Music Video from Thao Nguyen Connects Bernal to Brooklyn

Hot on the heels of yesterday’s candid discussion about the impact of gentrification in Bernal Heights, here’s an item that’s both appropriately inappropriate and inappropriately appropriate.

Songwriter Thao Nguyen is currently enjoying some much-deserved success in the indie scene. She doesn’t live in Bernal, but she has strong ties to us; she lives in San Francisco, her management company is a Bernal-owned business, and she did a glamorous photo shoot on Bernal Hill last August.

The hit from Thao’s new album is a song called “We the Common,” and it’s rather terrific. For the Citizens of Bernalwood, the best way to enjoy it is by watching the video, which interweaves hilltop scenes from Bernal Heights with screetscape scenes from Brooklyn — a place which is in some ways the Bernal Heights of New York, but even more so.

Plus, the video includes a cameo by NPR celebrity Ira Glass! (Swooooon!)

Plus plus, the video includes a cameo by Bernal celebrity Jackie Jones!

Thao’s video makes the cultural affinity between Bernal and Brooklyn look seamless and more than a little glamorous. And it does all that with an infectious hook that’s really so now right now — just like us. Listen, watch, and enjoy:

Counterpoint: A Lifetime Resident Laments the Transformation of Bernal Heights

Bernal Heights is changing.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Actually, Bernal Heights has been changing for about 180 years.  Change is often difficult, yet my sense is that the changes that have taken place here during the last decade or so are particularly unsettling to the generation of residents that came of age in Bernal roughly between 1970 and 1990.

Neighbor Orlando is one of those residents, and since I have great respect for his perspective, I  also appreciated his comments in response to a recent Bernalwood post about the transformation of Bernal Heights into an enclave for the so-called “Creative Class” (though he just as easily could have written it in response to the data which shows that Bernal real estate prices are going up, up, up.)

Neighbor Orlando writes:

Bernal Heights originally was a village made up of blue collar, very low educated immigrant families that moved here because they could not afford to live in many other areas of the city. I bared witness to such because my parents were of this class as many of their neighbors also were.

The last time I checked, a home in this neighborhood sold for one-million dollars. This must have made my father roll over in his grave. No home on the hill was ever of such extreme value during the sixties up here. As a matter of fact, it was quite the opposite considering that the hill was a wasteland of debris due to the fact that many San Franciscans would use it as place to dumb old odd size household goods such as mattresses, ceramics tubs, toilets, and wooden furniture.

So rugged a hill it once was, that I as a young boy learned to ride a motorcycle; a honda 50cc that my father bought me one christmas “motorcross” style on many of the trails still visible today! Yes, you read rightly, one once was able to ride a motorcross cycle on that hill.

Todd, I am curious to ask you when was the last time you met a low income non-english speaking family move in recently? I believe you have met many of the original dwellers moving out since this is one of the overall goals of this recent gentrification that is popular for real estate values.

After all, is it not true that before such a movement (when bernal was predominantly made up of these uneducated, non-english speaking middle class families) the prices of homes were indeed affordable to someone whose job was to clean upper middle class homes or work as a baggage handler at SFO?

This is hardly the case when a home on the same property sells for one million dollars. The same block of land ten times more the costs simply because folks that clean houses or work as baggage handlers have recently moved away so that these creative scientist, lawyers, and managers can move in. Who by the way, are not likely to be of negro or hispanic ethnicity.

I only ask that if you truly cannot see this Todd, that the next time you meet the new family on the block, you check off my list to see if this new family fits the Bernal enclave that it once was for many, many generations. Myself included.

Good fodder for discussion. So, dear and respectful neighbors, let’s discuss.

PHOTO: A recent billboard modification on Cortland, photographed April 30, 2012 by Andrew

New Renderings Reveal the St. Luke’s Hospital of Tomorrow, Today

Now that all the squabbling over the plans has been settled (knock wood), California Pacific Medical Center has released a new set of renderings that show what the new, redesigned, 120-bed St. Luke’s Hospital on Cesar Chavez at Valencia will look like when it’s done.

SF Appeal provides the overview:

A previous development agreement reached between city and hospital officials last year called for a smaller-scale hospital at St. Luke’s and a larger one at the Cathedral Hill site at Van Ness Avenue and Geary Boulevard, but was shelved by supervisors unhappy with the deal.

One of the aspects of the previous proposed deal that supervisors criticized was an escape clause that could have allowed CPMC to close St. Luke’s if its operating margin stayed negative for two consecutive years.

In addition, residents near the proposed Cathedral Hill site had complained about the prospect of increased traffic congestion from a hospital being built at the intersection of two of the city’s main thoroughfares, he said.

Supervisor Mark Farrell applauded the new agreement in March, which he said “incorporates the needs and concerns of our neighborhoods.”

Supervisor David Campos, whose district includes St. Luke’s, said that hospital is “very personal to me” because he had received care there when he was uninsured as a young adult.

He said the new plan “ensures the long-term viability of St. Luke’s.”

With luck, construction should begin by the end of the year. Find more detail about the project at the RebuildCPMC website.

New Photo of Sutrito Tower Is Actually Rather Sexy

Just when you thought there were no more clever ways to photograph Bernal Hill’s (sort-of) beloved Sutrito Tower, along comes Steve MacDonald —  ramblinworker on the Instagram — with this funky-phresh new snap that makes Sutrito look wonderfully sculptural.

PHOTO: ramblinworker

Homes Saved as SFFD Halts Hillside Brush Fire in South Bernal

Chalk this up as one of those things that could have been really really really really bad, but instead turned out to be just dramatic and messy.

Yesterday afternoon, a fire broke out on the grassy hillside behind the Ellsworth Street projects, just east of the Alemany Farm, facing I-280. The San Francisco Fire Department responded to the blaze with an impressive display of manpower and specialized equipment, such that no homes were lost in the fire, and (according to the SFFD scanner) only two houses were slightly damaged.

