Sorry about that Pat and Buffy, my intentions were (and are) good even if my execution was flawed.

Here is the bottom-line; I have corrected and republished the following two essays and calls for action from Though the Heavens Fall:

While I do not like to make mistakes, I am far from perfect and I do make them. I am always willing to correct the ones that I do make. In the words of Bruce Lee; “Mistakes are always forgivable if one has the courage to admit them.”

Most importantly;

The Streets Division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will hold an online public hearing on Friday, September 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM. This issue is agenda item #7. If folks can join the call (or send an email today) and speak in support of Pat, Buffy, Java Beach and the La Playa Village Neighborhood, that would be incredibly helpful.

https://www.sfmta.com/calendar/engineering-public-hearing-meeting-september-4-2026

I know, I wrote about this yesterday. But not everyone knows about this yet. OK, a LOT of you responded, sent your emails to SFMTA, told me you will join in the public hearing, etc. But not EVERYONE has responded yet, lol.

In all seriousness, this is important to the people of La Playa Village neighborhood and the Outer Sunset — also important to Pat and Buffy Maguire and their Java Beach crew and customers and neighbors as well. I hope you won’t mind that I bug you about it one more time, because that what I’m going to do.

I saw Pat Maguire today. I was enjoying my Java Beach Irish soda bread and coffee while sitting on one of the benches in La Playa Park across from Java Beach…

Pat asked a favor of me and my lunch companion. And he asked the same of a few other people I know. So, now I’m turning to you all, my readers, to ask you for the same favor. I also think that Pat’s request is sound and worthy of support, but that is beside the point. When a friend and neighbor asks for a favor, you give it what you got. To paraphrase President Franklin D. Roosevelt — when your neighbor’s house is on fire, you don’t quibble about the cost of your garden hose.

excerpt from Java Beach at the Judah Terminus, Though the Heavens Fall, John Crabtree

You can find even more details at the link below (or here) to the essay I posted yesterday on Though the Heavens Fall but here are some basics to pique your interest:

Pat Maguire has been asking City Hall to reverse the parking changes that the erstwhile Supervisor Engardio put in place on Lower Great Highway between Lincoln and Kirkham back before he got Recalled. The SFMTA is now proposing to restore parallel parking on both sides between Lincoln and Kirkham. This will add approximately 20 additional parking spaces overall. It should also improve the current backing-out configuration and make street cleaning days easier by distributing parking on both sides.

This change is important to Pat, Buffy and the Java Beach crew as well as their neighbors. The changes that Engardio spearheaded have had a significant negative impact on their business. When a patron is unable to find parking on Lower Great Highway, they have to drive to Kirkham and loop back to Irving to find parking. They lose customers due to the inconvenience and inability to find parking.

https://www.sfmta.com/calendar/engineering-public-hearing-meeting-september-4-2026

The Streets Division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will hold an online public hearing on Friday, September 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM. This issue is agenda item #7. If folks can join the call and speak in support that would be incredibly helpful.

If you cannot join the meeting online or by phone, you can send an email to submit testimony for this SFMTA docket. Here is what I sent in on Wednesday afternoon (but I am still going to participate and give public comment at the SFMTA Engineering Committee public hearing on Friday at 10:00 a.m.):

Dustin White: dustin.white@sfmta.com
SFMTA Board: MTABoard@sfmta.com
Subject: Public Hearing on Lower Great Highway Parking Modifications

Dear Mr. White and SFMTA Board Members,

My name is John Crabtree. I am a resident of supervisorial District 4 and the Outer Sunset. As a local resident, I am writing in support of the proposed Lower Great Highway parking modifications and the restoration of parallel parking on both sides between Lincoln and Kirkham. I believe the additional parking and improved street configuration will be a very positive change for residents, merchants, customers, and the surrounding neighborhood.

The proposal before the board includes the following changes to Lower Great Highway parking and street configuration between Lincoln Way and Kirkham Street:

7(a) RESCIND - 45 DEGREE ANGLE PARKING on Lower Great Highway, west side, from Lincoln Way to Kirkham (establish parallel parking)

7(b) RESCIND - TOW-AWAY, NO STOPPING ANY TIME on Lower Great Highway, east side, from Lincoln Way to Kirkham (establish parallel parking)

7(c) RESCIND - RED ZONE A. Lower Great Highway, west side, from Lincoln to 34 feet south. B. Lower Great Highway, west side, from 20 feet to 33 feet north of Irving Street (shortens the existing 33-foot red zone by 13 feet). C. Lower Great Highway, west side, from Irving to 26 feet south.

7(d) RESCIND - BLUE ZONE on Lower Great Highway, west side, from 34 feet to 46 feet south of Lincoln Way and Lower Great Highway, west side, from 26 feet to 38 feet south of Irving Street.

7(e) ESTABLISH - BLUE ZONE on Lower Great Highway, east side, from Irving to 24 feet north and Lower Great Highway, east side, from 10 feet to 34 feet north of Judah Street.

I wholeheartedly support these proposed changes and the overarching effort to put the parking on Lower Great Highway back the way it was. Thank you for your time and consideration of my opinions on this matter and for accepting my official public testimony for the public record in this matter.

John Crabtree

Whatever way you can find to do it, I hope you will join in supporting the McGuires and Java Beach at Judah & La Playa and let SFMTA know that we support and appreciate their proposal to fix the parking and street issues in the La Playa Village Neighborhood — more parking, better street configuration, more customers, happier neighborhood — like it used to be.

I saw Pat Maguire today. I was enjoying my Java Beach Irish soda bread and coffee while sitting on one of the benches in La Playa Park across from Java Beach, which was good because Pat and Buffy Maguire are the owners of Java Beach. It’s always nice when you see a restaurateur and you’ve obviously just spent some cash in their restaurant.

Pat asked a favor of me and my lunch companion. And he asked the same of a few other people I know. So, now I’m turning to you all, my readers, to ask you for the same favor. I also think that Pat’s request is sound and worthy of support, but that is beside the point. When a friend or neighbor asks for a favor, you give it what you got. To paraphrase President Franklin D. Roosevelt — when your neighbor’s house is on fire, you don’t quibble about the cost of your garden hose.

[editor’s note: This afternoon I got a request from another friend who had also talked to Pat, and this one had more details than Pat had been able to share with me when we spoke briefly in La Playa Park, therefore I am reprinting this call for participation in the SFMTA public hearing about fixing the parking and street configuration on Lower Great Highway and La Playa Street from Lincoln Way to the Judah Terminus.]

Pat has been asking City Hall to reverse the parking changes that the erstwhile Supervisor Engardio put in place on Lower Great Highway between Lincoln and Kirkham. The SFMTA is now proposing to restore parallel parking on both sides between Lincoln and Kirkham. This will add approximately 20 additional parking spaces overall. It should also improve the current backing-out configuration and make street cleaning days easier by distributing parking on both sides.

My understanding is it would also allow a U-turn from Lower Great Highway at Judah to La Playa (northbound).

This change is important to Pat. The changes that Engardio spearheaded have had a significant negative impact on his business. When a patron is unable to find parking on Lower Great Highway, they have to drive to Kirkham and loop back to Irving to find parking. He loses customers due to the inconvenience and inability to find parking.

https://www.sfmta.com/calendar/engineering-public-hearing-meeting-september-4-2026

The Streets Division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will hold an online public hearing on Friday, September 4, 2026, at 10:00 AM. This issue is agenda item #7. If folks can join the call and speak in support that would be incredibly helpful.

Meeting Access Instructions

This hearing will be available either online or by phone. To provide public comment, you may join the online Teams Meeting or via the phone line using the instructions below.

View shared material or join online at SFMTA.com/EngHearing

To join by phone, please dial 415.523.2709 and enter conference ID 836 632 456#

If you cannot join by Teams or by phone, please consider sending a quick email of support to:

Dustin White: dustin.white@sfmta.com
SFMTA Board: MTABoard@sfmta.com
Subject: Public Hearing on Lower Great Highway Parking Modifications

Dear Mr. White and SFMTA,
As a local resident, I am writing in support of the proposed Lower Great Highway parking modifications and the restoration of parallel parking on both sides between Lincoln and Kirkham. I believe the additional parking and improved street configuration will be a positive change for residents, merchants, customers, and the surrounding neighborhood.

Thank you for your consideration.

I am writing this Substack to ask for your participation in this SFMTA public hearing because my neighbor Pat Maguire asked me to participate, which I will do. But also, I am writing this because this change in parking and street configuration is the right thing to do.

Moreover, before anyone tells me that this change cleaned up the extended RV parking down in that neighborhood, consider that it was not necessary to wreak havoc with parking and with Java Beach customers to do what could have been done with simple enforcement of the law.

It was a stupid policy change. It was thoughtless, or worse — intended to have precisely the impact that it had — driving customers away from a longstanding business to other businesses that were, for whatever reason, more favored by Engario’s office and City Hall.

I do not know which of those two things were at play back then — stupid and thoughtless or stupid and malevolent — but there is a common thread there, namely stupid policy. You know what you do when a policy change proves itself to be stupid? You change it back to the way it was, or something very similar.

There has been a lot of that down on La Playa and Lower Great Highway the last few years, stupid policies for thoughtless, malevolent and punitive reasons — remember the one-year punishment of no street sweeping on the 1200 block of La Playa?

It is unsettling to have heard the calls of the residents of the 1200 block of La Playa to “change the street sweeping schedule back to the way it was” and hear Pat and others over on La Playa and Judah calling for putting the parking back “the way it used to be.” Perhaps this neighborhood has been too long without real leadership and representation in City Hall.

On a more encouraging note, this call for participation in an SFMTA public hearing comes with no challenge to SFMTA whatsoever. It seems that they intend to do the right thing here and what Pat, Buffy and the neighbors down around La Playa and Lower Great Highway hope to see is enough support for what they are asking of SFMTA to get this policy change across the finish line. I hope you will all join me in sending an email or getting on the call and showing your support for getting this done.

John Crabtree

OK, that’s random and sounds a little weird. I should have expected that, I guess, because the only reason I heard about it is through Diane and the only reason she heard about it is that her daughter, who lives in New York City, is an urban planner. So, urban planner from New York gets the invite, shares it with her mother, who lives in the Richmond, who shares it with me because she thinks, correctly, that I might be interested so I sign up and walk the whopping 1.6 miles to the Ocean Plant community venue. That’s what I call circuitous, not that walk though, that was pretty straight; downhill (west) to the Judah terminus, north along the Great Highway, stop at Ocean Plant, which every knows as Andytown Coffee because they have a small coffee counter there.

