Arab TV's Goofy Visit to San Francisco's Castro Street

The LGBT Iranian who brought this video to our attention wishes to remain anonymous for their personal safety and we're grateful that they've shined a light on this report.

A correspondent for Aram TV, which is based in Saudi Arabia, filed a nearly half-hour report about sexual tolerance and looked at the global influence of Playboy magazine, the downfall of Pompeii because of debauchery and he paid a visit to District 8's Castro Street.

It's no surprise that he was gawking and passing judgment on the gay men he saw, and we admit to laughing at his obnoxiousness, but over all we are glad he visited San Francisco and show his viewers proud LGBT people.

We're of the belief that when conservatives news outlets, be they domestic or foreign but especially from the Middle East and with a religious bent, broadcast such images of happy homosexuals being affectionate under the LGBT rainbow pride flag in San Francisco, there are out and closeted gay people watching across the Arab world.

That segment of the viewing public receives a hopeful message and may even inspire LGBT people to take pride in themselves and perhaps engage in their own forms of safe activism.

Thanks, Aram TV, for this report beamed into millions of homes and cafes in the Middle East and around the world wide web.



Click here to view the YouTube video with full closed-captioning. Here is a truncated transcript:

14:52

Part of the sexual revolution in the 1960's was the emergence of gay tolerance

15:05

In America up until the '50s homosexuality was considered taboo

15:10

And it was unacceptable to be openly gay Religiously and socially

15:20

This city is known as the capital of the gays The gay movement started from San Francisco

15:26

It has the highest proportion of gay people

15:30

This flag, the rainbow flag, represents this movement

15:46

[Man]

15:52

Look at them sitting on each other at that bus stop

16:01

They're kissing

16:12

Nobody can stop this movement It has become a social norm

16:21

Is that a man or woman? Someone help me out. It was a guy?

16:25

Look at where we are, there's no turning back

16:29

Part of this retrogression we met a couple and asked them

17:19

The Bible is clear about homosexuality "Do not lie with a man as with a woman"

17:27

"A man who sleeps with another man has sinned"

17:34

In the Bible and Torah, their holy books, it is clearly stated

17:39

But when people start getting accustomed to it they start to change their interpretations

17:43

This is a huge disaster

SF DPH & BART Pigeon Proofing the Plaza But . . .

The health hazards at the BART 16th and Mission Street plaza of concern to our campaign is now in it's second month and we have additional mostly positive news to share today.

This note is from Richard Lee of the San Francisco Department of Public Health and was sent yesterday:

Our Environmental Health Technician, Jorge Montiel was out at the plaza yesterday. He discussed the issue of pigeon proofing with a BART representative. The representative stated that they will be improving pigeon proofing sometime this week. In addition, he talked with the Walgreen’s representative. They said they are power washing the plaza area daily. Mr. Montiel requested that they increase the frequency of the power washing.

Today, we heard from Jorge Montiel, also of DPH, and while most of his note is good news we are very dismayed he wants to remove the public seating at the plaza:

I called Paula Fraser at BART to verify the pigeon proofing was going as planned. She indicated 'Building is waiting for the lamp pigeon deterrents to come in. Hopefully this week; consequently, BART's crew is scheduled to install them as soon as the materials arrive.'

I also spoke to Walgreens manager Kevin and informed him of Walgreens's responsibility to clean and maintain clean the area adjacent to the BART plaza. Pigeon proofing is a responsibility that BART has, this is not something SF DPH will do for them; nevertheless, I will make sure the necessary repairs/ improvements are conducted in a timely manner.

Regarding 'Do Not Feed the Birds' signs, I will recommend they do it. I do not believe we can mandate they install such signs. I believe the problem with the pigeon feeding is not that people are actually feeding the pigeons but transients leaving food unattended. I also recommended BART to remove the permanent sitting area. I believe this area is not being used by commuter's but transients and others.

