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Oct. 27, 2003 |
In the eyes of mayoral candidate Angela Alioto, every child has the propensity to foster an interest in something if given a chance. By increasing the number of apprenticeship, treatment and outreach programs, she hopes to provide San Franciscos youth with activities that will develop their interests, stimulate their thought-processes and, most importantly, keep them off the streets.
She loves kids and always sees the hope in every one of their faces, said Lance Evans, Aliotos press secretary. If a kid is acting out now, she knows that with the right mentoring programs, the issues that the kid is facing can be addressed and he can improve.
"She loves the kids and always sees the hope in every one
of their faces.
Lance Evans, Angela Aliotos press secretary |
Economic reform programs, in the form of what Alioto calls apprenticeship programs, will take students from different schools and ethnic backgrounds and put them in a work area that will allow them to see and experience what certain companies can offer, according to Evans.
Though Aliotos plans for youth outreach programs show promise for city youth, her outlook for economic improvement and integrating those of different backgrounds seems overly idealistic.
According to Evans, Alioto feels that San Francisco needs to improve on the integration of students from different ethnic backgrounds.
Evans said that the San Francisco Unified School District has experienced total chaos with Arlene Ackermans diversity index plan, leaving more than 15 kids out of school to this day because they did not gain admission into their first-choice schools.
KEANE NG |
Instead of being in school and receiving a proper education, these kids are missing out on their first baseball or basketball games, Evans said. Its a common sense thing to allow all kids to have access to all schools in the district. We have to eliminate this widespread segregation.
Though its evident that Alioto feels that schools in the district need more diversity, she has no clear plan as to how to improve upon this situation.
In terms of safety on city streets for youth, Evans said that Alioto wants to make sure that economic benefit is spread about; if this were the case, city parents would not need to worry about their kids safety.
Lets just say this: Crime is everywhere, whether its in Pacific Heights or near San Francisco State (University) or Hunters Point, Evans said. Somehow, you never hear that it happens in Pacific Heights, but you hear about a baby being shot in Hunters Point. The truth is that every community has a richness that needs to be explored by everyone.
Lets be a little realistic. Perhaps crime does, in fact, exist in all parts of the city, but its evident that it is not equally dispersed from district to district.
According to the San Francisco Police Departments crime statistics (www.ci.sf.ca.us) from January to August 2003, 12 percent of the citys violent crimes homicides, rapes and aggravated assaults have occurred in the Bayview District, while only about 4 percent one-third of Bayviews have occurred in the Park District, which contains Pacific Heights. Thats quite an obvious difference in number of crimes, and we dont even have to say which district is in an area where one would feel safe to take a pleasant stroll.
Aliotos optimism may inspire us to believe that all districts in the city are all equally safe, but the numbers seem to explain themselves without any euphemistic language.
Evans said that if Alioto becomes mayor, she plans to raise minimum wage from $6.75 to between $8.50 and $11.50 and lower rent in the city to allow working-class people to lead more comfortable lives as they raise their children.
Housing in San Francisco isnt affordable, Evans said. Its been said that for a person to live comfortably in San Francisco, he or she would need to earn about $80,000 a year. Thats supposed to be affordable? Who has that? We need to lower the prices for housing by taking on government and private partnership.
Though raising the minimum wage may appear to be a good move, from where would the city be getting this money with a $347 million city deficit? Lets also take into consideration the amount per year the person would make if she would be earning this wage between approximately $16,320 and $22,080. A one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco rents for about $2,000 a month, so thats about $24,000 a year just for housing. With or without kids, a person earning that amount per year would end up bankrupt. That doesnt seem like a realistic plan to ensure comfortable living for everyone in San Francisco.
In addition, raising minimum wage in the city, though beneficial to the workers, could be detrimental to city businesses.
Raising minimum wage could force businesses to raise prices to compensate for the extra payroll expense, or businesses could choose to eliminate the number of positions they offer, even going to the extent of downsizing their current staffs.
Aliotos plan to raise the minimum wage and to lower apartment rent is unclear. She has not given any details on how she will make her vision for increasing the earnings of San Franciscans work. She does not explain the financial basis for these plans, leaving the question of exactly how realistic her vision for spreading wealth is.
Though Alioto possesses optimism that could help the homeless and low-income families live more comfortable lives, her lack of a concrete plan to reach the goal of spreading wealth and her idealistic belief that all communities are separate but equal leave voters with only false hopes and unrealistic visions. |
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