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Things From Pre-Pandemic San Francisco Life We Took for Granted
By: Matt Charnock
Tags: Bay Area, Pandemic, San Francisco, Cities, Nostalgia

1. Nights out at a dive

Remember finding yourself overserved while sitting underneath the dim lighting of a Polk Street or Mission District dive bar, the white noise of patrons chatting and clinking glasses? Or maybe you were one more keen on frequenting the likes of Oasis or Aunt Charlie’s for drag nights, go-go boys, and tea spilling out on the dance floor.

Either way: We miss the seediness of these places, the way people had to touch to even move through the space, and the way you never know where the night would take you.

2. Passing blunts at Mission Dolores with quasi-strangers

Amid the pandemic’s everyday tarnishings, one silver lining of the pandemic — a turn of phrase I admittedly still cringe at writing but have since surrendered to its mediocrity — is that it’s shown us all how vital our city parks and green spaces are to us. Granted: It’s not the time nor place these days to convivially sprawl out on Dolors Park’s green grass, an arm’s-length away from new half-naked compatriots and, if the vibe is right, pass a smoldering blunt. Or split an edible. Or realize you’ve both already boarded a metaphorical spaceship, fueled by THC, and simply just want another warm body next to you to ride out that high.

Now, we sit in socially distanced circles.

3. The cool-calm aura of San Francisco Public Library branches

We love our San Francisco public libraries, full stop. And there are plenty of ways to still digitally appreciate them amid their doors that are still temporarily closed. But finding yourself at a table in a whisper-quiet room — off Civic Center, no less — bathed in free Wi-Fi and surrounded by books you pulled off shoulder-height shelves on a whim, is a serotonin rush hard to replicate on a laptop screen.

4. Celebrating in-person at festivals

IRL leather and kink displays. Meeting up with a charming out-of-town boy or well-built bear or vociferous pup; discovering that you, indeed, are into both wax play and nipple twisting; stumbling to and from Pride parades smiling in rainbow regalia.

All these things, we should’ve savored more while we could.

5. Staking out a table at a coffee shop

While we’ve been able to enjoy coffee to-go, we miss the aesthetic and vibe that comes with the interior walls of a local coffee shop. There, we would plug in our computers and knock out a story or project on deadline, reenergized by a change of scenery from our tiny apartments. There, we would meet up with a friend and catch up about life. There, we would pull out a book, put in our AirPods, and tune out the world while still being surrounded by energy and people.
Flour power: Skillet Bakery’s English muffins are dense, intense and 100% local
By: The Six Fifty Staff
Tags: Bay Area, English, Restaurant Business, Bakery, Small Business

Shanahan studied marine engineering at the California State University Maritime Academy in Vallejo and went on to a career in the shipping industry, selling HVAC systems and engines. He later went to Santa Clara University for a master’s degree in business administration and dreamed of starting his own business, before the births of his children and the coronavirus threw a wrench in that.

During the pandemic, he started cooking for a low-income community in Redwood City, and explored baking more. English muffins in particular engaged him as he repeatedly tweaked his recipe to yield soft, buttery creations with the “nooks and crannies that are quintessential to an English muffin,” he said. Key to this was finding the right blend of artisan flours from Central Milling in Petaluma, including high-protein flours and one that’s malted.

Shanahan said his English muffins have an intense sourdough flavor and are more dense than commercially produced versions at the grocery store. He lets the dough ferment over 24 to 48 hours, proofs it and then bakes the muffins on a skillet or griddle on the stovetop with avocado oil and butter.
UCSF Professor Calls for Covid-19 Vaccine Mandates
By: Matt Charnock
Tags: Bay Area, San Francisco, Pandemic, Covid 19, Vaccines

It’s all too easy to become overwhelmed amid the current deluge of Covid-19 variant and vaccination reports. (Perhaps, like me, you’ve found yourself with two dozen or so Chrome tabs open — the fan inside your Macbook Air whirling on Power Ranger Mode — in hopes of making sense of it all.) We know vaccines work; we know Covid-19 cases are on the rise; we know virus variants like the Delta and Lambda ones are causing spikes in hospitalizations and infection positivity rates.

Exactly what does this all mean in the grand scheme of things? According to Dr. Robert “Bob” Wachter, who’s chairman of the UCSF Department of Medicine and author of The Digital Doctor, what we’re seeing is a pandemic amongst the unvaccinated. And here in San Francisco — a city with one of the nation’s highest vaccination rates — the current local surge is particularly worrisome for other parts of the country that are flailing in vaccinating their communities.

It’s also proof that “local herd immunity” requires a far higher vaccination rate than previously thought.

“Let’s start w/ context: in SF, 69% of all people (76% >age 12) are fully vaccinated. (Vs CA, 52% of [the] population; U.S. 50%),” reads one tweet in a series of twenty. “So the surge in SF is especially sobering since it indicates that we’ll need an immunity rate far higher than 70–75% to achieve ‘local’ herd immunity.”

Yes: It’s all “scary stuff.”

“Even in a city with very high vaccination levels, serious cases have skyrocketed, mostly in unvaccinated people,” Wachter continues. “Now think about what will happen in a region in which 60–70% of the population is unvaccinated, not SF’s 25–30%. Really scary stuff.”

