Note: For additional stories about the west side of San Francisco, see the new issue of the Richmond Review.

Sunset Spotlight/Police Blotter/Letters to the Editor

Special Interest Money Fuels Tang's Campaign
In her first election run to be the Sunset District's supervisor, Katy Tang easily won the seat she had been appointed to after her predecessor, Carmen Chu, was appointed as SF's County Assessor last year.

CVS Goes Back to Drawing Board
A proposed CVS Pharmacy at the corner of 19th Avenue and Ortega Street has been put on hold while the project's sponsor goes back to the drawing board after the SF Planning Department expressed concerns.

Botanical Garden's Center Gets OK
On Nov. 18, the San Francisco Arts Commission's Civic Design Review Committee approved Phase 3 of the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society's plans to construct a new nursery and a Center for Sustainable Gardening in the arboretum and botanical garden compound within Golden Gate Park.

Recycling Center's Demise Puts Crunch on Local Merchants
Fallout from the closure of the Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council's (HANC) recycling center last December has spread to about 25 markets in the Inner-Sunset, Cole Valley and Haight Ashbury neighborhoods, as state government offers them a choice: offer recycling buy-back deposit redemption service or pay $100 for every day they do not.

Ban on Overnight Campers and R.V.s at Ocean Beach Declared a Success
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority (SFMTA) has been placing restrictions on large recreational vehicles (R.V.'s and campers) since it passed legislation last year to regulate the large vehicles in some areas. The Transport­ation Code restriction applies to vehicles that are more than 22 feet long or seven feet tall. An over-sized vehicle is not allowed to be parked on the street in a restricted zone between midnight and 6 a.m. A fine of up to $110 can be issued for violations.

Hidden 16th Ave. Steps Come to Life
Sunset District neighbors transformed a dark and "slightly-scary" staircase sandwiched between two buildings into the colorful Hidden Garden Steps, which connects Kirkham and Lawton streets on 16th Avenue.

Bazaar Features Unique Classes, Hand-made Crafts
It is 15 minutes before class time, and Briana Bers, the owner of Urban Bazaar, and the night's instructor, Annasophie Lee, have carefully replaced the three display cases in the center of the room with a large folding table and six chairs. Lee then arranges skeins of colorful yarn and large knitting needles in preparation for the night's class. A half hour later, six women are busy casting stitches for the cowls they hope to complete during the evening session. Most are novice knitters, although one who attended an earlier knitting class proudly displayed the orange head-band she completed at that class.

Columns:

John M. Lee: Real Estate

Capt. Curtis Lum: Police Beat

Supervisor Katy Tang: City Hall