Now, I understand that some of the gang at El Tesoro might not be eligible to vote, but I can’t help to wonder if they’re hedging their bets in the upcoming District 6 election or don’t get how endorsing generally works? One might say, “Oh, but you can’t endorse two candidates.” Guess what, they just did. Suck on that what-may-seem-to-be-common-sense!

While they’re at it, they might as well put up the other 12 and go for broke on the deal. These guys are on to something. Something big. Endorse. Everyone. Maybe we should take their lead somehow on Tenderblog. Food for thought. Oh, on that note, I shall never stray from thee again mighty Tesoro, unless of course I’m at 24th and Mission and Farolito is open, which… it pretty much always is.

I’ve only recently learned who Randy Shaw is and it’s primarily by reading this article that I learned more about his whole Uptown Tenderloin Museum as well as related posters. Now, I’ve never met Randy Shaw. I have no idea what he’s like as a person, but I do know that he lives in Berkeley, so I have a hard time taking his activism for the Loin seriously. I also know that what he’s doing is helping no one in the Loin because despite working here for 20+ years, there has been no discernible change since when he started and the current day. Sure, you can point to the various laws he helped to draft and pass in the city, but on the ground, they have affected no change.

By the way, this new “Uptown Tenderloin” marketing slogan is downright embarrassing.
(comment from SFGate article)

The worst thing about people like Randy is that they do indeed mean well (although aid research has proven that good intentions are not enough). The problem is that their system of “aid” is based upon a mashup of Christian guilt mixed with American capitalism. They run on the premise that more money and more “awareness” will fix the problems that plague an area such as the Loin. Sadly, they are dead wrong. What fixes the Loins of the world are grassroots, foundation-up changes wherein businesses open in the empty storefronts attracting customers, citizens become active members of their neighborhood, and the criminal elements are forced out by a local population tired of rotten apples damaging the whole basket. Creating more homeless shelters or soup kitchens or community activism groups won’t affect this change. It will only attract more homeless, dealers, and preachers while alienating the rest of the neighbors.

To those still reading along, it would probably be easy to accuse me of encouraging gentrification when in fact I’m wishing more for urban renewal which from my viewpoint is a far better option than endless millions of dollars being lost in a black hole of aid and non-profits. Randy Shaw’s museum is one such project. This should get no funding from the city, let alone the $3.9 million he’s pursuing. That’s a staggering amount. Granting 200 local businesses $19,500 (or however you want to break that amount up) would do more to revitalize the neighborhood than one museum started by one man/group that will always be in need of funding from year to year.

The Tenderloin has a rich history and is a place that needs some stability. I doubt this project is that.
(comment from SFGate article)

It’s the development seed money that the neighborhood needs, not Randy Shaw putting up posters and a fancy front to try and milk money out of a broke city administration that caters to far too many non-profit groups already. On a small level, the seeds are indeed being sown with places such as little bird, Koko’s Cocktails, Brenda’s, Hooker’s, Jebena, farm:table, Infinite SF and Dwntwn, as well as several art galleries opening up recently. Not to mention many, many other great places in the neighborhood that have nothing to do with subsidized housing or charity aid.

We come for the food Randy. What we could do without is it being an open air sanitorium. Work on that Randy.
(comment from SFGate article)

People who believe in the neighborhood are investing in it, but with activists like Randy Shaw working to bring in yet more aid money to continually focus the homeless and destitute in one neighborhood, it will sabotage all these efforts. I cry foul in all of this and plead with Randy Shaw to work on the local social issues on his own neighborhood while we continue to work on ours in a way that works for us because we live here.

