Category Archives: Debunking Politicos Pundits + Spin

Why The Decision to Cut Saturday Mail Is Not Only Stupid, But Also Makes No Sense

Why The Decision to Cut Saturday Mail Is Not Only Stupid, But Also Makes No Sense
If you haven’t heard, the US Postal Service will no longer deliver mail on Saturdays. This is a stupid idea, but not for the reasons you might think. The cause is also a bit more complex than what your “friends” in Congress and on TV would have you believe.
First: why this is stupid. For many years I worked with the US Postal Service producing large direct mail projects for candidates and organizations around the country. During that time I got to learn a lot about how the USPS actually works, and learned a lot from executives at the USPS whose job was to work with high volume mail producers to expedite their projects as efficiently as possible.
One thing that was made abundantly clear was that the one day of the week that the USPS had the least to do was Tuesday. This was for a number of unrelated reasons, owing mostly to how people pay their bills (especially credit cards) and when businesses would mail out fliers and other such things for weekly sales specials. The point is, if the USPS must cut service, cutting Tuesday makes more sense for them, and for you, the customer.
Removing Saturday mail causes more problems than it solves. Many people are busy during the week and use Saturday to get caught up on chores and the like. Not everyone can, or will, pay all their bills online, and getting rid of Saturday service is just going to make things more miserable during the week than they need to be. If you have a US Post Office box, you may or may no longer have access to it on weekends like you do now.
Worse, when you consider that many jurisdictions are openly encouraging “vote-by-mail,” and some states voting by mail only it doesn’t take a genius to see how killing mail on Saturdays could be worse than killing it on Tuesday. (I know that doesn’t seem to make sense, but if you spend enough time at huge mail facilities, trust me, it does).
There’s more, however. In addition to competition from online services and the ongoing Great Depression “Recession,” the USPS has been prohibited from providing additional services in your neighborhood, the USPS has an unprecedented mandate to fund a huge pension fund. They’ve been ordered to fund 75 years worth of pensions RIGHT NOW, something no other pension fund is required to do .
Needless to say, if you want to know where all the money is going , it isn’t going to postal service – it’s going to fund a pension fund in a way no other fund has to comply with. So far, few in Congress have spoken out, with the notable exception of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). have tried to speak out, but of course the chorus of the Know Nothing Party, and the Spineless Corporate Party tend to drown him out on the tv.
For those who sing the siren song of “privatize it,” I’ll simply leave you with how well that’s worked overseas. If you’ve ever had the stalwart efficiency of private monopolized internet service and cable tv providers in the US, or their esteemed counterparts in the health care industry, then you already can guess how well that would work here.
For decades our postal service has served us fairly well. Yes, it’s frustrating when there’s a long line, and a service that has to serve everyone, regardless of where they live, isn’t going to run perfectly. To see it get destroyed by the morons in Congress for the sake of a quasi-religious devotion to doctrine, however, is not only stupid, it makes no sense.

Why Both Parties Suck Ass in the Second Decade of the 21st Century….

A short comment I wrote about a thing I saw on Twitter about, well, fuck it, just go read and listen, por favor.

Deep Thought of the Day: Should Male Politicians Be Required to Use Condoms While In Office?

It seems like every year we, the People, are confronted with some malfeasance by male elected officials committed while in office that involve them “doing it” with people or in places they’re not supposed to. We are subjected to hearing about their (gross) sex lives, everyone gets in a huff, and nothing good comes out of it once the scandal is over.
This is a multi-partisan issue – think just in the last few years about politicians local (Newsom & Mirkarimi) state (Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mike Duvall and Gary Condit to name a few ) and national (Bill Clinton, David Vittner, Bob Packwood, and many more) who’ve had problems all because they can’t control themselves.
Clearly, this is an issue of both health and morals. Since many male politicians have seen fit to play the game of “Who Can Create the Handmaid’s Tale in Real Life” with bills to regulate birth control, abortions, de funding rape crisis centers and the like, all in the name of health and morals, maybe it’s simply time to take this to its logical conclusion: demand all male politicians use condoms during their affairs so as to limit the potential extra-marital births and for public health.
This way, we could be assured that even if we have electeds who have affairs, the worst they’ll do is make themselves look bad, and not bring in children to this world who will be put in the spotlight during a messy court case or custody battle, and we’d be assured no one is spreading diseases whilst in office. I can imagine several scenarios where this law might have diminished certain scandals to where they might not have been such a boil on the body politics.
Flame away, Internet! See how loud and crazy you can get in the comments!
PS: None of the lists I made are to be considered comprehensive at all – I didn’t have time to super Google a comprehensive list. We all know, though, that no one party has a monopoly on this kind of crap, and as far as I’m concerned, most politicians are either super corrupt, super immoral, or super neutral and just do whatever the lobbyists say. Both parties are full of people like this.

