Supervisor Breed swings and misses---again

Like her claim that screwing up Masonic Avenue to make bike lanes is about safety, Supervisor Breed's complaint about the shrinking black population in the city only shows her limitations. 

On Masonic Avenue, all she had to do to was read the city's study on the street to know her statement was wrong. On the city's black population, she didn't have to read anything. She---or one of her overpaid assistants---only had to do a little thinking.

Is the city's black population declining because of anti-black racism? Breed isn't claiming that because obviously the cause is economic: Many black people can no longer afford to live here. 

But wait: isn't that true of every other ethnic category? 

The Examiner story cites some income numbers:

The [Budget and Finance]committee also discussed data suggesting that the median income of black households in San Francisco is $30,840, whereas it exceeds $50,000 for all other racial groups.

But apparently no one is keeping score on the number of white, Hispanic, Asian or people from other groups that have left the city because they can no longer afford it. I bet those numbers are just as dramatic as those on black people. 

In other words, it's a class issue, not a racial issue at all. Poor people and working people of all ethnic groups are increasingly finding San Francisco too expensive and are leaving.

Comparing percentages of ethnic groups in the city is beside the point:

The population of all other races increased during that same time frame. San Francisco's Asian population grew by 58,497, to 266,398, and the Latino population increased by 27,367 residents, to 121,744.

But how many Asian and Latino people have left the city because they can't afford it? It's not credible that that doesn't happen. It's just as likely that, as gentrification accelerates, the current population of Asians simply replaced the previous members of the group that couldn't afford to live here anymore.

Like her claim about Masonic Avenue, this is an intellectual failure. On other issues---like Masonic Avenue and the Fell/Oak bike lanes---Breed simply follows the conventional wisdom in City Hall, which means she gets things wrong because City Hall often gets things wrong.

When she strikes out on her own, like on the black population issue, she gets it wrong on her own.

2012: Homeless deaths in SF still going down

Unlike ten years ago when it was common that more than 100 homeless people every year would die in San Francisco, the number has been consistently lower in recent years. Based on the city's Homeless Death Forms from the Department of Public Health, 30 homeless people died in the city in 2012, though there were a few late arrivals from the end of 2011. Subtract those and the count is 25.

The reduction in the numbers over the years is surely because of the programs adopted under Mayor Newsom---supportive housing, Homeward Bound, and Project Homeless Connect. Click on "Homeless Deaths" below for posts on the subject from previous years. Credit should also go to Angela Alioto, appointed by Mayor Newsom to chair the Ten Year Council, which came up with a sensible approach to deal with the city's chronic homeless problem.

Name: Glen Holland

Date of Death: 12/12/11
Place of Death: Open area/lot, Cortland & Bayshore
Circumstances of Death:
Birthdate: 3/14/55
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Franklin Lee
Date of Death: 12/18/11
Place of Death: In front of 1186 Eddy Street
Circumstances of Death: IPV
Birthdate: 10/24/46
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Chinese

Name: Eddy Mendez
Date of Death: 12/24/11
Place of Death: public sidewalk
Circumstances of Death: Possible hit & run homicide
Birthdate: 11/13/52
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Not provided

Name: Warren Craig
Date of Death: 12/27/11
Place of Death: Outside, Panhandle park
Circumstances of Death: App. natural
Birthdate: 12/21/69
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Brian Wallace
Date of Death: 12/30/11
Place of Death: Outside, 16th Street & Natoma
Circumstances of Death: Drug-related
Birthdate: 1/26/76
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Allen Price
Date of Death: 1/01/12
Place of Death: 101 The Embarcadero South
Circumstances of Death: Apparent drowning
Birthdate: 8/02/62
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Black

Name: Dani Bunte
Date of Death: 1/20/12
Place of Death: Outside
Circumstances of Death: Natural Death
Birthdate: 7/22/66
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Kelly Turner
Date of Death: 2/09/12
Place of Death: SFGH
Circumstances of Death: Poss Drug Related
Birthdate: 5/28/72
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: John Doe
Date of Death: 2/27/12
Place of Death: No other info provided
Circumstances of Death:
Birthdate:
Sex:
Race/Ethnicity:

Name: Cole Ricketson
Date of Death: 3/02/12
Place of Death: 1048 Larkin Street
Circumstances of Death: Probable Drug-related
Birthdate: 4/08/12
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Richard Darling
Date of Death: 3/06/12
Place of Death: SFGH
Circumstances of Death: Assault
Birthdate: 2/15/54
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Katrina Taylor
Date of Death: 3/06/12
Place of Death: IFO First & Clementina
Circumstances of Death:
Birthdate: 12/20/76
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Black

Name: Dennis Maher
Date of Death: 3/11/12
Place of Death: St.Vincent DePaul shelter
Circumstances of Death: Natural Death
Birthdate: 1/20/46
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Norman Hickok
Date of Death: 3/16/12
Place of Death: Outside, Golden Gate Park
Circumstances of Death: Natural Death
Birthdate: 3/26/34
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Jordan Metcalf
Date of Death: 3/28/12
Place of Death: 562 Minna Street
Circumstances of Death: Poss Drug Related
Birthdate: 5/25/82
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Edward Shank
Date of Death: 4/09/12
Place of Death: IFO 46 Minna Street
Circumstances of Death: Natural Death
Birthdate: 12/10/43
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Grace Sumner
Date of Death: 4/11/12
Place of Death: 171 Fell Street
Circumstances of Death: Poss Drug Related
Birthdate: 7/01/82
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Richard English
Date of Death: 5/04/12
Place of Death: IFO 944 Folsom
Circumstances of Death:
Birthdate: 2/09/12
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Black

Name: Lisa Douglas
Date of Death: 7/07/12
Place of Death: Outside, 5701 3rd Street
Circumstances of Death: App Drug Overdose
Birthdate: 5/08/70
Sex: Female
Race/Ethnicity: Other

Name: John Doe
Date of Death: 8/16/12
Place of Death: 359 10th Ave.
Circumstances of Death: Decomposed
Birthdate: Unknown
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Asian Filipino

Name: James Jorgensen
Date of Death: 8/17/12
Place of Death: IFO 30 Mason Street
Circumstances of Death: App. Natural
Birthdate: 1/28/51
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: John Doe
Date of Death: 8/29/12
Place of Death: 1500 Valencia
Circumstances of Death: Found Fetus
Birthdate: Unknown
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity:

Name: John Doe
Date of Death: 9/24/12
Place of Death: IFO Pier 94
Circumstances of Death: Unknown
Birthdate: Unknown
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Unknown

Name: Peter Urrizola
Date of Death: 10/27/12
Place of Death: Outside, 200 Folsom
Circumstances of Death:
Birthdate: 9/19/39
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: Sherman Lee
Date of Death: 11/05/12
Place of Death: Outside
Circumstances of Death:
Birthdate: 5/05/47
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Asian

Name: William Garrison
Date of Death: 11/22/12
Place of Death: 835 O'Farrell Street
Circumstances of Death: Poss Drug Related
Birthdate: 7/21/12
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Black

Name: Mickey Ramsey
Date of Death: 11/22/12
Place of Death: 160 Gardenside Dr.
Circumstances of Death: App. Hanging
Birthdate: 2/18/58
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: John Smith
Date of Death: 11/27/12
Place of Death: SFGH
Circumstances of Death: Assault, Market St.
Birthdate: 7/27/65
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White

Name: John Doe
Date of Death: 11/27/12
Place of Death: In water of Islais Creek
Circumstances of Death: Floater
Birthdate: Unknown
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: Unknown

Name: Bradley Gainous
Date of Death: 12/01/12
Place of Death: Muni Mission Rock Station
Circumstances of Death: Unknown Trauma
Birthdate: 3/21/55
Sex: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White