Carter's Corner
By Johnnie Carter

Chronicle and Examiner Get It Right

Yes on G made a big splash in both the Chronicle and The Examiner. Both Rob Selna and C.W. Nevius seem to truly understand its benefits of historical units of affordable housing, environmental clean-up, jobs for people who need them and general renewal for a neighborhood that's been neglected for far too long.

In other recent news, the Labor Council of San Francisco, the progressive community, home builders ACORN and the San Francisco Organizing Project have all embraced the understanding that voting Yes on G is THE opportunity that generations of San Franciscans in the Southeast and across the City deserve to see come into fruition.
 
Selna accurately states, Prop. F supporters, "don't outline a specific plan for completing any development of the shipyard." As a result, it becomes clearer than ever that Chris Daly's pie in the sky plan to use public money to develop the shipyard and Candlestick Point would have the community "compete" with the aged, sick, homeless and poor for scarce public dollars. Thankfully, we see the steady awakening of San Franciscans to the shenanigans of Daly and his Prop. F supporters.
 
Hopefully we won't have to hold Daly accountable to Nevius' idea posed at the end of his article: "If it [Prop F] passes, we should demand that Daly visit that abandoned shipyard every June for the next 15 years, to listen to the wind whistle through those broken windows."

Vote Yes on G, No on F

The Corner has lots to report! As we get closer to Election Day, it's important to educate voters on the importance of voting Yes on G and No on F in order to clean up the Hunter's Point shipyard and redevelop the Bayview. We all know that a Yes on G vote will bring jobs, housing and green spaces to the Bayview, but it won't happen if Proposition F passes as well. Let me explain why we all need to vote No on F.

Prop. F contains a requirement that 50% of the housing planned for the Hunter's Point Shipyard and Candlestick Point be BELOW market rate. That may sound great on the surface, but it kills all incentive for a public/private partnership. No private company will take on such a project and the investment in roads, infrastructure, sewers, power and cable without some belief they will have a return on that investment... an investment worth over $1.5 billion. This enormous investment equals 1/4 of the City and County of San Francisco's annual budget. It's also an investment that creates real jobs, especially for those living in the 94124 zip code.

Let's be realistic. Without partnering with a private company, we can consider any true redevelopment or workforce development dead in the Southeast of our City. The City certainly doesn't have enough public funds to complete this project on its own. So the people who suffer are neighborhood residents who don't get the improvements they have been promised for decades and City residents who are left with an environmentally unsafe shipyard - a shipyard that could be at the top of the Navy's list of Superfund sites to clean up IF we move locally to support a thoughtful and thoroughly discussed development plan.

Should Prop F pass, how will we ever make the Bayview Hunters-Point neighborhood a better place for current residents and the City at large?

A Yes on G vote will bring thousands of affordable homes to the community, plus vital investments in the infrastructure. You can count on up to 10,000 new homes, with as many as 32% being entry-level, affordable homes and apartments plus $27 million dollars more to provide hundreds more units of affordable housing throughout District 10 which will be made affordable through programs like down payment assistance and rent-to-own. And, a Yes on G, No on F vote guarantees that people who live in the Double Rock (Alice Griffith) housing project will get to move to their new homes directly from their current units.

We will be mobilizing this Saturday at the Yes on Prop G Campaign Office located at 1395 Evans Street. Please join us at 11:00a.m. and help spread the word... Yes on G/ No on F. If you have questions about Saturday's event, please call the campaign office at 415.550.8382 for more details. Together we can clean up our shipyard, provide jobs for our family and friends and look fo rward to housing that does not segregate us, but unites the community.

Yes on G Rally is a Success

On Saturday, April 26th we held a rally at the Marketplace Fellowship Church in the Bayview to promote the Yes on G campaign. Even on a hot and sunny day when most folks wanted to be outside, we still had people pouring into the Church to show their support for cleaning up the Shipyard and revitalizing the Bayview. I believe the community really supports Yes on G because most people left with house signs and lots of enthusiasm. Thanks also to everyone who gave such powerful speeches.

I was honored to emcee the Yes on G rally and want to acknowledge Reverend Gary Banks, Pastor of the church, for hosting the event and lending his support. It was a pleasure to share the stage with Senator Dianne Feinstein, Mayor Gavin Newsom, Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, Assessor Phil Ting, Treasurer Jose Cisneros, Cheryl Smith and Angelo King. Each spoke genuinely about the change a "Yes" vote for Prop G (and a "No" vote for Prop F) can bring to the neighborhood, and the City at large. I was happy to hear Sen. Feinstein speak about her long-standing commitment to the Bayview community. (She told us that when she was Mayor, she would spend every Monday afternoon reading with Bayview children just to clear her head.) I could really feel the energy and excitement from the crowd and I was glad to see so many people leave with a smile on their face.

This campaign is helping neighbors get connected.

I also think Yes on G is helping the rest of the City get connected to the Bayview. I'm happy to report that on Sunday evening the Westside Chinese Democratic Club endorsed Yes on G, No on F. So you can see our campaign is really picking up steam around the City. We're on our way!

Prop G from Johnnie's Perspective

Hello everyone, welcome to the Corner! I guess I ought to introduce myself for those of you who don't know me. My name is Johnnie Carter.

I am starting this blog to let everyone in the community know about the Yes on G campaign. This is something I really care about and I think it can bring great things to Bayview Hunter's Point, such as affordable housing, environmental clean-up and economic opportunities for people in the neighborhood.

I served on the Community College Board of Trustees for almost six years and have lived in various parts of the Bayview Hunter's Point during that time. While I was on the Board, I supported Work Force Development and Pre-Apprenticeships programs to help bring real jobs to the neighborhood. So when I heard about the Yes on G campaign, I knew I had to get involved. Yes on G supports the three things supremely important to me: environmental clean up in Hunter's Point, creation of new jobs for our community, and realistic housing opportunities.

I must admit I've never written anything like this before, but Yes on G promises real changes that we in the community have been waiting for. By updating this blog regularly, I hope to share with you all my excitement for Prop G and provide you with plenty of updates on all the new developments on the Yes on G campaign. We all want to see changes in our community, so stay tuned as we get closer to Election Day.

And, you can join us for our kick-off rally for Yes on G on Saturday, April 26, 11-12p.m. at Marketplace Fellowship Church at 860 Innes Avenue. Senator Diane Feinstein, Mayor Newsom, and our Supervisor Sophie Maxwell will all be there to show their support. We hope to see you as well.

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