My buddy sent me this article this afternoon. I for one am all for it. Now if we could just get the SF local yokels on board with some similar Ideas.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Incentives to Multi Unit Rental Builders.
Here's a novel idea, instead of rent control and limits on condo conversion, how about incenting the construction of new multi unit rental housing.. even better incent landlords to rent out their properties:
My buddy sent me this article this afternoon. I for one am all for it. Now if we could just get the SF local yokels on board with some similar Ideas.
My buddy sent me this article this afternoon. I for one am all for it. Now if we could just get the SF local yokels on board with some similar Ideas.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Owners Don't Run.
I read an article the other day in the San Francisco Apartment Association Magazine about litter on the streets of San Francisco. Since I agree with the author completely I wanted to point it out here.
http://www.sfaa.org/magazine/archives/06/may/0605.wilson.html
Marc Wilson points out that people litter because they are disenfranchised and have no sense of ownership in their community, he then relates that to the fact that most people who live in SF rent. While, the tenants that I've met here in SF certainly run the gamut of outstanding to the worst sort of citizens, I believe no where else in the world could you find San Francisco's sort of "anti-owner" tenant. That is, some tenants here are of a rare breed whose attitude is driven by the notion that they should be magically given many of the rights of ownership and few if any of the responsibilities. Marc ends by relating this to an upcoming ballot-proposition regarding disclosure of evictions for multi unit housing; I'd like to carry this a step farther and discuss some other problems facing us San Franciscans because of the anti-owner ethic
I have a 1-year-old daughter and I live here in the city in Bernal Heights. Since she has entered our lives there has been a looming question about what we will do when she comes of age to attend 1st grade. I can't turn around these days without seeing an article about "where are all the kids" in San Francisco. The San Francisco Magazine, the Chronicle, realtor’s magazines. It is no doubt a serious problem, however the politicians can't seem to fix the problem. Well, that's because while they must provide the environment for change, they cannot, alone, effect a change for the better. Why? Its not up to them, its up to the owners of San Francisco. Schools are made up of kids and parents and teachers, not politicians, only the true owners can effect a change. Unfortunately, San Francisco voters have this same "anti-owner" attitude about the schools as they do about their housing and the litter on the streets. Thus, since San Franciscans don't own the schools, their problems, or their home, it is very easy to leave -- just cut and run when all the fun is gone.
While I grew up in the sub-urbs in New Jersey, I really can't speak about what growing up in a city has to offer a family except that my wife grew up in Bucharest. She went to the same high school as her mom, she was baptized in the same church as her mom and grandmother, and she lived in (read owned) the house that her great-grandfather built. Talk about ownership. And this was a communist country. A lot has happened to that house, and her old neighborhood since she left and maybe its a topic for another day, but the fact is that hers was a great neighborhood because there was ownership, and others that were taken from the people to make public housing is crumbling still.
Well, again back to San Francisco, and the point is we need more ownership. It used to be the ones who were in charge, where the "landed gentry"; that is those who owned land made the rules. Our system is more even handed now and I am so tired of hearing people complaining about the gentrification of this neighborhood or that one. It seems to me we need a little more "gentrification" if that means that more people own their own homes.
The voters, the politicians, the tenants union in San Francisco have taken the easy way out and we are all reaping what we have sown: Lets put all the burden on a few because they were smart enough to invest in ownership; Lets all try to get something for nothing. Well that only works for a little while my friends and time is running out. Instead of sending kids all of the city for school how about investing in ownership. ALL of our neighbors and ALL of us should be proud of their home, their street, their schools and our needy and more importantly investing in them. No one should be excused from sacrificing a bit of themselves to own San Francisco, its more than a down payment, its an attitude, you can begin by picking up that candy wrapper that was just dropped on the sidewalk:
- Politicians don't pander to the freeloader tenants union, create ownership housing instead.
- Parents don't leave town, stand your ground, be involved in the public schools and own them.
- Tenants don't tell your supervisor rent is too high, tell them that you are tired of renting.
- Everyone make the sacrifice to own a piece of San Francisco.
- Hug a realtor :]
http://www.sfaa.org/magazine/archives/06/may/0605.wilson.html
Marc Wilson points out that people litter because they are disenfranchised and have no sense of ownership in their community, he then relates that to the fact that most people who live in SF rent. While, the tenants that I've met here in SF certainly run the gamut of outstanding to the worst sort of citizens, I believe no where else in the world could you find San Francisco's sort of "anti-owner" tenant. That is, some tenants here are of a rare breed whose attitude is driven by the notion that they should be magically given many of the rights of ownership and few if any of the responsibilities. Marc ends by relating this to an upcoming ballot-proposition regarding disclosure of evictions for multi unit housing; I'd like to carry this a step farther and discuss some other problems facing us San Franciscans because of the anti-owner ethic
I have a 1-year-old daughter and I live here in the city in Bernal Heights. Since she has entered our lives there has been a looming question about what we will do when she comes of age to attend 1st grade. I can't turn around these days without seeing an article about "where are all the kids" in San Francisco. The San Francisco Magazine, the Chronicle, realtor’s magazines. It is no doubt a serious problem, however the politicians can't seem to fix the problem. Well, that's because while they must provide the environment for change, they cannot, alone, effect a change for the better. Why? Its not up to them, its up to the owners of San Francisco. Schools are made up of kids and parents and teachers, not politicians, only the true owners can effect a change. Unfortunately, San Francisco voters have this same "anti-owner" attitude about the schools as they do about their housing and the litter on the streets. Thus, since San Franciscans don't own the schools, their problems, or their home, it is very easy to leave -- just cut and run when all the fun is gone.
While I grew up in the sub-urbs in New Jersey, I really can't speak about what growing up in a city has to offer a family except that my wife grew up in Bucharest. She went to the same high school as her mom, she was baptized in the same church as her mom and grandmother, and she lived in (read owned) the house that her great-grandfather built. Talk about ownership. And this was a communist country. A lot has happened to that house, and her old neighborhood since she left and maybe its a topic for another day, but the fact is that hers was a great neighborhood because there was ownership, and others that were taken from the people to make public housing is crumbling still.
Well, again back to San Francisco, and the point is we need more ownership. It used to be the ones who were in charge, where the "landed gentry"; that is those who owned land made the rules. Our system is more even handed now and I am so tired of hearing people complaining about the gentrification of this neighborhood or that one. It seems to me we need a little more "gentrification" if that means that more people own their own homes.
The voters, the politicians, the tenants union in San Francisco have taken the easy way out and we are all reaping what we have sown: Lets put all the burden on a few because they were smart enough to invest in ownership; Lets all try to get something for nothing. Well that only works for a little while my friends and time is running out. Instead of sending kids all of the city for school how about investing in ownership. ALL of our neighbors and ALL of us should be proud of their home, their street, their schools and our needy and more importantly investing in them. No one should be excused from sacrificing a bit of themselves to own San Francisco, its more than a down payment, its an attitude, you can begin by picking up that candy wrapper that was just dropped on the sidewalk:
- Politicians don't pander to the freeloader tenants union, create ownership housing instead.
- Parents don't leave town, stand your ground, be involved in the public schools and own them.
- Tenants don't tell your supervisor rent is too high, tell them that you are tired of renting.
- Everyone make the sacrifice to own a piece of San Francisco.
- Hug a realtor :]
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