A shooting just before 1 pm some two blocks from McLaren Bike Park in Visitacion Valley has left one person hospitalized and PG&E is saying that the victim may have been one of their contractors KTVU reported earlier Wednesday afternoon on a shooting in Visitacion Valley that was reported just after 12:45 pm at Sunnydale Avenue and Sawyer Street about two blocks southeast of McLaren Bike Park Responding SFPD officers found a man who was shot and he was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries But about an hour after KTVU published their report, the Chronicle reported additional information noting that the victim may have been a PG&E contractor That’s not necessarily a PG&E employee but someone who works for a third-party company that the utility hired to do specialized work for them PG&E said in a statement to the Chronicle that the company was “aware of a shooting incident in San Francisco that may have injured a PG&E contractor.” PG&E then referred any further questions to the SFPD and the Chron reports that SFPD was not currently providing any further information and the suspect in this shooting remains at large If you have any information on this incident you’re asked to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous Related: Man Allegedly Fires Gunshots at Muni Driver Near Oracle Park, Promptly Gets Arrested [SFist] The two women who were in the allegedly stolen SUV that crashed into the Napper Tandy's parklet in the Mission District on Super Bowl Sunday largely vacant first couple blocks of Powell Street will suddenly come back to life this weekend as all of Union Square becomes a hub of activity linked to the All-Star Game which is being played Sunday at the Chase Center Get the latest posts delivered right to your inbox editor / reporter who has been published in almost every San Francisco publication Get all the latest & greatest posts delivered straight to your inbox San Francisco police have released a sketch of a suspect in an attack on an elderly woman in Visitacion Valley… San Francisco police on Tuesday released a sketch of a suspect who brutally attacked an 88-year-old woman in the city’s… San Francisco police on Tuesday released a sketch of a suspect who brutally attacked an 88-year-old woman in the city’s Visitacion Valley The case started as a call at about 6:45 a.m 8 about a suspect who was seen exiting a residence in the 1000 block of Visitacion the elderly victim was found in a park across the street SEE RELATED: Community shaken after senior found badly beaten in Visitacion Valley park I stepped into the role of superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District six months ago with a deep sense of responsibility — and an even deeper sense of… Proxy materials for Wells Fargo’s annual shareholder meeting show the financial services giant’s address as being 420 Montgomery St The woman had multiple traumatic injuries that are considered life-threatening and she is still being treated for them this week SEE RELATED: Police union offers $10k reward in beating of Visitacion Valley grandmother Investigators believe the suspect attacked the victim in the park and then entered her home across the street He is described as a black man in his 30s who is about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a skinny build Investigators from the Police Department’s Special Victims Unit have been dedicated to the case and released a forensic sketch of the suspect Tuesday Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Ben Pimentel’s new weekly newsletter covering the biggest technology stories in San Francisco Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-edition email Receive occasional local offers from our website and its advertisers Sneak peek of the Examiner real estate section We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account By: 5:00 am on January 28 Construction will yield three apartment buildings the potential Building B site will no longer include housing five will be designated as affordable for households earning around half of the area’s median income Parking will be included for 14 cars and 52 bicycles Schaub Li Architects is responsible for the design Illustrations show the three-story apartments clad with bare stucco facades The roughly 0.6-acre property is located along the San Bruno Avenue thoroughfare between Harkness Avenue and Ordway Street The existing billboard on-site will remain Future residents would be near several SFMTA bus lines and a 22-minute walk from the Bayshore Caltrain station McLaren Park is just ten minutes away via the 29 or 56 bus 3255-3333 San Bruno Avenue aerial view looking over Highway 101 City records show the property last sold in 2016 to a San Francisco-based individual for $1.25 million construction is expected to cost around $8.5 million a figure not inclusive of all development costs Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates Like YIMBY on Facebook Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews I miss that cool Storybook warehouse that used to be beneath the billboard Also the bee farm that used to occupy the rest of the lot But I guess we need to build more ugly to keep the Wieners happy I don’t think these are ugly–they look pretty similar to the buildings around them “five will be designated as affordable for households” At least the majority of the ugly small units will be market rate ++ These look perfectly nice – the ugly part is the existing billboard Too bad they decided to keep that instead of putting more homes there I love that Billboard >:( I audibly went “YAY” when I read that the billboard will remain Perfectly summarizing the state of housing development in the Bay Area with a single comment What a perfect example of how broken the housing system is here All that land given up for a billboard and its view corridor And only 3 stories next to a major freeway and all those bus lines that also link to the Caltrain station just a little further south Not to mention great access to job centers from downtown SF (maybe again someday) Bayview and down to Oyster Point and the Peninsula Not to mention more people to support all the struggling Mom & Pop businesses on SBA this is a very skinny parcel – really just a remnant left over after 101 was built in the 1950s I honestly don’t know how stable that slope is between the site and the freeway Your lungs would be coated with soot in a week I hope whoever lives there invests in some really good HVAC filters ga('send', 'event', ‘Robert ‘Becker, 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/desktop-ad.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ADVERTISEMENT ga('send', 'event', 'SF YIMBY', 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/sfyimbyadnews.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); ga('send', 'event', 'SF YIMBY', 'Impression', 'https://sfyimby.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/sf-yimby-dot-com-graphic.jpg', { nonInteraction: true }); Follow on Instagram © COPYRIGHT New York YIMBY LLC The latest SF election tallies show that nearly one in five San Franciscans voted for Donald Trump Vis Valley is the Trumpiest of neighborhoods where nearly one in three voters went for Trump If you were to try and guess which neighborhood is San Francisco’s Trumpiest neighborhood of them all you’d probably guess the Marina or the mansion-lined Billionaire's Row as did the specific Pacific Heights voter precinct containing Billionaire’s Row But SFGate reports that San Francisco’s most Trump-supporting neighborhood was Visitacion Valley in this year's election where Tuesday’s results currently show Trump having received a substantially larger 34.3% of the vote there (Those figures only represent 45% of votes cast and will be updated as the count continues.) Looking at the current raw, citywide numbers, Trump got 38,503 votes in San Francisco (16.76%), compared to Kamala Harris’s 183,040 votes (79.66%). Trump might have gotten another 2,000 or so votes if RFK Jr. were not on the ballot Compare this to 2020, when Trump got 56,417 SF votes If we consider that only 45% of the vote has been counted Trump would pick up another 21,000 or so votes theoretically) at 59,679 votes when it’s all said and done which is a slight but not huge increase in the 2020 SF Trump vote And perspective, folks. According to the data from designer Chris Arvin’s free ElectionMapSF project Trump did not win one single precinct of San Francisco 514 precincts But ElectionMapSF also lets you break down results by neighborhoods the more that neighborhood voted for Trump.) And that data’s current results show that 34.3% of Vis Valley voters went for Trump McLaren Park (30.6% Trump) Chinatown (29.4% Trump) and Outer Mission (28.9% Trump) Supervisor Ahsha Safai’s District 11 was the Trumpiest district with him receiving 28.8% of the vote there and Michael Lai and Chyanne Chen are locked in a near-dead heat for that seat at 51%-49% Does this represent a real SF shift toward Trump? Possibly. There was certainly some very Trump-like rhetoric at some of Mark Farrell’s campaign events But this is probably just in line with national trends where Trump picked up slightly more Latino and Asian vote despite the fact that he described those communities with vulgar insults more important conundrum that Democrats are going to have to assess and figure out for future elections Related: Over 56,000 People in San