Tuesday, December 12, 2006

District 5 Diary's Second Anniversary

Today is the second anniversary of my first post to District 5 Diary. Let me be the first to congratulate myself. The time has gone by very quickly. So much bullshit, so little time!

On Dec. 12, 2004, I posted a long account of a Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Council meeting dealing with the "widening" of MLK Boulevard into the park to provide dedicated routes to and from the new underground garage. It was all typical SF progressive hysteria and bullshit, since the original "widening" of MLK plan---which was ordered by the Superior Court---that came out of the Concourse Authority involved primarily taking away street parking on both sides of MLK to create the lanes.

But the most interesting thing about the meeting was the participation of then Supervisor-elect for District 5, Ross Mirkarimi. In a sign of things to come, the Murk was basically buying into the fringe-left opposition to the garage in the park ("Planned Highway Through the Park," screamed the head on the HANC newsletter). The construction of the garage was already well under way at that point---garage opponents had lost in court on every cause of action the previous August, except for the "dedicated" entrance issue---and the anti-widening movement was clearly just another way of trying to stop the operation of the garage.

Echoing his fringe-left D5 constituents, the Murk complained about "due process" and alleged that there were both Brown Act and Sunshine Ordinance violations in the run-up to the construction of the garage. Neither charge had any merit, as it turned out. But the Murk went further, claiming that the widening of MLK was "absolutely illegal" and would turn out to be a financial "boondoggle" for the city. Neither of those charges had any factual foundation, either. As the Murk learned when he met with the Executive Director of the Concourse Authority after he took office, the Authority was under a court order to come up with a plan to comply with the text of Proposition J, which mandated "dedicated" routes to and from the inside-the-park entrance of the garage.

Scrolling through the other posts for that first month of District 5 Diary, there are a number of other issues/themes that became familiar over the last two years:

* UC's plan to privatize the old Extension property on lower Haight St. with a large housing development to cash in after having the property tax-free from the city since 1958. (Mirkarimi has been good on this issue---so far.)

* A critique of the SF Bay Guardian and the SF Weekly.

* The We Need Housing movement, a coalition of developers, the Planning Dept., and progressives to promote building housing everywhere and anywhere, especially on "transit corridors," including the Market/Octavia Plan.

* An item on Supervisor Gonzalez allowing a phony "artist" to deface his office walls at City Hall with graffiti/tagging.

Except, perhaps, for UC's attempted land-grab at the extension property (the jury is still out on that issue), the common thread in that first month---and on the blog since then---is an ongoing critique of San Francisco progressivism, an amorphous pseudo-ideology that consists of poorly thought through fringe-left positions on a number of issues, including housing, graffiti/tagging, the poor performance of the "progressive" media, and traffic in the city, especially the ridiculous bicycle fantasy.

Labels: , , , , ,

7 Comments:

At 12:03 PM, Blogger Paul Dorn said...

Congrats, I guess. (I'm a bicycle commuter.) Say, are you the brother of Bruce Anderson, famed editor of the Anderson Valley Advertiser? I was sad to see him leave for Oregon, hope he's doing great.

I'm sorry about your lawsuit. But it's merely a road bump; you can't stop progress. Especially with the impending energy collapse that will cause many to rethink motoring and look more fondly on bicycling as a travel option.

 
At 12:24 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

"Progress"? Bicycles represent "progress" over motor vehicles? Ridiculous. This is just luddite nonsense. There isn't going to be any energy collapse; that's just wishful thinking by you bike zealots and other luddites. Anyhow, auto manufacturers are making rapid progress in making alternative energy/hybrid engines. Americans will never inhabit your transportation dystopia. That you bike people believe this just shows how far out of touch with reality you are. The Superior Court decision on the Bicycle Plan is "merely a road bump"? Maybe, but it's a big bump that will require that the city do traffic studies before it takes away traffic lanes and street parking to make bike lanes for the 1.9% of you folks who commute by bike.

 
At 3:23 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Mr. CAR,

If you have any spare time from promoting car use in the City and making it harder to ride a bicycle, read this:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/12/18/EDG3KN0FB81.DTL

In fact, you may want to repeat the first line a few times and see if you can absorb its meaning.

 
At 7:51 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

Hey Mr. BIKE, I am kind of busy. After all, General Motors doesn't pay me for nothing. Destroying the planet is a full-time job!

 
At 8:41 PM, Blogger Paul Tay said...

Yo, Rob! D5 is way too small for you. Run for Prez so I can vote for you in Tulsa, Oklahoma! You are a great inspiration!

I checked into an Oklahoma Statute that would require environmental impact studies for highway construction. I am about ready to rip a new ASSHOLE into a whole lotta highway projects in this CRUMMY, SORRYASS state! Thanks a billion, man.

Causing MASS disruption is a FULL-time job. Yeaaaaaaah, baby!

 
At 9:32 PM, Blogger Paul Tay said...

I disagree with your efforts to rid San Fran of homeless people. In my experience with the "homeless," it is indeed a lifestyle.

It is actually a very liberating lifestyle. No mortgage or rent. No outrageous ass-reaming by Visa, MasterCard, or AMEX.

In fact, we, as in you and me, in our comfortable home, actually NEED the homeless to feel good about ourselves and our pathetic lives.

The do-gooders NEED the homeless to feed their PATHETIC need to do-good. In fact, I despise EVERY TV news story about how some stupid secret Santa goes around giving away $100 bills to the "needy."

Hey, all you PATHETIC do-gooders, take your shit and shove it where da sun don't SHINE.

 
At 5:08 AM, Blogger Paul Tay said...

Yo, again! Rob, when's the next BOS election? Santa wanna campaign for you with this sign: Vote Rob. He's NO Rat Bastard. It should fit nicely on a two 18"X24" coroplast.

All these cycling idiots out for your head just DON'T get it. If a bicycle plan, or ANY other genius government plan, is done behind closed doors, I DON'T want ANY part of it.

But, ya gotta admit making a bike plan EIR is GOLD! Poetice justice. Just like Tulsa Police Santa Task Force, I'm 'bout to die LAUGHING OUT LOUD!

BTW, people. What CM needs is a little Santa Anarchy to really liven things up. WHAT? No Santa suit? Whatcha got from H-Ween? I am really surprise Captain Pecker has NOT appeared on the scene. BTW, where is Dildo Man?

Actually, Rob and CM got a whole lot in common. Two TOTAL fuck-up! Wrenches in da machine. Brian Bosworth working at the GM plant putting pesky nuts and bolts to rattle around where da sun don't SHINE!

Gooooooo Rob! Santa and I rootin' fer ya, baby!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home