Neighborhood Clean-ups at 4 Locations on Sept. 8

There was a neighborhood clean-up in the Sunset District on Saturday, Sept. 8, as part of the city’s “Love our city” event.

Local residents were encouraged to attend four sites to get cleaning supplies and marching orders. They were:

• McCoppin Playground, 23rd Avenue and Taraval Street;
• South Sunset Playground, 41st Avenue and Vicente Street;
• Francis Scott Key Elementary School, 42nd Avenue and Kirkham Street;
• Sunset Library, 18th Avenue and Irving Street.

The citywide clean-up, which was from 9 a.m. to noon, is sponsored by the SF Department of Public Works.

For more information, call (415) 641- 2600 or go to the website at http://www.sfgiantsweep.org.

Artist Looking for Votes for‘21st Century Horse’ Painting

Local artist Anne Herbst’s painting, “21st Century Horse,” has been selected as a regional semi-finalist in the Bombay Sapphire Artisan 2018 Competition.

If enough votes are garnered, Herbst’s work will be exhibited at SCOPE in Miami Beach and at the Artisan Series Finale Celebration in December, where the National Grand Prize Winner will be chosen.

 The painting “21st Century Horse.” Courtesy photo.

Herbst is the owner of the Far Out Gallery, located at 3004 Taraval St. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday, from noon-6 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, go to the website at http://www.faroutgallery.com.

Emergency Training (NERT) Coming Up for Outer Sunset

The SF Fire Department is offering a free Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT) certification program at Holy Name of Jesus Church every Tuesday, from 6:30-9:30 p.m., starting Oct. 2 and running through Nov. 6.

The NERT training sessions will be held at the Flanagan Center, which is located at 39th Avenue and Lawton Street.

The training will provide individuals with the basics of personal preparedness and prevention, including hands-on disaster skills. The NERT training is done by professional firefighters and is a free service.

Members of the community who are NERT trained are first responders who can help save lives.

The class outline is:

• Oct. 2: earthquake awareness, preparedness and hazard mitigation;

• Oct. 9: types of fire, hazardous materials/terrorism awareness, utility shut-off;

• Oct. 16: disaster medicine;

 • Oct. 23: light search and rescue;

• Oct. 30: emergency team organization and disaster psychology;

• Nov. 6: hands-on skills application, course review and graduation.

For more information, call (415) 970-2024 or go to the website at www.sfgov.org/sfnert.

Sunset Resident Co-directs Film to be Shown at Film Festival

 A new film, co-directed by Outer Sunset District resident Whitney Horn, will be shown at the Mill Valley Film Festival.

Whitney co-directed “Two Plains & A Fancy” with Lev Kalman. The film features “three tourists search for hot springs in 1893 Colorado who end up cavorting with fashion-forward yokels, erotic ghosts and futuristic time travelers.”

The narrative feature film, shot in 16mm, “is one strange trip through old, weird America.”

For more in information about film screening times or the festival, which is held from Oct. 4-14, go to the website at www.mvff.com.

New Restroom Opens at Boat Playground

A new restroom opened in August at the Boat Playground, located in Golden Gate Park near 45th Avenue and Lincoln Way.

San Francisco Supervisor Katy Tang was on hand for the grand opening celebration on Aug. 25. It featured information, giveaways and a “ceremonial first flush.”

The 45th Avenue Neighborhood Association was instrumental in getting the project done.

Water and Sewer Bills Going Up for Next 4 Years

The SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) will institute an eight percent annual increase, for the next four years, in combined water and sewer rates to pay for maintaining and upgrading the city’s water and sewer systems.

The SFPUC worked with consultants to determine the current and future needs of the system, especially when the city expects a significant increase in residents in the coming decades.

The new rates began on July 1. For more information, call (415) 551-3000.

Upcoming Candidate Forum for District 4 Supervisor

On Saturday, Sept. 8, there will be a debate featuring candidates seeking the job of supervisor for District 4.

“This is a great opportunity for the residents of District 4 to get their questions on important issues answered by the candidates,” said Leah Edwards, president of the League of Women Voters of San Francisco.

The event will held at St. Ignatius College Prep, located at 2001 37th Ave., in the Bannan Theater, from 10 a.m. to noon. Members of the audience will have the opportunity to submit questions during the forum.

The forum is sponsored by the Sunset- Parkside Education and Action Committee (SPEAK), League of Women Voters San Francisco and the Coalition for San Francisco Neighborhoods.

The election to choose the next Sunset-Parkside supervisor, which is a ranked-choice ballot, is on Nov. 6.