4 ms·

I've read a lot of reports that most of the big cities in California are going downhill hard. I'm nowhere near informed enough to have an opinion on these compl

by Pigo 7y ago

I've read a lot of reports that most of the big cities in California are going downhill hard. I'm nowhere near informed enough to have an opinion on these complex issues, but the constant reports of "state of emergency" and "poop patrols" make me angry for the people who live there. It's ponderous how some of the wealthiest cities in the world can't manage themselves. How do they not sweep out the current administration, and bring in people willing to change things?

SpicyLemonZest 7y ago
People largely don't agree on what it is that should be changed. Some insist that building more is the silver bullet; others argue that we need to tax tech companies more, or get better at building shelters in neighborhoods that don't want them.
paulmd 7y ago
Other cities literally buy homeless people tickets to LA or SF to get rid of them, and cities generally don't have the amount of revenue they should have because of Prop 13. Please propose a fix for dealing with the homeless population of the entire country on a budget that is mostly pre-allocated by propositions with no ability to raise taxes. Nobody really wants to address the elephant in the room because they're all Temporarily Embarrassed Millionaires who might hypothetically benefit from Prop 13 someday.
- selectodude 7y ago
  You don’t have to be temporarily embarrassed to benefit from prop 13, merely one of the 55 percent of Californians that own their home. Homeowners vote, and they vote in their own self interest.
  - paulmd 7y ago
    well, then apparently the homeless problem isn't materially affecting those homeowners' well-being enough for them to care? I mean, you have to step over homeless encampments to walk down the street, but at least you don't have to pay more taxes!
Nasrudith 7y ago
It is simple, because the voters are selfish and don't want to take their medicine for their known ailment. Getting rid of Prop 13 and allowing more development which they fear would compromise their own situation. Indeed doing anything to help fix the situation is the surest way to make people angry, see their anger at effectively /carpooling/ with Google bus. The harsh truth is that if voters want to find the source of the problem instead of a scapegoat they should look in a mirror.
- lotsofpulp 7y ago
  Everyone wants the amenities and economic securities of an urban, densely populated city with the comforts and space of a suburban home including a vehicle and socioeconomically segregated schools. And everyone wants a to be part of the wealthy and not re-distribute their own wealth to the poor/mentally disabled/etc. So this is what we get.
blitmap 7y ago
I'm not saying the problems don't exist, but it feels like they have been amplified in a smear campaign. I think there's been a lot of propaganda to make SF and California look terrible in general, for political reasons. Washington D.C. has a large percentage of homeless people than SF. It has been documented that other cities will buy bus passes for homeless persons to get them to California cities or other places like Portland, Oregon. It's a nationwide problem and it feels like the places trying to help the most are the ones getting flak for it. You simply can't fix this problem from 1 or 2 states - or a few well known cities.
- Pigo 7y ago
  I've heard even worse things about Portland, for instance. But I just heard that the wealthy in San Francisco have started employing private police forces to handle the homeless and sanitation issues in their neighborhoods. Some areas have mandatory taxes (somehow) for homeowners to finance them. Maybe it's a good thing, not for me to say, but that does seem like a very clear indication of mismanagement.
  - diogenescynic 7y ago
    Regarding the mandatory taxes, I think you're talking about "green neighborhood" district taxes that supposedly help to deal with quality of life issues.
    - Pigo 7y ago
      I'm talking about services like this http://www.sfspecialneighborhoodpolicing.org/about_us.html http://www.sfspecialneighborhoodpolicing.org/about_us.html I've read that some building/condos/whatever have HOA's that require them to fund it. I'm not providing an opinion. I just found it surprising, if true.
- diogenescynic 7y ago
  I'm not part of a smear campaign, but in the last year I've had homeless tweakers squatting in my garage, had to get a restraining order against a mentally ill and violent homeless person who just decided to harass my apartment building, I've seen a HUGE guy sexually assault multiple women on BART, I've seen multiple people smoking meth/crack and shooting heroin in BART on my way to work, I see feces and needles DAILY. It's not a smear campaign. We're sick of living in these Medieval conditions when we work this hard and pay this much. It's not like this anywhere else in the country. It's really gotten worse in the past 2 years and seems to be getting worse by the day now. The final straw for me, was when a bullet came through the wall of my bathroom at 1AM and when I called the cops they took 2 hours to get there, threw the bullet in a ziplock bag, then never called me or had any follow up. If this city doesn't take gun shots or violent crime seriously, then what good is the government or PD?