Wachter also notes that the risk of getting Covid-19 is, more or less, directly related to your vaccination status, the steps you’re taking to mitigate your exposure risk — i.e. masking up indoors and practicing social distancing measures — and whether or not you’ve been previously exposed to the virus. Thankfully, there is currently “no evidence” that the current roster of available vaccines in the United States has lost their efficacy in preventing severe illness amid the growing number of variants.

“Vaccines are still >90% effective in preventing severe illness: only 1 [of these] 77 breakthrough infections required a (brief) hospitalization,” Wachter tweeted, adding that even with the current surge, “[UCSF] is not overwhelmed, thanks to vaccines.”

Vaccines are working. But what isn’t are our loose persuasion tactics and gauzy PSAs. It’s time we mandate vaccination against Covid-19; that’s the only sure-fire way we can achieve the vaccination rate needed to defeat the pandemic.

Wachter said (rather, tweeted) it best: “Yes, the politics are hard, but dying is worse, as is re-tanking the economy.”

*You can view Wachter’s Twitter thread in its entirety, here.
The story of Taqueria La Bamba: How Silicon Valley evicted (then regained) its best burrito
By: Alan Chazaro
Tags: Tacos, Bay Area, Latinos, Silicon Valley, Foodies

He admits, however, that the tech bubble hasn’t been all bad for his business. Leo smartly pivoted away from the brick-and-mortar model into a mobile version that offers catering services at the right moment. Nowadays, most of his profits come from serving food to companies that pay him and his crew to feed their employees — something he is happy to do, since they are the ones who have indirectly put him on wheels.

“Even though the whole history of La Bamba has been a non-stop cycle of gentrification and being priced out until we became a food truck, I actually think we’ve learned how to adapt and just operate differently in modern times,” Leo said. “We have less space to work with, but we can roll up to any workplace and just feed people on the spot. It’s not like it used to be when the lines went around the corner, but we’re making it work.”

“We have less space to work with, but we can roll up to any workplace and just feed people on the spot. It’s not like it used to be when the lines went around the corner, but we’re making it work.”—Paper Platez owner Leo Munoz. (Photo by Adam Pardee)

Still, it hurts to know that the hard efforts of Leo’s parents, siblings and Leo himself are inevitably dictated by the whims of outside factors, including incoming companies and their wide-eyed employees. But the Munozes are far from being the only ones who have felt this region’s devastation. Plenty of spots have had to shut down or relocate. I’m not saying things should never change — I’m saying that when they do inevitably change, we need to do a better job (especially in an area with such exorbitant wealth and resources) to support those who have laid the groundwork.

Indeed, there is tremendous work to be done in order for the local economy and food industry to recuperate. This city must play a part in protecting iconic institutions like La Bamba instead of allowing them to get bullied out of their locations. Instead, it has largely been left up to the independent business owners to take matters into their own hands, many of whom have launched their own GoFundMe pages to survive the aggressive spike in regional costs.

As facetious as it may sound, reversing this all could start with one burrito, and by actively supporting places like Paper Platez, which — although it may seem new and shiny on the outside — has essentially been around longer than most millennials have been alive.

The story of La Bamba reminds us that we should strive to cherish whatever remaining fabrics are left for those who’ve helped to keep the local flavors and culture of Mountain View — and so many communities like it — alive. So, the next time you’re hungry, pull up to Paper Platez — currently located in front of O’ Malley’s Pub on 2135 Old Middlefield Way — and tell Leo you came to get a taste of the real Mountain View.
Showdown at the Cow Palace: When Evel Knievel (& his fans) fought the Hells Angels in Daly City
By: Charles Russo
Tags: Bay Area, Sports, Motorcycle, Evel Knievel, Fighting

“Holy shit, he’s gonna come down that?”

Gary Brickley had barely made it to his seat inside the Cow Palace when he sized up the ridiculousness of the plywood ramp that Evel Knievel would be descending later that night. Brickley—a 17-year-old SF native—had arrived on the evening of January 23, 1970, with a handheld 8mm camera to capture the great American daredevil’s attempt at setting the world indoor motorcycle jump record by vaulting over 11 cars in a confined space.

Evel was known for all sorts of semi-sane stunts, but even still…the ramp looked like something that had been hastily constructed by Wile E. Coyote during his pursuits of the Roadrunner. It began as a runway way up in the seats among the crowd and shot down to the arena floor for speed before ascending up again for the skyward launch. The mere sight of it quickly conveyed the carnie DNA at the heart of the spectacle for Brickley and the other 10,000 in attendance.

The jump itself was doable by Evel’s standards, but perilous in an indoor setting: soar over an oddball collection of vehicles — a van, some pickup trucks and a VW bug packed into a tidy row, side by side — before rapidly maneuvering his rocketing piece of machinery into one of the exit tunnels to the concourse.

Yet, whether or not Evel successfully landed the jump at the Cow Palace that night depends on who you ask. Either he nailed it in fabulous form… or, he wiped out in such dreadful fashion that many in attendance thought he died.

Evel Knievel vaults a row of 11 cars at the Cow Palace on January 23, 1970. (Image courtesy of the Cow Palace)

Regardless of which version you’re inclined to believe, that’s STILL not the crazy part.

