The opportunity for a citizen to ask that the Planning Commission review a decision the Planning Department has made is undergoing a major change. A request for Design Review (DR) typically comes from a neighbor who believes a new construction or remodel is contrary to the Residential Design Guidelines. The Department feels this privilege is utilized too often, resulting in lost staff time. They have suggested that instead of being reviewed by the entire commission, that a DR be handled by a hearing officer. When the Design Review process was last revised four years ago, neighbors were active in the process, working with Planner Jonas Ionin at the planning stage. This time we have been shut out, said Judy Berkowitz, former president of the Coalition for SF Neighborhoods. This time the only people who were asked to participate early on were SPUR and AIA. Our answer four years ago to DR reform was a strong PreApplication process. Neighborhood representatives agreed and presented a draft for this procedure. The Planning Department accepted it but then watered it down radically. They are now claiming it doesnt work. Well, of course it doesnt work: they weakened it so as to make it completely ineffective, allowing them to now claim it doesnt work and that there is need for yet another DR revision. Berkowitz added, The Planning Department clearly states that these proposed changes are for the benefit of the Planning staff and the Planning Commission, not for San Francisco residents. Planning is again trying to cut neighbors out of the process. Karen Crommie
Id be happy to see fewer head shops on Haight, too. However, the larger issue is about the role of city government in regulating commerce by picking winners and losers. It would be a grave mistake to give the city carte blanche authority to determine what kinds and numbers of businesses should be permitted (assuming of course they are legal businesses, and not, say, brothels, etc.). Weve already seen supervisors impose unnatural restrictions that punish people for living in San Francisco, such as a complete ban on big box stores, chain stores (where chain is poorly defined), dollar stores, etc. Is Bayshore Boulevard better off now that the old Goodman Lumber building is rotting away and no jobs exist on that site? Take the example of the guy in North Beach who wanted to open a yogurt shop. By the time the city got around to handling his permit, he had 10 other locations in other states already up and running, and this local entrepreneur was classified as a chain, and could not open his home-town store. How many jobs and how much revenue did that cost the city? Are there too many restaurants on Haight St? We already have a grocery on Haight: why do we need Whole Foods? Are two low-income senior residences in the neighborhood one too many? Are existing merchants entitled to a ban from new competitors who might provide better products at lower prices? I believe the city should stay out of the business of artificially regulating competition, and rather create an incentive structure that will help neighborhood serving merchants gain traction to get started and stay viable. Simply put, every effort put forth by supervisors to pick winners and losers has resulted in disaster for San Franciscans, leaving us subject to paying high prices for commodities. It restricts choice, adds extra costs and provides incentives for going to adjacent cities (or on-line) to acquire what is not available in the city. We must be very careful in considering the consequences of the slippery slope of giving City Hall the ability to restrict commerce based on political whims. If we dont want another head shop on Haight, then the Conditional Use Permit process is the right way to fight that, on a case by case basis. Ted Loewenberg

