Much adored Lower Haight haunt Edo Salon and Gallery is hosting a showing/soiree for local artist Ursula Xanthe Young on July 11. The designer/painter/logo designer will be showing work that is imaginative, colorful, and has me on the fence–I love the urban illustrations but can do without the fairy theme (although you’ve never seen fairies with pasties like this before).

The best description of her work is from Edo: “Ursula finds inspiration in the organic, yet urban landscape of San Francisco: the crossed wires, Victorian buildings, and fog-filled horizons that are oft backdrop to her voluptuous flowering ladies with devious eyes.” It’s sure to be a fun reception from 8 to 11 PM–cheap drinks, an easy jaunt from the Filmore bus, and great haircuts (it’s a cuttery by day, after all).

Rory D. Root, co-founder of Comic Relief and supporter of artists, zine publishers and DIY culture, died last month, the Chronicle reported today. Said to be the inspiration for The Simpsons’ “Comic Book Guy” character, Root co-founded the Berkeley Comic Relief shop and later opened a branch in San Francisco. The Berkeley store is still open.

In addition to selling and promoting the work of DIY publishers, Root’s stores provided employment for a succession of hundreds of artists, musicians, and other bohemians, as well as providing many teenagers their first jobs.

Here’s DC Comics President Paul Levitz with a tribute, and here’s just one of many other blog tributes to Root.

Went to dinner at (the new, remodeled) Magnolia at 7:30PM and narrowly missed the traffic jam following Critical Mass- this is the corner of Masonic & Haight. Personal vow here to bike in the Mass next month!

In what looks to be an amazing film, The Unforeseen, we get a look at a battle between a storied Austin developer and a community that finds itself on the brink of losing one of it’s long held treasures. Imho it’s not development that is the enemy, it’s the nature of the way things are developed today. The capitalists version of development is essentially the oldest get rich quick schemes our society has ever known, and it’s this brand of short term thinking that clashes with a newfound american values of heritage and stewardship.

An ambitious west Texas farm boy with grandiose plans tires of living at the mercy of nature and sets out to find a life with more control. He heads to Austin where he becomes a real estate developer and skillfully capitalizes on the growth of this 1970s boomtown. At the peak of his powers, he transforms 4,000 acres of pristine Hill Country into one of the state’s largest and fastest selling subdivisions. When the development threatens a local treasure, a fragile limestone aquifer and a naturally spring-fed swimming hole, the community fights back. In the conflict that ensues, we see in miniature a struggle that today plays out in communities across the country.

Screening at the Red Vic Movie House, 5/18/08 – 5/19/08.

Trailer after the jump

Noc Noc

When my friend told me he wanted to meet up at Noc Noc, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I didn’t think anything of it until I started asking around to see if anyone I knew had been there before. I started to get really excited.

I wanted to know what this cave-like burningmanesque bar located in the Lower Haight that only served beer, wine, and sake was all about.

(more…)

In just 6 short days, the Red Vic will host the 6th (I think it’s been 6 years) annual showing of the Big Lebowski at 420 on 420. There will be other showings, but why waste your time. The 4:20 pm showings have been incredible, with the likes of the Dude, Walter, the Jesus and Donnie on site, it’s definitely worth your time. Of course, when the lights go down, things can get kind of hazy.

And for your entertainment while we wait for the day to come, the “Dude, Man” version and the “Fucking short” version of the film.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7Tx-I14wow[/youtube]

Fucking short version after the jump

This is just a quick update to my earlier post about the public comment period for the proposed Whole Foods and the EIR for this project. The comment period has been extended to the end of this week, 3/7. If you live in the neighborhood, you are encouraged to review the impact report and voice your opinions to the Planning Department.

You can send an email to: sarah.b.jones@sfgov.org, use the subject re: case number 2006.0460E.

Postal letters should be sent to:
Bill Wycko
San Francisco Planning Department
1650 Mission Street, Suite 400,
San Francisco, CA 94103 re: case number 2006.0460E

There will be a public hearing this Thursday (2/28) to discuss the results of the EIR for the new Whole Foods expected to go in at the site of the old Cala Foods Market. This location has sat empty for the past couple of years while the community debates what kind of development befits the area. Whole Foods has come forward with a proposal for review. And guess what, the hippies hate it and the yuppies love it.

Download the EIR(PDF).

More pointedly, on the pro-side we have the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association. And on the con-side of the argument we have the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council. It’ll be interesting to see what the substance of the arguments are, as neither of their websites seem to provide any information.

This meeting should be a blast:
2/28/08
1:30 PM
Commission Chambers – Room 400
City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
More details…

The public comment period for the new Institute for Regeneration Medicine at UCSF is underway (also known as the Stem Cell Research building). If you are interested, UCSF is planning on building over 71K square feet of essentially lab space on the hill behind the hospital located at 505 Parnassus. This project is on a fast-track, expected to break ground in August of 2008. The window for public comment closes on March 3, 2008.

Taking a cursory review of the Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration (who knows what that means?) the structure looks kind of cool and modern. Built into the slope of the hill to minimize impact to the observer. The document states that the new building will meet the UC Regents minimum LEED rating, I’m not sure what that min is but it’s exciting the building will keep an eye towards LEED cert.
(more…)

SFPD is hiring & shuffling: Capt. Ehrlich heads to Tac Squad, Fong brings in new female “Community” Capt. Bennet , plus scroll for details for potential applicants and those that just want to know more about what the hell is it they actually do:

In a continual game that is SFPD’s version of musical chairs meets Stratego, respected local Capt. John Ehrlich, a 27 year vet, moves into the Special Operations’ “Tac Squad” and Northern Station’s former Community Policing Lieutenant, Theresa “Teri” Barrett becomes the Park station’s new captain. An ironic shift perhaps since Chief Heather Fong has been reluctant to give so-called “community policing” much headway. Ehrlich also seemed content like most others in the dept. to hopefully let the “community policing” issue fade away before officers ever were forced to move around outside their bulletproof squad cars like any of us ordinary citizens must do.

This personnel shuffle seems yet another shift in the department that on one hand is derided as being insular, ineffective, and wishy washy and then on the other hand is accused of being insular, insensitive & overly aggressive.

I mean how could one not put their faith in an organization that issues glowing reports on it’s own recruits like
“San Frasncisco Policec Academy to Gradtue 13 Lateral Officers” as seen in a press release link posted proudly on the SFPD website since September 21, 2007.

It’s never helped that the majority of SFPD officers don’t live in town, and for a long time many seemed to take gleeful pride in bullying those that do. Lately the embarrassing and stubborn refusal of the SFPD to get around to enacting basic community policing reforms has really strained community relations.

It’s simply ridiculous what we spend here per capita on policing, and the ultimately shoddy results we get for that $500 dollars a year per person. According to a recent editorial in the Chronicle SF spends $120 more per citizen than Chicago, and $180 more per citizen than Los Angeles does on police services. Yet from 1999 to 2005, unlike in those towns, arrests were down 35 percent, and homicides went up, up, up and not away. Especially troubling is the unsolved homicide rate, with less than 25% solved these days, a dramatic reduction since the 50% solved rate of the latter 1990’s under other leadership.

More ranting after the jump…
(more…)