Francisco Voted for Trump [SFist] CALIFORNIA - MAY 03: Far right activists wave American and President Donald Trump flags during a freedom of speech rally in front of City Hall on May 03 Dozens of far right activists staged a freedom of speech rally in front of City Hall a day after Facebook permanently banned several alt-right personalities from the social media platform Today’s Darwin Award nomination goes to a woman allegedly driving in Hayward at twice the legal DUI limit and apparently had her four-year-old daughter in the car at the time Both the former and the current lead restaurant critics at the San Francisco Chronicle agree: There is a hidden gem in the food court at the former Westfield mall soon to rebrand again to become the San Francisco Centre Two illegal nightclubs and three gambling dens have been successfully shut down in San Francisco in recent months thanks to enforcement actions by the SF City Attorney's Office The office announced the closures of the five scofflaw businesses today saying that all five "created a public nuisance and fueled illegal activity in San Francisco’s southeast neighborhoods." One was an illegal after-hours nightclub that had been operating brazenly — and loudly — in a space at 3261 Mission Street for at least several months. Mission Local had reported on the club which was operating out of Mexican restaurant Aurora after a flyer had circulated advertising a New Year's Eve after-hours party there with "Dancing" and "DJs" going from 1 am to 8 am An illegal after-hours club was also operating out of the former Our Place bar in the Excelsior And gambling dens were shut down at 57 Leland Avenue in Visitacion Valley 5530 Mission Street in the Outer Mission/Crocker-Amazon The property owners at all five buildings were sent demand letters by the City Attorney's Office requiring them to get their tenants to cease the illegal activity "I appreciate that the property owners cooperated with our demands to put an end to this wildly illegal conduct," said City Attorney Chiu in a statement "This outcome brings real relief to the neighbors who endured the chaos caused by these illegal gambling dens and nightclubs our Code Enforcement Team worked hard to ensure San Francisco is a safe and enjoyable place to live." Regarding the 3261 Mission Street after-hours club neighbors apparently were subjected to extremely loud music in the wee hours of the morning for months "You could hear it blasting through the building with all my windows closed and me watching TV," one neighbor told Mission Local 'Is anyone else hearing this?' It’s incredibly loud." An SFPD officer and an Entertainment Commission investigator apparently visited the establishment in November and December and observed alcohol being served without a license SFPD officers raided the gambling den on Leland Avenue in January seizing nine gambling machines and a stolen firearm and ammunition and ammunition at the 5530 Mission Street location — that was after getting a search warrant following a report of shots fired at the address back in August 2024 Executing a search warrant at the Cayuga Terrace address in September — which SFist reported on at the time — police reportedly seized ten gambling machines and methamphetamine The SFPD and SF City Attorney's Office also busted several illegal gambling dens in the Tenderloin last summer, including one that was a purported "drug house" as well Top image: The former Our Place bar in the Excelsior Union Square was forced to disrobe its plans for placing a 45-foot-tall Burning Man statue of a nude woman there but the statue has found a different home at the Embarcadero The female chimp Maggie at the SF Zoo was one of the five oldest chimpanzees in the United States and the SF Zoo just announced that she has died Barmann is a fiction writer and web editor who's lived in San Francisco for 20+ years 2025 at 10:56 am PT.css-79elbk{position:relative;}The student reported the incident to the San Francisco Unified School District​ the district notified schools neighboring Visitacion Valley Middle School (Shutterstock)Editor's Note: This story has been updated to reflect an ICE statement provided to KRON4 that indicated the encounter the student experienced was not with U.S SAN FRANCISCO, CA — A San Francisco middle school student was reportedly approached on a Muni bus by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent, who asked the student for their identification on Thursday morning, KRON4 reported on Friday an ICE spokesperson told KRON4 that the encounter the student reported was not with a U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer The student reported the incident to the San Francisco Unified School District Refugee & Immigrant Solidarity in Education and the SF Rapid Response Network had been notified Tensions surrounding the issue of immigration have skyrocketed nationwide as President Donald Trump's administration has vowed to conduct immigration enforcement near or in schools State and local education leaders in California rebuked the move and have issued guidance to immigrant students and families about their rights SEE ALSO: Hikers Shot, Robbed By Suspected Cartel Members Near Border: Officials The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday reversed a 2011 policy that prohibited immigration authorities from detaining immigrants near locations like schools “This action empowers the brave men and women in (Customs and Border Protection) and (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to enforce our immigration laws and catch criminal aliens — including murderers and rapists — who have illegally come into our country Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday California's Department of Education sent a letter to local public education administrators with resources for immigrant students and families and reminders about their rights Under state law, school officials are not required to allow immigration agents to enter schools without a warrant issued by a judge, Ed Source reported "I know there is a lot of fear and anxiety around the incoming administration’s anticipated changes to immigration policy and their teachers and school administrators are prepared," Bonta said School officials are bracing for the consequences of the Trump administration’s order allowing immigration enforcement near schools The Association of California School Administrators in a statement said that experience shows "this decision will result in some students not attending school and severe impacts on social-emotional well-being." READ MORE: If ICE Comes To School: CA Issues Guidance For Teachers, Staff Patch Staffer Chris Lindahl contributed to this report Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. A couple hours ahead of a planned announcement by the San Francisco Unified School District and though it does not represent a finalized list it will give parents and teachers an idea of what's to come After months of drama and high anxiety at the SF school board and within the SFUSD, a picture has emerged which includes nine elementary and K-8 schools and two high schools that are set to close completely or merge into another school. A number of these schools were previously identified by the Chronicle in an extended data analysis showing which SF schools are the most under-enrolled The closures represent a potential $22 million annual savings to the district, and will involve the relocation of some 2,000 students in the next school year. And the district previously revealed in a budget plan that the closures could result in around 600 layoffs of teachers and staff As both the Chronicle and Mission Local report from the pre-released list Jean Parker Elementary School in North Beach/Chinatown is on the closure list along with Sutro Elementary School in the Richmond and El Dorado Elementary School in Visitacion Valley Students at El Dorado would merge with students at Visitacion Valley Middle School with both using the Visitacion Valley campus both schools have been running at 36% to 38% of their capacity Students at Jean Parker would have the option of attending Gordon J while Chin Elementary has been at 98% capacity Yick Wo Alternative Elementary School in Russian Hill is proposed for closure as well with students given the option of attending Redding Elementary or Sherman Elementary Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy in the Castro is proposed to merge with Sanchez Elementary and the Harvey Milk campus will become an early education center And it looks like Malcolm X Academy Elementary School is proposed to close with the students merging with Carver Elementary and moving to that campus San Francisco Community K-8 would merge with Paul Revere PreK-8; San Francisco Public Montessori would merge with Rosa Parks Elementary; and Spring Valley Science Elementary School would merge with John Muir Elementary where the writing was likely on the wall based on enrollment and the June Jordan School for Equity in the Excelsior June Jordan topped the list of under-enrolled schools with a capacity for 1,275 students and just 200 enrolled Students at June Jordan would merge with John O'Connell Technical High School in the Mission — another under-enrolled school which had just 471 students and a capacity for over 1,400 This could prove to be one of the more controversial closures given the school's equity focus and largely Black and brown population several of the schools proposed for closure are in "good" condition and require relatively little in repairs and the SF Board of Education will have to finalize the list and give it a first hearing on November 12 A formal announcement from SFUSD Superintendent Dr Wayne said in a comment to the Chronicle that a series of community meetings will be taking place but "We’re not going out to ask schools whether they want to close or not."  