In other words, we don’t want your museum or tours Mr. Shaw. Anyone who says otherwise either doesn’t live here or just wants a piece of that tasty tasty pie you’re chasing.
(comment from SFGate article)

By way of an update, it appears that Randy Shaw doesn’t like comments, particularly when they pertain to him…

I’m quite happy to see that sit/lie will go to the ballots and was shockingly done by the Hairdo. Our homeless problem is pretty absurd as summarized by a friend who was visiting that saw all the soup kitchens in the Loin and said, “Huh, that’s not actually fixing the problem, it’s just sustaining it.” It’s also summarized extremely well by this comment left on the above article in regards to the Homeless Industry:

Allowing homeless people to persist endlessly in a state of homelessness is cruel. SF has clearly failed by “enabling” the homeless. Street people with substance abuse issues or mental disorders are only going to change when forced too with some “tough love”. There are too many vocal critics of such “harsh” policies because they make their living of the homeless population existing.

Yeah, I get it, we’re “in the red”. Is that supposed to be funny? They can start paying my rent and let me complete my enrollment in Healthy San Francisco if that’s the case.

And while I realize it’s a border of the Loin and not actually in the Loin, what the hell was up with southbound traffic on Van Ness tonight? Looked like hell for anyone who was in a car, which thankfully, I wasn’t, as walking is something that soothes my soul–especially when contrasted against the fact I’m walking faster than the cars next to me are moving. To quote Nelson, “Ha, ha.”

(Pardon the sheer and utter crapitude of that photo. I didn’t have my real camera with me at the moment and had capture that with the delicate touch of my Blackberry.)

A number of years ago, I had a girlfriend who always accused me of being “mean” when I didn’t bow to her every whim. These “whims” included but were not limited to such things as paying all the rent, buying all the food, and paying for our holidays despite the fact we earned nearly the same. She had no explanation as to why this was just, but made the accusation nonetheless. Yeah, I was a sap, but I’ve since massively upgraded.

So, I have to smirk just a bit when reading about how mean San Francisco is to the homeless here. It’s awfully great that the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty has decided to decree that we’re the 7th meanest in the country. They are overlooking the fact that we have somewhere around 1% of our population living on the streets. It’s a massive problem here. We put in a helluva lot of effort to deal with an issue that I feel we’re quite disproportionally overburdened with. Friends who have visited look around at the shelters and soup kitchens in the Loin and say, “Huh, yeah, this actually doesn’t solve the problem of homelessness” as well as, “Those cheap Dutch tourists waiting in the soup kitchen lines are pigs” and they’re right–on both counts. So, to call this city “mean” in how it deals with the homeless is, pardon my French, un seau de merde.

Naturally a commenter to the article summed up just about everything a great many people were probably feeling when reading this by saying:

Let’s find out where all the directors of the “National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty” live and start funding homeless shelters in their neighborhoods.

“How come Arnold doesn’t get a pay cut?” wonders fellow Tenderloiner “Indian Joe” on this little interview at the St Anthony Foundation blog. And although our Governor doesn’t accept his salary (which is the highest in the country for a governor), Indian Joe’s point is clear: why are those on power always targeting the poor instead of their own backyard?

I’ve never been a fan of Newsom. Even trying to get past the hair, he never seemed to have much to him other than cronyism (yeah, I know there’s the gay marriage bit as well) which is why I didn’t vote for him in either of his elections. Others did. C’est la vie. Vive les cheveux.

Today in The Chron, an article came up describing the rather harsh cutbacks in the city budget. The chopping block is wide this time around and apparently The Central City Hospitality House could get axed. This is sad news as that group has been functioning for 32 years and helping those in the Loin who have no security net left. You take that away and you just get more homeless, which I might add, from a resident’s point of view, Newsom has done nothing to curb despite all of his piecharts and additional gel.

The question I raise is, where the hell did all this money go? We have been funding programs like these for three decades. Why now is there suddenly no money? It’s a similar issue with the State Parks and zee Arnold wanting to close many of them. How can we not fund these social entities? Is it just getting sucked up in $230,000 pensions and state politicians being given a car? I don’t know about you, but I’d love to be given a car to go to work. Well, now that I think about it, no, I wouldn’t. Parking in the TenderHood is nasty. I’m happy with my two feet and Translink card for now, although the 33% raise in Muni fares is going to take a real bite soon.

Anyways, I leave you with hair, a mouth, and a crappy budget.