SF CITY HALL SETS SAIL WITH THE WIND IN THE FRONT OF THEM (10/12/10)

You might think we have bright people working for at the Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Workforce - but, again this office has proved that it does not serve the better interests of the constituents of San Francisco and California at large.

Larry Ellison who is a billionaire has been shafted by Mayor Gavin Newsom before on Treasure Island. Ellison once book the required space and facilities for his annual event - only, to have the Mayor's henchperson double book the facilities and space and make Larry Ellison and his operatives looking bad. Some cockeyed arrangement was made at Treasure Island - and Larry Ellison spent more money, on tents, toilets and brought some fame to Oracle - the company that makes him billions, buying out smaller companies in what are called takeovers.

I have just come from New Zealand one of the sites in recent years where the America's Cup was held - attended mostly by the filthy rich and those that have too much money to throw. In the Bay Area to understand the mentality of these folks you might visit the Sausalito Fair - you will get a simple but deeper idea of what I am talking about. The hundreds of folks that invest in the America's Cup are people bent on winning and working very hard at that. They are sponsored by folks who want some return for their money. Long gone are the days when rich folks wasted money just to have fun. Like those many years off Rhode Island where the America's Cup race were held that Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi talks about and sound so silly.

To begin with a Term Paper that is devoid of substance and talks in generalities is shocking if not pathetic. The Budget Analyst has no say, the Controller is not consulted but yet we have the blessing given to some Bay Area Economic Consultants - who create conceptual plans and scenarios without any empirical data. A dream world that if one awakes from could be our worst nightmare.

If done properly outreach and all, consulting Supervisor Chris Daly whose constituents will be impacted in District 6 would have been in good order, doing the same to the constituents of District 10 and 9 and the others too, kosher. The fact that such an outreach was not done speaks volumes. Greedy fat cats do not think of such ways or thoughts and when you call them out it is lack of manners. When they dare leave out someone of importance such as a District Supervisor, they think they can fool all the people all the time. More, they think all is well - the ship is afloat but right now for some strange reason - there is no wind. Doldrums.

The area proposed for the America's Cup race is the San Francisco Port Authority, from Piers 32 all the way to Pier 50. In between Piers 27 and 28 with other areas incorporated to provide amenities to the many contestants that have the money and will travel to flaunt their sailing prowess and pride. Holding grounds will be reserved and parts put together, ships tested and re-tested and will all will watch and be fully satisfied. What a dream come true!

Larry Allison could have chosen Alameda it has a deeper harbor, better amenities with the high sealing hangers, and better security - at least according to some experts. It is not as if Allison has not thought about it - but he is waiting to set sail where he pleases and he could make a right about wayward turn, and cheat Mayor Gavin Newsom and the fake term sheet that is full of holes.

In the sixties, the State of California turned the 7.1 mile area along the waterfront to the SF Port Authority. In all that time our piers have fallen in disrepair. Tourist that come and walk towards AT&T Park notice this and wonder - why a City and County of San Francisco - filthy rich and with a $6.8 Billion Budget, the many millionaires, the Speaker of House, a Senator that can wheel and deal, and companies such as Bechtel, Balfour Beatty, Jacobs, Shaw, Tutor Perini, Kiewit - others too many to mention could not have addressed the sad, pathetic state of affairs - before now - to wait until now for the America's Cup to position ourselves, in such a hasty manner. All hands aboard! Ahoy!

It goes back to who really controls and makes the decisions. You might be surprised - mostly crooked, corrupt, kingpins and queens that operate worse then the MAFIA does and have been for years. Those that have been around know how this is done. Few speak up because if you do, you will be silenced.

Remember the plans drawn up for Piers 27 and 28 and the Mills Corporation. It failed and then it was taken by another corrupt entity and it too failed. What these corrupt folks seek are long term leases - where they can make fast money within say five to ten years and flee. As some of you know they are Limited Liability Corporations who have high powered attorneys who wheel and deal and care only about themselves and the falling Almighty Dollar does not give them second thoughts - less do they give a rat ass to the constituents of San Francisco much of whom are in the dark, think of how to make end meet day to day.

The reality of the day is that such gimmicks can be understood by those that have time to waste and money to waste. San Francisco loves to waste money. Leading the pack the Mayor's Office of Economic Development and Workforce.

I could give you other examples of projects where folks have taken the SF Port Authority for a ride, the Waterfront Restaurant, leases that are now negotiated with folks from the East Coast linked to Parking by Pier 39 with ties to the Mafia - may I say more.

The SF Port Commission is a joke. All hand picked by the Mayor and one worse then the other. You will never hear the word "nay" when a vote is taken - be it the Heron's Head Park Project, a building that is going to be built on a Parking Lot very close to Pier One - the jerks all nod and say "yes". What a perfect dysfunctional family of fools, who know less about the Public Trust Act and even less about San Franciscans and its deep history with the sea, shipbuilding, sailing, and harvesting in the Bay.

Ten thousand years ago when the Bay was wider and deeper and there were thousands of acres of real wetlands - the Ohlone, the first people of San Francisco built canoes of Tule Reed and traversed miles of water and did humanity - proud. They did not use sails and they did keep the Bay clean. Not a word about them at the SF Port Authority in all the funny exhibits I review from time to time. I like the one about the famous Coast Guard - Captain Healy but nothing much is said about the real man and the good he did and the thousands he affected.

