Spying alleged in fight to save S.F. ILA-ILWU historic union hall as a landmark
Spying alleged in fight to save S.F. union hall a landmark
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/26/BASI19C6NE.DTL
Spying alleged in fight to save S.F. union hall
John Coté, Marisa Lagos
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The clash between preservationists and developers over the future of a waterfront union hall where the 1934 general strike began has a new wrinkle: espionage.
This had already been shaping up as a bitter fight with labor and architectural heritage types pitted against developer Hines, which wants to replace the old longshoreman's union hall with an uber-green office building - one of the tallest on the city's waterfront.
But the group that wants the building declared a city landmark says that Daniel McGill, a Hines employee, misrepresented himself as an avid preservationist to get access to the group's Aug. 4 meeting, where documents were provided and strategy discussed for upcoming city hearings.
The committee blasted McGill's actions as "unethical" and "a form of industrial espionage" in a recent letter to city supervisors.
Hines has agreed to pay $235 million to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority to construct an office tower as part of the Transbay Terminal project but has recently defaulted on other major Bay Area projects.
A Hines executive acknowledged McGill attended the preservation meeting, but said he did so after being told it was open to the public.
Paul Paradis, a senior vice president with Hines, said the company has agreed not to copy the documents McGill received and will return them to the preservation committee.
Supervisor Chris Daly, who introduced a resolution to landmark the building, called the incident "bad form."
"Developers are developers, and there's a reason why people don't tend to hold them in very high esteem - I would say a notch below politicians," he said.
- John Coté
Turf wars: It was only a matter of time before the Board of Supervisors weighed in on artificial, or synthetic, turf on playfields, and San Francisco's partnership with a nonprofit to bring the durable surface to 24 fields throughout the city. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi introduced a nonbinding resolution before the summer break asking the Recreation and Park Department to postpone converting any further fields until the state releases a report on the health and environmental impacts of the fields. Mirkarimi's legislation comes as Kimbell Playground, which happens to be in Mirkarimi's district, is slated for synthetic turf.
It's certainly not the first time environmental and health concerns have been raised, however the fields have been enormously popular.
But we're also hearing that the liberal supervisor has concerns about the privatization of public assets. And some opponents have seized on the fact that Gap founder Don Fisher's kids are the money behind this charitable venture - and San Franciscans love to hate the Fishers.
- Marisa Lagos
E-mail the City Insider team at cityinsider@sfchronicle.com.