Driving The City Toward Bankruptcy

When people cast their ballots, feel good measures like health care and paid sick leave are hard to vote against. Most people view ballot measures like these from the individual perspective. They think about themselves working the line at a restaurant, the long hours and the stress. When you think about it in this context, these measures sound like a pretty good idea.

What people don't consider are the ramifications of such measures. When small businesses start packing up for Daly City, San Franciscans will start scratching their heads and wonder why that cute little bistro down the street closed up after a great 25 year run. Only the corporate chains will be left, something the Board of Supervisors is also trying to legislate out of our lives (Prop G, Nov-06)

Questions I want answered

Homeless:

1. How big is the homeless industry in San Francisco?
2. What is the ratio of homeless people to those working full time to help the homeless?
3. How many special interest groups, non-profits, charities, etc. exist in San Francisco who's primary mission is to help homeless people?

Education:

1. What percentage of SF High School students matriculate into 4 year colleges / universities?
2. How much money gets allocated to the SFUSD each year?
3. how much voter-approved bond money has been approved over the past 5 years?

Housing:

1. How many SF residents rent?
2. How many SF residents own the place where they live?
3. What is the average age of a renter?
4. What is the average age of an owner?
   

Should I feel sorry for this person??

I'd love to cheer for someone who takes the plunge into homeownership, but this story highlights the fact that some people are probably better off remaining a lifelong renter.

I applaud the city for trying to educate people about the costs of home ownership. At the same time, I laugh at the people who say things like this:

"Like so many of us who came of "real estate-owning" age in the past decade, she'd incorporated the idea that real estate always goes up into her world view."

This kind of fiscal ignorance seems rampant in the city and at all levels - from the woman mentioned in this story to the politicians who run this place. Maybe a dose of real world reality will do this woman some good.

I'm confused...

So, I'm reading through the November 7 voter information pamphlet and something catches my eye as a little odd.

Proposition F...

Summary: This proposition requires businesses to provide employees one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. There would be a cap of 40 hours for businesses with less than 10 employees and a cap of 72 hours for all others.

On the surface this seems like a mediocre, somewhat anti-business proposition because it represents an additional required costs for doing business in the city. It was put on the ballot by Daly, Ammiano, Maxwell, Mirkarimi and McGoldrick. I can only assume that these supervisors are aware of the anti-business nature of the proposition and felt it should be added to the ballot anyway. It is opposed by the SF Chamber of Commerce, the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association, Marina Merchants Association, Inner Sunset Merchants Association, the Greater Geary Boulevard Marchants Association and the SF Council of District Merchants Association. I'm guessing these groups represent a pretty good cross-section of business interests in SF.

Proposition G...

Summary: I will call the "The Anti-Walgreens" proposition, or TAW for short. TAW would amend the city's Planning Code for NCDs (neighborhood commercial districts) where formula retail use is currently permitted to require a Planning Commission hearing for approval of a conditional use authorization before an establishment can proceed. TAW would also allow the Board of Supervisors to adopt more restrictive criteria for conditional use authorization for formula retail or to prohibit formula retail in any NCD.

Ironically, the very first sentence in the voter pamphlet in support of TAW says this:
Yes on The Small Business Protection Act! It goes on to say this: Small businesses employ more than half of the City's workforce and are the linchpin of San Francisco's economy. Proposition G helps to ensure their survival by preventing monopolization. Who signed their names at the end of this?? You guessed it, Ammiano, Daly, and Miriarimi.

So, lets do the math. Daly & Co. support the passage of an anti-small business proposition (F) but at the same time supprt the passage of another proposition that supposedly favors small businesses (TAW, err... Prop G).

Playing Fair

I love the fact that there seems to be a stir in the blogsphere around the District 6 election. I found some other blogs that are both for and against Chris Daly. The best one I've found so far against Daly is here. There is another one in favor of Daly here.

It goes without saying that I think Daly is a joke and does nothing to improve the world we live in. Had he chosen a career in professional politics anywhere other than District 6, he would have been laughted out of the room. The Daly Show blog does a perfect job of visually showing why Daly is a joke - but they forgot the picutures of the whore houses, err, massage parlors that litter Daly's neighborhood.

Arnold for California

It's been a while since I last posted anything. Been thinking about a lot of stuff, but the one thing that gets me excited is the resurgence of Arnold this year. Last fall the political pundits were writting him off for dead. Today, he looks like a knight in shining armor. His decision to work with the legislature and not take everything to the public has paid off. I predict a landslide victory for him in November.

Angelides who???

"You can p -- all over your opponent until hell freezes over, and it won't make any difference if people don't know who you are,'' said strategist Garry South, who ran the campaign of Angelides rival Steve Westly during the Democratic primary. "Here we are 60 days out, and instead of explaining to voters who Angelides is and why he should be elected governor, they are involved in pranks.''

GM & SF

What do the San Francisco Unified School District and General Motors have in common? Retiree health care benefits that are sinking both organizations faster than the Titanic. Read here for more.

I'm all for economic incentives that attract more people into teaching, but don't commit to a probram without knowing beforehand how you're gonna pay for it.