August 26, 2026 — 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. — Ocean Plant

Lucky for me I got there early enough to get a red-eye coffee and watch everyone arriving. I was there, obviously and my friend Eileen; the Clarks; a couple of Bobs that I know showed up along with about 3 dozen Urbanist Progs, Progressive Urbanists and “planning” folk. Oh, and two erstwhile Supervisors, both of whom fit themselves into one of those “Urbanist” groupings.

I wish I could tell you all what the meeting was about. Even though I sat through the entire thing I’m still not certain. Below is the Overview that I found, didn’t really help me much. Neither did the Panel Discussion or the Q&A.

Overview

An MKThink Salon on envisioning what a coordinated plan for the SF Zoo, Sunset Dunes, and Ocean Beach as one connected corridor could be.

San Francisco’s western edge holds three significant public assets in a two-mile stretch: the San Francisco Zoo at Sloat Boulevard, the newly opened Sunset Dunes Park, and Ocean Beach. Each carries a strong and worthy vision. They have rarely been considered as one.

MKThink works at the level where those visions meet. We convene the people involved in shaping a place and invite the conversation to relate to the system that holds them together, so distinct ambitions can be seen and coordinated into a corridor for our city.

We are bringing conservation, coastal, design, civic, and community leaders into one room to consider the corridor as a whole, inviting you to a space of co-creation of a common vision.

When and where:

• Wednesday, August 26, 2026, 5:30 to 7:30 PM PT.

• Ocean Plant, 800 Great Highway, San Francisco, CA 94121

• Format: welcome reception, panel discussion and audience Q&A, networking

Panel:
- Cassandra Costello, CEO, San Francisco Zoo & Gardens (co-host)
- Bob Battalio, PE, Coastal Futures LLC
- Patricia Fonseca Flores, Principal, CMG Landscape Architecture
- Sean Elsbernd, President and CEO, SPUR [Sean had knee surgery and Sarah Atkinson — Sustainability and Resilience Policy Director, SPUR]
Moderated by Emilio Goldenhersch, Director, MKThink

What we will explore

• The corridor as one connected whole, from Sloat through Sunset Dunes to Ocean Beach.

• The distinct visions already in play, and where they can align rather than compete.

• How coordination is more than siloed plans: shared value, funding, and public trust.

• A changing coast, and the ecology and access questions that shape what is possible.

Who should attend
West side residents and neighborhood groups, conservation and environmental leaders, planners and designers, civic and agency staff, funders and institutional partners, and anyone invested in the future of San Francisco’s western shoreline.

What you will take away
A clearer picture of the corridor as one system, a sense of how the separate visions can be coordinated, new connections across conservation, civic, design, and community voices, and context on how we could engage a vision of the corridor together.

It wasn’t a horrible description, but the wheels fell off when you get to the last paragraph. The picture is not any clearer. This MKThink diagram (immediately below) also did not help much:

So, I went to the meeting. But the discussion did not really reveal much. OK, that’s an understatement, it revealed nothing about visions or shared visions or what might happen in the future to create that “sharing” of a vision for the Great Highway and Ocean Beach.

One thing that was mentioned a number of times was the Ocean Beach Master Plan (OBMP). So, I found that on SPUR’s website — OBMP — and downloaded it and I figured, what the hell, it’s only 212 pages, might as well read it. Mea Culpa to my friend Geoff and a few others who told me about the OBMP like a year ago, but I still waited until now to read it. They were right, of course, I should have read it the first day I heard about it.

Now, that text is a little small too, so, let me transcribe it here:

KEY MOVE 1: Reroute the Great Highway behind the zoo via Sloat and Skyline Boulevards

KEY MOVE 2: Introduce a multipurpose coastal protection/ restoration/access system

KEY MOVE 3: Reduce the width of the Great Highway to provide amenities and facilitate managed retreat

KEY MOVE 4: Restore the dunes along the middle reach

KEY MOVE 5: Create a better connection between Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach

KEY MOVE 6: Introduce bicycle and pedestrian improvements north of Balboa Street

Not exactly nondescript. More revealing than the meeting at least.

Now, I am not an expert on the OBMP, yet. But I do love to read, and I have really good reading comprehension, plus I like to ask questions. We’ll see… we’ll see…

One thing that does stand out for me already is that when one is accidentally (circuitously) invited to a meeting that is not really a public meeting where a lot of shiny happy people talk about “sharing a vision” but nobody really talks about their vision, let alone what part of it they share with others; when all of that combines it raises some red flags or at least begs some questions.

Moreover, when those flags are raised and questions begged and then you go read the Master Plan; there are then a whole bunch of reasons to raise more red flags and ask even more questions. There are a lot of devils in the details of the OBMP. I will keep reviewing the “Master Plan” and there are many, many people that were involved in the formulation of the OBMP, therefore, lots of people to ask questions. I am confident that as we all learn more you, my readers, will be seeing more written about the Ocean Beach Master Plan.

If you have your own question about the OBMP, share it here in the comments or send it directly to me — johncrabtree52@gmail.com. Likewise, if you have some information about the OBMP or the people, organizations and process that came up with it, always interested to hear those tips too… john

I was struck today, however, while reading Flora: Summer 2026 Volume 9 No. 1; the recent edition of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) magazine; I was struck by the manner in which they put out the call to — “Call or Write your Rep — Really” — while also recognizing that when asking it is crucial to make the case with a bit more verve these days to combat that over-use issue.

I am going take this one step further than CNPS did in this edition of Flora; I hope they don’t mind. I applaud their acknowledgement that we’ve all heard the “call to call” ad infinitum. I also applaud their efforts to add in that verve to countervail the engagement fatigue that so many people feel.

For my part, I want to add one additional thought of my own. Although I have often heard people say that none of our elected representatives are listening; that is simply not a compelling reason to avoid making the call or writing the letter.

I am no one of consequence. You don’t have to search very far to find someone that will tell you that. I am just the guy that does the thing, to quote West Wing. I’m smart, got really good grades at the University of Iowa and before that too. I read, a lot, and I remember what I read. I’m a good writer and a strategic thinker; plus, I don’t suffer fools (some of those last things may not always make life easier, but oh well, it is what it is).

There is one other thing, however, that I have aplenty — audacity.

I have the audacity to believe that we still live in a democracy. I have the audacity to believe that my opinions and my ideas matter, irrespective of how many autocrats and their sycophants tell me they don’t. That audacity has served me well in life and it will continue to serve me yet, probably all the days of my life.

Moreover, that is the one thing that I want to add to what CNPS had to say about the importance of calling and writing your Congressional representatives. You need not be satisfied with just making a call or writing a letter. While those are important tasks, if you have a question that you think truly needs asking, then you have to keep going until that question is asked of the person or persons that are going to make the decision or vote on it.

Persistence, perseverance and audacity; these are the three keys to making sure that you get to ask your question of the person that needs to hear it. In the four decades of my adult life, I have been represented jurisdictionally by only one elected person with whom I have never had the occasion to ask my questions in-person. That one person in four decades is the current occupant of the White House. I have no desire to change that. I will accept the breaking of that streak because, well, let’s just leave it at that, I will accept it.

I have asked my questions of Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Cabinet Secretaries, Governors, Senators, Representatives, state legislators, mayors and a milieu of supervisors, councilmembers and other local elected officials. Did it make a difference? Sometimes. Did they remember what they were asked? Most emphatically yes.

None of that happened because of who I am. All of it happened because I persisted, because I showed up and because I had the audacity to stand up and ask my questions.

The community that I live it, all of the communities that I have lived in, matter. Your community matters. Your questions matter; as do your hopes, dreams, fears and concerns. You matter, no matter what the pundits, powerbrokers and wannabe puppet-masters try to tell you.

Show up. Stand up. Ask your question. You can go first, I’ll wait. Patience is the most crucial ingredient to persistence and perseverance. Audacity? I have plenty of that and you can borrow some of mine if needs be. Just let me know.

My question today is what we as a city, county, state and nation are going to do about the White House’s war on Public Lands — that’s why I picked up and read the summer edition of Flora magazine to begin with. If you want any help putting your question forward, again, just let me know… john

Greening Sunset Boulevard — Where the Conversation Started

On the beautiful Saturday morning, an unassuming overpass embankment at the intersection of 36th Avenue, Lincoln Way, and Sunset Boulevard was transformed into a hillside meadow.

With help from a half-dozen volunteers from Friends of Sunset Boulevard, crews led by Public Works Landscape Operations Manager Douglas Reed put down fresh soil and installed new landscaping. The group planted red fescue grass on the embankment at the Lincoln Way overpass at Sunset Boulevard and 36th Avenue.

Using shovels and rakes, crews first packed the hillside with a truckload of new soil. Then, with help from the volunteers, they laid out the grass — delivered in rectangular mats for easy handling — and affixed it to the hill with metal hooks. Within two hours, the hillside was almost entirely covered in fresh landscaping.

Meanwhile, the retaining wall below was getting a makeover. Public Works Maintenance Manager Gil Fragoso Jr. used rollers to paint over graffiti and tags. He was joined by his wife and two children, who got up early that Saturday to pitch in as a family.

Lisa Arjes, president of Friends of Sunset Boulevard, said the partnership with Public Works “felt good.”

“It felt good to get in and get your hands dirty and be a part of a solution,” Arjes said. “Just working alongside Public Works staff and gaining from their experience was really phenomenal. I mean, great partnership. We look forward to more.”

What Comes Next for Sunset Boulevard?

The vision for Sunset Boulevard needs to be informed by the community.”
— David Moore, Director, Bureau of Urban Forestry

I sat down with two Public Works leaders — David Moore, director of the Bureau of Urban Forestry, and Ron Hostick, assistant superintendent of landscape — for a conversation about what the future holds for Sunset Boulevard beautification after the April pilot project, completed in partnership with Friends of Sunset Boulevard.

JBC: I want to hear your thoughts and hopes on the future of Sunset Boulevard. I know the two of you have a vision for this work and for Sunset Boulevard. Help me understand that vision — what is helping, and what is constraining or challenging you in working toward it?

