New Year More online Julie Mitchell reports how 2020 was a good year Lou Barberini on citywide for some wines in California. p. 6 burglaries, Quentin Kopp on Recology, and more. Garey De Martini discusses what the new year might bring in real estate. p. 11 marinatimes.com

MARINATIMES.COM CELEBRATING OUR 37TH YEAR VOLUME 37 ISSUE 1 JANUARY 2021 R R Opinion What Mark Zuckerberg and the 'Marina Times' have in common

BY SUSAN DYER REYNOLDS

Virtue signaling: the sharing of one’s point of view on a social or political issue to garner praise or acknowledg- ment of one’s righteousness from others who share that point of view, or to rebuke those who do not.

 D. ,   ,   S F  B of Supervisors debated what they considered a pressing issue. Was it about creative solutions Oto house the 8,000-plus people living on the streets? Or Carey Mulligan as Cassie, who’s out for revenge in Promising Young Woman. PHOTO: FOCUS FEATURES concern for the opioid crisis, which by mid-December had caused the deaths of more than 600 people, dwarf- ing the 173 deaths from Covid-19? Or, speaking of the Rounding up the best movies of 2020 pandemic, was it a robust exchange on how they could help the many small businesses struggling to stay afloat BY MICHAEL SNYDER neous selections listed in the online up-close-and-personal examination in the face of unprecedented financial hardship? No, version of this column. of offhand sexual harassment and it was none of those things. Instead, the board voted   - the sort of be-glad-that-you’re-even- 10–1 in favor of a resolution to remove Mark Zuck- obstacles such as theater clo- ‘THE ASSISTANT’ here attitudes you can find at a job erberg’s name from San Francisco General Hospital. sures and postponed block- Despite its minimal budget, Kitty that’s coveted by many. Why? Because the company he founded, Facebook, is Dbusters, there were some excellent Green’s peek at the workday of a Julia Garner is fantastic as Jane an unquestionable source of misinformation and also movies released in 2020. Here are young woman in an entry-level posi- — a recent college grad who aspires exploits the data and privacy of its users. 10 of my English language favorites tion with a high-powered New York to be a producer. As such, she’s sup- In 2015, Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, in alphabetical order, with choice City-based entertainment firm has posed to quietly accept whatever gave $75 million to the city’s sole public hospital, where foreign, documentary, and miscella- teeth. It’s a scathing “Me Too” era SNYDER, continued on 9 REYNOLDS RAP, continued on 4

S  Opinion A  A  Encore

Worcestershire sauce. They think it Standing up for the tastes fishy, and they might be right. But I say there’s no food that cannot be improved by a dash of this stuff. Bloody Marys, of course — also beef First Amendment stew, steak tartar, short ribs, turkey gravy, vegetable soup, and Caesar The Board of Supervisors salad. But what is Worcestershire Sauce? was wrong to target the In 1837 two chemists, John Whee- ley Lea and William Perrins, made the first Worcestershire sauce. They 'Marina Times' were asked by Lord Sandys, who had been governor of Bengal, to BY reproduce a sauce from India that he favored. It missed the mark and  I   ,   ‘Power lunches’ should return to Original Joe’s in 2021. PHOTO: NAOMI ROSE the chemists stored it in a cellar. when I became supervisor, I took an oath Several months later, they dragged to support and defend the Constitution. On it out and tasted it gingerly. It was WJan. 20, after an arduous four years, our country will terrific. The fish had fermented finally inaugurate a new president — one who respects Debunking the bunk and that’s what provided the tang his office, his fellow Americans, and, yes, the Constitu- that Worcestershire sauce still has tion. It will be a much-needed change. But even after today. Although the exact recipe Donald Trump leaves the White House, Americans about food and dining is a secret, ingredients besides the must remain laser-focused on protecting the Constitu- fermented fish essence are vinegar, tion, because we have learned over these past four years A new year always begs for some nos- debunking the bunk about food and molasses, soy sauce, onion juice, just how fragile it can be. talgia. We hope you enjoy this column dining. For some time now I’ve been and tamarind paste. That’s why, when my colleagues on the Board of from more relaxed times. keeping notes on gross gustatory Supervisors last month tried to use their power to inaccuracies and misapprehensions THE CHEESEBURGER IS intimidate the Marina Times, I stood in opposition and BY ERNEST BEYL — call them fake food news. SUBLIME stopped them. The American cheeseburger is the For more than two decades, the Board of Supervisors      ’ , I WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE most sublime food ever created. For has been required to ensure that all San Franciscans love writing about food. I love eat- There are those philistines out me it has the six basic food groups DISTRICT 2 SUPERVISOR, continued on 2 Iing it, too. This column is about there in loopy land who can’t stand APPETITES, continued on 6 District 2 Supervisor which has coincided with the rise of continued from cover social media platforms acting as gate- keepers to information and the Trump have access to public notices by placing administration’s vicious attacks on the ads in newspapers across our city. In Constitution. Sadly, this has created a general, this process includes compet- media ecosystem that has left too many itive bidding, recommendation by the individuals without access to quality Office of Contract Administration, and news and too many public servants unac- approval by the board. Since 2012, the countable to the people we are supposed board has designated the Marina Times to serve. a neighborhood outreach periodical, and we were set to renew its advertising con- A FREE PRESS tract once again last year. In the last 15 years, according to a study HAPPY Until December. out of the University of North Carolina at Despite the fact that this publication Chapel Hill, a quarter of all U.S. newspa- received a positive pers have died, cre- recommendation ating news deserts for contract renew- and harmful infor- al, seven of my In these pages were mation vacuums. colleagues voted to some of the rst This means that at NEW single out the Mari- least 1,800 com- na Times. Not only stories about alleged munities that had a did my colleagues local news outlet in choose to target the corruption at Public 2004 no longer had Marina Times based one at the begin- on its editorial con- Works and the Public ning of 2020. tent, but the dis- At the same YEAR cussion surround- Utilities Commission. time, we have seen ing that decis- the development ion was extremely troubling to me. of a pernicious brand of national poli- tics that denigrates reporters and those PUBLIC REPORTING AND seeking truth through journalism. It is OPINIONS incumbent on all levels of government All elected officials have had negative to do everything we can to reverse these things written about us in the press, even trends, rather than facilitate them. things that we believe are untrue. Choos- The events of 2020, including the city’s ing to run for office means choosing to response to the Covid-19 pandemic and open ourselves up to criticism, fair or not. the ongoing investigations into City Hall But taking on that responsibility does not corruption, have further reminded us of mean that we get to become the arbiters the critical nature of local journalism, of truth, political viewpoints, or journal- which makes the attempt to stifle the istic standards, especially in response to Marina Times all the more troubling. critical stories or tweets about us. Residents of the Marina, Cow Hollow, That is far outside our prerogative and and beyond rely on this paper for news far afield of the First Amendment. And and information about what is happen- as we have seen over the past four years ing in San Francisco. of the Trump administration, that is a In these pages were some of the first dangerous place to be as public officials. stories about alleged corruption at Public Whether or not we agree with what it Works and the Public Utilities Com- prints, what its staff writes on Twitter, mission. Of course this reporting was or what it says about any of us in any unflattering to some in local government format, the Marina Times is a neighbor- and politics, but that is the nature of jest jewels hood publication and its rights must be journalism. protected. So, as we welcome President Joe Biden After my strenuous objections in early and Vice President Kamala Harris, let’s December, the Marina Times’s contract also recommit to our shared values, was renewed the following week—unan- including freedom of speech and free- FINAL DAYS imously. dom of the press. I strongly believe that we must do Those values are truly more important everything we can to protect our local now than ever before, and we can never news outlets and promote the First take them for granted. As always, I am COME ON IN! Amendment, especially after the Trump here to help you in the new year and presidency. beyond, and I will continue to stand up The 21st century has seen a remark- for responsible and accountable govern- % able consolidation of local news outlets, ment at all levels. + Like us on Facebook.com/MarinaTimes OFF Follow us on Twitter.com/TheMarinaTimes Sign up for our newsletters at MarinaTimes.com 50EVERYTHING marinatimes.com • Contact: [email protected] STORE CLOSING Letters to the Editor: [email protected] Advertising: [email protected] Calendar submissions due by the 15th of the month to [email protected]

