Many people these days are finding themselves in extreme financial hardship.  Whether it’s a sudden lay off, credit card debt, or a mortgage adjusting to unaffordable heights, money problems are stressful and trying to find the solutions to those problems can be overwhelming.

Supervisor Chu and Congresswoman Jackie Speier have teamed up to help families in financial crisis.  “Crisis to Recovery”, an economic resource fair, will be held on Saturday, July 25th  at Dianne Feinstein Elementary School.  HUD-approved, non-profit credit counselors will be on site to explain your options with mortgage, credit, and debt problems.  Representatives from various City Agencies will have information on employment, healthcare and other resources.   Learn from speakers about how to seek a mortgage modification, property tax reassessment and avoid foreclosure scams.  Counselors will be available in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

Free registration begins at 9:30 am at Dianne Feinstein Elementary School at 2550 25th Avenue.  For more information about “Crisis to Recovery”, call our office 415-554-7460 or email us at chustaff@sfgov.org.

File Attachment: Crisis to Recovery Flyer July 25_2009.pdf (3078 KB)

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Adam Greenfield recently produced a video with the Neighborhood Empowerment Network covering the first Inner Sunset farmers market back on June 7th.

As expected, the Farmer’s Market was a hit!  

As an aside, there are more Farmer’s Markets to come in San Francisco, including one coming to the Outer Sunset as well!

Adam also founded the Inner Sunset Neighborhood Group of Facebook, which he still helps run.

Through the Facebook page, several hundred members have a steady stream of information to keep in touch with the Inner Sunset neighborhood. The group also organizes monthly social gatherings, which have gotten a great response since they began last December.

The community is really taking off now. And if you live in the Inner Sunset, I’m sure you’ll enjoy being a part of it!

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Sunset Farmers Market – Exploratory Survey

The Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center and Supervisor Carmen Chu’s Office are working with community members and the Pacific Coast Farmers Market Association to explore the possibility of starting a Sunset Farmers Market.  We would like to hear your thoughts.  Please complete this super short survey (only 5 questions) to let us know what you think.  If you already filled out a paper survey, we’ve got you covered, otherwise respond now!

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Supervisor Carmen Chu invites you to donate….

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES FOR KIDS

What are you going to be for Halloween?

With Halloween right around the corner, that’s a question that every kid’s hearing right now. 

Donate costumes, dress-up clothes, festive accessories, masks and props to the:

DISTRICT 4 COSTUME DRIVE

WHEN:  October 10^th through the 25^th

DONATION LOCATIONS:

·        Taraval Police Station, 2345 Taraval St.

·        The NEW Java Beach at 2650 Sloat Blvd.

·        Sunset Recreation Center, 2201 Lawton St. at 28^th Ave.

·        Taraval Street Fair October 25, Taraval St. between 46^th Ave & Great Highway

Look for our spookily decorated donation bins

DISTRIBUTION:  Children in need of a costume are invited to select a costume from the donations at the Taraval Street Fair on October 25

For further information call: 415-554-7460 or email chustaff@sfgov.org

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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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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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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 know I’ve neglected The Avenues Blog for a little while now. 

To be honest, I’ve had some personal stuff take my mind off of everything but the bare basics of life.  Which are family (including my remaining dog), food, work (including my San Francisco Real Estate blog) and sleep, pretty much in that order. 

But, now I’m back, and I want to make it up to you. 

And to do that, I’m giving away FREE STUFF!

I’ve got FREE tickets to two great events! 

You just have to be the first to CONTACT ME and tell me which event you’re hoping to attend! 

And just for your peace of mind, I just want to note that I will never do ANYTHING with your email address.  I will not sell, rent or raffle it and in fact, you’ll never hear from me after you get the tickets!  

  
San Francisco Zoo Night Tour Tickets!

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We all see different things in different objects.  Data though – data is supposed to be cold hard facts.  You’re not supposed to be able to twist data around for your perverted pleasure.

So.  The other day, I made mention of a Forbes article which points to over-inflated property values in the Outer Sunset district. 

And today, I read the news from the National Association of Realtors.  The article is aimed at REALTORS – NOT at the general public. 

Their take on the SAME data that Forbes provided?

That the Outer Sunset is a Neighborhood Where the Bubble Hasn’t Burst!

Pardon my French but WTF?

Two completely different viewpoints taken from the EXACT same data.

The article from REALTOR.org reads:

In a report for Forbes.com, Hotpads.com, an aggregator of rental listings, produced a price-to-earnings spread for each ZIP code in the country’s 40 largest cities by comparing rental costs with buying costs for similar properties, based on number of bedrooms, location, and price per square foot.

A price-to-earnings ratio, or P/E, expresses how much a buyer has to pay for each dollar of return. Buyers in high P/E neighborhoods pay a huge premium to live in the area relative to how much it costs to rent a similar property there.

A high P/E can simply mean a neighborhood is overpriced, but it can also indicate where buyers have gambled that the area will ultimately appreciate further, turning an overpaying buyer into a smart investor.

I added the emphasis – because this is where I get thrown for a loop.

So?  Which is it?   

Well – I’m not sure.  Frankly, even I’m confused. 

And each party has different motives. 

There’s no denying that bad news sells.  Is Forbes manipulating the data?

And there’s no denying that if consumer confidence falls further, real estate prices will continue to fall.  So it the National Association of Realtors trying to spin Forbes article to make things look more peachy-keen?

My verdict?  It’s a combination of both.  And neither.  The real answer is that NO ONE HAS THE ANSWER. 

If you need to buy a home, and plan to stay AT LEAST 5–7 years, then chill out.  You’ll be allright.  Prices will appreciate enough to make up for any market slowdown that’s going on now. 

But if you are looking to buy for the short term – then stop and back away from the mortgage.  I can’t think of one good reason to buy unless you like throwing away your hard earned money. 

Want more answers?  Contact me.  I’ll try to walk you through it.  But as you can clearly see – no one has a crystal ball, and even data doesn’t give us enough insight for us to draw any real conclusions.

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SNBC’s Annual National Night Out Community BBQ is back!

Join your friends, neighbors and members of the Sunset community at this FREE community celebration. Free food and music will be provided!

When: Tuesday, August 5, 2008
5:00 – 7:00 PM

Where: Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center
3925 Noriega Street @ 46th Avenue

For more information, contact Darrow by email or by calling (415) 694-1287.

Hope to see you there!

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