David Moore: “Most importantly, the vision for Sunset Boulevard needs to be informed by the community. Some community members have been disappointed by previous commitments to increasing biodiversity and other planned improvements on the boulevard. Things were promised but were not fully delivered, resulting in some community disappointment. Going forward, we need to learn from that. We need to engage the community and be certain they are part of where we go from here.”

“We clearly hear from engaging with the community that a big consensus is to clean and green. That is important for community members to enjoy the space, but also because cleaning — reducing litter and removing graffiti — has impacts on the health of vegetation and trees on the boulevard.”

“For example, one of the biggest threats to newly planted trees is vandalism. Community members taking an interest in helping new trees get established — by helping with auxiliary watering, etc. — helps create a greater sense of community responsibility and stewardship that decreases vandalism as well. Less litter and less graffiti in public spaces also help guard against vandalism.”

Ron Hostick: “I am in my third month here at Public Works. One thing Dave Moore told me from the beginning is that it is crucial to get to know the community members working in partnership with Public Works on Sunset Boulevard. Our relationship with Friends of Sunset Boulevard members working with us on the boulevard is of great value to all of us.”

“My vision for Sunset Boulevard centers on two things: clean and green. One thing I have learned over the years is that when we clean up the litter from an area, it decreases the amount of future littering we see.”

Trees, Canopy and Coastal Conditions

JBC: Talk to me about trees. Reduced canopy is an issue across the city, and Sunset Boulevard is part of that same story. Street trees are one challenge, but bringing more trees back to Sunset is a somewhat different challenge. What are your thoughts, and what can people in the community do?

David Moore: “We are excited about the challenge of increasing the tree canopy on Sunset Boulevard. We know that Mother Nature will humble us. Not every type of tree we plant will be successful. John, do you know what the boulevard used to be like a century ago?”

JBC: A century ago? It was sand dunes out here — coastal dunes. Even where the avenues and streets were platted out and built, it was coastal sand dunes.

David Moore: “And there were not many trees, if any. So even today we have to consider coastal site plantings. Tree planting on the boulevard needs to involve coastal trees, but without examples of true ‘native’ species for Westside San Francisco coastal dunes, we have to consider a broader array of tree species.”

“If you walk on Sunset Boulevard now, you can see thriving New Zealand Christmas trees planted in the last decade or so. Again, Mother Nature decides what will do well and what will not. But we would like to try some other California natives, albeit not necessarily San Francisco natives.”

Ron Hostick: “We’d like to explore Torrey pines, which, as our local climate changes, could potentially be a successful coastal species to plant on the boulevard. There are a number of things local community members can do to help. And it starts, again, with picking up trash and providing young trees with a better, cleaner soil environment to get better established.”

How Volunteers Can Help

David Moore: “I agree. There is so much that engaged community members can do to help with getting new trees established. We have about 125,000 street trees in San Francisco, and our Bureau of Urban Forestry has staff and equipment to take care of big, well-established trees. However, if we hope to plant 25 to 50 trees on the boulevard, and hundreds of trees elsewhere, our capacity to make those plantings as successful as possible gets spread thin.”

“Community volunteers can help in so many ways. Auxiliary watering is a great example. Community members can adopt a new tree and help provide extra watering, which is extremely valuable, and Public Works can provide equipment to help with that. Also, of course, cleaning up trash — for which we can also provide equipment.”

“Another challenge for trees on the boulevard, established trees and new trees alike, is accumulating debris, dirt, mulch and plant material around the trunk flare at the base of the tree. The accumulation around many trees becomes large enough that grass grows up the trunk of the tree. Overall, this accumulation reduces the health of the trees. In coming weeks, we’re going to train volunteers with Friends of Sunset Boulevard to reduce and remove the accumulated detritus at the tree-base trunk flares.”

JBC: On that note, Friends of Sunset Boulevard will continue conducting at least once monthly cleanup and beautification days on the boulevard on the third Saturday of each month — from 9 a.m. to noon — for the remainder of the year. Training and helping local community members reduce detritus accumulation around tree flares has been and will continue to be one of the important cleaning and greening activities each month — Friends of Sunset Boulevard

Spending time with Director Moore and Assistant Superintendent Hostick for this conversation about the present and future of Sunset Boulevard was illuminating. Public Works has not historically been known, by me at least, for openness and willingness to engage with the community around issues such as the condition of Sunset Boulevard. Perhaps that was a misconception on my part, or perhaps Moore, Hostick, Director Short and others at DPW are working to change that. Either way, it was refreshing to hear two departmental leaders express their visions for what can be done to improve the boulevard — and recognize that engaging the local community is crucial to the success of that effort.

John Crabtree

Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard, recently published a new book, which I do not yet have permission to excerpt, but the title gives the strongest indication of what Professor Pinker has to say about the concept of “Common Knowledge” — WHEN EVERYONE KNOWS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS...: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life by Steven Pinker.

On Monday, August 24, 2026, Rep. Kevin Mullin (CA-15) and Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), held a press conference outside the National Archives and Records Administration facility at San Bruno, CA (NARA-SF) to voice opposition to closure of NARA-SF along with NARA-Chicago and other archives and related facilities across the country. Rep. Mullin and Rep. Chu are leading a bipartisan, bicameral coalition of 37 federal lawmakers in calling upon NARA for more information and emphasizing the importance of maintaining these archives in the community.

The opening salvo of that opposition to closure and call for more information was announced in this formal letter from 37 federal lawmakers to NARA (read the full letter here).

Rep. Mullin’s and Rep. Chu’s press conference on Monday was in direct response and opposition to NARA recently announcing it plans to close the San Francisco (San Bruno) and Chicago NARA facilities, which are two of just 13 regional archives across the United States.

The local facility in San Bruno houses culturally significant archives from not only California but also Nevada, Hawaii, Pacific Island territories, and Tribes. Its records hold deep value to the community including Angel Island immigration files, Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese Internment records, Native American and indigenous history documents, Hunters Point Naval Shipyard records and much more. Just a few of the notable records include the Wong Kim Ark files, on which the recent birthright citizenship Supreme Court Case hinged, and Alcatraz penitentiary files from cases and incarceration records of individuals such as George “Machine Gun Kelly” Barnes, Al Capone, and many more.

Rep. Mullin has also introduced a new federal bill, the National Archives Protection Act, that would prevent NARA from closing any of their facilities including archives, records centers or research rooms, without Congressional approval. The bill is co-authored by Reps. Chu; Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), whose district includes the Seattle archives; and Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), whose district includes the Chicago archives. Read the bill text here.

Community Voices

“These archives aren’t just boxes of paper — they hold the stories, memories, and history of generations of Americans. Families whose ancestors immigrated through Angel Island can track their lineage, those whose loved ones served in the Navy and were stationed in the Pacific can learn about their legacy, and Native Americans whose history is documented over generations are all able to learn more by visiting this national archive,” Rep. Mullin said. “We have a responsibility to protect this history and ensure these tangible records are carefully preserved and accessible to the people they represent.”

“Closing the National Archives facilities at San Francisco and San Bruno and moving their irreplaceable documents across the country is an unacceptable barrier to public access,” Rep Judy Chu continued. “These documents are unique pieces of history that have defined the AANHPI community in California and across the Pacific. For decades, these institutions have allowed descendants of Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II and those impacted by the Chinese Exclusion Act to learn directly about their family members’ experiences. Closing these facilities will force families to travel great distances at significant costs to access their own American histories, and threaten the integrity of these precious records. We will not let history be pushed out of reach for the families who have lived it simply for logistical cost-savings. That is why I am proud to co-lead this bill and letter to preserve these facilities and ensure these records remain accessible to the communities whose history they hold.”

“I strongly oppose the closing of the National Archives facilities in my district and around the country. The lack of transparency surrounding the closure of the Chicago facility threatens the irreplaceable collections stored there, staff expertise, and on-site, in-person research access. It would represent a loss for researchers, historians, dedicated employees and our community who visit the facility looking for census and naturalization records to prove citizenship status, examining genealogy records to identify their ancestors, or studying major historical events like the 1894 Pullman Strike and the Nuremberg War Crime Trials,” Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García said in a statement to media released prior to the press conference. “I’m proud to join Rep. Mullin and my colleagues in introducing legislation prohibiting NARA from unilaterally closing these important facilities without Congressional approval.”

“It is crucial that we preserve our National Archives facilities to protect important facets of this country’s history. The NARA Seattle facility is home to Tribal archives and is a resource for the entire Pacific Northwest. I proud to be co-leading this legislation with Reps. Mullin, Chu, and Garcia to protect these important federal record centers and require Congressional approval to move or close any location,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal added in a joint statement to media prior to the press conference.

“The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) strongly urges the National Archives and Records Administration to reconsider the decision to close the federal records center in San Bruno, California. Being able to physically access these files in the community tangibly underscores the democracy that this country was founded upon, which is something that we cannot take for granted nor risk to lose. We encourage the National Archives to continue to preserve the documents that tell our nation’s past as well as make these invaluable records accessible to the American public. These are among the agency’s most important charges and we trust that they will continue to uphold them,” said JANM’s Curator of History and Director of Collections, Kristen Hayashi.

“These archives are more than boxes of paper. They contain the history of California Tribes, our governments, our lands, our families, and our relationship with the United States. They are critical to preserving our history and protecting our sovereignty. Relocating these records without Tribal consultation puts access to that history at risk and disregards the federal government’s trust responsibility and its commitment to engage Tribal Nations as sovereign governments,” said Heather Hostler, Executive Director of California Indian Legal Services.

The letter regarding the San Bruno archives was signed by U.S. Reps. Mark Amodei (NV-02), Ami Bera (CA-06), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Ed Case (HI-01), Judy Chu (CA-28), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), , Laura Friedman (CA-30), John Garamendi (CA-08), Jesús García (IL-04), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Susie Lee (NV-03), Sam Liccardo (CA-16), Doris Matsui (CA-17), Grace Meng (NY-06), Dave Min (CA-47), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Jimmy Panetta (CA-19), Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Mark Takano (CA-39), Shri Thanedar (MI-29), Mike Thompson (CA-04), Dina Titus (NV-01), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Norma Torres (CA-35), Maxine Waters (CA-43); and Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Adam B. Schiff (D-CA), Jacklyn Rosen (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL).

