SAN FRANCISCO — The Port of San Francisco and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are planning on raising the iconic, historic Ferry Building by as much as seven feet.

The daring plan is an attempt to combat the impacts of sea level rise and extreme weather, both triggered by the climate change, and our warming planet.

How the SF Ferry Building will be raised

“We’re already seeing flooding on the Embarcadero. We know that the Bay is rising; we know that it will continue to rise”, explained Port of San Francisco Director Elaine Forbes.

Earlier this year, according to the United Nation-backed International Panel of Climate Change or IPCC for short, the planet is rapidly approaching a catastrophic threshold of heating. NOAA is tracking the melting of glaciers and ice sheets, as well as the rising ocean waters.

“Humanity is on thin ice, and that ice is melting fast,” said Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres in a recent address.

Port of San Francisco officials have held a series of public meetings with stakeholders along the 7.5 miles of bay coastline under the Port’s control. One neighborhood includes the Ferry Building.

The feedback was clear: those who work and/or live along the Embarcadero waterfront want to see the landmark Ferry Building remain on site and functioning. Currently, it is home to six ferry piers, used by millions of commuters and tourists each year. The Ferry Building also houses 44 different shops and restaurants as well as a world-famous Farmer’s Market.

And less known, it’s 2nd and 3rd floors have 190,000 square feet of offices and meeting spaces.

Port Engineer and member of the Water Resilience Team Steve Reel joined Juliette Goodrich in the CBS News Bay Area Virtual Set and in an exclusive report, demonstrated on how the Port and the U.S. Corps of Engineers are planning on raising the huge landmark.

The project will break ground in about a decade. The U.S. Corps will pick up 65% of the cost.

San Francisco’s Prop A — which was passed by 82.7% of voters in 2018 — authorized $425 million general obligation bonds that will partially fund the Waterfront Resilience Program. That includes funding improvements for earthquake safety of the three-mile long Embarcadero Seawall, near-term flood protection improvements, and planning for other long-term resilience.  

More from CBS News

Juliette Goodrich

Emmy award winning reporter and Bay Area native Juliette Goodrich joined KPIX 5 in 1997 and has performed a variety of anchoring and reporting assignments during her time with the station. She is currently the weekend nighttime anchor.

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Viewers from all over the world responded to this San Francisco couple’s story. Many could not believe a city would threaten a huge penalty for parking in their own driveway. Many offered to help prove it was a historic use – and then – the proof they needed came from an amazing source.

“It just seems wrong.”

Judy and Ed Craine had been parking in the carpad of their San Francisco cottage for 36 years… when suddenly the Planning Department said it’s illegal.

RELATED: CA couple allowed to park in their driveway again after threatened with $1.5K fine from city

They had to remove the car or face a huge penalty: $1,542 plus $250 for every day they parked there.

“I said what, that’s crazy,” Ed said.

So they quickly pulled the car out – but it made no sense.

“Why are you taking away something that has great utility?” Ed asked. “To all of a sudden to be told you can’t use something that we could use for years. It’s, it’s startling.”

The city planning code makes it illegal to park in the setback of a home to prevent front yards from becoming unsightly parking lots.

However, if they could prove cars were parked there before the law was passed in 1978, they might get a waiver.

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“We could be grandfathered in. If we show them a historical photo that showed a car… or a horse-drawn buggy in the carport,” Judy said.

“I did a number of online searches, Ed said, “checked historical resources,.”

But finding a historic photo of their exact driveway seemed impossible. Until Ed found an aerial photo from 1938. Zooming in showed their exact house. Ed saw a black shape he figured must be a car, pulling into what he figured must be the driveway.
.

“Here’s our house…” Ed said. “This black blob looks like it’s pulling into our house… to me it’s very compelling that was a car.”

But city planners said the photo was too fuzzy – not clear evidence.

However, after ABC 7 aired the story, the couple was flooded with offers of help (as well as commentary about way-out San Francisco).

And then, a gift from the sky.

“I happened to be watching Channel Seven, Michael Finney, and I saw this couple who was in a really tough spot…” said David Rui. He manages the aerial photo collection at Pacific Aerial Surveys of Novato in Marin County, which has millions of photos from its flights across the Bay Area dating all the way back to 1928. Ruiz saw our story and knew he could help Ed and Judy.

