Real Estate Roundup: Distressed Sales Drop in Most Bay Area Counties

Here’s a look at recent news of interest to homebuyers, home sellers, and the home-curious:

FIVE BAY AREA COUNTIES HAVE FEWEST DISTRESSED SALES IN STATE
The number of distressed home sales decreased across most Bay Area regions from July to August, with five of our local counties seeing the fewest such transactions in California.
According to the California Association of Realtors’ August 2014 pending and distressed sales report, San Mateo County had the fewest distressed sales in the state: just 1 percent. In Marin and Santa Clara counties, distressed properties accounted for 2 percent of sales, followed by Alameda and Contra Costa (both at 3 percent) and Sonoma (4 percent) counties.
Solano is currently the only Bay Area county included in the report with a higher rate of distressed sales than the statewide average of 9 percent.

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PACIFIC UNION RECOGNIZED FOR UNIQUE CUSTOMER-SERVICE INITIATIVE
The National Association of Realtors recently recognized Pacific Union for an innovative customer-service program that our firm has undertaken.
Designed by the Gualala, Calif.-based firm Thank You Very Much Inc., the program will better enable Pacific Union’s full-time staff to provide support to its network of more than 600 real estate professionals in the Bay Area and the Tahoe/Truckee region. Pacific Union CEO Mark A. McLaughlin told NAR that he believes training the firm’s employees to more efficiently assist real estate professionals will ultimately translate into an improved experience for homebuyers and sellers.
“We don’t think we can move the needle on consumer satisfaction until we move it with our internal clients — our salespeople,” McLaughlin said.

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BAY AREA DROUGHT DRAINS ENTHUSIASM FOR SWIMMING POOLS
The prolonged drought that has plagued Northern California for the past three years is helping to put a damper on many Bay Area homeowners’ desire for swimming pools, according to a recent article in the San Jose Mercury News.
The publication says that permits for new pools have declined substantially in both San Jose and Concord. And in Walnut Creek, where summer temperatures often reach 100 degrees, more homeowners are submitting applications to demolish pools than those seeking permits to build them.
Although homeowners cite a variety of other reasons for removing pools – including maintenance and insurance costs and nonuse – the drought is often the deciding factor for some.
“The drought is the last nail in the coffin for the pool,” Zali Lorincz of ZL Construction told the Mercury News.

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NAR WANTS DRONE BAN LIFTED FOR INDUSTRY
Citing keen interest from real estate professionals across the country, NAR is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to amend its rules to allow for the use of drones, according to a HousingWire article.
Currently, the FAA doesn’t allow the use of drones for any commercial purpose, but NAR says it is concerned that continuing to disallow them could impede industry innovation. The organization also stated it believes that addressing national and personal security concerns related to the use of drones won’t pose a problem.
“Properly written regulation would permit the use of UAV technology within the real estate industry, while maintaining safety in the NAS and privacy of citizens,” the organization said in a statement.
(Photo: Flickr/Jeff Turner)

Causwells: Bold flavors at new Marina spot

To see how restaurant design has evolved in the last few decades, you need to look no further than Causwells, the American bistro that replaced the nearly 40-year-old Bechelli’s next to the Presidio Theatre in the Marina.

Two well-charred patties make up the beefy bulk of the burger which is served
                  on a toasted sesame bun with chips. Photo: John Storey, FRE / Special To The Chronicle                 

That diner-like restaurant had a horseshoe counter, black-and-white tile floor and vinyl booths. It also served classic American food that, in its waning years, seemed tired and dated.
Causwells owners Alvin Garcia and Tom Patella started with a similar idea of serving American food — yes, you can get deviled eggs (three halves, $6.25) but, like the rest of the restaurant, even this dish detours from expectations. One is classic, with mustard and paprika; another is piped with dots of avocado mousse; and the third is topped with flakes of smoked trout.
The owners gutted the interior, leaving much of the underbelly intact, including the concrete floor and an unpainted wall between the bar and open kitchen that’s mottled with age. The dining room has close-together wood tables inlaid with granite, and straight-back wood banquettes that are long on style and short on comfort.

Tomato salad with frisee and cornmeal-crusted okra.
                 Photo: John Storey, FRE / Special To The Chronicle                 

In another nod to the restaurant’s heritage, the designers used the fluted pedestal bases of Bechelli’s bar stools as pendant light fixtures, while accent colors pick up the colors of the theater outside the storefront windows. They also added sound panels to the ceiling, so while the noise is robust when the place is full, it’s still possible to have a conversation without shouting.
Chef Adam Rosenblum, who worked in New Orleans and on the East Coast before he ended up as sous chef at Flour + Water last year, serves food that incorporates many of these influences on a shareable menu.

The concrete floor and mottled wall remain as part of the redesigned interior of
              Causwells in S.F. Photo: John Storey, FRE / Special To The Chronicle                 

