Peskin wants S.F. street artists compensated for Super Bowl City
On Tuesday, Supervisor Aaron Peskin introduced legislation to create a $100,000 fund to compensate the street artists, food vendors, shoe shine salesman and other small business owners who were displaced by Super Bowl City.
Supervisor Scott Wiener also announced he has asked for legislation to be drafted that would prioritize Super Bowl revenues for moving homeless people living in tents off the streets.
Peskin’s legislation is in response to the 100 street artists, food vendors, shoe shine salesman and other small business owners who have permits to sell their wares at Justin Herman Plaza but were kept from that location during Super Bowl City.
In their place and behind a secure perimeter was a fantasy land for football fans that included a 40-foot dome with interactive games and two music stages that featured concerts by Alicia Keys and Chris Isaak among others.
The legislation, which Supervisor Jane Kim is co-sponsoring, does not include criteria for applying for money from the fund.
Homeless advocates have characterized Wiener’s push to get the city to enforce a ban on tents in public spaces as inhumane and a “low blow to people struggling to survive.”
While there is no end of disagreement about the Super Bowl, spending money on dogs and cats has support across the ideological spectrum.
On Tuesday, Supervisor Katy Tang introduced legislation with eight co-sponsors to ensure that the city moves its Animal Care & Control facility to a modern, seismically safe location.