Neighbors Evan and Anne, who took the photos you see here, bring the summary:

There was a fire today on the hillside south of Bache & Andover Streets.  Thanks to quick action of many neighbors and the SFFD, serious property damage was averted.

Nice work, people. Also: Whew!

PHOTOS: Neighbors Evan and Anne

Kickstarter Drive Underway for New Parklet at 903 Cortland

Miss Mutsumi from 903 (and Sandbox Bakery) has launched a Kickstarter campaign to install a cute little parklet in front of 903 Cortland, just east of Gates:

There are currently no parklets in Bernal Heights. We at 903 are taking steps to be the first to provide this amenity, and with the help of the residents and friends of the neighborhood we can make it happen. Not only would 903′s parklet be the first in Bernal, it would continue to inspire and facilitate the on-going revitalization of the community happening along Cortland while providing a convenient and central gathering place for friends and family. Imagine meeting up at 903 to enjoy a delicious outdoor lunch on the sunniest street in San Francisco!

The parklet will replace two parking spots on Cortland Avenue directly in front of 903, a restaurant and offshoot of Sandbox Bakery that has quickly become a go-to lunch spot for many residents of Bernal Heights. At 40 feet long, the parklet will boast seating for up to 25 people, a canopy for shade, greenery consisting of native plants, and it will, of course, be wheelchair accessible. The structure itself will be constructed out of reclaimed wood and steel scraps.

The City of San Francisco has approved our permit and all the fees have already been paid.  Now, we are trying to raise funds in order to begin building this much-anticipated addition to Cortland Avenue. Our current goal is to start construction as early as June.  After that, the parklet will be completed in only a few weeks!

If the number of emails I’ve received and tweets I’ve seen about the project are any indication, the Citizens of Bernalwood are very enthusiastic about the idea. You can contribute to toward the parklet’s $12,505 goal here.

Here’s the video:

Saturday: 2013 Community Congress at the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center

Ailed Paningbatan from the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center extends this invitation to all ye Citizens of Bernalwood:

Hello Community,

Im sure you all have been seeing flyers around, have heard the buzz around the neighborhood and have seen it on BHNC’s face book page etc. It’s that time of the year again – time for BHNC’s Annual Community Congress! This year, we’ll be focusing on Health and Public Safety.

It will be on Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 9:00am-1:00pm at 515 Cortland. BHNC’s Community Congress has been put together in our neighborhood since the 80′s. It is a space for us to discuss, strategize and create platforms for proactive progress and change in our neighborhoods!

We’re very excited that this year’s Congress is focused on health and public safety, an issue that we all care about and is truly appropriate as we have seen the past year with the sudden uptick of crime in our neighborhoods.

There will be four break-out sessions that will be facilitated by our own community leaders, to help guide some of the work that we will continue to do surrounding health and public safety. One workshop is neighborhood safety organizing led by our very own neighbors and block captains Sarah Rogers, Edie Williams, Martha Stein and Ed Whitmore. This workshop will be focused on some of the projects that have stemmed from our latest hot spot walk such as the lighting campaign, as well as other projects and concerns that the community would like to take on!

Our Public Housing Working Group leaders will be facilitating another workshop on how we can all work together towards a safer unified community, another workshop is by our Youth Department in regards to community policing and police/youth relationships that we have been working on through our annual Youth Summits. Another important workshop is on Senior Health and Public Safety. Did you know that due to the city’s recent budget cut, home bound seniors will no longer be able to receive food deliveries? These are some of the recent issues that are going on that we may not know about, BUT definitely can have a serious effect in our neighborhood, in our families, in our future. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

We will also get a chance to have a discussion with both Supervisor Campos and Supervisor Avalos during our report back session so they can hear our concerns, ideas, and priorities that we have discussed during our break out session and what type of support we would need from them.

In addition Captain Falvey from Ingleside Station along with his officers will also be there ingrained in our workshop sessions and during the report back as we have been working closely with them in our public safety work.

We will have tabling info sessions from NERT, SF SAFE, BHNC senior and youth services and plan to have Department of Public Works (DPW) and 311 as well. This is also an opportunity for you to engage with your neighbors. The more we know each other, the more we will look out for each other. This is what neighborhoods and communities are all about!

Community Congress is BHNC’s premier event geared towards sharing the progressive work that is going on, and getting community input to guide all of our work in the coming years. I am calling all community members to spend this time with the neighborhood! It is critical that all neighbors are present and that every community is represented. This is our chance to come together and make sure no voice goes unheard. Community Congress is a vehicle that brings the true spirit of collaboration and community to our neighborhood, and we need everyone to get behind the wheel! I am looking forward to seeing you all there!

Breakfast and Lunch is provided!

Should you have any questions please call or email me separately. Happy Tuesday Bernal and Excelsior!

In Solidarity,

Ailed Quijano Paningbatan-Swan
Director of Community Engagement
Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center
Excelsior Community Center
apaningbatan@bhnc.org
(415) 206-2140 x 130

Community Congress 2013 Agenda

9:00 Doors open/ registration/ breakfast
9:30 Opening / Welcome (Ailed and Rachel)
9:40 Community Report (Rachel)
9:50 Youth Video
9:55 Meet the BHNC Board (Rachel / Johanna)
10:10 Introductions to the 4 Break Out/ Action groups
10:25–11:45 Break Out/ Action Groups (at BHNC)
12:00 Break Out Action Groups presentations
Panel Responses to the Break Out/ Action Group presentations
12:30 Open Q&A
12:40 Thank You

Lunch and Community Engagement [Tabling: BHNC, NERT, DPW, SF SAFE, 311]