Common Knowledge vs. Brook No Dissent

The repression of speech, the press and assembly — as well as the repression and suppression of access to public information, including historical documents — is the stock and trade of autocracies. The Trump administration is as bad in this regard as any other bunch of autocrats.

The subjects of a tyrannical regime cannot be deceived into believing they are happy. When disaffected citizens join forces and act in unison; collaboratively and harmoniously, there is no governmental brute force that can quell them. The ingredient that is often lacking that prevents unified, purposeful action is coordination. The fertile ground on which that coordination develops is “common knowledge;” which is why autocrats seek to restrict access to public information, including historical records, and limit public participation in governmental decision-making.

Frontline citizens often conceal their political opinions, sometimes even from themselves, to avoid being singled-out, ostracized and punished (either literally or reputationally). In other words, we are all too often concerned with personal security, safety and reputation over justice, such is the nature of being human.

However, learned people have pointed out throughout history that this strategy is deeply flawed:

“Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Benjamin Franklin

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.” Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“In the end you will walk out. Because one hundred thousand Englishmen simply cannot control three hundred fifty million Indians if the Indians refuse to cooperate.” Mohandas Gandhi (told to a British general in the 1982 film ‘Gandhi’)

Common Knowledge is the Key

Coming full circle, we return to the title and subject of Professor Steven Pinker’s book — WHEN EVERYONE KNOWS THAT EVERYONE KNOWS...: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life.

When everyone knows that everyone knows; when there is common knowledge of the injustice of the regime’s autocratic legalism and suppression of information and truth (along with all the other injustices); only then can we effectively set aside our collective fears, apathy and silence and join together, work together, to set our community, our nation, our world on a path toward Justice.

The NARA decision to close archive facilities like NARA-SF and NARA-Chicago may seem a small matter. However, it is not a small matter. It is a linchpin in a much larger, much darker matter that must be challenged by as many of us as possible.

Go to Save Our National Archives to find out more about how we can all combine and coordinate that challenge. You can also drop a comment here or contact me directly — John Crabtree at johncrabtree52@gmail.com — Common Knowledge and the search for Justice can begin with a very small step. I hope you will take this one… john

The press conference will be held on Monday (August 24th) at 10:00 a.m. PDT, outside the NARA-SF archives facility located in the Leo J. Ryan Memorial Federal Building at 1000 Commodore Drive, San Bruno. Representative Mullin will announce actions to stop the closure of NARA-SF. Supporters of the National Archives and, well, remembering history, are encouraged to attend and join the call for decisive action to keep NARA-SF and NARA-Chicago open, and for historical records to remain available to the public!

Read Representative Mullin’s announcement here. Also read this letter written by a coalition of federal lawmakers to the National Archives.

“We have a responsibility to protect this history and ensure these tangible records are carefully preserved and accessible to the people they represent,” Representative Mullin declared in his media release. This writer and amateur historical researcher agrees wholeheartedly.

Moreover, no mistake should be made, these closures are an effort by the Trump administration to spread their ignorance contagion because it serves their selfish purposes. Ignorance of history will inextricably lead to even greater political misjudgments and societal harm than has already resulted from the Trump administration’s War on Truth and their fervent desire to rewrite history and ignore each and every historical precedent that questions their preferred (and false) narratives.

An organization called — Save Our National Archives (SONA) — has gathered thousands of petition signatures opposing the San Francisco closure; the closure slated for the NARA facility in Chicago and the loss of priceless historical records housed therein.

SONA has also facilitated hundreds of letters in support of NARA-SF and NARA-Chicago sent to the Archivist of the United States, Acting Archivist of the United States and members of Congress as well.

SONA has received more 200 copies of letters sent directly to the Archivist and to Congressional representatives, and more than 8,000 signatures on their online petition. You can find out about writing your own letter, signing the petition and learn much more about the importance of the National Archives and NARA-SF and NARA-Chicago at SONA’s website and you can also contact SONA directly via email at SaveOurNationalArchives@gmail.com.

Why does it matter?

In addition to what I have written above, there is so much more to add. But instead of my words I would rather share with you the statement of another; better words and a more powerful voice — Stacey Carter is an artist, Hunters Point Shipyard historian and also a resident of San Francisco (District 4).

Stacey Carter, Artist and Shipyard Historian

When an Archive Closes, a Community Loses Its Memory

I’m Stacey Carter, an artist and shipyard historian who has worked out of a studio at Hunters Point Shipyard since 1998. Through my years there, the site has become the foundation of my entire body of work.

When most people hear that the National Archives in San Bruno is scheduled to close, they probably picture boxes of old paperwork moving from one building to another. After nearly thirty years researching the history of Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, I know it’s far more than that.

For me, and for thousands of Bay Area families with ties to Hunters Point, this archive is where history comes alive. It’s where forgotten stories resurface, where families reconnect with their past, and where communities finally find proof of experiences too often left out of the official record. Closing San Bruno isn’t just closing a building. It’s closing local access to one of the Bay Area’s most vital historical resources.

For three decades I’ve walked into that research room not knowing what the next folder would hold: a photograph unseen in seventy years, a forgotten engineering drawing, a shipyard newspaper with a worker’s name in it, a report that rewrites our understanding of an event. That kind of discovery can’t be predicted, and it can’t be replicated by a keyword search from a database thousands of miles away. It takes time, patience, and the archivists themselves, who have spent years helping me and countless others find collections we never knew existed.

Nearly everything I’ve made — museum exhibitions, guided tours, educational programs, my historical research for the award-winning multi-media news story EXPOSED, and the CRANE: A Shaping Legacy Temporary Monument public art project — was built on records found in San Bruno.

As the historical and archival image researcher for EXPOSED, I worked alongside a team of journalists whose reporting on the shipyard’s radiological history, contamination and environmental cleanup relied on original Navy correspondence, engineering reports, and photographs that exist nowhere else. Without direct access to the records held in San Bruno, that reporting couldn’t have happened.

Nowhere does this matter more than for Bayview–Hunters Point’s Black community. During the Great Migration, the shipyard became one of the West Coast’s largest employers of African Americans. I’ve watched people recognize a parent in a seventy-year-old photograph, watched veterans find records of ships they served aboard, watched children discover grandparents in a shipyard newspaper. For families who have already faced displacement and erasure, these records aren’t just paper. They are identity, pride, and belonging — and they exist nowhere else.

That history doesn’t feel fully in the past. Even now, as we work to bring new public art and public memory back to this same shipyard, this community keeps running into the same guarded, arm’s-length treatment that met earlier generations here. It raises a hard question: are we actually moving forward, or quietly walking backward through the very history we’re trying to preserve?

• This is bigger than one building or one historian. It’s about whether public history stays publicly accessible — to descendants, teachers, journalists, artists, and anyone trying to understand where they came from. The farther these records travel from the communities they document, the harder they become to reach.

• If San Bruno must close, the public deserves real answers:

  • Will these collections stay together, and remain in Northern California?

  • Will access be interrupted for months — or years?

  • Will collections be digitized before they’re moved?

  • Has every alternative to removal truly been explored?

• History belongs to the people who lived it, and it belongs to those who still need to learn from it. Join us in demanding that the National Archives keep these records within reach — so our future can learn from and be better informed by our past.

  Stacey Carter, Artist and Shipyard Historian

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“May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.” an Irish blessing…

I first met Greg Brokaw nigh on 30 years ago, very close to exactly that I think. He called me at my office in Walthill, Nebraska. God only knows for what reason, some farm policy matter, I’m sure. We were friends before we hung up the phone.

Both Greg and I have been through a lot, together sometimes, sometimes on our own (but always, in truth, together even if we didn’t know it at the time). I wrote about Greg recently because I have been thinking about moving through difficult times often of late.

Greg is one of a small cadre of people that I think about when I remember that first Axiom for Life — Surround yourself with people that stand up for you in rooms you are not in.

As I said above, Greg and I were friends before we hung-up from that first phone call. I say, “hung-up from…” because that was 30 years ago and it was on an actual landline, if you can imagine. And before long, Greg and I were like brothers.

I said something to Greg once, something I have said in one form or another a few other times to a few other people that matter deeply to me. In fact, I said something very similar just yesterday and I meant it just as much when I said it to her.

This is what I told Greg years ago: “Greg, they can take everything from me, but they cannot take my heart, my head, my hands or my words. These things belong to me, and only to me. They cannot take them from me. I have suffered the slings and arrows of petty, petulant tyrants my entire life. But I have never turned away from someone I care about. Nothing that all these small, fractional people do will ever change the fact that you are my brother, Greg Brokaw. And they can never take that away from me either.

You see, some years after we became friends, even after I started to think of Greg as “like a brother;” we found out that we have the same birthday. It was at that moment that I knew that we were not “like brothers;” we were brothers. Oh, I don’t know if we are the exact same age. I suppose there are a few years between us, one way or the other, but the birthday bond together with all the rest of it, true brothers we became and remain to this day.

It is our birthday Greg, my brother. I hope you have the best of days today. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand… john

p.s. don’t forget, it is Kristie Thorp’s birthday too — I still cannot believe that we all knew each other back then and didn’t know, what are the odds? LOL… jbc

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According to Joshua Klipp, Certified Access Specialist with the California Division of the State Architect (CASp-812) and SF tree advocate; San Francisco’s tree canopy falls at or very near the bottom of the tree canopy list among American cities. At 13.5%, San Francisco has a “tree issue” — an inadequate number of trees to begin with and a tree loss-rate that is exceeding the tree-planting rate.

SF Public Works (DPW) has a long-term plan to plant 40,000 new trees across the city. Right now, their planting rate is in the 1,000 to 1,500 trees annually. Obviously, they intend to — and will need to — dramatically increase that planting rate to make the 40,000-tree goal be a “long-term” goal and not a “generationally long-term” goal.

Moreover, the 40,000-tree goal is for new trees planted, citywide. It is not a “net new tree” goal, it was never stated as such and has never been intended to be such. The 40K new tree goal is, I believe, sincere. But it has the unintended consequence of setting aside the other side of the tree canopy equation; namely the tree-loss side.

The City has some 125,000 trees in the canopy, citywide. The inventory data is, in some areas, antiquated and it is unclear the ratio of street trees to greenspace trees and park trees. However, regardless of how up to date the tree numbers are, planting 1,000 trees while simultaneously losing or removing multiple hundreds of trees will not move up that total tree canopy number very much, if at all.