Wayne tells the paper that the tactic will be to say your situation is not sustainable," and to ask Muni underground service is finally back up and running; that former San Jose Police union director pleaded guilty to dealing opioids; and the debate for the former Feinstein Senate seat happened tonight A new lawsuit from 14 state attorneys general goes after TikTok for those “challenge” videos that have killed teens nationwide and even alleges an economy of underage nude videos that have created a "virtual strip club" on the platform By: 4:39 am on August 30 A new residential project has been pitched for development at 3338 San Bruno Avenue in Visitacion Valley The project proposal includes the construction of a new three-story residential building on an undeveloped lot Sandy and Quintin Donnelly are listed as the property owners Creates Cool is responsible for the designs 3338 San Bruno Avenue 2-3 Floor Plans via Creates Coo The project site is a parcel spanning an area of 1,750 square feet The scope of work includes the construction of a new three-story building spanning an area of 2,901 square feet of built-up residential space The residential building will offer a three-bedroom floor plans The residential building will rise to a height of 28 feet The residential building will offer a roof space of 951 square feet and two parking spaces on the site The project construction cost is estimated at $2,000,000 The estimated construction timeline and market availability has not been announced yet “a three-bedroom floor plans” English By: 4:30 am on August 15 The proposal will merge 93-95 and 97 Leland Avenue to form one 6,250 square-foot lot with two existing homes and retail The 29-foot tall structure will yield around 8,000 square feet with 6,580 square feet for housing and 1,470 square feet for retail there will be five one-bedrooms and two two-bedrooms Parking is included for ten bicycles and no cars Residents will have access to 2,500 square feet of useable open space IDS Engineering is the structural engineer Architecture is responsible for the rendering GMK Engineering is the civil engineer consultant Prospect Row Ventures is the project sponsor construction is estimated to cost at least $1.7 million and last 14 months from groundbreaking to completion another square building with no style (or Soviet Era “style” if that counts) Why don’t you just use box cars and call it a day This will be an eyesore for 60 years until demolished A legacy that I would not attach a resume to Authorities took a man into custody in connection with a shooting inside a garage in Visitacion Valley in October 2020… Larry Barefield faces multiple attempted murder charges over shooting A 20-year-old man is facing attempted murder charges after authorities identified him as one of three shooters who coordinated an “assassination attempt” on a group of men getting haircuts inside a garage in Visitacion Valley Larry Barefield was arrested last Tuesday when police served a search warrant in San Pablo He was connected to the shooting on the afternoon of Oct 2020 at a home near Tioga and Wilde avenues through DNA evidence according to police and the District Attorney’s Office The four victims were getting haircuts at a makeshift barbershop when the gunmen got out of a car and sneaked up to the garage unloading a “large volley of shots” that struck two of the men Assistant District Attorney Ryan Kao said in court records Barefield “drove to the scene armed with a pistol fitted with a drum magazine took care to conceal himself as he snuck up on his victims and fired a high volume of shots,” Kao wrote “This type of assassination attempt reflects a high degree of malice and disregard for the value of human life.” Barefield was arrested after police swabbed a pole that one of the gunmen is believed to have grabbed while retreating from the scene The swab turned up DNA evidence that tied him to the scene Police also recovered “distinctive green shoes” while serving a warrant on Barefield that the gunmen who grabbed the pole was seen wearing Barefield is now facing 14 charges including four counts of attempted murder and four counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm His attorney did not respond to a request for comment Barefield has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court April 15 He is being held at County Jail without the option of bail at the request of the District Attorney’s Office The shooting injured a 36-year-old man and an 18-year-old man Court records show one of the men was shot multiple times SF says it is making progress on forming an anti-corruption office Both the victims and the suspects had left the scene by the time officers responded to a report of the shooting at around 1:40 p.m. The younger man was driven to a local hospital by a private vehicle while police found the other victim at a different location Court records show police recovered a revolver and a pistol as well as two high-capacity drum magazines while investigating the case Police said officers previously arrested two other men besides Barefield on gun charges in connection with the incident were charged and have since resolved their cases through plea agreements according to the District Attorney’s Office But court records also list Reed and Cawthorne as victims in the shooting Prosecutors say they were among the group of men who were shot at in the garage Just months before the shooting, police arrested Cawthorne on suspicion of murder in connection with the fatal shooting of 48-year-old Deanna Rice in Hunters Point on June 8 The District Attorney’s Office declined to charge him with murder in that case Police and prosecutors do not appear to have alleged any connection between the two incidents mbarba@sfexaminer.com By: 5:00 am on November 20 New renderings have been published for a proposed three-story residential addition to 186-198 Leland Avenue in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood The development will build two new commercial spaces and four apartments Stanley Lee is listed as the property owner and project applicant 186-198 Leland Avenue aerial view showing off the rear-lot courtyard and bare rooftop deck The 36-foot tall structure will yield 8,250 square feet with 3,240 square feet on the ground level and roughly 2,500 square feet on the second and third floors A 350 square foot common area will be opened on the building’s rooftop Parking space will be included along Rutland Street for one car and six bicycles I.C.E. Design Inc. a South San Francisco-based firm led by Jeff Chow The project shows a typical design for a corner-lot infill with boxy bay windows and asymmetrical window placement Facade materials will include wood-look siding and concrete panels wrapped along the ground floor 186-198 Leland Avenue from the corner of Leland Avenue and Rutland Street the three buildings last sold together in 1988 for $250,000 New building permits were filed in late-2017 and filed earlier this year Construction is expected to cost $1.775 million Demolition will be required of three single-story commercial fronts with a restaurant Tasteful and understated seems just right for Leland Visitacion Valley is a sweet little neighborhood that deserves a lot more energy and life within its boundaries Obv I don’t want to see the neighborhood get flipped but I hope that once the Schlage Lock redevelopment (not to mention the Sunnydale project) moves along it’ll help drive some more much-needed care and attention to the area UCSF helped to provide COVID-19 testing in the Mission District in April It is now collaborating to expand testing in several San Francisco neighborhoods. Photo by Barbara Ries UC San Francisco epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists are partnering with several community organizations and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) to offer comprehensive voluntary COVID-19 testing to residents of the Bayview three medically underserved neighborhoods in the southeast region of the City with significant African-American The collaboration is the latest example of UCSF’s tightly coordinated work with the City and County of San Francisco and affected communities to respond to the public health crisis presented by COVID-19 Under the banner “United in Health D10” (a reference to San Francisco’s Supervisory District 10 testing for the Bayview will take place on May 30 and 31 1520 Oakdale Ave; testing for Sunnydale and Visitacion Valley will take place June 1 and 2 United in Health D10 is part of the recently launched UCSF COVID-19 Community Public Health Initiative, which aims to counteract an overall lack of data about the community spread of SARS-CoV-2 that has made the virus hard to track and contain. The initiative, led by Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo vice dean for population health and health equity at the UCSF School of Medicine focuses on communities and populations disproportionately affected by