gentrification

According to a recent survey, twenty of 58 responding agencies have leases that ended in 2000, andanother 18 end by 2003. Of the 11 that had renegotiated leases as of January, 2000, six securedone-year leases, and only three have the more conventional five-year lease. 62 Non-profits in the“cheaper, rougher” mid-Market St. area face heavy competition for space from multi-mediatechnology and other dot-com firms shunning high rents in more attractive parts of town. 63Community groups in the Mission were slow and ineffective in responding to gentrification,according to community leaders. Non-profit leaders who were already consumed by their ownorganizational agendas -- housing, business development or family services -- missed the earlysigns of impending gentrification pressures. Others outside the community report some politicalconflicts among the leadership in the community once gentrification issues were on the radar screen.Some non-profit leaders looked forward to the benefits that increased property values and newneighborhood businesses might offer longstanding residents and businesses. These leaders alsohoped that neighborhood newcomers would add clout to improve local schools.But a number of non-profit representatives believe in retrospect that a key opportunity wasmissed to educate neighborhood residents, businesses and city officials about the benefits anddangers of rapid gentrification. They acknowledged their inability to craft an effective agenda forpublic officials to help respond to the threats of displacement that they would face. For thesecommunity leaders, the gentrification war was lost before the first battle was even fought. 64Meanwhile, the Mission’s Latino residents are moving out in droves across the city, many to theExcelsior District and to other communities throughout the Bay Area.Gentrification was a central issue in the November 1999 mayoral election, (challenger TomAmmiano’s campaign theme was, “declare war on gentrification!”), During Fall, 2000, the debatesover development controls crystallized into two competing ballot propositions. The communitybasedproposal, opposed by the Mayor and most of the business sector, received more votes than acompeting proposal, but lacked the votes to pass outright, once absentee ballots were counted. Insuch a hot economy, it is not clear that public action would have any productive—or cost-efficient—effect.b. OaklandWhile Mayor Willie Brown presides over San Francisco, Mayor Jerry Brown presides overOakland. Both cities are facing gentrification, but their contexts and responses are quite different.Oakland’s housing is expensive when compared to the rest of the nation, but remains one of themore affordable areas in the Bay region. Average rent for a two-bedroom/two-bath unit in 1998 was$1,217, 65 compared to $2,239 in San Francisco. 66 Oakland’s 1998 median income was $34,600, 6762 Mayor’s Office of Community Development, memo from Anna Yee to Director Pam David, January 21, 2000.63 Lazarus, David, “Tech Tames Tough Area,” San Francisco Chronicle, March 14, 2000, p. C1.64 Interview with Mission area leaders, February 16, 2000.65 Yee and Quiroz-Martinez, p. 23.66 Smith, p. 17.67 Yee and Quiroz-Martinez, p. 23.46