Why Is The Inner Sunset SF’s Perennially Politically Abused Neighborhood?

innersunsetfrakked.jpg
Here we go again.
As you may or may not know, after every census, legislative districts at all levels are redrawn to better reflect a growing and/or shifting population. Other times it’s to reflect the decline in population of an area. No matter what, how those districts are drawn are important, especially in a city like San Francisco. However, once again, it seems the Powers That Be at the Redistricting Task Force want to once again gerrymander the Hell out of the Inner Sunset neighborhood at the Board of Supervisors.
For ten years a strip of the Inner Sunset was tacked on to the former District 5, which was represented by Matt Gonzalez, and later Ross MIrkarimi. From what I’ve been told, this was a way to “ensure” the district was progressive. Never mind the fact that it created a strange division in a neighborhood, or disempowered community activists – it was serving the “Progressive” needs that came first. Whenever local leaders wanted to organize an event with local Supervisors, they had to find a time when both Supervisors Elsbernd and Mirkarimi could attend, since both represented the area. I remember moving literally across the street and down a block and finding myself in another district.
The proposed changes make things worse. Now, it’s proposed we divide the neighborhood into three districts. I’ve posted a zoom in view of the map, but you can go to the Redistricting Task Force websiteFour Corners (but with three districts!) as you step from one to the other.
The Inner Sunset has traditionally been identified as a westside neighborhood, and its interests align themselves with other contiguous neighborhoods. The political gerrymandering of this area to serve shallow interests that could care less about our neighborhood has to stop. I would hope that some adults would intervene and make some changes. In the meantime, email the commission and the politicals at City Hall and let them know you’re tired of seeing our neighborhood cut to pieces to serve the politicians’ needs, not ours.

Just How Much Is Anyone Making Off Mayoral Candidates in SF?

