Richmond Roundup

Richmond Democrats Clean Library
Four members of the Richmond Democratic Club composed a clean-up brigade May 28 to clean up the Richmond/Senator Milton Marks Branch Library.

Club president Hene Kelly and members Charlotte Prozan, Elsa Davis and Susan Hall donned gardening gloves and worked for two hours filling plastic bags with trash. At the end of the clean-up, the group had filled four large bags with cigarette butts, fast food trash, old clothes and miscellaneous junk.

Prozan said she visited the library and was "appalled" at the conditions she found there. After being told by a librarian that the branch library was only occasionally spruced up, Prozan approached members of the Democratic Club for volunteers.

"I have been using this library for 30 years and couldn't bear to see it deteriorate," she said.

Pelosi gets money for Presidio, UCSF
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi recently announced that the 2005 Defense Appropriations bill will provide funding for several San Francisco priorities, including $13 million in funding for the continued revitalization of the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard.

Pelosi also obtained $2.5 million for operations and building maintenance at Fort Baker, in the hopes of turning the site into a sustainable national park site; $5 million for the University of California at San Francisco's Department of Neurology Gallo Center, where continued research on alcoholism will be studied; and $2.5 million for the planning, design and restoration of the parade grounds at the Presidio's Main Post.

Candidates Recognized
Two candidates for supervisor in District 1 were recently recognized for their contributions to the community.

David Heller, president of the Greater Geary Boulevard Merchants and Property Owners Association, was recognized in Sacramento as District 8 Sen. Jackie Speier's honoree during California Small Business Day.

During the event, more than 50 legislators presented awards to merchants from their districts at a luncheon ceremony.

Retired Superior Court Judge Lillian Sing was recognized via the creation of the Lillian K. Sing Scholarship Fund, which honors the civic and minority-advancing contributions of Sing. Sing, the first Asian-American female judge in northern California, is a founding member of Chinese for Affirmative Action and the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area.

Sing was honored by the National Association of Asian American Professionals of San Francisco when it hosted a fundraiser to benefit its programs, as well as three other non-profit organizations, the Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach (APILO), the Asian American Theater Company (AATC) and the Sing Scholarship Fund.

New Memorial at Lands End
The National Park Service unveiled two new granite plaques at the USS San Francisco memorial at Lands End during Memorial Day weekend ceremonies held May 30.

The two new plaques explain the role the USS San Francisco played during World War II. The ship was the lead combatant in a battle of two great convoys at the Battle of Guadalcanal on Nov. 13, 1942. During the battle, the only two admirals killed during W.W. II died, including Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan, who died on the bridge of the USS San Francisco. In all, more than 6,000 men died in the fight between Japan's 14 warships and the United States' 13 ships. The battle, which is the only major naval engagement to take place in the pitch black of night, lasted 24 minutes.

The bridge was removed from the ship and mounted at Lands End as a memorial.

Perfect!
The SF Indians Little League baseball team completed the first undefeated season in San Francisco Little League history by defeating the Mill Valley Rangers in Woodacre June 18.

The Indians and Rangers were tied 2-2 going into the final inning of their battle for the District 3 TOC title (San Francisco and Marin counties). After A.J. Cucalon singled to left, he was moved to second base on an infield hit by Gianni Santiamauro. With the go-ahead run on second and one out, Richmond District resident Andy Rosenstein smashed a run-scoring double over the head of the Rangers' left fielder. An insurance run scored when Ben Kozakiewicz grounded out, giving the Indians a 4-2 lead.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, hurler Connor Cucalon shut the Rangers down to cap a perfect 22-0 season. Other pitchers that combined for the victory were Jack Klein and Ian Fallahee.

Other members of the SF Indians are Jordy Byers, Jordan Lee, Forrest McBride, Thomas Pritchett and Denis Shanagher. The minor-league team was coached by Tony Cucalon and Tom Klein.

Free Lunches Available During Summer
Fifteen million children nationwide receive free or reduced-priced meals during the school year through the National School Lunch Program. Yet only two million receive meals during the summer.

The Summer Food Service Program, in conjunction with the SFUSD and the Mayor's Department of Children Youth and their Families, fills this summer-time nutrition gap for children under the age of 18. Ongoing, through July 23, a number of school sites offer lunches, including Francis Scott Key Elementary School, Abraham Lincoln High School and the Richmond and Sunset district Beacon Centers, from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Lunches are also available at the A.P. Giannini Middle School from 12:30 p.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information, visit www.summerfood.usda.gov.

Conservatory Needs Docents
Members of the public who are friendly, welcoming and eager to learn and share information about the historic and elegant Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park are welcome to serve as children's docents. Interested individuals will need to commit to one year of service and participate in informational and interactive training sessions, held one weekday morning a week for six weeks. At the completion of the training, docents will lead school children on at least two scheduled tours through the Conservatory per month on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday mornings.

For more information or to apply to be a docent, call Michele Canning at 750-5226 or e-mail Michele@frp.org.

Early Ocean Movies Sought
Public television station KQED has begun production on an hour-long documentary about the issues facing California's coastline, such as development, beach erosion, beach access and seawalls, and the history of coastline activism.

Producers seek the community's help in the form of home movies taken from the early 1900s through 1980. Scenes taken anywhere along the coast are welcome - Pacifica, Solana Beach, Malibu, the Gaviota area and Fort Bragg and Mendocino in particular - highlighting people enjoying the beach, surfing, playing in the water and more.

Footage of protests centered around coastal development, support of the Coastal Act (Proposition 20) or the oil spills of the late '60s and early '70s are especially welcome. For more information or to suggest possible leads, call Associate Producer Sheraz Sadiq at 553-2856 or e-mail ssadiq@kqed.org.