Click and print this coupon

How's this for a deal:

Print out this coupon/email and take it to La Michoacana on Bayshore Blvd at Oakdale. For each coupon, the folks at the NEW La Michoacana Taqueria will reduce the price of their already affordable super burritos from $7.15 to just $5.50!

Try sitting in the newly enclosed terrace for a pleasant experience.

Community-minded Bayview businesses - all in the family

When Bayview Footprints did its “Third Thursday” series of social events at gathering spaces and businesses along Third Street, Peter Gomez was one of the first to offer one of his family’s Bayview community businesses as a site.

The gathering at “The Road House Café” was one of the most spirited in the entire series. Friendly staff (like Maya, pictured) worked on an off-night to make sure we were well cared for.

Now the Gomez family has opened La Michoacana Taqueria, a new companion venture to their El Azteca Taqueria, on Bayshore Boulevard at Oakdale. True to style, they have brightened and modernized a dingy corner where they will be serving the great food Bayview residents, workers, and visitors have come to expect from them.

Bayview Footprints salutes the Gomez family, their friends and employees for their hard work and community-mindedness. We’ll see you at La Michoacana Taqueria on Bayshore and Oakdale!

Taqueria gets makeover

Volunteers keep Quesada beautiful

Volunteers from Leadership San Francisco, and their friends (pictured), spent a big chunk of time yesterday working in the Quesada Gardens food production patch. The strawberries, collard greens and other plants loved the company and attention.

Last Tuesday, a group from the University of San Francisco, organized by that school's Office of Service Learning, volunteered in the same area of the Quesada Garden.

Julie Reed, the office's director wrote, “Thank you for hosting us, teaching us, and especially inspiring us! Together we were reminded that weeds might be bad, but grassroots are very very good.”

Residents worked with these generous volunteers, and shared food afterwards, strengthening the bridge between Bayview and other parts of San Francisco.

Images from ART 94124 festival

Juan mugs for the camera while Ben checks out a freshly screened T shirt.
Everyone wore a crown, compliments of the Family Arts Table, TRI, Marc Ellen and other leaders.
Herb hung out at the gallery, and stopped to pose by one of his glass pieces.
Nosh turned folks on to her popcorn and business.
Sarah Stangle got props from everyone for keeping things on track.
A steady stream of fair-goers kept the scene lively.
Lucinda (right) brought a friend to enjoy the beautiful weather and artsy scene.
Cyclecide was a breakaway hit with kids and adults alike.
Brian and Jim made their way from Latona. Brian pitched in with the set-up.
Ever wonder where ART 94124 organizer Jerald gets his great smile? Now you know. Pictured is Jerald and his mom and aunt at the arts fair.

Arts fair grows from grassroots

A young biker motors through ART 94124's arts fair.

The second arts fair, created by Bayview residents and others with deep roots in the neighborhood, was held on Saturday, June 6th. It marked both the accomplishments of Gallery 94124 and Javalencia Cafe, and the growth of resident involvement on the north end of 3rd Street in Bayview.

A steady stream of arts-interested residents and their friends enjoyed the Family Arts Table, whacky Cyclecide carnival contraptions, art from the gallery and Public Glass, food and beverages, live music, and more. Organizers were pleased with the turnout, given the growth since last year's inaugural event.

ART 94124, the organizing group for the gallery and the fair, is a Bayview Footprints Network member group. The fair strengthened the Network through broad participation that included other Network members: Shipyard Trust for the Arts and Think Round Inc. (Family Arts Table), Public Glass, Bayview Business Resource Center, and individuals associated with groups such as the Latona and Quesada Gardens.

Primary organizer, Sarah Stangle, reported the accomplishments of ART 94124, including a string of gallery shows and events, opportunities for local artists to share their work, and ongoing contributions to the level of volunteerism and participation in a changing neighborhood.