From the South, there’s a good version of dirty rice ($6.50) with chicken livers and ground pork, and excellent grits with white gulf shrimp and house-made andouille ($13.50). There’s also a nod to Parker House rolls ($4.50), but rye flour makes them dense and chewy instead of soft and buttery. Doughnuts from nearby All Star Donuts go into the bread pudding ($8.25), truly the way to end the meal.
Rosenblum makes pastrami ($14.75), which is cut into four smoky cubes, offset by a line of rye bread crumbs, swirls of creamy mustard and quenelles of onion jam. It all comes together in a breezy, modern way.
His hamburger ($14.50) features two well-charred patties sandwiching slices of American cheese; it’s served on a toasted sesame bun with Thousand Island-like sauce spiked with cayenne. It’s admirably thick, juicy and messy, but the anemic potato chips alongside don’t do it justice. I’ll take fries any day, but you won’t find them on the Causwells menu.
The chef’s fine-dining chops show on such preparations as roasted eggplant ($12.50) where pieces of the vegetable are arranged on a puree with a thick puddle of gypsy peppers, a few fresh cranberry beans and crunchy hazelnuts. He also pairs grilled octopus ($15.75) with garbanzo beans, licorice accents from fennel and just a dash of chile. It’s good, but needs a brightening jolt of acid.
The presentation bisects the square plate, as does the tomato salad ($12.50). But there the similarity ends. The chunks of tomato are arranged with frisee, deep-fried cornmeal-crusted okra, Jimmy Nardello peppers and squiggles of melon vinaigrette. It shows how Rosenblum blends cultures in distinctive ways.
However, not everything measures up, including chewy, bland steak tartare ($15) with an unfortunate sweet note. I’d skip it and head for the house-made ricotta ($9.75) drizzled with rosemary honey and flanked by crispy lavash.
The large plates also include a sliced brined chicken breast ($18.50) with the excellent dirty rice and a natural sauce made with \pPilsner; it’s a pleasant combination. There’s also grilled steak ($22.50) with tiny potatoes and salsa verde, and a fillet of wild king salmon ($21.50) with brown butter on a corn salad.
It’s the type of bold food that’s become popular as bars and restaurants merge into a single entity and make a diner crave a well-made Manhattan or a shot of Tequila. However, Causwells offers just beer and wine, which can be a slight letdown given the tenor of the surroundings and the food. However, they make up for it with a strong 20-item by-the-glass list ($8-$15) and 27 bottle choices, four draft beers ($5-$6) and 18 bottled beers.
Service, like the food, is more evolved than you’ll find in many bar-restaurant hybrids. The sequence of dishes is well timed, and the staff brings utensils for sharing, although at times we needed to ask for fresh plates.
In many ways, the eclectic menu might seem a little disjointed, but Rosenblum brings it together in a way that honors his background, his current surroundings and the restaurant’s heritage. Yes, it would have been nice for Bechelli’s to have survived, but Causwells is a fine follow-up.
★★½
Causwells
Food: ★★½
Service: ★★½
Atmosphere: ★★ ½
Prices: $$
Noise rating:
Four Bells

2346 Chestnut St. (at Scott Street), S.F.

(415) 447-6081.

www.causwells.com

Lunch and dinner 11:30 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday-Friday, brunch and dinner 9 a.m.-1 a.m Saturday-Sunday.
Beer and wine. 3% S.F. surcharge. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted. Easy street parking.


For a complete photo set and original article, visit:  http://www.sfgate.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Causewells-Bold-flavors-at-new-Marina-spot-5767397.php#photo-6877118

Tenderloin upstart Book & Job aims to level the art-gallery playing field

 

Carson Lancaster is tired of the bullshit. He’s tired of watching the same handful of mainstream galleries hang the same artists and shun a majority of San Francisco’s young, talented artists. “It’s like that scene in Scanners. You know, the one where the guy’s head explodes? That’s what it feels like every time I walk into one of those places,” he said.

Lancaster is the owner of Book & Job, an art gallery that seeks to do exactly the opposite: make San Francisco’s art market accessible to both artists and consumers. Located on Geary and Hyde Streets, Book & Job blends into the grit of the Tenderloin and in no way resembles the blue-chip megaliths huddled toward Union Square. The space is tiny. There’s no team of attractive sales people standing at the entrance, no bubbly event photographers milling around, no tuxedos, and no free champagne.
However, it isn’t uncommon to see a small throng of young people spilling from the entrance on a given Saturday night, or passers-by (likely coming from galleries down the street) stopping in their tracks to gander at the commotion — looking for something, anything, that slightly resembles uncharted territory: candid photographs from inside of a ramshackle San Francisco mosque, say, or a couple of naked male performers feeding each other wedding cake while dancing to Celine Dion. That, Lancaster feels, is an art scene.

Which is why Lancaster is all ears if an artist wants to show work at Book & Job. Though it began mainly for photographers, in the past couple of years the small gallery has broadened its horizons to include just about anything — paintings, zines, and performances. “People come in all the time and say, ‘I like this place because it’s pure, because it’s real, because it’s no bullshit,” he continued. “It’s known in the community as the no bullshit gallery.”

Sat/13, Lancaster's walls will feature work from an analog photography club called Find Rangers, which sent out an open call to artists around the world. Lancaster and a group of colleagues started the club for many of the same reasons he opened his gallery. “It’s a grassroots affair,” he said. 
As a former photography student at Academy of Art University, Lancaster wondered why many of the best students would flee San Francisco after graduating, but he eventually came to a realization: “The San Francisco art scene sucks. It is very close-minded, unfriendly, not open to interpretation, set in the same ways. And for young artists at CCA [California College of the Arts], SFAI [San Francisco Art Institute], and Academy of Art, to go to an art gallery in the city [and inquire about showing their work], they’re going to be told to go fuck themselves in so many words.”

Lancaster spoke of a disconnect between San Francisco's relatively insular gallery scene and the high number of art students in the area. From 2002 to 2012, San Francisco received more art funding per capita than any another city in the nation, according to a 2014 study released by the Cultural Policy Center at the University of Chicago. And yet, the city's abundance of talented artists cannot break in and are thus forced to seek greener pastures, usually in New York or Los Angeles.

Lancaster believes that this is largely because art galleries in San Francisco have tight business models, and that giving artists a chance just doesn’t allow them to stay afloat. These galleries, he said, would rather show artists they know can sell. “They have their roster of artists,” he explained. “December is Ferris Plock, or September is Jay Howell or Mike Giant, and it's the same names over and over again. It’s more like a meat factory. It’s the meat aisle.”

This is especially prevalent nowadays, Lancaster explained, as many of the higher-end galleries are struggling themselves with out-of-control rents and the city’s shifting cultural values. In the past year, particularly downtown, a rash of galleries have either relocated or completely shuttered.

