The Progressive Way

By James Keys

Re-evaluating the Progressive movement and Social Justice by application. The election of James Keys to the San Francisco Board of Supervisor will change the landscape of the Progressive movement.

I was able to write policy and resolutions for Supervisor Daly and assisted him closely during the Board of Supervisors heard emotional testimony about dust and asbestos at the Hunters Point Shipyard, where the Lennar Corporation + under contract with the Redevelopment Agency + has excavated rock to build a massive condo complex. I also handled all of the constituent issues that came into the office and was able to represent the office on many issues in the district, including mental health issues. Handling constituent issues also had me write policy for the Department of Public Health regarding bedbugs in San Francisco.

The number of low- and middle-income residents in San Francisco is shrinking as the wealthy population swells, a trend most experts attribute to the city's exorbitant housing costs. Yet there is a legitimate public policy concern when a city that many people have lived in for many years and regard as their homes becomes so expensive they can't afford to live there anymore.

I will work towards placing people into jobs where they can receive on-the-job training while working, affordable higher-education, single-payer health-care, a strong and fair labor movement, and progressive immigration reform that will allow for the growth of low-income residents to become middle-class residents.

Regarding housing I want to continue the work in this district that has prioritized the construction of affordable housing and the protection of our existing rental housing stock, especially the SRO hotels. I will keep the door of the Supervisors office open to community-based organizations and efforts like Housing Justice to continue this work.

As someone who has lived in affordable housing in the Tenderloin, I am passionate about this issue. I also am sensitive to situations where low-income persons and families who receive housing assistance are at risk of losing their benefits. I will work to provide real opportunities for low-income persons in hotels to improve their quality of life by moving into better housing. This in turn would open-up units, which would allow homeless persons to obtain housing.

Regarding Health and Human Services I will continue the work in this district that has prioritized the funding of services for those most in need in our district. This means fully funding a single standard of care for mental health, substance abuse treatment on demand, adequate homeless services, and AIDS/HIV services. As the Chair of the Mental Health Board, I know the importance of community-based mental health services. I personally know how important these services are. Unfortunately, along with substance abuse, homelessness, and AIDS/HIV, these are the first to get cut during difficult budget times. I will make it my priority to fully fund these programs.

Pedestrian Safety and Livable Streets means walking conditions that are the backbone of every community's transportation system and one of the most important elements of livable communities will also be prioritized. Neighborhoods where walking is an attractive, convenient and safe options are healthier for residents, have fewer cars on the road, and have a stronger sense of community. These are also areas that have strong commercial activity.

A complete and well-maintained walking network has the greatest importance for those members of the community who depend the most on walking; the poor, the elderly, the disabled, children and transit users. Increasing the number and share of transportation trips that are accomplished by walking should be a key element of our transportation policy.

As far as public safety car patrol eliminated the neighborhood police officer. Police were pulled off neighborhood beats to fill cars. But motorized patrol -- the cornerstone of urban policing -- has no effect on crime rates, victimization, or public satisfaction. The reality is that the police largely react to crime and there is very little they can do to prevent it. Efforts in recent years to use community oriented policing, problem oriented policing, and other strategies to address the conditions that lead to crime are one way that police departments with the resources have responded.

Putting more visible police cars out on the street is politically popular because it makes people feel safer but there's little reason to believe crime rates are affected. Foot Patrols will deter most "low-level" acts from occurring and instill a real sense of security in our neighborhoods. I will work with the SFPD and the community to expand foot patrols throughout San Francisco.

This campaign has already shown particular strength in our District with the first-place endorsements from Central City Democrats, Manor Advocates, San Francisco Bay View Newspaper and the Tenant Associations Coalition. We have also won the first place endorsements from the African-American Democratic Club and the San Francisco Green Party.

Social justice is a concept that some use to describe the movement towards a socially just world. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality and involves a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, or even property redistribution.

These policies aim to achieve what developmental economists refer to as more equality of opportunity than may currently exist in some societies, and to manufacture equality of outcome in cases where incidental inequalities appear in a procedurally just system.

James Keys can be reached at http://www.JKD6.com or visit our office at 456 Ellis Street in the heart of the Tenderloin.