I'm not going to pretend to have a solution other than education and community outreach. Get organized. Voting isn't enough -- that's not exactly how this city works under the hood. Researched, practiced, trained, and available citizens need to show up to city meetings and be as loud as possible. How can we do this if we are bootstrapping our startup and working 12 hour days? Who is going to show up while we are at home making dinner for the kids? Something to noodle over.
I'd honestly be surprised if this has ever been uttered out loud in America. San Francisco's governance problems are well-known across the country.
http://archives.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/the-worst-run-big-...
The bay area economy is the envy of every city worldwide -- but the governance of SF sure isn't.
Things that other cities copy:
Our classic street car system.
Our bicycle network.
Our fire suppression network.
Our seawall system.
Our water treatment system.
How to get startups like San Francisco does!
Failings aside, setting an example for other US cities should be San Francisco's goal. We have a lot of smart people here, and have historically (the TV was invented on Green St! SF has a history in avionics, oddly enough too).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_Streetcar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenosha_Electric_Streetcar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEPTA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Trolley
SF's sewer system has won awards from the federal government:
http://www.sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=392
I was referring to US bicycle network and cities. SF implemented many bike lane programs, inspired by European cities, that have been replicated in other US cities.
As for bike lanes, nobody is looking to San Francisco to see how they implemented Amsterdam's bike lanes.
- technological uptake (uber, variety of sharing options eg scooter sharing, new developments proposing to pay ongoing uber rather than provide parking)
- using technology to measure and understand transit issues
- Your cycleways are also a good example of implemntation in a western country. One thing i particularly like is the categorisation system of cycleway quality.
- a little futher back the tearing down of the embarcadero freeway
Of course thats not to say there arent issues as well. Central SF seems far more progressive than other areas from a governance perspective.
My personal understanding is there is a lot of local politics at play. Here in Sydney Australia the state government has taken a lot of power away from local governments on these issues (with strategic gain but also ignoring real local issues). The uk 'city deals' model is another strategy aimed at the same issues
> I'd honestly be surprised if this has ever been uttered out loud in America.
I've witnessed one such instance: when I lived in Seattle (since moved to SF 5 years ago) I heard people there draw parallels between the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the Embarcadero Freeway, speaking favorably about what happened when the latter was torn down.
These events, in general, are weak politically to voice opinions. Showing up to daytime meetings is very effective, but would probably require some sort of community organization to find people who can take the time off.
http://blog.buildllc.com/2015/10/what-seattle-can-learn-from...
"Often criticized for having an overly involved building department with constricting permitting procedures, San Francisco is like looking into the crystal ball of Seattle’s future if measures aren’t taken."
http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/05/the-real...
“Will the city change for the worse, that’s the tension,” she said. “Everybody is wondering: Are we going to create another San Francisco?”
I agree with the OP and have also seen it over the years. I had and ex that got her urban planning degree from Columbia and worked for NYC planning dept. I learned alot from her degree via osmosis.
There is an overarching theme here though that doesn't just permeate things like transportation, but frankly, many aspects of city residence: ivory tower power grabs. The political system here is broken in my mind and like the op said, controlled by these little groups of, really, anti-progress people. Look no further than transportation and education.
Not to change the subject, but we're going through the 'school lottery' now for our first child and it's fucking ridiculous. We're touring 15 schools and have talked to people that have said "you need at least 30 so they know you're serious..."! We live 3 blocks from one of the best schools in the city and probably won't get in. Hacks that people richer than us are doing? Move across town to increase your chances of getting into the school 3 blocks from us!
I first moved to SF in the 90's from southern california and it was amazing. Mostly because I came to a 'real' city. But, many things have not changed much. Homeless is worse than ever, I never knew how shitty the school situation was, transportation still sub-par, police brutality about the same but more documented.
I've also lived in NYC and Chicago, traveled all over the world and have seen how real big cities work. I've never seen a subway in Japan, the UK, Paris, Berlin, even India, that is like ours. Bart passengers deal with a lot of transient people in the cars directly, while muni has that plus some of the stations are so awful that you get close to puking because of the filth. Powell muni exit at 4th is fucked up.
Honestly, I have no idea what will fix any of this. Every mayor since I moved here has had a homeless program and it hasn't done much. I think rent control has backfired, permitting process and nimbyism are still a joke, edu system is ridiculous, etc. It seems like there are these 'educated' people that love experimenting with ideas that have no basis in reality.
I never used to really get why families would leave. "Who would leave the city?!" But, once you get trapped in any of these things, it's a grind. And nobody cares much.
There are a lot of great things about the city and I have a lot of history here, but it's only been in the last few years that I seriously thought about leaving. I have a good friend that's lived in the east bay for over a decade now (they bought their house when it was _only_ $700k). We would get into heated discussions about suburbia vs. the city and I'd always defend the virtues of the city. My spiky ideals have been ground down to nubs and now it's just like, get me past the everyday garbage to work and back home.
So now I ask myself, do I really want to raise a family in a place where high minded idealism rules over common sense and reality? Or do we flee like countless others?
Then select one or more organizations that you trust, and when each election approaches, google their "slate cards", which will tell you how to vote.
Obviously, you should feel free to investigate the specifics of any ballot measure or candidate if you have the time to do so, but if you don't, you're better off going with the slate cards than not voting.
Homeless or not, there should never be a law singling out a group of people and limiting their fundamental rights.