But Lancaster isn’t worried about Book & Job. His lease is written such that his rent stays fixed — and relatively low — until 2022. For next eight years, Book & Job cannot be priced out, even as the neighborhood continues to transform around it. “This is place is blowing up,” he said, pointing out the new cafés and restaurants that are now sprouting up around the Tenderloin. All the same, in the coming years Book & Job will serve as a small preservation of what remains of city’s DIY ethos, a channel through which local artists can be discovered without having to flee the city. 

“It’s a really nervy thing to do," Sarah Barsness, one of Lancaster’s former Academy of Art teachers, says of the gallery. She explained that it’s extremely difficult to open a successful art gallery in the city, let alone one as “subversive” as Book & Job. “He's doing the thing that you’re never supposed to do, which is having a lot of work that he sells for nothing, and spreading it out to a different, broader population — younger people and fellow students,” she explained. 

She even compared Lancaster to Andy Warhol and other pioneers of the pop art movement, who sought to strip art of its “preciousness” and “elitism” by selling prints for pennies on the dollar. Ultimately, Barsness explained, this made art more democratic. “It’s really important right now because we’re at a high point of elitists,” she said. “It’s over the top.”

By making art more democratic, she explained, galleries like Book & Job “bring artists back into the conversation,” making art more about art and less about business. But Barsness believes many San Francisco galleries have always operated this way. “San Francisco collectors are notorious for not buying San Francisco art,” she said, explaining that galleries have had to survive by bringing in work from other cities. 

While Barsness feels that the economic cards are not stacked in Lancaster’s favor, she feels that Book & Job embodies much of what art stands for. “Art is not supposed to preach. It's supposed to show you an alternative way of thinking, so that questions emerge," she said. “[Book & Job] is a little work of art, in that sense, making you ask: Do galleries have to operate this way? Is it wrong to have galleries operate this way? And why is it wrong?”

For Lancaster, however, Book & Job’s place in the art world isn't so much subversive as it is deeply personal. In March, Lancaster found his close friend, renowned San Francisco artist Shawn Whisenant, dead from a health issue in the back room of the gallery, where he had been sleeping. Whisenant was a San Francisco street artist and photographer and one of the last “true” San Francisco artists, according to KQED’s Kristin Farr, who remembered him fondly after his passing.
And for Lancaster, Whisenant’s artistic ethos of "no B.S." will always shape how Book & Job is run. A day doesn't go by in which Lancaster doesn’t think about what Whisenant would have done. “He’s the angel and devil on my shoulder,” he said.

The room in which Whisenant died has been converted into a dark room, and for now Lancaster plans to share it with other like-minded photographers and use it to hone his own skills. “If someone is checking their phone and they see my open call [for a Find Rangers Camera Club exhibit], and they dust off their camera and buy a roll of film, I’m doing something right,” he said. “That’s not just me selling a booklet to help pay rent, that’s helping someone’s creativity … and that’s really cool.”

Find Rangers Camera Club exhibit
Sat/13, 7-11pm
Book & Job Gallery
838 Geary, SF
www.book-job.com


For Original Article:  http://www.sfbg.com/pixel_vision/2014/09/09/tenderloin-upstart-book-job-aims-level-art-gallery-playing-field 

Unemployment Drops in All Nine Bay Area Counties as Summer Ends

The Bay Area economy was riding high as summer came to a close, with August unemployment rates down from the previous month in all nine of our local counties, according to the latest figures from the California Economic Development Department. And that can only be promising news for our local real estate markets as the busy fall season gets going.

As in July, every Bay Area county posted a lower unemployment rate that the California average of 7.4 percent on a nonseasonally adjusted basis, which was unchanged from the preceding month. Bay Area counties were the only ones in the state to boast unemployment rates of less than 5 percent, which many economists believe indicates that a market has reached full employment.

Marin County continued to have the state’s lowest percentage of unemployed workers, at 4.2 percent, followed by San Mateo (4.3 percent), San Francisco (4.7 percent), and Napa (4.8 percent) counties. In the other five Bay Area counties, unemployment ranged from 5.4 percent in Sonoma County to 6.8 percent in Solano County.

The EDD’s recent Labor Day briefing says that California has regained all of the 1.33 million jobs it lost during the Great Recession in June of this year. July marked the 53rd consecutive month of statewide employment growth, and California now has about 43,000 more nonagricultural jobs than it did at its prerecession peak in July 2007.

According to the briefing, the Bay Area has played an instrumental role in the state’s employment growth.

“Buoyed by its high technology and information industries, the San Francisco Bay Area Region has led California’s economic expansion,” the agency wrote in its report.
Between July 2010 and July 2014, Bay Area nonfarm jobs expanded by 13 percent, what the EDD calls “far and away the largest four-year job gain of any of California’s economic regions.” The Bay Area was the only major region to best the state’s four-year job growth, which clocked in at 8.9 percent.

Despite the Bay Area’s plentiful technology jobs, the EDD’s 10-year regional job-growth forecast projects that the largest local employment gains between 2010 and 2020 will occur in the hospitality and tourism sector, with nearly 186,000 total positions. The information and communications technology industry is expected to open about 160,000 jobs in that same time frame, while the retail sector will provide a total of nearly 137,000 positions.


(Photo: Flickr/Thompson Rivers University)

ANIMAL RIGHTS, BREAKING NEWS: Pet Stores Opt For Rescue Dogs Over Puppy Mill Dogs! This Is HUGE!

It’s no secret that puppy mills are evil places. Before being shipped to commercial pet stores, the conditions in which animals are forced to live are often dangerous, nightmarish and foul. Tragically, only about half of the puppies born into puppy mills survive, and many others suffer from a host of serious illnesses as a result, including respiratory infections, parasites and contagious viruses — not to mention the toll it takes on their emotional and mental health.

Take these staggering statistics from the ASPCA:

- There are about 10,000 puppy mills in the country. Of those, 20-30 percent are U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed breeders licensed to sell to stores.

- Each year, approximately 2.7 million animals are euthanized: 1.2 million dogs and 1.4 million cats.

