bernal heights has it own debit card. as abc7's john alston reports it's believed to be the first of its kind in the country. ♪ >> reporter: the somer solstice stroll in bernal heights. celebration of summer and a chance for neighbors to spend a little money. >> hi, how are you? >> good. how are you? >> good. >> reporter: business owners and shoppers are trying something new. called berm bucks. prepaid debit card that customers can use at neighborhood stores taking part in the program. shoppers get 5% back on every purchase. the money they build up can then be used to buy things at any of the shops and restaurants in the bernal bucks program. >> we like our neighborhood and we're the kind of people who do a lot of shopping in the neighborhood. it seems like a good idea. >> the bernal business alliance which came up with the idea wants to lure shoppers away from the big chain stores. >> it reflects our neighborhood's muscle we have, economic muscle and tries to create incentive to keep the money in our neighborhood. >> the

there's the whole group of the friends of bernal gardens that we want to thank. finally, it is not just community partners. in his community organizations that we partner with to make things like this happen. -- it is committee par-- communy organizations that we partner with to make things like this happen. there's great sensibility about the landscapes of san francisco. there is san francisco parks trust. i would like to ask karen to close us out with a few words. >> thank you. i think we're all moved by ulian's words and passion for this place. we're proud to be here for the completion of the beautiful garden. the term is fiscal sponsor, but it is so much more. we do community interface all over the city with many partners. bureaucracy is not a bad word. we work well with government. thank you to the bureaucrats. to me, that meeting has no pejorative anything. the sense of entrepreneurship from dpw is very strong. you can see in the interactions with julian wyler, bernal gardens, and others in the committee who make this happen. dpw deserves credit. they built

congratulations on launching bernal bucks.as a model for other neighborhoods on how to create these kinds of incentives locally. >> thank you, supervisor, and think the board. we're really honored that our effort is recognized so early on and we are here on behalf of the bernal heights neighborhood. as you know, you never know what to expect. we launched a debit card for the neighborhood today and that was an act of self empowerment. we are flexing our economic muscle that we have in the neighborhood and we have an incentive program to keep the money within the neighborhood. >> i want to add quickly that that is very fortunate, people with strong accents like me can become locals in committees in san francisco and get themselves involved in the neighborhoods. we hope that this program will expand in other neighborhoods and communities for other cities and beyond and so we have to come back sometime but tonight is a launch party and this is all about bernal tonight. we extend an invitation to attend a party tonight at 9:00 p.m.

>> business owners and shoppers are trying something new called bernal bucks.bit card that customers can use at neighborhood stores that take part in the program. shoppers get 5% back on every purchase. the money they build cup be used to buy things at any of the shops and restaurants in the bernal bucks program. >> we like our neighborhood. we're the kind of people that do a lot of shopping in the neighborhood. it seems like a good idea. >> the bernal business alliance want to lure shoppers away from the big chain store. >> it reflects our economic muscle. try to create incentives to keep our money more in our neighborhood. >> the debit card issued by the mission s.f. credit union. >> organizers say the shoppers and store pay no fee. so far, 16 merchants signed up, including vega freeman who runs a restaurant on court land. >> we all think and assume and hope that we're mostly supported by the neighbors and people and residents of bernal. with the bernal bucks program we can hopefully do more. >> handful of people signed few debit card. organizers hope eventua

as you indicated, it includes bernal heights, and it also includes the portola. it is such a rich district. getting to know people of the district through the campaign, doing the job of a supervisor has been the most rewarding super rigid experience. -- the most rewarding experience. it is amazing how the people are. it has been a great experience. i do not know that i fully understood the richness of this district until i was actually talking to so many people on the campaign trail. now as a supervisor i see it every day. i see that. and there are challenges in these tough economic times. but i also see so much potential, so many amazing people, and we in city government have an opportunity to address so many problems and make so many things better. the campaign was a learning experience on so many levels. beyond that, i think you've learned something about yourself when you are putting yourself out there through the political process. i was very lucky that i had that opportunity because where i come from something as basic as free, democratic elections, that is