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Library Redo: Blessing or Not?
Once again, our Park Branch Library will be closing for renovation. But, this time, the upgrades will be more visible. At a meeting held in the librarys community room on January 27, the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) turned out its top brass to answer questions about the refurbishing plans. Chief Librarian Luis Herrera, Chief of Branches Brian Bannon, architects from Field Paoli and Joseph Chow & Associates, and bureaucrats with titles too lengthy to mention here, filled several rows of chairs. Head architect Mark Schatz, with an engaging New York accent, literally bounced with enthusiasm describing the planned changes. The main desk will be moved to the center of the room and become a more functional control center in this time of minimal staffing. There will be new restrooms, improved lighting, a self-checkout station, separate study sections for both children and teens, 14 computers with an additional 10 laptops and a renovation of the lower level community room, complete with a state-of-the-art audio-visual system. Less interesting to the public are the upgrades in the mechanical and electrical systems necessary to comply with city code. So whats to complain about? Well, it means we will lose our library for at least a year, beginning this summer, to the fall of 2010. Several people asked that an interim library be created at another location. This was met with Users are leery that, once closed for renthe citys deficit noticeable coolness by SFPL ovation,reopeningbudgetPage St.will prevent the of the library. staff, who were adding up the cost and work involved. Other members of the audience warmed to the idea and began offering locations that might be available for free, such as the Boys and Girls Club and the William R. DeAvila School. Some were concerned that, in the present economic situation, once closed, the library might not reopen. In fact, there is a cost-cutting measure being circulated around the Board of Supervisors that would remove the special set aside, which insures the library a fixed percentage of the citys annual budget. Herrera assured us that the funds were in place from the $106 million bond measure passed by the voters in 2000. (And later, Supervisor Mirkarimi confirmed this.) The possibility is strong enough that Tes Welborn, Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council board member, asked that the project be postponed or put last in line for renovation. Schatz said that Park Branch was already the last branch to be renovated out of the initial bond money. The time is right, he said. The contractors are hungry now. Bids on construction projects are going down every day. This is the perfect time to act. Branch manager Cathy Delano assured the audience that there will be some library services during the closure. Certain childrens programs will be offered in neighborhood schools and community centers and there will be bookmobile service for the rest of us. She thought that the librarys once-a-month poetry reading might temporarily relocate in a nearby caf. After regaling us with all the high tech improvements, it was revealed that the bond money will not, however, cover any of them. Equipment, furniture and fixtures and will be paid for by the Friends of the SFPL, a member of which, promptly gave us a pitch on donations. The Friends are in the middle of a $16 million campaign to raise the needed money from private donations. For more information contact Mindy Linetzky, Branch Library Improvement Program at 557-4354. Karen Crommie

January was Local Authors Month
Happenings at the Booksmith
An update from Christin Evans and Praveen Madan Wrap-up of 2008
2008 was a busy year for all of us at The Booksmith. We began to re-energize our events program with some notable successes, including sell-out events with Neil Gaiman and Chuck Palahniuk at the Sundance Kabuki Theatre. In the store (1644 Haight St.) we hosted over 100 authors, including novelists Charles Bock and Richard Price, humorists Lynda Barry, Alison Bechdel and Dan Piraro, and local celebrities like Janis Bell. We also participated in a unique author event for Neal Stephenson at a first-class venue, The Grand Ballroom at The Regency Center in partnership with the Long Now Foundation. To Kim Addonizio, February 24. top off this successful year, SF Weekly honored us with an award for Best Author Appearances in San Francisco 2008.

Events Calendar

On a personal note

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Boulange de Cole Open Daily
Its only 10 a.m. at the Boulange de Cole and general manager Justin Ledbetter is pretty sure he has enough vanilla and chocolate chip madeleines for the mothers and pre-schoolers that stop by. But you never know. He says he sells more madeleines than any other boulange in the Bay Bread group of stores. But madeleines are just one of the more than 80 pastries and breads baked fresh every day. Although the corner of Cole and Parnassus has housed bakeries for half a century, nothing is baked at the Cole Street location anymore. Ledbetter says the last operator to use the ovens at the Cole and Parnassus location was Tassajara Bread Company. Remember them? After Tassajara, there was Just Desserts and then the space was vacant for more than a year until Paul, the landlord, who is a
In addition to their remarkable assortment of pastries and breads, Boulange de Cole does quite a business in food preparation. Justin says tuna is a big thing here. Both our Salade Nioise and our Tuna Melt are very popular. My suggestion: Dont overlook the open
Just some of the more than 80 products baked fresh each day and sold at Boulange de Cole.

VIDEO NOOK: Monday and Thursday rentals 2 for 1. ZAZIE: On Mondays, dogs are welcome in the patio. Tuesdays there is free corkage, bring your own wine. If we missed any specials let us know, we will do an update as needed. Lena Emmery
Most Unreported Local News in 2008: Embezzlement
We need news items, articles, letters, opinion pieces. Please tell us what you know about Cole Valley and the greater Haight Ashbury: handwritten, typewritten, e-mailed or scrawled on a cocktail napkin. We want to hear from you! CVIA News: 624 Ashbury St. or cviasf@aol.com.