- It is impossible to determine how many stray dogs and cats live in the United States; estimates for cats alone range up to 70 million.

- More than two million dogs from puppy mills are sold each year.

More recently, there’s been a growing trend among animal lovers who are choosing to adopt animals, rather than looking to breeders and pet stores. Not only are consumers catching on to the anti-puppy mill movement, but with all the sick puppy mill dogs, it’s simply a horrible “business” model. So now, in a landmark move, commercial pet stores in the Philadelphia area have begun moving in the same direction, forgoing their traditional sales of brokered animals in favor of working with animal rescue organizations! It’s wonderful!

“We don’t feel comfortable selling brokered puppies.”

Philadelphia pet-shop owner Michael Gill was nursing his new English bulldog mix puppy that was suffering from parvo, a lethal canine virus contracted from a Missouri dog distributor. One after the other, puppies were coming into Michael’s store with terrible illnesses, and many even died. “It was the single worst experience I’ve had with animals in 20 years,” said Michael, owner of We Love Pets in Media.

According to Philly.com, “Gill decided to stop buying dogs from commercial breeders and opted for rescue dogs from shelters, a trend the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) said was catching on. ‘It’s been a bumpy ride,’ said Gill of the change in his business model, which also has required renovations at his Media and Springfield stores to accommodate the more mature and larger rescue dogs. ‘It’s much more rewarding. We don’t feel comfortable selling [brokered] puppies.’” And, get this: Gill now works with one of the activists who picketed his store almost every weekend for years! Patricia Biswanger, board president of the Chester County SPCA, said she didn’t hesitate when Gill offered the SPCA space for shelter dogs and other animals.

A growing trend… and we LOVE it!

Gill’s two locations aren’t the only pet stores in the Philly area to convert. PetsPlus stores, which has 10 locations(!), are also beginning to take in rescue dogs!

Scores of counties around the country are continuing to ban the sale of commercially raised puppies in pet stores, including Albuquerque, N.M.; Austin, Texas; Chicago; El Paso, Texas; Toledo, Ohio; San Diego; Los Angeles; and the state of Florida. In New Jersey, Brick, Manasquan, Point Pleasant, Point Pleasant Beach, and North Brunswick.

Please SHARE this important news!

Harley, a 13 year old Chihuahua and an iconic figure in the world of puppy mill awareness through social media, spent 10 years as a commercial breeder in a puppy mill. His one-eyed, grizzled image is immediately recognizable, due primarily to the fact he lost an eye being power washed at the puppy mill.

 

Born without eyes, Smiley spent the first half of his life in a puppy mill.

 

Pit-mix Stella was rescued and adopted. She's now one happy and loved dog.

Read more at http://www.littlethings.com/pet-stores-opt-for-rescue-dogs-over-puppy-mill-dogs-this-is-huge/?gs6ZqjCdALczW8WV.99

Major Bay Area Cities Score High Marks for Walkability, Bike-Friendliness, and Public Transit

As is common in most other major U.S. metropolitan areas, Bay Area highways are susceptible to traffic jams and bottlenecks. But thankfully, both San Francisco and Oakland rank high for walking, biking, and public transportation, a factor that helps increase a city’s livability and desirability and in turn drives real estate demand.
WalkScore, an online service that ranks cities and neighborhoods based on amenities within a quarter-mile distance from homes, rates San Francisco as the third most walkable city in the U.S. of the 141 included in its rankings, with an overall score of 83.9 of a possible 100. According to the company, San Francisco is the highest-rated West Coast city for walkability.
Oakland ranked as the 11th most walkable city in the country, with a score of 68.5, and is the third-highest-rated city on the West Coast, behind Seattle.
The three San Francisco neighborhoods with the highest walkability scores are all located in the city’s densely packed northeastern corner: Chinatown (100), the Financial District (99), and Downtown (99). In Oakland, the three most walkable neighborhoods are found in the central part of the city: Civic Center (98), Chinatown (97), and Downtown (97).

Walk Score also calls San Francisco the third most bike-friendly city in the U.S., with a Bike Score of 70. Since the company’s scoring methodology accounts for terrain, San Francisco’s most bike-friendly neighborhoods are ones that lack the city’s famed hills: South of Market (96), the Mission, (94), and Yerba Buena (93).

In terms of access to public transportation, San Francisco ranks No. 2 in the U.S., with a score of 80.5., slightly behind New York City. Six San Francisco neighborhoods received perfect Transit Scores as calculated by the company: Chinatown, the Financial District, Downtown, the Tenderloin, Yerba Buena, and South Beach.

Walk Score rates Oakland’s access to public transportation as the nation’s 13th best, giving the city a Transit Score of 54.3. Not surprisingly, Oakland’s top three neighborhoods for public transportation lie within close proximity of one of the city’s two downtown BART stations.


(Photo: Flickr/Mohamed Yahya)

Best Burgers of SF for National Chesseburger Day

The Burger and Fries at The Corner Store.

 The "Manly Burger" at Umami Burger.

 The cheeseburger from Red's Java House.

The cheeseburger at Chambers Eat + Drink.

For a complete list of the top burgers in San Francisco; check out Sfgate: http://www.sfgate.com/food/slideshow/A-Taste-of-SF-Cheeseburgers-70413/photo-5203884.php

Photography in Mexico from the Collection of SFMOMA

Bakersfield Museum of Art, September 11, 2014 - January 04, 2015

This traveling exhibition of photographs from SFMOMA's collection reveals a distinctively rich and diverse tradition of photography in Mexico. It begins with works from the medium's first artistic flowering in the wake of the Mexican Revolution (1910-20) and goes on to explore the explosion of the illustrated press at midcentury; the documentary investigations of cultural traditions and urban politics that emerged in the 1970s and 1980s; and more recent considerations of urban life and globalization. Featuring approximately 75 photographs, Photography in Mexico includes works by Lola Álvarez Bravo, Manuel Álvarez Bravo, Manuel Carrillo, Graciela Iturbide, Elsa Medina, Tina Modotti, Pablo Ortiz Monasterio, Edward Weston, and Mariana Yampolsky, among others. This presentation at the Bakersfield Museum of Art is part of an unprecedented tour of works from SFMOMA's renowned photography collection to communities throughout California while our building is closed for expansion.