We replied to Jorge with a written wish to see the seating remain in place:

Thanks for all this information and the assessment of health issues at plaza. However, one issue of serious concern to us and is your belief that the public seating should be removed. Regardless of whether folks are waiting for a Muni bus or using BART or simply enjoying the sunshine and street scene, it is our wish to see the seat remain in place.

The plaza is a public space and the full breadth of the general public should be able to access the limited seating that is currently there. We don't think that removing the seating would do anything to reduce the pigeon poop, which is one of our top concerns. Please rethink your desire to push for removal of the seats.

The photo below shows where the pigeon-proofing is needed on the lighting fixtures.

We'll continue to advocate for a sanitary public space and that the public seating stay as it is now.

Remove pigeon poop, not people or public seating!

City Hall Uses Fresh Water to Keep Lawns Green

The current record-shattering drought is forcing all of us to conserve fresh water and not waste this precious resource, so we were dismayed recently when visiting City Hall and seeing the lush, verdant lawns around the building.

Curious if the water keeping the grassy areas so green was recycled water, we reached out to John Updike who is head of the General Services Administration's Real Estate Division for details. He emailed us this note:

Thanks for your note on this important subject.

Working in conjunction with DPW, we’re using non-potable water for sidewalk cleaning, and we use non-potable sources for watering the landscaping around 525 Golden Gate [the SF Public Utilities Commission building].

With regard to the lawns on the Civic Center Plaza and at City Hall, we’re investigating how to bring a non-potable source to those areas as well. That study is underway.

In the meantime, while we’re using fresh water sources, we are reducing the amount & frequency of water used on the lawns, and between that effort and a significant replacement of older water fixtures at both City Hall and at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, have effected water use reductions over the past year.

(Yours truly on the City Hall grass.)

We applaud the use of non-potable water in two instances, but are disappointed any fresh water is utilized for keeping these lawns looking so healthy. We'd like Mayor Ed Lee to direct the GSA to immediately stop using fresh water for City Hall's lawns until the city's study is completed and a non-potable stream of water is made available.

In the short term, better to have the lawns a golden brown and send a clear visual conservation message to the general public, then maintain such robust greenery at City Hall. Further down the road, City Hall leaders who pass the lawns every day should develop a new landscaping design for the grounds and create a garden with plants that don't require much valuable water - fresh or recycled.

Castro's High Retail Vacancy Rate Prompts $87K Study

Have you noticed the many For Rent signs in the windows of lots of storefronts in the gayborhood of District 8? Three years back, we conducted a photographic survey of empty business spaces in the Castro and at the time there were 27 empty spaces for rent. Check out our survey here.

We're pleased several of the storefronts in our photos have been leased, but the overall problem of continuing retail vacancies have reached the point that City Hall and area advocacy groups are developing a strategy to deal with the problem, according to this alert from Andrea Aiello of the Castro Benefit District:

"Concerned about the health of the neighborhood’s retail environment, business and neighborhood groups formed a coalition and established a working group tasked with developing a comprehensive 'Retail Strategy' for the Castro/Upper Market corridor.

"Led by the Castro/Upper Market Community Benefit District (CBD), the coalition includes the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association (DTNA),the Castro / Eureka Valley Neighborhood Association (EVNA), and Castro Merchants (CM.)

"The primary aim of the 'Retail Strategy Project' is to address the existing high vacancy rate and develop an actionable plan to fill new ground floor retail in a manner that enables the commercial corridor to thrive while preserving its unique character and draw as a tourist destination. It also aims to ensure high quality of life for area residents.

"A total of $87,200 has been raised through a grant from the City and donations from neighborhood groups and developers alike."

We requested a breakdown of donors and amounts given from Andrea and she provided the info to us this afternoon.

According to the spreadsheet (see below), some of the big donors include the Mayor's Office of Employment and Workplace Development with $35,000 donated, the CBD kicked in $15,000, the Castro Merchants (formerly MUMC) donated $6,000, Prado Development Group gave $5,000, Spier Development chipped in $4,500 and the medical marijuana dispensary Apothocarium contributed $2,500.

