LTE, M & R on F and G

Yes on F Letter to Editor in Chronicle

Editor - What would it look like if everyone could live in the city they serve? Half of homes would have to be built for the most prosperous half of the city. And the other half would need to be developed for the less well-to-do half of citizens. With heavy subsidies, such as free land in San Francisco, this leaves hundreds of millions in profits that no developer could resist.

Recently, Bayview/Hunters Point saw the opportunity for a practical, fair solution to the affordable housing crisis in their community when working families learned that city hall wanted to give away 721 acres of San Francisco waterfront for $1. Lennar Corp. is fighting to get the land (Proposition G). At the same time, Lennar is also paying armies of consultants to take our 50/50 deal (Proposition F), and paint it as some diabolical scheme. In fact, they've spent more money on this campaign than has ever been spent on any initiative in San Francisco history: $3.26 million just through May 22. Now, Bayview/Hunters Point needs your help. Our community's future is in your hands on June 3. No matter how you vote on Lennar's Proposition G, please vote "yes" on the community's Proposition F.

CHRIS CASSIDY Volunteer Communications Director F is for Fairness San Francisco

M and R:

Cat and mouse: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is being unusually cagey about his big budget presentation today, and the reason may have a lot to do with Tuesday's election.

Chronicle reporter Heather Knight tells us that as of Friday afternoon, none of the members of the Board of Supervisors had gotten their invites to the ceremony where Newsom will announce his spending plan for fiscal 2008-09.

Newsom has never followed the mayoral tradition of presenting the budget in the board's chambers, opting to go out into the community instead. But board members have typically received formal invitations with several days to spare.

Newsom spokeswoman Giselle Barry said Friday that the presentation will take place at 10:30 a.m. today somewhere in the southeast part of the city, but she wouldn't divulge where.

Folks at the artists colony at the old Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, however, say they know just where it will be - in the auditorium of Building 101, the hub of the colony. Artist David Trachtenberg said the mayor's press staff already has toured the building and reserved the space.

The shipyard, of course, is at the center of Propositions G and F, the competing plans for developing Hunters Point and Candlestick Point on Tuesday's ballot. Newsom supports Prop. G and opposes Prop. F, and some e-mails circulating among the artists, most of whom are voting the same way as Newsom, have said to keep the location of his presentation secret so Prop. F protesters won't know where to show up.

"I would be shocked if the discussion of the propositions were not involved somehow," Trachtenberg said. "I'm sure it's going to be brought up. ... Voters tend to get last-minute information before they go to the polls, and this is a last-minute event."

Trachtenberg also pointed out that there's a guard gate at the shipyard, making it a "controlled environment."

Supervisor Chris Daly, who supports Prop. F, said the mayor was clearly presenting his budget there for "opportunistic purposes."