Call for News

Gregory H. Colley, age 48, was arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court on August 7, 2008. Colley, a financial consultant for the non-profit corporation, Music Concourse Community Partnership (MCCP), pled not guilty to charges he embezzled $3.9 million from MCCP and committed money laundering and identity theft of two officers of the corporation. According to court documents, Colley transferred money from the corporations bank account into his personal account. He was arrested in Salem, Oregon on August 1, 2008 and was held by Oregon police until his extradition to San Francisco. The defendant is currently in San Francisco County Jail awaiting trial. Judge Dekreon denied the defendants request for a bail reduction at the time of arraignment so bail remains set at $1.5 million dollars.

WINTER 2009

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The Alvord Lake Gardening Work Party gathered on the fourth Saturday of 2009. It was a drizzly morning but it wasnt the weather that dampened our spirits. A considerable amount of the vegetation had been vandalized. The flax that surrounds the pond has been considerably thinned. In some spots, bare patches give testimony to where plants had been literally ripped from their roots. Thats three years of growth right there, said Rec and Park gardener Joe Chmielewski, as he held out an uprooted flax plant. Other plants that had been lovingly installed a few months before were Flax surrounding lake. missing. The Birds of Paradise were gone. Chmielewski explained, Some of the plants ripped out from around Alvord Lake were the cineraria, which is a bright blooming plant you can see at the corner of JFK and Stanyan. All of that disappeared, pulled out by the roots. The poor violas were torn out of the ground, but some remain. The ferns were ripped out by the roots, or the fronds were cut at the base. Some of the Douglass iris was affected. The Caught red-handed. sedges were also ripped out by the roots. The Berginia Vandal art? and Liriope were torn out of the ground. Besides the damage done by plant removal, trampling around the rim of the lake causes soil compaction and beats down artificial trails, which just encourages more intrusion by visitors. Well have to restore a buffer around the edge of the lake again and redefine small paths that people can use to get to the lake edge, otherwise its going to be hard to get anything to grow again. The word around the pond is that it only took two individuals to do this damage. One fellow is said to periodically rampage through the area possibly uprooting things because of some drug induced rationale. Another Felled tree in background that was a person cuts the flax to weave venue for mischief making was removed last week after complaints to Rec and into floral shapes. On my way Parks new manager Jared Blumenfeld. to the park that morning, I had spotted a fellow walking down Haight Street with cut flax and woven work in his hand. When I quizzed him about where he got his materials, he simply stated the pond right inside Golden Gate Park. As talented as this fellow may be, it is a shame that he is not enterprising enough to

r Downey reported on a visit to Judge Alperts Drug Court. She was impressed and urged others to attend (Mon.-Thurs., 2:00 p.m.) r David Crommie agreed to interview managers of Boulange de Cole for the next newsletter. February r Reviewed last meetings resolutions, discussed current Haight issues, heard reports from committee heads and from board representatives to the Coalition for S.F. Neighborhoods, Kezar Stadium Advisory, MTA citizens advisory committee, UCSF citizens advisory committee, Mt. Sutro Stewards and the Alvord Lake gardening work party. Board welcomed member Cole Roberts and Coco-luxe owners Stephanie Marcon and Stan Bradbury. r Treasurers report was postponed because of the absence of Joan Downey r Karen Crommie reported on Planning Director John Rahaims appearance at the Coalition for SF Neighborhoods. Issues discussed: Higher density and reduced parking requirements going forward; changes in Design Review procedure, eliminating commission review; 2009 Housing Element time table; inclusion of a preponderance of nonprofits and developers in the departments neighborhood notification list. r Crommie reported on a community presentation by the SF Public Library on the upgrades planned for the Park Branch and its closure from Summer 09 to Fall 10. She suggested a contribution to the Friends of the SFPL earmarked for Park Branch computers, etc., which was tabled until next meeting. r Cole Roberts reported on the possible one-time-only moratorium on the condo lottery, permitting all those currently holding lottery tickets to begin conversion. This would provide extra money to offset the citys coming fiscal years deficit. Roberts said that the extra fee must be high enough to be meaningful, but low enough to be widely accessible. He suggested a factor of 1.5 to 2 times the current fee or alternatively an additional $2,500 per unit. He urged attendance at a City Hall rally on February 4. r Coco-luxe owners Stephanie Marcon and Stan Bradbury described their attempt to attain a Type 02 liquor license that would enable them to stage wine and chocolate pairings in their Haight St. store. No free wine would be dispensed and only glasses of wine from their own winery (122 West) could be sold on the premises. The board voted to support them at the Board of Appeals on February 11. r David Crommie reported on the rezoning request of AgeSong for their property at 1500 Page St. which includes the construction of an additional floor, raising the building height from 40 ft. to 55 ft. Board members were generally against it, but will wait until the project sponsors community presentation on February.5. r Discussed a new task force dealing with the future of Stanyan Street being organized by HANC. Cole Roberts (environmental engineer) volunteered to attend the meetings when he was in town. Meeting adjourned at 10:30 p.m. CVIA Executive Board: Amy Blakeley, Chuck Canepa, David Crommie, Karen Crommie, Joan Downey, Lena Emmery, Carole Glosenger, Douglas Hall, Marianne Hesse.