Many eyewitness reports later claimed that something had been hurled at him: a beer bottle, a wrench… or, more likely, just some expletive-laced insult. The projectile itself was less important than the person who threw it: a surly member of the Hells Angels who was watching alongside a sizable contingent of his cohorts from the infamous California motorcycle gang. Evel considered the Hells Angels a stain on the reputation of motorcyclists everywhere and what quickly erupted was possibly one of the wildest brawls in Bay Area history.

“It was brutal,” explains Brickley. “I had never seen a fight like that in my life.”

The timing was notable as well—just a month earlier, Angels-initiated mayhem at the Rolling Stones’ free concert at Altamont had left a number of fans beaten and one dead. Now, here the Angels were again — with another big Bay Area crowd, engaged in more violence. Yet nearly all firsthand accounts suggest that the Cow Palace affair ended far differently.

So was the incident an obscure and unusual postscript to Altamont, or just an over exaggerated bit of urban mythology? Well, when wading through the​ ​51 years of ​high-flying hyperbole surrounding that night, it all depends on who you ask.
This Skywalk Goes 100 Feet Above Redwoods
By: Matt Charnock
Tags: Bay Area, Redwoods, San Francisco, Climate Crisis, Skyway

Northern California is virtually synonymous with redwood forest groves; they’re the same swaths of trees under dire threat from the climate crisis (though, nevertheless, are resilient). Now, there’s a new skywalk — think elevated hiking passage — at Sequoia Park Zoo that takes people on a short trek through the canopies of these famed trees… some 100 feet above the forest floor.

Opened earlier this summer, the Redwood Sky Walk has delighted guests with aerial perches of the namesake trees, previously unavailable to them. Take for example part of the trail called the Ascent Ramp. One of its legs is nearly identical to the height of the tallest known living coastal redwoods at 383 feet. (The experiment through the said passageway is dubbed a virtual “redwood climb.”)

Also, because there are no stairs on the Redwood Sky Walk, this soon-to-be iconic passage is mostly ADA accessible, sans parts of the Adventure Bridges, which is a 369-foot segment off Spruce Supr.

Speaking of the Adventure Bridges, the 36-inch wide walkways have square open mesh decking and, though it is safe, walkers will feel more exposed to the natural surroundings and more aware of their height; the passageway will even sway under light winds.

Photo: Courtesy of Redwood Sky Walk

Both the Ascent Ramp and Launch Deck — the ADA-accessible start point of the skywalk — are wood structures, with concrete foundations, the walkways themselves laid with non-slip surfaces; handrails are found on the structure and metal panels are slotted between posts to ensure safety. Because of the Redwood Sky Walk’s structural integrity, no helmets or harnesses are needed to traverse the short hike.

That said: You may need to take a few deep breaths while some eight stories above the ground. But with the viewsheds in front of those who choose to brave this aerial passage, taking those long inhales is totally worth it.

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For more information on the Sequoia Redwood Sky Walk, which is accessible only through the Sequoia Park Zoo, visit redwoodskywalk.com.
What we’re eating now: Wood-fired pizza and Singaporean satay in Pacifica
By: Elena Kadvany
Tags: Bay Area, San Francisco, California, Silicon Valley, Foodies

The margherita pie from Pacifica Pizza Project. (Photo by Elena Kadvany)

Pacifica Pizza Project

Ryan Wilson and Natalie Wong’s pandemic passion project making fresh pizza at home has morphed into a weekend pop-up dubbed the Pacifica Pizza Project. The couple, who met in culinary school, sell about 20 pizzas a night on the weekends, all made on a wood-fired oven attached to their backyard smoker. They’ve obsessively tweaked their dough recipe to yield their ideal texture and flavor, using three kinds of flour — 00, bread and AP — and letting it proof for three days in the refrigerator.

The menu is simple with just cheese, margherita, pepperoni, funghi-leek and a rotating special inspired by family trips to the farmers market. But there’s a lot of care in these pizzas: The couple makes their own chili oil, lamb merguez sausage and herb-cured pork belly (and on a recent weekend, smoked brisket), plus a zippy, herbaceous ranch you will end up scooping out of the container with your crust, guaranteed. The ranch is made with sour cream, buttermilk, fennel pollen, pickled ramps, herbs and Meyer lemon from their home garden and a dash of yuzu juice. (The fennel pollen is inspired by Wilson’s childhood spent among the wild fennel growing on the hillsides of Marin.)

The couple moved from San Francisco to Pacifica, Wong’s hometown, about a year and a half ago. They come from the restaurant world, Wilson as a chef and Wong as a general manager. After having their son, they eventually left for the more forgiving schedule of corporate kitchens.

“It was time to spend time with family and not be in the restaurant business, but oddly enough here we are serving people on the weekends, which is what we were trying to get away from,” Wilson said. “But it’s fun and we’re really enjoying it.”

Pacifica Pizza Project is open Friday-Sunday evenings and takes orders on Instagram. You can ask for par-baked pizza and finish them off at home if you don’t live close by (or just take that hot pie straight to the beach).

instagram.com/pacificapizzaproject
Growing where planted: How Pacifica’s only urban farmer turned a vacant lot into a lotta lettuce
By: Sarah Klearman
Tags: Bay Area, Gardening, San Francisco, Urban Farming, Agriculture

The vacant lot measured less than a tenth of an acre, and weedy looking wildflowers had staked their claim over every square inch of it. It was longer than it was wide, tucked like a crooked afterthought between houses on Santa Maria Avenue in the Sharp Park neighborhood of Pacifica, and — as Lenny Richards would find out after laboriously weeding a portion of it — the dirt below it was not quite dirt at all, but sand.

