In the lazy hours of a late Sunday afternoon, a steady stream of customers passed under the dark green awning of Polynesian Island Luau. According to its patrons, the takeout-style restaurant and retail shop — where shark tooth necklaces dangle from the ceiling, racks of floral shirts line the walls, and the owner’s granddaughter runs the register on the weekends — is the last of its kind in the Bay Area.

“I come here whenever I can,” said Lori Peneueta, 40, who drove from Sacramento to visit the market, which straddles Geneva Avenue on the border of San Francisco and Daly City. “This is a part of my heritage, and it’s one of the only places I can really feel that.”

To the left of the 22-year-old business, there’s a KFC and a Taco Bell. Across the street, the hulking mass of a Dollar Tree. Sitting beside a four-lane highway, Polynesian Island Luau has witnessed the decline of nearby Visitacion Valley’s once-vibrant Pacific Islander community. But now, it may have a front-row seat for its comeback.

After more than seven years of on-the-ground organizing, the neighborhood stands poised to become part of a new Pacific Islander Cultural District. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt legislation creating such a district, making it the 10th cultural district in the city.

Polynesian Island Luau owner Lafi Conway, right, chats with a customer of her takeout-style restaurant and retail shop Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.

Stephen Lam / The Chronicle

“There are a lot of Pacific Islanders across the area, so to have a place of our own would be really cool,” Polynesian Island Luau employee Thana Puni, 18, said from behind a tray of steaming plantains coated in coconut cream. “I would feel great if (the district) happens.”

Since the inception of the program in 2018, San Francisco has recognized cultural districts in Japantown, the Castro and the Mission to both honor and preserve diverse communities. Pacific Islander leaders hope the recognition and resources that come with such a designation will mark a turning point in a community long forgotten by the city.

“My goal is that 100 years from now, our community doesn’t have to suffer anymore,” said Gaynor Siataga, the director of San Francisco’s Pacific Islander Community Hub, a new community-based organization in Bayview. “They can go somewhere they belong, somewhere people understand them, and have some sense of identity and belonging here in this wonderful city.”

But with generations of entrenched disparities — and the risk of losing more community members to rising costs of living — those pushing for the cultural district know that this week’s vote is just the beginning.

Floral shirts and fabrics hang from the walls of Polynesian Island Luau on the northern edge of Daly City, Calif., on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.

Stephen Lam / The Chronicle

A small community with a deep history

According to data from the 2020 census, the Pacific Islander community makes up just 0.4% of San Francisco’s population. Despite its size, the population has roots in the city more than a century old.

In the mid-1800s, Native Hawaiians made up 10% of the population in Yerba Buena, the settlement that later became San Francisco, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. During World Wars I and II, the U.S. military recruited Samoans, Tongans, Fijians and other islanders as it expanded its reach across the Pacific. But once World War II ended, many of the employment opportunities did too — leading to an exodus of Pacific Islanders to San Francisco.

Some came for jobs at the Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard. Others were recruited to work in farms in and around the city. Still others were sponsored by the Mormon Church, encouraged toward the city for missionary labor after helping build a temple in Hawaii.

By 1985, San Francisco’s Pacific Islander population reached its peak, according to the cultural district’s “resolution document,” which was drafted by community leaders to make a case for the cultural district. But as of the 2020 census, San Francisco’s Pacific Islander community numbered just over 2,150. And in the past decade, the number of Pacific Islanders in Visitacion Valley — the neighborhood where the community first took root — dropped by more than 50%, from 33 people to 15.

In the years since peak migration, the community hasn’t just dissolved in size. It’s also been hit by stark socioeconomic challenges.

Even before the pandemic, 29% of the Pacific Islander community in San Francisco lived below the poverty line with a median per capita income of just $25,930 — the lowest of any ethnic or racial group — according to a 2020 report from the Regional Pacific Islander Taskforce. That data found nearly 15% of the community was unemployed, and nearly 23% lived in overcrowded households. According to the cultural district’s resolution statement, 73% of Pacific Islanders in San Francisco are now in public housing.

“I grew up with, and in, those disparities,” Siataga said. “But when I saw the data, it broke my heart.”

Reliance on public housing, she added, “has been generational. That’s our reality and it’s been our reality, and it’s sad because we know that our ancestors that migrated here came for that American dream. And yet, we’re still stagnant.”

Those disparities exacerbated with the pandemic. Pacific Islanders in California contracted COVID-19 at nearly twice the state’s overall rate. By May 2020, the community had the highest death rate of any racial or ethnic group.

Mareta Eelua, left, and Faye Ia assemble candy lei five days before a Nov. 15 hearing of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to establish a Pacific Islander Cultural District in the city.

Stephen Lam / The Chronicle

Today, city data shows the COVID-19 case rate for Pacific Islanders still outstrips all other communities: it’s more than double the rate of the city’s American Indian, Black and Hispanic populations, and more than four times that of white San Franciscans.

According to those pushing for the Pacific Islander Cultural District, these statistics are, in part, due to a lack of culturally attuned resources. For 20 years, there was just one fully funded community-based organization serving the population — the Samoan Community Development Center. But Siataga said that despite critical efforts, the organization wasn’t meeting the full range of services Pacific Islanders needed.

Because of that, community leaders say Pacific Islanders became “invisible” across the Bay Area, sinking toward the lowest levels of the city’s socioeconomic indicators.

Efforts with, for and by the community

During the initial phases of the pandemic, five of San Francisco’s Pacific Islander-serving organizations formed the SALLT Association, which aimed to strategically fill gaps they saw widening across the community. By coordinating across entities, SALLT began providing COVID-19 response services, counseling, employment assistance, housing support, language and translation services, and other programming, working alongside the Samoan Community Development Center to do so.

