To the Editor:

Conventional wisdom says that Mayor Ed Lee wants Christina Olague, his appointee, to be elected to a full term on the Board of Supervisors. However, she has shown considerable independence in the short while she has represented District 5. I've spoken with Christina one on one and I think Mr. Lee maybe ought to be careful about what he (imputedly) wishes for. She is her own person and as such might very well come back to bite the booty of Mayor Pants on Fire.

Barry Eisenberg
San Francisco



To the Editor:

Come on now, San Francisco is no longer available for any blue collar worker or working class family, and it's been that way for a long time.

When I first moved to San Francisco in the 1960s I rented a one bedroom apt. 1274 Union near Hyde that had a nice fireplace and walk in kitchen for $105 a month. I then moved to 1280 Lombard between Polk and Larkin. It was 2 bedrooms, one that was 15 x 18 and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. A large Dining room with crystal chandelier, a patio and parquet floors throughout. That was $100 a month. But the best was the 2 bedroom house I rented at 108 Alpine Terrace. It came with an in-law apartment, a front and back yard and 2 garages and a view of downtown for $250 a month from 1969 to 1975.

The house next door was offered to me at $31,000 that sold for $1,250,000. The problem is ... I still don't think it was worth $31,000. I recently googled Alpine Terrace / rent ... and there was a one bed room, no view or garage and rented at $3,800 a month.

So before you knock New York City for their high rents ... just look around San Francisco! To put it in perspective ... in 1970, a 1 ounce lid of pot sold for $7.50, papers for a nickel. Today you almost have to file for bankruptcy to buy a 1/4 ounce. I now understand why my dad always talked about his good old days. I recall when the Chicago Tribune raised the price of their daily paper from 2 to 3 cents in the late 1940s, and my dad yelling ... "it's not worth 2 cents now!" Can you imagine what the good old days will be like for youngsters of today? By that time, a bat-boy will be making a billion bucks a year.

Jerry Pritikin
Chicago



Beyond Chron
126 Hyde Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-771-9850 (phone)

Please do not send anything to this mailing address that is not intended for Randy Shaw or Paul Hogarth. If you wish to reach other Beyond Chron writers directly, please call us.