Let's be optimistic that the strategy and all stakeholders involved take into account widespread concerns about longtime Castro residents being displaced because of high-end development, and the worries of tenants who are renters in the gayborhood who fear losing their affordable housing.

We'll keep tabs on this strategy as it moves forward.

We've Exceeded Our Fundraising Goal 

In the spring, we set out to raise $700 to make sure we had enough for the Department of Elections filing fee and some funds left in the bank. We asked supporters for donations and today we're quite pleased to announce we not only raised what we set as our goal but we're just above the four-figure mark.

Our total amount raised as of today stands at $1,041.

We're posting the names of donors and amounts given since it will be part of the public record and also because we are committed to transparency. All of this information must be shared with the Ethics Commission when we file our finance report later month.

Please consider joining the ranks of these fine individuals and contributing today to our campaign. Details on how to donate are located on the upper left side of our Facebook opening page.

Thank you, all donors, for your generosity:

Jackson Bowman: $5, Brian Busta: $50, Joey Cain: $10, Gregg Cassin: $1, Patrick Connors: $20, Amanda Lynn Grazier $75, Mitchell Halbetstadt: $50, David Hyman: $20, Mark S. King: $25, Mark Ilvonen: $25, Joe Imbriani: $20, John Iversen: $50, Isak Lindenauer: $20, Ron Merk: $25, Elizabeth Meixell: $20, Michael Merrigan: $100, Greg Milward: $25, John Petrelis: $80, Daniel Ponce: $20, Gabriel Proo: $100. Angela Speziale: $50, Wayne Turner: $100, Marie Weingart: $100, Bill Wilson: $50.

Sunshine Task Force Needs TV Transparency 

If you've requested public records from a San Francisco agency and been denied access to or copies of the records, you can file a complaint with the Sunshine Ordinance Task Force (SOTF) and have them call officials from the agency for a public hearing.

While there have been serious problems with the SOTF since 2012, when the incumbent District 8 Supervisor and his ally Sup. David Chiu purged it of members who were often critical of City agencies, the SOTF still provides an invaluable forum for open government and taxpayers.

In June, with the support of Sup. David Campos at the Rules Committee, several highly qualified new SOTF members were appointed to serve the public and many sunshine advocates hold great hope for improvements at the SOTF with the new blood. We've spoken at SOTF public comment time for airing the monthly hearings on SF Gov TV and made available as videos-on-demand.

Seems a no-brainer that the sunshine panel should be as transparent as possible and that means aired on City social media platforms. Since the SOTF convenes at City Hall, the cost to televise the meetings should not be that high and whatever the expense is, it is would be public money well spent to expand San Francisco's commitment to governmental transparency.

The Education, Outreach and Training Committee of the SOTF meets the second Monday of the month, and is the ideal venue for beginning a concerted push for televising monthly hearings.

We'll be there on July 14 to push TV transparency.

Hoodline Covers Looming Safeway Recycling Center Closure

Courtesy of the Hoodline web site and their reporter Rose Garrett, we have new info about the looming closure of a District 8 recycling center located on the Safeway parking lot at Market and Duboce Streets. The current D8 Supervisor enthusiastically backs shutting down the center.

The Hoodline spoke with two individuals who depend on the center and got their views:

Troy Perkins, who was using the facility this morning, also questioned the legality of the center's eviction. "It's against the law," Troy said. "There's supposed to be a recycling center within a certain distance, but the law listens to money. Now I'm going to have to push my stuff down to Bayshore."

Christopher Lawson, who told us he was homeless, said he didn't know what he would do if the center were to close. "I don't know. I have no clue. This is guaranteed to get food in your belly. I've been doing this for two years. It's the only way you can survive." 

The Hoodline notes that a mobile redemption plan is in the early stages of consideration at the Department of the Environment, as one option for people to recycle cans and bottles for a check, but plan won't be a reality in the near future.

