'People have constantly written the obituary of San Francisco, and I say to them, you better write in pencil because you're going to have to re-write what happens,' Breed said.
According to the latest FBI data, San Francisco's property crime rates are among the highest nationwide."But oftentimes the PR matters more than the reality, whether we like it or not. Are you worried about the reputation our city is getting both domestically and even abroad?" I asked Breed.And Breed says the city is taking steps to confront this perception head-on by spreading more positive information nationwide about San Francisco.
Breed says with hybrid work not likely to go away, the city needs to reinvent its central business district.She wants to attract new industries like AI and biotech into the city and convert unused office space into housing and cultural venues. "What we are doing is we're trying to make it to create office space for uses that people want, that people need other than office space. And make our policies different than what they are now," Breed said."Do you think we have the political willpower in the city to do that? I know you and your office have been fierce advocates of the things you mention there, but you do have your critics on the Board of Supervisors," I asked.
"I hope so because the money that is generated by mostly downtown in San Francisco is the same money that many of those critics want to use for many of our social service programs, and right now our city is facing a $780 million budget deficit," said Breed.Breed says there's no doubt that San Francisco is currently in a transition period.
But she rejects the notion of the city entering a permanent downward spiral, especially given the concentration of wealth and talent in our region."People have constantly written the obituary of San Francisco, and I say to them, you better write in pencil because you're going to have to re-write what happens as a result of what we're going to see change in our city. But, more importantly, you're going to eat your words.
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