All that mattered to Richards, 30, was that it was his to garden in.

“People deserve to be able to eat produce that’s grown near where they live, in the soil that they live on”—Lenny Richards of Lenny’s Lettuce poses for a photo with his spinach plants at one of his gardens in Pacifica. (Photo by Adam Pardee)

At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Richards was working as an electrician, but his backyard garden had always been his happy place. Some of his earliest memories are of his mother weeding in her garden in the backyard of his childhood home in Pacifica; as an adult, when work turned stressful, Richards would find himself desperately wishing he was back in his garden.

COVID-19 shut down California in mid-March of 2020, and Richards was subsequently sent home from work, unsure when or if he’d be asked back. From all angles, that spring was something of a perfect storm: the pandemic had created a kind of panicky demand for food, and Richards, essentially furloughed, had the time on his hands to grow it.

“Right away, I started talking to my wife about the possibility of starting an urban farm, and getting a piece of property to lease near home that I could grow more food on,” Richards said, recalling the early weeks of the lockdown.

He quickly realized that if he could grow crops at the right scale, there was a real chance he’d be able to turn a passion of his into a full-time job. (“I don’t ever think I’d call it that — a job,” Richards said.) As he finalized the lease on the Santa Maria plot, Richards was determined: Pacifica’s only urban farm— his urban farm—would take root.

One year later, his idea has fully blossomed.
VIDEO: What the Green New Deal means for public health, during the COVID-19 crisis & beyond
By: Sunrise Bay Area
Tags: Bay Area, Green New Deal, Earth Day 2020, Covid 19, Public Health

For the past few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the United States. It has exposed the failures of our patchwork healthcare system and illustrated, with tragic consequences particularly in our own Bay Area communities of color, just how vulnerable so many people are when the government fails to quickly address a crisis.

Hospitals have run out of the personal protective equipment needed to keep healthcare workers and patients safe. Millions of people have been laid off and have lost their employer-provided health insurance. Meanwhile, frontline workers across the country are striking for basic provisions like protective gear, hazard pay, and paid sick leave.

On Earth Day, April 22, Sunrise Bay Area spoke with health professionals and experts on the state of public health in the U.S. and the Bay Area, and how the Green New Deal can move us towards a more equitable and resilient public health system.

This livestream took place as part of Earth Day Live 2020, a series of digital actions marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

Featuring:

Sunrise Bay Area is a local hub of Sunrise Movement — a grassroots movement of young people dedicated to stopping climate change and creating millions of good jobs. Head to sunrisebayarea.org to get involved.
When Will the Smoke Clear From Bay Area Skies?
By: Matt Charnock
Tags: Bay Area, San Francisco, California, Wildfires, Environment

Bay Area cities are contending with some of the worst air quality in the world. We’ve been grappling with these dangerously toxic atmospheres for weeks now. Ironically enough: Last Wednesday’s Martian landscape was one of the few “moderate level” air quality days; Thursday through Sunday, however, saw record-breaking AQI recordings.

Therefore, the question on everyone’s mind: When will Bay Area skies finally turn blue again and boast healthy air conditions? Well, the answer’s somewhat muddied, but clear, deep-azure overhead conditions are on the horizon — eventually.

The National Weather Service (NWS) has tweeted a series of animated models over the past few days that suggest seaward gusts will inevitably sweep away our hazy skies by the middle of this week or possibly a little later than that.

NWS meteorologist David King told SFGate on Sunday that the weather system is slated to blow its way to California’s coastline this week. The system is expected to carry with it increased winds, helping further clear us of the smoke.

And as an added atmospheric party gift: The wind system is also bringing with it a slight chance of showers Thursday and Friday. But don’t expect to see your San Francisco windows run with rain. Those predicted showers are for primarily Sonoma and Marin counties.

TL;DR: Expect to take in deep breaths of moderately clean air sometime later this week, probably around Thursday or so. Until then, keep checking PurpleAir and AirNow.gov, ramping up your air purifiers, and donning a smoke-and-pandemic-approved face mask.

And as a collective, let’s stop throwing gender reveal parties — especially pyrotechnic ones — because, frankly, they’re just “harmful in so many ways.”
Raise a pint with the 650's guide to St. Patrick’s Day on the Peninsula
By: The Six Fifty Staff
Tags: Bay Area, San Francisco, San Jose, Silicon Valley, Small Business

Pint of the good stuff. (Image via Yelp)

Have a pint (or two)

The Peninsula has more than its fair share of Irish pubs, breweries and other lively locations hosting St. Paddy’s revelry this week. The options are varied and colorful (by which we mean—green), so have a pint, support your local bartender and raise a glass to ole St. Patrick.

Faultline Brewing in Sunnyvale goes big with their St. Patrick’s Day Countdown celebrations, which span most of March. Check the full calendar but make sure to drop in this weekend for Bushmills Single Malt Flights (10, 16 & 21 year….not bad!). From there, check out Murphy’s Law, which always serves up corned beef & cabbage on the 17th alongside live music and — of course — drinks. And then make your way to Fibbar MaGee’s (most Irish bar name ever) which is just across the street.