BVHP leaders past, present and future - Images

"I was in the right place at the right time. And I needed to be heard. It just happened." Shirley Jones

"When we were little we saw the watermelon man coming up the street with a wagon of watermelons." Marsha Byrd, grew up in Bayview in the 1950's

"We have to speak for people who don't have a voice. I hope each of you will grow up to be leaders in Bayview because we're dying out." Espanola Jackson

Law enforcement focuses on 3rd

Several residents have contacted Footprints about recent experiences with crime along the 3rd Street corridor. (See more online). Captain John Loftus, Bayview Police Station, is focusing on this issue:

"Merchants and community members on Third Street have voiced concerns over conditions in the business corridor. The residents and businesses feel chronic loitering, graffiti, public intoxication, and a general lack of cleanliness are hampering the growth and vitality of this business district. Bayview Station seeks to help address these issues by increasing the number of foot and bicycle patrols in the area and enlisting the assistance of private and public agencies in a coordinated response.

This mission will be accomplished by addressing illegal activity and quality of life issues with intensive, concentrated enforcement operations. The primary component of this operation will be the Third Street foot and bicycle beats, operating under the direct supervision of Sergeant Howard Weathersby.

Additional Bayview uniform and plainclothes resources will supplement the foot and bicycle patrols for the first 30 days of this operation.

The Department of Public Works and the Department of Parking and Traffic will be called upon to assist in this operation, and other agencies will asked to provide support as needed.

The police department will also encourage the cooperation and support of the community in this program. The Bayview Merchant’s Association and Bayview Rotary Club have expressed interest in participating in this operation. Sergeant Weathersby will act as liaison with these groups.

Let me know if you need any additional information. You should begin seeing an increased presence in the area on Monday."

3rd Street crime concerns

Jonathon, a Bayview resident on Newcomb, writes that he is...

"...concerned about the southwest corner of Newcomb and Third Streets, where there is a market. There seems to always be a homeless encampment or group of people loitering on the Newcomb Street side of the corner market. Most of the time I have walked by, there is also an old car, with the hood or trunk up, the car door open, with lots of rubbish piled high on the of or hood of the car, and refuse sitting around on the sidewalk. There is often spoiled food laying in the gutter or sidewalk, and the area has a strong stench. There is usually a group of 4 or more people camped out beside the market, who are drinking, talking, blocking the access to walk to the corner. The whole block from Newhall to Third Street often has lots of litter, including needles at times, and I regularly find small liquor bottles sitting on the fence in front of the house I live in, as well as countless cigarette butts...I hope that something can be done about the perpetual camp out all day long at the corner of Newcomb and Third, and that the sidewalks can be washed and cleaned, to take care of the stench."

Another Newcomb resident, a leader with the Newcomb Model Block program, confirmed that the problems are very real, and that those responsible do not reside in the neighborhood.

Juan, another leader with the Newcomb Model Block program adds...

"We have lived on Newcomb Avenue for over 18 years and have been complaining about that corner it seems like forever now. There are two liquor stores side by side, this seems to be the main attraction for people to hang out. Until one is closed or both it will be hard to change. There is also a methadone treatment center behind the old police building no one on our block was ever notified about and now we have more people coming into the block. We will transform Newcomb Ave from Newhall to Phelps by the end of this year and we hope this will make the city take notice of 3rd and Newcomb and maybe we can transform that section too."

Bayview youth and educators have what it takes

Pictured are Quesada Gardens resident organizers in front of Carver Elementary in 2006 when a school-based garden project was in development.

Today’s SF Chronicle devotes space on its front page to the subject of Bayview Hunters Point children, youth, and their education in the context of challenges most students never have to face. It is an important set of reportage, not just because the subject is critical, but because the journalists approach it from the perspective of those who achieve rather than those who do not.

The Chronicle probes a kindergarten class of students from George Washington Carver School from 1996, taught by Kanikah LeMon, to see what the now eighteen-year-old youth who were in that class are doing. Turn the page on a listing of facts that make graduation from high school seem unlikely, to individual profiles of success that turn the tables on statistics and stereotypes to show the power of individual spirit, family, faith, community, and educators who go the extra mile every day in an event without end.