Here at Though the Heavens Fall, we have previously reported on the challenges faced by City Hall in balancing development with street tree planting to curtail some of the tree canopy losses that SF has experienced over the last 20 or more years.

When did trees in our city landscape become so undesirable that we are now encouraging people to find ways to not plant them? When did providing habitat, clean air, and a green city for families and children become so burdensome that we must legislate its loss?

Excerpt from public comments by Kathryn Howard, D4 resident and landscape architect at the July 27, 2026, BOS-LUTC hearing of Ordinance File 251211 on street tree replacement.

However, none of these tree-planting goals; street tree replacement funds or in-lieu developers’ fees for unreplaced street trees is doing much to address the tree-loss side of the equation. In other words, what are we doing to improve the health and survival of our existing trees?

The answer, sadly, is not enough. Earlier this summer I listened to Dave Moore, Director, Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry; describe one small but vital thing that could be done to improve the health and longevity of existing trees — clearing the tree flares at the base of the tree.

Most of the trees on Sunset Boulevard, for example, were either planted too deep or mulch, duff and detritus has built up at the base of the tree, covering the flare — the structure of the tree at the base of the trunk and top of the root system where the trunk “flares” or widens as it transitions into and connects to the root system. Burying the flare of a tree is bad for tree’s health and shortens its lifespan. Trees with covered flares send out adventitious roots that can become girdling roots that effectively choke off the tree from the root system. An unexposed flare can also make the tree more vulnerable to other tree-health issues — insect infestations as well as microbial and fungal infections.

What Director Dave Moore told me back in June was that with a little training, a rake and a broom, volunteers could learn to pull back the detritus and carefully expose the flare of the tree. He explained that doing so could extend the life of each tree by 5 to 10 years. We all agreed that we should do that.

On July 9, 2026, four arborists from DPW’s Bureau of Urban Forestry came out to the 1300 block of 36th Ave (between Irving and Judah) on the Sunset Boulevard greenway and trained a small group of volunteers with Friends of Sunset Boulevard, and me of course, on how to clear the flares of the trees on Sunset Boulevard. And they gave me a rake and a broom.

I cannot clear the flares of the 125,000 trees citywide. Perhaps, I thought, we could tend the trees on Sunset Boulevard. That was before I estimated that there are 1,500 trees on the Sunset Boulevard greenways running parallel to 36th and 37th Avenues.

We were undaunted, however, even after we learned that number and set out to get the job done and build an effort to get it done before Arbor Day of 2027. We started immediately, on July 10th. We have tended more that 150 trees in 6 weeks. We call it tree-herding — an homage to the tree-herders in J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Remember, 150 trees cleared to the flares could add 750 or even 1,500 tree-years to the life of the tree canopy on Sunset Boulevard.

That means we’ve completed about 10% of the job so far. We still have a long way to go — 1350 trees, 27 greenway blocks — But we are determined and we have begun, in earnest. In fact, after I publish this essay, I am headed out to Sunset Boulevard to herd some trees — 1500 block of 36th Ave on the Sunset Boulevard greenway; headed for 200 trees herded.

Post a question or comment here; share this essay with a friend who loves trees; or come on out and check out the tree-herding progress on the 36th Ave & Sunset Blvd greenway between Irving and Lawton. I’m out there as many days as not. If you see me, come on over, I will show you our progress, and we can chat about trees and Sunset Boulevard. I would love the company, so would the trees… john

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Some days the bear eats you; some days you eat the bear.

Preacher Roe, professional baseball pitcher, circa 1940

Today, my friends who live on the 1200 block of La Playa ate the bear.

The streetsweeper finally arrived on the 1200 block of La Playa in the Outer Sunset.

On July 26, 2026, the residents living on the 1200 block of La Playa — marked their neighborhood having endured one full year — 365 days — of a vengeful, punitive denial of street cleaning and sweeping on their block between Lincoln Way and Irving. They had the audacity to complain about a draconian new street sweeping schedule that, frankly, sucked — 12:01 to 6:00 a.m. Thursdays. That was supposed to be the “new” street sweeping schedule back in the summer of 2025.

On July 26, 2025, the SFMTA in all its infinite wisdom took down the — NO Parking - 12:01 to 6 A.M. - Thursday - Street Sweeping — signs on the 1200 block of La Playa. These were the signs that replaced the old “No Parking, Street Cleaning…” signs that communicated a long-established schedule for when the street sweeper would come and sweep away the sand that blows onto the block from Ocean Beach, which is about a hundred yards or so from the Lincoln & La Playa intersection.

June 8, 2026 — The Citizen’s Anti-Corruption Report:

Here is a new one for you — municipal government corruption via denial of public services for punitive reasons.

People tell me all the time how San Francisco municipal government is petty, spiteful and corrupt. I mean, quite literally, I hear it all the time.

As one might imagine, heading out of one’s home at midnight to move any street-parked car you own and, oh, I don’t know, levitate it somewhere for six hours while the street sweepers move through, just did not sit well with a number of residents on the block. Some of them did what any one of us would do. They called up their local elected representative to San Francisco City & County government — the erstwhile Supervisor Joel Engardio (who a whole bunch of us here in D4, including a few of the residents on La Playa, banded together to Recall, which is why he is now the erstwhile Supervisor).

The then-Supervisor Engardio (but not anymore) said he would get it taken care of and being such a man-of-no-people-whatsoever, he called up some City Hall folks and told them that some people down on La Playa were complaining about the new street sweeping schedule and that they should take care of it so he didn’t have to field any additional complaints. The City Hall folk did what departments in San Francisco do, they took care of it for the erstwhile Supervisor by taking the signs down and never sweeping the street again.

Since July 26, 2025, there has been no street cleaning on the block of La Playa Street between Lincoln Way and Irving. That is a one-year sentence of sand and filth accumulation, apparently the going penalty for having the audacity to express dissatisfaction with a stupid City Hall decision.

Think about it for a moment. City Hall’s response to my friends on La Playa? “Since you complained, we’re going to take the signs down and punish you by never sweeping your street again.” Purely punitive, just as purely corrupt.

La Loca Vida en La Playa Redux, John Crabtree, Though the Heavens Fall

Last month, Supervisor Alan Wong and his City Hall staff finally helped broker a deal with SF Public Works (DPW) and SFMTA to get new signs up and implement a new, much more normal street sweeping schedule.

Of course, the signs went up, and Supervisor Wong circulated a flyer informing local residents of the new sweeping (and no-parking) schedule almost exactly a month ago. Just in time to stay in front of the one-year bureaucratic sentence imposed upon the residents of the 1200 block of La Playa.

However, the sweeping didn’t actually start until today. The wheels of street (sweeping) justice turn slowly. But they did turn, and today, those La Playans finally got that generous helping of bear.

Special Thanks

These days whenever anything good happens, just about anywhere, but definitely here in San Francisco, it engenders a bunch of elected officials and City Hall hangers-on queueing up to take credit. And do those people ever take their credit-grabbing seriously, I mean, wow.

We don’t cotton to that sort of thing here at Though the Heavens Fall. Therefore, here is a special note of thanks to the people who actually deserve it — the residents of the 1200 block of La Playa that refused to go quietly into that good night and refused to accept a purely punitive, purely corrupt punishment for believing that the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution actually means what it says:

“… or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (excerpt)

That is, after all, exactly what my friends on La Playa were doing, petitioning the Government for a redress of their grievances. And being punished for having the audacity to do so.

Two residents, in particular, never gave up and never gave in. I won’t name them here because lately standing up for what one believes in here in the Outer Sunset can bring all manner of grief raining down on one’s head. I will, therefore, call them and N & J. I consider both of them friends, but hell, they don’t even get along with each other all the time.

However, none of that mattered. None of that dissuaded them from standing up for their neighborhood and community. I’m proud of them, proud to know both of them, proud of the way they hung in there and in the end, ate that bear. I’m proud that they let me help a little where I could and helped me write about La Loca Vida en La Playa.

They are the ones that should get all of the accolades; all the credit and all the thanks that we can give them. Here is to N & J; enjoy the cleaner street my friends. Onward!

john

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Check it out — 19 minutes of interesting podcast listening.

Re-published here at Though the Heavens Fall with the express consent of John Rothmann and The Voice of San Francisco.

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Events — Friends of Sunset Boulevard — Monthly cleanup days are the 3rd Saturday of each month.

Yesterday, August 15th, ten volunteers and Friends of Sunset Boulevard removed 14 bags of garbage, including several gallon paint cans, window shades, and hundreds of cigarette butts from the Boulevard greenspace!

Year-to-date: Friends of Sunset Boulevard volunteers like you have removed over 2,000 pounds of trash from the Boulevard! I estimate, based upon picking up each bag (not too scientific), that on 8/15/26 we picked up about 75 lbs. of trash from Sunset Boulevard. Thank you to all of the community members that came out to pick up trash and share a cup of coffee and a donut and chat about making Sunset Boulevard a cleaner, greener and more beautiful part of the neighborhood.

In addition to monthly litter cleanups, several volunteers (me included), pick up trash multiple times a week. You are always welcome to post about your accomplishments — about picking up trash or any other cleaning, greening and beautifying — along with photographs if you have some; in the comments below.

Allow me to offer a special note of thanks to all the neighbors and passersby that stopped at our canopy tent and table on Saturday to say “hello” or “thank you” and to chat about progress on the Boulevard. Sunset Boulevard really is looking so much cleaner, greener and more beautiful these days. The conversations with members of the Boulevard community over a cup of coffee (and perhaps a donut) are the kind of “trash talk” that makes everyone happy. We truly appreciate all of your kindness and love to hear your stories about what the Boulevard has been in the past and could be in the future.

Friends of Sunset Boulevard host monthly litter cleanups on the third Saturday of every month, 9AM to 12PM. We meet at 1453 36th Avenue.

Come help us keep Sunset Boulevard clean, green, beautiful and inviting to all.

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Truth

An apocryphal story tells us of Galileo Galilei’s whispered comment, made after being forced by the Roman Catholic Inquisition to recant his theory that the earth revolves around the sun. It is a story about defiance and the triumph of truth.