During the same year, Siataga — who has both Samoan and Latino roots — suggested creating a cultural district in the area after seeing its success for the Latino population in the Mission. But while the Latino community in San Francisco was growing, the Pacific Islander community was shrinking. With such small numbers, many felt like accomplishing such recognition would be impossible, Siataga said.

“At first, it was really challenging,” said Siataga, speaking of the first time she mentioned setting up a cultural district. “This community has never seen the resources, support or backing that other communities have seen, so when I first started talking about the cultural district, (the community) said things like: ‘That’ll never happen.’”

Still, she and others got to work.

Siataga encouraged elders to write down their stories, which they compiled into the district’s resolution document to demonstrate the community’s impact on San Francisco and their legacy dating back decades. They got in touch with Supervisor Shamman Walton, whose district encompasses the southeast corner of San Francisco home to many Pacific Islanders. And they dug into the data, trying to better understand what the Pacific Islander community was up against — a difficult task when across not just the city, but also the state, Pacific Islanders were consistently being grouped with the larger Asian community.

Palusami, a popular Polynesian delicacy made with beef, coconut milk and taro leaves, sit wrapped behind a counter at Polynesian Island Luau on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022. Customers sometimes travel from quite a distance for the traditional Samoan food.

Stephen Lam / The Chronicle

By disaggregating that data, a clearer picture of the community’s challenges began to emerge, allowing leaders like Siataga to better pitch the mission of a cultural district and the things it could accomplish.

According to the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, cultural districts provide a funnel for representative policymaking, helping leaders from minority communities take a seat at the city’s decision-making tables. They allot funding to employ those in charge of the cultural district, who together work on a specifically tailored three-year plan.

The Pacific Islander Cultural District will receive the typical annual funding award for cultural districts: $230,000 of hotel tax funds to support the team coordinating the vision for community-led social programs, services and resources in the new district.

Tino Felise, the neighborhood program coordinator at the Samoan Community Development Center, said the cultural district will focus on affordable housing, entrepreneurship and retail development, particularly for smaller mom-and-pop stores.

“Hopefully, establishing this cultural district will help us re-establish our population and make sure this is a place Pacific Islanders can continue to call home,” said Felise, who worked with Siataga to get the cultural district proposed.

Some of this work will draw on the successes of other cultural districts. In the Mission, the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District has implemented policies to halt displacement and gentrification, according to Calle 24 Council President Eric Arguello.

Polynesian Island Luau has been selling its merchandise from a storefront on the border of San Francisco and Daly City for more than two decades.

Stephen Lam / The Chronicle

By placing “special use protections” on incoming development in the Mission, the district has reduced the number of large renovations in the area — developments that would make it impossible for smaller, community-owned businesses to eventually take over those spaces, Arguello said.

“The legislation helped us maintain a healthier balance to protect smaller businesses, and helped us stabilize rent by maintaining smaller spaces for mom and pop stores,” Arguello said.

Still, Arguello noted, each cultural district is led by the needs of that community — and each has its own challenges and solutions.

“The coolest thing about this is that it’s all going to be done by the community,” said Iose Iulio, a housing specialist at the Bayview YMCA, and part of the team behind the Pacific Islander Cultural District. “When you listen to the community and what they really need and want, it’s more likely that they will use the services you provide.”

In some ways, Polynesan Island Luau is San Francisco’s Pacific Islander community in a nutshell. It’s held on in a rapidly changing city, and it’s been witness to inconceivable challenges. But still, it’s standing — and it’s ready to welcome its community back home.

“We get people coming from as far as Seattle to taste our food,” said Lafi Faletoese, the granddaughter of Lafi Wilson, Polynesian Island Luau’s owner. “But there are so few (Pacific Islander-owned businesses), a lot of people don’t know about us. … (Having the Pacific Islander Cultural District) would bring a lot more needed recognition for each and every Polynesian culture that exists.”

Elissa Miolene is a freelance journalist based in San Francisco. Twitter: @elissamio

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San Francisco 49er signed Ray-Ray McCloud. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The San Francisco 49ers added their one big-ticket item in free agency early during the process, signing Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Charvarius Ward to a three-year, $40.5 million contract.

This addressed a major area of ​​need for general manager John Lynch and Co. However, some fans have been thrown off by San Francisco’s lack of urgency in free agency despite the team not having a ton of cap room.

With high-priced quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo still on the books, these 49ers used their limited financial assets to upgrade a troubled area — special teams.

That includes bringing in three core special teams players in linebacker Oren Burks, wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud and safety George Odum on team-friendly deals.

For San Francisco, it’s all about upgrading a special teams unit that struggled big time a season ago before coming through in the team’s NFC Divisional Playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Below, I look at what these three moves mean for the 49ers moving forward.

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Ray-Ray McCloud Gives San Francisco 49ers Legit Return Threat

San Francisco 49ers added Ray-Ray McCloud to return kicks and play slot. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Throughout pretty much the duration of Kyle Shanahan’s five-year tenure in San Francisco, this team has not had a reliable return man. In fact, it had to use Brandon Aiyuk on punt returns last season.

McCloud, 25, changes this big time. The former Buffalo Bills’sixth-round pick out of Clemson led the NFL in punt returns (38) and return yards (367) a season ago. He averaged a healthy 9.7 yards per return. Meanwhile, the speedy 5-foot-9 wide receiver added 776 kick return yards for an average of 22.2 per. For comparison’s sake, the 49ers tallied a total of 279 punt return yards a season ago.

In an interesting turn, McCloud also played in 48% of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive snaps in 2021. He recorded 39 receptions for 277 yards whle catching 59% of his targets. The expectation is that he will see time in the slot with the 49ers pretty thin at wide receiver right now. McCloud’s deal is for two years and worth up to $10.4 million.

