Links of Interest for the Weekend: Sunset Tunnel Closure, Superbowl Sillies, and More!

Quite a lot has been going on lately around town. I was all set to write a few posts about the latest nonsense about the Palace of Fine Arts, etc., but others beat me to it. Between that and the long, dragged out struggle to Fix the Sunset Tunnel, it was easier to revive Links of Interest than try and catch up.

First, if you haven’t heard yet, there’s a “request” (aka a “demand” aka a “do this because we say so and you have no recourse, peasants”) by the NFL to have the SFMTA dismantle (!) overhead wires on Market Street…for a Superbowl party.

Naturally, the NFL has no intention of actually paying for the true cost to the SFMTA, or for the lost hours by commuters downtown who rely on said lines as they are pulled out of operation for a minimum of 3 weeks. I could go on, but why do that when TK does it so well here.

Second, this weekend there’s another Sunset Tunnel closure. In addition to the usual bus shuttle service between Church/Duboce and the Westside, there will also be installation of signal equipment at 9th/Judah. While traffic will be allowed to pass through, the accessible platforms will not be in operation, so the bus shuttle will be rerouted from 9th to 10th Avenue, stopping at 10th/Judah. This is in addition to Central Subway work being done at 4th/King which will affect the N at Caltrain also.

Finally, there’s been some noise about the Palace of Fine Arts being potentially turned into a luxury hotel, or some other harebrained idea by our goofball Parks and Recreation department. All I will say is this- it is patent BULLSH*T that the Parks and Rec Dept. continues to justify the privatization of public parks always using the “city ain’t got no money” line.

That is crap. We are enjoying record economic growth with billions in wealth being created, and we have a city budget that outspends whole states. In addition, we have Supervisors demanding we set aside money to fund the Parks Dept. To suggest that the only way to “save” the Palace of Fine Arts is to turn it into some house of ill repute for the 1% doesn’t add up.

It really is a shame we didn’t have any real candidates for mayor in that last election, isn’t it? Garbage City here we come!

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