Friday, October 16, 2009

City Brights: Joe D'Alessandro : Take nothing for granted


City Brights: Joe D'Alessandro : Take nothing for granted:

"Even with all that City Hall and the many non-profits around town are doing, we hear complaints from our visitors about dirty streets, aggressive panhandling and public drug dealing.

Sacramento's celebrity Mayor Kevin Johnson had his bag stolen while helping someone into a cab right on Union Square last week. Street safety should be a priority for all of us.

These issues are important not just because they disturb our visitors and residents. The fact is that people are struggling and suffering. If we are truly 'the cool grey city of love,' we can't ignore that.

And we need to do everything we can to preserve the city's quirky 'Only in San Francisco' personality. Other cities may have beautiful hills, bridges and coastlines but only this city is '49 square miles surrounded by reality.'"