MARK YOUR CALENDARS
- Westwood Highlands Association Meetings:
120 Brentwood Ave., 7:30 p.m., September 16, and November 18, 2008 - Westwood Highland Homeowners Association Garage Sale
Saturday and Sunday, September 13 and 14, 2008
DUES
Thanks to all those who have paid their $25 yearly dues already; for those that haven’t, please pay them. All funds are used to preserve Westwood Highlands, keep property values high, maintain our non-profit status, remove trees, plant trees, maintain border markers, and pay dues to the West of Twin Peaks Central Council (since 1936). A detailed treasurer’s report was included in the last newsletter.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
One of my good friends who lives here in the neighborhood was kind of joking with me the other day saying that my ‘President’s Message’ letters are always the same. Well, they have to be. New neighbors have to be welcomed, directors have to be thanked, and many should be reminded that Westwood Highlands always seems to maintain its property values and desirability, even when the rest of the country’s real estate market is slumping.
One of the big reasons that Westwood Highlands remains attractive is that our Covenants, Controls, and Restrictions, that everybody agrees to be is bound by when they take title to their property, is so well written. These CC&Rs are as important and timely now as they were in 1924; even though there are articles in there that are now archaic and somewhat amusing (see restrictions against liquor stills, raising pigs, running asylums, and teaching woodwind instruments). But the restrictions that refer to the size, type, and material of fences and front and side setbacks for example actually help our neighborhood keep it’s particular look and feel. And I think everyone knows the value of the CC&R restrictions against businesses and secondary units.
ANYWAY, here goes. Welcome new neighbors and thank you directors. All residents of Westwood Highlands are welcome to attend our bimonthly meetings and are invited to contact any director at any time as we continue to keep Westwood Highlands a nice, safe, hillside hamlet of single family houses.
— Dave Bisho
TREE REPORT
Planted in the 1920s, the Blackwood Acacia trees have become the symbol of Westwood Highlands. Unfortunately the oldest of the Blackwood Acacia trees are dying off. WHA will continue to remove these dead and dying trees, roots and all free of charge and replace them with the trees that are suitable for this climate. The Board of Directors with a help of an arborist voted to narrow down the list of the trees that will be suggested.
These trees are:
- Black Wood Acacia is still number one choice. Other than doing very well here, it has become a signature tree of Westwood Highlands and would be lovely if the residents keep planting these beautiful trees
- Strawberry Tree
- New Zealand Christmas Tree
- New Zealand Tea Tree
- Flaxleaf paperbark
- Cajeput Tree
If you have a dead or dying Blackwood Acacia tree, please contact director Anya LeGault. anya_legault@hotmail.com
ILLEGAL IN-LAW UNITS
The WHA directors continue to enforce Westwood Highlands CC&Rs, established in 1924, including article IV that restricts the use of each lot in Westwood Highlands to one family. DBI.Complaints@sfgove.org, phone 558-6088 (anonymous calls are OK).
USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS
The city has created 3-1-1 as a phone number for most city service. According to the city Web site, these are some of the services you can contact the city about:
- Graffiti removal
- Pothole repair
- Illegal signs
- Street cleaning
- Illegal dumping
- Sidewalk defect
- Broken news rack
- Overflowing litter receptacle
- Trim a city-owned tree
- Clogged catch basins
- Broken parking meter
- File a Muni passenger compliment
- Report lost & found items on Muni
- Obtain Muni route information
- File a Muni passenger complaint
- Report taxi complaints/compliments
- Report lost & found items on taxis
- Report an abandoned vehicle
- Submit street sign services
- Construction Zone Tow-Away permit
A service request number will be provided to you so that you can track the status of your request by calling 3-1-1.
FUN FACTS/SAN FRANCISCO MAYORS
- In 1848, San Francisco’s first Mayor John Geary changed the name Yerba Buena to San Francisco.
- In 1879, soon-to-be SF Mayor Isaac Smith Kallock was shot twice by Chronicle owner Charles DeYoung. Kollack survived. Later, Mayor Kollock’s son Isaac Milton Kallock entered the Chronicle Building and shot and killed Charles DeYoung. (rough town)
- In 1907 Mayor Eugene Schmitz was found guilty of extortion and sentenced to five years in prison. On appeal he was acquitted when key figures would not testify against him. In 1921 Schmitz ran for supervisor and won, serving four years. (funny town)
What to do with those Meyer’s Lemons?
(The Meyer lemon (Citrus × meyeri) is a citrus fruit, native to China, thought to be a cross between a true lemon and a mandarin orange or sweet orange. (from Wikipedia)
Lemon Pudding Cake (also works well with limes)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place a pan of water into the oven.
3 eggs separated
1 ½ tsp grated lemon peel
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
¼ tsp salt
Whip egg whites.
Beat yolks, peel, juice, milk, sugar, flour and salt until smooth.
Fold in whipped eggs whites.
Pour into ungreased casserole dish.
Set into the pan of water.
Bake 45-50 minutes.
Cake and pudding layers will separate while baking. Overbaking causes mixing of layers. Done when cake is dry and pudding soft.
Are you prepared for an earthquake? Build A Kit
After a major disaster the usual services we take for granted, such as running water, refrigeration, and telephones, may be unavailable. Experts recommend that you should be prepared to be self-sufficient for at least three days. Store your household disaster kit in an easily accessible location. Put contents in a large, watertight container (e.g. a large plastic garbage can with a lid and wheels) that you can move easily.