MORE FROM FORBESSan Francisco 49ers on the Forbes NFL Team Valuations List

San Francisco 49ers add Indianapolis Colts All-Pro Safety George Odum

San Francisco 49ers signed George Odum for special teams and to be backup safety. (AP Photo/Eric … [+] Christian Smith)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

An undrafted free agent of the Colts out of Central Arkanas back in 2018, Odum was highly-respected wthin their locker room. He also took on a much larger role on defense last season, starting seven games at safety.

While the 49ers might rely on Odum to play strong safety at times in 2022, his meal ticket is special teams. That included the 28-year-old earning All-Pro honors back in 2020. According to Pro Football Focus, he recorded the second-highest special teams grade that year. He’ll act as a gunner under new special teams coach Brian Schneider following the firing of Richard Hightower.

In terms of what Odum brings on defense, he’ll be the fourth safety behind Jimmie Ward, Talanoa Hufanga and Tarvarius Moore — likely signaling the end of Jaquiski Tartt’s career in San Francisco. Last season saw Odum record 55 tackles, two passes defended and an interception. He also yielded three passing touchdowns and a substandard 122.9 QB rating when targeted. Odum’s deal comes in at $10.95 million over three years.

Oren Burks Provides San Francisco 49ers With Depth And A Special Teams Ace

San Francisco 49ers brought in Oren Burks for depth. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers out of Vanderbilt back in 2018, Burks never panned out in Wisconsin. The soon-to-be 27-year-old linebacker recorded a total of 92 tackles on defense while starting seven games in four seasons.

However, this deal is more about what Burks brings to the 49ers’ special teams unit.

“Special teams throughout my career, that’s been something I can hang my hat on. And kind of got some notice around the league for that,” Burks told reporters during his introductory press conference.

Last season saw Burks play in 75% of Green Bay’s special teams snaps. He led the Packers in special teams tackles during his time with the team. Burks will also serve as a reserve linebacker, joining a group headed by the likes of Fred Warner, Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair. His deal is said to come in at $5 million over two years.

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This neighborhood is best known as a tourist magnet with fish and chips shops, pizza joints and seafood restaurants geared to handle big crowds. But that was before the game-changing Abacá arrived. Here’s a look at one of the city’s newest hot spots located in the stylish Kimpton Alton Hotel.

Abacá serves sophisticated Filipino fare at the new Alton Kimpton in San Francisco’s Fisherman’s … [+] Wharf neighborhood.

Abaca via Instagram

Meet chef Francis Ang

Food enthusiasts in San Francisco are well aware of this rising star who trained as a pastry chef and worked in fine dining kitchens (Gary Danko and the first while Fifth Floor) before launching Pinoy Heritage, a wildly successful pop-up in 2016. Abacá opened in August and was recently nominated for a James Beard Foundation award for best new restaurant.

Ang grew up in Manila and while he was influenced by the good cooks in his tight-knit family, it was the eye candy on the Food Network that first whetted his appetite for a career in the culinary arts.

“For somebody who wasn’t good at sports, singing or drawing, cooking was my way of being creative,” Ang said in a recent interview. “I remember watching those shows on the Food Network and thinking, I could do that.”

After graduating from City College of San Francisco’s culinary arts and hospitality studies program, Ang bounced back and forth between pastry and savory and that duel affinity shines brightly at Abacá.

Abacá’s weekend brunch includes a panaderia filled with brilliant Filipino pastry. The restaurant, … [+] located near San Francisco’s famous Fisherman’s Wharf, is owned and operated by chef Francis Ang and his wife, Dian. Joana Bautista is the pastry sous chef.

Leslie Kelly

The restaurant’s panaderia is open on weekends only at this point, but that’s likely to change as more savvy sweets lovers discover the unusual lineup of beautiful pastries and novel espresso drinks. Right now, the Bibingka Rice Cake with salted egg and bruléed triple cream cheese is a best seller, but I can’t stop thinking about the Buko Lychee Puff. Gorgeous to behold and so satisfying, especially if you’re a cream puff fan.

Before launching Abacá — a dream he and the restaurant’s GM Justin Goo have been discussing for a decade — Ang and his wife, Dian, traveled frequently to the Philippines to learn recipes and techniques in various regions of that island nation.

“I grew up there, but didn’t really know much about the traditional cuisine,” he said. “There are more than 7,000 islands in the Philippines, so many dialects. Recipes and ingredients may vary from town to town.”

He returned to the US determined to share those rich traditions while infusing the menu with a generous helping of fresh California flavors. That’s exactly why you’ll find the chef shopping the Ferry Building’s Saturday market, grabbing exceptional greens and root veggies from Heirloom Organic Gardens and crisp apples and sweet pears from K & J Orchards.

Abacá chef/owner Francis Ang is a regular at the Ferry Building’s farmers market on San Francisco’s … [+] waterfront.

Leslie Kelly

Deliciously different

Sit down for a meal at Abacá and the challenge begins as soon as you pick up the menu. Where to start? Everything looks so intriguing, from the BBQ sticks over to the rabbit (rice dishes) and pancit moving down to the small plates and mains. plan? Arrive hungry and order lots. Better yet, come with a group because these creations are meant to be shared.

The gracious service staff are deft at explaining the nuances of each dish without giving guests a hard sell. While everything sounded amazing, the banana heart salad with bay shrimp, pomelo, K & J’s Asian pear dressed in a smoked coconut vinaigrette and the Hodo Soy Organic Yuba Skin with adobo glaze sounded like a fitting place to start while contemplating the rest of the meal .

But first… a palate-blowing amuse: sturgeon skin given the Chicharrón treatment. Wow! What a wonderfully crunchy way to start the feast, the fried skin adorned by a seafood spread and fish roe.

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At Abacá in San Francisco, chef Francis Ang’s brilliant amuse bouche is a clever twist on the … [+] Chicharrón, with sturgeon skin standing in for the classic pork rind.