the virus and on building robust community partnerships the initiative recently sponsored a similar testing program in the Mission District along with the neighborhoods in United in Health D10 is among the neighborhoods with the highest rate of coronavirus cases in San Francisco Although many people who become infected with the coronavirus may never show symptoms And even those who do experience symptoms may never get sick enough to go to the hospital “Because we don’t have a treatment for COVID-19 and we do not have a vaccine to prevent it, the only way we will crush this coronavirus is to try to identify people who are positive and are potentially infectious, and to provide whatever support they need to isolate,” said Kim Rhoads associate professor of epidemiology and biostatistics who has spearheaded UCSF’s community engagement efforts for the new testing program To make this possible, UCSF’s new COVID-19 initiative employs a “wraparound” approach – marshaling the knowledge and networks of trusted community organizations to provide follow-up and support for those with positive test results – that was put in place by UCSF professor of medicine Diane Havlir during the Mission District testing program these organizations are there on the ground – pandemic or not – serving the needs of the community and population,” Rhoads said “They know where the resources are and how to leverage those resources.” With a goal of reaching 800 individuals per day over a four-day period both diagnostic (PCR) and serological (antibody) tests will be offered to “all who live multigenerational neighborhoods,” said Michelle Pierce executive director of the Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates who has worked closely with Rhoads to engage families and community organizations in the new testing program United in Health D10 also benefited from the enthusiastic backing of District 10 Supervisor Shamann Walton who represents the neighborhoods where the testing will take place “I’m proud to work with UCSF and District 10 community leaders to bring COVID-19 testing to the Bayview and Visitacion Valley,” Walton said. “Like UCSF’s prior study in the Mission this testing program in D10 will help us to better understand the spread of COVID-19 in San Francisco’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.” The new UCSF lab was made possible in partnership with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative under the leadership of Biohub Co-President Joe DeRisi a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UCSF All participants in the new testing program will receive “care packages” containing information on COVID-19 and community resources personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks executive director of Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness which aims to eliminate health disparities among marginalized communities in San Francisco “This is an opportunity to learn more about what's happening and to get resources.” Those who do opt for the testing and are positive for active COVID-19 infection will get immediate follow-up calls from an SFDPH Clinical Response Team which will work hand-in-hand with community groups to assist with the process of facilitating isolation and quarantine through partnerships with local organizations and health care networks will remain in regular contact with those individuals and in collaboration with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and other helpful items for the approximately two-week period required for a person’s immune system to clear the virus The diagnostic test for COVID-19 is not perfect so those who test negative will be advised to continue to abide by shelter-in-place and social-distancing mandates to protect them from getting infected or infecting others “UCSF has been a key partner of the San Francisco Department of Public Health and together we are doing everything we can to support the health for all our communities in our city,” said Grant Colfax “This program will provide voluntary testing to populations and locations in our city that are most affected by health disparities this testing effort will help identify and slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community and help provide critical information to the community scientists and public health agencies about how the disease spreads and how we can stop it.” the scientific lead of United in Health D10 emphasized that testing is foundational to every other component of the pandemic response that UCSF has mounted in collaboration with the State of California and the City and County of San Francisco especially as the state and City move to reopen businesses and places of worship “This is what we must do in order for us to respond effectively and reopen safely,” said Havlir Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center “We need more local community epidemiology like this to get a sense of where we stand and where active infection may still be occurring so as public health officials begin to release constraints on movements we can avoid resurgence of the disease.” UCSF’s closely coordinated response with the City and County of San Francisco and state of California to COVID-19 has included providing forecasting and counseling by UCSF epidemiologists; implementing a statewide contact tracing program in collaboration with the California Department of Health; providing $1 million and clinical expertise for the City to open a COVID-19 unit at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital; and opening a new 53-bed respiratory isolation unit at UCSF Health’s Mount Zion hospital to expand the city’s overall hospital capacity for potential future surges while offering dedicated space for current patients The proactive effort builds on UCSF’s long-standing commitment to addressing public health crises which dates back to the University's founding in the mid-19th century and has affiliations throughout the Bay Area Subscribe to UCSF News Visit the Media Center © 2025 The Regents of The University of California By: 5:00 am on February 12 New building permits have been filed for the single-family infill at 292 Arleta Avenue in San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood. The plans will replace a hundred-year-old vacant home with a three-story residence. Design Consultants Group is responsible for the design The three-story structure will yield around 3,600 square feet with 3,460 square feet for housing and 140 square feet for the one-car garage Additional parking is specified for two bicycles The future tenant will be able to move in with five bedrooms The contemporary design by DCG uses stucco and wood-look panels The new building permit estimated construction would cost around a quarter million dollars An estimated timeline is not available as per the project application City records show the property was built in 1923 The single-story room spans around 600 square feet on the 0.06-acre property Parents demonstrate outside Visitacion Valley Elementary School on Thursday calling for the removal of the school’s principal Some 20 parents gathered outside of Visitacion Valley Elementary School on Thursday morning to protest what they said was a… Some 20 parents gathered outside of Visitacion Valley Elementary School on Thursday morning to protest what they said was a failure by the school principal to take action on pervasive bullying They alleged Principal April Scott has created a toxic climate that has pushed out dozens of staff members and stifled parent participation The parents said a total of 17 Visitacion Valley staff members — including teachers in the 2016-2017 school year after butting heads with Scott and “many more plan on leaving if she stays,” said Erin Gutierrez who read aloud text messages that she said she received from a teacher currently employed at the school the [staff members] have left either voluntarily or because their hours were reduced or they were pushed out,” said Gutierrez who was employed at the school for three years Howard said she requested leave from the school after filing a grievance against Scott with the district She said Scott disapproved of Howard meeting her mentee even after work hours and on the student’s lunch break “She had an issue with the mentee coming to see me on the mentee’s lunch time She said she was disturbing my work and couldn’t be there,” said Howard who has been an SFSUD employee for 30 years “This is a fourth grade student that was really upset and wanted to know why the principal didn’t like her who became the school’s principal last school year was not present at the protest and did not respond to requests for comment by press time she expressed her commitment to Visitacion Valley students and their families “hoping they realized I wanted nothing less than the best for their children.” which she said included an increase in proficiency rates in state English language test scores for African American and Latino students Scott indicated to parents that she would be leaving her position at the school but a later memo clarified that she was not resigning but taking “intermittent leave” to attend to family matters SFUSD spokesperson Laura Dudnick said that the district “understands there are some staff and parents at Visitacion Valley Elementary School who have expressed concerns,” and that those concerns are being investigated Dudnick confirmed there were “vacancies this school year non re-elects and transfers due to lack of funding,” but noted that all vacancies have been filled She said a position left open by a teacher who went on maternity leave has been filled by a substitute the school currently has 18 full-time teachers and two resource teachers for 365 students “The principal holds regular meetings with parents and is dedicated to partnering with families and the community to provide students with the best possible education and a supportive learning environment,” Dudnick said in an email to the San Francisco Examiner “The assistant superintendent and director have also met with parents Visitacion Valley Elementary has numerous supports in place to address bullying and other student behaviors.” But parents who say their kids are currently victims of bullying disagree Marie Elena Mendoza said that her second grade son was locked in the bathroom with the lights off by an older student last month “He is in fear he can’t be in a place with the lights off He is very traumatized and he is becoming very aggressive,” Mendoza said Mendoza claims that she addressed the incident at a parent meeting with Scott who allegedly asked Mendoza if she had addressed her concerns with her son’s teacher whose second grade son was transferred to a different school this week as a result of bullying at Visitacion Valley Elementary School said that Scott has been “bullying teachers” and is “even approaching parents.” “She’s not letting staff members speak to parents we are not allowed to speak to our teachers or any staff,” she said the parents held up signs underneath umbrellas that read “Our neighborhood our school” and “Parents for Vis Valley students,” in hopes of promoting change at the school some 45 parents attended a school board hearing where they aired their concerns and De La Paz says that nearly twice as many have signed a petition supporting Scott’s removal A parent who entered the school at the time of the protest defended Scott “I don’t have any issues with the principal,” said the parent It has to do with the school district and the lack of what they are doing and not supporting what is going on in these schools.” School Board member Mark Sanchez said that a variety of issues could be playing into the tense climate at the school The district has hired 700 credentialed staff — including 500 classroom teachers — since the beginning of last school year “We had that kind of turnover and it really impacts the east side [schools] more than the west and it’s an equity issue we have to tackle,” said Sanchez adding that high turnover is de-stabilizing and helps create “a negative environment for behavior.” Sanchez said that each year there are several school communities that approach the school board because they are “disenchanted with their leadership.” “We need to do better as a district to train our site leaders to be less top down and more democratic in how they make decisions,” said Sanchez “I’m not saying that’s what’s happening in that school but I do see that often happening in our district.” lwaxmann@sfexaminer.com addresses and social infoCall 9-1-1 in case of life-threatening emergencies or crimes in progress (Police Fire or Medical Emergencies within San Francisco) 1-415-553-0123 but do not require an immediate response (e.g. a group of juveniles loitering in front of your home 3-1-1 1-415-575-4444 For information regarding on-going criminal behavior occurring in your community. Learn more Enter TIP411 (847411) in the “To” field and the keyword “SFPD” in the text field, followed by the message. Learn more Bayview 1-415-671-2300 Central 1-415-315-2400 Ingleside 1-415-404-4000 Mission 1-415-558-5400 Northern 1-415-614-3400 Park 1-415-242-3000 Richmond 1-415-666-8000 Southern 1-415-575-6000 Taraval 1-415-759-3100 Tenderloin 1-415-345-7300 Find Your Station 1245 3rd StreetSan Francisco, CA 94158Get Directions General Phone 1-415-837-7000 Complete SFPD Directory San Francisco Police officers responded to a residence on the 1000 block of Visitacion Avenue A witness reported seeing an unknown male suspect exit the residence from an interior staircase then walk eastbound on Visitacion Avenue an 88 year-old female suffering from severe head injuries was located in a park across the street The victim was transported to the hospital and still being treated for life-threatening injuries Investigators believe the unknown suspect attacked the victim in the park and then entered her home across the street before fleeing the area The suspect is described as a black male in his thirties approximately 5’6” tall with a skinny build.  A dedicated team of investigators from the SFPD Special Victims Unit is actively working this case Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD 24 hour tip line at (415) 575-4444 or Text a Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD Emergency Phone 9-1-1 Non-Emergency Phone 1-415-553-0123 City Services & Questions 3-1-1 A pioneering programme has reduced stress and improved grades at Visitacion Valley middle school – with lessons other schools can learn from There was a time when Visitacion Valley middle school in San Francisco could have featured in a gritty US crime drama One day children came in to find three dead bodies dumped in the schoolyard “In 2006 there were 38 killings in our neighbourhood,” says Barry O’Driscoll the school’s head of physical education (PE) He says the lives of students were infected by violence in the community and several fights would break out every day In 2007 a meditation programme called Quiet Time was brought in to meet some of these challenges “When I first heard about it I thought it probably wasn’t going to work,” says O’Driscoll “We get thrown a new thing every couple of years so I didn’t put too much faith in it.” But in April were easier to teach and the number of fights fell dramatically.” Read moreA lot has changed over this period including three principals coming and going but O’Driscoll puts the turnaround down to the one constant: the calming influence of the meditation programme “It’s provided a lot of stability to our school helping staff and kids get through the stress they have in their lives.” The impressive results have led to more schools in the city introducing the programme Its origins are in the 1990s when two Silicon Valley investors – Jeff Rice and Laurent Valosek – developed a programme to teach meditation in public schools inspired by the tragic Columbine high school massacre violent movies and video games,” says Rice “But no one touched on the real problem – stress.” So the privately funded non-profit Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE) was set up When they started everyone said it would be impossible to get 12-year-olds to sit for even a minute but through transcendental meditation (TM) they proved critics wrong sees students sit for 15 minutes of meditation twice a day Classes take place at students’ desks after the qualified TM teacher rings a bell Students then repeat a personal mantra (a word from Sanskrit the ancient Indian language) in their heads until they reach a deep feeling of relaxation Sometimes the whole school meets to meditate in assemblies the Quiet Time programme requires all staff to be trained in TM O’Driscoll was sceptical at first about mediating himself but since giving it a try he can concentrate better and feels less stressed The teacher has also seen dramatic transformations in his students Eighth grader Stacy* has been meditating since she joined the school three years ago “She used to have trouble at home and get into fights with her family,” says O’Driscoll she mellowed out and started getting along with people.” Stacy’s academic performance has also improved – she’s in the top 5% of the class But adopting the programme isn’t without it’s challenges To do it properly Visitacion Valley middle school made the day 30 minutes longer Other schools have taken a few minutes off lunch and tutorials As for getting the children to start meditating O’Driscoll says the biggest hurdle was getting them to feel comfortable with their eyes closed “They thought their classmates would be making fun of them maybe possibly even hitting them,” he says O’Driscoll also says that leadership buy-in is essential for the programme to work as there needs to be support in terms of time and resourcing “Don’t just throw it into 2,000 schools,” he says “Start with one class or year and let it grow from there.” However, Swarana Patel, a teacher in a north London secondary school where behaviour is often an obstacle, can see the benefits of a more intensive programme like this. “A lot of the kids have deep anger issues or problems focusing,” she says. “Maybe having half an hour just to focus on themselves so they get awareness and grounding, might have some impact.” Read moreAnd it could help reduce costs later. “Young people are incredibly stressed,” says Michael Matania who teaches mindfulness meditation to young people in London through a programme called Mindkit “There’s an explosion of mental health problems among young people and it’s going to be incredibly expensive to treat in the future It’s much cheaper to focus on prevention and building resilience and mindfulness is the single best tool that you could possibly give them.” but now the children are not as affected by it but the kids are able to talk through it and move on instead of punching