Your basic emergency kit should include:
- Water – one gallon per person per day
- Food – ready to eat or requiring minimal water
- Manual can opener and other cooking supplies
- Plates, utensils and other feeding supplies
- First Aid kit & instructions
- A copy of important documents & phone numbers
- Warm clothes and rain gear for each family member
- Heavy work gloves
- Disposable camera
- Unscented liquid household bleach and an eyedropper for water purification
- Personal hygiene items including toilet paper, feminine supplies, hand sanitizer and soap
- Plastic sheeting, duct tape and utility knife for covering broken windows
- Tools such as a crowbar, hammer & nails, staple gun, adjustable wrench and bungee cords.
- Blanket or sleeping bag
- Large heavy duty plastic bags and a plastic bucket for waste and sanitation
- Any special-needs items for children, seniors or people with disabilities. Don’t forget water and supplies for your pets.
- A component of your disaster kit is your Go-bag. Put the following items together in a backpack or another easy to carry container in case you must evacuate quickly. Prepare one Go-bag for each family member and make sure each has an I.D. tag. You may not be at home when an emergency strikes so keep some additional supplies in your car and at work, considering what you would need for your immediate safety.
- Flashlight
- Radio – battery operated
- Batteries
- Whistle
- Dust mask
- Pocket knife
- Emergency cash in small denominations and quarters for phone calls
- Sturdy shoes, a change of clothes, and a warm hat
- Local map
- Some water and food
- Permanent marker, paper and tape
- Photos of family members and pets for re-identification purposes
- List of emergency point-of -contact phone numbers
- List of allergies to any drug (especially antibiotics) or food
- Copy of health insurance and identification cards
- Extra prescription eye glasses, hearing aid or other vital personal items
- Prescription medications and first aid supplies
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Extra keys to your house and vehicle
More information on kits and plans:
www.72hours.org
Disaster Survival Solutions’ Earthquake Kit
Quake Kare Emergency Survival Kits
San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Training
Information for Protecting Your Home from Break-Ins
Residence Protection
- Keep all doors locked at night and every time you leave your home.
- Use doors that feature wide-angle peepholes at heights everyone can use.
- If you have glass panels near or in doors, make sure glass is reinforced so they cannot be shattered.
- Make sure the door leading from the attached garage to the house is solid wood or metal-clad and protected with a quality keyed door lock and deadbolt.
- Lock the overhead garage door – do not just rely on an automatic door opener.
- Make sure sliding glass doors have strong, working key locks.
- Keep grills, lawnmowers and other valuables in a locked garage or shed.
- Store firearms unloaded and locked in storage boxes and secured with trigger guard locks.
- Inscribe valuable items, such as televisions, stereos and computers with an identifying number approved by your local police. Most burglars will not steal marked property.
- Have an up-to-date home inventory that includes pictures. Keep a complete copy somewhere outside of the house.
- Never leave a message on your answering machine that indicates you may be away from home.
- If you hear an intruder while at home, leave safely if you can, then call police. If you can’t leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call police. If an intruder is in your room, pretend you are asleep.
- Trim all shrubbery that could conceal criminal activity near doors and windows.
- Consider using timed interior lights and outdoor timed or motion lights to make your home appear occupied when you are away.
- If you park your car outside, never leave a garage door opener inside your vehicle.
- Always lock up ladders and tools. Don’t give a burglar the resources to break into your home.
Keep your valuables safe
- Store high-value items such as jewelry, furs and firearms in a small closet with a solid core door, a non-removable hinge and a deadbolt lock.
- Keep important papers, valuable jewelry and large amounts of cash in a safe deposit box or in home safe.
- Keep gift-wrapped packages hidden from outside view.
- When you purchase new electronic equipment, do not “advertise it.” Break down cartons before discarding.
Look for clues that people may be casing your neighborhood. A strange person ringing doorbells and asking, “Can I speak to Joe” may be checking to see if anyone is home. Also be suspicious if you see someone sitting for long periods in a parked car near your home.
Don’t keep valuables in your bedroom. Crooks normally make a beeline for the bedroom because they know that people tend to keep cash and jewelry there. Keep your valuables in an unlikely place (but not in the linen closet or the freezer as those are also common hiding places).
Make your house difficult for a burglar to enter. Motion-activated lights on a SF home makes burglars think it will take too long or be too noisy to break into your house, the chances are that they will try somewhere else.
Rely on a trusted neighbor to keep a spare key and pick up your mail and newspapers every day while you are on vacation.
Develop rapport with your neighbors. For burglary protection, nothing beats a cautious neighbor who’s ready to call 911.
Install a burglar alarm. The best kind of alarm rings in the house rather than electronically (and silently) reports to a central office. If a burglar gets past your perimeter alarm system, there should be a secondary alarm system inside. One type is a sensor under a rug that goes off when more than 25 pounds of pressure is applied. The other type is a sonic detector that senses motion in a room (best if you don’t have pets).
Photograph and/or videotape valuables, and keep photos and tapes in a safe or secure place outside your home.
San Francisco Safety Awareness – for information on Neighborhood watch, more helpful tips, etc.
WHA Directors
David Bisho , President
Charley Leach, Vice President
Jane Vincent Corbett, Secretary
Anya LeGault, Treasurer
Vince Scardina, Parliamentarian
Webmaster: Jennifer Dees