Leslie Kelly

A compelling journey, start to finish

Most Americans familiar with Filipino food know about lumpia, but the veggie version served at Abacá is dramatically different than the traditional pork stuffed spring rolls. Ang explained that the Ngohiong Lumpia was inspired by the Cebu province, where cooks batter those rolls before frying. “Aaron (Escalada, sous chef) brought some brightness to the dish with a fermented pineapple sauce,” Ang said. Beautifully plated, absolutely delicious.

Abacá’s vegetable lumpia was inspired by cooks in the Cebu province of the Philippines, where cooks … [+] batter their rolls before frying. The fermented pineapple sauce adds a welcome bright note to the dish.

Leslie Kelly

The banana heart salad was revelatory to my jaded palace. So many flavors and textures I’ve never experienced. The signature component of this dish is a bit like hearts of palm, though its more aggressive flavor profile is ably tamed by an overnight quick pickling process. That smoked coconut vinaigrette delivered a lot of personality to this flavorful bowl that was impossible not to finish.

Same goes for the pork steamed bun finished with more of that tasty pineapple kimchi. Simple ingredients coming together to deliver those contrasting sweet and savory and a little bit sour qualities that are so crave-able.

Onto the main attraction

As much as I relished every single bite of the crispy octopus with velvety ube, savory grapes and a patis-mansi slaw along with the ultra-rich beef cheek Kulma —that wonder haunting peanut curry accompanied by fried flatbread — I couldn’t helping “ what if?” That second-guessing game where you suppose how it would have been if you’d instead gone for the smoked scallop tamales or the twice-fried whole petrale sole. Definitely going in that direction next time and I cannot wait to return to this very special place.

Still, there was Matamis — desert — to consider before pushing back from the table after an exceptional meal in a pretty dining room that was filled with the kind of festive vibe I haven’t seen since pre-pandemic days. Proof of vaccination required before entering, BTW.

In San Francisco, Abacá’s executive chef and owner, Francis Ang, has a deep background in pastry and … [+] it shows on the restaurant’s exceptional dessert menu. Don’t miss the chocolate mousse bomb.

Leslie Kelly

The big finish

There are just a few options for that final course, each seem designed to diners who appreciate something fruit-focused — the tamarind glazed-Apple Carioca Fritter paired with coconut ice cream — those who love flan — this version embellished with a lemony squash called Kalabasa , Daladan ice, pepitas and a Muscovado crumble and, of course, there’s something chocolate.

The magnificent mousse bombe sits atop a bit of banana cake, the creation wearing a caramelized Pinipig crown. Those were by far the best rice crispies I’ve ever eaten. Bonus treat, the menu didn’t mention the scoop of ice cream that seemed almost like overkill on this decadent desert. But, wait. Oh, you’ve got to try a bite, I urged my sweets skeptical dining partner. It tastes exactly like banana bread. Incredible.

If you’re fortunate enough to be staying at the Alton, the commute home is a breeze, and we spent the rest of the night spinning vinyl on the comfy room’s Victrola, dancing to Jimi Hendrix classics. It was the perfect way to end a memorable evening.

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Police released a video on Wednesday of officers shooting a knife-wielding man who attacked them in a residential hotel.

Ajmal Amani, 41, was shot dead in the narrow hallway of the building on the South of Market Friday morning after threatening several people with a large kitchen knife. He was shot in the stomach and leg and died in the hospital.

Amani was a former Afghan US special forces interpreter who had been shot multiple times in more than five years of service and struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, his former attorney, case manager and real estate administrator told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Amani was charged with fatal assault in 2019 for allegedly slashing a city park ranger with a cutter who said he appeared to be in an “altered state of mind”.

Amani was ordered to undergo a mental distraction, which he completed this year while living in a city-rented room in the residential hotel.

Police were called to the hotel on Friday morning after a man yelled and screamed and had a knife. Amani’s case manager also called 911 to report a colleague said Amani was having “a really bad episode.”

On Wednesday, police released video and footage from hotel surveillance from officers’ body cameras. They show Amani holding the knife and gesturing with it, confronting two people, including someone who fends off him with a broom, and then walking past other people into a room.

When two police officers arrive, the man with the broom tells them that Amani threatened to kill him.

An officer tells the radio operator that they can hear Amani screaming.

According to the body camera video, the officers stay in the hallway and try to speak to Amani, who is in a room. Amani swears and tells them to leave him alone and an officer says, “Nobody wants to hurt you.”

Less than a minute later, Amani storms down the hall and is shot after an officer yells, “Stay there! Stay here!”

According to police, Amani was holding a knife with a 6-inch blade. He was shot four times with a handgun and three times with beanbag bullets.

When Amani was on the ground and still moving, more officers came. They waited several minutes to carefully approach him, then handcuffed him and used CPR and a tourniquet on him before the paramedics arrived.

At a town hall virtual meeting where the video was released, Police Chief Bill Scott said his department and prosecutors were investigating the shooting. Scott said he personally offered condolences to Amani’s family.

Scott Grant, an assistant public defender who represented Amani, said he was “utterly devastated” by his death.

Grant said Amani suffered “incredible trauma and violence” while serving in the US Forces.

“His tragic death is a failure of our systems of government here to support someone who risked their life to support this country,” Grant told KTVU-TV.

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SAN RAMON (KPIX) – Some friendships leave a lasting impression. On Thursday, a young boy who faithfully waits for a buddy to stop at his San Ramon driveway every week had one last meeting with his unusual buddy.

We all know the deal on Trash Day. It is important to get the garbage cans on the street in good time for garbage collection. It’s a chore for most of us, but for a little boy who lives in San Ramon, garbage day is full of excitement and anticipation.