by Pigo 7y ago

SpicyLemonZest 7y ago

People largely don't agree on what it is that should be changed. Some insist that building more is the silver bullet; others argue that we need to tax tech companies more, or get better at building shelters in neighborhoods that don't want them.

paulmd 7y ago

Other cities literally buy homeless people tickets to LA or SF to get rid of them, and cities generally don't have the amount of revenue they should have because of Prop 13. Please propose a fix for dealing with the homeless population of the entire country on a budget that is mostly pre-allocated by propositions with no ability to raise taxes. Nobody really wants to address the elephant in the room because they're all Temporarily Embarrassed Millionaires who might hypothetically benefit from Prop 13 someday.

selectodude 7y ago
You don’t have to be temporarily embarrassed to benefit from prop 13, merely one of the 55 percent of Californians that own their home. Homeowners vote, and they vote in their own self interest.
- paulmd 7y ago
  well, then apparently the homeless problem isn't materially affecting those homeowners' well-being enough for them to care? I mean, you have to step over homeless encampments to walk down the street, but at least you don't have to pay more taxes!

Nasrudith 7y ago

It is simple, because the voters are selfish and don't want to take their medicine for their known ailment. Getting rid of Prop 13 and allowing more development which they fear would compromise their own situation. Indeed doing anything to help fix the situation is the surest way to make people angry, see their anger at effectively /carpooling/ with Google bus. The harsh truth is that if voters want to find the source of the problem instead of a scapegoat they should look in a mirror.

lotsofpulp 7y ago
Everyone wants the amenities and economic securities of an urban, densely populated city with the comforts and space of a suburban home including a vehicle and socioeconomically segregated schools. And everyone wants a to be part of the wealthy and not re-distribute their own wealth to the poor/mentally disabled/etc. So this is what we get.

blitmap 7y ago

I'm not saying the problems don't exist, but it feels like they have been amplified in a smear campaign. I think there's been a lot of propaganda to make SF and California look terrible in general, for political reasons. Washington D.C. has a large percentage of homeless people than SF. It has been documented that other cities will buy bus passes for homeless persons to get them to California cities or other places like Portland, Oregon. It's a nationwide problem and it feels like the places trying to help the most are the ones getting flak for it. You simply can't fix this problem from 1 or 2 states - or a few well known cities.

Pigo 7y ago
I've heard even worse things about Portland, for instance. But I just heard that the wealthy in San Francisco have started employing private police forces to handle the homeless and sanitation issues in their neighborhoods. Some areas have mandatory taxes (somehow) for homeowners to finance them. Maybe it's a good thing, not for me to say, but that does seem like a very clear indication of mismanagement.
- diogenescynic 7y ago
  Regarding the mandatory taxes, I think you're talking about "green neighborhood" district taxes that supposedly help to deal with quality of life issues.
  - Pigo 7y ago
    I'm talking about services like this http://www.sfspecialneighborhoodpolicing.org/about_us.html http://www.sfspecialneighborhoodpolicing.org/about_us.html I've read that some building/condos/whatever have HOA's that require them to fund it. I'm not providing an opinion. I just found it surprising, if true.
diogenescynic 7y ago
I'm not part of a smear campaign, but in the last year I've had homeless tweakers squatting in my garage, had to get a restraining order against a mentally ill and violent homeless person who just decided to harass my apartment building, I've seen a HUGE guy sexually assault multiple women on BART, I've seen multiple people smoking meth/crack and shooting heroin in BART on my way to work, I see feces and needles DAILY. It's not a smear campaign. We're sick of living in these Medieval conditions when we work this hard and pay this much. It's not like this anywhere else in the country. It's really gotten worse in the past 2 years and seems to be getting worse by the day now. The final straw for me, was when a bullet came through the wall of my bathroom at 1AM and when I called the cops they took 2 hours to get there, threw the bullet in a ziplock bag, then never called me or had any follow up. If this city doesn't take gun shots or violent crime seriously, then what good is the government or PD?