Publisher Brian Calle [email protected] Editor Emeritus Susan Dyer Reynolds [email protected] Executive Editor John Zipperer [email protected] *Fine jewelry priced separately SALE! Managing Editor Lynette Majer [email protected] Ear piercing not included in sale, call for appointment Design Director Sara Brownell [email protected] Mon-Sun 11am-6ish [email protected] MARINA TIMES IS OWNED AND OPERATED BY STREET MEDIA LLC. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE MARINA TIMES OR STREET MEDIA LLC.THE MARINA TIMES NAME AND LOGO AND VARIOUS TITLES AND 415-563-8839 1869 Union Street SF 94123 HEADINGS HEREIN ARE TRADE MARKS OF STREET MEDIA LLC. NO PART OF THIS PERIODICAL MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE CONSENT OF THE MARINA TIMES. THE MARINA TIMES IS DISTRIBUTED FREE IN SAN FRANCISCO’S NORTHERN NEIGHBORHOODS (MARINA, COW HOLLOW, PACIFIC HEIGHTS, RUSSIAN HILL, NORTH BEACH AND NOB HILL). PLEASE SEND COMMENTS TO LETTERS@ MARINATIMES.COM OR TO THE ADDRESS ABOVE. PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, AND DAYTIME PHONE NUMBER. WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO ABRIDGE FOR SPACE, CLARITY AND CIVILITY.

2 JANUARY 2021 MARINA TIMES MARINATIMES.COM Politics as Usual Recovery Heart trouble Small business is the heart of the economy and the community, and it’s in trouble

BY JOHN ZIPPERER cent voter approval might inspire City Hall to pay more attention to San Francisco’s  B  S    many political barriers to small business a post-Thanksgiving tradition for a success. decade, drawing people to neighbor- For now, with the pandemic still rag- Shood commercial corridors to fulfill their ing and vaccinations just starting to take holiday shopping lists. This year, business place, hope is being placed in help from closures, expanded online shopping, and above. At the supervisors meeting, hope stay-at-home orders made things very dif- was expressed that Congress and the new ferent, and the eyes of many people are on administration in Washington would financial help from city, state, or federal provide relief to states and small busi- sources. nesses. While Congress continues to fight City officials report that restaurants in over additional pandemic stimulus bills, particular have been hard hit, with their the Small Business Administration pro- closure rate almost three times as high as vides a resource to assistance available other small businesses, as measured by a for small businesses: sba.gov/page/coro- number of metrics. But small businesses navirus-covid-19-small-business-guid- come in all kinds. Hearing “small business,” ance-loan-resources. most people likely think about retail shops, gyms, and restaurants of the type that line A MATTER OF SIZE Union and Chestnut Streets. But there are Global e-commerce behemoths Amazon also a lot of mom-and-pop landlords who and Walmart had quite a nice pandem- have gone nearly a year without rental ic, thank you very much. In late Decem- income. Fitness instructors, yoga trainers, ber, Brookings Institution’s Molly Kinder suppliers of security to stores, office clean- and Laura Stateler say the two companies ers, and other businesses that have not been increased their profits last year by 56 per- able to function fully or at all since March cent, and shareholders became much rich- 2020 — they, too, will be either restarting er, with Amazon and Walmart stocks rising their businesses or else looking for new a respective 70 percent and 36 percent. work themselves. Meanwhile, the Brookings scholars write, At a Dec. 22 special meeting of the Board their workers’ wages “will have grown only of Supervisors, Supervisor laid 7 percent and 6 percent by the end of the out the challenge: “For some [small busi- year, even after the new December bonus- nesses], the option to move businesses es.” outdoors was a lifeline for those who could On the small business side, things have keep operating. Sixty percent of the small not been so rosy. In October 2020, Align- business owners who participated reported able issued the results of a survey it con- they wanted to continue operating out- ducted with more than 520,000 business doors. Ninety percent said these outdoor owners on the impact of the coronavirus spaces kept them from closing permanent- and the recovery of the small business ly. Now, without being open, restaurants economy in the United States and Can- have been forced back into takeout-only, ada. The headline news from the survey which means it is too [costly] to stay open included 42 percent of small and medi- at all. The most recent stay-at-home order, um-sized businesses possibly not making it which reduced capacity across the city, to 2021; year-on-year consumer spending came with no additional support at all. was down 50 percent for restaurants and a Many small businesses in our city feel like whopping 74 percent for arts and entertain- they have been left to fend for themselves, ment; nearly 70 percent of these businesses [with] few options. Many have dug into were still suffering negative consequences their personal savings or have gone deeply from the pandemic. If there was much of a in debt.” silver lining, it was that 89 percent of fully Just days after the Supervisors meeting, closed businesses planned to reopen at Haney introduced a bill that, if passed, some point. could provide up to $50 million in city When closed businesses are able to funding for music and entertainment ven- reopen, they will have additional costs, ues. as well as newly accumulated debts and possibly lower revenue than before the pan- A CITY MATTER demic to pay for it all. The owner of an ani- The success or failure of small businesses mal boarding company told Alignable, “No is no small matter, and it affects everyone in one’s traveling and leaving their pets here, town, whether or not they work for a small and I’m paying $12,000 per month in rent.” business. In a Nov. 19, 2020, press release, The pandemic might wane, but com- Mayor ’s office noted: “San panies will still have to pay for increased Francisco is home to approximately 94,000 cleaning and sanitizing, not to mention small businesses, which make up 94 per- perhaps replacing employees who moved cent of all businesses in the city. This vital out of the Bay Area, vandalism to tempo- sector of our economy generates almost rarily closed stores, and other costs. 360,000 jobs, employing about half of San It might take a while for things to return Francisco’s workforce and contributing to to normal, but at least as the pandemic the vibrancy of the city’s diverse neighbor- begins to fade with the spread of vaccina- hoods.” tion, the good news could be a fairly strong Breed was touting voter approval of spring back of the economy. People will Proposition H in the November ballot. return to work, rents will resume being This made some changings to the city’s paid, and there will be great pressure on planning code to make it easier for busi- lenders and legislators to create flexible nesses to do new things and to cut some debt relief rules. But when that happens, red tape and expedite permitting. It’s a far the landscape of San Francisco’s small busi- cry from a robust reform of the city’s rules ness community could have changed dra- for businesses, but it was one of the few matically since March 2020. olive branches the city has held out to the business community in recent years. The Feedback: [email protected]; author fact that it passed with more than 60 per- email: [email protected]