Speaking of bar hopping, check out the Downtown Los Altos St. Paddy’s Beer Stroll this Friday. Make the rounds, have a drink, then have another round. Want to keep it outdoors? The Park James Hotel in Menlo Park is having a St. Paddy’s shindig in their swanky courtyard, while serving up green beer, shepherd’s pie and 14 Year small-batch Redbreast Whiskey (yeah, we’re fans).

Or rather, make your way up to Burlingame where complimentary corned beef and cabbage has been a St. Paddy’s Day tradition at Behan’s Irish Pub since 1986. (“People have been coming here for the last 25 years for St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t see many of them all year, but they always show up for this one,” says owner Gerard Mitchell.) You can then migrate to Fiddler’s Green and Paddy Flynn’s — all within three miles of each other.

Taplands hosts “Swap those Shamrocks for some Succulents!” Have a beer! Make a planter! (Image via Eventbrite)

St. Stephen’s Green in Mountain View is hosting St. Patrick’s week, with all sorts of fun activities (Wednesday is Irish karaoke night) and boozy specials (Thursday is Irish Whiskey Night). Pick your night(s) and keep it rolling until the 17th.

Meanwhile, the always-outside-the-box folks at Taplands in Santa Clara are putting on “Swap those Shamrocks for some Succulents!” which includes craft beer and a little DIY planter party.

Finally, if you’re inclined to celebrate St. Patricks via….Germany? Well, Gourmet Haus in Redwood City is serving up corned beef and cabbage on the 17th alongside a showcase of brews from their pals at Weinstephan, particularly their specialty Vitus (a strong fruity wheat bock), as well as other classics such as Pilsner and Dunkel.
For the love of Philly: Meet the Pacifica baker striving for the perfect hoagie roll
By: Elena Kadvany
Tags: Bay Area, Philadelphia, Bakery, California, Foodies

‘The bread, the bread, the bread’

When that fateful Instagram message came in from Cantwell, Kosoy’s Philly roots kicked in. It took him just two weeks to develop a hoagie roll they were all happy with.

Kosoy ferments the dough cold in the refrigerator for about 48 hours — the long, slow fermentation produces more acid and lactic acid in the dough, imparting a distinct flavor, he said. He turned his nose up at “tiny,” foot-long hoagie rolls and made his two feet long. “Each one is as big as your arm,” he said.

The rolls are topped with a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds, a nutty, textural must for the Palm City team.

A West Coast Palm City Wine hoagie on a Rosalind Bakery roll….in high demand across various species. (Image via Yelp)

Cantwell runs Palm City with his wife Monica Wong and chef Melissa McGrath, who also hails from Philly. They had planned to open a neighborhood wine bar and bottle shop, but pivoted to hoagies after the pandemic hit. They nixed the idea of sourcing frozen rolls from Philadelphia and came up short talking with local bakers who would need coaching on the essence of a great roll. They knew the quality of the bread would be essential to the success of the sandwiches.

“As a kid I remember debates with my uncles about hoagies. The thing that always comes up is the bread, the bread, the bread,” Cantwell said. “I certainly think they (Rosalind) deserve a lot more credit for Palm City as far as the quality of the hoagies. It’s the fresh bread baked every day. It’s the texture. That little crunch on the outside and the integrity of the sandwiches.”

The absorbency of the rolls allow for a saucy but structurally sound sandwich that doesn’t get soggy or fall apart. They travel well for takeout, which has been crucial during the last year. The Italian-American (Kosoy’s favorite), with mortadella, finocchiona, mozzarella, parmesan, shaved onion and arugula, oozes nduja aioli. On weekends, they sell as many as 150 hoagies on the rolls, delivered fresh from Rosalind.

Kosoy thinks his hoagie rolls could go head-to-head with any in Philadelphia. But they’re still unapologetically California-made.

“It does have East Coast roots because that’s where I’m from but … I’m physically present here in the Bay Area, and this is where that roll was born,” he said.
The Bay Area Teach-In for Justice
By: Jennifer Prince
Tags: Bay Area, Education, Social Justice, Advocacy

This year’s Bay Area Teach-In For Justice involved over 180 students from about six Bay Area Catholic High schools. The event consisted of impressive keynote speakers and student-led workshops. MAP presented three of these workshops: The Power of Youth Advocacy; California’s Water Crisis: Contaminating Lives; and Gun Violence: The Most American Problem. Students were able to attend workshops, build valuable connections, and participate in social advocacy discourse.

Connor and Kristie leading a workshop on Gun Violence in America.

Over the past three years I’ve spent at MAP, I’ve had the opportunity to meet many new people and broaden my horizons by attending innumerable workshops. The specialty of an event like the Bay Area Teach-In is that it is entirely run by high schools, from the workshops to the keynote speakers. I appreciated the chance to learn from my peers about what we can implement at MAP — for example, we were inspired to start working on forming MAPout, a branch of our club that will specifically deal with outreach, which could also allow us to host events like the Teach-In in the future. While there are similar events that MAP also attends, such as the Ignatian Family Teach-In For Justice at Washington D.C. every November, most events are run by adults and organizations; the youth voice isn’t always as present. Experiences like the O’ Dowd Teach-In are special because they highlight the work of students — the next generation of advocates.

