Why is SF the most liberal city in the USA? (San Francisco: apartment, city hall)

[Senor Boogie Woogie]

Hola!

How did San Francisco become the most liberal city in the United States? When did this happen, the 1960s? SF is far and away the most liberal place in the United States. How and why do people put up with the laws and the high taxes? If King Norton I was alive today, would he be mad?

What first attracted the gays to move there? I have seen the Folsom Street Fair where they showed men showing their weiners and getting pleasured. (It's on the internet.) SF also has the World Naked Bike ride once a year, something I would like to be involved with. Aren't there any public indecency laws in SF?

Where did all the crazy, homeless people come from? Is Height Ashbury still a denizen for drug addicts, drunks, runaways and jerky cops like the early 90s (when I was there last.) Are there still camps of homeless people right outside of City Hall?

Are people worried about another Earthquake in the near future, especially owners of such pricey homes? I'd love to live there, but would be afraid of having the roof fall on my head in a tremblor.

I could ask this to people in many cities, but in SF, where in the hell do working class people live? People like restaurant managers, cops, civil service people etc? Not everyone there is banking 100K, which is just about what people need to have a decent life in SF. Now there is an exodus of black people becuase more than likely, they could not afford to live there.

I was told that most of the Chinese in SF are from the south of China and speak primarily Cantonese and not Mandarin.

Is there a Republican, Straight Person, or Evangelical in SF? Or are most of you Satanists?

Is it easy to buy marijuana in SF? Will the cops give a hassle about it? I would think that drugs are a serious problem there, especially homosexual men on crank, suburban white girls on heroin, and the inner city fools on crack. How is the drug situation there? Does Nancy Pelosi do drugs? She always looks like she's tweaking on something woth those doorknob eyes and supertight skin.


Senor

[tstieber]

Actually, Berkeley is the most liberal city in America. SF is the most liberal big city though. I think the 60's counterculture movement started it for both places in the way we know it today. But the famed "Barbary Coast" in the 1800s was also a place for hedonistic behavior at a time when it was not common. SF has always had its reputation as a wild frontier town, away from the judgments and culture of the East Coast traditions. It's always been a magent for people who were different from the mainstream.

The Folsom Street Fair is actually mixed, gay and straight, though the percentage of gay men is pretty high. Dore Alley festival is even more shocking though. Don't know about the naked bike rides, but I'm sure they exist.

As SF gets more expensive, though, richer people move in, and the city is less radical in its politics than, say, 15 to 20 years ago. It's a very modern, sophisticated place in its core, with different neighborhoods all around. The Haight-Ashbury is still a surly place with homeless people and such, but Cow Hollow or the Marina are really clean and upscale. SF is like a smaller, weirder, NYC.

I don't know anyone who takes drugs, but all cities have them, so I'm sure they are around. It's not "common" for regular people to be taking drugs, for God's sake.

Now if you want conservative, the Bay Area has plenty of suburbs that fit the bill, so you could theoretically live "near" SF and be in a very conservative place, only entering the city to dine, shop, and go to museums.

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by Senor Boogie Woogie

Hola!

How did San Francisco become the most liberal city in the United States? When did this happen, the 1960s? SF is far and away the most liberal place in the United States. How and why do people put up with the laws and the high taxes? If King Norton I was alive today, would he be mad?

Wow, lots of questions! I don't know if this is how it started, but the 1960s brought "flower power" to San Francisco, and it (along with Berkeley) was the hub of free love, drugs & hippie music in that decade. Ever heard of the summer of love? Summer of Love - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I guess people just stuck around after the '60s ended, and that snowballed into SF becoming a liberal haven.

What first attracted the gays to move there? I have seen the Folsom Street Fair where they showed men showing their weiners and getting pleasured. (It's on the internet.) SF also has the World Naked Bike ride once a year, something I would like to be involved with. Aren't there any public indecency laws in SF?

Yes, we have laws like any other state, but the police tend to "turn the other cheek" about that - especially during a street fair or parade. But I swear, those images you saw from Folsom St. are not a common sight!! As for why we're attractive to the gay population, there are lots of reasons which we've discussed here ad nauseum... here's an interesting article, which mentions the gay sailors being discharged in SF (as I mentioned on another thread). http://sfpl.lib.ca.us/librarylocatio...mographics.pdf
Doesn't really matter how it got this way, but I'm happy to have them here!

Where did all the crazy, homeless people come from? Is Height Ashbury still a denizen for drug addicts, drunks, runaways and jerky cops like the early 90s (when I was there last.) Are there still camps of homeless people right outside of City Hall?

We do still have a homeless problem, and there are many at Civic Center (city hall). Not sure how or why this is so, but I imagine it's a combination of our great weather, permissive attitude about homelessness, tons of social programs, tourists, etc... and historically it's probably connected to the Summer of Love stuff I talked about above.

Are people worried about another Earthquake in the near future, especially owners of such pricey homes? I'd love to live there, but would be afraid of having the roof fall on my head in a tremblor.

We have many threads discussing this topic, but I'll repeat that most locals don't stress about it... the chance of dying (or even being injured) in a quake is extremely slim, and I've only experienced 1 big one & a few almost-big ones in the 25 years I've lived here. Just like with people who live in hurricane & tornado country, it's smart to be prepared for a disaster, but otherwise don't let it worry you. That's why earthquake insurance was invented, and my family used it after the 1989 7.1 to repair our damaged roof & garage.

