San Francisco City Planners and City Planning Commissioners were held accountable and told in no uncertain terms that they had failed the constituents of San Francisco. The Housing Element document that is part of the General City Plan mandates public notice and hearings. Again and again City Planning Commissioners and officials of San Francisco City Planning were soundly reminded that they had failed the constituents of San Francisco. The Housing Element focuses not only on housing but also on transportation corridors. While it is a policy document that has far reaching consequences an important legal element is public participation. In this case City Planning with Gerald Green and Amit Ghosh has failed the constituents of the San Francisco. The City of San Francisco is unique and within the confines of this 8 square miles with its rolling hills surrounded by water on three sides, its mild weather, rich history in the home of the Muwekma Ohlone our City Planners cannot think outside the box. The have no vision and most importantly NO leadership. City planners have given very little time to the Housing Element. They give more time to projects linked to big developers because they demand money for these projects. They are City employees paid by the City and County of San Francisco yet pander on a daily basis to crooks and rich developers who really do not have the interests of the communities and neighborhoods we all call San Francisco. For the past 8 years Special Interests, the corrupt chief City Planner, the past President of the Planning Commission, others have done our City injustice. Again and again they have failed to follow the law. Hundreds of San Franciscans tried their best to explain to the City Planning Commissioners that they had let down the constituents. That they were NOT paying attention to Proposition M and to Quality of Life standards. Again and again the constituents stated that City Planners were arrogant. Planning Commissioners stated again and again that they had heard nothing new from the constituents at yesterday's meeting held October 9, 2003 at City Hall in Room 400. Wrong. Planning Commissioners must have been on a different planet while the testimony was going on. It is very important that an Environmental Impact Study be initiated as soon as possible. We have clean water and waste water infrastructure issues that have not been addressed. We have Energy issues that have not been addressed. We have density issues and zoning areas that have not been addressed. We have health and safety issues that City Planning cannot understand much less address. In any model that collects data we do not have to wait for the last moment to gather old data. While in any model that projects plans for the future solid estimates are a must - in the case of the City Planning much of it is a GUESSTIMATE. Simply stated HOT AIR. City Planning has put faith in ABAG and SPUR two antiquated organizations that have a hidden agenda and are rarely respected in any sound forum. The Housing Element document must address pollution and environmental issues that can adversely affect Quality of Life Standards in San Francisco. Of course the Planning Commissioners were prodded by the constituents of San Francisco to move in that direction and have rather reluctantly. As for City Planning officials once the EIR is in motion a can of worms will be opened and City Planning officials will jump ship a little after January 8, 2004 - with the lame duck Mayor who is on his way out. Yesterday for over 5 hours Planning Commissioners tried to do some justice but failed. They fail to understand that San Francisco is unique. They have NO ability to think outside the box. I guess it requires a higher IQ and an understanding of multi-disciplines lacking both with the City Planning officials and the Planning Commissioners. Time that City Planners be calibrated so that they can set goals and attain standards with a vision. Where is the leadership? Let us not treat this unique city like we do London, New York or Shanghai. Here in San Francisco we have assets and elements that demand creative planning and solutions which both the City Planners and Commissioners have failed to produce to date. Much of what was deliberated yesterday should have been in place 2 years ago. Just like there is a rush to build a new City Hospital after sitting on the project for years. Or rushing through the Disposition and Development Agreement to build 1600 housing units on Parcel A at Hunters Point. There are plans to demolish Public Housing on 18 sites and build Market Rate Housing. In the interim commercial space all over San Francisco sits empty and has for years. Dot.com work live units sit like white elephants for a turn in the economy. Thousands in San Francisco are jobless. The Service industry with restaurants and hotels are barely surviving. Hundreds of small businesses have folded - of course City Planners do not and will not figure this in their equation because they really do not have the ability to comprehend such factors. ABAG and SPUR live in the past as do City Planners and City Planning Commissioners. Out with the past and hopefully come January 8, 2004 we will get rid of a lot of bad rubbish. This Housing Element should be shelved as it defies logic and is detrimental to any sound City Planning. Most importantly it does not have the input and confidence of the informed constituents of San Francisco. This Housing Element pays NO attention to horizontal infrastructure that maintains Quality of Life Standards. It fails to address Health and Safety elements. It has NO vision but how can it when there is no sound leadership. All we see is arrogance and a lot of corruption.

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