Surabhi and other BATJ Conference attendees.

Hence, networking at such events is just as important (if not more important) than the actual attending of workshops and keynote speeches. I learned that a wealth of information and ideas can be available just by talking to the variety of students who attend the workshops. At the Teach-In, we shared stories of the projects we have done, reaching out to those who might be looking to do something similar and offering them guidance. Moving forward, the entire MAP membership is anticipating to develop more education and awareness programs.
Peninsula-based Paint the Town introduces a new kind of party — Bob Ross style
By: Johanna Hickle
Tags: Bay Area, San Francisco, Painting, Zoom, Women In Business

Sure. The first virtual wine night or two were great. But how many “Zinfandel and Zoom” sessions can we stomach?

When COVID-19 hit, Celia Ma, San Mateo resident and owner of Paint the Town (a paint party entertainment service serving the SF Peninsula and the greater Bay Area), wanted to take care of her team of instructors while spreading joy to people sheltering in place. A shared activity and experience seemed just the thing to break up the repetition of unstructured video chats.

Can you tell Celia loves what she does? (Image via Celia Ma)

To this end, Ma started hosting art nights over Zoom. Prior to each event, participants acquire painting kit rentals (free for those who can pick them up in the Bay Area) — or forego supplies completely with the “Sketch and Sip” option. Ma and her team then host groups of friends, family and coworkers for a time of instruction. At the end of each session, participants turn their artwork toward the camera for a time of show and tell. It’s an empowering reminder that everyone is capable of creativity.

Let Ma’s video chat ventures, insight on art and personal story fuel your own creative journey during the quarantine — then channel your inner Monet… or Michelangelo or Matisse. We know you have it in you.
You just landed a new job in the Bay Area. You’re going to move alone. Now what?
By: Mobile Millennial
Tags: Bay Area, Millennials, Logistics, Transitions, Moving

In spring 2019, I finished my Masters’ program and landed a new job in the Bay Area. I’d heard horror stories of moving there — crazy landlords, sky-high cost of living — yet my new job was absolutely aligned with what I always wanted to do, and I was excited for the opportunity for a new adventure. So, I accepted the offer.

This is pretty! But it looks slightly apocalyptic…uh oh. Is it a metaphor?

About three days later, the initial rush of excitement abated, and I found myself struggling with all the risk and uncertainty that moving brings.

Here were the main questions I had:

Where should I live? How do I get a place to live? Do I need a car? Can I afford this city? For how long? How will I make friends? As an introvert, will I be a lonely sad hermit for the first 6(+) months? What are some moving tips?

A lot of the information out there is sponsored by moving companies (take from that what you will), so here are a series of posts meant to help you — a Mobile Millennial, the recipient of a great new job, the solo mover — navigate this scary, yet exhilarating, transition.

On the next post: how should you pick your new neighborhood?
Strengthening Supports for Teen Mental Health in San Mateo County
By: John W. Gardner Center
Tags: Bay Area, Mental Health, Youth Development, Education Research

What were the study’s key findings? Was there anything that surprised the partners?

One important finding is that schools are experiencing increased prevalence and greater complexity of student mental health needs across all ages (K-12) and across the socio-economic spectrum.

This struck us as important because the public discourse around student mental health often frames it as an adolescent issue connected to academic pressure and the pursuit of admission to a prestigious colleges or university.

While this may be the case for some students, our data remind us that student mental health is inextricably linked to a wide range of school and non-school factors — for example, family economic pressures or immigration concerns. It affects students of all ages and all demographics, and often reflects a confluence of variables rather than one specific issue.

How are schools supporting students with such needs? It varies. We found a number of promising strategies; however, we also found that within schools and across districts they are typically not yet connected in ways that create a comprehensive or integrated system of support.

We also found that most resources dedicated to mental health support tend to go to what participants described as “crisis management” — reacting and responding to students who present with the most acute mental health needs — rather than proactively cultivating the mental health and well-being of all students.

In terms of next steps, the findings indicate that in addition to bolstering schools’ immediate capacity to serve students who need mental health support, there is also a need to develop a more systemic approach to promote the mental health and well-being of all students and strengthen continuity of care across grades, schools, and districts. Our research brief highlights many opportunities for advancing this work and we are already seeing participating districts use the findings to inform their thinking and their planning.

We know from our interviews that those who work with and on behalf of students care deeply about students’ mental health, and we witnessed the urgency that they feel to make sure schools are settings that support student well-being.

While schools cannot meet students’ needs alone, they are an important part of the ecosystem serving children and youth, and so it makes sense that we would invest in strengthening the system of support provided within and across districts. We look to advancing this work with our district and community partners, and discovering together how it will unfold.
Ultimate South Bay Guide For Interns
By: Tania Tan Wu
Tags: Bay Area, Networking, Internships, San Francisco, Mountain View

So last topic: How did I get the most out of my 6 months?

