Learning from a neighbor

Our friendly neighbor across the bay--Berkeley--has been more of an innovator than many of us realized. An exhibit at the Berkeley History Center showcases some of Berkeley's firsts--

• first bicycle patrols by police officers, started in 1910;
• first radios in police cars, 1911;
• first city to use lie detectors for police investigations 1923;
• first city to ban Styrofoam in 1989;
• first to use biofuels in city cars in 2003.

Not all of Berkeley's experiments have worked out well or been accepted either locally or nationally, but it's good to know that some city governments are will to try new things. That's the only way the rest of the country will move ahead. And it's well worth a trip across the Bay to visit this new exhibit.

How long will it take?

As everyone who shops downtown on Market Street knows, something changes as you walk past Sixth Street toward Seventh. Suddenly there are vacant stores and graffiti. C.W. Nevius in his column today points out how long it is taking for a comprehensive plan for the area to be put into motion. As the good economic times are fading away, we need to encourage, not discourage more viable business opportunities in the center of the city. Although there has been an advisory committee studying issues in the area for more than ten years, agreement is hard to reach. Conflicting forces of business developers and housing advocates have created gridlock. It's time for ordinary citizens to put more pressure on city government to insist that something be done to revitalize the "dead zone" as Nevius calls it and insist that all parties compromise to develop a feasible plan.

Young people voting

Despite all the media coverage of young voters flocking out to support candidates for the presidential election, an article in today's SF Chronicle points out that people over 60 are still far more likely to vote than those under 30. In June's presidential primary in California, 43% of eligible voters over 60 cast their ballots, while only 17% of those under 30 did. That's no way to change the world! It's true that older voters tend to be more settled, not changing residences as frequently as younger people and therefore not needing to re-register to vote, but that doesn't seem to explain all of the difference. Campaign workers speculate that young potential voters are more easily turned off from voting because they become disillusioned with the process. Older people know that elections are never perfect and that the whole system of democracy is built on a shaky structure in which private interests war against public good. Still, democracy is the best way we've found to allow people to participate in running their government. Stepping out of the fray is no solution, so veteran voters must keep up the effort to persuade young people to vote and participate. Change will come slowly, but it can come if people are willing to fight for it step by weary step.

Is anyone dreaming?

Pictures of young Californians protesting against increasing costs of a college education are prominent in newspapers and TV today, but the problems of education are even deeper than these protests show. Not seen in the pictures are the thousands of students who haven't a hope of going to any post-secondary school because they haven't even finished high school. The U.S. has one of the highest drop-out rates among all developing countries. Bob Herbert's column in today's New York Times lays out some of the issues involved. Many of the people who will be voting to determine the next president are woefully ignorant of American history. Fewer than half of the respondents in a survey knew that the Civil War was fought between 1850 and 1900; many are not aware that the Bill of Rights guarantees free speech. This country was founded on the faith that educated citizenry would be able to determine the future of the country. If we fail to give people the knowledge they need, not only will they be unable to compete for jobs, they will be unfit to exercise the basic rights of citizens. The Founding Fathers were dreamers who believed individuals could choose their own future. We must honor them by providing all of our children with an education that will prepare them to make good choices and determine the future of the country and the world.

Why not bother?

The Earth Day weekend has brought a torrent of articles in local and national newspapers as well as stories on TV and the Internet about the threats of global warming and a worldwide food crisis. As Michael Pollan writes in a thoughtful article in the New York Times Magazine, many people are asking themselves, "Why should I bother changing a light bulb or separating my garbage into categories when nothing I do can really stop this?" It certainly will take legislation and technology to solve all of the global issues raised by our use of fossil fuels and our high-energy lifestyles, but just making a choice to move in the right direction may help nudge legislators and corporations into action. People throughout the country laugh at San Franciscans for being so so imbued with ecological fervor that they even pass ordinances banning plastic bags in grocery stores, but as you look around the city, you'll see our ecological halo is slipping. Although every supermarket now makes available inexpensive reusable shopping bags, nine out of ten shoppers still use a large paper bag for even the smallest purchase. Perhaps we should follow Pollan's lead and do the little things we can manage. He suggests starting a garden, which is difficult for many city renters, but almost anyone can slip a reusable bag into their car or handbag, cut down on the amount of meat they eat, and skip some imported delicacies. It can't hurt the planet and to nudge the world ahead even a millimeter is better than doing nothing.

Is the Net Neutral?