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Five-year-old Finn Maier had been listening to the familiar noise every Tuesday for two years and ran outside.

“There is Todd!” Finn calls when his friend stops at the curb.

“He was a little shy at first and just waved and we’re friends,” explains Todd Gonzales, a driver who works for garbage and recycling company Alameda County Industries.

Gonzales has been in business since 1994. He tells KPIX that he has met a lot of people on his routes, but none like Finn.

“Every day at 5 a.m. – rain or shine – he’s there with a big smile. “Hello Todd!” He’s so happy, it’s contagious. It makes my day, “said Gonzales with a grin.

Finn’s family moved to the Bay Area just before the pandemic.

“Everything was shut down and we were basically all alone,” said Kim Maier, Finn’s mother.

For Finn – who was born with Down syndrome – Garbage Day became something to look forward to during COVID. He could rely on that.

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“It was actually one of the first relationships he was able to build because he consistently got to know Todd,” said Kim.

And so a unique friendship developed between the special little boy and his weekly visitor.

“He does as much for me as I do for him,” Todd admitted. “I’m leaving with a big smile. So it makes my day too. I am grateful for that. “

“One day Todd came and Finn was gone and he said, ‘Hey, where’s our little buddy?” And I said,’ Oh, he started school and is leaving before you get here, ‘”Kim said. “And the next week Todd was back. He changed his whole route just so he could see Finn before he went to school. “

“I didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t want him to miss it either, ”Gonzales said.

The two friends had a bittersweet last visit on Thursday, with Gonzales taking a special trip to Maier’s house. Finn’s family is moving to Southern California, so Todd Finn brought a special gift for the last time they met before they moved.

“It’s a garbage truck! Finn shouted after pulling a toy truck out of a gift bag.

Finn also gave Todd a present: a book with memories of the two of them

“This is my favorite book. You know that. That’s my favorite, ”Todd said to Finn before they hugged one last time and Todd continued on his way.

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It’s a friendship that both of you will remember for a lifetime. Todd hopes the family’s next trash collector in San Diego will take good care of Finn.

The post San Ramon Boy Finds Particular Good friend in Rubbish Truck Driver – CBS San Francisco appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN RAMON (KPIX) – Some friendships leave a lasting impression. On Thursday, a young boy who faithfully waits for a buddy to stop at his San Ramon driveway every week had one last meeting with his unusual buddy.

We all know the deal on Trash Day. It is important to get the garbage cans on the street in good time for garbage collection. It’s a chore for most of us, but for a little boy who lives in San Ramon, garbage day is full of excitement and anticipation.

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Five-year-old Finn Maier had been listening to the familiar noise every Tuesday for two years and ran outside.

“There is Todd!” Finn calls when his friend stops at the curb.

“He was a little shy at first and just waved and we’re friends,” explains Todd Gonzales, a driver who works for garbage and recycling company Alameda County Industries.

Gonzales has been in business since 1994. He tells KPIX that he has met a lot of people on his routes, but none like Finn.

“Every day at 5 a.m. – rain or shine – he’s there with a big smile. “Hello Todd!” He’s so happy, it’s contagious. It makes my day, “said Gonzales with a grin.

Finn’s family moved to the Bay Area just before the pandemic.

“Everything was shut down and we were basically all alone,” said Kim Maier, Finn’s mother.

For Finn – who was born with Down syndrome – Garbage Day became something to look forward to during COVID. He could rely on that.

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“It was actually one of the first relationships he was able to build because he consistently got to know Todd,” said Kim.

And so a unique friendship developed between the special little boy and his weekly visitor.

“He does as much for me as I do for him,” Todd admitted. “I’m leaving with a big smile. So it makes my day too. I am grateful for that. “

“One day Todd came and Finn was gone and he said, ‘Hey, where’s our little buddy?” And I said,’ Oh, he started school and is leaving before you get here, ‘”Kim said. “And the next week Todd was back. He changed his whole route just so he could see Finn before he went to school. “

“I didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t want him to miss it either, ”Gonzales said.

The two friends had a bittersweet last visit on Thursday, with Gonzales taking a special trip to Maier’s house. Finn’s family is moving to Southern California, so Todd Finn brought a special gift for the last time they met before they moved.

“It’s a garbage truck! Finn shouted after pulling a toy truck out of a gift bag.

Finn also gave Todd a present: a book with memories of the two of them

“This is my favorite book. You know that. That’s my favorite, ”Todd said to Finn before they hugged one last time and Todd continued on his way.

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It’s a friendship that both of you will remember for a lifetime. Todd hopes the family’s next trash collector in San Diego will take good care of Finn.

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In his new special, The Closer, comedian Dave Chappelle jokes everyone from Jews to Mike Pence to Martin Luther King Jr. to himself. But he also had the audacity to poke fun at the gay and transgender community to make, and for this Chappelle has (once again!) earned the wrath of intolerant wokescolds.

A transgender activist and showrunner for the Netflix show Dear White People, Jaclyn Moore, slammed Chappelle and said she would boycott Netflix as long as the company “continues to benefit from obviously and dangerously transphobic content”. Meanwhile, the left-wing activist organization GLAAD condemned Chappelle for “mocking trans people and other marginalized communities” and called for his deplatformation. In a sadly typical hit for the liberal media coverage of the special, NPR published an article accusing the black Chappelle of “using white privilege to excuse his own homophobia and transphobia”. (The NPR article also misquoted Chappelle and had to make a correction.)

I shared the story of my transition for @netflix and @ most’s Pride Week. It’s a network that was my home on @DearWhitePeople. I loved working there.

I will not work with them as long as they post and benefit from overtly and dangerously transphobic content.

