Hey Mark Leno, don’t think we won’t notice this dog whistle to NIMBYs in your latest mailer. Working class people having places to live is far more important than “neighborhood character,” which is a false construct. You just lost my vote.
To elaborate: “neighborhood character” is a dog whistle that translates into “old people fearing change.” We are a major city, and by definition that means we’re always changing. This includes the “character” of neighborhoods, which have changed many, many times during SF’s history. Anyone who doesn’t like it is welcome to move to one of the many suburbs that literally surround San Francisco, designed for residents to drive everywhere and where nothing ever changes.
FWIW, I own a single-family detached home in Westwood Park, bought in 2015. The ONLY way we were able to afford it is that my partner and I don’t have or want kids, are in our 40s, are not currently supporting our parents or other family members, have no student debt, and are both very high-income professionals (lawyer + programmer). That’s an unacceptable bar to clear if our city is to remain vital & diverse.
I love our quiet Arts & Crafts neighborhood and the local undeveloped space (Balboa Reservoir) where we walk our dogs. But I don’t love it enough to see keeping it as an acceptable trade off for more than half my friends being forced to leave SF because they can’t afford to live here over the long term (especially as they start having kids).
All this is to say that my #1 factor in who I’ll be throwing my considerable donations, social & workplace influence, and vote behind for mayor is who most supports building housing and fighting NIMBYs. Anyone who dog whistles about “neighborhood character” isn’t that person.