The heroes are young people who have turned challenge into success: Terrell Gunn, Kanikah LeMon, Cris Seals, Jeremy Beasley, Latasha Allston, George Washington, Ja’Bar Gibson, Sylvia Johnson, and Gerrine Washington. Yet the heroes, themselves, each acknowledge others who were essential to their success in life thus far.

Featuring problems in the community, as those who care about Bayview Hunters Point often say, is all too easy. Profiles of individuals who achieved success or contributed to it, despite those problems, are rare. Today’s profiles contribute to a strength-based approach to social change that spreads responsibility for education and youth development broadly while, at the same time, maintaining a focus on individual responsibility.

The press about these former Carver Elementary students and those who helped them is a highpoint in an ongoing story. The community of people connected to the Quesada Gardens Initiative and Bayview Footprints Network has interacted with this story in the past, and no doubt will in the future as part of a social fabric that can support or breakdown on the strength or weakness of a few threads.

Louise Jones, respected educator and former Carver Elementary principal, engaged us in bringing a health fair to the Southeast Sector Community Facility, and still uses her chair on the Facility’s Commission to advocate for youth, families and education. Emily Wade-Thompson, current principal at Carver, made it clear how she makes a mission of her job when community gardeners worked with her in an attempt to bring a school-based garden to Carver. Cris Seals volunteered at the Bayview YMCA and went on to win a Jefferson Award. Latasha Allston participated in Pathlight’s community theater productions and was part of the community-based response to the tragic death of Antwanisha Morgan.

Today’s kindergarten students face barriers to graduation that are every bit as daunting as those faced by the young people who were profiled in today’s paper. The dual message that emerges in the collective voice of young people and educators like those in the set of articles today is as critical now as ever.

Young people should hear that achieving an education and success in life happens when students find and nurture the best in themselves. Community members should hear that our untiring support of education and youth girds the bridge between challenges facing children and a feature story in the media of 2012 about Bayview Hunters Point’s high graduation rates.

Volunteer in a Bayview School!

With budget cuts in every classroom, the opportunity that Linda Murley wants us to know about is all the more important:

What do Bayview schools Malcom X Academy and George Washington Carver Elementary school have in common? They need you to volunteer!

Experience Corps, a nationwide older adult service organization, matches the skills, talents, hard-won wisdom and humor of people over 55 with Bayview children. Volunteers spend anywhere from two to fifteen hours a week tutoring children in reading and math and being a friend and mentor to a child. Experience Corps has been working with schools in the Bayview since 2000 and we want you to join our effort!

In the Bay Area, 150+ Experience Corps members contribute more than 31,000 hours of annual service to approximately 2,380 elementary and middle school children. Children need both the strength of our communities and adult mentors to know that they can learn and be successful in the future.

George Washington Carver School on Oakdale is starting its Experience Corps program in September 2009. We need 10 volunteers trained and ready by then. Monthly stipends of $150-280 are available to Experience Corps members serving 10+ hours per week.

For more information, contact Linda Murley, Recruitment Specialist, by email, or call 415.699.7818.

“The students have taught me patience. They are a great group of kids – full of life, eager to learn, to play, and sometimes be mischievous in a fun way. They aren’t afraid to ask challenging questions. I enjoy the opportunity to observe the excitement of students learning.” – Betty Robinson, Experience Corps/AmeriCorps Member, Malcolm X Academy, San Francisco

Summer job for young person

CHALK, a highly-regarded youth-serving organization, is now hiring youth, ages 14-17 who live in San Francisco, to work for its youth grant-making program, Youth Funding Youth Ideas.

No experience is necessary; and the right young person could earn $10 an hour. Apply by June 1st at 5pm, and direct questions to Catherine Porchia at 419.977.6949 from 10am to 4pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Member note: art and bayview youth

Stacy Thomas joined Heidi Hardin, an artist with deep roots at the Shipyard and with arts education in the heart of the neighborhood, in speaking with local leaders as part of Leadership SF's recent visit to Bayview Hunters Point.

