They are a neighborhood watch group-- hence the safety-oriented flyers.

I think you mis-judge us. If you have a better idea about how go about communicating our issues and recruiting folks - then I am open to suggestions.

Elsie Street Neighbors started a year ago when a developer wanted to develop a vacant lot and build a driveway across the Elsie Street Walkway (the walkway between Vriginia and 160 Elsie below the retaining wall). The developer did a secrete meeting in the middle of Augtust before DPW and tried to sneak thru an encroachment permit that wold allow him to take the public walkway for his driveway. 12 neighborsa organized and turned out to city hall at 9 AM on a weekday to fight aginst this move. We had the meeting continued to September and we lost. The same hearing officer who presided over the hearing this week about street sweeping, approved the permit and suggested that the developer meet with us. We tried to negotiate with him and he ignored our requests for less concrete, more green space, planing and lights along the walkway and a solution to the poor drainage in the area. He claimed he was giving the neighborhood a ramp that would allow those who were mobility impaired to use the sidewalk.

We appealed the project to the Dept of City Planning and lost to the developer who lied to the planning commission. We were able to get DPW to address our concerns about damage to the retaining wall and drainage by requing the developer to provide the city a detailed construction plan before he can begin building. Currently the project is in limbo, but we expect it to come back.

We have also been working on getting better traffic safety signs posted to slow people down on Elsie Street and to reduce one way drivers. We got the city to do a speed survey on the street and fround that most of the cars that travel over the street exceed the speed limit. Elsie is one way, North bound and is the only way for some folks to get drive to Cesear Chavez and downtown because Bonview is a dead end and Winfield the next street over is one way South from Coso to Esmeralda.

Several members of the group who had attended the large community safety meeting at the neighborhood center suggested that we have SAFE come in and present their program. There had been some mail box thefts, car break-ins and some armed robberies in the immediate area. We invited safe in to learn what they could do and had them make several presentations on personal safety and home security practices. We also learned that neighbors had called the police when there were parties or crimes committed in the walkways from Elsie to the top of Berna, or on Esmeralda between Prospect and Winfield and on Eugenia between Winfield and Prospect. These area have no addresses and are stairways. When neighbors called the Police Diepatch, the dsipatchers did not know where the location they were complaing about was located - so they sent the police car to the neighbors homes. So we had the person who was the head of the Police and Fire Dispatch (911) come out to see these locations and make sure their computers were programmed to handle these locations. We also met with Ingleside Police officers and asked them ro famaliarize themselves with these areas so they knew where they were.

The concern about fire on the top of the hill was raised by neighbors who were concerned about people using fireworks in the grass and raodway at the top of the hill. We wanted to know if the Fire Deparment had a plan to fight a fire on top of the hill (they do not), we also wanted the fire department to inspect the area to determine if it is a fire hazard and make recommendations about what can be done to reduce the fire risk?

We do not claim to represent anyone other than those who come to the meeting. We have developed a phone and e-mail list to notify our neighbors when something happens.. Three months ago, when PG&E was digging up the street to replace the gas mains, a neighbors gas heater in their garage exploded in flames. Alert Neigthbors call the Fire Department and called the neighbor at work to notify him of the problem.

We also negotiated with PG&E to let neighbors put their name and phone number on the dash of their cars to avoid having their cars towed during construction.

And we support the neighbors of the surrounding streets to get togher and decide their concerns and get action to solve them. What is so wrong about that? We are a democratic and open group. If you have concerns about something we are doing - come to a meeting a put your suggestions into the mix.

The fire danger on the fourth of July on Bernal hill is a serious issue.

Several years ago, fireworks set the top to the hill on fire, burning much of the brush in the park.

In the early '90's, a bottle rocket landed between the peaks of 2 Victorians on Montezuma, setting them on fire. One of the houses burned to the ground.