Source: http://www.sfmoma.org/exhib_events/exhibitions/586#ixzz3Dd9Xvnpv
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Bay Area Home Inventory Inches Up in August

The amount of homes on the market increased modestly across the Bay Area as summer came to a close, while prices and sales volume headed in the opposite direction.

According to the California Association of Realtors’ August home sales and price report, the months’ supply of inventory (MSI) for single-family homes across the nine-county Bay Area rose to 2.6 in August, up from 2.4 in July and 2.3 from one year ago.

Across California, the MSI increased to from 3.8 in July to 4.0 in August, indicating that the statewide real estate market is beginning to reach a more balanced condition. Generally speaking, an MSI below 4 is considered favorable to sellers. It begins to skew toward buyers once it rises above 6.

Inventory expanded in every Bay Area county from July to August, although gains in most regions were slight. Napa County saw the largest month-over-month inventory spike, with the MSI moving from 4.8 to 6.7. In most counties, inventory was also up year over year, excluding Marin and San Mateo Counties, where the MSI declined.

Despite the trickle of extra homes for sale, five Bay Area counties still have the lowest supply in California.San Mateo County had the fewest available homes for sale in the state in August, with an MSI of 1.9.Alameda and Santa Clara counties tied for the second smallest MSI in California – 2.2 – followed by Contra Costa (2.4), Marin (2.8), and San Francisco (2.9) counties.

A few more homes on the market in August didn’t translate into more sales, with sales volume down 10.6 percent from July across the nine-county region. Homes sales decreased in every Bay Area county from July to August, ranging from 27.7 percent in Napa County to 1.4 percent in Marin County. With the exception of Contra Costa County, sales volume is also down in all local counties from August 2013.

The median home sales price dipped 2.3 percent in the Bay Area from July to August, landing at $742,900. Seven counties saw the median sales price slip from July to August, with only Alameda and Santa Clara reporting slight appreciation.

But the modest month-over-month price declines were not enough to dethrone our local counties as the most expensive in California for homebuyers. San Mateo County had the highest median sales price in the state in August, at exactly $1,000,000. Marin County ranked No. 2, with a median sales price of $977,460, followed by San Francisco ($900,910) and Santa Clara ($865,000) counties.

(Photo: Flickr/Woodleywonderworks)

Yao Ming Urges China to ‘Say No To Ivory and Rhino Horn’ With New Film

BEIJING, China (August 8, 2014) -- Celebrities, conservationists, political officials and the media gathered for a special premiere screening of “The End of the Wild,” a new documentary that follows basketball legend and committed conservationist Yao Ming on a fact-finding mission into the heart of Africa’s wildlife conservation crisis. Both Yao Ming and Peter Knights of WildAid (who accompanied Yao on his 12-day trip through Kenya and South Africa) addressed the media and were joined by representatives from CCTV, which is airing “The End of the Wild,” and CITIC Publishing Group, which is releasing the film’s companion book, “Journey in Africa."
Yao visited Kenya and South Africa in August of 2012 to learn about the poaching crisis and witness the dramatic toll that poaching is taking not only on Africa’s endangered elephant and rhinoceros populations, but also on the human communities that coexist with them. “End of the Wild” follows Yao as he meets wild elephants and rhinos before encountering the butchered bodies of five poached elephants in Kenya and a poached rhino in South Africa. In Nairobi, Kenya, Yao tours the “ivory room,” an underground vault filled with thousands of confiscated elephant tusks and other wildlife remains. He also visits local school children, whose education is funded by revenue from wildlife tourism, and meets with conservationists and government officials working to protect these endangered species.
“The End of the Wild” aired in two parts on CCTV-9 on August 11 at 9:00 p.m. (21:00 CST) and August 17 at 10:00 p.m. (22:00 CST). Part one focuses on elephants and the ivory trade; part two shines a light on the recent explosion of rhino poaching.
A BIG STEP IN THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST IVORY AND RHINO HORN
In April 2013, Yao launched the “Say No to Ivory” and the “Say No to Rhino Horn” campaign with WildAid, the African Wildlife Foundation, and Save the Elephants. He has been a leader in the effort to reduce demand for ivory and rhino horn, and has been featured in television ads and billboards. WildAid’s elephant ivory public awareness messages have aired 7,697 times on over 25 television channels in 2013 amounting to US$15 million in-kind broadcast value. This is the amount certified by the media monitoring firm CTR and does not include several major media outlets and could account for only 50% of the actual total broadcast value.
In March 2014, Yao delivered a petition during the opening session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) asking China’s government to ban sales of ivory. The “End of the Wild” documentary is yet another big step in Yao Ming and WildAid’s effort to save endangered species by encouraging the public to stop buying wildlife products. In the documentary Yao clearly states his intent, "I believe what people will see in those pictures, [they] will remember it. That's what we're here for: film this, bring it back home ... and show everybody the reality."
“With this film, Yao is helping to spread the word about the ecological and human costs of the illegal wildlife trade,” explains Peter Knights, Executive Director of WildAid. “We hope that with more public awareness and support, that China will become a true global leader in conservation and help save elephants and rhinos.”
Yao previously helped to reduce China’s demand for shark fin through his campaign with WildAid. He appeared in public service messages that have reached hundreds of millions of consumers throughout China on broadcast and satellite television, LCD screens on trains and in subway and railway stations, airports, airline in-flight entertainment, shopping malls, banks, taxis, and universities and hospitals. Yao’s messages helped change public opinion and encouraged President Xi’s administration to ban shark fin from state banquets. A 2013 survey revealed that 85% of respondents in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu had stopped eating shark fin soup within the last three years. Sixty-five percent of those who quit shark fin cited public awareness campaigns as a reason.
BACKGROUND ON THE CRISIS AND THE DEMAND THAT DRIVES IT
An estimated 33,000 elephants are killed each year for their tusks, and 95% of the world’s rhinos have been lost over the past 40 years. Growing demand in China and Southeast Asia is driving sharp increases in poaching. In China, ivory is prized as a status symbol by the nation’s growing affluent and middle classes, and the country’s legal market perpetuates demand and provides a laundering mechanism for illegal, poached ivory from Africa. Rhino horn is highly sought after for purported health benefits. In Vietnam, rhino horn has a reputation as a cancer treatment and a hangover cure regardless of the fact that the horn is composed of keratin (the same substance as human hair and fingernails).
Online media kit:

• “The End of the Wild” promotional trailer: http://vimeo.com/64118789 
• 30 second PSA featuring Yao Ming, Prince William and David Beckham: http://youtu.be/xjMRURFab1I?list=UU5GSQ5TZ6mfck3HUZIlzvBg
• Travel blog of Yao’s journey to Africa: http://yaomingblog.com/
• CNN segment and interview with Yao Ming on his trip to Africa: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/world/2014/01/08/pkg-watson-china-big-man-fights-ivory-trade.cnn.html
• WildAid’s elephant program: http://www.wildaid.org/elephants
• WildAid’s rhino program: http://www.wildaid.org/rhinos

Article and Photo Courtesy of:  http://wildaid.org/ 

Low Mortgage Rates Linger Longer Than Expected

Good news for homebuyers: Interest rates for home loans continue to linger at historically low levels, extending a rare opportunity to get a mortgage at rates that can shave hundreds of thousands of dollars off payments over the life of the loan.
Bankers and economists last year had forecast mortgage rates to climb higher in 2014 and top 5 percent by the end of the year. But the reverse happened, and rates today on a 30-year mortgage are nearly one-half of a percentage point lower than where they stood a year earlier.
Today’s low rates give another chance at homeownership to Bay Area residents who were outbid on properties during the frenzied real estate scene of 2013 and early 2014.
Since then, the number of all-cash investors has dropped significantly and the supply of homes on the market has gradually expanded — both signaling new opportunities, especially for first-time buyers.

Freddie Mac reported late last week that 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 4.12 percent, down from 4.57 percent last year at this time, and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 3.26 percent, down from 3.59 percent one year ago.

Surprisingly, mortgage rates aren’t too much higher than when they fell to a record low of 3.31 percent in November 2012. By comparison, mortgage rates averaged 7 to 9 percent in the 1990s and 10 percent in the ’80s.

Last year, Pacific Union explained how rising mortgage rates can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to total house payments over the life of a loan.

Even with increasing home prices, buyers who take advantage of today’s low mortgage rates can still find a bargain. But it’s a wise move to act fast. How long these low rates will linger is a question that even bankers and economists cannot reliably answer.

(Image: Flickr/401(K) 2012)

Lazy Bear’s brick-and-mortar restaurant comes into focus

It’s been about five months since Hi Lo BBQ closed, and Lazy Bear began to move into the picturesque 19th Street space.

Now, chef-partner David Barzelay and company are nearing completion of their brick-and-mortar space, with a September 25 opening date on the books, though there will be preview dinner starting this weekend. Similar to Lazy Bear’s popular pop-up dinners, which employed a lottery system, the restaurant will use a ticketing system; to be precise, it will use a customized version of Alinea’s pre-paid ticketing system.

“With a restaurant of our size, if a party of six no showed, that was catastrophic not only from a financial standpoint, but also for the energy in the room, because we seat communally,” explains Barzelay. As soon as they decided to do a tasting menu format in the restaurant, the ticketing system “was an immediate no-brainer.” Also, he adds that he’s relieved that there will be no more lottery system, as customers should be.

Part of the customization of the ticketing system will allow for solo diners, which Barzelay says plays well in the communal dining environment. “That party of one is your best diner, because they cared enough to come alone and try your food.”

Tickets go on sale September 19 at noon sharp. To start, Lazy Bear will release a week’s worth. The next release will be for two weeks of dinners, and eventually, the plan is to do it a month at a time.

The 40-seat Lazy Bear will be open Wednesday through Sunday, and each night will have two seatings (6:15pm, 8:15pm). Like the pop-up dinners, it will be a communal affair. Diners will be seated at one of two 22-foot-long tables, fashioned out of American elm slabs.

There is only one tasting menu option per night: $120/person, 12-18 courses. The BYOB option at the pop-up dinners is no longer available, replaced instead by three different beverage options ($60-$80): wine pairing, cocktail pairing and mixed pairing.

[Sidenote: Is this the first Bay Area tasting menu restaurant to offer a full cocktail pairing?]

The Lazy Bear staff is coming together, too.

Former AQ pastry chef Maya Erickson has resurfaced here. On the drinks side, the sommelier is Marie-Louise Friedland (Uchi, Quince) and the bar manager is Brandon Presbury (Locanda, Bartlett Hall). Oh, and expect Presbury to embrace Lazy Bear’s communal dining theme with punches aplenty.

For more on Lazy Bear’s history, do check out Jonathan Kauffman’s July profile, as well as these pretty snapshots from a dinner there:

 Article and Photos Sourced From:  http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2014/09/11/lazy-bears-brick-and-mortar-restaurant-comes-into-focus/#26687-7

Restoration of Second Floor Murals at Coit Tower Complete

SAN FRANCISCO, August 25, 2014 – The San Francisco Arts Commission and Recreation & Park Department announce the completion of the restoration of Coit Tower’s seven second floor murals. The second floor restoration work, which was led by Architectural Resources Group (ARG) Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal Fine Art Conservation, is the final piece in what has been the most extensive restoration effort in the Tower’s 80-year history. Accessible only to guided tour groups due to limited space capacity, the second floor murals include renowned W.P.A artist Lucien Labaudt’s sweeping panorama of Powell Street and the Tower’s only fresco-secco mural by Jane Berlandina, which has been restored for the first time. The professionally run docent tours run every day of the week and provide an accurate historic account of the murals and the artists responsible for the unique pieces of art. To schedule a tour, please visit coittowertours.com.