each other,” says O’Driscoll adding that the last fist fight at the school was three years ago *The name of one student has been changed KQED Live EventsPRX Podcast Garage EventsEvents Around the Bay AreaMember Benefits with KQED LiveVideos from KQED LiveWatch recordings of recent KQED Live events FeaturedThat's My WordAn ongoing exploration of Bay Area hip-hop history See Senior Director of TV Programming Meredith Speight’s recommendations from this month’s KQED 9 Watch recordings of recent KQED Live events Support KQED by using your donor-advised fund to make a charitable gift Visitacion Valley Middle School students march from their school to June Jordan High School on April 8. (Alex Emslie/KQED)It was a march that almost didn't happen But today, a couple dozen San Francisco students from Visitacion Valley Middle School made a statement on police accountability and violence in their neighborhoods. They took a field trip to a neighboring high school, June Jordan School for Equity through John McLaren Park in southeast San Francisco wasn't 13-year-old Shauntique Smith-Carter's original idea "My whole intention was to walk on both sides of the streets and take up the whole Mission," he said "and I knew that would probably get ya'lls attention because I know the news Shauntique's idea started to take off sometime in late February after he had brought it to a few of his teachers and one assistant principal "There was a lot going on in the country at that time," Stewart said "a lot with Ferguson and New York City and Michael Brown 'What would be the possibility of our school having a march or something positive?' " Students and teachers from other schools found out and wanted to join But after more than one school got involved what was initially a field trip became a districtwide event that had to be approved by the district "San Francisco School District risk management said we just didn’t do our due diligence," Stewart said SFUSD's risk management office did not respond to questions about the district's rationale for canceling the march A school district spokeswoman said SFUSD is supportive of the students' event today She said she didn't know about the previous plan There were a few days in mid-March when the students were sure their march was canceled "At first I was mad and I wanted to flip out," Shauntique said That moment illustrates a transformation the 13-year-old has undergone over the past year Shauntique calls her "mom," but he also maintains a relationship with his biological mother "Shauntique has a little past of fighting and being angry and just not getting along with staff or students," she said Stewart said his relationship with Shauntique has involved a lot of office visits after teachers kicked him out of class Shauntique was severely injured -- something he calls a life-changing experience He survived but was hospitalized for months part of the time in a medically induced coma He had a total of 16 surgeries and carries a metal rod in his right leg and two pins in each of his shoulders "I was hanging out in Havenscourt [Oakland] thinking I was a little billy bad butt adding his mother and siblings had always told him to stay away from selling drugs he can feel the metal in his body "freezing," and he exercises every morning to keep his weight down so he doesn't lose his leg he realized that’s not the life for him," Ross said "He wants to pursue a college education; he didn’t feel that way before He wants to help other people; he was very self-centered and egotistical through the curriculum of a special education teacher Shauntique suddenly had a teacher he could identify with who was talking about a subject that resonated "That educator has done an outstanding job of bringing in things that matter to our students that have them engaged in the classroom," Stewart said "So this [march] is just one more engagement piece and I think that has to happen throughout the school." Students at Visitacion Valley could use some engagement There's a higher-than-average number of foster youth at the school, and 84.3 percent of the student body is classified as "socioeconomically disadvantaged" by the school district Only 7 percent of African-American students score at or above proficient in science The whole student body ranks at about half the rate of the rest of the district for proficiency in English and math Visitacion Valley Middle School's population last year was about equal parts African-American and Latino students, and those two groups make up more than half the student body. Just 4.3 percent of students there are white. Suspensions started to fall at the school and districtwide last school year but Visitacion Valley's suspension rate is still more than six times the district as a whole Stewart paged through a stack of letters from Shauntique's class They were delivered after the students learned their march was canceled though some students added a phrase here or there "We figured out a different way of doing it," Stewart said "They should be able to speak about what’s going on in their community." That different way involved scaling back the march It would be only Visitacion Valley Middle School The students played drums and sang as they walked the mile or so between the schools An SFUSD spokeswoman said the district could not accommodate KQED reporting on events inside June Jordan But ninth- and 10th-grade humanities teacher Karen Zapata said the "students teaching students" workshops went went well "It’s basically our young people showing leadership and sharing their skills as conscious young people with a group of middle schoolers who feel really strongly about injustice," Zapata said a 16-year-old who facilitated some of the workshops with the middle schoolers recited portions from Martin Luther King Jr speeches to an assembly of the whole high school "It was crazy because the middle schoolers had so much opinion in them," she said To learn more about how we use your information, please read our privacy policy. Muralist Cameron Moberg has plenty of public art around Bayview and Visitacion Valley but he’s filed a lawsuit after the art allegedly turned up in a city-sponsored ad campaign without his permission But Moberg is none too pleased that his mural is also seen in the above billboard. The ad is for Our.City.Our Power., a city-led ad campaign to sway sentiment toward public ownership of the SF power grid. Bloomberg Law has the full text of the lawsuit whose exhibits show the mural was used in ads on billboards The lawsuit says Moberg has registered the mural with the U.S it states that Moberg’s attorneys sent the city a cease-and-desist letter on September 21 “The City has failed to meaningfully respond Moberg is seeking as much as $150,000 for each instance of his copyrighted mural being used in ads It’s unclear whether the ads in question are still in circulation The Chronicle reached out to City Attorney David Chiu’s office who said they hadn’t been served the lawsuit yet we will review the complaint and respond in court,” a spokesperson for Chiu’s office told the Chronicle Related: Fancy SoMa Condo Reproduces Local Artist's Work Without Permission [SFist] Image: Giddyup Pup via Facebook A bevy of recent and upcoming openings in and around the FiDi including a new Osha Thai and a new Wayfare Tavern point to some bullishness about things picking up downtown two-day vendor/flea market with live music and food trucks on Treasure Island is returning next month after a four-year absence worked with UCSF and the San Francisco Department of Public Health to bring the “United in Health D10” testing program to the Bayview neighborhood Testing was held at Havard Early Education School. (Courtesy Susan Merrell/UCSF)While protesters flooded the streets of cities across the country this weekend community groups set up medical tents and distributed hand sanitizer at the playground of Leola M Havard Early Education School in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood It was the first two days of COVID-19 testing in San Francisco’s District 10 — which includes parts of the Bayview-Hunters Point and Visitacion Valley neighborhoods — the result of weeks of coordination between community advocates The work follows last month’s United in Health initiative to test every resident of the Mission District part of an effort to better understand how the virus spreads in some of San Francisco’s most vulnerable communities But no one involved in the new testing program anticipated it would launch in the middle of nationwide protests against police violence following the death of George Floyd a black man killed by Minneapolis police on May 25 “Resources are being really challenged,” said Monique LeSarre executive director of the Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness “What COVID-19 has brought to the community is that we are already pressed And now we’re really pressed.” at least 850 people in the neighborhood turned out over the weekend to get tested UCSF conducted both viral and antibody tests working with the San Francisco Department of Public Health and other city agencies “This is how we’re going to get a handle on just how deep the virus is in our community,” said Michelle Pierce executive director of Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates “And this is how we are going to slow and hopefully stop its progression completely throughout our community.” Testing