Maybe California is the biggest social experiment playing out in our time?
Competing visions or where being politically correct is more important than actually making a positive difference… form over substance???
A developer with deep pockets and a great track record owned an abandoned plot of city land and put forward extension plans for mixed use and got no where.
He said in 40 years he had never run into a similar situation and I asked how many projects have you done in Berkeley, San Francisco and Oakland?
He said none and there you have it.
In other communities his projects succeed on merit but in the Bay Area it’s kissing the ring of community organizers and subjecting yourself to shakedown after shakedown to the point private money isn’t interested unless subsidized by taxpayer money.
These are not backroom deals but are made in public forums… how many youths from my district will be employed… what are you giving to the community, how diverse is your company, do you support progressive causes, etc.
Cities have subsidized many projects that go bankrupt because the companies ticked all the right boxes which often starts with Non Profit with connected people as directors.
I’m sure it will be similar with the FBI, IRS and Postal Inspector raid of the mayor’s home this week.