Thread by @zachcoelius

As I have traveled around the world over the last year a lot of folks from other countries have been asking me what the hell went wrong in San Francisco.

The city so many called their favorite city in the US has become obviously broken.

Here is what I have been telling them:

SF & California is a case study in the danger of a single political party in control.

The loudest voices at the extremes invariably win arguments as their supporters are the most motivated, insane policies are enacted without push back.

Those policies have broken SF.

First and foremost is the push to reform the justice system. The US clearly has an unfair and broken justice system badly in need of reform.

SF & CA have enthusiastically rushed into changing the way we enforce crimes and how policing works.

Sadly, instead of thinking systematically they decided to simply stop enforcing “small” crimes. For instance shoplifting is decriminalized.

This had led to an incredible explosion of property crime and escalating criminality across the city. Everyone in the city is victimized.

These small crimes have not only made the daily environment miserable, but they are quickly escalating.

Professional criminal gangs now operate with impunity and guns have become very common.

Stores are closing across the city unable to afford loses.

Drugs. SF decided to simply stop enforcing the law. As super powerful new synthetic drugs are raging, SF has the cheapest and easiest drugs in the country. Coupled with generous handouts, and the ability to take freely from stores, addicts across the country gravitate here.

In Portugal they coupled decriminalization with a robust treatment program and a system where those whose addiction causes them to damage their community could choose treatment or jail.

SF (and the rest of the west coast) chose not to do that and the destruction is immense.

Mental health.

Our streets are full of untreated mentally ill.

We don’t have a system for forcing people whose illness causes them to damage their community into confined care. We simply let them to terrorize others and trash public spaces.

Horrible for them and us.

Housing.

SF has going through an incredible tech boom for 20 years. Innumerable new jobs led to a huge influx.

SF leaders decided they wanted to keep the city a museum and simply refused to build enough housing. Obviously costs exploded and so many folks were priced out.

A broken political system.

Instead of having a mayor who can be held accountable, here committees run everything.

The board of supervisors runs the city and independent committees of appointed cronies run each department.

Inevitable dysfunction has resulted.

This disfunction has led to out of control spending and a focus on political signaling for these cronies to exhibit their idealogical bonafides to position themselves for their next appointment.

Corruption and ineptitude is rampant.

Now, SF is in an inevitable doom loop. The tourists have stopped coming for fear of being robbed, the offices are empty as everyone would rather work from home and stores are closing with no customers and daily looting. Those who can leave are leaving.

Moreover the downtown of SF is a huge source of tax revenue and it is simply empty as many do not want to commuted every day through the crime and filth.

This huge hole in the budget is going to lead to more taxes and decreased services

The progressives who run the city are in a state of denial and are simply ideologically incapable of making the changes to reverse course. Moreover, because of the highly distributed nature of power in SF it will take years to push them out and replace them with rational actors.

I have found reading about urban decline in the 70’s and 80s has been very helpful. It is amazing how much history rhymes in this case. I also recommend the book Dreamland to understand the danger of this new class of drugs and San Fransicko for a polemic on the broken policies.

SF has incredible geography, amazing smart people, world class food, a very real new AI boom happening and an extraordinarily spirit.

This city will rebound and emerge stronger. How long that will take and what will happen in the interim remains a very open question.

I plan to stay and fight for the city I have called home for nearly 20 years.

But I as you can see I think it is going to be a very bumpy ride for the next few years.

Some folks have DMed asking if I know of a single high impact fix.

While I don't think there is a magic bullet, I do think the commission system where unelected political cronies run each department is a disaster. It needs to be abolished and the power returned to the Mayor.

If you are looking for an example of the toxic impediments the commissions constantly throw in the way of having effective departments this is a good example.

missionlocal.org/2023/05/police…

The incredible bias of the journalist is a nice bonus exhibit.