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Dufty wants S.F. events office
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SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - While a war continues to rage over Halloween in the Castro this year, one city leader is moving to create a new municipal office that would manage all special events, streamline the permit process for promoters and hopefully avoid any further disorder like that associated with this month’s nonevent.
A controversial ban on the annual Halloween celebration in the Castro — which has grown into a massive, violence-marred event that attracts tens of thousands of people — has led to debates between city leaders and Castro residents and business owners who say a party in the streets is eminent regardless of The City’s stay-away campaign.
After the 2006 event, at which a gunman opened fire and wounded nine people, city officials decided to cancel the all-night street party and alert people to go elsewhere. About 600 police officers will still be on hand in the Castro this Oct. 31 — a Wednesday — and the county Sheriff’s Department will also be on patrol. There will also be DUI checkpoints on routes to the Castro.
“Anybody that thinks it’s a good idea to invite the whole Bay Area to invade the Castro on a weeknight needs to have their head examined,” said Nathan Ballard, spokesman for Mayor Gavin Newsom. “It’s time to put public safety first.”
The City has also asked at least 130 Castro businesses to close as early as 6 p.m. on Halloween. So far, 19 businesses have agreed to close early while two others have decided to hold private, ticketed events. Beyond this Halloween, Castro Supervisor Bevan Dufty plans to introduce legislation that would create a special-events office.
“There is nobody with professional promoter experience at the city level,” Dufty said at a recent San Francisco Chamber of Commerce meeting. “I want to have something in place for next year because next year Halloween is on a Friday, so I recognize that we can’t just have a no-go policy in 2008.”
A report detailing the cost benefits of annual city events and what it would cost to create a dedicated special-events office is expected from the City Controller’s office this week.
Marsha Garland, executive director of the North Beach Chamber of Commerce who produces the street festival in that neighborhood each year, said a special-events office would be beneficial.
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8:12 AM MST on Wed., Oct. 24, 2007 re: "Supe intensifies call for events office"
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11:11 AM MST on Mon., Oct. 15, 2007
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L. Amiot said:
This city doesn't need MORE bureaucracy, it needs LESS. This office would be staffed with full time city employees who would essentially add to our world class civil service inefficiency. They would do what is already being done by the San Francisco Police Dept. If anything, ask the police dept to expand its Permit Bureau by a couple of modified duty officers and a lieutenant with some communication and leadership skills and let them coordinate the events. The infrastructure is already in place. San Francisco is one of the country's foremost political demonstration cities. The Entertainment Commission? What do they know about safely managing tens of thousands of anti-war demonstrators? Or security at a Halloween Event or New Years event, where violence is an underlying theme and is known to regularly occur? Keep it simple. Utilize the talent and skills that already exist and are already in place. Where is the leadership in this city?
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Examiner Reader said:
It would be interesting to see how this idea plays out. We already have created an Entertainment Commission are we going to reconfigure their purpose? What role will the Police Department have...everyone knows we need more cops doing more paperwork! That way the Police gets paid for hanging out iidoors while the the city is over runned by criminals.
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Gretchen said:
I think there could be an enormous benefit to the city to have a central point of contact for promoters, filming, various civic groups, Park and Rec, Visitor and Convention bureau folks and even the Police Department to use as a reference point for planning and managing city events and producing a master calendar. This could be a boon for planning of civic events, streamlining permits, and improving the tourist experience through better scheduling. Hopefully there could be a synergy with the film commission to improve the permit and planning process to draw more filming activities to SF. Having said that, I would hope that there is no plan to increase city staff and even if a highly skilled new manager / promotions tzar needs to be hired, the dept should be staffed through a reallocation of existing city employees. However, we still have many serious quality of life problems and an easier permit process won’t help if the venues are filled with the homeless.
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Examiner Reader said:
Why do the sups continue to waste time with things like this when South of Market District 6 as well as other areas are in need of immediate help to fight visible drug use on the streets that children live? When will basic quality of life issues, or as so called Progressives call them, "poo and pee issues" be taken seriously. I am talking about crime, drug use, and violence not by the homeless but by people who have been sent here by other cities throughout the nation because of their unwillingness to deal with them. Please please please Sup Daly is it too much to ask to focus on afew important ongoing issue in SOMA and the Mission?
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Examiner Reader said:
How unlike a politician to suggest more government to streamline the process? Thankfully Supervisor Dufty "times out" at the end of this term. Perhaps he is eye-balling this new position for himself? Whatever happens, many of us in District 8 won't have to endure his politics, as our politics, anymore.
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