks to communicate domestic protective orders to law enforcement agencies to ensure that these orders are quickly entered into the state's law enforcement communications system. Shelley pointed out that few protective
orders are entered into the statewide database of restraining orders maintained
by the
"AB 1531 would simply require court clerks to enter protective orders into CLETS directly, ensuring that these orders are recorded quickly at the source," Shelley added. "This should greatly improve communication between the courts and police, and potentially save lives." Domestic violence advocates note that
the recent slaying of Northern Californian Gina Barnett points out the
need for this legislation. Authorities suspect Barnett's killer was her
lover, who had previously been prosecuted in several different jurisdictions
for spousal abuse, and who was on probation at the time of the murder.
Tragically, charges against him had been dropped earlier by a local prosecutor
who was unaware that he was on probation.
Proposal Will End Textbook Crisis in California's Public Schools Legislation ensuring every student in California's public schools an up-to-date textbook for each subject was recently introduced in the State Senate. Senate Bill 1412 calls for phasing in, over a three-year period, the state's financial commitment from current levels to 100 percent of the cost of basic instructional materials in each subject in each subject in each grade, while strengthening school district management requirements and providing for an annual independent audit report of the instructional materials accounts. A recent survey conducted last year by the Association of American Publishers, in conjunction with the National Education Association, reveals that 54 percent of California teachers did not have enough books to send home with their students, compared to 39 percent nationwide. A quarter of the California teachers said their students did not even have books to use in class. "The very basic tool to learning--the textbook--is nowhere to be found in many of California's public school classrooms. And if it is, it is often sorely out of date...Nixon is still president, the Cold War is raging, and Bosnia is a peaceful part of the Yugoslav nation," said Senator Adam B. Schiff (D-Burbank). "We cannot expect teachers to teach to the highest standards, nor can we expect students to make substantial progress towards meeting these standards, with out current textbooks." "It is tragically unfortunate that a fundamental part of a child's education and future, a textbook, is not currently being provided to every child in the state," added Assemblymember Rod Pacheco (R-Riverside). In addition to increased funding for
textbooks, the bill would require school districts to:
Finally, the Auditor General is required to audit the use of current Instructional Materials accounts, and report annually on the contents of the Proposition 98 Report Cards pertaining to this account. Schiff and Pacheco said they introduced
the bill because the Legislature must take responsibility in the textbook
crisis.
Flying Discs May be Coming to McLaren Park Soon by Greg Quiroga
Never heard of disc golf before? Well, disc golf is much like traditional golf, but instead of a ball and clubs, players use a flying disc, or Frisbee. The sport was formalized in the 1970s and shares with "ball golf" the object of completing each hole in the fewest number of strokes--or, in the case of disc golf, the least number of throws. Disc golf advocates say that their sport
is physically and mentally challenging and at the same time incredibly
fun and rewarding.
The club has submitted a proposal to the Recreation and Parks Department for a 24-hole course in McLaren Park. The proposal has been endorsed by numerous community groups and individuals, including Friends of McLaren park, the recreation director at McLaren, PE teachers from surrounding schools, and the executive director of Visitacion Valley Community Center, Julie Kavanagh, who calls disc golf "wholesome and easy to learn." The sport is played by throwing a golf disc (a faster, slimmer version of the Frisbee) from a tee area toward an elevated metal basket that has chains to catch the disc and drop it into the basket. As players progress down the fairway, they must make each consecutive shot from the spot where their previous throw landed. The trees, shrubs and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for disc golfers. Finally, the "putt" lands in the basket and the hole is completed. Disc golf shares the same joys and frustrations of traditional golf, whether its sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway. There are few differences, though. Disc golf does not require greens fees, you won't need to rent a cart, and you never get stuck with a bad "tee time." It is designed to be enjoyed by people of all ages, male and female, regardless of economic status. Also, a course does not require irrigation or any alteration of the landscape, making it an "environment-friendly" alternative to regular golf. Currently there are more than 700 disc golf courses worldwide, including more than 50 in Texas alone, but there are only three courses in the greater Bay Area. And although disc golf is a part of the curriculum for physical education instructors of the San Francisco Unified School District, students who learn the game currently have no place to further their skills. If a course does get approved for McLaren Park, we will soon have a place to take our families for inexpensive recreation that is fun for all involved. For more information, contact Ross Hammond
of the S.F. Disc Golf Club at 695-7482.
New Law Establishes
How Owners and
A new exterior paint law that went into effect in San Francisco this year on Jan. 5 requires owners and contractors to adopt safe work methods when doing any work that disturbs exterior paint on buildings built on or before December 31, 1978 (Unsafe levels of lead were not used in residential paint after 1978.) This new law requires that owners, landlords and contractors confine lead-based paint chips, dust and other debris to the work site and to remove them before completing the job. The law also prohibits dangerous work practices and authorizes the Department of Building inspection to enforce it. For more than 10 years the San Francisco department of Public Health has regularly received complaints from residents concerning dust and chips from lead-based paints that contaminated their property from work done by painting contractors and other tradespeople. This new exterior paint law was drafted
in response to these complaints, and passed to prevent children from being
exposed to lead-based paint, dust and debris which can cause lead poisoning.