MARINATIMES.COM MARINA TIMES JANUARY 2021 3 N 

Reynolds Rap Only four supervisors — Catherine continued from cover Stefani, , Asha Safai, and — rejected Preston’s Chan worked at the time as a pedia- trashing of the First Amendment. Pro- trician. Chief executive of the Priscilla gressives are fine, of course, with blogs Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francis- like Mission Local and 48 Hills that write co General Hospital and Trauma Center, glowingly about them, and moderates Dr. Susan Ehrlich, said the donation have no problem with the San Francisco allowed the hospital to acquire state- Chronicle ignoring for decades the wide- of-the-art technology, and the naming spread corruption brought to light in Since 1980 reflects their appreciation. Fortunately this column and now ensnaring the city’s for Dr. Ehrlich, the board’s resolution moderate-appointed officials in federal 5-9 Tuesday - Sunday is nonbinding, meaning it doesn’t have indictments — but most were fine with the force of law, nor does it require the defunding the one newspaper that criti- hospital to do anything. cizes them both. In the 10-1 vote, the lone nay came from board president — VIRTUE SIGNALING IN ALL THE yes, even the almost always sensible WRONG PLACES Catherine Stefani voted in favor. But Yee It would have been a lot more pain- wasn’t doing it out of appreciation for ful listening to the three supervisors the $75 million, he just “couldn’t support judge my character if they weren’t so the condemnation without more of a bad at it. Take for example, the case of policy discussion.” He did say he would Fernando Madrigal. On April 9, 2020, support removing Zuckerberg’s name Ronen and Walton attended a rally on from the hospital while leaving Chan’s the steps of City Hall to support legis- name. That makes zero sense, of course, lation, co-signed by Preston, to close because unless the salaries of pediatri- Juvenile Hall. Walton and Ronen stood cians have gone through the roof, Chan’s beside 21-year-old Madrigal as he spoke money also comes from Facebook. Iron- about spending time at juvie for rob- ically, Yee was among several supervi- bery when he was 13. Lauding him as a sors behind the 2015 resolution that “youth activist,” they presented Madrigal approved the gift and name change. as their poster boy for why Juvenile Hall I would have expected a resolution should be permanently shuttered. making it Zuckerberg-Chan day after the At a July 30, 2019 rally against gun hospital was the violence, Mad- first in the city to rigal once again TAKE OUT AND DELIVERY administer coro- joined Walton on navirus vaccines, Walton and Ronen the steps of City (415) 921-7600 not grandstanding Hall, this time celebrated Madrigal as a DoorDash • Grubhub • Postmates • Uber Eats about an agreement alongside Sha’ray that, as co-sponsor youth activist, but in reality, Johnson, moth- 3166 Buchanan at Greenwich | (415) 921-7600 Supervisor Gordon er of 15-year-old Mar pointed out, he was a gang member who Day’von Hann, @brazenheadsf | brazenheadsf.com the board has no who was tragical- authority to revoke. the Feds say committed ly gunned down It’s not as though at 24th and Capp the city plans two murders — one in Streets on July 8. to give back the Just two weeks money, either. I’m each of their districts. after that rally, no Facebook fan, federal authori- but the whole thing seems as hypocriti- ties arrested Madrigal as Day’von’s kill- cal as it is absurd. Then again, hypocrisy er. Madrigal, a member of the Mission and absurdity often define the Board of Norteños, mistook Hann as a rival gang Supervisors. member. Then, on Dec. 15, the feds indicted Madrigal in connection with 'MARINA TIMES': ENEMY OF THE a second killing after he allegedly lured PEOPLE the victim near Candlestick Park on At the board’s Dec. 1 meeting, Super- July 12, 2018, claiming he wanted to visors and buy marijuana. Missing for more than — both lawyers — developed a case of a year, tree trimmers found the victim’s amnesia about the First Amendment. bones in a wooded area of Oakland. The Since 2012, the Marina Times has partic- skull was recovered a month later. In ipated in a program worth about $5,000 the superseding indictment, Madrigal a year in which the city places public is charged with racketeering conspiracy notices in neighborhood newspapers. and two counts of use of a firearm caus- Bonus points are given for women own- ing death. ership (check) and being local (check). Had Walton and Ronen done a little Every year — including last year, when background work, they may have found Preston and Ronen were also on the Madrigal’s Instagram account with board — the contract has been rubber images of a black short-barreled rifle stamped. But in 2020, after I criticized capable of firing the rounds used in the Preston for his incompetent handling of Hann shooting, and a video allegedly the homeless in the Haight, and Ronen depicting Madrigal loading a magazine for penning legislation to stop owner with the same ammunition on July 6, buyouts of tenants despite having bought 2019 — just two days before Hann was a building with owner buyouts of ten- killed. ants, they decided to single out the Mari- Walton and Ronen celebrated Mad- na Times to prevent us from receiving “a rigal as a “youth activist,” but in reality, dime of public money,” as Preston put he was a gang member who the Feds it. Supervisor chimed say committed two murders — one in in, too, saying it “wasn’t a First Amend- each of their districts. Unlike the hours ment issue” and the city shouldn’t fund spent deriding Mark Zuckerberg and the a publication that prints “rumors.” I Marina Times, however, the supervisors assume he’s talking about my July 2020 have been silent on Madrigal. Perhaps column about the San Francisco Public they’re too busy anticipating their next Utilities Commission’s Community Ben- virtue signaling opportunity while solv- efits program — a pay-to-play scheme ing none of San Francisco’s problems. where contractors “choose” to donate to nonprofits in exchange for lucrative Visit marinatimes.com for exclusive jobs with the agency. It just so happens, Reynolds Rap columns. before he was elected supervisor, Walton was executive director of one of the most E-mail: [email protected]. Follow the prolific beneficiaries of those benefits, Marina Times on Twitter @TheMarinaTimes Young Community Developers. and like us on Facebook @MarinaTimes.

4 JANUARY 2021 MARINA TIMES MARINATIMES.COM MARINATIMES.COM MARINA TIMES JANUARY 2021 5 F   W

W W Bottoms up! Raise a glass to 2020 It wasn’t all bad for California wine

BY JULIE MITCHELL BIG SPENDERS We’re also drinking more wine, and ’      more premium wines at that. In a Dec.  that 2020 was a rough year, and 18, 2020 New York Times article, Danelle California’s wine industry suffered Kosmal, vice president of beverages and Imultiple crises — the pandemic that alcohol at the research firm Nielson, said, Central Coast Chardonnay closed winery tasting rooms, weeks “Consumers are trading up and spending of brutal heat, and horrific wildfires more, and it’s a trend that’s been acceler- that burned wineries and engulfed ated since the pandemic started.” Many the entire Bay Area in thick smoke Americans are traveling less and not eat- and falling ash. As a result, the state’s ing out, so they’re more likely to splurge wine grape growers produced less wine for wine at home, where it can cost half of