To nobody’s surprise, it seems Temporary Mayor Ed Lee, backed by powerful financial interests and a shadow campaign that has yet to see sunlight, is running for mayor. And again, as the unofficial press spokesperson, the Chronicle once again provides cover for their candidate.
Today we read about how St. Ed is not taking public money for his campaign, instead relying on the aforementioned shadow campaign, and whatever private money he chooses to take. This contrasts with others who participated in the public matching funds/spending limit program provided by the City of SF. The Chronicle, naturally, uses this to somehow distinguish St. Ed from his opponents. It’s a nice hit for Ed, but it’s just the latest in a line of articles that the Chronicle has written that basically promote Ed. That’s fine, but if I wanted to read a dying medium’s political endorsements sold as news, I’d read the Guardian (which I don’t).
However, putting that aside, the article also starts to rattle off how much consultants have made off the other candidates, again implying that they were all “subsidized” with tax dollars. There are several problems with the reporting on this piece of news.
First, the matching funds are only awarded if a candidate has raised money from a lot of private donors, who can ONLY live in San Francisco, and they have to have significant disclosure as to who donated. There is also a cap on how much campaigns can get from the city, and the majority of their funding is private, despite the Chronicle’s insinuations. Moreover, there is more disclosure than there ever was for the shady “Run Ed Run” campaign which denies helping the Mayor even though it was helping the mayor.
Second, the amounts. I’ve yet to meet a reporter that understands how the political consulting business works, especially when it comes to the actual business of running such an operation. So when I read about “fees” for consultants in the Chronicle, my first question is how this amount is computed.
Naturally, the Chronicle wants to provide an image of these “consultants” raking in the big bucks on the poor taxpayer’s dime, and so on. What the Chronicle doesn’t seem to understand is that just because a campaign handed over a big bundle of cash, the consultant doesn’t necessarily keep all the money, depending on the arrangement.
For example, I used to work for A Big National Consulting Firm That Shall Not Be Named a few years ago. Our company was working on a Big Campaign, and if you looked at the disclosure forms, you’d think we were raking in the big bucks. However, what the disclosure statements didn’t point out was how much of that was going right out the door to pay for printing, letterhead, campaign staffers we administered payroll for and other products the campaign elected to purchase. Out of about $180,000 or so in “moneys” we got, we kept maybe $5000-$7500 that could be considered a fee.
Another example: some campaign consultants don’t take more than a modest retainer at the start, and then charge no consulting fees at all, and mark up things like TV ads, direct mail (printing/production, not postage!) and other items at the standard industry rate of 15% to cover their overhead costs (taxes and staff and a modest profit). So looking at the gross amount isn’t very realistic.
There’s also another thing about San Francisco campaigns that no one in the press corps seems to understand – working in SF politics is no way to make a living in the consulting business. Even with a well funded campaign, with campaign donation limits, as well as the “consultant tax”** and other unique requirements for campaigns in San Francisco, you won’t be netting a large landslide of cash. Supervisor races make very little for anyone involved as well.
That’s not to say they pay so little no one will work on them, but with all the limitations, being a consultant for city candidates isn’t a great way to make a living. Consultants are better off working for either a labor union(s) or other organizations, or working in jurisdictions Not In San Francisco. When I was working in the business, most of my work was out of state. Not only did it pay me as a freelancer fairly well, it was also a lot easier.
I’d expect the gaggle of New Yorkers working for the various chain-owned online entities to get this wrong, but I’d expect more from the supposedly Old School Journalistic Entity located here for over 100 years. I guess when you keep on firing the people who make the product you’re supposedly selling, mistakes happen.
**The “consultant tax” I refer to is a profoundly bone-headed attempt by the Board of Supervisors, ages ago, who hated a certain consultant, and decided to clobber him a little with this law. The intent was to make consultants pay a special “consultant tax” and disclose for whom they were working for. This is stupid for several reasons. First, the “tax” they impose also applies to campaign day to day workers. Ironically the big companies and out of town companies can pay this no problem, but the poorly paid, day to day overworked staffer ends up paying proportionally more than the Big Companies.
Second, the disclosure as to whom people are working for is already done in the campaign finance reporting that is required for every candidate. So once again a typical SF Progressive FAIL: More rules that hurt the lowest paid people, and duplicate efforts elsewhere.

Just How DO Paid Signature Gatherers Get Paid?

Today’s Chronicle had a report that signature gatherers for Public Defender Jeff Adachi’s pension reform measure were “caught on camera” saying things to voters that were “misleading.” After checking out, all I can say is that if anyone thinks they found a smoking gun, they may not be aware of a) how words can be twisted and b) how paid signature gathering works.
First, the words: many canvassers in the video were saying things like “if you want to prevent night time parking meters sign this petition.” It is very correct that the petition says nothing about it, but at the same time, it would be almost impossible to prosecute. That’s because if city pensions begin to dominate city spending, why yes, one could reasonably infer that “nighttime parking meters (WTF?) could in fact be a response to said financial crisis.
So could a tax on unicorn horns. You see where this is going.
Also, those that point the finger should be darn sure none of their folks pulled any similar weasel word stunts too – these things can backfire spectacularly if you’re not on solid ground.
I avoid signing petitions at all costs, unless it is for something that I’ve heard of that is sponsored by people I trust. I think people in San Francisco would be doing themselves a favor by not signing these things based on some emotional chatter they get from some fool collecting signatures. It sucks, because many good things are put on the ballot this way, but I think we need to thin the herd on ballot measures for a while.
Second, the methods. When the press talks about paid signature gatherers, they’ll usually do their research and find out how much they’re paying per signature. In California it can be as high as $6 a signature. The question is – did the hippie in front of Safeway who asked you to sign a petition get $6 for your signature? Probably not.
Campaigns usually hire a professional firm to gather signatures for a ballot measure (local or state). That company will then hire contract workers who then go out and get the signatures. However, these sub-contractors don’t simply go out with a stack of clipboards and start earning $6 per signature. Instead, they go out and hire another series of sub-contractors, and pay them a percentage of the $6. In some cases those sub contractors might even hire another level of folks, but that is rare.
Let’s make it simpler: Campaign Signature Company “A” hires contractor “Elvis” to get signatures at $6 each. “Elvis” then hires a crew of 10 people to get signatures, but pays them only $3 each. This means that 10 people are being managed by “Elvis” bringing in signatures, who is getting $3 each and isn’t actually out there doing anything – he is instead managing a crew of 10. Any one of those could take a dollar less and sub out the work themselves too, if they wanted. In the end, “Elvis” is going to make more money farming out the work to 10 people, each armed with 4 clipboards a piece, than he ever would alone getting the full $6.
Most of the people who do this are pros who follow the action wherever it goes, similar to those who once followed the Grateful Dead back in the day. They may or may not be from the jurisdiction and in almost all cases are simply trying to play a numbers game, racking up as many signatures as they can. Needless to say, these aren’t people who know or care much about what the petition is for, so it’s easy to see where the incentive is to make up stuff just to get people’s signatures.
A bill to regulate the signature mills made its way through the state Senate. Predictably it was all on party-line votes – Democrats wanted it regulated to prevent fraud, while Republicans want to ensure that money buys access to the ballot.
One thing you can do right away is if approached to sign something is to ask if they are paid or not. Under the law, they have to tell you and it must be printed on the petition.
Either way, take the time to read the fine print before you sign. Just because something is called “The Kittens Puppies and Rainbows Initiative to Save The Children” doesn’t mean it’s so.

