{"id":25923,"date":"2023-04-12T13:21:57","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T20:21:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=25923"},"modified":"2023-04-12T13:21:59","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T20:21:59","slug":"is-san-francisco-evolving-in-right-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/04\/12\/is-san-francisco-evolving-in-right-direction\/","title":{"rendered":"IS SAN FRANCISCO EVOLVING IN RIGHT DIRECTION?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by\u00a0Randy Shaw<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0April 10, 2023 (BeyondChron.org)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TogetherSF Action’s 4\/5 meeting on closing drug markets<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public Must Demand a New Path<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThriving cities are always changing. They grow and evolve to meet today\u2019s <\/em>needs, values, and aspirations<\/em>.\u201d SPUR\u2019s 2023 Annual Report<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish I shared SPUR\u2019s confidence that San Francisco is evolving in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I see the city as stuck in neutral. And key parts of the city and its economy going in reverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think my perception is widely shared. And it will be likely even more shared after the April 10 announcement that drug dealers and users have forced the closure of the new Whole Foods at 8th and Market (See my story, \u201cWhole Foods Closure is Epic Fail for SF<\/a>\u201c)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t buy the \u201cdoom\u201d scenario for San Francisco. Most of what ails San Francisco, the huge exception being the city\u2019s cartel-controlled open air drug markets, is not unique to the city.  Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, New York City, Chicago, and other major American cities are also beset by increased homelessness, drug addiction, and high office and retail vacancies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dramatic actions to meet  rising challenges has been lacking throughout urban America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cities Can\u2019t Play Small Ball<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can set San Francisco on a positive course? City Hall must stop playing small ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s five big actions that San Francisco could and should take in 2023. I know others can think of more. The city should:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* get the DEA, National Guard and\/or the California Highway Patrol to help the SFPD close open drug markets;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*restrict new permanent supportive housing projects to the segment of unhoused in recovery;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*vastly expand  true protected bike lanes and subsidize e-bikes for youth to reduce car violence and traffic;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*strongly push state and federal agencies to require its San Francisco-based employees to fully return to in-office work;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

*legalize building new apartments in all neighborhoods;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of the above has happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s instead being sold as San Francisco\u2019s \u201cdramatic action\u201d to revive downtown and the city\u2019s economy? Passing laws facilitating the conversion of downtown office buildings to housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I haven\u2019t heard any builders excited about this.  The city\u2019s housing developers and builders typically own the land where they build. Few if any can afford to purchase a downtown highrise and then cover the conversion cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are other obstacles. Those that create San Francisco\u2019s housing do not undertake projects where the profits from sale or rent go to others. Office highrise owners are not in the housing conversion business.  And most importantly: Where is the market demand for paying top dollar for converted office units when many existing residential options downtown and in SOMA exist?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are undoubtedly some office buildings where conversion to housing works. These projects will be touted as \u201cmodels\u201d for San Francisco\u2019s evolving future. They will actually be outliers supporting a fantasy vision for downtown\u2019s revival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2024 Elections<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many see San Francisco\u2019s progress as dependent on changing city political leadership in the 2024 elections. I recognize that now is the time to recruit candidates and prepare for campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But waiting for new elected officials to take office in January 2025 doesn\u2019t work for small businesses desperately needing nearby drug markets closed now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t work for the potential victims of street violence. They need to feel safer now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t work for those fearful when walking to and from their homes because of out of control behavior on neighborhood sidewalks. They need action now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nobody who cares about San Francisco should accept postponing necessary actions until January 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People upset about the city\u2019s direction must speak louder. Neighborhood groups must speak out and mobilize. Those not affiliated with a group should consider connecting with TogetherSF Action<\/a>, which is prioritizing closing drug markets in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Activism is needed to jump start San Francisco\u2019s stalled evolution. Changing the city\u2019s direction must begin now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Randy Shaw<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Randy Shaw is the Editor of Beyond Chron and the Director of San Francisco\u2019s Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which publishes Beyond Chron. Shaw’s latest book is Generation Priced Out: Who Gets to Live in the New Urban America. He is the author of four prior books on activism, including The Activist’s Handbook: Winning Social Change in the 21st Century, and Beyond the Fields: Cesar Chavez, the UFW and the Struggle for Justice in the 21st Century. He is also the author of The Tenderloin: Sex, Crime and Resistance in the Heart of San Francisco<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by\u00a0Randy Shaw\u00a0on\u00a0April 10, 2023 (BeyondChron.org) TogetherSF Action’s 4\/5 meeting on closing drug markets Public Must Demand a New Path \u201cThriving cities are always changing. They grow and evolve to meet today\u2019s needs, values, and aspirations.\u201d SPUR\u2019s 2023 Annual Report I wish I shared SPUR\u2019s confidence that San Francisco is evolving in the… Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[21],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25923"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25923"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25924,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25923\/revisions\/25924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}