in 2020 than was forecast. And yet, what it does in restaurants. Online and premium wine sales have surged during the pandemic. PHOTO: FEVERPITCHED according to Wine Industry Advisor, of the 4,200 wineries in California, fewer OLDER AND BETTER than 20 reported significant damage This trend is inspiring some top Cal- the Santa Maria Valley, Lodi, and El Dora- flavors of crisp Asian pear and mint on to wineries. Smoke taint (when grapes ifornia wineries to release older vintag- do Hills benefited from an early, mostly the nose, and a palate rich with melon, exposed to smoke es — library or cave mild spring and just a few heat spikes. lemon, and guava. results in wine that releases from winery Wine makers from these areas believe Husch Anderson Valley Dry Gewurz- carries a faint off cellars are doing well. their 2020 varietals have great potential. traminer 2018, $15. Dry and flavorful aroma and the taste We’re drinking For example, The New And there are plenty of reasonably priced, with bright grapefruit and pear flavors; of smoke) did do York Times report- newly released wines on the market from full bodied with a lingering finish. some damage, but more wine, and ed that Napa Valley’s all over the state to buy now. Girasole Mendocino County Pinot plenty of delicious Quintessa sold its first Blanc 2019, $14. Ripe, luscious melon varietals were craft- more premium “decade release” wine NEW RELEASES TO TRY NOW flavors balanced by a smooth, buttery feel ed in 2020. White in 2020 at $250 a bot- It’s too early to sample most 2020 vin- with citrus accents. wines like Chardon- wines at that. tle. And Charles Krug, tages, but whether you plan to buy your Kendall-Jackson Santa Rosa Vintner’s nay and Riesling, one of the oldest win- wine online or directly from a winery, Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2019, $15. which are harvested earlier than reds eries in the country, rereleased a collec- here are some of Wine Enthusiast’s top Bright, ripe fruit flavors and zesty acidity so the grapes were picked before the tion of “vintage select” Cabernet Sau- choices for 2020 affordable new releases in a full-bodied white. fires, did especially well. vignons from 1974, 1991, and 2003 for from California: $1,000; 2020’s vintage select Cabernet Brady Vineyard Paso Robles Zinfan- Of course there are many more new ONLINE FOR WINE is $125. According to SipSource, which del 2018, $24. Rich red fruit and contrast- wines to try and more on their way. If Covid-19 also brought changes to the collects data from wine and spirits dis- ing stone, savory spice, and ample acidity you’d like expert help selecting them, way we drink wine, and to the way in tributors, sales of premium wines have and tannins. look to California Wine Merchant which we buy it. For one, more con- grown more than other categories. Birichino Besson Vineyard Central (2113 Chestnut Street, 415-567-0646, sumers buy their wine online, and once Another thing to note about Califor- Coast Old Vine Grenache 2018, $25. californiawinemerchant.com) or The Jug buyers purchase wine this way, they tend nia winemaking in 2020 is that while Dark, ripe berries and spices with fresh Shop (1590 Pacific Avenue, 415-885- to repeat it. According to Pew Research, the entire state suffered from excessive acidity and minerality. 2922, thejugshop.com) And when the more than 80 percent of Americans now heat and wildfire smoke, wine-growing San Simeon Monterey Estate Reserve 2020 varietals roll out, you may just want purchase wine online, and online wine regions other than Napa and Sonoma were Pinot Noir 2019, $25. Aromas of Bing to put one away to bring out in remem- sales are growing. Virtual wine tastings somewhat less impacted. Growing condi- cherry, cloves, and other baking spices, brance of a year that none of us will ever and ads on social media are also convinc- tions in appellations in the Russian River and a smooth, silky mouthfeel. forget. ing consumers to purchase wine directly Valley, Lake County, Mendocino County, Four Vines Naked Central Coast from wineries. Santa Barbara County, Paso Robles and Chardonnay 2018, $11. Vibrant with Email: [email protected]

Appetites co hot dog makes you happy, go for it. continued from cover Come to think about it, the Costco food counter deserves one Michelin star — for necessary for good living. Yes, I said six, its chopped onion machine. not five. Protein (burger), vegetables (let- tuce), fruit (tomato), grain (bun), dairy PIZZA INEQUALITY (cheese) — and grease. Without grease a Not all pizzas are created equal. Some cheeseburger is not a cheeseburger. are mushy and doughy. Others are too oregano-ish. There are more than 20 SAUERKRAUT IS NOT SOUR joints that serve pizza in North Beach. I love sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is not sour All are good. Shop around and find a when it is prepared correctly. The trick pizza parlor that pleases you. I like ’em is to rinse it thoroughly in several water thin-crusted and crispy. baths before you cook it. The sauerkraut will mellow out. The only time it’s per- THE POWER LUNCH missible for sauerkraut to be sour (so the Just what is a power lunch? The term gods decree) is when an uncooked forkful originated in New York (of course) in is added to a hot dog in its bun. Hot dogs 1979 by Lee Eisenberg’s Esquire maga- should be slathered with mustard, topped zine article — “America’s Most Powerful with a squeeze of catsup, chopped raw Lunch.” Eisenberg was referring to the onion, pickle relish and, of course, some famous Four Seasons, the iconic restau- sour sauerkraut. rant in the Seagram Building. He said the Four Seasons was the place where ROASTING A CHICKEN Author Ernie Beyl enjoying a Bloody Mary at Original Joe’s in 2018. IMAGE: STAFF PHOTO deals were made. Do we have power You don’t have to baste a roasting chick- lunch restaurants in San Francisco? Of en. The chicken is perfectly capable of also Italian stuff at the Old Spaghetti ALICE WATERS ON SEASONAL course! Three come to mind — Le Cen- basting itself — if you teach it how. I got Factory on Green Street. But Allen Gins- DINING tral, Sam’s Grill and Seafood Restaurant, this from food maven Ruth Reichl. Cut a berg favored Russian borscht. Here’s Alice Waters did not invent dining on and Original Joe’s. But do you have to few slivers of fat from your chicken and how he made it: Take a dozen or so seasonal foods. She picked up the idea on eat there to do a deal? No way! In this with your finger insert them between the beets, peel them, and chop into bite- a visit to France, and on reading the cook- city deals are also done in pizza joints, skin and the breast meat before you put size pieces along with their stems and books of expatriate Richard Olney. Our coffeehouses, and on the sidewalks in the bird in the oven. The fat will soon leaves. Salt lightly and boil in about 8 to 10 own San Francisco food guru Narsai David front of take-out delis. San Francisco is melt and baste the chicken for you. cups of water until you have a thick, preceded her on the seasonal stuff, too. more egalitarian than New York. Let’s red soup. Add a bit of sugar and the keep it that way. ALLEN GINSBERG’S BORSCHT juice of a lemon. Add a few small boiled A MICHELIN STAR FOR COSTCO Common knowledge has the Beats potatoes. Serve with a dollop of sour Michelin stars don’t necessarily mean Visit marinatimes.com for more columns dining on cheap Chinese food and cream on top. you’re going to enjoy your meal. If a Cost- by Ernie Beyl.

6 JANUARY 2021 MARINA TIMES MARINATIMES.COM L V D Recipes Warm up with hearty soups Perfect for a cold winter’s night

BY SUSAN DYER REYNOLDS have time, be sure the store-bought stock is low sodium.      and blustery, my thoughts STRACCIATELLA turn to hot, hearty soups. (ITALIAN EGG DROP SOUP) WOne of my favorites is stracciatella, or Serves 4–6 Italian egg drop soup. The name means “torn apart” or “rags,” because the egg 6 cups chicken stock looks like torn rags in the soup. It’s an 1 teaspoon kosher salt easy recipe, and it’s also good for you ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper if you include a “super green” like kale 1 cup meatballs, rolled the size of a large Stracciatella soup with tortellini, meatballs, and spinach. PHOTO: SUSAN DYER REYNOLDS or spinach. For the meatballs, use my marble (optional) grandfather’s recipe for ricotta meat- 1 package Three Bridges Organic Cheese over it. Top each bowl with freshly grated sauté for 10 minutes, or until soft and balls (available at marinatimes.com), Tortellini (optional) Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately. caramelized. Add the sherry or port and but roll them smaller, or use your own 1 cup kale or baby spinach (optional; see sauté for 10 more minutes. Add the stock, favorite meatball recipe. You can make below) ONION SOUP CASSEROLE salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook stracciatella vegetarian by leaving out 2 large eggs (preferably pastured) Serves 4–6 over medium-low heat for 15 minutes. the meatballs and using vegetable stock ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese for serving In the bottom of an ovenproof round instead of chicken stock. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter casserole or Dutch oven (7 to 8 quart with One of my other favorites is onion Bring broth to a simmer in an 8-quart 4 cups Spanish (yellow) onions (about sides a minimum of 4 inches high), arrange soup casserole. It’s basically French pot or Dutch oven. Add salt and pep- three medium onions), thinly sliced 1 cup of croutons or toasted baguette, and onion soup but less labor intensive, per. Add the meatballs, tortellini, and, if ¼ cup sherry or sweet port sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Add the because you make it in a casserole rath- you’re using, the kale. Simmer for 8 to 10 6 cups beef or vegetable stock remaining cup of croutons or baguette and er than in individual bowls. Like the minutes, or until meatballs are cooked 1 teaspoon kosher salt top with another cup of cheese. Fill the cas- stracciatella it can easily be made vege- through, and kale is slightly tender. ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper serole with the soup and sprinkle remain- tarian by substituting the beef stock for Meanwhile, in a small measuring cup 2 cups plain croutons or thin slices of ing cup of cheese on top. Place casserole vegetable stock. My mom always had with a spout, beat together eggs. Turn the toasted baguette (divided) on a cookie sheet lined with foil, and bake a pot of homemade stock simmering heat off the stock, and use one hand to stir 3 cups Gruyère cheese (divided) for approximately 30 minutes, or until the away on the stove during the winter stock in a figure eight motion and the other 2 tablespoons fresh Italian (flat leaf) top is bubbling and golden brown. Ladle months. I make stock in large batches hand to pour beaten eggs into stock in a parsley, finely minced soup into bowls, sprinkle parsley over top and freeze it in quart containers. I rec- slow, steady stream. If you are using spin- of each, and serve immediately. ommend making your own stock for ach instead of kale, place a handful in the Melt the butter in an 8-quart saucepan both of these soups, but if you don’t bottom of each serving bowl, and ladle soup over medium heat. Add the onions and E-mail: [email protected]