Eppur si Muove — And yet it moves

Galileo Galilei; at the conclusion of his trial before the Inquisition; 1633

Of course, it never happened, he never actually said it. That used to make me sad. It is such a perfect story about defiance and truth. But I have read as many historical analyses as possible of Galileo’s trial by the Inquisition and I can tell you, with great confidence, that whether he uttered the words or not, those were his thoughts. Not quite as dramatic, I guess. But in another way when respect, decency and even our words are stripped away from us, our thoughts are the only thing that remains.

I think, perhaps, Galileo’s thoughts are even more defiant than some false narrative that someone wrote down 150 years later to attribute to a whisper from Galileo. He lost his liberty, his freedom to speak and could very well have lost his life that day in front of the Inquisition. They took away his science, his learning, his teaching, his voice… But they could not take away the science, nor the words, in his mind and his thoughts.

They could not take the truth from him. No one can take the truth away from any of us — Eppur si Muove — And yet it moves…

Persistence

These past few weeks a great number of petulant bullies, wannabe puppet-masters and liars — [an aside: my friend Bob, who is also a friend of the Stack (Though the Heavens Fall) has pointed out to me, constructively, that I should be careful not to use language that seems too harsh or angry. He’s right. Though in this case, Bob, I am also considering the following caveats: I’m a writer. Words matter. And I am writing about the triumph of truth. Ergo…] — petulant bullies, wannabe puppet-masters and liars have assailed me and my family and my friends.

Events — Friends of Sunset Boulevard — [author’s note: tomorrow, Saturday, August 15th from 9:00 a.m. to noon we’ll be out on Sunset Boulevard for our August cleanup (every third Saturday). Enjoy some coffee, a donut (or two), meet some neighbors and pick up some trash — now that’s a great Saturday morning.

Moreover, it is for the very strangest of reasons. It seems that in San Francisco, if you pick up trash along a public greenway (Sunset Boulevard) and if you help tend to the trees there and plant some native plants and flowers; then somehow that makes you a horrible person or as one hector phrased it on her Instagram reel; “A Shitty Neighbor.” Methinks she doth project too much.

I know, it’s ridiculous, but, welcome to the 2026 world of trolls, liars and wannabe influencers and puppet-masters. Up until now, I have stayed pretty quiet about all of this here on Though the Heavens Fall. However, for a variety of reasons these last few weeks have caused me to reflect extensively on suffering the slings and arrows of those who are relentlessly attacking us — for picking up trashing and taking care of trees for the Love of God.

All that reflection (and all the slings and arrows) has brought me to my own personal inflection-point, and I have decided my course. I will return to first principles and do all of the things that my enemies and detractors curse me for, not because they curse me, but because I see my Path ahead, I know the Way for me. Yes, I have known my course for years, the decision on my future course was easy…

Defiance

“Let them come! There is one yet who still draws breath.”

Gimli; Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring; J.R.R. Tolkien

My friends and I are Friends of Sunset Boulevard and Friends of Sunset Boulevard is us. The liars and bullies can squawk and squabble all they like. Galileo’s whispered thoughts are as true today as they were in 1633 — Eppur si Muove — And yet it moves.

Just in case all you hectoring betrayers of the truth lingering in the back didn’t get it the first time; the Truth is, has always been and will always be the Truth. I would tell you all to try being truthful and forthright; but I believe that ship has sailed without you.

Friends Of Sunset Boulevard — the one and only, now, then and forever.

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Surround yourself with people that stand up for you in rooms you are not in.

That seems like a difficult standard these days; well, really, it doesn’t just seem that way, it is a difficult standard. But it is the most important life lesson I have learned in 40 years of quasi-public life. There are people around us every day that would gladly hamstring anyone if the opportunity arose and they have even a speck of a motive to do so. There are so many people like that around us that one would have trouble swinging a stick and not hitting one of them; which is fine because most of them deserve just that.

However, that is precisely the reason why this axiom is so crucial. None of us is omnipresent. And people that want to hamstring you or stick a shiv in your back usually try to sneak up on you, it is their nature. Slicing up your reputation does not require that you be in the room or the conversation where it happens. In fact, it is easier to assassinate someone’s character when they are not there to defend themselves.

That is the real joy of this axiom, because when you find someone that you know will stand up for you in a room you are not in, you have found the strongest bond of friendship and fellowship possible. Find those people, surround yourself with those people, I believe you will experience the joy that I have found in doing so. Yes, it is hard, maybe you will only find a few, but stand with them nonetheless.

Greg Brokaw

Greg Brokaw is a friend of mine from North Dakota. If there were a book of the Axioms for Life somewhere and it included my #1 axiom — Surround yourself with people who stand up for you in rooms you are not in — the thumbnail picture beside it would be of Greg Brokaw. In fact, this is Greg’s picture (his Facebook profile picture).

There, that can be the first entry in the Axioms for Life book.

Seeing Greg’s picture or hearing from him from time to time, reminds me that the corollary to this axiom is equally important. In order to find friends who will stand up for you, especially in rooms you are not in, you need to be willing to stand up for others in rooms they are not in.

Honestly, I do better with the corollary than I do with the first principle. I often stand up for my friends when they are attacked but not present to defend themselves. Sometimes though, I am too forgiving, letting people into my inner circle even though I have no confidence that they would stand up for me.

However, I do the best I can. I stand up for my friends. I stand up for my family. I stand up for my community… as best I can. I stand up for those folks even in, especially in, rooms they are not in. I take heat for that — often — and a lot of it. The backstabbing ham-stringers don’t like it when they are not allowed to practice their repugnant craft with impunity. Standing up to them in a room that their target is not in definitely interferes. And that gives me great Joy.

I am a writer.

I take a lot of heat from people about the things that I am not. Most especially here in San Francisco, but it is not a new experience, not something I have only seen here but it is very prevalent in the City and County of San Francisco, California.

— Like the time the Mayor told me that because I had not lived here for 48 years like he has, that my opinions don’t matter. At least the Mayor had the nerve to say that to my face; which doesn’t make him less wrong, but I guess it’s something.

— Or the many times that others have, behind my back or in a social media post or comment, said essentially the same thing as the Mayor did; that I don’t count for this reason, for that reason or for another reason… blah, blah, blah. Fuck all y’all is my usual response. But I didn’t say that to the Mayor. Maybe I should have.

— Or, recently, when a bunch of the Talibanic elements of San Francisco’s political progressives — the Talibanic Progs I’ve taken to calling them — teamed up in their dark little rooms and secret places to assassinate my character across various social media platforms. Again, fuck all y’all. But don’t worry dear readers, their just desserts are coming, and that right soon.

— Or the time when an SF acquaintance — definitely NOT a person who stands up for me (or many others) in rooms we are not in — was going around behind my back telling people that I am a “wannabe journalist” and casting other untoward aspersions at me.

Here’s the rub. I am not a journalist, nor am I a wannabe anything. I am a writer. I don’t “want to be” a writer; I am not a wannabe writer. I AM a writer; something that aforementioned SF acquaintance knows jack about. But I know about it. And even if I have to write a million words to do it, I will balance all the ledgers in the end.

I guarantee it… John B. Crabtree

I’ll call the writing immediately above Axiom of Life #2. I doubt these will be the last two Axioms of Life that I will share. Until the next time, Godspeed… JBC

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On July 27th, in the SF City Hall Legislative Chamber, the Board of Supervisors (BOS) Land Use Transportation Committee (LUTC) at a regularly scheduled committee meeting, heard considered, lightly amended and quickly moved a tree-removal ordinance forward to the full BOS.

Approximately 6 months after Mayor Daniel Lurie proposed dramatic changes to what several street-tree advocates call “the City’s already anemic street tree laws,” the LUTC took up Ordinance File 251211 — the street-tree removal “streamlining” ordinance.

On Monday, July 27, 2026, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (BOS) Land Use and Transportation Committee (LUTC) was gaveled into a regular session by LUTC Chair, Supervisor Myrna Melgar.

I joined some tree advocates in giving testimony in opposition to the ordinance. Immediately below is an excerpt of my comments.

… But today I am here just as a D4 resident that wants to speak about trees. I volunteer in with Friends of Sunset Boulevard tending trees on the greenway running parallel to Sunset Boulevard (greenway = “the Boulevard”). Much of my volunteerism is to tend trees on “the Boulevard.”

First and foremost, I remove the built-up duff and detritus at the base of trees, exposing the flares (the part of the base of the tree trunk where it “flares” or widens where the tree transitions from leaves, branches and trunk above ground to the root system below ground level). For optimal botanical health a tree’s flare should be at ground level, with the very top of the root system/trunk flare just peaking above the soil surrounding and covering the root system.

Clearing the duff and detritus to the flare improves the botanical health of the tree. The four SF Public Works arborists that trained me to perform this activity taught me that clearing the tree flares could add 5 to 10 years to the life of a tree.

On Sunset Boulevard, I have cleared over 110 trees to the flares since July 9, 2026. That does seem like a significant amount of work, but I am not bragging. By my estimate, there are more than 1,500 trees on Sunset Boulevard. I have some work to do.

However, the effort to tend the trees on the Boulevard over the last month has, according to information provided me by Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry arborists, added over 550 tree-years to the canopy on the Boulevard. That is not nothing.

Why is City Hall so Cavalier about the tree canopy?

All of the work that I described above makes me question why, when residents are working so hard to save and preserve trees as well as clean and green our streets and green spaces; is City Hall being quite so cavalier about removing street trees, how and when they are saved or replaced — if they are saved or replaced — and perhaps as important as anything, whether or not the voices of residents who want to speak out for the trees they care about most have any opportunity to be heard at all?

Excerpt of comments by John Crabtree, D4 resident at the July 27, 2026, BOS-LUTC hearing of Ordinance File 251211

Thankfully, of course, I was not alone in speaking up for the trees. Kathy Howard joined me, or rather, I joined her because it was she that informed me of the hearing and invited me. Not just me, Kathy and Josh Klipp invited quite a few people; but I know that when I got up to testify Kathy was in the queue right behind me.

Good thing I went first because she had much more and much better things to say:

My name is Katherine Howard; I am a landscape architect.

Please reject this legislation — it is deeply flawed and will force people to not plant trees.

As a landscape architect, I have worked on landscape plans for all sizes of building projects. Standard architectural drawings lay out both infrastructure and landscape plans. Water lines, sewer lines, and undergrounded electrical connections must be located away from tree wells and other planting areas.

