➤ “S.F. height limits having impact across state,” The City, Jan. 15

Let citizens have their say

During his years in office, Supervisor Scott Wiener has turned a tin ear towards the needs of struggling San Franciscans. Although he has been exemplary in promoting the wishes of the Chamber of Commerce, the Building Owners and Managers Association, SPUR and the various other corporate-financed right-wing organizations backing him, Wiener has relentlessly worked to circumvent the interests of everyday people.

His opposition to permiting voters the right to decide whether waterfront building height levels should be increased — so that the developers of luxury condos might benefit — lays bare his libertarian value system.

Because voters had the temerity to vote against the 8 Washington St. high-rises at the ballot box (after opponents put an initiative against this egregious development at the ballot), Wiener aspires to raise the number of signatures required to qualify for the ballot through a switch to a system with signature requirements based on the number of registered voters. (The present system utilizes a percentage of voters who voted in the most recent mayoral election.)

This misbegotten ballot initiative is yet one more egregious attempt by Wiener to shut San Franciscans out of the initiative process and shift the balance towards his true constituency — the plutocrats and their financial interests.

Harry S. Pariser

San Francisco

➤ “Moving toward a city for everyone,” Editorial, Thursday

When it's all, it's nothing

Let's be frank about this. A city for everyone is a city for no one, such as if something is everyone's responsibility, it becomes no one's responsibility.

Frank Norton

San Francisco

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