The Ohlone are the First People of San Francisco and this land was stolen from them. The Public Trust Act respects them but nothing much is uttered less written in all the doings by the SF Port Authority. I have been before the SF Port Commission many times. You say something but they hear what they want to hear. All this will change and it will change without a word spoken. Check them out: www.muwekma.org On Innez Street by Hunters Point, we had shipwrights from Haiti and elsewhere many of them Black that built first class ship some with sails and some without. Many of these men built ships for Kings and Queens in countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Holland. The SF Board of Supervisors, our Mayor, and the plotters and connivers behind the America's Cup who desire to bring this America's Cup to San Francisco - would not know of this. Why or why - pathetic fools always forget history.

Most folks know about Captain Healy from the Coast Guard. In recent years a state of the art Ice Breaker Coast Guard Ship with the latest technology was commissioned and named after this Black Captain who made his abode in San Francisco. Jerks will deny that he was Black but he was as Black as President, Barrack Hussein Obama. Captain Healy had some Irish in him and saved the Natives of Alaska from death by introducing animals and protein and helping them to shun from alcohol that was introduced to them - by you know whom.

The Chinese were at Hunters Point much before any Black lived there in numbers. They Chinese built their own fishing boats and fished and made good money. Again and again those that were jealous burnt their homes and often killed them for no reason. The Chinese were good sailors but David Chiu and Sophie Maxwell have no clue about this history.

The many Polynesians in San Francisco could teach the so called sailors of today a thing or two. However, they are left with no opportunities, relegated to Public Housing much like the Polynesians in Auckland to State Housing. Rich folks come and use the playgrounds and sail into oblivion to honor some Cup and not a glance on humanity and the rich sailing history of a people that at least in Auckland, New Zealand boast of one of the world's best collection of Polynesian culture. In San Francisco it will be the same but for the grace of God.

The Term Sheet linked to the America's Cup should incorporate the sense of history that San Francisco offers, give it an ambience of justice and fair play. San Francisco has a diverse population and everyone must have a role to play - Latino, Black, White, Native American, Polynesian, Asian - others. Frankly speaking both in Spain and in New Zealand much money was spent, and tourists did come - but, the two America's Cup event was embroiled with legalities and did not cover the expenses. I suppose false pride in expensive and the privilege of the filthy rich.

Auckland in New Zealand learnt its lesson and has approached the coming World Rugby Championship to be held in 2011 from the ill fated lessons it learned when the America's Cup did not fare well and tasked its economy. The same goes with the Nation of Spain when it held its America's Cup not to long ago. There is no doubt the America's cup brings tourists, but it also demands service and facilities and our SF City and County of San Francisco, our SF Board of Supervisors, our lying Mayor, Gavin Newsom cannot address, less put a sound plan more with our Nation failing economy.

We lack toilets today for our tourists and they complain all the time. We have the homeless on our streets many of them with mental problems and no one cares. Our Mayor Gavin Newsom plays to SPIN but this will not take him far. We are waiting for him to go to Sacramento - good riddance of very bad - rubbish. He ran for Gubernatorial Race and failed. He once said that the Lieutenant Governor's position was not for him. Now, suddenly he has become viable. Time will tell. San Francisco is better off without him - he lacks morals, he is inept but history must remember always - he cannot be trusted. Aho.

So, our first thought is to incorporate the Private Industry when we want to seek for money in all the wrong places, Visa and such dubious companies that prey on mostly innocent people. Remember five percent of the folks in America control over ninety percent of the Nation's wealth. We have some of them in San Francisco and all of them made their money by fleecing some one.

These scumbags will not spend their ill-gotten money without a pound of flesh. So, in the upcoming agreements you will read statements of long leases based on some capital improvement and promise to facilitate some operations without any interferences; giving no clout to any agency or authority to enforce any doable standards and giving these operatives to carry on ploys and machinations that have been carried out before on a small scale but this time it will be on the largest scale ever. Of course Sophie Maxwell could not care less reminiscing on sailing in times long gone at Sausalito with her one time boy friend. She lied but we will leave that lie for another day and another time.

We have very astute folks in San Francisco who have sailed and know about sailing and all that is good. The America's Cup is about pandering and embracing a certain type of person that is difficult to cater. These are competitors who have one thing on their mind - to win, to impress, to boast. They work hard, long hours, take care of this very sophisticated equipment - most with the latest technology and hand and machine crafted parts. They bring their help, their families and all of them are there to impress and win.

We want the America's Cup in San Francisco but it must have the blessings of the gods and the constituents of San Francisco. The over nine thousand jobs must be made available to all segments of the population. Holding areas must be everywhere in San Francisco and beyond for the economy to jump start. The tourist map for starters must show the Bayview Hunters Point and speak a little of all the Ships built and the workers that contributed to large and small ships that floated and sailed to far off places not far from Piers 27 and 28.

The Public Trust Act calls for Maritime Uses and these must somehow be duly incorporated in the leases - short and long term. Someone ,has jump started the process with legislation that has been introduced in Sacramento to circumvent the Public Trust Act created legislation that robbed us of Candlestick State Park, ATT Park formerly Pacific Bell Park, Mission Bay and moving Concrete and Aggregate Companies on Public Trust Land without much discourse with the constituents of San Francisco.

Much like the Ballot Measure that will authorize building high rise hotels at Pier 70 with folks like Joe Boss in the cockpit and other strange rascals making hay while the sun shines and there is more. San Franciscans cannot be taken adrift this time, the buoys you provide will not ferry you afar. Ask the deep questions now or forever spend your time - in purgatory.

David Chiu aspirations with his Bonaparte Complex may serve him in the short run but his boast will take water and no one will come to his rescue - not even his partner in crime - Aaron Peskin. Sailing is fun the point to remember is that the waters and the wind must be willing to accommodate you. May fair play win and with it comes justice and compassion.




top - back