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MARINATIMES.COM MARINA TIMES JANUARY 2021 7 A  E Art World Art at home SFAI’s free online life-drawing sessions for all ages are a great stay-at-home solution Charcoal, conte crayons, graphite sticks, pencil, and paper are all you need to participate in the San Francisco Art Institute’s free Virtual Open Drawing Studio

BY SHARON ANDERSON even the sound of graphite on paper while looking up at the figure transport- C’    ed me to another time. An unexpected orders are extended, SFAI’s City luxury that I never had in art school is Studio program is offering to the the enjoyment of going back and revisit- Apublic a free-for-all-ages collection of ing the episodes to fine tune the drawings online drawing lessons using live models. or even attempt a different approach. Building on SFAI’s history of offering free These sessions feature models of all ages live-model sessions on Friday afternoons and themes such as: Black Joy, Drawing since the 1950s, the uploaded sessions Activism, The Figure as Visual Poetry, create a custom learning platform. In a and of course an Exploration of Drawing series of six different lessons in life draw- Materials. ing, beginners and more experienced Of course, it isn’t just about using up artists are presented with opportunities time. We’re all looking forward to life to explore drawing techniques. returning to a semblance of normalcy. Like many of you, I used to go out. Art, in my experience, can ground us in Events, plays, galleries, museums, con- the present moment in a way that few certs, films — you name it. As an arts things can. That focus on what is right in writer and painter, this has always been front of us fills the hours with something a big part of my life. Since March, I’ve that feels meaningful. replaced these activities with reading and painting at home, and going on nature SFAI’S CITY STUDIO PROGRAM walks. Hard times can, of course, drive Now in its 16th year, SFAI’s City Stu- us a little crazy. But they can also give dio program engages youth with the us a genius for living and a flair for the intent to nurture their passion in the arts, fun. Recently I spent a Sunday with my strengthening their conceptual thinking paints and canvases. In what felt like five and foundation skills, and to inspire their minutes I’d burned up about seven hours. future interest in a creative life. This is my new “going out.” All drawing sessions are available online and remain available indefinitely for free: BACK IN ART SCHOOL https://sfai.edu/public-youth-education/ I recently attempted these online draw- open-drawing-studio. ing classes. Life drawing takes me back to when I was studying for my Bachelor Sharon Anderson is an artist and writer in of Fine Arts degree in painting. The sub- Southern California. She can be reached at You no longer need to go to the Art Institute for live-model sessions. PHOTOS: AMY BERK dued lighting, the spotlight on the model, mindtheimage.com.

The Best of Books What’s ying off the shelves The Marina Books Inc. best-seller list

COMPILED BY KEVIN MCCARTHY PAPERBACK NONFICTION Cup champion describes her 1. Life Undercover: Coming childhood in a conservative Cali- HARDCOVER FICTION of Age in the CIA, by fornia town, her athletic achieve- 1. The Vanishing Half: A Amarylis Fox ments, and her public advocacy Novel, by Brit Bennett 2. Braiding Sweetgrass: of civil rights and urgently need- 2. Ready Player Two: A Indigenous Wisdom, ed social change. Novel, by Ernest Cline Scientific Knowledge and 3. Hamnet, by Maggie the Teachings of Plants, Red Comet: The Short Life and O’Farrell by Robin Wall Kimmerer Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath, by 3. Sapiens: A Graphic Histo- Heather Clark HARDCOVER NONFICTION ry (The Birth of Human- The highly anticipated new 1. A Promised Land, by kind), by Yuval Harari biography of Sylvia Plath that Barack Obama focuses on her remarkable lit- 2. Spirits of San Francisco: CHILDREN’S BEST SELLERS erary and intellectual achieve- Voyages through the 1. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: ments, while restoring the Unknown City, by Gary The Deep End, by Jeff woman behind the long-held Kamiya and Paul Madonna Kinney myths about her life and art. 3. The Splendid and the Vile: 2. The Couch Potato, by Jory A Saga of Churchill, Fam- John and Pete Oswald Memorial: A Novel, by Bryan ily, and Defiance During 3. The Boy and the Gorilla, by Washington the Blitz, by Erik Larson Jackie Azúa Kramer and Japanese-American chef Mike Cobble Hill: A Novel, by Cecily entertaining portrait of con- Cindy Derby and Black daycare teacher Ben- Von Ziegesar temporary family life and the PAPERBACK FICTION son begin reevaluating their stale In this eclectic Brooklyn colorful characters who call 1. The Queen’s Gambit: A NEW AND NOTABLE relationship after Mike departs neighborhood, private storms Brooklyn home. Novel, Walter Tevis RELEASES for Japan to visit his dying father brew amongst four married 2. Shuggie Bain: A Novel, by and Benson is suddenly stuck couples and their children. Find Kevin McCarthy at Books Douglas Stuart One Life, by Megan Rapinoe with his visiting mother-in-law, “Breezy, witty, and compul- Inc. in the Marina (2251 3. Interior Chinatown, by The Olympic gold medalist who becomes an unconventional sively fun to read” (Kirkus Chestnut Street, 415-931-3633, Charles Yu and two-time Women’s World roommate. Reviews), Cobble Hill is a highly booksinc.net/sfmarina).

8 JANUARY 2021 MARINA TIMES MARINATIMES.COM Art World Art at home Snyder continued from cover

demeaning treatment is required at the office, particularly the distinctly Harvey Weinstein-like behavior of her boss and the diffidence of his enablers. Tightly written and directed by Green, it’s a short, sharp jab at an abusive, oppressive cir- cumstance predicated on sex and gender.

