The Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC) is collaborating with Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), Timberland, and SF Rec and Park on Dig It!, an Outer Sunset greening event on Saturday morning, October 18, 2008.

Approximately 400 volunteers will work on various greening projects throughout the Outer Sunset, including tree plantings, and playground, park and schoolyard cleanups.

Two of the playgrounds that volunteers will be working on, Sunset and West Sunset Playground, received a failing grade in NPC¹s 2008 Playground Report Card, meaning that these sites have safety and health concerns for the children of the Outer Sunset who play there.

Therefore, Dig It! is an exciting opportunity for San Franciscans to improve the condition of the recreational spaces in the Outer Sunset that need the most attention. Moreover, Dig It! addresses the fact that the Outer Sunset is an area of the City that greatly lacks adequate street trees and parks.

EVENT DETAILS

The event kick-off will begin will begin at 8am on Saturday, October 18 at West Sunset Playground at 3223 Ortega. At 1:00pm, volunteers will reconvene at West Sunset for lunch and prizes. Scheduled to appear are Sunset District Supervisor Carmen Chu and world-renowned environmental photographer James Balog.

The first 400 volunteers will receive a special Timberland t-shirt and a ticket to a concert that evening from 6:00 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. featuring Stone Gossard, founding member of Pearl Jam, at the Regency Center¹s Grand Ballroom (1290 Sutter).

VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP

To volunteer at a Dig It! park, playground, or schoolyard cleanup project, contact NPC Outreach Coordinator Matthew Silva at (415) 621-3260 ext. 116 or msilva@sfnpc.org.

To volunteer at Dig It! tree plantings contact Reed Milnes at the Friends of the Urban Forest at reed@fuf.net or (415) 561-6890 ext. 103.

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In response to the tragic murder of Jordan McKay on September 17, 2008 at Cabrillo Street and 15th Avenue in our Richmond District, the Central Richmond District Safety Committee (CRDSC) is holding a community meeting. The goals of the meeting are:

- Provide whatever details are available about this particular incident
- Understand crime trends in our neighborhood — is crime getting better or worse, and why?
- Know what steps we can take to reduce crime and make our neighborhood safer

When:

Wednesday October 1, 2008, 6:00 pm

Where:

San Francisco Police Department Richmond Station
461 6th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 666-8000
map: http://bit.ly/4tjV2u

Speakers / Agenda:

- Irina Chatsova, SF Safe
- Kitty Ha, Safety Network / RAMS
- An officer from the San Francisco Police Department’s Richmond Station
- Q&A

Questions? Email crdsc.steering.committee@gmail.com
Comments: Post to the Central Richmond District forum: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/centralrichmonddistrict/

Finally, a reminder that anyone with tips may anonymously call the  SFPD Tip Line at: (415) 575-4444. (Refer to Case #: 080 986 135)

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Thursday, October 2, 6-8pm
City Hall, North Light Court

This promises to be a unique and exciting community event to help rebuild West Sunset Playground for our families and residents. Come join us for an evening of gourmet food and wine and good company at City Hall. There will be a silent auction with items such as spa and restaurant certificates, lunches with local politicians, and many more great items donated by local businesses and friends of San Francisco’s parks.  If you are interested in donating a silent auction item or know of any local businesses interested in helping West Sunset Playground, please let us know!

To register for the event and make your donation, visit our website at http://www.fowsp.org/SunsetSoiree.php

West Sunset Playground, located in the Sunset District on 39th Avenue and Ortega, is a heavily used playground surrounded by a high concentration of schools, a public library and residential homes. This playground is in dire need of repair as it was deemed unsafe by the Neighborhood Parks Council in their recent April 2008 assessment survey. Let’s work together to rebuild this playground for our children and our community!

For more information contact us at 415-839-8875 or events@fowsp.org.

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Saturday, September 27, 11am-4pm
Sunset Rec Center, 28th Ave and Lawton St
FREE

The Sunset Community festival will include exhibits and entertainment that celebrate the neighborhood’s successes, will feature exhibits highlighting all that is “green” which will help community members learn how to better manage natural resources and control waste, and ensure that the greater Sunset community will continue to be a safe, family-friendly environment that is culturally, socially and economically inclusive. Of course, we will continue the tradition of providing a truly fantastic, delightful day in the Sunset with live performances, fun activities, great food, and much, much more.

In keeping with the “green” theme of the Festival, this year’s event will feature garden displays from Eco SF, a Bike Roadeo for kids to learn the rules of the road, a Bike Doctor to tune-up your ride, SF PUC’s “GoSolarSF” show with many solar companies on hand, an electricity generating bike from West Sunset RecConnect’s Sunset Green youth, and many more fun and exciting ways to explore going green.  And don’t forget to bring your electronic waste for free e-recycling!

FREE E-Recycling at the Sunset Festival!

Bring your unwanted and broken electronic items to the Sunset Festival on Saturday, September 27, 11am-4pm, at the Sunset Rec Center and we will proeperly and safely recycle them.

We CAN take:
Screens (i.e. televisions, monitors & LCD displays), home and office electronics, small kitchen appliances, computers, wire, metals, batteries, vacuum cleaners, etc.
 