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Thoughts on Last Election
Cole Valley resident Michael Sullivan is founder of Plan C, a citywide organization of moderates that has gained prominence over the last five years. CVIA has supported it since its founding. Below are excerpts from his end-ofthe year letter to Plan C members. Of the ballot propositions, there were two that we thought were key. These were Prop. B, Chris Dalys $2.7 billion set-aside for low income housing, and Prop. H, the public power initiative. Prop. H went down by a whopping 60-40 vote. Voters apparently agreed, yet again, that spending billions on public power isnt a priority. Plan C did a ballot argument against Prop. H, and helped develop and distribute other messaging against the measure. Public power seems to go on the ballot every two or three John Avalos, D-11 years. We hope that the huge margin of victory for the No on H campaign will discourage public power efforts for the foreseeable future so that the city can try to address real problems. Prop. Bs failure was one of the big surprises of the local election, and one of the most welcome. Almost every political expert in the city expected Prop. B to pass, and despite the fact that we wrote a ballot argument against Prop. B, we also expected it to pass. The San Francisco Association of Realtors put out some effective mail pieces late in the election cycle that highlighted the danger of Prop. Bs set-aside in this time of fiscal crisis, and we have to thank them, in particular, for their leadership in defeating Prop. B. The news was also good in the Board of Education race, where Rachel Norton, a fantastic first-time candidate, and Jill Wynns, a veteran of the Board of Education, came from behind to win, as a result of absentee ballots counted in the two weeks after election day. On the Board of Supervisors races, the news wasnt good. Moderate candidates lost in each of the three key districts that we focused on Districts 1, 3 and 11. In District 3, Joe Alioto came in second by a surprisingly wide margin to David Chiu, and in District 11, Ahsha Safai came close, but ran second to John Avalos. In District 1, the loss was particularly disappointing, as Sue Lee lost to Eric Mar by just 350 votes 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent. What happened? A few key things stand out. First, San Franciscos far left hijacked David Chiu, D-3 the Democratic partys County Central Committee in the June election. At the last minute for candidates to apply, the left got several sitting Supervisors and Board of Education members with high name-recognition to run for the obscure DCCC usually a stepping stone to high office, not the other way around. Jake McGoldrick, Aaron Peskin, Chris Daly and Eric Mar all ran (unexpectedly) and won, throwing control of the DCCC to the progressive machine. Moderates were caught off guard. Following this coup, not surprisingly the DCCC endorsed down the line for progressive candidates for supervisor Mar in District 1, Chiu in District 3, and Avalos in District 11. Control of the Democratic party slate card endorsements was especially important David Campos, D-9 this year, with the huge turnout for Obama and Democrats in general. In the weekend before the election, thousands of Democratic Party door hangers flooded San Francisco, featuring

