Vehicle crime in the heights

View Vandalism and Theft from vehicles in Bernal Heights in a larger map

I'm particularly interested in writing a story about the great number of theft involving vehicles in Bernal Heights. In all the reports that I've been receiving from the Ingleside Police Station they have been warning against vehicular thefts.

The last one had a Captain's message that said:
"Prevent Your Car from Being Stolen

After reading numerous reports on stolen and recovered cars, there are a
few common traits:
· Most of the stolen cars are 1990's Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans.
· The criminals are using a type of "master key."
· The theft takes less than a couple minutes.
· The method is commonly known throughout the criminal community.

So how do you prevent your car from being targeted for theft? The cheapest
method is to use a steering locking device, commonly seen as a red, metal
bar. An alarm system can be pricey, but effective. Ingleside Station
officers have made several stolen auto and auto tampering arrests, but the
impact has been minimal. Until we are able to arrest every auto thief,
prevention is the best alternative."

And in another e-mail:
"We have seen a rise in the numbers of incidents of thefts from vehicles in the Bernal Heights area. You can prevent yourself from being a victim of this crime by removing all valuables from your vehicle while parked. Just putting the items in the glove box or center console will not dissuade the criminals. iPod charging cords left out and suction cup rings on your windshield will entice a criminal to break into your car to steal your small electronics and other items of value."

I want a dog, I want to be fit!

Preparing for my profile story on Fit Bernal Fit has made me really want a dog! All the people who bring their dogs with them to work out seem so in love with their pets. It was interesting to see how strong of a connection some folks have with their dogs. The people come in ready to work out and have goals of fitness in mind and the dogs seemed to know they were going to be socializing and getting some fun and exercise in.

Fit Bernal Fit helped remind me of how awesome San Francisco is. What other city has a dog gym? What other city has a plethora of facilities dedicated to improving health for people and their pets? I found Fit Bernal Fit a refreshing idea of what makes San Francisco so unique: It's ability to open it's mind and heart to any idea.


This photo is of the owners of Fit Bernal Fit, Jeanne and Dean Ericksen and their dog, Coyote. It is from their website, if you click the photo it takes you to the site. :)

Fit Bernal Fit

Covering Fit Bernal Fit has been pretty fun. My favorite part is meeting all the cool dogs! My favorites are a pair of pit bulls named Sasha and Azul, they have such friendly happy personalities and are full of energy! There owner doesn't like to talk much, though!

I feel like I have a solid start to my story, but wish it could be a bit more compelling. I read and hear about all the drama everyone else is covering and wish Bernal Heights had a little more to offer.

However, I should be happy that there is not a large homeless population or need for more SROs in Bernal Heights. Instead, I have furry friends and fit people!

I'm not sure how to include the idea of all these "new" gyms in San Francisco, it feels like it would just be adding an aside at the end.

I really wanted to include pictures or video with the profile, but can't come up with a solid idea of how to. I feel like a video tour would make describing the place much easier, as it is always good to see with "ones" own eyes. ;)

Bernal Heights: Mission Street past Cesar Chavez Street

Mission street from Cesar Chavez St to Murray Street often goes unnoticed as part of Bernal Heights. The area may be mistaken for part of The Mission or Excelsior. It is full of restaurants, bars, and an assortment of shops.

Roccapulco is a salsa club and restaurant that can't be missed walking up Mission Street because the outside is decorated with brightly painted colors and drums. They offer salsa lessons as well .

El Rio is a bar that neighbors Roccapulo. The bar has Salsa Sundays. They have a large patio and two large indoor rooms. They have art shows, bbqs, djs, bands, and sometimes show films. They welcome outside food as long as you clean up your mess. A tip from their website: "come early; and/or dump your vehicle, support public transportation, ride your bike, your skateboard, use your feet, rollerblades, hop and skip your way over, whatever , just come. oh and bring your mom, cause we love moms!!!"