“I just simply went through our flight database and found numerous flights and was able to pull out some photography,” he said.

Ruiz used mapping coordinates to locate their house among maps in the company database. He found two aerial photos of what appears to be a car in their driveway; the clearest was a photo from 1958.

Ruiz said the company flew over most of the Bay Area once every three years including this neighborhood. “The question is, is there a car in the driveway at the moment we fly over,” Ruiz said. Most people were at work with their cars when Pacific Aerial Services was flying overhead, reducing the chances of catching a car in the driveway .

He did find two of them — 1958 and 1955. .

“So April 23, 1958,” Ruiz said, pointing to an aerial photo taken with a film camera in a plane flying 6000 feet overhead. Ruiz said he’s able to enhance the photos with 3-D imagery and other tools. He’s trained to look for indicators it’s a real vehicle, such as shadows, context and dimension.

“And here’s the house in question, And right here is a nice car, parked right there.”

He pointed to an image that looked like it could be a 1950s automobile. it was a snapshot in time, a view that went back in time. The viewer is transported to that moment in that time. “It definitely looks like a nice big American sedan, doesn’t it?” Ruiz said.

“This is all film-based. We had a plane flying overhead, it’s flying at 6,000 feet, took this wonderful photo that you can enlarge,” he said.

It is crystal clear to Ruiz – as it just so happens Ruiz is an expert trained during his Army career to analyze aerial images – especially cars.

“As an imagery analyst from the Army, one of my specialties is identifying vehicles,” he said.

And so the black blob Ed Craine found? The planning department wouldn’t accept it. But Ruiz says that blob was, indeed, a car.

He showed 7 On Your Side a clearer copy of that photo.

“It verifies that this is a vehicle, that there’s height… so I told them that there’s no doubt in my mind as an expert that this is a vehicle and if they needed me to, to write a report or testify to that I could do that,” Ruiz said.

The Craines showed the city that 1958 photo.

And it did the trick.

The city said it is now a legal parking space — grandfathered in.

Ed and Judy, who didn’t want to go on camera, said: “We are delighted we are able to park in our driveway again.”

Thanks in large part to David Ruiz.

“I’m glad it helped them out. They seemed like wonderful people that were just in a tough spot,” he said.

Major help also came from a neighbor who rummaged through old boxes and found a 1972 photo showing a car in their driveway. Others in the neighborhood also got violation notices for parking in their driveways. All came from anonymous complaints. If that’s you, let 7 On Your Side know about it.

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

Have a question for Michael and the 7 On Your Side team? Fill out the form HERE!
7OYS’s consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. We assist individuals with consumer-related issues; we cannot assist on cases between businesses, or cases involving family law, criminal matters, landlord/tenant disputes, labor issues, or medical issues. Please review our FAQ here. As a part of our process in assisting you, it is necessary that we contact the company / agency you are writing about. If you do not wish us to contact them, please let us know right away, as it will affect our ability to work on your case. Due to the high volume of emails we receive, please allow 3-5 business days for a response.

Copyright © 2022 KGO-TV. All rights reserved.

The post Parking violation: US Military aerial view knowledgeable helped San Francisco, CA couple park in driveway once more after menace of $1.5K superb appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

The attack on Pearl Harbor that catapulted the US into World War II occurred 77 years ago on December 7, 2018.

The Japanese attack on the US naval base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii killed more than 2,400 American sailors and civilians and wounded another 1,000.

Japanese fighter jets also destroyed or damaged nearly 20 navy ships during the attack.

But the US sailors and civilians did not stand by without a fight.

Here are 7 Pearl Harbor heroes you’ve never heard of.

Phil Rasmussen during flight school.

1. Phil Rasmussen, who raced into his plane to attack Japanese Zero fighters.

Lt. Phil Rasmussen was one of four American pilots who were able to take to the air and attack Japanese fighters during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

When the attack started, Rasmussen was still in his pajamas when he ran to the airline and jumped into a then-old Curtiss P-36A Hawk fighter plane – the only US planes the Japanese had not yet knocked out.

In the air, Rasmussen shot down a Japanese Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighter plane and damaged another before being attacked by two others.

The two Japanese fighters shot up his plane and took out his radio, hydraulic lines and oar cables, but he was able to fly away and hide in the clouds before landing without brakes, oars or tailwheels.