Worst. Political Sign. Ever. AKA Who Gets Paid for This Sh*t?

IMG_3898.JPGSo there I was enjoying my Sunday afternoon, running some errands around the Inner Funset, and upon entering my favorite place for kimchi, saw this…this thing amongst the myriad of posters and flyers in the store. At first I assumed this was some sort of prank, but upon inspection found out this is in fact apparently a legit sign for this so-called “grass roots” effot to get Temporary Mayor Ed Lee to run for a full term.
Putting aside the political insider basebal/endless prattle by pundits, as well as the most recent controversies involved in this alleged grassroots effort, let’s just focus on one thing: design. On ANY level, this sign sucks. Big time.
I don’t like to judge harshly but I have to say, if this is indeed a funded effort that seriously wants to have Temporary Mayor Lee to run, and attract mainstream support, this sign is an “epic fail” on many levels. It does not cost “lots of money” to hire a designer to make something that looks credible. Hell, if the “Run Ed Run” folks had called me, I could easily have rallied several of some of the best designers in the business, who could have hashed this out easily, and come up with something better – blindfolded.
Instead, we have this bullshit cutesy cartoony thing that doesn’t inspire the viewer to think “Hmm, perhaps this Temporary Mayor should be Mayor for a while.” No, it goes for that cutesy bullshit that started in January about “ohh tee hee hee Ed Lee’s mustasche, ooh tee hee he he’s not slick Newsom, blah blah bullshit bullshit bullshit.” Plus, if you’re going to put the man’s face on a sign, find a picture of him doing something badass like giving a speech – don’t make a cartoony face that is easily transformed into the pigs in Angry Birds.
I find it fascinating that while I’m struggling to pay the bills, people with absolutely no talent somehow get these paid gigs. I mean, I don’t even do design myself (I hire professionals) but I could sketch out something better than this and I can’t even draw. “Mason Powell,” who designed the famous N Is Near shirts as well as a myriad of amazing beer bottle labels (and isn’t even a pro) could do better than this.
If ever I needed proof Ed Lee isn’t running, I suppose this might be it. The man is an honorable civil servant. Apparently his backers didn’t figure that part out, and went the cutesy cartoony way. At a time when the city is circling the drain, fiscsally and socially, the last thing I need is more cutesy bullshit – we had enough of that under Newsom.

Now It’s Official: “Sit/Lie” Hasn’t Changed Much in Upper Haight, According to the SFPD.

