Why are the streets blocked off around Hayes Valley? Well, our buddy Obama is in town. For anyone curious about his schedule, the President was at Betty Ann Ong Chinese Recreation Center this morning, and he was in our hood at the San Francisco Jazz Center for a couple of DNC fundraiser at around 1 p.m. (he'll be in LA this afternoon as well). The welcoming committee (i.e. a collection of protesters with various causes) was already lined up in the streets around the Jazz Center for his arrival. When I popped over there, they were offering up spirited chants, asking for help in the Philippines, and protesting the Keystone Pipeline with a giant handmade pipeline stretched across Franklin St. The gathering was friendly, with cops marking off the streets around the Jazz Center to prevent cars from getting too close to the Prez. The President, the press has noted, will not be meeting with Batkid while he's in town.