We CANNOT take:
Refrigerators, stoves, florescent light bulbs or other hazardous materials for disposal such as paints and chemicals (or anything with liquid).

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So this just in from the Police Captain at Richmond District Police Station.  SF Surfers – you gotta keep your eye out for car thieves because they’ve got their eye on you.

From Richmond Station Newsletter:

As some of you may remember, last year at about this time, we had numerous reports of cars being stolen from the area of the Great Highway. Many of the victims were surfers who hide their car keys somewhere on the outside of their cars while they are in the water. The vehicles were usually found the same day parked nearby and personal property had been taken from the cars. We have had an increase of this crime within the last month and

want you to be aware of this. Surfers are again being targeted as the suspect watches were they hide their keys. An investigation is on going and plainclothes officers from both the Richmond and Taraval districts are working on identifying the suspect. 

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From the Sunset District Safety Network comes some pretty cool news:

Free Trees and HUGE Tree Planting Event Coming to the Sunset

As you may know, Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) are always working hard to secure funding that will enable us to further subsidize the planting and maintenance of street trees for  residents in the Sunset.  FUF is delighted to say that Timberland has awarded us a major grant that will make this possible.  Trees will be FREE for residents.

On Saturday, October 18, FUF is planning to manage a 100+ tree planting, from 19th Avenue to the Great Highway, while coordinating simultaneous park and beach clean-up efforts.  We need to engage 400 to 500 volunteers throughout the Sunset to meet these goals.  To ensure success, we need all Sunset residents to take part in this neighborhood event.  Please contact Suzanne@fuf.net or 561-6890 x101 for more information.  

There is a great way for Sunset residents, groups, and organizations to beautify our neighborhood for FREE.  All we need to do is provide our time and energy.  Please let me know if you are interested in helping out at darrow@snbc.org.

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I received an emergency plea today from the San Francisco Zoo. 

Please, if you care about conservation programs, please reach out to your San Francisco District supervisor.

Please read the details of what will happen if we let Chris Daly stick his nose where it doesn’t belong!!!  And take a look at the plea from the SF Zoo below.

We need your help and assistance as we near the upcoming Board of Supervisors hearing on Chris Daly’s “rescue zoo” legislation. This meeting will decide the fate of the San Francisco Zoo.

As you are probably aware, it has been a trying time at the San Francisco Zoo since the events of last Christmas, but changing the Zoo into a rescue facility is not the solution. We already care for more than 100 rescued animals (e.g., the Animal Research Center education animals, the grizzly bears, and Ulu, one of our polar bears), but the legislation would require that all future animals come from rescue situations, with a few limited exceptions. Under this scheme, our Members would no longer connect with rare and endangered animals or learn about the conditions of their native lands, but more importantly, the legislation would eradicate much of the Society’s contribution to conservation, endangered species education, and other vital programs here at the Zoo.

Supervisor Daly’s “rescue zoo” legislation will be heard before the full Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, September 9. The Supervisors as well as the Mayor need to hear from you before September 9 if we want to stop this legislation. To make communication easier for you, please visit www.sfzoo.org/rescuelegislation for more details on the legislation, the Zoo’s position on the matter, and how you can help save the San Francisco Zoo – from writing letters to meeting in-person with your District Supervisor.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Mayor Gavin Newsom District 1 Jake McGoldrick  District 2 Michela Alioto-Pier District 3 Aaron Peskin, President of the Board District 4 Carmen Chu  District 5 Ross Mirkarimi

District 6 Chris Daly  District 7 Sean Elsbernd  District 8 Bevan Dufty  District 9 Tom Ammiano  District 10 Sophie Maxwell  District 11 Gerardo Sandoval

On behalf of the entire San Francsico Zoo community, I thank you in advance for your consideration and assistance.

Best regards,

Tanya Peterson
Acting Executive Director and President

 

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I’m always looking for ways to get future San Francisco home buyers information on how to buy a home. 

And this here is a FANTASTIC resource for first time home buyers in whether you want to live in the Sunset District, the Richmond District, or anywhere in SF! 

The San Francisco Affordable Homeownership Steering Committee invites you…

What: 4th Annual San Francisco Homeownership Fair
Who:  New Homebuyers & Existing Homeowners
When: Saturday, September 6, 2008, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: St. Mary’s Cathedral at 111 Gough Street, San Francisco
Why:  To learn the key steps for becoming a homeowner in San Francisco and important information for current homeowners. 

• Meet and talk with representatives from over 40 different organizations all dedicated to increasing access to affordable homeownership opportunities in San Francisco.  Exhibitors include the Mayor’s Office of Housing, SF Redevelopment Agency, Lending Institutions, Real Estate Professionals, Housing Counseling Agencies, and many others.
• Workshops include:First-time Homeownership Opportunities, How to Access Special Government Programs for First-Time Homebuyers, and Current Homeownership Market
• Most classes will be taught by local housing counseling agencies in three languages (Spanish, English and Cantonese). 
• Door prizes, giveaways, and entertainment for the whole family!

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