It seems that a report by the San Francisco Police Department analyzing the effects of the so-called “Sit/Lie” law indicate what those who read my blog have known all along – it’s not working. Despite the big cheers on election night by folks who sold this as a Holy Grail to make the City jerkass-free, it hasn’t worked as advertised. Nor did it get people to vote for certain candidates that year over others. In the end, whoever spent their money on this campaign got a big ol’ failwhale instead of something effective.
For fun, here’s my original article where I opposed “Sit/Lie” and its counterpart in 2010. (News flash politicos: putting ballot initiatives on the ballot to influence how people vote in Superivsor races never works, so please stop it.).
Over here, we find a post-election piece about how SFPD initially didn’t even enforce the beloved law, and here’s a more recent piece about how the law isn’t enforced anywhere else either, even as the “gutter punks” get pushed into adjoining neighborhoods.
I’m not humble enough to not say “I Told You So” once in a while. (If anything it makes me wonder why I can’t get paid more for being able to accurately predict these things as I’ve been known to do).
More to the point, I really wish we could get rid of these expensive ballot measure campaigns that generate a lot of intense emotions on all sides, but really don’t do anything at all. (throw in nonbinding “resolutions” and ballot measures too, for good measure). All political sides are guilty of this, and it needs to stop.
We could have saved ourselves a lot of nonsensical debate, and saved some trees too by not doing this, and instead having our well-paid elected officials and City Hall employees do the job they’re hired to do and keep the streets safe. That’s not too much to ask.
Until San Franciscans decide that they’d like laws enforced and for good people from all areas/income levels/etc. of the City to enjoy the many things our city has to offer, without being hurt by crime and criminal like behavior, we can pass all the silly laws we like and nothing will change.

The Lies of Sit/Lie Continue: Focus on the Inner Sunset

loser.jpgIt seems like you can’t walk down the street or read in the news another screw-up with the so-called “Civil Sidewalks” initiaive (aka “Sit/Lie”) without seeing just what a failure it’s been so far. Whether it’s the delayed enforcement of the law, or the fact it’s going to cost the City a lot of money to enforce, this law clearly isn’t the magic bullet proponents promised.
I find it laughable that anyone associated with this thought the fines from enforcement would offset the cost. I mean, you’re issuing these citations to “gutter punks” and schizo homeless people, who as we all know have bank accounts to pay said fines. Brilliance.
Even more genius thinking at the SFPD – first time offenders get a “warning.” That’s effective. Why don’t we just give these alleged public menaces a hug and a lollipop too? Throw in a free Muni pass so they can spread their joy to those of us on transit, even.
I’m being scarcastic. Even though I’ve thought this whole law was a joke from the beginning, let’s just assume that “sit/lie” is law now. Let’s also assume that it’s a Grand Idea, and our well paid SFPD is supposed to enforce said law (along with the many, many other laws we’ve passed to improve the “Quality of Life” in San Francisco). Case study for today: The Inner Sunset.
While the Inner Sunset is no Upper Haight, as the indigent population is pushed out of one area, inevitably they go somewhere else. In the photo above, I have a picture of a mentally ill guy who’s been sitting in front of Posh Bagel for some time now. From his ramblings and behavior, it’s clear he is in need of some mental health regimen. But in this photo he’s actually breaking several laws – the “Sit/Lie” law AND the “no smoking near a window” law the Supervisors pat themselves on the back about all the time. He’s occasionally acted up and driven business away from the bagel shop.
That’s beside the point, however – he’s breaking two laws and no one seems to mind. The SFPD could easily bust this guy for multiple charges and get him off the street. They just don’t. Why?
Another case study: I was taking some pictures of signs on 9th Avenue for a potential piece I wanted to do about street signs, and this greasy, aggro homeless guy started screaming at me claiming I took his photo (why would anyone take a picture of a greasy piece of shit like him is beyond me) and he threatened me mumbling something about a “knife” and claimed the “FBI” would be calling me to protect his tinfoil hatted ass*.
Why didn’t I call the police?
Simple. By the time they showed up (if they did), he’d have run off to his warren in the park or wherever aggressive dirtbags hang out. Even if he did stick around, they wouldn’t do anything, and the greasy piece of shit would get away with it, and likely stab me some night when I’m returning home from the Muni. I’d have been better off shooting him or something just so I can go get a burger without being hassled, but then I’d be the “bad guy.” Whatever. So much for “Sit/Lie.”
It gets better. On Monday, there was a bomb scare on Irving Street because of an unattended package, shutting down the N-Judah and causing major disruptions for everyone. Turns out it was an empty suitcase. Who wants to bet it belonged to one of the many homeless people who use the entrances to stores on Irving as hotel rooms, right next to the “No Trespassing” request for enforcement notice? Again, it’s not like the police don’t know this is happening, and couldn’t do something about it. In this case we went from clearing out people who are trespassing to shutting down a neighborhood because of a potential bomb threat.
Now compare this to the response by SFPD to an informal “Park(ing) Day” on a Sunday a few weeks back. In the past, these impromptu affairs, whereby people take over a parking spot for a few hours to enjoy the public space have never been challenged by the police, even when they’re not part of the official day that happens once a year.
So what happens when some peaceful community folks got together to hang out? There was the SFPD, breaking it up, claiming there was an “anonymous” complaint. (Sure there was). So there you have it – people doing something to enhance the neighborhood get chased out, while the bums get their way and get to scream and yell. See why the “Sit/Lie” selective enforcement is bullshit?
It all comes down to this: San Francisco has been passing these laws for years. The campaign is always heated, people either think it’s the silver bullet to clean up SF or Satan’s decree, the stupid law passes, and then it NEVER GETS ENFORCED so nothing really changes.
Then again, most of these laws were never about doing anything – they were about trying to influence election results by somehow enlisting support for some “law,” it will influence who gets elected at City Hall. Even though this never works, it’s a staple of SF politics and it’s here to stay.
Meanwhile if you’re just a regular person who wants to enjoy public space that one pays for via the many taxes the City levies, you’re being pushed out. In a few years, when Parks and Rec is done privatizing the parks and the only people out there are either homeless poor or out of town rich, you’ll be the one paying the penalties in the end.
UPDATE: Oh, it gets better. On my way home I passed by the bank and guess what I saw? A homeless person camped out next to the ATM. We’re aware, of course, that “aggressive panhandling near ATMs” was made a crime under Newsom (or Brown, I think it was Brown but I can’t remember right now). Either way the moral of the story is this: even if you agree with this crap that’s put on the ballot, you might as well vote no since it’s not like it’ll ever be enforced. Sure you get that election FU to the liberals, but in the end NOTHING CHANGES. So cool it, willya?

