City Officials, Not Activists, Deserve Blame for Construction DelaysRandy Shawbyline‚ Feb. 20‚ 2008John King wrote an article in yesterday’s San Francisco Chronicle that blamed activists for delaying the revitalization of the Market/Octavia neighborhood. King and others have essentially accused Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi of halting progress last week by pushing for increased development fees in the area. Since the Market/Octavia planning process began in 2002, its understandable that people are frustrated by the prospect of further delay. But what has really occurred in Market/Octavia, and in many other San Francisco neighborhoods, is that administrative/political bodies unrepresentative of the electorate control the planning process until it reaches the Board of Supervisors. It is only then that activists’ concerns, ignored throughout this skewed process, are given weight. |