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I got back from a hearing at City Hall yesterday. DPW is trying to start mechanized street cleaning on 3 blocks of Gates St., where I live and 3 blocks of Virginia, above Mission. The first block of Virginia has it already. There would be 2 hour no parking on each side of the street, once a week, the same as others streets that have street cleaning. Tickets are $50.00. We only found about it 2 weeks ago. One flyer was discovered down on Cortland Ave. DPW says they put notices on both streets, but none of us ever saw any. I think they are under pressure from the Mayor's office because of Newsom's "clean streets initiative". In 1 week we were able to get over 80% AGAINST on a petition. Some people are on vacation, or out of town. The hearing judge decided because of complaints about poor noticing on our streets that there will be a 2nd hearing in Sept. About 25 people took off work to attend. Not 1 person in favor attended. There are many gray areas about how this came about and how to procede. Ms. Pilar from Tom Ammiano's office has been very helpful after receiving many e-mails, fax's, and our petitions-100% against. This seems to be mainly about getting rid of parked cars and not about clean streets. It seems anybody can start a petition in favor of it and submit it to the DPW. DPW says they received 2 petitions with 10 and 15 sigantures, but they won't let us view the petition. We can't find anybody who says they signed it. Perhaps whoever started it signed up people not on our streets. The DPW website says you must sign up as many people as possible. DPW came with some pictures of leaves at curbside, but no litter. I feel we don't get much foot traffic which produces litter. I'm interested in your thoughts.
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 2:17 PMThanks for the update. I have not signed your petition(no street cleaning) and would like to do so. How do I do that? -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 3:09 PMYou need to be a resident of Gates 110-299; Bernal hts. Blvd. to Cortland Ave.; or Virginia Ave. Coleridge St. to Elsie St. These are the 2 streets we know about, and I can direct you to the correct person. I don't know of any other streets right know. I don't want alarm anyone, but we almost didn't know about this. There could have been a petition, hearing, and street cleaning signs going up before we were aware of it. It seems once DPW gets a petition for street cleaning it doesn't matter how many people you get against it, you're then fighting photos of leaves, vague assertions of clogged drains, etc. We thought a petition with 80% against and no one in favor at the hearing was a slam dunk. We'll have to see how the next hearing goes. I heard the hearing judge is part of the DPW. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 3:20 PMTo clarify we have no general Bernal Heights petition against mechanized street cleaning, although maybe that's a good idea. We are fighting a specific proposal for Gates St. and Virginia Ave. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 4:07 PMThat's interesting to hear, because I would frankly really like having street cleaning started on Prospect and Coso where we are. I think it would reduce the number of cars being stored in the neighborhood. It'd be worth the hassle of moving the car, to me anyway. Still, it sounds like there was certainly insufficient warning of the change. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 5:29 PMI don't live on any of these streets but I disagree.
1. Mechanized street cleaning makes sense for streets that get considerable foot traffic and hence litter e.g. Cortland
2. Most people who park in this neighborhood are from the neighborhood and this will do nothing to reduce the number of cars. It will only take time out of our lives without us getting anything back in return. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Fri, July 20, 2007 - 1:51 PM1. I agree that certain streets should get mechanized street cleaning.
2. I strongly disagree with " most people parking here live here." I can't say how many times in the past five years of living in Bernal I have seen people drop a car, hop into another and then take off for a week or more. The storing of cars in Bernal is pervasive and endemic.
A residential parking permit I believe is the best way to go. A petition with 250 signatures would do the trick. I would not mind paying for parking in Bernal. One other added benefit of permits is that people who don't wanna pay and who have garages, will start using them.
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 8:44 PMI guarantee you will regret having street cleaning on your street after you've paid your third $50 fine... you WILL forget to move your car. If you see a car parked more than three days in the same spot call the DPT and have it tagged. I live on the 100 block of Prospect, we do it pretty regular, and have few problems with stored vehicles. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Thu, July 19, 2007 - 11:49 PM
I am against street cleaning in Bernal. If you have a petition against it, i'll sign.
Btw...I usually mind my own business regarding parked cars, especially if they have only been parked somewhere for 3 days. Don't people have more important things to worry about? But maybe I am just bitter because my car gets red tagged every 3 days. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Fri, July 20, 2007 - 9:38 AMwhat do folks think of permit parking versus street cleaning? our street isn't particularly dirty. but i do regularly see folks drive two cars up, park one, hop into the other, and drive off because they're storing a car there. it's irritating because if i come home after 9pm i have a hellacious time finding parking. -
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Unsu...
Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Fri, July 20, 2007 - 12:52 PMYou don't know the meaning of hellacious until you've come home from work at 2:00 am or later, driving a Hearse. ;-)
(Yet I always find parking within a 15 minute walk home!) -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Sun, October 7, 2007 - 9:29 PMIs that your hearse I see around the nabe? I've always thought what a cool looking vehicle it is...
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Fri, July 20, 2007 - 1:14 PMpermit parking sucks. it is a horror for me to take Bart to work in the Glenn park neiborhd. i have to park five blocks away, then walk to Bart. there is tons of parking, but all restricted to 2 hours. it is lame . i need to park usualy only for 5 hours, only few days a week. Bart parking lot always full. i hate this mafia restrictions, which make the life in the city even more difficult. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Fri, July 20, 2007 - 2:34 PMI recently parked my car directly in front of my own home for four days. On the fourth day, someone put a white card on my windshield that said, "Parking on this street is limited to THREE DAYS. You need to move your car." Bottom line, I was in the wrong. I moved my car. I will move it again tonight. I will abide by that rule. I do not see a serious need for street cleaning. One of the most attractive things about Bernal Heights for me was the unregulated parking. I lived for 10 years near Church and Market and when I came home late at night I might have to search 30 minutes for parking and walk half a mile home. When I get home late in Bernal and park at the top of the hill 1/4 mile from my home within five minutes of arriving home, I'm delighted. This is part of why I moved here. The lack of street sweeping and permits is a tremendous boon, I think. I love the neighborhood. I apologize to those who are troubled by my car being parked in the same place for four or five days (that won't happen anymore) but I'd also like to hear a little more about why people care (?!?) I mean, to make little printer cards and put them on windshields? This just baffles me and makes me want to suggest a nice, productive hobby. Honestly, if you see an eyesore, report it and get it tagged. Don't touch my stuff!
Thanks for the conversation friendly neighbors! -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Fri, July 20, 2007 - 5:32 PMI don't see why anyone should mind if you are parked, for however long, in front of your own house. The side streets e.g. Eugenia I can understand. For e.g. someone has a truck, that has been in an accident, parked in Eugenia(@ Folsom) for ages. And that shit ain't fair. Note to myself - leave passive-aggressive note on windshield. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Fri, July 20, 2007 - 11:34 PMi don't know what the answer is but i enjoy reading everyone's opinion. at first i was pro permit since i can NEVER find parking at my house which is at eugenia and prospect.
but then i can see the downsides everyone discusses. i do also see people drive up, hop in another car, or go for a walk somewhere and just leave their car. that is very frustrating!
but i too moved here b/c you could park easily (at least you could when i lived on the east side of bernal); the west side is harder to find parking i think b/c of so MANY gd one way streets.
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Tue, July 24, 2007 - 2:10 PMBecause I own only one car and have a garage, I park it in there.
My adjacent neighbors, OTOH, each own multiple cars. They have their own cruel system of divvying up who parks in front of my house. (And I've never seen any of their cars red-tagged.)
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Sun, July 22, 2007 - 8:39 AMOn my street, cars of people who live on the block don't get 3 day notices, even if parked for extended periods of time-- because people know each other, at least in passing, and generally know the cars of our neighbors. If you suspect you know which neighbor is putting out the white cards (you might find out by chatting with neighbors) introduce yourself.
Neighbors who can't find street parking get frustrated with stored or abandoned cars owned by people in other neighborhoods, but left here because we don't have permit parking or street cleaning. Our street has a lot of people who work from home, who walk their dogs, and who (for better or worse) are very aware of everything that goes on on our street. -
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Unsu...
Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Sun, July 22, 2007 - 12:12 PMNot everyone is so lucky as to be able to park on their own street. On my street (Godeus), for example, there is NO PARKING.
Aware=Good
Knowing Neighbors=Good
However, nasty notes do nothing but foster anger and misunderstandings. Especially the cowardly anonymous ones. Red Tags in three or less days are like the same thing. It makes me wonder what the hell is really going on in peoples heads?! I have no way of figuring out who leaves the notes. I have lived on three different streets in the Bernal Heights neighborhood. I have suffered two vandalisms to my vehicle, one to the tune of $1700. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Sun, July 22, 2007 - 10:34 PMI've lived in The City all my life and am a third generation Bernal dweller. My take on yr sitch is that people look on yr hearse as an extravagance or vanity. Despite the recent upward mobility of the neighborhood there remains a core of curmudgeonly blue collar no nonsense oriented folks on the hill. These people see your car and probably think "whats this Haight street tweaker mobile that never moves doing on my street taking up two perfectly good spots". It has nothing to do with size. If you had a enormous Ford F350 pickup no one would look twice. Your car does not blend in, it gets noticed. You are going to suffer some inconvenience for standing out in a crowd. I think your car is neat BTW and I wish you no ill will but I can't resist teasingly saying "fashion victim" ... um smiley face whatever : ) -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Mon, July 23, 2007 - 12:29 AMYou are correct in stating that it does get noticed. Both good and bad. It's just a cooler looking truck. Really. I haul things in it. I have slept in the back of it. Not that I need to justify why I own such a vehicle...guys with hotrods could fall in the same category. It's probably why I love my car...I grew up around many 1960's vehicles. My father is a mechanic and loves the old cars. It's genetic. :)
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Sun, October 14, 2007 - 1:35 PM<I think it would reduce the number of cars being stored in the neighborhood. It'd be worth the hassle of moving the car, to me anyway.>
It's odd that people feel they have some kind of "right" to store their private property on a public street. A city doesn't have to allow street parking at all (as some Southern California cities have shown). To me, the idea that someone has a right to store their car on a street is as absurd as believing that they have the right to store their refrigerator on the street.
