interested in our resident Coit Tower docent, TinkaCat's take on this:
http://blog.sfgate.com/cityinsider/2012/02/22/coit-tower-ballot-measure-qualifies-for-june-vote/?tsp=1
aw, shucks ... BTW, my next tour is on March 3rd, 11 AM ...come on down!
It seems like a lot of NIMBY action going on here...
but (unless I mis-read) they're trying to ensure that city money goes to preserving the murals etc... yes?
The NIMBY aspect seems like Telegraph Hill Dwellers Assn snobbery. They do not want more traffic, etc. in their 'hood.
OTOH, the part about allocating funds earned BY the facility BACK to the facility does seem the way to do things here, esp b/c the murals and the tower and the grounds do need some help. Allowing larger commercial events and private rentals of the tower would certainly raise money for the destitute Park and Rec Dept, and it does seem a little unfair that those monies could be used elsewhere. I must re-think this one a bit, I suppose.
The murals need some help, and they really are National treasures. Parties could pose a threat of some sort to the murals. I can easily see privileged and drunken revelers doing damage to the murals by splattering their Jägermeister on the works. No one needs that.
And if you haven't seen the murals you should. Did you know there are even more murals in the tower stairwell and on the second level that are normally closed to the public EXCEPT when the FREE SF City Guides Tours is offered on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11 AM? This tour does offer a rare opportunity, I must say. And btw, they technically are NOT WPA works, but rather part of the Public Works of Art Project, a pre-cursor to the WPA.. although both were part of FDR's New Deal alphabet soup programs though. Fascinating stuff.