From the Proposition F Campaign (Bayview Affordable Housing Initiative)
May 1, 2008
Yesterday, F is for Fairness revealed the details of its internet advertising campaign, in an effort to counter Lennar’s marketing blitz. In another display of the “people power vs. pocketbooks” nature of this struggle, the advertising campaign for workforce housing is being orchestrated entirely by volunteer web designers and consultants.
The campaign includes targeted advertisements displayed alongside Google search results, which link back to the campaign’s website at www.PropositionF.com. The website lays out the case for protecting working families and offers people a way to get involved. The site also clarifies Lennar’s development plan, why protections are needed, and how Proposition F would ensure the health, safety and continuity of the Bayview-Hunters Point community.
This advertising campaign was coordinated with the announcement of endorsements by the San Francisco Bay Guardian. In addition to endorsing initiatives for school-funding and renters’ rights, the Guardian is advising readers to “Vote yes on F and no on G.”
“One thing is clear: the $1 million that Lennar has already plunked down to influence this election has overwhelmingly gone to line the pockets of the city’s already highly paid political elite, and not the people who grew up and still live in the Bayview,” reports the Guardian Editorial Board. “If the new housing is built along Lennar’s plans, it will be impossible to avoid large-scale gentrification and displacement in a neighborhood that has the highest percentage of African Americans in the city, the third highest population of children, and burgeoning Latino and Asian immigrant populations.”
The Hunger Site
May 1, 2008 at 5:46 pm
All one needs to do is look at the list of ‘supporters’ he names above to understand what Prop G is really about. It’s the downtown let ’em eat cake crowd (sorry Bevan).
The website he references, and a couple of similar one’s, are funded directly or indirectly by Lennar:
Community input has been a farce. For many years the PAC has been stacked with folks who support or are supported by Lennar and the developers, and they routinely filled vacant spots with those of like mind.
Supervisor Maxwell has been found in violation of the Sunshine Ordinance on a number of occasions for the way she has conducted public meetings dealing with the whole redevelopment issue.
A couple of years ago a similar group of residents and activists gathered over 33,000 signatures citywide in a ten week period, asking to be heard by way of a ballot measure. After certification of the signatures, the City Attorney, at the behest of Maxwell and others, invalidated them, thus disenfranchising all residents who had signed. This is now on appeal in the California Supreme Court.
This whole landgrab has been in the works for decades since shortly after the previous RDA debacle in the 60’s which destroyed the African American Community of the Fillmore and displaced the residents. Many folks relocated to the Bayview and Hunters Point. It didn’t take the Robber Land Barons long to realize what a prime piece of Real Estate they had lost control of and they have planning how to take it back ever since. The criminal designed neglect and marginalisation by a succession of Administrations finally rendered the community vulnerable to take over.
The canard that any of this proposal was designed with the intent of benefitting the community is ludicrous. It is speculation, greed, gentrification and displacement for profit and little else. As someone remarked at a meeting a couple of years ago when the subject of the Third Street Light Rail came up, “..Huh, who you think you fooling boy, you mean the Third Street White Rail”.
Sarah Phelan wrote a pretty fair article on the whole boondoggle in last week’s Guardian which is worth reading if you are not familiar with the backstory and shennanigans.
Of course in true SoFtBaG fashion, they then had to go and once again blot their progressive copy book by endorsing Mark Leno who not only supports the Lennar landgrab, but doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude to challenge Newsom’s inhumane cuts in Health and Human Services in this ‘tough budget year’ , but can somehow come up with hundreds of thousands to build himself a state of the art War-room,
give pay raises to his inner circle of campaign operatives …etc, etc, ad nauseam.
YES ON F. NO ON 98.
CINDY FOR CONGRESS.
TOM FOR WHATEVER HE WANTS.
Pat Monk.RN. Noe Valley.
PS.
It is interesting to compare maps of Lennars Brave New World, with those from the BCDC using U.S.Geological Survey data, showing the predicted rise in sea level if we don’t dramatically clean up our shit.
May 1, 2008 at 10:24 am
A community led plan? Really, Brian? Who are you shilling for?
Prop F was put on the ballot by Bayview residents and activists who collected over 11,800 signatures in 10 days with less that $3,000. Lennar, on the other hand, has spent millions of dollars to put their initiative on the ballot which, if passed, would hand over public land free of charge to an out of town developer who has only “pledged” to provide up to 25% affordable housing.
May 1, 2008 at 9:45 am
Please understand that Prop G is now, as has always been, a community-led plan that focuses on the Hunters Point Shipyard as well as Candlestick Point.
Despite what the Prop F supporters say about “large-scale gentrification†and “displacement,†Prop G does not impact existing homes, residences or businesses in the Bayview. It is supported by Bayview citizens, Supervisors Sophie Maxwell, Michela Alioto-Pier, Carmen Chu, Bevan Dufty, Sean Elsbernd. Prop F, so far, has only the support of Supervisors Chris Daly and Tom Ammiano.
If you click on the Prop G website, http://www.cleanuptheshipyard.com, you will see a rational, inclusive, well-designed plan that provides real economic opportunities for Bayview residents and businesses.