‘MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM’ This screen adaptation of playwright August Wilson’s award-winning period drama, primarily set at a recording ses- sion in 1927 Chicago, crackles with righ- teous anger and shimmies with vintage musical motifs as it depicts the tension between a legendary blues singer, the members of her band, and the white manager and record company owner try- ing to cut some tracks. But most of all, it’s a showcase for brilliant performances by Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) discovers what it truly means to have a soul in Pixar’s Soul, available on Disney Plus. two actors at the top of their respective © DISNEY/PIXAR games: Viola Davis as Ma Rainey, histor- ically known as the Mother of the Blues, going to be derailed by an unwanted drummer in an arty noise-metal duo with When a strange noise starts to interrupt and, in his last screen role, the late Chad- pregnancy. She can’t get an abortion close his guitar-playing girlfriend Lou (Olivia telephone service and radio signals in wick Boseman as a talented, arrogant to home and needs to head out on the Cooke) who handles the vocal screeches. the area, the duo tries to figure out what’s trumpet player with a tragic back story down-low with her cousin Skylar to New One morning during a tour of the heart- what, and they find themselves caught up and a yen for solo stardom. York City, where the two girls encounter land, Ruben wakes up in their trailer, in something potentially massive. various challenges that are harrowing and the buzzing he’s been experiencing ‘MANK’ in the most intimate of ways. Sidney in his ears turns into garbled distortion ‘WORKING MAN’ Directed by David Fincher, Mank Flanigan and Talia Ryder — the young then rapidly degenerates into calamitous Moved by the tragedy of factory clos- offers many pleasures, led by Gary Old- actresses playing Autumn and Skylar, hearing loss. Not only does this impact ings in the heartland, writer-director man’s grand performance as the title respectively — are truly wonderful. They his livelihood, it also plays havoc with the Robert Jury made a potent and damning character: the immensely witty, talented, thrive under the gentle direction of Eliza Ruben-Lulu relationship, which has been dramatization of how corporate Ameri- alcohol-pickled, Hittman, who also one of mutual support for years, helping ca’s obsession with the bottom line and real-life screen- wrote the brutally both of them cope with addiction. Now, disregard for the plight of the dedicated writer Herman J. honest script. The Ruben needs to confront the challenge of working-class has hollowed out parts of Mankiewicz (nick- Pixar’s latest animated result is a jewel of losing his hearing, investigate solutions, the country and stolen lifeblood and pur- named Mank). a movie that will and somehow figure out a way to keep his pose from so many. This gorgeous, delight is among its best leave you gutted. professional life and his love life together. Peter Gerety is tragic and touching as glistening black- Allery — an elderly worker at a Midwest- and-white pastiche — ambitious, beautiful ‘PROMISING ‘THE VAST OF NIGHT’ ern plastics plant who, along with the tells the story of YOUNG WOMAN’ An elegant and minimalist take on rest of the staff, is given walking papers Mank’s legendary and metaphysical. Anchored by a the traditional 1950s sci-fi alien invasion when the factory where he’s toiled much struggle to crank complex, seductive movie, The Vast of Night is an impres- of his life closes. Allery is so wedded to out the script for the now-exalted 1941 and unsettling turn by Carey Mulligan, sive feat accomplished by director and his job and so unable to confront family Orson Welles masterwork Citizen Kane Promising Young Woman — a thoroughly co-screenwriter Andrew Patterson with problems that he continues to put on his on a tight deadline while Mank was laid assured first feature from screenwrit- some creative twists and uneasy moments work clothes, pack a lunch and sneaks up with a broken leg in a desert bunga- er-director Emerald Fennell — is a dark- that elevate the genre. alone into the abandoned plant where he low. There are copious flashbacks to his ly comic examination of the damage Set in a small New Mexico town, the looks for jobs he can do to busy himself. early 1930s career on the studio lots and wrought by toxic masculinity. An assault tale moves like a sleek cat from location His wife, played by Talia Shire, is beside his friendship with wealthy, powerful on her best friend and fellow medical stu- to location — a high school gym, the herself, but can’t bring herself to stop media magnate William Randolph Hearst dent causes Mulligan’s character, Cassie, town switchboard, a bare-bones radio what appears to her to be a charade — (Charles Dance) — the inspiration for to drop out of school and sends her on a station, and so on — as the camera fol- until another fired worker decides to join Citizen Kane — and Hearst’s exuberant crusade to exact payback and redress the lows Everett (Jake Horowitz), a young, Allery in his quixotic endeavor. wife, the actress Marion Davies (an ador- power balance between men and women, ambitious local D.J., and his teen sidekick able, sympathetic Amanda Seyfried), and unbeknownst to her parents and her boss Fay (Sierra McCormick), a science-mind- Michael Snyder is a print and broadcast more. Fincher offers a lot of inside Hol- at the coffee shop where she now works. ed high school girl who works an eve- journalist who covers pop culture. Follow lywood material here, but for a cinephile, Mulligan’s star turn here shows that she ning shift as the local telephone operator. Michael on Twitter: @cultureblaster. Mank is a heck of a meal. has made good on the promise of her work in the period coming-of-age come- ‘NOMADLAND’ dy An Education. Filmmaker Chloe Zhao’s finely tuned, deeply affecting 2017 movie The Rider ‘SOUL’ was no fluke. She’s followed it up with Pixar’s latest animated delight is among the poignant odyssey of a tough, taciturn the studio’s best — ambitious, beauti- older woman who decides to simply travel fully rendered, and getting all meta- the heartland in her modest van and take physical with the story of Joe, a genial on a series of seasonal jobs after the death public-school music teacher (voiced by of her husband. Frances McDormand Jamie Foxx) on the verge of realizing his is absolutely riveting as the decidedly dream to play piano with a renowned unglamorous nomad Fern, whose social jazz combo. Alas, he succumbs to an interactions generally revolve around accident and his spirit is heaven-bound some familiar fellow travelers she regular- until it falls into a limbo-like way station ly encounters on the road and other ran- for souls who have yet to be born. There, dom freebooters who have refrained from he meets a recalcitrant soul (voiced by settling down. David Strathairn, playing a Tina Fey) who fears the challenges of senior motor home owner with a yen for life, and they become reluctant partners Fern, is the only recognizable face in the in Joe’s attempt to revive his body back cast, which seems to be made up of many on Earth. Jammed with great music from actual nomads that Zhao has recruited to Jon Batiste and directed by Pete Doctor bring gritty reality to the way of life that of Inside Out, Up and Finding Nemo Fern has chosen. renown, Soul is a sweet and soulful ride into one man’s psyche … and beyond. ‘NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS’ ‘SOUND OF METAL’ Shot in naturalistic documentary style, Powerful, disturbing, heartbreaking Never Rarely Sometimes Always gets close and driven by Riz Ahmed’s shattering lead and sometimes uncomfortably personal performance, Sound of Metal is about a with the painful journey undertaken by rock-’n’-roller’s nightmare. Ahmed, best- Autumn, a teenage girl from small-town known as the lead in the provocative Pennsylvania whose life and plans are miniseries The Night of …, is Ruben — a

MARINATIMES.COM MARINA TIMES JANUARY 2021 9 F

MomSense The bright side P hil’s Electric Co . SINCE 1941 SALES SERVICE PARTS

Phil’s wishes you and yours a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Expert

Families had a lot of together time in 2020. PHOTO: LIGHTFIELDSTUDIOS LAMP REPAIR Silver linings from a ELECTRIC SHAVERS: BRAUN  NORELCO  REMINGTON challenging year