– Jaclyn Moore (@JaclynPMoore) October 7, 2021

Dave Chappelle’s brand has become synonymous with ridiculing trans people and other marginalized communities. Negative reviews and viewers loudly condemning his latest special are a message to the industry that audiences do not support the spread of anti-LGBTQ diatribes. Do we agree? https://t.co/yOIyT54819

– GLAAD (@glaad) October 6, 2021

In his new Netflix special, Dave Chappelle tries – and often fails – to justify push-button jokes about gays, transsexuals and feminists, writes NPR critic Eric Deggans.https: //t.co/gG1zFMv2eM

– NPR (@NPR) October 6, 2021

All of these critics need to get a grip. After seeing the insane backlash, I sat down and actually watched the special on Netflix. It’s not hateful; it’s comedy – and good comedy at that. Furthermore, the ultimate message is actually empathy.

Yes, Chappelle is joking at the expense of the gay and transgender community, both in terms of gay rights and the transgender community. He pokes fun at the newfound status that allegedly oppressed gays now have in the culture, and ironically laments the story of a black rapper who was recently “canceled” for anti-gay comments and who, says Chappelle, “shot once” [N-word] and killed him at Walmart, ”but that didn’t hurt his career.

The comedian jokes that rapper DaBaby “slammed the LGBTQ community straight into AIDS”. But Chappelle continues that DaBaby made “an egregious mistake”. He only deplores the fact that “in our country you can shoot and kill” [N-word] … but you shouldn’t hurt the feelings of a gay person! “

As a gay person, I don’t find that offensive. It’s funny! Plus, Chappelle makes fun of the gay community as he makes fun of pretty much every other group during the special.

“You mix up the emotions,” says Chappelle to his critics. “You think I hate gays … what you really see is that I’m jealous of gays. We blacks look at the gay community and say, ‘Damn it, look how well this movement is going. We have been trapped in this predicament for hundreds of years. … How the hell are you making such progress? ‘ I can’t help but believe that if slaves had body oil and booty shorts, we might be free 100 years sooner. “

This last line, which made me cackle audibly in real time, particularly stirred up left-wing critics online. But ironically, these bright reactionaries who can’t take jokes are actually proving Chappelle’s point of view.

“I don’t hate gays at all. … I respect the shit of you – well, not all of you, ”he says later in the special. “I don’t really like these newer gays. Too sensitive, too brittle. These are not the gays I grew up with. … I miss these old school gays, this stonewall [N-words]. They are the ones I respect. They fought for their freedom. “

On this front, Chappelle is absolutely spot on. A generation of older gays experienced real oppression, fought for their rights, endured pseudoscientific anti-gay talk therapy, and more. Too many gays today, at least those who are overrepresented on Twitter and in the media, think they are victims when a comedian makes a joke at their expense. Give me a break.

The comedian goes on to tell how a white gay man called the police during a verbal confrontation. “Gays are minorities until they have to be white again,” he rips off.

For this and other comments, in fact, Chappelle has been accused of overlooking the existence of blacks and gay minorities. But that review is obviously coming from people who haven’t actually seen the special. The comedian goes on almost immediately throughout the story that “a black gay man would never have done that”.

The most controversial part of The Closer, of course, is when Chappelle roasts the transgender community again. And this part of his routine is admittedly outrageous. He jokingly compares the surgically altered genitals of transgender women who are born biologically male with “Impossible P ****”, which refers to the synthetic, vegetarian Impossible burger. He is also defending author JK Rowling, who has come under fire for her allegedly “transphobic” public questioning of the transgender movement on women’s rights issues.

Are these jokes cross-border and shocking? Yes sir. But that’s the point, and these are no more than his jokes about others (including blacks and himself!). It seems to me that if gays and transgender people really believe in equality, they should want to be treated the same way comedians treat any other group of people, and not enjoy special, condescending protection, as if we are more mentally fragile than anyone else.

The real salvation of Chappelle’s routine is that it doesn’t ultimately come from a place of hate or malice. He tells a moving story about a transgender comedian he became friends with, Daphne, who laughed at all of his gay and transgender jokes. He even gave her, an amateur, the opportunity to open for a large event that he was hosting in San Francisco. Chappelle lovingly relates how they bonded through their mutual love for comedy and how all she ever asked him to respect their humanity was.

“Just think I’m human and I’m going through this,” she told him.

“I believe you because it takes you to know you,” he said back.

It’s getting dark here. Chappelle recounts how Daphne stood up for him following the release of his controversial Sticks & Stones special in 2019 when he was widely attacked for being “transphobic”. But the transgender community turned on them and viciously harassed them online. She killed herself a week later.

Chappelle immediately jokes about her suicide. Yes, seriously. But then he realizes that Daphne would have loved the joke and explains that after her death he set up a trust fund for her daughter.

With this dark note, Chappelle hits the real message of his special. The point is that we have to give up our hypocrisy and instead speak honestly about our differences. More than anything, we need to embrace outrage, break in culture, and self-sacrifice.

“Empathy isn’t gay,” says Chappelle. “Empathy is not black. Empathy is bisexual – it has to go both ways. “

Does all of this make Dave Chappelle a “transphobe” or a “fanatic”? Only if you define these words to the point of meaninglessness, so loosely that you include anyone who questions, contradicts or makes fun of the constantly evolving dogma of the awakened left. Bigotry, correctly understood, is not about what jokes you make; It’s about where you are from and whether you have hatred in your heart. And certainly not Chappelle.

Yes, The Closer is desperate at the stifling impact of political correctness on our culture, and in it Chappelle mercilessly mocks many groups of people. But its ultimate message is not bigotry; it’s one of empathy for those who see the world differently, and that’s exactly what the self-righteous critics of Dave Chappelle lack.

Brad Polumbo (@Brad_Polumbo) is a libertarian-conservative journalist and writer for the Washington Examiner. Subscribe to his YouTube channel or email him at bradpolumbojournalism@gmail.com.