continues Monday and Tuesday at Herz Playground in Visitacion Valley Additional testing will also be available for unhoused residents of District 10 The project is hoping to test a total of about 5,000 neighborhood residents District 10, home to San Francisco’s largest African American population, is among the lowest-income district’s in the city. It also has some of the highest reported rates of COVID-19 citywide, in addition to disproportionately higher rates of hospitalizations due to asthma “Disparities are not new,” said Dr professor of epidemiology and director of the Office of Community Engagement at UCSF who helped implement the Bayview testing effort “Coronavirus has really ripped the lid off of it.” Rhoads said she thinks this kind of partnership with community organizations is vital to solving some of the biggest public health crises medical institutions come up with solutions on their own that fall short of meeting the needs of specific communities “It’s rare that we ask the community “We’ve been doing work on the cancer side for decades And some of the disparities in terms of survival have gotten worse It means we’re missing the mark in terms of our intervention.” “If we apply this kind of approach to other types of diseases we’re going to get different outcomes.” The testing program in District 10 has focused on developing new ways that medical institutions can work with disenfranchised communities — one rooted in asking advocates for input and working with community organizers Pierce says that kind of engagement and outreach is essential for coronavirus testing to be successful in her community which she says lacks trust in medical institutions and health experts “Let’s talk about stuff like medical experimentation during slavery and the Tuskegee syphilis studies and Henrietta Lacks,” Pierce said That history of racial exploitation influences and shapes how her community interacts with medical institutions and results in a lack of trust and hesitation to go out very interesting relationship,” Pierce said “you need community in the lead,” she added “You need to have them driving the process and you need to stop and listen to them.” Rhoads turned to Pierce and LeSarre for input about where to locate the testing sites and which groups of residents to reach out to they picked the site in Bayview and one in Visitacion Valley and opened up test screening to anyone who “works Pierce and LeSarre have also coordinated dozens of volunteers across the district a UCSF professor who is coordinating next week’s effort to test unhoused residents in the district says doing this work against the backdrop of mass protests underscores why it matters now more than ever “We’ve seen that the toll of racism plays out in the incredibly disproportionate burden of COVID in black communities Latinx communities and other communities of color in this country,” she said UCSF said it expects to return viral testing results in a matter of days with those who test positive given the resources needed to self-isolate The team plans to conduct extensive contact tracing efforts “There’s no perfect solution for stuff like homelessness or international pandemics,” Pierce of Bayview Hunters Point Community Advocates “These are really complicated issues very flexible relationships in order to solve them.” To volunteer or learn more about next weekend’s United in Health Unhoused Initiative, click here On display: A casket containing a suspected gang leader was towed through streets following his April 11 funeral The body of a slain suspected gang member was paraded down some of Visitacion Valley’s meaner streets in a glass-enclosed… The body of a slain suspected gang member was paraded down some of Visitacion Valley’s meaner streets in a glass-enclosed casket April 11 and police intervened to keep the procession from heading into the territory of a rival gang Following the packed April 11 funeral of 21-year-old Diondre “D-Nice” Young — who police called a leader of the vicious Towerside gang — throngs of mourners and a three-wheeled Harley Davidson motorcycle towing a white casket in a glass-enclosed trailer paraded down Sunnydale Avenue Neighborhood tensions were high after Young was found shot dead March 30 under the San Francisco end of the Bay Bridge Nerves were especially rattled after members of Towerside’s rival taunted mourners at a makeshift memorial for Young The memorial was located directly on the border of the rival gang’s territory Police and community members criticized the decision to hold such a funeral for the member of a gang locked in a war allegedly responsible for more than 10 killings during a three-year period starting in 2007 “This is who the community decides to hold up as someone honored?” Mahoney said doing homework with her kids … that’s who I’d want paraded around.” Mahoney said he saturated the area with patrols and met with community leaders to keep the peace there was fear that mourners would bring the casket into the territory of the rival gang “We reached out to them to advise that they were not to go to the Sunnydale — and they agreed,” Mahoney said they circled several blocks near Rey Street that are claimed by the gang of the deceased who led the parade and presided over Young’s funeral Burch said the parade was meant to honor a beloved community member “We allowed that to happen … because it was so far apart.” The reverend said such funeral parades don’t happen often because they aren’t cheap including more than $1,200 for the motorcycle and trailer and another $800 for the marching band “Diondre was a loving young man,” Burch said adding that growing up in the projects made him “guilty by association.” Mahoney said tensions between the gangs have eased since Young’s killing Police continue to monitor the situation closely maldax@sfexaminer.com Ben Pimentel’s new weekly newsletter covering the biggest technology stories in San Francisco, Silicon Valley and beyond.  Receive our newspaper electronically with the e-edition email. Receive occasional local offers from our website and its advertisers. Sneak peek of the Examiner real estate section. We'll send breaking news and news alerts to you as they happen. Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account. Ricky Rodriguez Sounds like you need a coffee shop with wifi Bakery/Cafe Russian Hill Saint Frank is a modern coffee shop with excellent espresso and space to work Bernal Heights Progressive Grounds is a Bernal Heights cafe ideal for a light bite or getting work done Ricky Rodriguez is searching San Francisco far and wide for the best burgers and hottest salsas in his neverending hunt for food that'll make him gasp Almost 30 million Americans live a mile or more away from a supermarket but for the five million plus who don’t have cars that distance can mean the difference between eating a healthy meal and getting fast food That’s how it is for residents of San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley neighborhood The district is slated to get its first supermarket in three decades She comes to a small store on Leland Avenue when she just needs one or two items “Only because sometimes the convenience stores like this they do jack up the prices on things that we need just because of the convenience,” she says Moran is one of several Visitacion Valley residents who wishes there were a closer “The main thing we need: big supermarket,” says Nancy Ha “I think we’d all like to have a grocery store closer,” agrees Toni Zernick But there are a few reasons one hasn’t opened sooner in Visitacion Valley. The neighborhood has a high poverty rate and a lot of ethnic diversity. Economists say either one makes it hard for markets to make money So sometimes the city has to step in and sweeten the deal “Each operator is very different than the other,” says CreziaTano of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development “There is no standard cookie cutter package that you can put in front of an operator.” to bring grocery stores to certain neighborhoods the city worked to bring one to Third Street in Bayview The British-owned Fresh & Easy went for it.  it’s easy to say that it was an underperforming site for them,” Tano says “When a community is so used to not having a grocery store it takes time to change those shopping habits.” Others think Fresh & Easy didn’t cater to the tastes of the multiethnic community But Bayview resident Tavis Landry thinks the failure had more to do with the store’s lack of economic awareness “When they first opened they weren’t taking the system the EBT system – the food stamp system,” Landry explains “A lot of the people in these communities are using that system and it’s just hard to get groceries if you are not accepting that type of payment.” Fresh & Easy announced it was selling off all of its U.S The Bayview store was on the shutdown list since it still wasn’t performing after about three years Fresh & Easy didn’t respond to my inquiries about why most supermarkets wouldn’t talk with me about why they don’t do business in certain neighborhoods “I don’t know why they don’t want to because we do want to,” says Melissa Porter president of marketing for the Berkeley-based discount store The company is opening a new branch in Visitacion Valley “They’ll begin to customize their offering to suit this particular community,” she says if there are Asian vegetables that we need to be carrying then he’ll