San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Leaving our hearts in S.F. — or just wanting to leave
Living in San Francisco can induce regular emotional jolts. Glory and misery, beauty and ugliness, delight and despair, all pack tightly together in our small, confounding city.
Some days I ask myself why I still live here. Other days, I pledge to never live anywhere else. Occasionally, those feelings strike within minutes of each other.
Clearly, many San Franciscans feel the same way.
The results from a new Chronicle poll of 1,653 city residents conducted in late June and early July are stark, if not startling. The numbers show pretty dire results.
The mayor is mediocre. The Board of Supervisors is something less than mediocre. The police and school district, which provide two of the most basic functions of any city, do not inspire confidence. We’re worried about homelessness, public safety and lack of affordability. We’re not optimistic about the city’s future.
These criticisms matter, and City Hall leaders would be wise to finally listen. Better yet, frustrated residents can opt for new leaders and new policies at the ballot box.
But there’s another important question to ask: Why does anyone stay?
That answer is harder to put into numbers. Sure, for many, it’s the basics: family, friends, a job, a home. But sometimes, it’s that indescribable moment of pride. That feeling when it hits you: I live in San Francisco, and I’m lucky.
For me, the feeling might be sparked by seeing fog rolling past Sutro Tower and over Twin Peaks. Wandering the maze of wooden shelves at Green Apple Books and making a great find. Trying a random hole-in-the-wall restaurant and realizing it’s damn delicious. Riding a cable car up Nob Hill at dusk, just as the lights of the skyline begin to sparkle.
Every San Franciscan has their own brand of San Francisco magic, and the poll sought those responses, too. Specifically, we asked, “What should people living here be most proud of about the city of San Francisco?”
Reading the answers — many quoted below — reminded me there’s a lot to love. Many responses boiled down to how Mother Nature works wonders even if our city leaders don’t.
We live in one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. Great weather. There is no snow. Parks. The beaches. The ocean. The views. The proximity to nature. Hiking trails. Clean air. The fog.
Many poll respondents, while bashing our politicians, love the city’s regular people.
How connected people are. Diversity of life styles. Diverse people. Such a liberal city, we welcome all. Openmindedness. Support for under-served communities. Wherever you come from, you can find people who speak the same language as you. A woman can still get an abortion in this town. The arts. The parties. Innovative spirit. We listen to science. It’s not just the ocean and the hills — it’s the people. Lots of queer people make me feel happy and safe. Great vibes.
Some answers were more specific, reminding us of the improbability of one city offering so much.
The Giants. The Warriors. The bridge. Libraries. The Presidio. Charm. Buses. Parklets. Car-free JFK Drive. Chinatown. Center of tech industry. Citywide composting. Great restaurants. Amazing small businesses. UCSF doctors. Our tap water tastes amazing.
To be fair, we also asked poll respondents what makes them saddest about life in San Francisco. Those responses weren’t surprising but were still disheartening. The word “filth” seemed to show up in every other answer.
It’s become openly filthy, and no one seems to care. The state of disrepair. I only see the city being cleaned up when celebrities and dignitaries come to town. The city is littered with garbage and dirt everywhere except Pacific Heights. Drug paraphernalia littering the sidewalks. It is
almost embarrassing to say I am from San Francisco when I travel.
Other respondents focused on crime — and the feeling our leaders don’t know what to do about it.
Drug dealers. Break-ins. Crime. My car windows have been broken four times this year. It’s sad when people are afraid to come here. Our politicians running the city do not have a clue.
Residents are also gutted by the city’s homelessness crisis, drug epidemic and lack of affordability — problems that never seem to get better despite the huge amount of money we spend seeking to solve them.
That we cannot solve the problem of homelessness. People dying in the streets. People living in tents or out of their cars. The juxtaposition of the haves and the havenots. Drug users are destroying their lives, and the children see them.
One poll respondent suggested seeing the movie “The Last Black Man in San Francisco,” noting that the person was in the film. There’s a classic scene in which two women on a Muni bus gripe about the city and discuss moving to East L.A. “This city’s dead,” one says as she applies make-up in a compact mirror.
“Yeah, seriously, f— this city,” the other responds. The main character, played by Jimmie Fails, asks the women whether they love San Francisco. “You don’t get to hate it unless you love it,” he says.
Fails’ character was spot-on. Fox News and all the other faraway haters who relish criticizing San Francisco don’t get a say. The people who live here and are striving to make the city better most definitely do.
Because at its heart, San Francisco remains beautiful, lovable and worth fighting for. As one respondent said, “Seven square miles make miracles every day.”
(This person isn’t good at math, but I love the sentiment.)
A couple of Saturdays ago, I felt that familiar rush. My family and I had a delightful, old-school Italian meal at Trattoria Contadina, sitting under an autographed photo of Will “The Thrill” Clark and other local baseball legends. We took a walk past Washington Square, filled with happy people on a warm evening, as the spires of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church jutted into the bright blue sky.
We saw “Dear San Francisco,” a valentine to the city, at Club Fugazi, the former home of “Beach Blanket Babylon.” Acrobats contorted their bodies and flew through the air. In each show, audience members are invited to write love letters to the city, and some are read onstage.
“You’ve got soul, you’ve got excitement, but more importantly, you accepted me before I accepted myself,” former Giants star Hunter Pence wrote at a previous show.
Afterward, we walked to the nearest cable car stop, and eventually the familiar bells of a cable car rang out before one crested over the hill. My older son grabbed the best spot, standing on the running board at the very front.
One poll respondent said of San Francisco, “I thought it was worth it in 1975, and it’s worth it right now. I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”
I wouldn’t, either. Today, anyway.