Another neighbor, Blue Plate features a large patio and dishes made with in-season local produce and meat. Their outside furniture is created from found objects and they aim to have a casual, affordable, and neighborhood friendly vibe.

Further up the block is CRUZ skate shop. The shop caters to roller derby and skateboarding. They sponsor a skate team and many roller derby leagues.

The block is filled with banks, places to eat, barber shops, liquor stores, a Safeway, and various bars. A great place to take a stroll any time of the day.

Alemany Farmer's Market, Bernal Heights

The Alemany Farmer's Market first started in 1943, making it the oldest in San Francisco and the first in California. It moved to it's current location at the base of Bernal Heights in 1947. It is open every Saturday, rain or shine, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Market is always bustling early. The selection of in season produce is cheaper than most grocery stores. Some farmers offer eggs, flowers, and nuts in addition to produce.

“I love to go to the farmer’s market at Alemany early on Saturdays, buy lots of fresh produce and east some of the tasty food they sell there,” Chelsea Castillo, 20, said. “The farmer’s market is amazing because it is all local product at cheaper or the same prices as you can get at supermarkets.”

Besides many stands selling fresh produce, some selling fresh baked bread, there are many that sell cooked for prepared items. There is an Afganhi food stand that sells bolani and many types of pesto. There is a Mexican food stand, crepe stand, Indian food stand and a few others.

There are tables set up for eating, and often someone is playing music and children are seen dancing along.

The crowd includes a variety of ethnicity and age.

For those concerned with Organics, there are three or four farmers selling certified goods. All the farms are local Bay Area farms.



For even more info, visit the market yourself! Or, check out Yelp

MUNI in Bernal Heights

Windy, cold, and waiting for the 67, I tried to flag a taxi but got ignored.
I had been waiting for 40 minutes already when a women pulled her car up to the bus stop and said, "Are you waiting for the bus?" "Yes, I am," I replied. "Oh, well it might be awhile because it seems that one came from this way and another from that and now they've blocked each other."

The side streets of Bernal Heights are quite narrow, and it seems there is not enough room for two buses to pass each other. But, instead of being able to focus on figuring out what to do about how to navigate the narrow streets, or even have consistent service to Bernal Heights, MUNI is now faced with decreased route service, less drivers, and another fee hike on the way.

"It's really terrible that the already crappy, inconsistent service is going to get worse. It's only going to encourage people to drive their cars instead of hop on the bus. It's getting so expensive to ride the bus that it's not saving money to ride it anymore," said Bernal Heights resident Tatum Mangus.

The 67 is not proposed to receive any changes in frequency, but total run time will be cut by a total of four hours. Meaning the bus will not run before 8 a.m. or after 10 p.m.


MUNI will be laying off 230 drivers.

Bernal Heights

Something noticeable when walking around Bernal Heights is that the neighborhood is home to a few well-known skateboarding spots.

A couple things to skate are at the site for the Alemany Farmer's Market, another is located on Alabama street halfway up the hill. There is also an 18 stair rail located down the side of the hill on Tompkins Ave that has been seen on the Cover of Thrasher Magazine.

The Heights is filled with many more skateboarding spots, whether it be hill bombs or front-stoop ledges.


This one is on Alabama. This photo comes from Street Corner Distribution's blog
The photographer is Dan Zaslavsky. Skater is Josh Matthews with a Nollie flip.


This is of skater Andrew Reynolds from Thrasher Magazine's cover archive. This is the 18 stair rail on the backside of the hill. Photo taken by: Luke Ogden

It is not uncommon to see a skateboarder or two pushing around the neighborhood in search of an epic hill bomb or a try at a well-known spot.

Other things immediately noticeable about the neighborhood are that it is very quite, seems to have thus far escaped gentrification, has an amazing park with an equally amazing panoramic view of the city, and that there is a small neighborhood vibe about the streets. People are generally friendly and smile as you pass. The air smells fresh and the streets are pretty clean.