IDEAL PROFESSIONAL BY LIZ FARRELL or court and squeezing in a playground along the way. The pandemic brought ’        youth sports to a screeching halt and for AIR PURIFIERS  see 2020 come to an end. What many months closed our playgrounds.  HIGHLY EFFICIENT a year! My first column of the year I will always remember one Saturday  CADR 433.3 Iis usually about looking forward to the morning in April when my son asked me  REMOVES ALLERGENS, VOC’S, year ahead, possibly making some res- what we were going to do all day. I admit MOLD, AND VIRUSES olutions or even tips for a family reset. those first few weekends were daunting, But our family reset came last March but as we adapted, we found joy in urban  MADE IN GERMANY when we all began to shelter in place hikes, long walks with the dog to new along with working and going to school neighborhoods, or packing a picnic to remotely. While I remain hopeful that a socially distanced circle on the Mari- 2701 Lombard Street @ Baker • (415) 921-3776 2021 will bring a return to more normal- na Green. Then came the Slow Streets cy, if ever there were a year to reflect on, program and our world started to open HOURS: Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm • philselectric.com this is it. Covid has rocked our world, up. We explored Golden Gate Park by our country, our city, and our home lives; bike, mapped out routes connecting Slow however, it hasn’t been all bad. So allow Streets to the ocean, and for the first time me to reflect and share some of those I wasn’t terrified about my kids riding silver linings in hopes that you too may their bikes or skateboarding on the streets COMET CLUB pause and find your own. of San Francisco. We have all come to Looking forward to serving you again soon. appreciate that our parks and open spac- FAMILY TIME es, which now include Slow Streets, are To say our family has spent a lot of essential and have become an even more time together over the last nine months important part of daily life, especially for would be an understatement. It was a families. big adjustment in the beginning as the kids needed to rely on each other for LITTLE THINGS entertainment instead of their friends or One of the greatest gifts the pandemic teammates. However, even with healthy has given us is it forced us all to slow doses of bickering, they have all grown down and appreciate the little things. much closer and it has been amazing Who would have ever imagined we to watch those relationships grow and would end up being grateful for things strengthen. like toilet paper? The pandemic has made My husband also traveled almost every us focus on the basics and being grateful week before the shutdown but hasn’t for essential workers who make sure the since March. As a result, we are able to shelves are stocked at the grocery store. have family dinner almost every night It has made us also appreciate all our 3111 Fillmore St. San Francisco 94123 now, and he has time to do one of the first responders who have been working 415-567-5589 • CometclubSF.com things he enjoys most, which is cooking, so hard to keep us healthy and safe and and that has been a huge help. He even remembering we wear a mask to protect can adjust his schedule to help with them. We are grateful for technology — school drop-offs or driving to sports Facetime, Zoom, and Hangouts so we practices, and although he will never can still connect with family and friends. SAN FRANCISCO TRADITION— admit it, I think he really enjoys it. We We have been blessed with good weather, for generations! used to have to intentionally carve out so we are grateful for the ability to be time for a family movie or game night outside. The pandemic has also taught ALIOTO-LAZIO FISH COMPANY but now those happen all the time. us to appreciate the little things that we Additionally, there is no longer stress maybe took for granted before such as 440 Jefferson St and tension trying to get out the door a hug, handshake, or the chance to see San Francisco, CA 94109 for church on Sunday morning as we someone smile. enjoy mass snuggled on the couch for a YouTube livestream. Especially with Covid has definitely brought hard- two teenagers in the house now, I am ships and challenges, but I hope that one Monday—Fridays aware that although they would rather day when my children are telling their be doing things with their friends or children what it was like to live through 6 am to 2 pm playing sports, this is precious time that a pandemic, they won’t just remember Saturdays 6 am to 12 I will always cherish as we have watched how they had to wear a mask all the them mature and persevere. time or all that they couldn’t do but will noon remember the year we all slowed down 415.673.5868 THE GREAT OUTDOORS and had more time to enjoy our city and Our family has always enjoyed and each other. www.crabonline.com spent time outdoors, but until March that mostly meant running from field to field Email: [email protected]

10 JANUARY 2021 MARINA TIMES MARINATIMES.COM R E

The Observer Anticipation

Time for changes The Tablehopper reports on some new bars coming to the Marina, and the loss of a local favorite. Speak up! In the Real Estate Reporter, state Senator Scottp. Wiener10 makes the case for his controversial housing density bill. Take our inaugural quality-of-life survey and p. 18 let us know what issues are MARINATIMES.COM CELEBRATING OUR 35TH YEAR VOLUME 35 ISSUE 06 JUNE 2019important to you. p. 4

R  R Uber and Lyft, Pick us up Mohammed Nuru, Navigation Centers Your letters and some updates on recent columns

BY SUSAN DYER REYNOLDS Unity of Three Happinesses: Favorite Actors before a White Waterfall: (Left to right) actors Nakamura Shikan IV as Sanba Jafuku, Ichimura Uzaemon XIII as Tachibana Hishizo, and Kawarazaki Gonjuro I as Takaramusubi     - no Gon, 1863, by Toyohara Kunichika. spondence from residents all over the city. PHOTO: © MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON From a formerly homeless man who wrote Mthe most touching letter I’ve received on the topic, to ‘Tattoos in Japanese Prints’ at the Asian Art Museum insiders at DPW who offered even more evidence of * their director’s incompetence, here’s a sampling of those BY SHARON ANDERSON emails and handwritten notes — and some updates on life in Japan, specifically 19th-cen- the topics.       tury tattoo culture. anese printmakers on full display, loan from the museum this exhibition underscores how “Lawmakers still largely ignoring Uber and Lyft of Fine Arts in Boston MARTIAL ARTS INSPIRATION popular culture of late Edo period traffic nightmare,” March 2019 Mcomprise the exhibition “Tattoos An estimated 45 million Ameri- Japan continues to influence how Many of you agreed it was shocking that San Francisco in Japanese Prints” at the Asian cans have at least one tattoo. Schol- we express ourselves today,” says Jay allowed, as one reader called them, “illegal taxi scabs” to anytime! Art Museum, on display through ars speculate that early tattoo artists Xu, Asian Art Museum director and skirt laws, avoid regulations, and flood the streets with Aug. 18. The woodcuts are what may have also been woodblock cut- CEO. Many of the popular subjects vehicles. Last month, a study by the San Francisco Coun- remain of the popular art of urban ters from the printing industry. “By of this time — lions, eagles, peonies, ty Transportation Authority confirmed the traffic night- putting the aesthetic genius of Jap- dragons, giant snakes, swords, and mare, finding that rideshares accounted for two-thirds of a 62 percent increase in congestion in San Francisco over ART WORLD, continued on 12 R   S  REYNOLDS RAP, M  S   ... F continued on 6 Speak up, Northside