images of Barak Obama juxtaposed with those of Chiu, Avalos and Mar. This perfect storm swamped the moderate campaigns, although in the weeks leading up to election day polls showed centrist District 1, 3, and 11 candidates either leading or in a dead heat. Moderates also were outgunned in so-called field operations. There were many more volunteers on election day for the Mar, Chiu and Avalos campaigns than for their centrist opponents. This is a chronic problem for cenEric Mar, D-1 trist candidates in San Francisco. If we want different results in the future, we are going to have to address this imbalance. Although there were disappointments, there is plenty of evidence underscored by the initiative and school board votes that San Francisco voters are a pragmatic lot. Most of us just want city leaders to focus on clean streets and parks, better schools, an efficient Muni and other quality of life improvements, rather than utopian ideologies. Michael Sullivan
Mt. Sutro Volunteers Push On
What a fantastic way to kick off the year on Mt. Sutro. The Stewards and over 40 volunteers from One Brick, SF Urban Riders and the neighboring communities expended much energy and contributed another 150-plus hours of labor to the Open Space habitat restoration and trail programs. The habitat crew under the supervision of Jake

Peterandkristin photo

Sigg and Rob Bakewell worked at numerous sites along the Historic Trail and continued to push back the invasive weeds, ivy and blackberry. My Sunday tour of the sites where the work took place left me amazed at how much was accomplished in a few short hours. Meanwhile, on the other side of the hill, the trail crew under the supervision of Dan Schneider and Dwayne McDaniel took charge of a work in progress that was started last October. The technical and challenging section of trail just below the Fairy Gates Trail near Medical Center Way is being realigned for safety and to meet the standards established for the Mt. Sutro trail network. A huge amount of excavation was required for the full bench construction on the steep hillside. Not to make things any easier the volunteers struck rock in the one remaining switchback corner needed for completion. The work was a huge success and the new alignment is now open. Some finishing work and replanting will take place next month before the Stewards move on to their next site. A huge thank you to all the One Brick, SF Urban Riders and community volunteers who participated on Saturday. Craig Dawson Mt. Sutro Stewards Ed. Note: UCSF, Mt. Sutro Volunteers, Nature in the City and the California Native Plant Society are collaborating to restore and rejuvenate the trails of Mt. Sutro. They hope to build support to

PAGE 11

connect the Universitys land and the adjacent Interior Greenbelt, managed by SF Rec and Parks Natural Areas Program, into one contiguous parkland to serve the community as an oasis of serenity and biodiversity, welcoming anyone in need of peace, fresh air and a little exercise. For the volunteer calendar, go to www.natureinthecity.org/mtsutro.php.

First Bike Signal in Haight
Have you been stymied by a strange little bicycle symbol mounted on the signal light at the Fell and Masonic intersection? Well, get used to it. In late September, the Haight received San Franciscos first bicycle traffic signal. The new signal was installed at this particular intersection to give bicyclists a dedicated signal phase to cross Masonic Avenue on the heavily used Panhandle bike path. While automobiles intending to turn left onto Masonic from Fell are stopped at the traffic signal, a bicycle symbol in the familiar green, yellow and red phases indicates when a bicyclist can cross Masonic. The pedestrian signal continues to use the white walking figure and the orange hand to direct pedestrian traffic Automobiles turning left from westbound Fell onto southbound Masonic may now do so only with a green arrow. The arrow will be red when bicyclists and pedestrians are crossing Masonic. Before the installation of the new signal, automobiles made left turns from westbound Fell to southbound Masonic as gaps in the pedestrian and bicycle traffic allowed. The bicycle community is pleased to see the first bicycle signal in San Francisco, but it should not be the last one, said Andy Thornley, program manager for the San Francisco Bike Coalition, which advocated for the improvement, along with the Fix Masonic Coalition, Walk San Francisco and other community groups. We
space involving bicycles since June 2006 (pending completion of an Environmental Impact Report, now expected in 2009). The court granted the request in May 2008 and the SFMTA Board of Directors approved the design of the new signal phasing and related lane changes in August 2008. Established by voter proposition in 1999, the SFMTA, a department of the City and County of San Francisco, oversees both the Municipal Railway (Muni) and the Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT). With five modes of transit, Muni has approximately 700,000 passenger boardings each day. Over 35,000 extra vehicles enter San Francisco on any given business day, and rely on DPT to keep the flow of cars, transit vehicles, delivery trucks, pedestrians, and bicycles moving smoothly through the streets. This new bicycle signal on the much-loved Panhandle path demonstrates San Franciscos commitment to providing safe, attractive transportation alternatives to the private automobile, said Mayor Gavin Newsom. Karen Crommie

