Improving the Business Climate, Citywide and in District 11

By Anita Grier

In District 11 customers can pay less for the same goods and services by walking a few blocks. That's why I oppose both Proposition J and K on the ballot. These taxes will be bad for job creation and bad for small businesses in all of San Francisco, but especially deadly for District 11. I can't understand why the incumbent supervisor is such a strong advocate for them.

San Francisco needs to invest its limited resources in diverse business opportunities, rather than blindly follow a trend, which is the lesson learned from the dot com bust. Welcoming and working with diverse industries and businesses, we can rebuild San Francisco's economic base much like Seattle reinvigorated its economy after the collapse of its airline industry. Over reliance on any one industry, no matter how lucrative, makes us vulnerable. Tourism, of course, is a constant exception and we must continue to improve the accommodations for that industry.

District 11: has become a "drive through" neighborhood, where people roll up the windows and drive as fast as they can to arrive at their destinations. I want them to stop, get out of their cars and buy something. That means ample parking spaces need to be available and I am in favor of neighborhood parking garages that will serve our neighborhood businesses.

We certainly cannot afford to tax our businesses out of town, and this is especially true for District 11, where Daly City, just a few blocks away, offers a better business environment. In a study by the Board of Supervisor's Legislative Analyst, the taxes paid by a mid-sized retail business and a large consulting firm were compared: Currently a San Francisco mid-sized retail firm pays $5400 while a San Mateo county mid-sized businesses pays $612.

We need to find other sources of revenue that do not harm those least able to pay, nor should they harm our struggling small businesses and negatively impact the jobs they provide.