[CPEO-BIF] "What does redevelopment mean in San Francisco?"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

PRESS RELEASE
Arc Ecology
February 1, 2011


WHAT DOES REDEVELOPMENT MEAN IN SAN FRANCISCO?
Arc Ecology Initiates City Wide Discussion on Role of Redevelopment in 
San Francisco


Since his inauguration, Governor Edmund G Brown has initiated a 
statewide debate challenging the very necessity of redevelopment in the 
State of California.

"In recent days, a lot has been made of the proposed elimination of 
redevelopment agencies. Mayors from cities both large and small have 
come to the capitol and pressed their case that redevelopment is 
different from child care, university funding or grants to the aged, 
disabled and blind.

They base their case on the claim that redevelopment funds leverage 
other funds and create jobs. I certainly understand this because I saw 
redevelopment first hand as mayor of Oakland. But I also understand that 
redevelopment funds come directly from local property taxes that would 
otherwise pay for schools and core city and county services such as 
police and fire protection and care for the most vulnerable people in 
our society."
---Governor Edmund G. Brown, State of the State Address

Over the last two years, Arc Ecology has also raised questions about 
redevelopment; first with our critique of the Candlestick Hunters Point 
Shipyard Redevelopment Plan and now Treasure Island.  Like Governor 
Brown, at the core of our concern is whether redevelopment has been 
demonstrated to provide meaningful improvements in the communities it 
impacts.

"For decades San Franciscans have complained about the negative impacts 
of redevelopment.  We don't know if we agree with the Governor entirely, 
but we agree that engaging the public in the debate is essential. 
Several months back we decided to open a discussion with San Francisco 
residents about redevelopment, whether it should exist, its mission and 
practice." Saul Bloom, Executive Director, Arc Ecology

[See http://www.arcecology.org/pdf/ArcEcology_FP_v7-1.pdf for the full 
page advertisement that will appear in today's edition of the San 
Francisco Bay Guardian.  This is the first of a series of such ads to 
run in the Guardian.  The goal of this piece is to learn what San 
Franciscans know about the structure of redevelopment in San Francisco. 
 The Bay Guardian was selected because it is a weekly, free to the 
public, broadly read and distributed.  Electronic media will follow.

"We're starting that discussion today.  We hope it will help inform the 
debate over what redevelopment should be and whether it should survive." 
 --- Saul Bloom


###

For the original release, go to
http://www.arcecology.org/pdf/Bay%20Guardian%20Ad%20Campaign%20Press%20Release%202-1-11.pdfbiff

--


Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org



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