Frances Hagen

Over the years, CVIA News has run several interviews with one of its founding members, Frances Hagan. She was a special person, not only because of her intelligence and charm but for the fact that she had spent all 97 years in the same house on Shrader Street, between Haight and Page. Her father, a civil engineer for the city, who received an award for his work on the Twin Peaks Tunnel, bought the house for $7,000 in 1912. My father thought of selling this house once when I was a child, she said, but Im glad he didnt, I love this place. In 2003, she told CVIAs Christopher Read that she could remember a Haight Street with bakeries, candy stores, meat markets, several millineries, a Woolworths, a Rexall drug store and even a corset shop. She never missed a movie at the old Haight Theatre where the kiddie matinee often began with a live stage act, sometimes an opera singer. In later years, Frances met her husband, Raymond Hagen, on the tennis courts in Golden Gate Park. In her final years her greatest pleasure was reading. She was a faithful customer of the Booksmith and owned a rare collection of its proprietary bookmarks issued over the years. Toward the end, when she couldnt get out easily, Booksmith co-owner Praveen Madan would hand deliver the books she requested. She was fond of books by Mary Higgens Clark, said Madan. Frances was a lovely lady who was an irreplacable part of our neighborhoods history and will be missed greatly.

May 19, 1911 - October 15, 2008
The white car (above) caught in the intersection, underscores the steep learning curve for those making left turns onto Masonic from Fell Street after installation of the citys first bicycle right-of-way signal.
must do everything we can to ensure the safety of bicyclists on our busy streets, he added. During the fiveyear period from March 2003 through February 2008 there were 15 reported collisions involving a vehicle making a left turn from westbound Fell Street to southbound Masonic Avenue and a bicycle crossing Masonic Avenue. There were three reported collisions involving a vehicle turning left from westbound Fell Street and a pedestrian crossing Masonic Avenue. The SF Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA) and the City Attorney went to court in April 2008 to seek an exception to the injunction that has prohibited all physical changes to the public

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Tour Busses Frequenting Muni Changes Get Final OK. Buena Vista East Intersection Say Goodbye to the 7 Haight
Tour busses have been making their way to a view stop at the top of the Duboce Avenue hill. Says resident John Hooper, They park at the intersection of Duboce and Buena Vista East, disgorging tourists who fan out to take pictures, effectively blocking the intersection in all directions. It creates a potentially dangerous situation for obvious reasons. Personally, as a resident of Buena Vista Ave East,
After months of meetings and analyses, the first comprehensive review of Muni service in a generation has been approved by the SF Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). The bad news is that the 7-Haight is going to be replaced by the 6 Parnassus, effectively eliminating service to Ashbury Heights. The good news is that this change, along with dozens of others affecting neighborhoods throughout the city will provide better general overall Muni service. SFMTA director Nathaniel Ford says, The package of recommendations could result in changing nearly half of Muni service as we know it today to more effectively meet customer needs and market demand. The recommendations made by the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) are projected to increase the number of daily
Neighbors report that tour busses are disgorging passengers to take photos at the intersection of Duboce and Buena Vista East.

