The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, which will be held in San Francisco from Nov. 15-18, is a major international convention.
Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping from China will both be in attendance. San Francisco’s leaders are naturally concerned about the appearance of the city for hundreds of guests who will spend upwards of $50 million. The city will spend $10 million of taxpayer money and another $20 in donated funds to cover up the grim reality that doesn’t reflect the best light on the city.
The city will rid its streets and sidewalks of hot dog vendors and the homeless. It is simple to shut down the vendors, even if their legality is questionable. Kyle Thomas, the security and emergency preparedness manager for San Francisco’s waterfront, wrote in an email that he would like to take as many hotdog carts as possible.
Let’s be clear: every hot dog cart is someone’s source of revenue and business. Maybe Mr. Thomas ought to consider that before seizing as many carts of hot dogs as possible.
A concerted effort will be made to “coax”, or encourage, homeless people to enter shelters. It’s harder said than done since the courts have ruled they cannot be forced into shelters unless there are enough beds for everyone.
Jennifer Friedenbach is the executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness. She said, “They spend so much money on it and there’s an advertising campaign.” The Coalition has been at the heart of a legal battle that has limited the city’s capacity to address its homelessness issue. It would be nice if the city did something for people on the streets.
In an email sent to all city departments in August, Sean Elsbernd’s chief assistant, London Breed, stated that “this event will require us all to come together” to show the world that San Francisco is one of the greatest cities on the planet.
The “Great Cities of the World” do not deny open-air drug market safety concerns.
Ken Bukowski said that open-air drug usage in the area was less of a concern for safety and more about the perception of safety. “We are working with the City to ensure there is a great deal of outreach before APEC.”
We’ll tell the next person who is rolled over in Tenderloin for their wallet that it was “perceptively stolen”.
Breed has been trying to get rid of the food vendors for over a year.
Bloomberg:
Terrence Hong, a city official from the public health department of the city, stated in an email that he would try to staff weekly waterfront patrols. Hong said that his department had its own “unique marching orders” in relation to APEC.
Jeff Cretan is a Breed spokesperson. He said that San Francisco has been cracking down on food vendors without permits for more than a year. He said that she had been pushing for APEC whether it was present or not.
Tensions have already risen. This month, a city inspector was caught on camera tossing a street vendor cart. The video became viral and caused local outrage, which led to a city investigation.
Even the wealthy want their share of beautification money. Bloomberg reports that “the Legion of Honor” art museum, which is expected to host an event with world leaders in the near future, has requested $600,000. This includes pressure washing the exterior facade and upgrading the restrooms. Can’t an art museum find $600 to upgrade the venue of a dinner for world leaders? Sheesh.
What can San Francisco possibly do to cover up the decay? Cosmetically, San Francisco can clean the streets, repair a few broken windows, provide musical shelters for homeless people, and paint a few public buildings. The rot doesn’t come from the buildings or structures. San Franciscans continue to deny the crisis of homeless people urinating on public streets and private property.
