I don't think this is the kind of community-provided bench the SF Chronicle was talking about today in its article

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/mystery-benches-sidewalks-20418145.php

Yes, there were other articles--many grim, sad, alarming--but this was the one I focused on!  

 

San Francisco is still trying to create safer streets. So far this year four seniors, walking, have been killed by cars, so when I was asked to speak for Senior and Disability Action at a safe-streets-Vision Zero event Supervisor Melgar called at City Hall, of course I mentioned that. I also mentioned the concern many seniors express about not feeling safe on sidewalks because of bicyclists and scooters whizzing by them even though they're supposed to be in bicycle lanes. I related my experience with courteous bicyclists in Golden Gate Park too, and afterwards three bicyclists from the Bicycle Coalition told me that pedestrians often expressed surprise to them too that they were courteous, and they were definitely making an effort to make all cyclists aware of the importance of obeying rules and being courteous. Others who spoke were Supervisor Melgar, former Supervisor Norman Yee, Supervisor Mahmood, Robin Pam, and Jodie Medeiros.

 

 

At the 1906 earthquake commemoration in San Francisco on April 18, Laura Ackley, the author of  San Francisco's Jewel City: The Panama-Pacific International Exposition of 1915,  distributed handcrafted commemorative garters.   But I don't know what the significance of the 5 is!

 https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/great-highway-park-sunset-dunes-20262237.php

 https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/revolution-naked-woman-sf-20277918.php

In Tony Bravo’s “45-foot-tall nude sculpture in SF sparking controversy,” Rebecca Camacho is quoted as saying “What is disappointing and confusing about this is the city allowing private money to come in and commandeer very public space.”  My visceral response to R-Evolution was very positive, and so is my visceral response to the idea that we could allow private money to come in and help very public space at Hallidie Plaza, where there is no ramp and no working elevator.  (People in wheelchairs had no access to an important press conference held there last year.  I have a picture of them at the bottom of the stairs they couldn't get up.)    And what about the public space where transit needs to go?  Could we use private money to salvage Muni and BART?  Could one of our billionaires make such a generous endowment that we could keep public transportation going on the interest of the endowment?

 

The L-Taraval OWL got me to the R-Evolution statue at 4:27 am, when I hoped to see it illuminated.  But it wasn't.  The yellow-green tint is reflection.  But it was still worth seeing before the April 18th ceremony commemorating the 1906 earthquake.  

Here are two good articles about this statue, the first by Sam Whiting, and the second by Tony Bravo.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sculpture-of-a-naked-woman-lands-sf-waterfront-20257701.php

https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/revolution-naked-woman-sf-20277918.php

 

Transit Riders, founded in 2010 by Dave Snyder, celebrated its 15th anniversary at SOMArts on Brannan Street right next door to Trader Joe's.  

 San Francisco is, according to AARP, the best big city for older Americans (over 50, I think) even though its score is only 66 over 100.  It scored high 84/100 in the health category (not much smoking but access to exercise opportunities and enough health care professionals) and it got 75/100 for transportation, which includes household transportation costs, frequency of local transit, walkability scores, and ADA-accessible transit stations and vehicles.

This past Tuesday, March 4th, when Trump was addressing Congress (and getting applause when he said that Biden didn't need Congress to secure the border-- "The media and our friends in the Democrat Party kept saying we needed new legislation, but it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.") there was an action called “Light for our Democracy” as San Francisco’s part of a nationwide organizing effort to honor our democracy and stand up for its best and highest values. (Hey, Congress, why are you applauding Trump's taking over your branch of the government?) It was a peaceful and unified event and space "to affirm our belief in racial, social, economic and environmental justice and taking care of each other."

We had a moment of silence at the time President Trump was scheduled to address Congress. Musician Pete Kronowitt sang to attendees. (See photo above, taken by Art Persyko.