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Havah Kelley was more than ready to get her son back into private school. Studying on screen for over a year made reading difficulties worse for her dyslexic son who is now in fifth grade at Sunnyside Elementary.

But instead of finding redesigned services from a difficult year, the first week back was another disappointment on her trip with the San Francisco School District Special Education Services.

“The past year has been socially and emotionally devastating for my son,” said Kelley, a single mother who lives in Bayview. “I know everyone is doing their best, but I am upset that no more programs have been implemented to address the ground they have lost.”

Last year school days at home were received with sheer frustration. “My son is very smart and doesn’t want to fail at anything,” she said. “He just gave up last year. He stopped trying. “

Your son is not alone. Students across the city and across the country struggled with distance learning. With the start of a new school year, observers begin to see the effects of the trauma they have suffered.

Kelley now fears the tough battle this year will bring.

“Now he’s back at school, almost like nothing happened,” she said. “I was hoping they’d start the year a little differently and tackle some of its setbacks.”

Kelley is part of a growing chorus of parents and education advocates looking to see more screening and remedial action for young students in the San Francisco Unified School District, especially amid the pandemic.

In San Francisco and across California, where universal screening for dyslexia is not required, disability can go unnoticed until students are academically well behind their peers. This can have huge social and financial implications for students and their families.

“It is likely that many students went missing during online school. It’s so hard to spot reading trouble with zoom. Children can withdraw from what they may have been asked to do in class, ”said Dr. Robert Hendren, director of the Dyslexia Center at UCSF. Hendren specializes in the psychological toll that learning disabilities can take on a student.

When Kelley noticed that her son was having difficulty reading and writing, she had to do something. What she didn’t expect was a disappointing response from the school district.

“I was put into a series of meetings and tremendous pressure to withdraw. It broke my heart. The school is great and I love it, I just didn’t understand what happened, ”said Havah Shepard-Kelley, adding that she admires many of the school staff who have supported her. “It taught me that things are not as beautiful as I thought.”

Kelley thinks she’s one of the lucky ones. She was able to convince the school to assess her son as early as first grade, an age that many experts say is an ideal time to identify learning difficulties and teach students who have difficulty distinguishing letters and words. to intervene in a targeted manner, because most children will then still learn to read.

But for many across the country, school closings disrupted disability assessments and other special education assessments. In the spring, San Francisco Unified opened a personal assessment center at O’Connell High School to help clear a backlog of inquiries. According to official information, the district has rated almost 335 students since March 15, 2021, but it remains a backlog.

Megan Potente leads a parent support group in San Francisco for parents with children with dyslexia. When her son was identified as dyslexic, she made the difficult decision to pull him out of San Francisco Unified after realizing that the services he needed were limited.

“For him, the problem was that teachers weren’t trained in structured literacy, a tried and tested method of supporting students with dyslexia,” said Potente, referring to a reading teaching strategy that has worked well with students with dyslexia. “The services were not delivered with the intensity that he needed. It wasn’t every day. “

Seventh grader Gianluca Potente, who has dyslexia, uses an audiobook to help him read at his Richmond County home on Friday, August 20, 2021. (Kevin N. Hume / The Examiner)

A San Francisco Unified student with dyslexia can qualify for an individual education program that meets their needs and “receives multi-sensory instruction,” according to district spokeswoman Laura Dudnick.

Screening for learning disabilities at a young age can be crucial. If overlooked, downstream effects include anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems, which often fall disproportionately on students of color. Students with dyslexia who have not been diagnosed are more likely to be sent to a special school later. On social issues, the American Bar Association says an early 85 percent of teenagers who come into contact with the juvenile justice system cannot read.

But many studies show that students who are screened, identified and encouraged at an early stage can successfully keep up with their fellow students.

That goes for potentates and their son, who she says is now at grade level. Potente runs a nationwide advocacy group called Decoding Dyslexia and would like more spring aid so that fewer students later have to be placed in special schools.

Without universal access to screening and treatment, a justice gap has emerged in San Francisco schools. Students with wealthier and better educated parents are more likely to have the resources to campaign to ensure that their child can use early intervention services and outside therapy and rehabilitation.

A dyslexic mother told The Examiner that she spent over $ 100,000 in two years giving her son special care before and during the pandemic to keep him on track.

That’s not an option for most parents in San Francisco Unified, where more than 50% of students come from disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the California Department of Education.

“I cannot afford outside services for my son. If they refused to evaluate, I couldn’t pay the tutors. The public school system is all I have at this point, ”said Kelley. “It’s really hard for me to understand why everyone is so lagging behind in this area. Reading is everything. “

Governor Gavin Newsom, who is dyslexic, is a proponent of increasing screening and remedial services for students with learning disabilities. But progress has been slow. A bill, SB-237, which would require California schools to introduce universal dyslexia screening for young students, failed to make it through the state assembly in July.

The proposal met with opposition from groups including the California School Boards Association and the California Teachers Union, who raised concerns about possible over-identification of dyslexia among young students and reducing class time for the tests.

“That could have a really big impact. The question is how do we do it? ”Hendren said about universal screening. “Some of the tests can take hours and cost a lot of money.”

UCSF researchers are trying to answer this by developing a game-based screener that teachers can use to identify risks associated with dyslexia and other learning challenges. “This is not about finding and identifying a dyslexic. It’s about screening for risk – short, simple actions that take predictable factors into account, ”said Potente.

Several experts have criticized the school district’s existing system of screening for learning disabilities including dyslexia, known as Fountas & Pinnell, which “sees the field as severely flawed screening,” said Steve Carnevale, founder of the UCSF Dyslexia Center.

But the solution has to go beyond screening. Teachers need to be trained and supported, strategic renovations and curricula also need to be implemented.

There is a long way to go, but things are slowly starting to change.