I dont think tour busses on this winding and steep street are a good fit. Moreover, we are intent on making this a more pedestrian friendly neighborhood and these tour busses are antithetical to an atmosphere we cherish. Longtime Buena Vista activist Richard Magary said, How they get up here is a mystery to me given the tight S-crook on Buena Vista West at Waller, and the narrow, very steep approaches from Central, Frederick and other local streets,-but they do. The Municipal Transit Agencys map of the citys prohibited tour bus routes does not show the streets around Buena Vista Park, so tour operators may not be violating any regulations by driving through the neighborhood. However, SFPD and the Parking and Traffic Department confirm that illegal stopping, parking and blocking the intersection are violations, and can be cited. Neighbors who see any violations are urged to call SFPDs non-emergency dispatch line at 553-0123. Magary added, Fortunately, there is a related opportunity to organize Buena Vista neighbors on this issue. The Department of Parking and Traffic has begun a Traffic Calming study of the area around Roosevelt Way and Buena Vista East/West. Following a community meeting attended by more than 50 neighbors in December, several are participating in a series of workshops in the weeks ahead to identify specific issues and potential solutions. SFMTA Traffic Engineer Antonio Piccagli is coordinating the effort. Contact him with specific suggestions at Antonio.Piccagli@SFMTA.com or 7014481. For more information contact Richard Magary of the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association (BVNA) at Info@BVNASF.com or call 431-2359.
Munis #6 Parnassus will switch its route from Frederick Street to Haight Street replacing the #7 line.
boardings on Muni by 70,000, or 10 percent, by 2015, in large part by adding capacity and frequency to the busiest rail lines and bus routes. Most notably, the TEP changes should result in a shorter wait for at least 75 percent of peak period customers and 50 percent of midday customers. It also will make San Francisco greener by eliminating 60,000 miles of auto trips each day. You can expect service changes as early as July 2009. In the meantime, pilot projects could be launched before that. Moreover, during the transition from planning to implementation, we will continue to improve Muni service through reliability initiatives and travel time improvements.
CVIANEWS is published quarterly as a forum for residents of
Because the editor and production staff of CVIA News were completely exhausted after publishing the special Cole Valley Fair issue with its special pull out Fair Program, they did not publish a separate Winter edition. Hence this is a double sized, combined Winter/Spring issue. We apologize for our frailties.

No, You Did Not Miss Your Winter Issue
the greater Haight Ashbury neighborhood. The views expressed reflect those of the writers. Contributions for the Summer edition should be sent before May 1, 2009 to 624 Ashbury St., San Francisco, CA 94117 or kcrommie@aol.com. We encourage submissions from anyone interested in our neighborhood. Send questions or comments to the above address or call 431-1414.
Editor... Karen Crommie Production.. David Crommie. Editorial Assistance..Joan Downey

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Volunteer Gardeners Honored What to Do About Graffiti You can stop graffiti from spreading by removing it immeby San Francisco Beautiful diately. Experience shows that if you do this repeatedly, taggers
Members of the Alvord Lake Gardening Work Party were honored at a gala dinner at the Mark Hopkins Hotel on October 24. San Francisco Beautiful executive director Leigh Baughman read the following tribute: Created in 1801, the lake was named Stanyan Meadows Lakelet and was supposed to serve as a tranquil invitation to park visitors. In recent years, however, the lake had become desolate, dangerous and unapproachable. In 2005, Park Station Police Captain John Ehrlich formed the Alvord Lake Task Force bringing together police, social service providers and neighbors to address drug use and overnight
eventually go away. Keep a can of matching paint and graffiti remover on hand. If it persists photograph the graffiti before you remove it and file a police report by going to www.sfgov.org/site/police_index. asp. Click on online report, then on the blue vandalism/graffiti
SF Police keep photographic records of tags which help them identify vandals. If caught, they are subject to 96 hours of community service.
camping in this critical entrance to the park and establish a community presence there. The Gardening Party is a spin-off from this group. Karen Crommie, a neighborhood resident and board member of the Cole Valley Improvement Association, organized the group and has kept it going even though the Alvord Lake Task Force has been dissolved. Karen Crommie was born and raised in the neighborhood and has fond memories of strolling past the lake and under the Alvord Bridge with its curious stalactites, into the park as a child. She moved back to the area 22 years ago and was dismayed to see what had happened to this once idyllic entrance. Karen started the Gardening Work Party with a core group of volunteers consisting of Susan Strolis, Brendan and Carolyn McKenna, Ruth Wheeler, Joan Boyd and Rob Bakewell. Working with city gardener Joe Chmielewski, Golden Gate Park Manager Gloria Koch-Gonzalez and an everchanging cast of community volunteers, the Gardening Party has led the charge to revitalize the lake and nearby entrance. When the group started, the there was no water in the lake because of a broken pump. There was a resident group of overnight campers and foliage was sparse. Now the water has been restored and new plantings have begun to take hold. As they stroll by Alvord Lake with its profuse foliage, greeted by recently-returned mallard ducks and the smell of lavender, sage and rosemary, it is clear to both neighbors and tourists that Golden Gate Parks eastern entrance has once again become the welcoming gateway of its design. Naomi Lempert Lopez SF Beautiful Board of Directors

