Friday, June 07, 2013

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.

Labels: , , , ,

4 Comments:

At 9:32 AM, Blogger Rkeezy said...

Don't blame me, I voted for the other guy. Not really sure how folks didn't see this with Breed going in. I love that Breed quote about no one telling her what to do. Alright, lady, you talk tough. Many ne'er do wells are tough, but are you effective? I predict she will be a less than effective supe for as long as she's around.

 
At 9:56 AM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

"Effective" in this context would be to challenge the suffocatingly dumb conventional wisdom that dominates City Hall policy discussions on traffic, development, housing, and everything else, including even violent jihad, which City Hall seems to think is a legitimate part of its goofy version of multiculturism.

 
At 11:31 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hilarious. Breed sends her silly newsletter our - clearly not written by her - stating that she is worried that "7-11" may try to sneak into Hayes Valley under the name "8-12'. What a catastrophe that would be for the progressive, white millionaires who live in Hayes Valley! How dare those who live there might actually have a choice on where to shop? Maybe even a business that caters to the middle class? And maybe these businesses might actually hire a black teen! How awful! Hayes Valley used to have a large black population, and this was fairly recent. But they - like many others - have been priced out of the area. Breed seems to think the new Hayes Valley is just fine.

 
At 1:10 PM, Blogger Rob Anderson said...

Yes, she's just awful, clearly way in over her head. All the city agencies---especially the MTA and the Planning Dept.---must be happy having her on the board, since she won't ask any serious questions about any important city policies. Politically she's Mirkarimi in drag.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home