The district is now using some of its Covid resources to create 13 new psychologist positions as well as a supervisor to help clean up some of the persistent evaluation backlog. Due to the nationwide lack of school psychologists, however, there are still some positions to be filled.

“A decade ago I think the education system didn’t get it,” Carnevale said. “But I’ve been working closely with the President of the San Francisco School Board and other parents involved, and everyone is on board and starting to work closely with UCSF and we’re having deep conversations about how we do all of this.”

sjohnson@sfexaminer.com

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Water heating installation, sewer pipes, sewer cleaning

I’ve called Dennis twice now on Fast Response and both times he was at my home in seconds and got the job done

San Francisco, California (Vokus / PRWEB)
July 20, 2011

Fast Response Plumbing and Rooter San Francisco Sewer Maintenance and Replacement Special is now available in San Francisco and the Peninsula. Tree roots can adversely affect sewer lines and lead to clogging and damage to drainage systems, which can be very costly and frustrating for a home or business owner.

Fast Response Plumbing and Rooter are able to expertly repair and replace damaged systems that can be traced back to old dirt in the sewer lines. The company has experienced technicians who are dedicated to removing all debris using state-of-the-art equipment to restore normal passage through the sewers of residential or commercial properties.

“I’ve called Dennis on Fast Response twice now, and both times he was at my home in a matter of seconds and got the job done. Dennis is very competent, friendly and uncomplicated. He is also very familiar with the types of plumbing that are typical of my San Francisco area. I highly recommend Fast Response, ”said Justin R. of San Francisco, CA.

The Sewer Line Special is an exclusive offer for online customers. Channel maintenance typically costs $ 425, but online customers can get the service for as little as $ 245. Sewer replacement specials range from $ 2,000 to $ 4,500, depending on the length and depth of the sewer (up to 40 ‘long x 5’ deep). The laws on the peninsula require residents to have their drainage system in good condition and to comply with regulations.

Fast Response Plumbing and Rooter remove debris that has built up over the years and can help repair the flow of drainage and prevent backwater. With very reasonable prices and a courteous and reliable staff, the company can permanently fix all drainage problems that will save a resident a lot of money in the future.

For more information about these specials or about Fast Response Plumbing and Rooter products or services, please call (415) 912-1035 or visit http://www.fastresponseplumber-sf.com. Customers receive a free estimate every time they call.

Via Fast Response Plumbing and Rooter

Fast Response Plumbing and Rooter is a San Francisco and San Bruno plumber specializing in residential and commercial plumbing services in the San Francisco and San Mateo areas. Founded in 1996, Fast Response Plumbing and Rooter serves the Bay Area communities of Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, Millbrae, Pacifica, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Francisco, San Mateo, and South San Francisco. They can provide services such as installing water heaters, cleaning drains, and removing dirt in sewers.

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San Francisco, CA – While dental care is necessary for everyone, there are certainly some instances where a visit to the dentist becomes impossible; For people with physical or mental disabilities, visiting the dentist may not be an acceptable option as most practices are not equipped or trained to meet the specific needs of these patients.

Itani Dental – Samer A. Itani, DDS is a leading San Francisco, California dental practice known for providing home dental services to patients whose regular dental appointments are complicated. This office has served its community for many years and has been providing the same professional dental care to patients in wheelchairs, with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, developmental disorders, or phobias thanks to their service.

Home visits include a consultation, a full oral exam, diagnostic photography, dental x-rays, a treatment plan, a follow-up exam, and other services like cleaning, fillings, extractions, dentures, emergency visits, and more.

“Gentle, careful and comprehensive care is a trademark of home dental care from Itani Dental. We strive to provide a comprehensive range of cosmetic and general dental care to all patients in a qualified and empathetic manner, including patients with special needs in their own four walls. ”Said the representative of the office about their services at home.

This practice is owned and operated by Dr. Samer A. Itani, a specialist with over a decade of experience serving patients in the San Francisco area, provides world-class dental care for patients of all ages. Dr. Itani has multiple industry recognitions and the unconditional trust of his patients and colleagues who recognize the uniqueness of his work.

During his career, Dr. Itani has accumulated a wealth of experience that has enabled him to hold many positions of authority, including President of the California Hospital Dental Group, Member of the International Congress of Implantologists, Vice President of the Kaiser Permanente Dental Division, Member of the International Congress of Implantologists, Member of the Medical Staff of California Pacific Medical Center and Marin General Hospitals and Senior Citizen and Adult Services Officer for the City of San Francisco.

Itani Dental – Samer A. Itani, DDS – San Francisco Mobile Dentist is equipped with the latest technology and resources to meet all of its patients’ needs including, but not limited to, cosmetic dentistry, whole mouth rehabilitation, routine dentistry, general dentistry, same day implants, among other restorative, cosmetic and preventive services. In addition, Dr. Itani and his team are available 24/7 to assist patients with any dental emergency that requires immediate dental treatment, including tooth or jaw trauma due to an accident, severe toothache or infection, etc.

Itani Dental – Samer A. Itani, DDS provides special group services for senior centers, residential centers, churches and other facilities, among others, and offers mobile dental screening and personalized assessments in coordination with nursing staff, case managers and senior care facilities.

Itani Dental – Samer A. Itani, DDS is located at 450 Sutter St # 2318, San Francisco, CA 94108. This office accepts most insurance providers and its multilingual team is always ready to assist patients with any questions or concerns they may have could have. by phone at (415) 685-0011. For more information on the San Francisco House Call Dentist or to make an appointment, visit the dental office’s website.

Media contact

Company Name
Itani Dental – Samer A. Itani, DDS
Contact name
DR. Samar Itani
phone
(415) 685-0011
address
450 Sutter Str. # 2318
city
San Francisco
State
THE
country
United States
website
https://itanidental.com/

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