However, this legislation, even if amended, allows a project to fee out of planting trees. That means they also do not have to plan for infrastructure placement. If you are thinking, “Oh, trees can be planted in the future,” please think again. It is very costly to retroactively open a sidewalk, to move utility lines. Basically, it’s not going to happen. In fact, the proposed amendment that “Large projects. . .subject to Better Streets Plan requirements, would not be able to fee out unless planting is not possible.” could mean that builders could intentionally locate utilities in tree wells – just to make it impossible to plant.

In my experience, developers are willing to follow rules, as long as there is a level playing field. But if feeing-out of tree planting is financially beneficial for a project, all developers will have to eliminate trees in order to compete. Basically, by letting builders buy their way out of tree planting, we are essentially paving the way — literally — for a majority of projects that will never have trees.

When did trees in our city landscape become so undesirable that we are now encouraging people to find ways to not plant them? When did providing habitat, clean air, and a green city for families and children become so burdensome that we must legislate its loss?

We must continue to require trees and tree-planting spaces in all building plans.

For these reasons, I ask you to reject this legislation.

According to Joshua Klipp, Esq, Certified Access Specialist with the California Division of the State Architect (CASp-812) — as amended, the proposed legislation would do the following:

— Make it easier for most developers to not only buy their way out of currently mandatory tree planting but also pave over potential tree locations. (Note: this particularly impacts areas of high development, e.g. SOMA, where tree canopy is nearly non-existent.)

— Remove all public process when Public Works designates a tree as a hazard; a designation that was abused as recently as this past June when trees along Polk Street were designated as “hazards” — not because the trees were hazards, but because Public Works sought to expedite the tree removal for a specific applicant.

— Abbreviate all other tree removal permit appeals so dramatically as to effectively mute meaningful discussion and engagement around street tree removals. (Note: no other permit appeals to the Board of Appeals are subject to such a compressed time frame; also note: only one tree removal permit appeal was filed last year.)

Joshua Klipp also testified at the LUTC hearing on July 27, 2026:

Every day, our City government breaks its tree-related promises set out in the Climate Action and Urban Forest Plans. But rather than focus on implementable, funded strategies to keep those promises - promises built on foundations of urgent climate resilience and environmental justice - our City has decided that its priorities are to make it easier for developers, and worse for the people who live, work, play, and breathe in the City of San Francisco.

Joshua Klipp, testimony excerpt, July 27, 2026, LUTC hearing

Read more of what Josh Klipp has to say about trees, City Hall, and more at the Westside Observer (August 2026 edition):

Mayor Lurie Takes a Chainsaw to San Francisco’s Tree Protections | Joshua Klipp

Though the Heavens Fall... We ask the questions others won’t — every single day. To support this work and keep getting answers, subscribe today!

There has been a lot of chatter, especially on social media platforms this week about our nonprofit public benefit organization, Friends of Sunset Boulevard, and in particular, me. I have been silent until now, but I wanted you to hear directly from me, as an individual, not as a representative of our nonprofit organization Friends of Sunset Boulevard. As such, these statements and opinions are my own.

History of Friends of Sunset Boulevard

In 2018 a small group of neighbors began to push for the revitalization of Sunset Boulevard. These neighbors began posting on the Sunset District NextDoor Page (“the NextDoor posters”) about their concerns with the deterioration of Sunset Boulevard, the City’s lack of a meaningful plan to correct the situation and encouraging neighbors to join them in contacting City officials to advocate for the Boulevard. We lobbied Supervisor Katy Tang to look into why Sunset Boulevard was in such decrepit condition, and what could be done to fix it. Many emails ensued, and resulted in a visit by Mohammad Nuru, Director of Public Works (DPW), the city department in charge of Sunset Boulevard. Director Nuru came for an onsite visit and walkthrough with a group of neighbors. Not much happened. At that time, Supervisor Tang’s office had begun to organize neighborhood cleanup events. There were toolboxes placed at various locations along Sunset Boulevard that any resident could access to weed or pick up litter. Supervisor Tang in a 2018 video produced by Public Works loosely referred to these ad hoc resident volunteers as “friends of Sunset Boulevard”.

Neighborhood lobbying efforts with newly elected Supervisor Mar culminated in a Town Hall specifically focused on Sunset Boulevard. Immediately following that meeting, one of the NextDoor posters (who no longer lives in San Francisco) put a message on NextDoor suggesting the formation of a group to advocate for the Boulevard and asking anyone interested in being a part of that group to DM her on NextDoor. Those who responded were invited to the group’s meeting with Gordon Mar’s legislative aide, Edward Wright, on June 26, 2019, to outline concerns and explore the ways the Supervisor might assist our group. Those individuals became the co-founders of the new group known as Friends of Sunset Boulevard.

What did we accomplish together?

Friends of Sunset Boulevard worked with Supervisor Mar, who was able to secure almost $3M to start working on repairing/replacing the ailing irrigation system and harness the new wastewater pipeline that runs down 36th Avenue as a sustainable source of water that Sunset Boulevard had been denied due to droughts. The money was also to go towards landscaping maintenance. Mar also looked into increasing the gardening staff, which had dwindled to a single gardener to care for 2 miles of greenbelt. Although Supervisor Mar was successful in securing the funds DPW said it needed to revitalize the Boulevard, the outcome was largely frustrating as timelines for connecting the recycled water line to the system and irrigation pipeline repairs were unmet and the promise to hire gardeners were likewise never realized.

We continued our work with Supervisor Joel Engardio, who seemed enthusiastic about pushing for meaningful progress to bring Sunset Boulevard back to its former glory. Like Mar, Supervisor Engardio was able to secure more money (~$3M) for the Boulevard and reiterate tentative, previous commitments from DPW Director Carla Short to hire more gardeners, fix the broken irrigation system, and hook up the wastewater pipeline. Unfortunately, even with additional monies allocated, very little actual progress was made to improve the condition of Sunset Boulevard.

All of these accomplishments, whether big or small, we did together.

Why did we incorporate?

For several years we operated as an unincorporated grassroots neighborhood group. There was no leader or hierarchy — we were all co-founders of equal status with an equal voice and vote. Some of the co-founders left the organization or had reduced participation due to life events. There was a core group of 5 of us. I am one of these 5 co-founders as are 2 of my current board members.

Ultimately, we had a different strategic vision. Most of us wanted to grow the group. In addition to advocacy, we wanted to do more community engagement and foster volunteerism. A minority did not share that vision. At a meeting with City Hall officials, Lorraine Patterson announced she would be leaving the group and forming her own group. The majority of us felt committed to our original mission and decided to continue doing that work as Friends of Sunset Boulevard. We believed that we could make a larger impact by formalizing our organization as a nonprofit and obtain a 501(c)(3) status, which is what we did.

Since incorporating in March 2026, Friends of Sunset Boulevard, a registered California nonprofit public benefit corporation has accomplished:

● Installation of phase 1 of a Friends of Sunset Boulevard-proposed native meadow pilot project (April 25, 2026);

● Adopted Sunset Boulevard through DPW’s Adopt-A-Street program and implemented monthly litter cleanup days;

● Picked up over 2000 pounds (>1 ton) of trash from Sunset Boulevard;

● Volunteered as an organization at DPW’s D4 Neighborhood Beautification Day (June 6, 2026);

● Volunteered as an organization at the Mayor’s and First Lady’s inaugural One City Day planting over 75 native plants in rain gardens on Sunset Boulevard (July 11, 2026);

● Received training from 4 arborists from DPW’s Bureau of Urban Forestry (BUF) on tree maintenance (July 9, 2026). DPW has asked our assistance in removing accumulated soil and detritus to expose the tree flares of trees on Sunset Boulevard. This work will extend the life of our existing trees 5 to 10 years. We have completed the work on over 100 trees in July alone.

Our nonprofit Friends of Sunset Boulevard has forged excellent working relationships with DPW, SF PUC, RPD, and Supervisor Wong’s office. Relationships which are already benefitting the Boulevard. We are working hard every day to engage our neighbors and our community on matters related to Sunset Boulevard.

Why the request to stop using the name?

Lorraine Patterson and Najeen Sorrentino left Friends of Sunset Boulevard of their own volition. They were not pushed out. The name was not co-opted (and was not stolen). The majority of the original co-founders still felt that there was more work to be done. And there is. Cease-and-desist requests are fairly common; it’s a legal notice. No one sued anyone.

It was a formal way to show due diligence to defend an IRS 501(c)(3) status, which is currently pending.

The Standard article

The Standard article is clearly a hit piece on me. In addition to my work in advocating for Sunset Boulevard, I have organized other activities, some of them political and some not. If any other original co-founder had served Lorraine with a cease-and-desist letter would The Standard have been interested in printing it? I don’t think so.

The so-called “political” issues that I have worked on are community-based issues. None have been partisan.

Who pitched the story to The Standard?

Joel Engardio initially, and later, as it turns out, Natalie Gee. Lorraine engaged her advisor and neighbor, Natalie Gee, a candidate in the most recent District 4 supervisorial election. I didn’t endorse any candidate in the D4 race, and I didn’t support Natalie as I didn’t believe she had the intellect, temperament, and maturity to be a good supervisor in a district with issues as complicated as we have in District 4. A vast majority of voters in D4 agreed with me.

In spite of more than adequate funding, Natalie lost to Supervisor Wong — by a lot! Perhaps she blames me for her poor performance in the D4 race. She is a sore loser, and her lack of maturity is on full display. Natalie brought other members of the Westside Forward group along with her.

Natalie Gee and Julie Pitta are part of, as was I, former Supervisor Gordon Mar’s Westside Forward group (the Talibanic element of the San Francisco progressive movement). In The Standard article, Julie Pitta suggests that perhaps I am luring people to pick up litter in order to form an astroturf group with a nefarious political agenda. Wow, how’s that tinfoil hat, Julie?

We did not ask for, nor did we want any “contacts list” that Lorraine Patterson maintained. Friends of Sunset Boulevard is a nonprofit formed solely to improve conditions on the Boulevard. We are seeking a 501(c)(3) status, which prohibits most partisan political activities.

The Standard tells one side of the story and a very conveniently skewed one. Lorraine Patterson isn’t interested in volunteerism, and during the time we worked together in the former unincorporated Friends of Sunset Boulevard, we didn’t organize litter cleanups or planting events. Not once.