“Since the reopening in May, Coit Tower has experienced a renaissance,” said Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny. “We are excited for the public to experience the second floor murals fully restored, especially Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural, which is unlike any other at the Tower in terms of style and medium. I want to thank the Recreation & Park Department for being such great partners throughout this project and ARG Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal and her team for their incredible work.”

“Coit Tower is an international landmark and one of the City’s top destinations with incredible views of the City as well as unique and priceless WPA-era mural,” said Phil Ginsburg, SF Rec and Park General Manager.  “We are proud that in partnership with the SF Arts Commission, we are able to making continuing improvements to the iconic structure.”

During the restoration, the second floor murals were dry-cleaned to remove surface dirt and dust. Areas of gouged plaster and cracks were filled and inpainted, returning the mural surface to near pristine condition. Conservators focused intently on the Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural which is the most materially sensitive artwork in the building and has never undergone previous conservation.  The historic ceiling of the second floor and the stucco surrounds were treated and restored as well.

The second floor best exemplifies how Coit Tower was never conceived as a space to showcase murals when it was built in 1933. The 27 murals that decorate the interior were added in 1934 by artists who were employed by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a precursor to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). To access the second floor, visitors must climb a narrow, curved staircase located off the elevator lobby.

According to David Wessel, principal of Architectural Resources Group, “The second floor mural conservation work required accessing tight, confined spaces and temporarily blocking access to some rooms.  Everyone including the new concessionaire, Arts Commission and Rec and Park worked together wonderfully to assure that conservators were able to work with minimal interruptions.  It was truly a seamless collaboration with all groups working together toward the goal of preserving this fragile cultural resource on the second floor of Coit Tower.”

The staircase to the second floor is flanked by one of Coit Tower’s largest and most magnificent murals, a masterpiece by French-born Lucien Labaudt depicting the hustle and bustle of crowds charging up and down 1930s Powell Street. The mural is highly detailed with many recognizable architectural landmarks, some of which still exist, and with the rich textures and patterns of the clothes worn by Labaudt’s figures (he was also a couturier of high fashion at the time). Powell Street also contains a vignette featuring First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt examining a map of the United States emblazoned with PWAP alongside the architects of the groundbreaking program.

At the top of the stairs are three small vestibules featuring a series of murals depicting outdoor recreation by artists Parker Hall, Edward Terada, Ralph Chesse, Edith Hamlin and Ben F. Cunningham. Covering all four walls of the last room on the second floor is Jane Berlandina’s Home Life. The mural deviates from the other Coit Tower murals in that rather than traditional fresco where pigment is applied to wet plaster, it was painted with egg tempera onto a dry surface. Additionally, unlike her fellow muralists, Berlandina was not a disciple of Diego Rivera, which accounts for her distinct style and choice of subject matter. With its limited color palate of brown, red, white and green, Home Life depicts a family surrounded by the trappings of a comfortable bourgeois life. From the grand piano, to the art on the walls, to the finely dressed dancing couples, this family does not seem to be suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Because it was not included in the last major restoration in 1989-90, this is the first time Home Life has been treated in 80 years.


article and photos sourced from:  http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection/pubart-press-releases/2014/08/25/restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete

SAN FRANCISCO, August 25, 2014 – The San Francisco Arts Commission and Recreation & Park Department announce the completion of the restoration of Coit Tower’s seven second floor murals. The second floor restoration work, which was led by Architectural Resources Group (ARG) Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal Fine Art Conservation, is the final piece in what has been the most extensive restoration effort in the Tower’s 80-year history. Accessible only to guided tour groups due to limited space capacity, the second floor murals include renowned W.P.A artist Lucien Labaudt’s sweeping panorama of Powell Street and the Tower’s only fresco-secco mural by Jane Berlandina, which has been restored for the first time. The professionally run docent tours run every day of the week and provide an accurate historic account of the murals and the artists responsible for the unique pieces of art. To schedule a tour, please visit coittowertours.com.
“Since the reopening in May, Coit Tower has experienced a renaissance,” said Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny. “We are excited for the public to experience the second floor murals fully restored, especially Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural, which is unlike any other at the Tower in terms of style and medium. I want to thank the Recreation & Park Department for being such great partners throughout this project and ARG Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal and her team for their incredible work.”
“Coit Tower is an international landmark and one of the City’s top destinations with incredible views of the City as well as unique and priceless WPA-era mural,” said Phil Ginsburg, SF Rec and Park General Manager.  “We are proud that in partnership with the SF Arts Commission, we are able to making continuing improvements to the iconic structure.”
During the restoration, the second floor murals were dry-cleaned to remove surface dirt and dust. Areas of gouged plaster and cracks were filled and inpainted, returning the mural surface to near pristine condition. Conservators focused intently on the Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural which is the most materially sensitive artwork in the building and has never undergone previous conservation.  The historic ceiling of the second floor and the stucco surrounds were treated and restored as well.
The second floor best exemplifies how Coit Tower was never conceived as a space to showcase murals when it was built in 1933. The 27 murals that decorate the interior were added in 1934 by artists who were employed by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a precursor to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). To access the second floor, visitors must climb a narrow, curved staircase located off the elevator lobby.
According to David Wessel, principal of Architectural Resources Group, “The second floor mural conservation work required accessing tight, confined spaces and temporarily blocking access to some rooms.  Everyone including the new concessionaire, Arts Commission and Rec and Park worked together wonderfully to assure that conservators were able to work with minimal interruptions.  It was truly a seamless collaboration with all groups working together toward the goal of preserving this fragile cultural resource on the second floor of Coit Tower.”
The staircase to the second floor is flanked by one of Coit Tower’s largest and most magnificent murals, a masterpiece by French-born Lucien Labaudt depicting the hustle and bustle of crowds charging up and down 1930s Powell Street. The mural is highly detailed with many recognizable architectural landmarks, some of which still exist, and with the rich textures and patterns of the clothes worn by Labaudt’s figures (he was also a couturier of high fashion at the time). Powell Street also contains a vignette featuring First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt examining a map of the United States emblazoned with PWAP alongside the architects of the groundbreaking program.
At the top of the stairs are three small vestibules featuring a series of murals depicting outdoor recreation by artists Parker Hall, Edward Terada, Ralph Chesse, Edith Hamlin and Ben F. Cunningham. Covering all four walls of the last room on the second floor is Jane Berlandina’s Home Life. The mural deviates from the other Coit Tower murals in that rather than traditional fresco where pigment is applied to wet plaster, it was painted with egg tempera onto a dry surface. Additionally, unlike her fellow muralists, Berlandina was not a disciple of Diego Rivera, which accounts for her distinct style and choice of subject matter. With its limited color palate of brown, red, white and green, Home Life depicts a family surrounded by the trappings of a comfortable bourgeois life. From the grand piano, to the art on the walls, to the finely dressed dancing couples, this family does not seem to be suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Because it was not included in the last major restoration in 1989-90, this is the first time Home Life has been treated in 80 years.
- See more at: http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection/pubart-press-releases/2014/08/25/restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete#sthash.qtNkE2nV.dpuf