Among the people I saw there were Art Persyko (one of the organizers), Kathe Burick, who led a chant and a body movement, Georges Woyames, Jim Mckinney, Rodger Kent Scott, Susan Solomon, Libby, and Timotha Doane! Here are many more photos:

https://www.dropbox.com/.../AHycZ7xQViD2mmr3h7n7fjQ...

 

On Monday, February 24th, a group of us from Senior and Disability Action once again gave public comment at the meeting of the Capital Planning Committee at City Hall, advocating that some of the money gotten from Prop B be used, as promised, for access at Hallidie Plaza, where Luis (shown in wheelchair yesterday) couldn't get up to a press conference last March because there's no working elevator and no ramp. I showed the fourth photo to the committee members and explained that people who wanted to support the bill to fund regional transportation couldn't access the press conference to show their "Transit is Access" signs!

I told them I'd sent a picture to them in advance, so they could see it on their smart phones. No one looked. Then Sara Greenwald, Joni Eisen, and Elena Engel had sent everyone a document showing all the organizations that had endorsed their climate action and asked for everyone who saw it to raise their hand. No one raised their hand. Discouraging!

This otherwise beautiful city isn't meeting the needs of many of its residence while the very rich have too much more than they need. I know they want us to tax them more so they won't be burdened by all that excess.

I recommend listening to Jim Herlihy's recent podcast "Extreme wealth is the leading social problem of our time."

https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/james-herlihy/episodes/Extreme-Wealth---a-leading-social-problem-of-our-time--Author-Sarah-Kerr-discusses-her-new-book-e2vadcv

I

We had learned through 48 Hills that Mayor Lurie was going to present his plan to save public transit At 2:00 pm on February 11, so a lot of us arrived before 2:00 pm to hear what he had to say and to have our say. Apparently Myrna Melgar was the designated speaker among the supervisors to express the importance of public transportation, and she did that well. But when she asked him, "So what is your plan?" it was clear that Mayor Lurie had no plan that we could perceive. He said he'd been in Sacramento the previous day to ask for public funding (for which there's a 30% chance of getting) and there may have to be cuts in service--just what we're trying to avoid. He also said that we needed both a local and a regional measure, which of course we already knew. We wanted to know what his plan was to make them successful. He was gone in 15 minutes, so of course he didn't hear our public comments. It was very disappointing. We gathered together later "in solidarity," but I can't get our group picture to come up!

Anyway, not all was lost. The Board of Supervisors we honored Jason Johnson (better known as Officer JJ) for his "unprecedented work in community as a mentor and as a member of law enforcement. For years he has taken our youth on life-changing trips to Ghana and he has worked to stop violence in community. His positive impact as a 17 year San Francisco police officer is immeasurable," as Supervisor Walton said. Supervisor Mandelman spoke in memory of Robert Cromey, and Supervisor Melgar spoke in memory of F.X. Crowley.

 

One of the things I like most about riding Muni is meeting the people aboard--or even at the bus stop.  

This morning while waiting for the #28 bus, I saw the neighbors though I at first didn't recognize them because they were all wearing masks.  Because they don't speak English at all, they didn't really greet me, but I greeted them without providing an ESL lesson.  Then I noticed a young woman with a very pretty purple tint to her hair in front and complimented her on how well the color matched her coat, which she said was an accident.  We talked, and I found out that she helps a friend who has dementia and also gives out food in the Tenderloin.  

Coming back from Kaiser--my last visit for PT the therapist told me--and a short visit to see the UCSF Women's Center, I mailed two letters,  and when I was crossing--with the light--to the bus stop on Divisadero and Geary, the 38R bus driver/Muni operator closed the doors.  I waved my iPhone at the driver, who opened the door.  I thanked him as I got on, and the man I sat down next to said, "I saw how you flashed your FBI badge and he let  you on."  A man sitting across from us said, "She has a Muni bag.  That's why he let her on."  Then they started talking about Trump.  "Did  you see Time Magazine, showing Trump with a crown?" "I watch CNN first thing in the morning ,and he had the nerve to call Zelensky a dictator."