the properties are located within a single-family zoning district within the bernal heights special use district. the properties are configured in such a way that both buildings straddle property lines. this is an exceptional circumstance that does not apply to most properties in the city. it is not something we would want to further. it is against any municipal code requirement. we would want all buildings to be on their own properties. the first property, 260 mullen avenue, is 26 feet deep. based on records we have, the building was constructed in 1929. 264 is the triangular plot, roughly 906 square feet. the building there was constructed in approximately 1906, based on our records. both contain single-family dwellings. unfortunately, they do cross onto each other's lot, not a condition we want to maintain. the applicant submitted the request to change the law lines. it is not creation of a new lot. it is not a case of one lot that was developed with a building at the rear and then subdivided out. these are lots that have been subdivided for quite some time. unfortunately, it is a di

we also worked closely with the northwest bernal alliance. and we have an agreement that's in your packet with them that they support the project. and they are the ones who requested the cafe in front of the building, which we think makes it a better-looking project. we also visited businesses in the immediate area. as the signed pets in your packet say, these -- petitions in your packet say, these people were not able to appear today because they have to work in their shops, but they fully support these new entities in their neighborhood. plans have always been to provide physical therapy, chiropractic services and other holistic services on site. but as i mentioned, the northwest business alliance wanted a more inviting storefront. so now we have the high-end cafe with sidewalk tables, plants, awning, etc. we were happy to comply with this as it makes the streetfront much more attractive. but it cuts down on the amount of space inside of the facility for services. if necessary, the doctor is ready to provide other space as services needed w

as far as the bernal heights square footage, that is unusual, as was pointed out. that is something we should look for in some other neighborhoods, because, presumably, a house with more square footage involves more people and often times more people means more cars. this is good. i really like this project. president olague: commissioner sugaya? commissioner sugaya: does anybody but me have a concern about a unit down? >> i am, a commissioner -- i am sorry, commissioner sugaya . what was the concern? commissioner sugaya: there are opportunities to put something, expand into the garage if needed. it would just be more comfortable. is that a special restriction? >> for new construction with no direct access from the ground floor, the current configuration is code-compliant. commissioner sugaya: i understand that. i would still like an nsr. commissioner moore: i support that. i will make a motion. i support that. commissioner miguel: yes. president olague: maybe staff can explain to the person who raised some concerns, so they have a better understanding about the si

brno heights -- bernal heights. [applause] and, of course, the mission. [applause] i want to begin by thanking each and every one of you for being here tonight, for taking time out of your busy schedules and making time to come to this town hall meeting. [speaking spanish] by the way, i see dean. i do not know if you want to come up here -- i see the dean of the city college. i do not know if you want to come up here. please come on up. [applause] we are going to first go to the big production, so you will hear from each of the individuals we have here. they are going to say their names, who they are, what they do for the city. i also see a supervisor -- i also see supervisor kim. thank you for being here. she represents the neighboring district. this shows how much she cares about the city, so thank you for being here. this meeting would not be possible without the help of so many people that have worked in the last few weeks to make it happen. i want to begin by thanking mayor lee, first and foremost. [applause] one of the first conversations we had was

this morning at the corner of bernal heights. there's retaining walls, walking pacts and a sit -- paths and a sitting area. >>> advocates are trying to keep parks in their communities from closing and they are gathered on the steps of the state capitol rallying. they represent 52 out of 70 parks across california that have been tagged for closure due to budget cuts. they hope to meet with lawmakers to discuss ways to keep the parks open. the theme of the rally is "don't let state parks become a memory." >>> new numbers are just out on home sales. >>> to the left. there you go. that a boy! >> it's an exciting day at the ballpark as kids learn about baseball from world champions. >>> the numbers are higher today on wall street as worries easing about any immediate default on the debt by greece. that's expanding the recent bounceback. the dow is up 12,000. nasdaq, up 2%. s&p is up 17. >>> and a new report out today finds home sales are down to their lowest level of the year. according to the national association of realtors, home sa

jordan kirkland, veronica brady , and the friends of bernal gardens who brought this burden to fruition. the department of public works is out there to hold hands and work with everyone. it is through their leadership that we are able to improve our neighborhoods. i would especially like to thank the staff of dpw who go out to all of these meetings and start these projects. i want to thank all of the bureau's at dpw who assisted in bringing supplies, and doing some work, or making sure that the project was built as planned. thank you very much. [applause] >> there are a lot of other people to think. you have been hearing a lot about this gentleman, julian, who is responsible for a lot of this. i used to live not far from here. i used to walk my dog upon the hill there. it is so great to see the transformation of this space. it is something i want to see in my neighborhood as well. it does not happen without the leadership of the grass-roots level. we're there to support it, but the leadership is not there from the community, it does not happen. it is my great pleasure to bring forth a g

