Sunnyside’s Muni crosstown connection, the 23-Monterey, was suspended during the first year of Covid, and then only partially restored later, with a terminus in West Portal.
Now SFMTA has announced that in March 2022, this route, which connects Bayview to Ocean Beach and the SF Zoo by way of Sunnyside, will return to its original full length.
An update on the local efforts to help the survivors of the Monterey Blvd fire on June 7th, from Katherine Carlin.
This tragedy brought Sunnyside together in a truly beautiful way. Residents raised over $20,000 in monetary compensation for the displaced families and for the funeral expenses of Yolanda Milton. Other good news is that the building is scheduled to be repaired starting next week, and we have hope that our neighbors will come home after those repairs are done. This is so important because there are children who belong at Sunnyside Elementary when classes return in person in the fall!
I am new to Sunnyside, having moved here from San Mateo in October of 2019. Because Roel and I live next door to the fire (and because I started my career as a community organizer) it felt completely natural to rally everyone in the neighborhood to help. What we didn’t foresee—what really surprised and even overwhelmed us—was the magnitude of people’s kindness and generosity.
When we opened our garage door to accept donations of children’s clothing, gift cards, and cash, we didn’t expect that two hours later, we’d be sorting through and divvying up close to six thousand dollars in cash and gift cards. People came to offer words of comfort, and people from different income levels gave whatever they could. Sunnyside is not a snooty place in San Francisco, it is diverse and it is grounded, and now I can say with authority that the people here look out for and take care of each other.
So much good has come from this tragedy. The five victims themselves have expressed to me, over and over again, that the outpouring of love, support, and financial assistance made them feel less afraid, more held, and safer through a very scary and threatening experience. On a personal level, it’s made me appreciate the heart and spirit of this community. I feel like this is home for us now, and I want to thank everyone who contributed in any way to this effort.
If you loved the feeling of contributing as a community, please stay abreast of the work of Perla Villa for The Sunnyside Community Pantry (find it on Facebook). She not only organized her group to donate significant resources to the fire victims, she’s working to feed families in this neighborhood every day.
–Katherine Carlin
Muni has has announced that starting May 15, a new bus route will serve parts of Sunnyside. The new line, called the 36/52-Special, means the return of portions of two routes that were suspended during Covid-19 core service. It combines parts of 36-Teresita and 52-Excelsior, and operates in loops between Forest Hill Station and Sunnyside. The new line marks the return of the second of the three routes that Sunnyside lost during Covid-19 changes; the 43-Masonic was restored several months ago, but the 23-Monterey remains suspended.
The new line will operate from 8 AM to 8 PM daily. The map shows arrows going only clockwise, but the line also operates counterclockwise. There is an extra loop up Clarendon for the clockwise route.
Here is the Muni page for the new bus. Here is a full description of the route:
Continue reading “Muni Announces New Bus Route for Sunnyside Connections”
With the arrival of Yellow Tier guidelines for San Francisco, businesses on Monterey Blvd are getting close to pre-Covid operations. If you’re feeling more confident these days, consider patronizing our local restaurants, salons, barbershops, cafés, or other businesses.
All but one of the restaurants listed before are open for indoor dining now, though at reduced capacity. Our many local personal service businesses can now operate at full capacity, such as salons, barbers, and spas. There are no restrictions in retail stores except the requirement for masks.
A bit of timely sidewalk art on Monterey Blvd. from local chalkeur Amar Pai.
Sunnyside Neighborhood Association 