Weekend Woof #81: Drunk Hunk, Berkeley Beef

Last night, after catching a screening of Derek Jarman's low-budget-and-proud-of-it queer erotic "Sebastiane" at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley, I took BART back to the city.


The young beefy inked dude boasted about being drunk and glad he wasn't driving a car. When I gave him up-and-down cruising, while hugging the woman he was with, he nodded a sign of being fine with my queer eye upon his bod. Be sure to mute the vid and avoid the loud train noises.

Once I stopped taping and snapping him, he looked me in the eye, grinned with a toothpick between his teeth and said thanks. Um, he's the one to thank for graciously allowing me to capture him for my blog.

This beefy fella works in customer service at the Berkeley Bowl on Oregon Street and I always find a reason to chat him up. Yesterday was the first time I grabbed a photo of him.

Say hello to the very handsome and friendly Cooper the next time you're in the Castro. He works at the Worn Out West shop on Market Street.

I see London, I see France, I see the color of your underpants and the big meat you've got swinging between your legs! Saw these guys on Pride Sunday as they marched up to the Castro in the early evening.

As I rode my bike past City Hall after the Pride celebration was over, I saw this furry faced sweetie and noticed he was carrying a paperback book in his meaty hand. Who goes to Pride with book? He does!

Thank goodness this young man wasn't troubled with chill as the sun set on Pride and his chest last weekend. Not a goose bump on him.

And how was your week for guy-watching?

Save the Castro's Safeway Recycling Center 

We've been informed that the incumbent District 8 Supervisor is calling for the closure of the recycling center located on a sliver of the Castro's Safeway property at Market and Duboce Street.

Our campaign fully endorses saving the recycling facility and keeping it open for the many homeless, working poor, LGBT and straight seniors and persons with AIDS who depend on it to bring in a few bucks. The incumbent reports that the center was supposed to shut down on Monday, June 30, pursuant to a court order and that the Sheriff's Department is responsible for executing that order at the direction of Safeway.

We rode by the center this afternoon and were gratified to see it's operating just fine. In this city, with an ever-expanding chasm between the rich and everyone else, every opportunity for the poor and low-income to have a funding stream must be maintained.


Let's save the Safeway recycling center for all users.

Muni, Clear Channel Power-Wash BART Plaza Bus Shelter

My efforts to make the 16th Street BART plazas more sanitary for all users of these public spaces continues to bear fruit.

(Top of the NW shelter before I made my request.)

After lodging a complaint on Monday with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, requesting immediate cleansing of the two bus shelters on 16th Street with disgusting pigeon poop crust on the tops and elsewhere, spokesman Paul Rose shared this info on Tuesday:

We have received your email. I can confirm the shelters have been power washed and cleaned today by Clear Channel. I will check on the traffic signals and get back to you tomorrow morning on that item. Thanks for the feedback.

(After I my complaint was lodged, the shelter roof was bird poop free.)

On Wednesday morning, I peddled over to the plazas to inspect the work by Clear Channel and found that indeed the north west Muni shelter was cleaned, but saw that the south east one was still in need of washing and I sent a followup note to Rose. He replied:

Clear Channel is going back out to ensure that those shelters are clean. Also, we plan to replace or clean the traffic signals by the end of next week. Thanks again. 

I am optimistic Clear Channel will get all of the bus shelters power-washed in another day or so, and it is good to learn that the SF MTA recognizes the street and traffic signs are so terribly streaked with pigeon poop caked on the surfaces that they may be taken down and new ones put up.

It will take vigilance on my part to make sure the SF MTA, Clear Channel, the Department of Public Works and the Department of Public Health all work diligently to maintain a high level of good sanitation in as much of the BART plazas as possible.

Let's take a moment to laud these entities for not only taking swift action to solve the public health hazards, but they've also put in writing to me their actions taken and planned.

If I eventually receive written communication from BART authorities or Supervisor David Campos' office about their actions to restore some cleanliness to the plazas, I'll share that info.

In the meantime, please support and donate to my campaign for District 8 Supervisor through my Facebook page and be sure to at minimum like the page.