During the summer — on weekdays — I spent 8 hours of my day at work, and lined up every evening with events (easier if they are in Palo Alto/ Mountain View/ Sunnyvale) and dinners with new friends. When summer was coming to an end, I discovered Open Mic @ Red Rock Coffee and went there religiously almost every Monday afterwards (even tried standup comedy at open mic once 😝). Soon after I started discovering communities like Mission Control (not the play party place in Oakland), Castro Crib, Fell House, Minerva students… etc (they're all in SF). It’s just much easier to make friends in SF if you are in the Bay not during the summer (less interns for off-cycle internships!). I spent every weekend throughout my stay in the Bay in SF (got lucky and always had a place to crash) hanging out at Dolores Park, going to Female Founder Happy Hours and other events. I went to several DJ shows and a music festival. After summer ended, I didn’t do too much crazy networking, event hunting or traveling, but just focused on living in the city (and Mountain View, barely). 🏔

I became so much closer with a school friend who lived in SF during the summer because I crashed at her place every weekend and we went to events together. I even met my boyfriend through going to startup-related events in SF. From not knowing anyone in the Bay prior this internship to now in the process of starting a femtech company with Entrepreneur First in Hong Kong, the network I have built over time in Femtech, female founders communities, VCs, and startups in general has been really helpful! Thank you SF/Bay Area!

I hope the examples in this article will be useful for your upcoming internship in the Bay Area. I really liked both SF and Mountain View a lot in different ways, hope you do too!

Ta-da! There’s your ultimate South Bay guide as an intern. All in all, there’s a lot to do in the summer (especially if you work in a big company with big intern programs); if you’re working hard for a return offer — don’t forget to relax a little, make a few new friends and enjoy the city (SF)! For meeting people: other than going to events, grabbing coffee ☕️ is always great. Bay Area people generally are quite down to meet.

Side note: for fellow ladies out there — I’ll write a separate guide on how not to accidentally be misleading (dating wise); from experience: anything happening after sundown/ over the weekends & alone can be easily considered as a date/ flirting. Otherwise, grabbing coffee is great. ✌🏼

Have fun in the tech capital of the world 🌎, make the most use of your time⌚️, and all the best 💯🎉!

Feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn — I’d love to share more about Entrepreneur First (they have global locations!), chat about femtech, or if you just want to say hi 👋🏼
Pablo Picasso is on vacation…in Palo Alto?
By: The Six Fifty Staff
Tags: Bay Area, San Francisco, Picasso, Museums, Art

Some of the pieces are from unnamed private collectors but there are also loans from the Fundacion Almine y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso para el Arte, which is overseen by the artist’s grandson and his wife.

Pace is a sales gallery but the purpose of this show is mainly educational, with only seven of the 35 objects available for sale. Sullivan said she hopes there will be a lot of outreach with the show, especially given the name-recognition of Picasso.

“We want to do special programs for local school children, bringing them into the gallery and doing projects,” she said.

Artist Pablo Picasso using flashlight to begin making light drawing in the air. (Photo by Gjon Mili/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images)

Information about Picasso is imparted in the entry gallery by means of an illustrated timeline that details all of the major events during his life (1881–1973). It is a remarkable chronology of a man who came from humble beginnings in Malaga, Spain, and was, from the outset, a child prodigy. As a young man, he settled in Paris, endured two world wars, poverty and the derision of critics. He eventually became a leader in several of the most important avant-garde art movements that informed modern art as we know it today.

The second and third galleries are installed in chronological order, allowing the viewer to fully grasp the well-known periods that delineate Picasso’s work. His early work, characterized by his training in the classical approach to representation, is exemplified by “Lola with a Doll” (1896) and “The Dead Casagemas” (1901). Both are true-to-life portraits, undertaken in a realistic style. There is obvious tenderness toward the subjects of these works, especially in the portrayal of Casagemas, whose suicide would send Picasso into a deep depression that lasted several years.

Several charcoal drawings of women reflect the artist’s transition from realism to abstraction. By 1910, he had begun to fracture the human form, as can be seen in “Standing Woman.” This would be the beginning of his “analytical cubism” phase, with monochromatic canvasses full of overlapping forms. “Bust of a Man” (1912) is a study in geometry and how the artist strove to draw the figure from multiple angles. His “synthetic cubism” phase is included here in “Sliced Pear and Pipe” (1914).

Always a bit of a shape-shifter, Picasso next took on a Neoclassicism, apparently inspired by a trip to Italy where he saw paintings from the Renaissance. In “Study of Hands” (1920) and “Three Women by the Fountain” (1921) the artist has returned to realism, although the figures are quite rounded and bulky.
Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud selected as Peralta’s new chancellor
By: Isis Piccillo
Tags: Bay Area, Education, News, Peralta, Saskia Hatvany

Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud selected as Peralta’s new chancellor

by Saskia Hatvany, co-editor, and Isis Piccillo, co-editor/Photos by Michelle Snider, co-editor

Trustee Nicky González Yuen speaks during open session of Peralta Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 26.

Peralta Trustees announced that Dr. Regina Stanback Stroud was selected as Peralta’s new chancellor on Sept. 25 after a closed session.

Stanback Stroud, who retired in April as president of Skyline College in San Bruno, was selected after a unanimous decision from the board, according to Trustee Nicky González Yuen.

“Sometimes the board doesn’t agree on stuff, and what was quite pleasant today was actually working shoulder-to-shoulder for the benefit of this district and unanimously agreeing on a new chancellor,” González Yuen said during the open session that followed the Board of Trustees closed meeting and candidate interviews.

