Vol. XLVII, No. 10
October 2023
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THE NOE VALLEY VOICE A Look at the ‘Next Generation’
Where Are We Now With Covid?
City Shares Its Toolkit for Sanchez Slow Street
Dr. Wachter Takes the Neighborhood’s Temperature
By Chris Faust
By Liz Highleyman
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n the evening of Sept. 14, six San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) employees in bright yellow vests waited at the intersection of 30th and Sanchez streets while about 60 neighbors slowly congregated. The spirit of the gathering was as warm and congenial as the evening air. Laughter and pleasantries greeted new arrivals. Slow Streets team member Matt Lasky began to distribute a one-sheet handout, saying, “Whatever we can do to make it better, we are here to listen.” He referred to his sheet as the toolkit. It consisted of pictures and descriptions of the six different treatments being proposed for slow streets: Community Zones, Neighborhood Traffic Circles, Landscaped Islands, Roadway Narrowing, Wayfinding and Identification Signs, and On-Street Bike Parking. SFMTA billed the event as the “Next Generation Sanchez Slow Street Community Walkthrough.” They invited anyone in the city to come and see what might be next for the slow street. Slow Streets program manager Mark Dreger introduced his team. "We're happy to take your comments CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
ovid cases have ticked up in the past couple of months in San Francisco and nationwide, but they remain far below the level of previous waves. Restaurants and bars along 24th Street are bustling, kids have gone back to school, and most people are no longer wearing masks. Almost all San Franciscans have some immunity against the coronavirus, thanks to vaccines, previous bouts of Covid, or both. Hospitalizations remain low. The city’s Department of Public Health reported just two Covid deaths in September, and wastewater data suggest cases are leveling off or even declining. But, as health officials hasten to remind us, Covid is not over. An encounter with the virus can lead to a week or more of illness and missed work or school, and some people— especially those who are older or have other health conditions—can still have bad outcomes. For a look at where we are now and where we might be headed, the Noe Valley Voice once again turned to longtime neighborhood resident Dr. Bob Wachter, chairman of the Department
An October Tradition: Firefighters from Station 11 are expected to dazzle the crowds again this year at the Oct. 15 Sanchez Street Block Party (see page 9). Photo courtesy Steve Wereb
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Soccer Field a Big Win at James Lick Middle School New Turf Boosts Pride As Well As Athletic Skills By Matthew S. Bajko
elementary school. “It is about time they put one in [a soccer field]. They’ve been saying they needed to get one for some time,” said Lopez. “It changes a lot because if you
fall, it is not going to hurt like concrete.” Fellow eighth-grader David Obillo, 13, who plays left wing and first started kicking around a soccer ball at age 4,
agreed that the new field was better for him and his teammates. “I’ve been waiting for a while for it,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
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he new turf soccer field at James Lick Middle School is proving the axiom: if you build it, they will come. “It has been thoroughly used since it was installed,” said Rogelio Alvarado, the coach for the public school’s boys’ and girls’ Bulldogs soccer teams. “Build the fields and the kids will come.” Alvarado, who has coached at the school since 2007, apart from a fiveyear hiatus he took, told the Voice that when he held tryouts for the boys’ team at the start of the 2023-2024 school year, twice as many students as in previous years applied. He ended up with 31 team members for the month-long season that wraps Oct. 2; last year the team had 21 players. “This certainly had something to do with it,” said Alvarado, as he pointed to the green field with its two white goalposts during a team practice in midSeptember. Taking a brief break from practicing goalie and center back, Landon Lopez, 13, said he was happy to see the field come to fruition, especially because it was safer to play on than asphalt. The eighth-grader has played soccer since
Eyes on the Goal: Members of the girls’ soccer team at James Lick Middle School test the new turf installed in May after a successful fundraising drive led by students, parents, and staff. Next in the school’s sights is raising money for bleachers and equipment. Photo by Art Bodner