Volleyball at Valley Beacon Center Visitacion Valley Community Beacon is presenting a free Volleyball Clinic for youth 8-13 with Real Options for City Kids (ROCK) on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through Mar. 14. There are also sports, cooking and sewing, drama, chess club and open recreation activities at the Beacon, along with swimming classes offered at Coffman Pool. ADULT AND FAMILY PROGRAMS
HELP NEEDED
Parents are also encouraged to join
in the planning of future Beacon activities through the Beacon Council.
The Beacon can be contacted at 452-4907.
Extreme Wheels in Santa Rosa Breathtaking displays of in-line skating,
skateboarding and BMX biking will be part of Extreme Wheels Live, a fast-paced
show set to run from Wednesday, Apr. 29 through Sunday, May 3 at the Redwood
Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa. Tickets are $10-12 and can be purchased
through BASS. For more information, call Snoopy's Gallery at 1-707-546-3385.
Family Literacy Night at VVMS Visitacion Valley Middle School is holding
its second annual Family Literacy Night on Thursday, Feb. 19 from 5 to
7 p.m. All community members, students and families are invited to attend
an evening of food, raffles, student presentations and performances.
Health Seminar at Bayview Police Station Both the American Cancer Society and the Southeast Health Center are sponsoring a presentation on health advocacy in the African American community at the Bayview Police Station Community Room, 201 Williams Ave. on Saturday, Feb. 21 from 9 a.m to 12 noon. With the increasing incidence of disease and the constant changes in our health care system, it is important that individuals, families and communities are better prepared to be active participants in health related decisions. A question and answer session will follow presentations by health officials. Call 394-7100, ext. 327 to pre-register. Success for City's Equal Benefits Ordinance The S.F. Human Rights Commission recently issued a report finding great success in the first six months of implementation of San Francisco's landmark civil rights equal benefits ordinance. "The issue we addressed with this law is one of basic equality," said Supervisor Leslie Katz, who co-authored the ordinance with fellow Supervisor Tom Ammiano. "The City and County of San Francisco cannot and should not do business with entities that discriminate, be it by race, gender or domestic partner status. We cannot put a price tag on discrimination." At the time the law was passed, only an estimated 500 companies nationwide offered equivalent benefits to their employees. Since then, thousands of companies have stepped forward to develop policies of nondiscrimination in employee benefits. Nearly 1,270 City contractors wanting
to do business with San Francisco alone currently have been certified in
compliance with
Experts Agree on Key Advice to Reduce Cancer Risk The connection between diet and cancer risk may be astonishing. According to a recent report by the American Institute for Cancer research and the World Cancer Fund, between three and four million cases of cancer worldwide could be prevented annually through dietary change. The report: Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective, represents a broad review of scientific evidence on diet, nutrition and cancers. It offers some dietary recommendations that Americans have heard before from leading organizations such as the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services (USDA/DHHS) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) on reducing cancer risk. However, the report also contains some advice that is not in accordance with these other dietary guidelines. Finding precise links between diet and cancer is not easy. For example, over 100 different cancers exist, each with its own set of causes. Further, there is a dizzying number of components in the average diet: Some may decrease the risk while others may increase it. "Diet is difficult to measure precisely and without bias," said Tim Byers, M.D., M.P.H., Professor of Preventive Medicine, University of Colorado. With heart disease there are risk factors like high blood cholesterol, but similar indicators may not exist to suggest cancer. The fact that experts have agreed on general dietary advice to reduce cancer risk is also significant because it helps ensure that health professionals speak with a united voice on the subject. The study's key recommendation--to choose a predominantly plant-based diet that includes a variety of vegetables, fruits and grains--echos the 1996 ACS recommendation to choose mostly plant-based foods. Likewise, the USDA/DHHS Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a similar diet. The study noted that lean red meat can fit in a healthy diet. A recent survey showed Americans consume about 2.6 ounces of red meat per day--well within the study's recommendation of three ounces per day. The advice on plant-based foods stems from research showing compounds within plant foods may help protect against potential cancer-causing agents. For instance, fiber, which is found only in plant foods, has a beneficial effect on the intestinal tract and may reduce the risk for some cancers. Plant foods contain more than just fiber--they are also rich in phytochemicals that may be critical in controlling cell damage from free radicals and in regulating cellular proliferation. Experts note, however, that Americans
are not making such simple changes as eating the recommended five servings
of fruits and vegetables a day, which could reduce cancer incidence risk.
Likewise, trends suggest a decline in physical activity among Americans.
S.F. SPCA Events for March VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONS
PET LOSS SUPPORT GROUP
Workshops for Seniors at Kaiser Permanente Two free workshops for Kaiser Permanente members are being offered on Saturday, Feb. 28. A Senior Users Guide to Kaiser-Permanente will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Kaiser Permanente French Campus, 4141 Geary Blvd. (at 5th Avenue) in San Francisco. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Seniors will have two workshops to choose from. The benefits workshop will explore the advantages of belonging to Kaiser Permanente and discuss the benefits of the Senior Advantage program. The services workshop will describe new and existing services for senior members, and review what is offered in acupuncture, foot care, mental health services and more. Workshop space is limited. The first 125 phone registrants will receive free parking, breakfast and a lunch snack. To register, call 202-4900. |