Heidi shared her picture of Stacy, and this lovely note:

It was great fun to spend time with Stacy Thomas. He really enjoyed meeting everyone and getting to speak about art and its influence in his life.

I've attached a photo I took of him after we left the Boys and Girls Club as I let him off at Burnett School where he was to gather up his little brother and take him home on the bus.

I hardly recognized Stacy when I picked him up at school earlier in the afternoon. He's a young man now, no longer the child I used to teach.

Fantastic job opportunity for 94124 youth

Robin Nicolaus, the co-founder of the Internship Project at Veritable Vegetable, wonders: Why would a summer internship with this community-minded local business be of value to someone?

Not that she doesn't have an answer of her own to that question. She wants to hear answers from high school-age members of our community who are interested in new internship opportunities at Veritable Vegetable.

Veritable Vegetable, located at the corner of Cesar Chavez and 3rd Street, is offering two paid summer internships to local high schoolers interested in sustainable agriculture and urban food systems. The internships offer 18 to 20 hours of work and mentorship per week, at $10 per hour.

"This is an incredible...job," Robin says, "that includes a foundational training in sustainable agriculture, regional food systems and food justice advocacy."

An intern with Veritable Vegetable can look forward to farm tours, truck runs, trips to farmers markets, discussions about quality food options with local corner stores and food retailers, and learning about the wholesale produce industry. They may also receive warehouse training (think shipping of customer orders) and opportunities to learn how to care for, identity and prepare organic fruits and vegetables.

If you are a young person in the 94124, you already have a foot in the door for this great job. Apply immediately!

Contact Robin for details: 415.550.4823, and get started on a cover letter that answers the question: Why would this internship be of value to YOU?

Unique theater production - June 4th

A theatrical production and art exhibition is coming to Bayview this Thursday, June 4th, from 1 to 3pm, as students from Willie Brown, Jr. Academy take over the Opera House for "fun, food & follies," and a celebration of civic leaders.

"Celebrating Civic Leaders" is produced by Footprints Network member groups Think Round, Inc. and Pathlight Productions. Student artwork will be on view from May 30th through September 3rd.

In related news: the retrospective of art work by Malik Seneferu is moving to the Bayview branch library and the Southeast Community Facility on May 29th, and can been seen at those locations until September 4th.

McClure's and Bridgview Garden in the news

Joel and Mary McClure must have brought a commitment to community-involvement with them when they moved into their home on Bridgeview Drive. In short order, they adopted the hillside lot next door to them, participated in all sorts of Quesada Gardens group activities just down the street, and are now on the Board of Directors of the Quesada Gardens Initiative.

Along the way, they've been the leaders and heart of the Bridgeview Garden project that has brought a teaching and learning garden to life where trash and weeds thrived not long ago.

Today's Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle puts Mary on the front page of the Home and Garden section, along with an article by Patricia Yollin about the importance of community gardens in tough economic times.

The McClure's and the Bridgeview Garden deserve every bit of the attention! (See the full article online.)

Two years ago, Mary McClure started a community garden on a forlorn lot next to her home in San Francisco's Bayview district, the city's historic food shed.

"My husband and I got tired of looking at weeds," said McClure, 56, as she unlocked the gate to Bridgeview Garden, where bumblebees were buzzing and fava beans were poking through the fence.

Now the hillside garden is terraced and an orange-and-yellow mural, studded with white phoenixes, covers the concrete wall below. A crop of vegetables had just been harvested, and nine fruit trees were coming alive.

The food helps feed Bridgeview Drive's elderly residents, said McClure, retail manager of a furniture company. She added that the produce garden first lady Michelle Obama is starting at the White House has been a big hit in the Bayview.