Stanback Stroud was one of two final candidates who held public forums at the four campuses and the district on Sept. 18.

Stanback Stroud addresses the audience during the forums for chancellor finalists at Laney College on Sept. 18.

Acting Chancellor Frances White announced her resignation on Sept. 19, with an official end date of Oct. 20.

According to Board Policy 2431, district members are required to perform a site visit to the candidate’s previous institution “as part of the overall evaluation process.”

During the Sept. 10 Board of Trustees meeting, members voted to temporarily waive Board Policy 2431 for the duration of their search, according to Donald Moore, District Academic Senate President.

Instead, the board is in the process of making reference calls.

Moore said that following the reference check, the board and Stanback Stroud will need to negotiate a contract and start date.
Where Trump found votes (bigly) on the Peninsula: San Mateo 2020 Election Results
By: Charles Russo
Tags: Bay Area, San Francisco, California, Voting, Silicon Valley

Trump support

It’s no mystery that Californians voted heavily against Trump by about a 2–1 margin (approximately 9.8 to 5 million). This was even more pronounced here in the Bay Area, where San Francisco residents voted overwhelmingly in support of Joe Biden to the tune of 85% of the total votes cast. In San Mateo County, that total was also high, with 264,762 cast for Biden (or about 78.20%). All told, this is a sharp contrast to the national race totals currently landing at 50.7% for Biden and 47.6% for Trump.

Of course, there were still more than 67,000 votes cast for Trump in San Mateo County. So where did we see the greatest concentration of those votes come from? The highest volume of pro-Trump votes that we found were in (but not restricted to) the cities of Millbrae and Hillsborough, where for instance, Trump got 29% of the vote (with over 1000 votes cast) in Precincts 1504 (Millbrae) and 1401 (Hillsborough). These were not one-offs, but consistent with numerous precincts (1401, 1402, 1405, 1408, 1501, 1507, 1512, 1502) in those two cities in which Trump performed well above the county average.

We also saw some large percentages (again, where over 1000 ballots where cast) in precincts in Pacifica, San Bruno and South San Francisco (however, these were generally more isolated outliers).

Conversely, the lowest number of votes for Trump (with over 1000 ballots cast) was clearly East Palo Alto, with Precinct 4001, for instance, at just 9% of the vote for Trump. Other low Trump totals (with high precinct turnout) were found in Menlo Park and Redwood City.

Finally, some quirky stats: San Carlos’s tiny Precinct 365 completely rejected Trump, with 24 votes for Biden and 0 for the President. On the other hand, everyone in the isolated Precinct 3704 voted for Trump, for a total vote tally of 1–0 (we assume this was a ranger at Crystal Springs, but no one there has responded to our inquiry by deadline).
How to Get Set Financially for Life
By: Grant Cardone
Tags: Money Mindset, Business Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Wealth Creation, Retirement

Have you heard this one?

The story goes he got a king to reward him by giving him double the amount of wheat for each of the 64 squares of a chessboard, starting with one grain.

That sounds like an ok deal if you’re the king, right?

Until you actually start doing the math.

How much grain would that be?

The answer is over 18 quintillion grains, which turns out to be around 1,000 times the entire world’s annual production of wheat.

You see, most people don’t think in geometric increases beyond low levels.

But the numbers start to accelerate fast.

1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256…

Now imagine geometric acceleration when it comes to your finances.

If you don’t have math, you’re delusional.

Too many people out there are waiting to get rich, thinking that it’s just going to somehow “happen”.

If you don’t do your millionaire math, your millions won’t happen.

Here are a few ways to a million dollars:

• Salary $50k x 20 years

• Salary $100k x 10 years

• Salary $250k x 4 years

• Earn $114 per hour, every hour of the year

• 5,000 people buy a $200 product

• 2,000 people buy a $500 product

• 10,000 people buy a $100 product

• 1,000 people buy a $1000 product

• 5,000 people pay $17 per month for 12 months

• 2,000 people pay $42 per month for 12 months

• 1,000 people pay $83 per month for 12 months

• 500 people pay $167 per month for 12 months

• 300 people pay $278 per month for 12 months

When you break it down, you’ll realize the reality of the wealth you can create in your life.

Do your own millionaire math and reinforce your wealth possibilities and your commitment to it.

Wealth requires simple, basic math and any wealthy person will tell you this.

After all, getting to a million dollars is about numbers.

But keep it simple.

The best ideas are always simple.

If you’re ready to get where you want to go financially, I created a simple to use platform that thousands of others are currently benefiting from.

Cardone University is an affordable tool to geometrically increase the numbers in your bank account.

The question is, are you ready to get set financially for life?

Be great,

GC

Grant Cardone is the author of eight business books, thirteen business programs, and is the CEO of seven privately held companies. Forbes calls him one of the top social media business influencers in the world. Cardone founded and manages a real estate investment firm, Cardone Capital, with $1Billion assets under management. He also travels the world consulting Fortune 500 companies, small business owners, startups and governments on business expansion. One of his enterprises recently hosted The 10X Growth Conference at Marlins Park in Miami, Florida with over 34,000 business people and entrepreneurs in attendance from over fifty countries. Mr. Cardone resides in Miami with his wife, Elena Cardone and their two children, Sabrina and Scarlett.