At a recent meeting, it became clear that the Mission District is split on possible changes to the neighborhood’s liquor license moratorium. Supervisor David Campos promised to hold other public meetings before he agrees to any amendments, he said. “The question that I have is are we OK with the way it is?” Campos asked a crowd of approximately 30 people recently gathered to discuss possible changes to an 18-year-old liquor license ban.
Yearly Archives: 2012
Posted inCity Hall, Neighborhoods, News, Transportation
Express bus eyed for Caltrain to mid-Market run
Muni officials want to start an express bus route to speed workers from the downtown San Francisco Caltrain to a revitalized mid-Market jobs hub. The rush-hour service would cater to what the city anticipates will be a growing technology business cluster near the new headquarters of social media giant Twitter.
Posted inData Privacy, Public Safety, Social Justice
S.F. mayor signs civil rights ordinance into law
San Francisco civil rights advocates concerned about what they call domestic spying on the city’s Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim and South Asian communities are celebrating new legislation signed into law by Mayor Ed Lee. The Safe San Francisco Civil Rights Ordinance requires San Francisco Police Department officers working with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to be bound by local and state laws strictly governing intelligence gathering of First Amendment protected activities like religious worship.
Posted inCommunity, Education, News
S.F. program tries to bridge gap between school and community
Vanessa Marrero prepared for an important job one Tuesday in January. In leopard kitten heels and a beige trench coat, she grabbed a folder and hopped into a waiting car outside of John O’Connell High School. She was heading to a student’s home in the Bayview to talk to his mom. As a community school coordinator, Marrero had Carlos’ records in hand. Half an hour later, inside a small apartment furnished with a light lime-green couch, two school certificates tacked to a wall and family pictures in heart-shaped frames, Marrero began the conversation with Carlos’ mom, Angela, in Spanish. He isn’t in trouble, she reassured Angela. No, this was going be a different kind of visit.
Posted inNews
Public Press wins national award
The San Francisco Public Press has won an award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. Last month, the group recognized our reporters and editors with a national Prevention for a Safer Society award for their articles on experiments in San Francisco with “restorative justice,” an alternative method for dealing with youth misbehavior in schools. The […]
Posted inAging, Economy & Business, Health, Public Safety
Chinatown death triggers worries about isolated seniors
A tragedy happened in San Francisco’s Chinatown in mid-April. Yee-Shui Mar, 91, fell from a window in her apartment building. The Chinese-language newspaper Sing Tao Daily reported that Mar, who was from Taishan City in Guangdong province, lived alone. She had a married daughter and grandchildren living elsewhere.
Posted inEconomy & Business, Land use, Neighborhoods
Neighbors hope to quash plans to open Chase bank branch on Valencia St.
Chase Bank’s plans to open a branch on Valencia Street this fall will face an appeal by neighbors who are organizing to derail the project. Chase might be one of the last banks to benefit from what District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar calls a loophole in the planning code, which allows banks to open without neighbors’ input. Last month, the San Francisco Planning Commission voted 6-1 in support of an amendment that would close that loophole.
Posted inEconomy & Business, Public Safety
Mission businesses band together after vandalism
Although many businesses targeted by vandals on Monday night were still making repairs on Tuesday, most opened for business. Many of the employees Mission Local interviewed said the violence had brought neighborhood businesses closer. “I think that many of the small businesses are in better dialogue with each other now,” said Bar Tartine’s general manager, Vinny Eng, adding that this gives neighboring businesses an opportunity to talk about how they could be more supportive of each other.
Posted inCommunity, Parks & Open Space, Transportation
24th St. BART plaza will expand
Remodeling 24th St. BART plaza will add 1,200 square feet to the plaza on the southwest corner, according to planners who met with the community last Wednesday. “These plazas are important public open spaces … they are gateways to the neighborhood for residents and myriad visitors,” said BART Board Vice President Tom Radulovich. “Everyone I talk to about them agrees they are not working now the way they should.”
Posted inNews
Behind the Scenes: Meet the Director of Design
Tom Guffey, director of design, has a key role in conceptualizing the layout of the Public Press print editions. Here’s his perspective on the creative process. What do you enjoy most about designing the print edition? What I love about designing the newspaper is that it is catered to a more patient and deliberative reader. […]