The issue of net neutrality never seems to go away, perhaps it never will as constantly changing technology brings new challenges every year. The issue is whether providers of Internet service should limit certain uses of the net, especially those that take up large amounts of bandwidth. At an FCC public hearing in Stanford yesterday, the arguments on both sides were aired. If you don't download videos, you may think this issue doesn't affect you, but nonprofit organizations like the League have a stake in this discussion. So far, the government has required net providers to give the same service to all users, if this changes, Internet providers could determine which materials will be available at the fastest speeds. The suspicion among some defenders of Net Neutrality is that commercial interests will be favored over nonprofit public providers. There are good arguments on both sides and making decisions will be difficult, but those of us who are committed to serving the public through the Internet ought to at least keep up with decisions as they are made. Being a good citizen isn't always easy.

Giving up the car

A generation ago Drivers' Ed was an important part of the high school curriculum in California and most 16-year-olds looked forward to getting a driver's license more than they looked forward to graduation. As school budgets declined, schools dropped the at-the-wheel part of the training and gradually they are dropping the whole course. In larger cities driving is no longer considered a necessary social skill for teenagers, although rural teens still feel they need access to a car to have any social life at all. This change has crept up on us without many grown-ups even noticing, but it has an impact on all of us. Teenagers are more often killed or seriously injured in automobile accidents than other age groups. At a time when scientists are learning more about adolescent brains and how much training is needed for kids to learn not to take dangerous chances, it's not a time to give up on drivers' ed. A car is the most dangerous piece of equipment most people handle in their lifetime. Let's give our children the education they need to learn how to handle them safely.

New neighbors moving in

High housing prices don't mean San Francisco isn't attracting new neighbors to the area. According to C.W. Nevius in the Chronicle today, a whole new breed of city dwellers have arrived--coyotes. Golden Gate Park has attracted the largest number and more and more people are getting glimpses of them as they run across the roads at night or lurk in the bushes near picnic areas. Smaller parks are also attracting some of the animals, which are probably pushed out of Marin by the spreading population taking up almost all of the wild spaces available. Inevitably there are some people who cannot resist feeding the animals, despite warning signs, and this encouragement will attract more and more coyotes. Almost certainly the sightings will spread to the streets and backyards of people near the parks. Will the pampered local dogs be ready to protect their yards from their wild cousins? Sooner or later they'll be put to the test.

Another S.F. first

If legislation introduced by Supervisor Mirkarimi is approved on April 15 as expected, San Francisco will become the first city in the country to stream live audio and video coverage of city government meetings. This will be an enhancement of the sunshine ordinance requirements and will allow citizens to find out what is going on in city government and how issues are being handled. An archive will be created to hold the records for two years and make them accessible. The process will not be without cost, but anything that makes our government more open and accountable is something to cheer. Once again San Franciscans can be proud of being leaders.

Carrying a torch

The big day has finally come when the Olympic torch has come to San Francisco and will be carried through part of the city this afternoon. People in other parts of the country, even other parts of California, seem a bit amused that San Franciscans can be so agitated about an event that is supposed to be a Journey of Harmony to celebrate an athletic event. Those of us who live here are not surprised and many of us are proud that people here care so much about a symbolic event. There are disagreements about whether we should support the Olympics, and what our attitudes toward China and Tibet should be, but as long as the demonstrations and counter-demonstrations are peaceful, as long as our city government and the police maintain order, there's a lot to celebrate in being part of a city that cares deeply about issues. Long live civilized disagreements! And for those outside the city who can't understand the value of expressing beliefs, there is always the scheduled nude protest that will give them a chance to shakes their heads about the strangeness of San Francisco. They'll never understand.

Thinking deep thoughts

Despite having been raised on a diet of loud music and dazzling high speed video games, it seems that a number of today's college students are opting for the ancient, thoughtful discipline of philosophy. According to an article in the N.Y. Times the philosophy departments in many colleges are growing as students seek more education in rigorous thinking and ethical decision making. It seems there is not a great demand for reading the traditional dense texts of philosophy, but discussions about current events in the light of philosophical issues is popular. It's an interesting change as students switch from the vocationally oriented business and technology classes to the broader humanities. It will take time to see how well this current crop of students fare when they hit the job market. But even if earning power is not dramatically increased by philosophy, a growing interest in the life of ideas should be good for the civic health of the community, which depends so much on thoughtful discussion of issues by local citizens.

Learning something new

Who would have thought that following a political campaign would lead to learning all sorts of new facts about typography? Barak Obama's campaign publicity has led to much discussion about his effective use of a typeface on all of his communications. Most of us are unaware of the subtleties of typeface design and what the look of a set of letters can convey, but the New York Times article this morning shows how different a simple word like "Change" can look in different styles of type. Being reminded of the effects of design on the impact of information and advertising may make us all more aware of how corporations and other institutions use type and design elements to convey their messages. It's surprising how a simple interest in keeping abreast of current events can make us smarter in so many areas of our lives.