I said, "He said 'a dictator not elected.'  Since Trump was elected, he thinks it's okay to be a dictator."

The man next to me said, "Don't joke about it because if you do, you won't take it seriously, and we have to take it seriously."

I assured him that I took it very seriously.

When I transferred to the 28 bus, I saw lots of people with suitcases and found out that they were a group from France.  I talked to the man across from me, who told me they were on their way to the airport and had  had  a good time getting around on Muni.  I took their picture with their permission.  

 

About a year ago, I bought a big puffy raincoat sort of like this picture but in a blue color.  People said it looked like a sleeping bag, and it really was too much, so I put it in the trunk of my car and decided to give it to a homeless person on the street.

But I always seemed to be walking or taking the bus when I saw someone who might need it--until this past week, when a guy by the Safeway at Taraval asked me if I could spare some change. 

I looked into my wallet and tried to find the smallest bill.  I found a dollar and gave it to him.  He thanked me and God blessed me the way people on the street so often do.  I felt bad about having tried to give him so little, and then it occurred to me that I could give him the raincoat in the trunk of my car.

"Would you like a coat?" I asked him, this man who was wearing only a sweatshirt and some sweatpants--and fentanyl.

"Yes," he said, and I got the coat out of the trunk of my car and gave it to him.

"It's kind of like a sleeping bag," I told him.

He thanked me again and God blessed me.

Later I wondered whether it would be to cumbersome for him.  Would he wear it at all?  Would he sell it?  Maybe he would find someone sleeping on the street and give it to hm.  

 

This photo is not connected to George's Donuts and Merriment except in irony.

The person holding this box of donuts is protecting themself against COVID but not the empty calories, sugar and fat in donuts!  

Three friends and I were planning a lunch-getting together, and one of them suggested the new West Portal spot George's Donuts and Merriment, which I was also excited about because I love West Portal and like to support new businesses there.  Then I found this article from the SF Chronicle: 

  https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/georges-donuts-hims-trump-donation-20049321.php

I can understand business owners wanting to do business with leaders whose policies they don't support in order to try to change policies, but look at this:

Dudum posted a photo on Tuesday of the Hims & Hers chief operating officer posing at the inaugural festivities with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s controversial pick to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“Our shared commitment with @POTUS, @RobertKennedyJr, and other leaders to address the US obesity epidemic will help millions of Americans with the chronic conditions too many are struggling with,” Dudum wrote on X. 

 Do people committed to ending the US obesity epidemic open cafes specializing in donuts, probably the worst food choice for health because of the high amount of sugar, fat, and empty calories?

 

I just wrote a letter to Sam Whiting, who so aptly covered the People's March this past Sunday, January 19.

Dear Sam Whiting,

Thank you for your report on The People's March.  I now have my very own People's March tee-shirt, which I bargained down to $15 since that was all I had in this "rotten system of capitalism."  I just hate platitudes, even when I believe in the cause, and I'm too tired and old to overthrow the American government, so hearing "The people united will never be defeated" really irked me. Couldn't they get their platitudes to rhyme? How about "The people we needed will never be defeated" (even though they were) or "The people united should be--not so divided"?

Anyway, I joined SDA (Senior and Disability Action) for as long as I could stand it.  But it bothered me that the first talk spoke of how the powers that be  were getting filthy rich and asked, "But do we ever get a raise."  This was too soon after the hotel workers' strike, and I just wished they spoken instead of how much more CEOs get than do the workers under them.  Is it 400 times more  in the US' rotten system of capitalism?  In Europe's rotten system of capitalism is it only about 65 times?  I really want to know.

Thank you for illuminating the  living and the dead.

Tina Martin

Good illustrations of San Francisco Vistas!  The first photo is the SF sun setting on 2024 at Ocean Beach, where Jonathan, Christiane, and I toasted to the end of the year.  The second and third are of the SF sun rising on 2025 at Grandview Park.