Rasmussen received the Silver Star for his actions and retired from the Air Force in 1965.

Sources: US Air Force, We Are The Mighty

Doris Müller.

(U.S. Navy photo)

2. Doris Miller, who fired a machine gun at attacking fighters.

Cook Third Class Doris Miller was stationed on the battleship USS West Virginia when the Japanese attacked.

Awake at 6 a.m., Miller was collecting laundry when the attack started. He went to his battle station, an anti-aircraft battery magazine in the middle of the ship, only to find that it had been destroyed by a torpedo.

Miller then went on deck to carry away wounded sailors before being ordered to the bridge to aid the fatally wounded Mervyn Sharp Bennion (who later received the Medal of Honor).

After helping deliver ammunition to two .50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine gun crews, and without any weapons training, he manned one of the cannons himself and fired until the ammunition was used up.

“It wasn’t difficult,” Miller said later.

“I just pulled the trigger and it worked fine. I had watched the others with these weapons. I guess I fired her for about fifteen minutes. I think I have one of those Japanese planes. They dived pretty close to us. “

For his actions, he received the Navy Cross, the first time an African American was awarded.

Miller was killed in 1943 while serving on the escort carrier USS Liscome Bay, which was sunk by a Japanese torpedo.

Source: US Navy

First Lieutenant Annie G. Fox.

(Photo from the National Archives)

3. Annie G. Fox, who worked tirelessly tending to the wounded.

First Lieutenant Annie G. Fox was the head nurse at the hospital at Hickham Field, Hawaii’s main army airfield and bomber base, when the attack on Pearl Harbor began.

Fox “gave patients anesthesia during the heaviest part of the bombardment, helped dress the wounded, taught civilian volunteer nurses how to make bandages, and worked incessantly with coolness and efficiency on the morale of everyone she came in contact with,” said Fox her Purple Heart Medal.

Fox was the first US soldier to receive the Purple Heart, which she received for her actions during the attack.

At that time, the US military awarded Purple Hearts for “a uniquely meritorious act of exceptional loyalty or essential service.” When the requirement to be wounded was added, her Purple Heart was replaced with the Bronze Star as she was not wounded.

Fox was promoted to the rank of major before retiring from the service in 1945.

The USS Pennsylvania is still in dry dock after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

(U.S. Navy photo)

4. George Walters, a crane operator who warned sailors of the attack.

George Walters was a civilian who operated a giant crane alongside the battleship USS Pennsylvania in Pearl Harbor.

He was 15 meters up in the crane when the attack started and was one of the first Americans to see the Japanese planes approaching and alert the sailors aboard the Pennsylvania.

Walters then swung the crane back and forth repeatedly to protect the ship from Japanese fighter jets as U.S. sailors aboard the Pennsylvania attempted to return fire.

But the sailors who manned the battleship’s guns had difficulty seeing the Japanese planes because they were in dry dock.

“The water had been pumped out and their decks had fallen so low that the high sides of the dry dock blocked most of the view,” wrote author Walter Lord in his book “Day of Infamy”.

So Walters used the crane’s boom to indicate incoming Japanese planes.

“After a 500 pound bomb exploded nearby, damaging the crane and stunned Walters, he almost fell off the crane. But Walters had moved the crane just in time to avoid a direct hit from the bomb, which left a five meter high crater, ”according to the Honolulu Star Bulletin.

Walters has since been credited by many for helping save the ship. He operated cranes until 1950 and retired in 1966.

Source: Honolulu Star Bulletin, History.com

Cmdr. Cassin Young, who saved his ship from the attack.

(U.S. Navy photo)

5. Cassin Young

Cmdr. Cassin Young commanded the repair ship USS Vestal during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Young was in his cabin in the Vestal when the attack started. He ran on deck, where he organized sailors to fire the ships’ three-inch guns at the overheard Japanese planes.

But Young was blown overboard along with 100 other sailors when the front magazine of the famous battleship USS Arizona, which was next to the Vestal, struck and exploded.

The Vestal Virgin’s deputy commanding officer ordered the remaining sailors to disembark, but Young swam through the oil-stained water and climbed back on board.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Young yelled at the sailors who were leaving the ship and called to them to go to their stations and get the ship going.

The Vestil eventually made it into open waters. Damaged and in flames, it ran aground.