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Emergency... 911 Disturbance...553-0123 Blocked Driveways & Parking on Sidewalks..553-1200 Abandoned Vehicles...781-5865 Health Department..255-3610 Litter Patrol (sofas, mattresses, etc.).. 311 Graffiti and Illegal Sign Removal.. 311 NextBus... 311 Street Lighting...554-0730. Mayor Gavin Newsom... 554-6141 City Hall - Room Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place S.F., CA 94102
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
City Hall - Room Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place San Francisco, CA 94102 Telephone: 554-5184 FAX: 554-5163
Telephone 554-7410 554-7752 554-7450 554-7460 554-7630 554-7970 554-6516 554-6968 554-5144 554-7670 554-6975
District 1. Eric Mar Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org
Fax 554-7415 554-7483 554-7454 554-7432 554-7634 554-7974 554-6546 554-6909 554-6255 554-7674 554-6979

2. Michela Alioto-Pier

David.Chiu@sfgov.org
3. David Chiu, Board President 4. Carmen Chu
Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org Chris.Daly@sfgov.org Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org David.Campos@sfgov.org

Michela.Alioto@sfgov.org

Chief of Police Heather Fong.553-1551 Hall of Justice - 850 Bryant St. S.F., CA 94103 District Attorney Kamala Harris..553-1741. Hall of Justice - 850 Bryant St. S.F., CA 94103 Captain Teresa Barrett...242-3000 Park District Police Station 1899 Waller St. S.F., CA 94117 Teresa.Barrett@sfgov.org
5. Ross Mirkarimi 6. Chris Daly
7. Sean Elsbernd 8. Bevan Dufty

9. David Campos

10. Sophie Maxwell 11. John Avalos
Sophie.Maxwell@sfgov.org John.Avalos@sfgov.org
Membership in the Cole Valley Improvement Asso iation c is open to anyone interested in the greater Haight Ashbury. CVIAs mission is to promote a sense of responsibility and mutual respect throughout the district; preserve the character of its architecture; support the police in law enforcement efforts; encourage neighborhood-serving business; and be

BECOME A CVIA MEMBER

constructively involved in San Franciscos governmental process. Annual dues are $20.00. Membership provides contact with other responsible neighbors, a quarterly newsletter and participation in an active forum for effecting change. If you would like to become a member, please send in your dues with the form below.

Please clip and mail the coupon below to CVIA, P.O. Box 170611, San Francisco, CA 94117

Renewal

Heres my check for $20.00 made payable to: COLE VALLEY IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION
Yes! Id like to become a CVIA member!
NAME_________________________________________________E-MAIL_______________________________________________ ADDRESS _____________________________________________PHONE__________________FAX__________________________ What I like about the neighborhood:________________________________________________________________________________ What I dislike about the neighborhood:______________________________________________________________________________ I would like to help, and this is what I can do:_________________________________________________________________________ Dues paid to CVIA are not deductible as charitable contributions but may be taken as a business expense. Any amounts greater than the membership dues may be taken as a charitable deduction. Contact your accountant regarding the applicable tax law.