have the ability to bring those into this market.” More than half of Visitacion Valley residents are Asian American Nancy Ha says she’s willing to give the Grocery Outlet a try “We’ll try all to see the difference,” says Ha “Like maybe the price [will be] affordable.” “I think I’ll go and check it out and see what’s there and see what works with me and my family.” She says she doesn’t think the food there is fresh enough for her “They’re all about quantity not quality to me,” says Reid Grocery Outlet’s Melissa Porter is confident they’ll get customers “Grocery Outlet in the past several years has opened three stores in places where a conventional market for whatever reason doesn’t want to go in there,” Porter says “And Grocery Outlets have been extremely successful in these areas.” We’ll find out if that goes for Visitacion Valley A teenager was the latest victim of gun violence in San Francisco after a fatal shooting occurred Monday evening in the Visitacion Valley neighborhood Arriving officers found a 17-year-old male victim suffering from a gunshot wound on the street and he was taken to a hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries The boy has not been identified, per a Bay City News report No possible motive or suspect information has been released This homicide, San Francisco's 28th of the year to date, follows on another that took place in nearby McLaren Park last week that took the life of an unidentified male Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the SFPD's tip line at 415-575-4444 or to send a tip by text message to TIP411 with "SFPD" at the start of the message A 29-year-old San Francisco Fire Department member appeared in an Alameda County Court Tuesday morning on charges that he not only ripped off an Oakland puppy breeder The victim and officers have been ID'd in last week's Geyserville shooting Paul Pelosi is set to be arraigned tomorrow on misdemeanor DUI charges and Nancy Pelosi has just touched down in Taiwan in defiance of Beijing A Grocery Outlet supermarket opened Thursday in Visitacion Valley Living healthy by eating fresh fruits and vegetables can be a challenge for anybody But for San Franciscans living in the Visitacion Valley “food desert” the task can be near impossible The arrival of a Grocery Outlet on the corner of Bayshore Blvd marks the end to some of that difficulty for the first time in years a legislative aid for Supervisor Malia Cohen who represents district 10 told SFBay the location’s owners have come out of the gate as great community members: “This is something the community has been in need of for a very long time The new grocery store will respond to the demographics of the neighborhood Designated a “food desert” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture residents in Visitacion Valley are described as low income and having little to no access to supermarkets and vehicles area residents must travel more than a mile to the nearest grocery store Their other option is to rely on expensive convenience stores or unhealthy fast food restaurants for their dietary needs This lack of access to supermarkets make it difficult for residents to buy healthy fresh foods at affordable prices and contributes to higher levels of obesity There are 23.5 million Americans living in a “food desert,” according to the USDA and 13.5 million are designated low income after a new Grocery Outlet opened its doors Thursday morning at 2630 Bayshore Blvd With 200 locations in five states including California Grocery Outlet describes itself as an extreme value retailer offering prices up to 50 percent off conventional retail prices A soft opening took place Thursday morning while a grand opening complete with a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place Saturday May 3 at 9 a.m San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee will be on hand for the event along with the location’s owner and operator’s Derek and Gina Navarro the Navarros have years of grocery retail experience and live in the community The event is hosted by the Invest in Neighborhoods program and includes food and drinks face painting and prizes including a Vizio TV Apple iPad 2 Tablet and free groceries for a year The building housing the new Grocery Outlet was first designed as a Safeway and went on to house the A The last supermarket near Visitacion Valley community was a Fresh & Easy which didn’t accept food stamps and didn’t carry ethnic foods ORACLE ARENA — On the brink of elimination The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is derivative filmmaking with hardly an ounce of originality You must be logged in to post a comment ExaminerFatal scene: Two men were fatally shot Monday afternoon after a “huge fight” erupted on Burr Avenue… An apparent gang war in Visitacion Valley is heating up with three neighborhood men killed in the past two days… with three neighborhood men killed in the past two days to bring the total there to eight homicides this year The latest slayings occurred in broad daylight Monday on Burr Avenue a gang bastion in the heart of one of the neighborhood’s housing projects two men were shot dead after a “huge fight” near Argonaut Avenue located on the stomping grounds of the vicious Towerside gang later died at San Francisco General Hospital Monday’s incident followed the fatal shooting Sunday morning in Diamond Heights of 18-year-old Elijah Hopkins in the backyard of a home on Carnelian Way Family and friends who mourned Hopkins on Twitter identified him as someone who frequented Burr Avenue Rather than “rest in peace,” some memorialized Hopkins by tweeting “Burr in Peace.” Residents have become increasingly exhausted by the violence but it’s messed,” said a man in his 20s who wished to remain anonymous Another male resident said violence has been increasing in the past month or so alleged Towerside leader Diondre Young’s slain body was given a hero’s tribute when his coffin was paraded through the neighborhood police had to ramp up patrols to quell a possible feud between Towerside and the nearby Down Below Gangsters who are based in the Sunnydale housing projects Both gangs were allegedly responsible for more than 10 killings during a three-year period starting in 2007 Homicide investigators have not said whether the past few days’ shootings were related At a public-safety hearing at City Hall last week John Loftus said a possibly “gang-motivated” May homicide in the Oceanview neighborhood appeared to have set in motion some of the recent Sunnydale homicides said his department’s response to the violence has seemingly been effective adding that July was less troublesome than June was before three people lost their lives to gun violence in the past two days “We can’t keep them from doing this s— to each other,” said a female police officer at the scene of Monday’s shooting An increase in shootings this year has prompted Mayor Ed Lee to suggest that The City consider a stop-and-frisk policy like that of New York City with the end goal of getting guns off the streets The Board of Supervisors recently denounced such a policy as encouraging racial profiling By: 5:00 am on August 4 SoMa-based Levy Design Partners is the project architect The project is broken up into two structures separated by landscaping Blocks 6A and 6B will have a combined 167 homes Residential amenities will include media rooms Community rooms will include shared kitchens facing the courtyard which itself has a barbeque pit and two playgrounds Lower-floor units will have direct access to the sidewalk inspired by Jane Jacobs’ writing that having ‘eyes on the street’ improves neighborhood community and safety 290 Malosi aerial view looking towards the Bay The Sunnydale Masterplan has involved the redevelopment of the neighborhood with 1,700 new dwelling units Demolition will be required for the existing 775 units in the 1940s-era barrack garden homes All existing residents will be offered replacement housing 125 units will be offered to long-time families of Sunnydale with 41 units for low-income families from across the city According to a press release from Levy Design Partners “more than 30% of Sunnydale households have moved or will soon move into new affordable apartments constructed by Mercy Housing and Related California More than 50% expect to live in new apartments by the end of 2024.” The building cost an estimated $90 million By: 4:30 am on October 19 Permits have been filed for a large multifamily project at 242 Hahn Street in Sunnydale Plans for the site call for a 167-unit multifamily structure as part of the Sunnydale HOPE SF project 242 Hahn will contribute to the 1,770 new apartments expected for the sprawling mid-density development The new structure will be replacing an already demolished row of affordable homes The development will be fully affordable for its residents Rent prices in the building will range from $318 to $2,287 The new multifamily will give both a density boost to the surrounding neighborhood The site is between Blythedale Avenue and Sunnydale Avenue Transit access is offered to MUNI Metro via Sunnydale Visitacion Valley Station Sunnydale Block 6 Housing Partnership LP, owned by Mercy Housing and Related, is the applicant for the plans. This follows our recent coverage of the Herz Recreation Center intended to serve future residents to the developing district How to apply for this apartments looking for a 3 bedroom apartment