SAN FRANCISCO, August 25, 2014 – The San Francisco Arts Commission and Recreation & Park Department announce the completion of the restoration of Coit Tower’s seven second floor murals. The second floor restoration work, which was led by Architectural Resources Group (ARG) Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal Fine Art Conservation, is the final piece in what has been the most extensive restoration effort in the Tower’s 80-year history. Accessible only to guided tour groups due to limited space capacity, the second floor murals include renowned W.P.A artist Lucien Labaudt’s sweeping panorama of Powell Street and the Tower’s only fresco-secco mural by Jane Berlandina, which has been restored for the first time. The professionally run docent tours run every day of the week and provide an accurate historic account of the murals and the artists responsible for the unique pieces of art. To schedule a tour, please visit coittowertours.com.
“Since the reopening in May, Coit Tower has experienced a renaissance,” said Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny. “We are excited for the public to experience the second floor murals fully restored, especially Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural, which is unlike any other at the Tower in terms of style and medium. I want to thank the Recreation & Park Department for being such great partners throughout this project and ARG Conservation Services and Anne Rosenthal and her team for their incredible work.”
“Coit Tower is an international landmark and one of the City’s top destinations with incredible views of the City as well as unique and priceless WPA-era mural,” said Phil Ginsburg, SF Rec and Park General Manager.  “We are proud that in partnership with the SF Arts Commission, we are able to making continuing improvements to the iconic structure.”
During the restoration, the second floor murals were dry-cleaned to remove surface dirt and dust. Areas of gouged plaster and cracks were filled and inpainted, returning the mural surface to near pristine condition. Conservators focused intently on the Jane Berlandina’s Home Life mural which is the most materially sensitive artwork in the building and has never undergone previous conservation.  The historic ceiling of the second floor and the stucco surrounds were treated and restored as well.
The second floor best exemplifies how Coit Tower was never conceived as a space to showcase murals when it was built in 1933. The 27 murals that decorate the interior were added in 1934 by artists who were employed by the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), a precursor to the Works Progress Administration (WPA). To access the second floor, visitors must climb a narrow, curved staircase located off the elevator lobby.
According to David Wessel, principal of Architectural Resources Group, “The second floor mural conservation work required accessing tight, confined spaces and temporarily blocking access to some rooms.  Everyone including the new concessionaire, Arts Commission and Rec and Park worked together wonderfully to assure that conservators were able to work with minimal interruptions.  It was truly a seamless collaboration with all groups working together toward the goal of preserving this fragile cultural resource on the second floor of Coit Tower.”
The staircase to the second floor is flanked by one of Coit Tower’s largest and most magnificent murals, a masterpiece by French-born Lucien Labaudt depicting the hustle and bustle of crowds charging up and down 1930s Powell Street. The mural is highly detailed with many recognizable architectural landmarks, some of which still exist, and with the rich textures and patterns of the clothes worn by Labaudt’s figures (he was also a couturier of high fashion at the time). Powell Street also contains a vignette featuring First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt examining a map of the United States emblazoned with PWAP alongside the architects of the groundbreaking program.
At the top of the stairs are three small vestibules featuring a series of murals depicting outdoor recreation by artists Parker Hall, Edward Terada, Ralph Chesse, Edith Hamlin and Ben F. Cunningham. Covering all four walls of the last room on the second floor is Jane Berlandina’s Home Life. The mural deviates from the other Coit Tower murals in that rather than traditional fresco where pigment is applied to wet plaster, it was painted with egg tempera onto a dry surface. Additionally, unlike her fellow muralists, Berlandina was not a disciple of Diego Rivera, which accounts for her distinct style and choice of subject matter. With its limited color palate of brown, red, white and green, Home Life depicts a family surrounded by the trappings of a comfortable bourgeois life. From the grand piano, to the art on the walls, to the finely dressed dancing couples, this family does not seem to be suffering from the effects of the Great Depression. Because it was not included in the last major restoration in 1989-90, this is the first time Home Life has been treated in 80 years.
- See more at: http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection/pubart-press-releases/2014/08/25/restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete#sthash.qtNkE2nV.dpuf

Docent tour presents second floor murals for public view - See more at: http://www.sfartscommission.org/pubartcollection/pubart-press-releases/2014/08/25/restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=restoration-of-second-floor-murals-at-coit-tower-complete#sthash.qtNkE2nV.dpuf