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by Lin Robertson, all photos by Johnnie Burrell
Editor’s note: Taking nothing away from Lin’s uplifting story of aspiration and hope, applauding Johnnie’s mastery in “capturing the moment” and giving a heart-felt congratulations to the graduates, the Bay View cannot and will not align with Mayor Breed’s call for more law enforcement. The “residents” she hears from are those she has chosen to take sides with against those “other” residents who, with the meagerest resources but the most generous of hearts and empathy, consistently and clearly – and with data – state that more police cannot solve these problems. Still, with a lockjaw grip on the police state narrative and cognitive dissonance, Mayor Breed chooses to forge ahead with the ineffective and harmful war against our most vulnerable residents – who need care, not cops; housing, not handcuffs; books, not bars; jobs, not jail; truth, not terror. Defund the police!
You could feel the excitement in the air. Mayor London Breed set the stage for San Francisco post-Covid, reassuring everyone in her audience that not only are we fired up and ready to go, but that office buildings were open and projects in the forefront and backdrop of the City are once again producing jobs, jobs, jobs.
Calling for the need for the City to not rely just on big ideas but to also deliver on the basics – like a well-run school system and a government that delivers essential services with accountability and competence – Mayor Breed provides a roadmap for San Francisco to address the challenges of public safety, economic recovery, homelessness, behavioral health and the housing shortage.
On March 9, Mayor London N. Breed delivered the 2022 State of the City Address at Mission Rock, calling for a renewed focus by the City on the basic responsibilities that residents expect and deserve in addition to the large, transformative ideas for which San Francisco is known.
Mayor Breed highlighted the success that the City had responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, prioritizing essential services, protecting public health and relying on data to drive the City’s response. By delivering on those basic principles, the City was then able to go further with transformative actions like reimagining streets with outdoor dining, launching guaranteed income programs, and creating Community Hubs and the Summer Together programs.
“As we look ahead to the decisions about direction to take this City, we have to listen to our residents. Last month, the voters of this City sent a very clear message. They sent a message that we must do better by our children.
“But they also sent a message that while big ideas are important – those ideas must be built on a solid foundation. On the basics. Basics – like a well-run school system that puts kids first. Basics – like a government that delivers essential services for its residents. Basics – like accountability and competency.”
Acknowledging the fact that many residents don’t feel safe, from Asian-American seniors fearful of leaving their homes to Tenderloin families victimized by drug dealers, she reiterated her calls for more police officers. San Francisco currently has just over 1,630 officers, a decline of 250 officers from just three years ago.
Overall, the City is 540 officers below the number that is currently needed, according to the City’s independent analysis. In order to address this issue, she called for additional funding in the upcoming budget for creating and filling new officer academy classes while continuing the departmental reforms that have become a model for others under the leadership of Police Chief Bill Scott.
“We simply do not have the police staffing to meet the needs of a major city, especially as we welcome more workers and visitors back to this City … and to those who say we don’t need the police – listen to the residents. They are speaking louder than ever.”
Mayor Breed also spoke of the need to continue to push forward San Francisco’s economic recovery, rejecting the calls some are making that the City’s best days are behind it. At the site of the speech in Mission Rock and the surrounding Southeast communities, a transformation and economic revitalization is underway, with 5,000 new market-rate homes and 2,000 affordable homes being added to the 6,000 new homes that have been built in the last 20 years.
Programs like CityBuild are providing well-paying union jobs and training for people in the community as it transforms from a community impacted by negative health outcomes resulting from a coal-spewing power plant, into an inclusive new neighborhood with parks, office space, and new transportation options.
“It’s easy to fixate on the problems – and I am definitely focused on them. But today I want to talk about what’s possible – hope. Hope for a better future. That’s what I see right here on this waterfront … new neighborhoods. New parks and open spaces all along the waterfront and throughout the Dogpatch. New offices and storefronts. This doesn’t happen in a city that is dying. It happens in a city that is growing and thriving.”
“Just down 16th Street is the exchange. A commercial office building purchased just last year for over $1 billion. Large companies are renewing and expanding leases not just here in Mission Bay, but in Downtown and South of Market. And right now, this month, so many companies are returning to the office. Because they are invested in this City.
“That is not a story about commerce fleeing this City – this is a story about confidence in what lies ahead. Will it be different than it was? Of course. But this Waterfront today is different than it once was, too. In fact, it’s better … That’s the nature of cities. We endure and we adapt.”
Additionally, Mayor Breed called for reform to the City’s bureaucratic approval system for new housing, continued action in the Tenderloin to make the neighborhood safer for residents and visitors, increased efforts to deliver mental health services for people in need, and a multi-year effort to better serve children and families, known as the Children and Family Recovery Plan.
The full text of the Mayor’s State of the City Address can be found here.
Three new graduates from CityBuild, Black women all ready for construction work, were applauded after being recognized by our Mayor Breed, who is also a success story that her grandmother would be proud of if she was still alive today.
Other dignitaries included Dr. Toye Moses, a board member of the San Francisco African American Chamber of Commerce, as well as Roscoe Mapps, vice president for external affairs for the San Francisco Giants, in attendance to celebrate thriving economic opportunities as well as safe communities for our local residents throughout the City.
Thank you, Mayor Breed, for leading San Francisco toward a successful 2022 today and beyond.
Lin Robertson began her career by launching the Aruba Foreign Investment Agency in her native Aruba, a Caribbean island nation off the coast of Venezuela. Coming to California in 1998, she worked with the San Jose Office of Equality Assurance and in 2005 founded The Labor Compliance Managers, where she is managing director. She is also senior producer for International Media TV. Lin can be reached at lin.tlcm@gmail.com.
Johnnie Burrell is a renowned San Francisco videographer, who records Black history as it’s made in countless videos. Visit his website, www.internationalmediatv.com, and his YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/johnnieburrellstv. He can be reached at jb@internationalmediatv.com.