I could ask this to people in many cities, but in SF, where in the hell do working class people live? People like restaurant managers, cops, civil service people etc? Not everyone there is banking 100K, which is just about what people need to have a decent life in SF. Now there is an exodus of black people becuase more than likely, they could not afford to live there.

We also have MANY threads on this topic, and they often end up ugly. I certainly do not make $100K (more like 50K), but it hasn't been much of a problem... most "working class" people just share housing, live in the outskirts or less desirable neighborhoods, and so on. I have a gorgeous 3-bedroom house, and by renting the other rooms my share of rent is only $795 - less than I paid for an apartment in Stockton! Just like with any other big city, you will have to make compromises to live here, and it's up to you which compromises are/aren't worth it.

I was told that most of the Chinese in SF are from the south of China and speak primarily Cantonese and not Mandarin.

Depends on which neighborhood you're in... most of my immediate neighbors are Chinese and speak Cantonese, I believe, but you'll also encounter many Mandarin & Taiwanese speakers around here (southeast SF). Farther north in Chinatown and in the Sunset, I think most speak Cantonese.

Is there a Republican, Straight Person, or Evangelical in SF? Or are most of you Satanists?

I hope you're being sarcastic, but I'll answer anyway - of course. I am a straight woman, practicing (Reform) Jew, politically liberal/libertarian. We have people of ALL types here, and you'll even encounter a good number of religious-right types... we're just majority liberal, and as for the straight population, we still greatly outnumber the gay population (which is only estimated at around 10-15%?).

Is it easy to buy marijuana in SF? Will the cops give a hassle about it? I would think that drugs are a serious problem there, especially homosexual men on crank, suburban white girls on heroin, and the inner city fools on crack. How is the drug situation there? Does Nancy Pelosi do drugs? She always looks like she's tweaking on something woth those doorknob eyes and supertight skink.

Uhhhhhh... can't say much about Nancy Pelosi, but yes it's very easy to buy drugs here - especially marijuana. If you get a cannabis prescription, which I & some of my friends have, you can go to one of the MANY clubs & buy it (sort of) legally. The cops really don't give a hoot about marijuana, and won't even bother stopping if you're smoking on the street... but other drugs are a different story, and luckily they're not as permissive about things like heroin & crack. Doesn't mean people don't still do it, but that's the same story anywhere you go. Anyway, hope my answers helped a bit!

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by tstieber

I don't know anyone who takes drugs, but all cities have them, so I'm sure they are around. It's not "common" for regular people to be taking drugs, for God's sake.

Unless you're speaking only of hard drugs, I beg to differ... I smoke pot on a regular basis with a club card, and I'm pretty darned "normal" - I'm a librarian, for crying out loud. Most of my friends smoke too, and they consist of a nurse, computer programmer, attorneys, graphic designer, retail clerks, waitresses, and so on and so forth.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Unless you're speaking only of hard drugs, I beg to differ... I smoke pot on a regular basis with a club card, and I'm pretty darned "normal" - I'm a librarian, for crying out loud. Most of my friends smoke too, and they consist of a nurse, computer programmer, attorneys, graphic designer, retail clerks, waitresses, and so on and so forth.

Coming from a former herb user here: considering that the THC in pot today is about twice what it used to be 'back in the day' (25 years ago)----I will not touch it.

Same reaon I am spooked of moonshine. I prefer my alcohol with 'quality control'.........although for all practical intents and purposes I am an abstainer.

Suffice to say: I do miss 'smokin' a bowl' every once in a while (although I will admit that a lot of marijuana's effect then may have been more placebo than actual).

Now: I am 'Sheriff Joe' class intolerant when meth is involved.

[gizmo980]

Yeah, I've been told about how non-potent it was in the '70s (and prior)... but since I wasn't even BORN until 1976, I only know it for what it is today.

As for the meth, I am more intolerant than most, as I used to be a user - and that stuff will kill you, unlike marijuana.

[sliverbox]

I lived in Berkeley for 4 years and Oakland so far for 5. Berkeley is CRAZY. What I mean is that you'd BETTER think and act a certain way- the liberal way- or else. I never lived around as many closed-minded people in my life and it was the reason I moved out. Oakland is sort of like the bastard stepchild of the Bay Area. Its sister city I would say is Memphis,TN. Sort of rough in some places, but nice in others, not too liberal, and not too conservative. Sort of a nice mixture. SF is to me a big snob-pit. LOTS of extremely rich people. That, as someone pointed out before, makes it lose some of its former edge. The Peninsula to me is like the East Coast: Everyone is there to make a quick buck. Nothing but business 24/7.

I can't say that the Bay Area is all what people seem to make it out to be, and I've been here awhile.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Yeah, I've been told about how non-potent it was in the '70s (and prior)... but since I wasn't even BORN until 1976, I only know it for what it is today.

As for the meth, I am more intolerant than most, as I used to be a user - and that stuff will kill you, unlike marijuana.

just out of curiosity, was this when you lived in Stockton?

[gizmo980]

Originally Posted by sav858

just out of curiosity, was this when you lived in Stockton?

Nope, I was living in the Bay Area... this was a LONG time ago, when I was just a teenager. One of the many stupid choices I made, ya know.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by gizmo980

Nope, I was living in the Bay Area... this was a LONG time ago, when I was just a teenager. One of the many stupid choices I made, ya know.

I hear ya, I've tried a fair amount of stuff but have always stayed away from Meth thankfully, just never interested me. I was just curious b/c Stockton seems to have a huge meth problem.