i am a citizen of bernal heights. we went through a similar experience 12 years ago when dpw was relinquishing the street trees in a wide swath in our neighborhood. as soon as people got the notices in the mail, there was a line of four tree removal permits. the trees were planted in the 1970's and suddenly in the 1990's, it was relinquished. eventually after a lot of contention, most of the trees were unrelinquished. at the time, the city agreed to hand over a couple of corridors. virginia avenue, a bunch of trees on other streets. they said they would keep on maintaining. but the first reaction was, for a number of homeowners, to ask for removal permits. subsequently, some of the people that had to maintain their own trees had topped them, as seen in earlier illustrations. i do not remember what the numbers are, but we have effectively lost trees that were going just fine in the neighborhoods. i think that was an unsuccessful experiment. the fact that we managed to resurrect some of the trees and keep dpw maintainin

i am a citizen of bernal heights. we went through a similar experience 12 years ago when dpw was relinquishing the street trees in a wide swath in our neighborhood. as soon as people got the notices in the mail, there was a line of four tree removal permits. the trees were planted in the 1970's and suddenly in the 1990's, it was relinquished. eventually

called bernal bucks. prepaid debit cards that they use to shop in the neighborhood program.urchase and money can be used to buy things in the shop or restaurant in the program. shoppers and store pay no fee on the debit card issued by the s.f. credit union. >> we like our neighborhood and we are the people who do shopping in the neighborhood. it's seems like a good idea. >> it reflects our neighborhood muscle we have. economic muscle. try to create insensitives to keep our money more in our neighborhood. >> there are 400 businesses in bernal heights. so far, 16 merhihe her chant -- merchants sign up. >>> 6:49. hottest day of the year so far on the longest day of the year. things are changing. >> two seconds makes all the difference in the world. >> doesn't it? >> the shorter day today. good morning, a look at the real reason why the marine layer is back and so are the cooling clouds and the cool sea breeze that pushed them from the ocean in to our neighborhood. looking westbound from emeryville this morning. the temperatures in the low to mid-50s. fairfield, fremont, antioch

vincent perez grew up in bernal vites. bernal heights. anthony valerio grew in the area and he loved to surf and bake san francisco sourdough bread. >> what i would attribute to the firefighters, their families will know how much we appreciate their sacrifice. >> reporter: now, all week people have been bringing flowers and cards -- cards to station 26. firefighters have nobody in from all over the country to support their -- thrown in from all -- thrown -- have flown in from all over the country. they died in what is called a flash fire. you can expect this service will be twice as long and then you will be hearing bagpipes. there will be a lot of traffic as we mentioned, in and around this area. some street closures, we want to make sure you are aware of those. let's check in for sal. sal? >> tara, unflint -- i have -- unfortunately, i have witnessed these events. coming here, just is not practical in your car. geary will be closed the entire way. that's because they need to park all of the fire trucks and police cars that will be atten

it will not only addressed the specific issue in vernal heights, but it provides a process -- in bernal heights, but it provides a process for other neighborhoods. i think you for your support. ," thank staff -- i think staffer working on this, and all the members of the public, for all the valuable suggestions. thank you. supervisor mar: emery rogers from planning? >> good afternoon, supervisors. i would like to introduce my colleague who has worked on this legislation. >> good afternoon, supervisors. the planning commission heard the legislation on june 2, 2010 and voted unanimously to approve the legislation with modifications. supervisor campos touched on some of the modifications that have been made. when they were not associated with an historic resources -- the also modify proposed legislation to offer three- dimensional signs in new locations with authorization, as specified in the ordinance. the section of the planning code does not by itself protect a sign from been obscured or removed by future development projects, particularly when those projects advance planning department

i am a citizen of bernal heights. supervisor campos summarized the neighborhood sentiment very well. this has been a focus of community interest for months now, and we would like to see it resolved. i think other than the name of -- the name change, we think the proposed modifications are very appropriate. it is like -- this is like some sort of historic mural. it has been living in our neighborhood for many years. the arts commission would spend all their time trying to save it, but we are in a position where you are going to do it. thank you. president olague: thank you. is there any additional public comment? seeing none, public comment is closed. commissioner borden: this was also in "the chronicle." for members of the public who did not see the article, there was a sign that was deemed to be advertising, so it was taken down because it had the name and logo of a product. but the sun has historic -- but the sign has historic significance with the length of tenure on that building in this community. it was not in t

i am a citizen of bernal heights. supervisor campos summarized the neighborhood sentiment very well. this has been a focus of community interest for months now, and we would like to see it resolved. i think other than the name of -- the name change, we think the proposed modifications are very appropriate. it is like -- this is like some sort of historic mural. it has been living in our neighborhood for many years. the arts commission would spend all their time trying to save it, but we are in a position where you are going to do it. thank you. president olague: thank

