Sunset Spotlight

Beach fires limited on bad air days
To preserve air quality during "Spare the Air" days, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) has banned beach fires on Spare the Air Days. The action was taken in response to beachgoers' concerns that beach fires were leaving unsafe debris on the beach, as well as concerns about smoke blowing into neighborhood homes.

Instead of banning fires, Golden Gate National Parks joined several organizations in a creative partnership to install artistic fire rings on portions of the beach away from neighborhood homes. Those organizations, Surfrider Foundation, Burners Without Borders, Ocean Beach Foundation and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, are working with GGNRA to allow fires to continue.

Burners Without Borders has donated some artistic fire rings so that fires can be physically contained and the Surfrider, Ocean Beach Foundation and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy are organizing beach cleanups. Beach fires are only allowed on Ocean Beach in authorized fire pits, between stairwells 15 Ð 20.

For more information, call (415) 561-5505 or go to the Web site at www.nps.gov.

Woman's Killer Sentenced
A 23-year-old man from Richmond was sentenced to 32 years to life in prison in December for killing a woman in a drug deal gone bad.

Chad Dias was found guilty of trying to silence the woman and her boyfriend after stealing two pounds of marijuana from the couple. First, he shot George Tang, 22, and then Christine Chan, 22, in the back of the neck execution-style before fleeing. Tang survived the ordeal, despite being seriously wounded, but Chan, a was killed.

The crime took place at 18th Avenue and Ortega Street on March 1, 2005.

An accomplice with Dias, Richard Lewis, was acquitted in an earlier trial when a judge ruled a confession Lewis gave police was inadmissable in court.

New Beacon Center Classes
The Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center is offering new evening programs for families and youths. They include parenting classes, restorative yoga, cultural arts and crafts, lion dance classes, conversational English classes, beginning and intermediate computer courses in Chinese, family movie nights, neighborhood forums and more.

The programs are held Monday through Friday at A.P. Giannini Middle School, located at 3151 Ortega St. For more information, call (415) 759-3690 or visit www.SNBC.org.

Library Fundraising Begins
Friends of the San Francisco Public Library is raising money for new furniture, fixtures and equipment for the soon-to-be-renovated Parkside Branch Library, located at 1200 Taraval St., at 22nd Avenue.

On Dec. 8, a campaign kickoff was held at the library to start the process. For more information or to get involved, contact Tamara Gonzalez Scheulov at (415) 626-7512, ext. 101, e-mail tscheulov@friendssfpl.org, or go to the Web site at www.sfpl.org/blip.

New events at Academy
The California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park will launch "NightLife," a weekly evening event that blends science, music, cocktails and food for patrons ages 18 and up. The events will take place every Thursday, from Feb. 12 through Oct. 29, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The cost is $8 for Academy members and $10 for the general public.

The entire museum will be open for exploration, and activities will vary - from stargazing to informal talks by scientists, opportunities to meet aquarium animals, and more. Topics for 2009 will focus on the themes of evolution, sustainability, explorers, climate change and space.

To see the schedule of NightLife events, visit the Academy's Web site at www.calacademy.org or call (415) 379-8000.

Community garden tours
San Francisco native and gardener Alex Hatch shares his love for the City's community gardens in his recently published book, "Cracks in the Asphalt, The Community Gardens of San Francisco." The book describes 30 community gardens and the local visionaries who create and maintain them in neighborhoods, including the Richmond and Sunset districts, Ingleside, Glen Park, Noe Valley, Bernal Heights and more. Photographs and information about walking tours, adjacent children's playgrounds, directions and more are also provided.