Lorraine had legal representation. She doesn’t mention that, but it wasn’t a fly-by-night firm. Her attorney advised her that she had no legal claim to the name, that her individual legal rights did not supersede our legal rights.

There is no legal dispute. The matter was settled on July 16, 2026. The Standard article came out on July 26, 2026 — 10 days after the matter was settled.

Why have we remained silent?

Lorraine’s attorney asked, at her behest, that we not “…defame Ms. Lew [Lorraine (Lew) Patterson] or make disparaging remarks about her, whether in public or private [sic].” We agreed (to the public part anyway) and relayed that we had not done so previously. Our attorney requested the same from Lorraine (again, the public part). We kept our word.

If the matter was settled, why did The Standard print it?

There are only two options.

One, the Standard knew the matter was settled and wanted to “put blood on the floor” by doing a hit piece on me. Their reporting is sloppy and, pun intended, sub-Standard. They did not reach out to all Friends of Sunset Boulevard board members, and they apparently did not read the cease-and-desist request, even though the Standard was provided a copy of it.

Two, Lorraine Patterson didn’t tell them the matter was settled. She lied.

Bottom line, Lorraine Patterson and her compatriots are not victims. They were not forced out. They left the Friends of Sunset Boulevard of their own volition. They were a minority and gave up the name. Their response is to vent their fury and rage on me and our organization. Patterson and Sorrentino, like Gee, are sore losers.

As the lawyers’ adage goes; If the facts are with you, argue the facts. If the law is with you, argue the law. If neither is with you, pound the table and yell like hell. I have the law and the facts on my side. And then there is Lorraine, pounding the tabling and yelling.

These are the facts of this matter. They are not in dispute.

Lisa Arjes

Today, John Arntz, Director, Department of Elections, City & County of San Francisco issued an officially signed and certified letter of sufficiency for the ballot measure to Open the Great Highway and implement the Great Highway Compromise.

On July 6, 2026, citizen volunteers from across San Francisco joined Rich Corriea, Official Proponent for this ballot measure in turning in signatures from 15,924 registered San Francisco voters to initiate the measure.

They citizen-initiated ballot measure official petition to place the question of Opening the Great Highway and bringing back the Great Highway Compromise (open to cars Monday-Friday, closed to cars on weekends and holidays for recreational use). Director Arntz’s letter of sufficiency certification found that the; “total number of valid signatures was determined to be greater than the 10,615 valid signatures required for qualification.”

Today, a group of San Francisco residents who worked tirelessly to gather nearly 16,000 signatures from SF voters found out that their herculean efforts have come to fruition — The Great Highway Compromise is Rising. San Francisco Voters will decide by November 3, 2026.

They mean to the change the world, these hard-working local folk. They will have to do it one little victory at a time, but they are on their way.

“What we do in life, echoes in Eternity.” Marcus Aurelius

Public Works spent $390,494 maintaining Sunset Dunes during the 15 reported months, including sand-related and other roadway maintenance work.

According to public records obtained through Sunshine Ordinance requests; San Francisco’s Department of Public Works (DPW) reports departmental spending of $390,494 to maintain Sunset Dunes between April 2025 and June 2026.

The newly released figures show that permanent closure did not eliminate Public Works’ sand-management and maintenance burden. During the first 12 reported months, Public Works spent almost exactly the nominal annual funding level identified before Proposition K, and spending then rose sharply during the following three months.

The City has yet to supply line-item data necessary to demonstrate whether any projected maintenance savings actually occurred or, conversely, whether there were any savings at all. Public Works’ Sunshine Ordinance response does not divide these expense totals among sand-clearing, roadway repairs, equipment, labor, supervision, or general maintenance, even though those breakdowns for costs by activity were requested.

The City should, however, release an apples-to-apples breakdown of actual expenditures before and after permanent closure occurred. If Public Works supplies the omitted activity-level breakdown; a more precise calculation of what portion of the $390,494 expenditure total can be attributed specifically to sand-clearing vs. road maintenance, etc. can be conducted.

What can we conclude from these newly released records?

Public Works reports spending $390,494 to maintain Sunset Dunes from April 2025 through June 2026. The first 12 reported months cost $239,397, which is almost exactly the approximately $240,000 annual funding level Public Works identified before Proposition K. The next three reported months (April, May and June of 2026) added another $151,097 to the total 15-month tally

These figures show that closing the Upper Great Highway to cars did not eliminate the sand-management or maintenance obligation. They also raise serious questions about the maintenance savings projected by the Controller before the vote Proposition K. Public Works has not yet provided the activity-level accounting needed to determine how much was spent on sand removal, repairs, equipment, supervision, or other work.

Public Works spent $239,397 during the first 12 reported months

and then spent another $151,097 during the next three reported months alone.

That’s 63.1% of the preceding full-year total in just 3 months.

The Public Works information contained in this Sunshine Ordinance records request response is crucial, and the underlying point is worthy of closer examination: converting the Upper Great Highway into Sunset Dunes did NOT eliminate the need to manage windblown sand or maintain the roadway corridor.

We can always show our math; all sides of the issue can do that.

• April 2025 through June 2026: $390,494 (DPW identified actual expenses for sand-clearing, roadway maintenance and related work) over 15 months, or approximately $26,033 per month.

• That 15-month monthly average corresponds to an annualized rate of approximately $312,395.

• April 2025 through March 2026: $239,397 over the first 12 reported months, or approximately $19,950 per month.

• January through June 2026: $263,642, or approximately $43,940 per month.

• April 2026 through June 2026 alone: $151,097 — approximately 63.1% of the entire preceding 12-month total.

In Conclusion:

The cars disappeared. The sand-management obligation did not.

We can, and should, all begin with being honest about that.

When City Hall responds to a request for activity-level costs with aggregate totals alone, opacity creates the conditions in which spin — and, at worst, prevarication — can flourish.

John Crabtree

On or about July 26, 2025, the SFMTA in all its infinite wisdom took down the — NO Parking - 12:01 to 6 A.M. - Thursday - Street Sweeping — signs on the 1200 block of La Playa (between Lincoln Way and Irving). These were the signs that replaced the old
“No Parking, Street Cleaning…” signs that communicated a long-established schedule for when the street sweeper would come and sweep away the sand that blows onto the block from Ocean Beach, which is about a hundred yards or so from the Lincoln & La Playa intersection.

As one might imagine, heading out of one’s home at midnight to move any street-parked car you own and, oh, I don’t know, levitate it somewhere for six hours while the street sweepers move through, just did not sit well with a number of residents on the block. Some of them did what any one of us would do. They called up their local elected representative to San Francisco City & County government — the erstwhile Supervisor Joel Engardio (who a whole bunch of us here in D4, including a few of the residents on La Playa, banded together to Recall, which is why he is now the erstwhile Supervisor).

The then-Supervisor Engardio (but not anymore) said he would get it taken care of and being such a man-of-no-people-whatsoever, he called up some City Hall folks and told them that some people down on La Playa were complaining about the new street sweeping schedule and that they should take care of it so he didn’t have to field any additional complaints. The City Hall folk did what departments in San Francisco do, they took care of it for the erstwhile Supervisor by taking the signs down and never sweeping the street again.

Since July 26, 2025, there has been no street cleaning on the block of La Playa Street between Lincoln Way and Irving. That is a one-year sentence of sand and filth accumulation, apparently the going penalty for having the audacity to express dissatisfaction with a stupid City Hall decision.

Think about it for a moment. City Hall’s response to my friends on La Playa? “Since you complained, we’re going to take the signs down and punish you by never sweeping your street again.” Purely punitive, just as purely corrupt.

La Loca Vida en La Playa Redux, John Crabtree, Though the Heavens Fall

Here is the Breaking News:

Yesterday, Supervisor Alan Wong was out with staff and interns knocking on doors on the 1200 block of La Playa. He and his staff were sharing a flyer detailing the soon-to-be-announced return to street sweeping on the 1200 block of La Playa (between Lincoln Way & Irving).

Kudos to Supervisor Wong for getting out on the block and letting local residents know that this is going to happen soon. When? — You ask, rightfully. When is always the most important question to ask about things like this. So, I called Supervisor Wong’s office and spoke with staff today. While they did not have a date certain of when the “Street Sweeping — No Parking” signs will go up, they feel confident that the time is very near for signs and for the street sweeper to show up on the 1200 block of La Playa.

I pressed for an answer on when it will actually happen. Supervisor Wong’s staff felt confident that the situation is week to week, meaning they expect it to happen any week now. I warned them that the one-year anniversary of SFMTA, DPW and the erstwhile Supervisor Joel Engardio putting the residents of the 1200 block of La Playa in “No-Street-Sweeping Jail” is coming up in just 9 days.

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

This is the point at which the wheels come off for me with this story. That amendment that I transcribed above, it is, of course, the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights and the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That is exactly what my friends on La Playa were doing, petitioning the Government for a redress of their grievances.

---

Think about it for a moment. City Hall’s response to my friends on La Playa? “Since you complained, we’re going to take the signs down and punish you by never sweeping your street again.” Purely punitive, just as purely corrupt.

La Loca Vida en La Playa Redux, John Crabtree, Though the Heavens Fall

La Loca Vida en La Playa

The best part of this story is that there were some local residents on La Playa that refused to be bowed by City Hall’s; SFMTA’s and DPW’s bullshit, purely punitive, purely corrupt “No Street Sweeping for You” decision. Residents on the block stood up and kept bringing up this injustice every chance they got. Two people on the block, in particular, helped me understand the issue from start to finish. We came up with strategies together to make a little more noise about it, and they let me help them keep bringing up the La Playa story everywhere we could.

The joke is on City Hall this time, because the persistence of these two has, finally, brought about a resolution to the injustice. Oh, I know, the cynics will scoff and the word injustice. But think about it for a minute, 100 yards or so from Ocean Beach, sand dunes forming on the street, garbage strewn about, it’s not cool, not even a little bit. And when you consider that this was obvious bureaucratic punishment, it offends, deeply.

I won’t mention the names of the people I worked closely with on La Playa, not today anyway, because this is still a very petty and petulant city and out of fear of reprisals, well, I’ll just leave that alone for right now. But they were heroic, they stood in the breach for their friends, neighbors (even some they didn’t like so much) and they let me stand beside them. I won’t forget them, especially when the street-sweeper roles down the block.

In the meantime, I will keep asking the question, “when?”

John Crabtree