March brought us news that two of our local banks are in crisis mode. The feds came in and shut down Silicon Valley Bank. Its competitor, First Republic Bank, is still under tremendous pressure at the time of this writing.
Real Estate: John M. Lee
City Hall: Joel Engardio
Parents are on edge after recent violence at Stonestown Mall where mobs of teenagers attacked other teenagers. If kids can’t safely meet friends after school at the mall, it’s yet another decline in quality of life in San Francisco and failure of our City to function as it should.
Therapeutic Recreation Family Day Builds Confidence
Huddling under the washed gray sky, families slowly formed a line at Glen Canyon Recreation Center. They waited with anticipation to enter a wood-paneled gymnasium filled with activities ranging from archery to rock climbing and floor parkour.
‘Then and Now’: Ninth Avenue and Kirkham Street
Comparison photos of Ninth Avenue and Kirkham Street 75 years apart.
2023 Concert Series at GG Park’s Music Concourse Runs Through November
Free live music will greet listeners in Golden Gate Park once again throughout the majority of 2023. In late February, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department announced the return of the free live music series at the popular bandshell, with 2023 marking the third series of performances that range from R&B and soul to salsa music.
Ready or Not, the Future Is Here: Driverless Cars Are Already on Our Roads
For nearly a decade, futuristic-looking Waymo and Cruise “autonomous vehicles” (AVs) have roamed the streets of tech-forward San Francisco, with human “safety” drivers behind the wheel. These AVs were being programmed and tested for the day when they could transport passengers and goods without human drivers and “transform the transportation system.” While our transportation system is yet to be transformed, driverless cars are here.
Police Blotter: Sunset District
Recent police activity in the Sunset District.
Stern Grove’s Trocadero Clubhouse Smashed by Falling Tree
For 131 years, the building now known as the Trocadero Clubhouse in Sigmund Stern Grove hosted generations of San Franciscans. On March 11, it became the final resting place of an 85-foot-tall eucalyptus tree.
Press Release: Refuse Refuse Earth Day Cleanup
Earth Day, April 22, is soon approaching and we’re collaborating with Earth Day San Francisco and SF Rec and Park for an Earth Day San Francisco Cleanup in Golden Gate Park. Volunteers will help clean in GGP and the surrounding Inner Sunset neighborhood, and help gardeners with tree/plant maintenance in the park. Stay afterwards for the Earth Day SF festival and expo.
From the Editor: I Am Very Excited to Introduce Our New Patreon Account
Patreon is like GoFundMe, but instead of donating one lump sum, patrons contribute a small amount every month to a creative cause.
Announcements: April, 2023
Things to do and important information for neighbors in the Richmond and Sunset districts.
Commentary: Sandra Fewer
There has been a lot of news lately about the city budget, even though budget season has not officially started yet.
‘Kilduff’s Korner’ by Paul Kilduff
Cartoon by Paul Kilduff.
Commentary: Brian Quan
Last month, I started a conversation about how we can work toward a better and more vibrant neighborhood. This time I want to consider what will need to be done to put us on a path toward that vision. Have you considered what a vibrant neighborhood looks like to you?
Commentary: Quentin Kopp
In a Dec. 6, 1962, speech in New York City, then-assistant secretary of defense stated: “I think the inherent right of the government to lie to save itself when faced with nuclear disaster is basic.” The California High Speed Rail Authority’s Northern California Regional Director Boris Lipkin in the San Mateo Daily Journal’s Nov. 17, 2022, edition applied such falsity doctrine to that failed project. (I have publicly pleaded guilty of creating such state body with 1996 legislation as a then-state senator.)
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 