"It's gratifying," McClure said. "And it's a validation of what we've been doing here."

photo of Mary McClure by Eric Luse, SF Chronicle

Leadership SF visits Quesada Garden

Sixty local leaders, who are part of an organization dedicated to "developing community trustees," visiting the Quesada Gardens Initiative this morning. They represent the 2008-2009 class of Leadership San Francisco, an affiliate of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.

Pictured, James Ross (red shirt), co-founder and co-organizer of QGI, tells the group a bit about the history of the 1700 block of Quesada Avenue in Bayview, and about the social transformation that has happened there.

This is the second year in a row that Leadership SF participants have visited the Quesada Gardens Initiative's cluster of community-building projects in the heart of the neighborhood. Once again, they heard about, and saw the impact that low-cost strengthening of social cohesion and highly-localized systems can have.

Car fires cause concern in Bayview

A car fire, on a quaint, residential Bayview block, near the Latona Garden, roused Latona Avenue neighbors at 1:30am on Monday of last week. Another car fire, at 5:30am that same day, erupted not far away, on the 1900 block of Newcomb Avenue. Two other fires of a similar nature flared in other neighborhoods that same morning, leading investigators to suspect arson.

Latona Avenue resident, Jim Ansbro, took on the task of cleaning up the mess that the fire near his home had left, a characteristic undertaking for this community-involved neighbor. Ansbro had seen the fire when it reached its crest that morning. He reported concern that the car would explode and do more damage than, ultimately, it did.

It was, he said, an "inferno with four foot flames that scorched a tree, melted an innocent neighbor's bumper, and put a hole into the street.

Another Latona resident, Mike Rindner, reported seeing firemen at the scene. He observed that there were no broken windows in the car, and that the origination of the fire seemed to be near the front passenger side, under the front hood.

"My first thought," Rindner said, "is that this incident was some kind of electrical short."

Neighbors remain vigilant.

Bayview Farmers' Market - May 20th

The Bayview Farmers' Market is coming back to a plaza (Mendell) near you. This Wednesday, May 20th, grab your reusable shopping totes, and head on over to the opening day festivities.

The Bicycle Doctor, a project of the SF Bicycle Coalition, will be on hand this Wednesday and next to work on bicycles with area residents.

The Bayview Farmers' Market is a seasonal resource that runs through October, 9am to 1pm each Wednesday.

Sunday Streets in Bayview

photo by Rhonda Winter

Sunday Streets, the Columbian import that closes city streets so residents can get exercise and recreation, visited Bayview again for the program's second season.

Bayview residents who attended the last two Sundays' events were hard to come by. Two such residents reported positive experiences. One resident, who is also a bicycle advocate, said, "Both days were most splendid and festive."

Kristine Enea, a Bayview Hunters Point and India Basin community leader, said that these events are remarkable for the diversity of participants in the neighborhood, regardless of the turnout.

"Sunday Streets in Bayview last fall," Enea said, "turned out a great mix of Bayview locals, friends from other neighborhoods, and visitors from as far away as Florida. The Bayview Opera House was the key attraction with something for everyone - tai chi demonstrations, the Bike Kitchen, non-profit outreach tables and an inflatable jumpy house. This year's event adds a sidetrip to Heron's Head Park and a roller disco at Third & Galvez."

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, working to create inroads into the Bayview Hunters Point Community, were out in full force, and could be credited with much of the turnout. The organization gave Sunday Streets its Golden Wheel award, and created a video that offers an upbeat review of the event.

Community organizers in the neighborhood forced smiles onto their faces as they were "plugged in" to help market the City's program rather than being involved in shaping the Bayview component of Sunday Streets. The routes and other aspects of the program once again were set by an intragovernmental body, leaving the search for community investment to marketing and outreach strategies.

Government organizers, hamstrung by dwindling resources, seem to believe that the program will be buoyed on the strength of the program concept itself. They may be right. San Franciscans, historically, have gravitated toward outdoor recreation. And the trend toward all things "sustainable and green" could pedal, roll, walk and run Sunday Streets to greater success.