Comments on: City of San Francisco retracts Weston Wear citation

By: GG

GG — Mon, 07 May 2012 17:11:02 +0000

DJM – Why did you move to Clarion Alley? There have been murals there since the 80s, so I find it unlikely you moved in before it became what it is.

By: Coolant

Coolant — Sun, 06 May 2012 20:35:38 +0000

DPW spokeswoman Gloria Chan called this “an isolated incident”
She’s lying.
Department of Public works has a number of taxpayer funded employees devoted solely to fining property and small business owners for the “crime “of having their property tagged.

“We had a citation warning taped up to the boards to have the graffiti removed within 30 days or we could be subject to fines”

This was DPW’s lightning fast response to the damage- these notices were issued the very next morning on each of the vandalized businesses, and is a prime example of Ed Lee’s take on funding- if someone slaps a sticker or paint on your property or small business YOU get fined.
The only reason these penalties were reversed was the attention and potential bad publicity. Several tax-payer funded employees from the Department of Public Works are roaming the city, adding financial injury to the insult of finding your property vandalized.
Ed Lee Gets It Done!
“It” = ripping off San Francisco taxpayers and small businesses.

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2012/05/03/sf-mayor-promises-changes-following-mission-vandalism/

By: D. Jon Moutarde

D. Jon Moutarde — Thu, 03 May 2012 23:54:46 +0000

“My guess based on a lot of direct experience is that someone called the number listed on the citation to get it removed.”

Well, GOLLY, that sure would HELP, to have a citation with a number to CALL, so you could get some HELP, but it seems that the home and business owners don’t need any HELP, because they have a SPECIAL relationship with the city, so that the rest of us just have to keep on looking at ugly ass shit that gets painted in our yards because our back alleys got designated as SPECIAL places.

Look, Clarion Alley people are pretty much all working-class renters (mixed in with some condo people since the 21st century), and it pains us that we have to deal with your bullshit about how we are just some kind of “artist’s” toilet for dumping whatever kind of shit you want to dump on us, with absolutely no responsibility for maintaining what you paint at all. The taggers totally rule your shit, and the city doesn’t care at all. It’s time for this all to end.

By: AttF

AttF — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:13:52 +0000

wow buddy…you really are a touchy one. My guess based on a lot of direct experience is that someone called the number listed on the citation to get it removed. This seems more likely than DPW inspectors cruising the internet for comments directed at them.

As for your Clarion Alley example, that corridor is likely treated as a special case given the history of murals in that space. I have friends who have had or currently have murals in Clarion and another who is a property owner there. My impression is that the Clarion Alley space is more self-regulated and the artists themselves usually take to fixing murals or putting new ones up rather than going through a citation process aimed at property owners.

By: D. Jon Moutarde

D. Jon Moutarde — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:11:03 +0000

Just to make that all plainer, it seems that “complaining on the internet”, especially on Mission Mission, DOES ‘go pretty far’.

Fuck you, AttF.

By: D. Jon Moutarde

D. Jon Moutarde — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:04:23 +0000

So — I guess the people who own property on Clarion Alley spend all their free time on the phone to the city. Because none of them EVER get cited for the tags on their property.

G’wan, pull the other one.

By: AttF

AttF — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:57:59 +0000

right, because direct communication goes a lot further than complaining on the internet. I deal with City agencies all the time, mostly around pulling building permits for construction work, citation remediation, etc. Given the volume of what City inspectors deal with, they have a pretty strict protocol upfront. If you feel that you are a special case, a phone call to or meeting with an inspector goes very far. For the most part, these folks are open to special circumstances because they see them all the time. If you present them with an effective plan to address the issue outside of a citation/fine, it will likely be honored. If someone is giving you an unreasonable hard time, call their supervisor.