Noe Valley Voice April 2006
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Letters to the Editor

Editor:

I'd like to address this letter to the residents and merchants of Noe Valley. Were you one of over 5,000 people who enjoyed the 2005 Noe Valley Harvest Festival, the first Noe Valley street fair in decades? Aren't you already looking forward to enjoying the 2006 Harvest Festival this October? Unfortunately, there won't be one if more neighbors and merchants don't step up to make it happen. Our festival is all-volunteer to keep it community-based and less expensive to run. Right now, we have four volunteers. We need at least 12. Will you be one of the eight people we still need?

There are specific ways you can help. You can work with advertising, graphic design, the 18-and-under logo contest, press releases, or promotion.

You could select entertainment, handle stage and equipment logistics, organize activities, coordinate entertainment scheduling, or solicit prizes. Two or three people are needed to select, order, or coordinate sales of festival souvenir merchandise. Liaisons to the city and neighborhood merchants, and someone to coordinate day-of volunteers, are also vital.

Anything sound like your area of expertise, interest, or I-guess-I-better-do-that? If 12 of us work together, we can create a great day for 5,000 people. If not, a Noe Valley street fair will be just a memory--like it was for 30 years. Please contact me at rambooks@pacbell.net to be one of the Great Eight. Thanks.

Richard May

President, Friends of Noe Valley

"The Neighborhood Association"

Hospital Helipad Bad for Your Health

Editor:

San Francisco General Hospital is planning a rooftop helipad at its 23rd Street and Potrero Avenue campus, which is located 1.2 miles from the heart of Noe Valley. That is half the distance to Pac Bell Park, which hosted a Rolling Stones concert that brought complaints from as far away as 30th and Church streets.

Any addition to the hospital's services sounds good; we all want the best trauma emergency facilities available for our families and ourselves. However, this proposal for a helicopter-landing facility at S.F. General is not a good idea.

Not only are helicopters loud and dangerous, they would place a further strain on an already overburdened emergency hospital. UCSF studies show that overcrowding forces S.F. General to turn away an average of 35 percent of ambulances. These negative impacts should be viewed in light of recent studies that have shown medical helicopters are overused and often unnecessary.

This proposed 24-hour helicopter transportation hub is not intended primarily to serve the citizens of San Francisco. The hospital's goal is to compete with other helipad hospitals, such as Stanford Hospital, which is eight minutes by air from the city, for out-of-area patients.

To stop the helipad and for further information, visit StopHelipad.org or call Too-Loud-110 (866-568-3110).

Christopher Sabre

23rd Street

St. Paul's Alumni Letter

Editor:

I lived on 25th and Noe from 1947 to about 1968. Attended St. Paul's Church on 29th and went to school there from kindergarten all the way through St. Paul's High. My brothers went to St. Paul's grammar school and then Mission High. I found your Noe Valley Voice on the Web [www.noevalleyvoice.com] and check it every month. I like to see the pictures of the "old neighborhood" and see what's going on--who's still there and what retail operations have moved on.

What memories: Noe Theater, Gadds Market, Star Bakery, the Italian deli on Noe and 24th, Bud's Ice Cream, James Lick School. What nostalgia. Love it.

Jim Price

Police Beef

Editor:

What happened to the informative police reports of several months ago? The new format is like reading a telephone book. The Voice Police Beat does not give the important details of crimes committed in our neighborhood, but is merely a dry list. Is there any chance of getting the old format back? I don't even bother reading it anymore.

Peter Lace

Sanchez Street

Editor's Reply: In the past, both Ingleside and Mission Police Stations, which unfortunately use separate filing methods, allowed a Voice reporter to cull and view the incident reports for Noe Valley (the area roughly bordered by 21st, Guerrero, 30th, and Grand View). Then we would write short summaries of the incidents. About a year and a half ago, San Francisco Police Department policy changed, and our independent access to the files was denied (at least at Mission Station). However, Mission Capt. John Goldberg agreed to provide a list of incidents, including date, time, street, and type of crime. We were told we could choose several incidents from the list, and ask for more information. Right now, we're receiving the list too late in the month for our current staff to do the follow-up. We agree that our Police Beat would be more informative with more detail, and we hope to be making a change soon. Thank you for your patience.

Missing the Morgan Family

Editor:

I just came across an article in the December/January 2000 issue of the Noe Valley Voice: "Noe Valley's Friend Harry Stern Dies at 70." I was very saddened to hear of Harry Stern's passing. I lived in San Francisco in the 1970s and knew Harry well through his son Ron Morgan. I also knew his former wife, Gloria, and son Tom Morgan.

I've lost track of Ron over the years and would love to locate him. Ironically, I always figured I'd be able to locate him through Harry. There are over 80 Ron Morgans in California (and I'm not even sure if he's living there anymore!). If anyone in the community knows any of Harry's family members (in particular Ron), would you pass on this note.

I know this is a real "long shot," but it's the closest I've ever come to tracking down this long-lost friend! Thank you for your help.

Heather Grant

British Columbia, Canada

heather@portwash.org

That's Life

Editor's Note: Nancy Emery, manager of Noe's Bar for 16 years, sent the Voice this poem, written by her 12-year-old son Jared. "I found the poem uplifting," she writes, "because even though there is a lot going on in the world, we are each an individual part of the world and we all matter and that makes a difference." Thank you for sharing the poem, Nancy. And Jared, thanks for capturing life in "Life."

Life

Life is complex in so many ways,

It is for 365 days,

Everyone trying to be clean and lean,

They look good, but they're mean,

TV and movies rotting our brains,

We should only watch when it rains.

Sunny days are lots of fun,

Barbequing, playing Frisbee, and time to run,

Or just bathing in the sun.

I just want to live life to its fullest,

So far it's been the coolest.

Wars happening, people fighting,

Violence happening, cigarettes lighting,

Music pumping,

When I wake up I'm grumping,

At home I'm lazy

In sports I'm crazy,

When I'm an adult everyone will know my name,

I will almost explode with all the fame,

I will make it huge,

I'm the opposite of Scrooge,

I'm not saying I'm so cool,

But if I was in a treasure I'd be the only jewel,

Yes, I'm one of a kind,

Look for another, you won't find,

I'm having lots of fun just being me,

I don't care what people see,

Lots of war going on,

People are going down like Enron,

All this fighting is making me sick,

Having sides to pick,

This is life we have to deal,

No matter what, just be real.

--Jared Emery

THE VOICE welcomes your letters to the editor. Write the Noe Valley Voice, 1021 Sanchez Street, San Francisco, CA 94114. Or e-mail editor@noevalley voice.com. Please include your name, address, and phone number. (Anonymous letters will not be considered for publication.) Be aware that letters may be edited for brevity or clarity. We look forward to hearing from you.