Once Again I Was Proven Right – Sit/Lie Turned Out To Be A Lie, After All…

When I wrote several pieces saying the proposed “sit/lie” law was an bogus piece of unnecessary legislation, people got upset.
Apparently pointing out the fact this law was as useless as all the other laws we’ve passed to “get tough on the homeless” have been made people uncomfortable for some reason. I even noted how one could easily clean up Upper Haight (or anywhere, but during the campaign the debate centered solely on an overpriced neighborhood that attracts a bad element) with existing resources and laws. Or, bring back the Committee on Vigilance, if that doesn’t help. (Hey, it worked in the past!)
Folks didn’t like that, and I got a lot of nasty mail saying I was pro-criminal hippie gutter punk or some such nonsense. Which is not true, as I pointed out many ways that one could use existing laws to put law breakers in jail, but no one wanted to talk about that.
This is S.O.P. for SF politics – put “feel good” measures on the ballot, get everyone all riled up to think this is either The Big Thing That Will Solve All Problems, or The Worst Thing Ever To Happen to Humanity, have lots of well-funded antagonism clog your mailbox. Newspapers get to print Big Headlines and pundits get to drone on and on, and consultants make the big bucks!
Meanwhile, nothing really changes. I think pointing out that is what annoyed folks the most!
So, reading today in the Chronicle that the SFPD is still not enforcing the law because of vague concerns about “training” and appeasing the pro-Upper Haight punk lobby or whatever just validated every criticism I had of this useless law.
Sure, CW Nevius and the pro “sit/lie” folks got their Election Day victory, and for about 5 minutes could say that voters “did something.” Today, however, we find that nothing has changed at all – there are still gutter punks in Upper Haight, there are still homeless people begging for change on sidewalks, and it’s a safe bet than in a year from now, aside from adding more lines to the law books, very little will be any different than it was a year ago.
San Francisco needs to make it harder to get things on the ballot, or its electorate needs to think more before signing petitions. Just because something sounds good doesn’t mean anything will change. Better to use the many, many laws and expensive resources on hand to make our city the best it can be.
UPDATE: A little short of a month later, the Examiner ran this story about the sh*storm in Upper Haight, as the SFPD doesn’t enforce the law, the “punks” are worse than ever, and nothing has changed (aside from a pricey chain store moving in across from a McDonalds.) Super #FAIL.
PS: Lower Haight still rocks. I’m glad I don’t spend my money or time in the Upper Haight, though!