Young later received the Medal of Honor for his services and was promoted to captain of the heavy cruiser USS San Francisco. He was killed aboard the San Francisco during the Guadalcanal campaign.

Source: US Navy, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Chief Boatswain Edwin Joseph Hill, who rescued shipmates from Japanese hunters.

(U.S. Navy photo)

6. Edwin Hill

Chief Boatswain Edwin Joseph Hill was stationed on the battleship USS Nevada when the attack on Pearl Harbor began.

When Japanese planes shot at the ship from above, Hill jumped into the waters of the port and climbed ashore to free the Nevada from its anchorage. Then he jumped in again and swam toward the Nevada, which was moving out onto open water, and climbed back aboard the battleship.

But with the Nevada alone in the water, the ship was an obvious target and would have blocked the port if it had been destroyed.

While Japanese fighters attacked Nevada, Hill instructed other sailors to take cover behind the gun turrets. Many of the sailors later credited him with saving their lives.

When Hill attempted to drop anchor during the second wave of attacks, a Japanese bomb hit the bow and he was killed.

Hill was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions.

Source: Pearl Harbor Visitors ‘Office, Pearl Harbor Visitors’ Office

Ensign Herbert C. Jones, who passed ammunition to gun crews when he was seriously injured.

(U.S. Navy photo)

7. Ensign Herbert C. Jones

Ensign Herbert C. Jones was stationed aboard the battleship USS California during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Jones had just assumed the position of junior deck officer when the attack began.

After a torpedo damaged the mechanical jack that had loaded the ship’s anti-aircraft guns, Jones led a group of sailors to hand-deliver the ammunition.

Jones was in a compartment on the third deck, handing ammunition down a ladder to the gun battery, when a bomb hit the second deck, seriously injuring him.

The Nevada took in water and threatened to catch fire from burning oil in the water when an abandoned ship’s order was given.

Two sailors carried Jones out of the compartment that caught fire but eventually got stuck.

“Leave me alone! I’m done with. Get out of here before the magazines go out,” Jones said.

Marine Corps Pvt. Howard Haynes, imprisoned at the time of the attack, later credited Jones with saving his life.

“God, give me a chance to prove I’m worth it,” said Haynes.

Jones was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Source: Department of Defense, “Pearl Harbor: Why, How, Fleet Savage and Final Appraisal”

This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.

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SAN JOSE (KPIX) – Navy veteran George Gange plays the music, but he says his 95-year-old neighbor John Buck Chew is the one who leaves a song in his heart.

“He’s an amazing World War II Army veteran,” said Gange.

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Chew is one of roughly 20,000 Chinese Americans who served in World War II, and veteran groups believe he is one of fewer than 300 still alive today.

“I was proud to be in the army and to help my country,” said Chew.

Born in San Francisco, he was drafted into the US Army immediately after graduating from high school.

He trained at Fort Knox, Kentucky, and then served as a tank driver in the Philippines and Japan from 1945 until his recruitment ended in 1946.

He remembers when the Japanese fired mortars into their camp.

“The tank commander was looking for caves in the hills. We fired into the hills where the caves are located and tried to get them out of there,” Chew recalled.

For his military service, this husband, father and grandfather received the gold medal of the Congress.

But what inspires neighbors and Gange is how the former flower grower has served his community almost daily for the past forty years.

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John walked a three-mile stretch of his Berryessa neighborhood in San Jose picking up trash.

“They throw the garbage on the street. This is wrong! Makes the neighborhood look awful so as I go I may as well be doing my part, ”Chew said.

He hasn’t been able to pick up as much rubbish since he started using a walker in 2019, but on his walks he still shares some of the persimmons he picks and dries from his 30-year-old tree to his neighbors.

“It’s inspiring to see someone who, despite their age, is very kind, compassionate, and engaging in the community,” said Gange.

In honor of Chew’s 95th birthday in April, Gange urges people to donate at least 95 cents to their favorite charity to help veterans or those recovering from COVID-19.

Chew will graduate from Independence High School in June with the class of 2021.

After the war, he started a flower shop and never returned for his diploma.

Chew says he’ll just keep going.

“That’s the worst part of sitting down and saying, ‘I’m going to retire. ‘Just keep moving,’ he said after Gange played patriotic songs on his Filipino banjo, known as praise.

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Chew on soldiers one step and one patriotic song at a time.

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