I remember when people in the Northwest Bernal Alliance had suggested that people clean out their garages so that they could store their cars there and get them off the streets. Holy hell was raised over the mere suggestion that they use their garages for parking their cars!
Parking on public streets is a privilege, not a right.
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Mon, November 5, 2007 - 10:16 AMI wholeheartedly agree with David--I don't see why and/or how anyone feels they have a right to park their car on the street in front of their home. Just as an example--there is a resident of Wool Street that keeps a traffic cone in the back of his or her truck and places it in the space in front of his/her home whenever they leave. When they return, they just put the cone (reserving the spot) back in the truck and park, once again, in the spot directly in front of the house.
This type of behavior is infuriating beyond words. If that person is reading this post--please keep in mind that the street in front of your house is CITY property for the benefit of ALL residents of SF--not just you. And if you come home and that spot is taken, god forbid, you can park in front of my house.
Just had to throw this out there. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Mon, November 5, 2007 - 8:32 PMI'd move his cone onto the sidewalk. Some guy used to do this on Prospect south of Virginia only this dude made this big cube out of PVC pipe. Eventually his cube went "missing" Don't look to the government to fix everything, DIY ...within reason of course.
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Tue, July 24, 2007 - 11:11 PMcary
you have been doing great work for your local bernal community and send my commends.
i will be contacting you tomorrow or thursday about the project we discussed
best from david -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Thu, July 26, 2007 - 7:10 AMThanks for the kind words, David. It makes me mad they're trying to sneak this through with overwhelmimg opposition. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Mon, July 30, 2007 - 11:03 PM"That's interesting to hear, because I would frankly really like having street cleaning started on Prospect and Coso where we are. I think it would reduce the number of cars being stored in the neighborhood. It'd be worth the hassle of moving the car, to me anyway."
For me one of the joys of where I live is the unregulated parking on Banks and Eugenia. I'm scatter brained and tend to work odd hours, having to worry constantly about whether I have to move my car is a pain. The flip side of that is occasionally having to call in a car thats being stored here. I'd rather that than playing cat and mouse with the meter main on my own street and paying a couple of hundred a year in tickets. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Tue, July 31, 2007 - 7:12 AMThe flip side of street sweeping period is that parking is impossible for those of us that live near a street that has it. Mechanical Street sweeping was intended to be used on streets that could not be kept clean any other way. It's not a parking management tool. The first block of Elsie has MSS 1 day a week on each side on different days. Many folks don't have off-street parking so the surrounding streets serve as their parking lot and we're not to happy about it. If Virginia and Eugenia were to be converted to MSS they would have to seek parking on other streets in Bernal and Prospect would feel the pain as would Coso? And when people move their cars for street sweeping they tend not to move them for a couple of days. I you talk to anyone that lives close to this area they all shutter at the thought of street sweeping being added to more streets. I'll take the occasional long term parker over street sweeping any day.
FYI BEWARE...parking citations will go up next year. So that $50 ticket is likely to cost you $100 next year. Be careful what you wish for.
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Sat, October 6, 2007 - 7:15 PMWhat would you guys think of just banning commerical vehicles? I know it is a "blue collar" neighborhood but these hauling trucks everwhere just aren't fair. There are three parked by me (Arnold avenue next to Holly Park) that say "Azteca Hauling" but I see others with writing throughout the 'hood. I am sure people bring them over here becuase the parking is so easy. Permits should be a last resort. Sweeping is one solution as long as it isn't at 6:00am. They should have it at noon when most people are at work or at least awake to move it. -
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Re: Street sweeping starting on Bernal
Sat, October 6, 2007 - 9:05 PMamen jay
albeit i live in the mission, i do a lot of work in bernal, and i say no to street sweeping, mainly becasue:
1. there is no room for giant street sweeping trucks
2. bernal people maintain their streets
david
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