Take part in our inaugural some of the notable releases coming survey of what matters to you our way over the next few months: BLOCKBUSTERS AND and help make San Francisco FRANCHISES Godzilla: King of the Monsters the best it can be (May 31) is an English-language Available at these brawl-fest that picks up where the recent American recreation of          Japan’s long-running Toho Studios quality of life in San Francisco? What is being series about done about them? To get insight into how the kaiju (“large strange NorthsideW specifically and the city in general are doing beast”) left off. Here, the titular-gi- in the eyes of the people who live here, this month the ant-radioactive-lizard-thing takes on three more of the mammoth Marina Times presents its inaugural quality of life survey. Help us identify and track the issues that you think supernatural creatures from Toho’s need to be addressed to make San Francisco a better stable: Rodan, Mothra, and King place in which to live, work, go to school, and play. We’re Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Quentin Tarantino’s newest film, Ghidorah. also interested in how you think our elected officials a Time in Hollywood. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbend- PHOTO: COURTESY CTMG / SONY PICTURES and public agencies are performing. Are they effectively Once Upon er, Jennifer Lawrence, and Sophie solving problems? Are they even addressing the issues Turner are back among the ensem- important to you? Big-screen summer scene ble cast for Dark Phoenix (June 7), locations: Take our survey on page 4 and send us your responses. which closes out the current itera- BY MICHAEL SNYDER Over the coming year, we will report periodically on tion of X-Men movies about Marvel the top concerns and the city’s response — or lack of grill. Even more than during the Comics’s powerful but persecuted response — to them. In future years, we will be able      winter holidays, this is a peak time mutant heroes. to see which issues recede into the background, which doesn’t care to wait until the for major movie studios to roll out The charm of snarky, animat- come to the forefront, and which are perennial concerns. official debut of summer later their most familiar brands, fran- ed animals in the big city made Tthis month. The parade of midyear chises, and big-budget actioners. This is your time to speak up and let yourself — and one movie a hit, so we’ve got the Northside — be heard! big-screen diversions got rolling on That means sequels or reimaginings Secret Life of Pets 2 The Memorial Day weekend, so there are galore, in addition to a launch or voices including Kevin (June Hart, 7) Patton with READER SURVEY, continued on 4 already a handful of cinematic alter- two. But smaller one-off movies — Oswalt, Tiffany Haddish, and Har- natives to the beach or the backyard dramas, comedies, and genre films rison Ford. Men in Black: Interna- — don’t get shortchanged. Here are tional (June 14), more a follow-up SNYDER ON FILM, continued on 13 The trends in the pandemic and the economy could be pointing to a brighter 2021 Marina for the property markets. PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR Corner at Divisadero ...... 2408 Chestnut St. Crunch Fitness...... 2324 Chestnut St. Return to growth Tacolicious ...... 1 Avila St. Starbucks Reserved ...... 2148 Chestnut St. The Humidor ...... 2050 Chestnut St. What’s ahead for San Francisco real estate in 2021 The Dorian ...... 3349 Fillmore St. Glaze ...... 2095 Chestnut St. BY GAREY DE MARTINI “The homeless situation is terrible. San Izzy’s Steaks & Chops ...... 3345 Steiner St. Francisco is dirty. There are more and Walgreens ...... 2141 Chestnut St.   B G   more car break-ins. A lot of people have Tri Counties Bank ...... 3298 Pierce St. handful of scientists and civil ser- had enough and want out. Something Super Duper ...... 3259 Pierce St. vants, few foresaw the pandemic really has to be done.” Lucky Brand Jeans ...... 3273 Scott St. Athat hit us in 2020. As Covid-19 spread, Walgreens ...... 3201 Divisadero St. all the cheery economic forecasts for that A MIXED BAG Books Inc. (Inside) ...... 2251 Chestnut St. year went out the window. Nevertheless, In the next 12 months, the coronavirus Marina Library (Inside) ...... 1890 Chestnut St. we are once again here to try to tell you should be less of an issue. But the condi- what might be in store for San Francisco tion of the city will take longer to address. Cow Hollow real estate in 2021. It requires new thinking, and new resolve — for everyone’s sake, including those Bus Stop ...... 2837 Laguna St. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES currently on the streets. Geo Gelati ...... 1996 Union St. The National Association of Real- Mougeot is hopeful. “I can’t imagine See Eyewear ...... 2100 Union St. tors predicts a 1.3 percent year-over- the city won’t come back from all of this. Michaelis Wine & Spirits ...... 2198 Union St. year growth in sales, and an 8.4 percent After the ’89 earthquake, people said Co ee Roastery ...... 2191 Union St. increase in home prices in the coming everyone is going to leave the Marina and Comerica Bank ...... 2001 Union St. year. This is for the entire San Francis- this is the end of San Francisco. And there Wells Fargo Bank ...... 1901 Union St. co–Oakland–Hayward metro area, but were people who left, for sure. But look, Octagon House ...... 2643 Gough St you get the idea. In San Francisco, the how long did it take the Marina to recover Postal Chase (Inside) ...... 3053 Fillmore St. consensus among real estate experts is we — a couple of years maybe? Three years at Golden Gate Valley Library (Inside) ...... 1801 Green St. can expect a low volume of sales, and a most. This city just has too much to offer. healthy but single-digit increase in home It’s too important, and too beautiful really, Pacic Heights values in 2021. for it not to recover from all that’s going Glaze ...... 1946 Fillmore St. Single family homes are in demand, on right now. Wells Fargo Bank ...... 2100 Fillmore St. while condos in high rises are less appeal- “I’ve always believed in real estate,” said Peets Co ee ...... 2195 Fillmore St. ing. However, these same condos may Mougeot. “I’ve seen this time and again Pets Unlimited (Inside) ...... 2343 Fillmore St. once again attract buyers as the roll out of over the years. If you can hold on to prop- Mayower Market (Inside) ...... 2498 Fillmore St. the vaccine gains momentum in the first erties during a bad time, you are going to half of the year, and Covid-19 becomes come out really well. The city has always Russian Hill/Nob Hill less of a factor. managed to turn itself around.” For years San Francisco was the hottest San Francisco real estate is a mixed bag. Crepe House ...... 1755 Polk St. real estate market in the country. Not any Noe Valley is currently booming, because Corner at Polk ...... 1600 Jackson St. more, according to many experts. For of its relatively sunny weather, charming Peets Co ee ...... 2139 Polk St. example, the real estate news site Mansion 24th Street, and a preponderance of Starbucks Co ee ...... 1505 Vallejo St. Global says, “A movement of value-seek- single family homes. But if you want a Beauty Supply ...... 1409 Green St. ers leaving the San Francisco Bay Area for deal, it might be hard to beat a condo in a Corner at Polk ...... 1485 Vallejo St. Sacramento got supercharged during the San Francisco high rise. Prices have been 1760 Restaurant ...... 1687 Washington St. coronavirus pandemic, when many were reduced, and mortgage rates are extreme- Nob Hill Grocery (Inside) ...... 1600 Hyde St. allowed to work remotely. That influx is ly low. There was a time when borrowers expected to continue into 2021.” would not stand a chance against buyers North Beach/Embarcadero Suddenly second-tier cities are becom- offering all cash. That is no longer the Mama’s Restaurant ...... 604 Filbert St. ing hot spots for real estate. A piece by case, as fewer and fewer all-cash offers are North Beach Pizza ...... 501 Union St. real estate writer Sylvia Shalhout says the being made. Family Hat Makers ...... 1612 Stockton St. best places in California for cash-on-cash Looking at real estate across the nation, Mario’s ...... 662 Union St. return include Madera, Cathedral City, Realtor.com pointed out that in 2020, The Board Room ...... 693 Green St. Bakersfield, Oroville, and Chula Vista. the seasonal pattern for home sales was Cole Hardware ...... 627 Vallejo St. You might ask, How is this possible? thrown out of whack by the arrival of the St. Francis Church ...... 414 Columbus Ave. Price is one thing, but what about quality coronavirus and shelter-at-home orders. Bank of America ...... 1455 Stockton St. of life? Sadly, as it turns out, quality of life This all came just as the spring selling Corner at Green ...... 1511 Stockton St. even in San Francisco isn’t what it once season was about to begin. When home Fisherman’s Wharf...... 292 Beach St. was. sales became more possible again, the PIER 35 ...... Pier 35 According to senior broker associate uneven return of buyers and sellers cre- Park Opposite Ferry Plaza ...... 1 Embarcadero Eileen Mougeot of Corcoran Global Liv- ated a housing market frenzy across the Ferry Building Plaza ...... Ferry Building Plaza ing, the city is facing some challenges that country — pushing the number of homes Alcatraz Landing ...... Pier 31 extend beyond Covid-19 and the high sold to decade highs while days-on-mar- cost of housing. “The thing that con- ket dropped to new lows. Other cerns me most about the San Francisco Understanding this backdrop will be real estate market is the condition of San key to evaluating data in 2021. Realtor. City Hall ...... 200 Van Ness Ave. Francisco. I know more and more people com expects the housing market to settle Buckhorn ...... 609 Market St. who are talking about leaving the city, and into a much more normal pattern in the BART Entrance ...... 201 Market St. in fact actually leaving. I think we have to coming year, and as a result, year-over- Bank of America ...... 1291 - 9th Ave. acknowledge that.” year trends will need to be understood in Books Inc. (Inside) ...... 3515 California St. Mougeot is one of the most positive the context of the unusual 2020 base year. people I know. For her to express this *Check individual business hours for inside locations. concern is saying something. Feedback: [email protected]

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