. >> i would like to note for the record that i am a resident of bernal heights and i have been at the palin's store. in no way will that enacted -- impact my ability to view this impartially. >> i am the manager at 249 courtland. i appeal the suspension of tobacco issue. the for granted my appeal as you know and i was still punished with a 20 - da-day suspension. the stipulation is that when the board -- the board shows a summary in writing. the board did not provide me with a summary required by the charter is, nor was the summer provided in the minutes of the may 18, 2011 appeal. this was adopted by the board. i contacted the board of appeals staff and was informed i would not receive the summary of the decision until after the time had elapsed for the filing of an appeal. this is a manifest of injustice. i submit this practice not only violates the charter but will require me to file for a rehearing and pay one had a $50 to protect my time under the board rules. although the board granted my appeal not to uphold the findings of the department of public health in this matter, i must

neighbors launched bernal bucks in the bernal heights area. a credit union. it gives customers 5% back and it can be spent at participating shops in the area. cool stuff. >>> all right. uc-berkeley baseball team alive and well in the college world series. >> the bears beat texas a & m yesterday in a soggy 7-3 victory, the team's first win on college baseball's grand stage in more than 30 years. tomorrow they play virginia the top seed which beat the bears in the openers. but if they win that one they move on. quite the dream season for a team that nearly got cut. lost everything. you will have to bust out the gold tie again, frank. >>> it is 5:26. no pants, no problems. the skimpy outfit allowed on a u.s. airways plane just days before a man was kicked off just for wearing saggy pants. >> and parking got more expensive in the south bay. we'll tell you about the new rate hikes coming up. >>> confusion not only about what kind of pipes pg&e has in the ground for its natural gas lines but also who might have installed these pipes. the latest on t

i am part of the bernal heights program. i am here to tell you about the after-school program and what it does for the youth. we go to school. what do we have to do after? we can go walk around. we have after-school programs with things we enjoy. they have activities. we are building our knowledge outside of school. it also ties in with violence. that is something we do not want to have a lot of in the city. this is our community. after-school programs kind of cuts it down. think about it, if we do not have after-school programs, where are we going to go? we need things that make us happy. we go to school. we work hard. we want fun things to do after. how about if we need help after? it is a place we feel safe at. why would we get rid of something that helps and builds our community? thank you. [applause] >> that is an excellent question. one of the agencies that deals with a lot of the after-school programs is the department of children, youth, and families. there are many programs represented here. any thoughts on that poi

i am a youth worker for the burn all -- burn all heights -- bernal heights neighborhood. all of our participants get a large scope of community work when it comes to our organization. what i'm here to talk about tonight, though, is i think that our youth did a great job advocating for themselves and services, but i would like to advocate youth for advocate workers. it is difficult for us to sustain services for our youth. we constantly have to figure had a rework our programs and time schedules and staff, and it makes a very unstable environment for our young people. consistency is key. having our youth know that they can come to us, what time they can come to us, what time we will be available to provide services is very important. with the cuts, it is difficult for us to provide those services. it also takes away from the support the us as community workers get, which is difficult because we are getting the brunt of what the community is experiencing. that being the case, we also need support. we need people that we can go and talk to and we can go to for advice and for

what about my home in bernal heights 20 years ago, the street in front of it was not new. supervisor avalos, you mentioned that your tree was 2 for maintaining needed to find time to do it. the tree in my home is 75 feet tall. the lowest lives are 45 feet off the ground. there is no way that any of the home owners can personally maintain those trees. it requires a cherry picker, posting to make sure that cars are not part under the large lens that fall. my suspicion is, had renewed at the time that the trees were planted, that they would be the responsibility of home owners to maintain them, a different species that would not grow so large would have probably been selected to make it possible for homeowners to protect it -- maintain them. the only way that i will be able to maintain the tree in front of my house is through my checkbook. that will probably be many hundreds of dollars a year, and that would not be equitable, to use a word used by the dpw gentlemen. trees that are healthy are for approximately a quarter of the size on my street, looking at the pictures in the