Comments by Ken King

Letter: Science takes a hit in San Francisco’s rush to dump Sharp Park

May 09, 2009
Sorry Brent, but your skeetswhich is disquating your framsaddle - I shouldn't bother if I were you.

Letter: Science takes a hit in San Francisco’s rush to dump Sharp Park

May 09, 2009
Sorry Brent Plater, but the "false statements", "malice or ignorance", and "disservice to readers" belong squarely to you. In his office and in the presence of 4 other witnesses, Supervisor Mirkarimi stated that he didn't want an EIR because "There's no money to pay for one". He added that GGNRA could pay for one after the transfer of the property. If SF is now processing this "study" as an EIR alternatives analysis it's most likely because City staff recognizes the legal necessity. All the face-saving…

Letter: Science takes a hit in San Francisco’s rush to dump Sharp Park

May 08, 2009
Brent Plater claims he backed an Environmental Impact Report before Ross Mirkarimi added it to his legislation passed on Tuesday, and that I opposed this EIR. Permit me to quote from my opening post: "The answer of course is to do an Environmental Impact Report that studies all of the possible alternatives, including doing nothing at all, then make the best decision." Clearly Professor Plater is reading-challenged and would benefit by taking a remedial English course in reading comprehension.

Letter: Contrary to claims, Sharp Park is economically viable

May 04, 2009
The Younger Report referred to by Mr. Plater was paid for, then set aside by the Parks and Rec Dept. for the inept "work" it was. Nobody accepted the validity of the report, which is why it was junked. Mr. Plater is intent on making a silly argument that if you raise the price of a round of golf a couple of dollars, you will have a massive flight away from the sport. The reason so many golfers now drive down from SF to play golf is that Harding raised prices sky high, as much as $150/round on weekends.…

Letter: Contrary to claims, Sharp Park is economically viable

May 04, 2009
To Stan Kaufman: I don't play golf, have never played golf, and don't intend to ever play a game of golf. Sorry about that. Good grief, I hope there aren't any "people like King"! "King and his pals", "King and his buddies" sounds like legions of golfers led onto the course by me - imagine that, those of you who know me. Mr. Kaufman's tone is rather barky, and he has quite an imagination, making up numbers whenever it suits him. Like this: "75% of all rounds played are by non-San Francisco residents".…

Letter: Contrary to claims, Sharp Park is economically viable

May 04, 2009
I was present in Supervisor Mirkarimi's office three weeks ago today when he denied that a full EIR was necessary or that any city agency could afford to pay for one. He confidently claimed the "study" featured in his legislation that was to be completed by September 30 this year would be adequate for the purpose of deciding on Sharp Park's disposition to GGNRA. The group I was with insisted this would not stand scrutiny from the many permitting authorities. Ross, to his credit, finally gets it.…

Letter: Contrary to claims, Sharp Park is economically viable

May 04, 2009
Apologies to Robert Frost, but San Francisco taxpayers have many more dollars to spend before they rest. An EIR that takes into account the diverse biomes in the 400-acre Sharp Park property, one that satisfies the needs of the permitting authorities will be expensive, and necessarily so to be done right. Once completed, good decisions regarding the status of Plater and Kaufman's "toxic asset" can be fairly decided.

Letter: Contrary to claims, Sharp Park is economically viable

May 03, 2009
Mr. Kaufman is right that not many of us around here are overly concerned about expenditures by San Francisco taxpayers on whatever they choose to support. Kaufman's populist concern about Sharp Park's alleged drain on said taxpayers is touching to the extent his concerns are genuine, which is a caveat I am sure he will understand. "Toxic asset", now that is clever and topical! Amazing, then, how the species endure there, isn't it? Kaufman: "But no analyst but King thinks that the course makes money…

Letter: Consider restoring Sharp Park

May 02, 2009
Big surprise since Ross switched it to his own committee at the last moment to pass it on the full Board of Supervisors.

Letter: Consider restoring Sharp Park

April 28, 2009
Nice pictures, especially the second one that shows an aquatic theme park confined on the western side by the despised artificial berm. Carl May's earlier post to my letter questioned the meaning of "restoration", and rightly so. Mr. Plater has not forthrightly revealed just what his view of restoration entails, but a bounded wetlands in no way resembles a restored version of Sharp Park, and he knows that. No doubt Mr. Plater will denounce his rendering as mere artist's license and try to move past…

Debating the fate of Sharp Park Golf Course

April 27, 2009
The financial excuse that San Francisco loses money and has to carry Sharp Park is disingenuous by intention and deliberately misleading. San Francisco Supervisor Mirkarimi, the legislation's sponsor, has himself said he doubts the accuracy of the figures cited by proponents and thinks that whatever gap there may be is mere "chump change". Given Sharp Park has the lowest greens' fees among San Francisco's golf courses, or even in the surrounding area, a modest hike disposes of that argument. But…

Coastal Commission approves MWSD public works plan

November 22, 2008
Leonard, if you understand irony, my comment nets out to your position, albeit redundantly stated.

Coastal Commission approves MWSD public works plan

November 15, 2008
You mean that a public utility run for the people by the people is more efficient than a free market run, no, make that for profit run, water service? Imagine that! Seems like another slap in the face of free market ideology, by creeping socialism. Let's hope that the country at large wakes up to the con that constitutes our public health system and takes similar pro-consumer measures in the upcoming years.

Letter: Fourth of July Spy

July 08, 2008
Barry's observation, "I guess I'm not surprised that at least one of these guys was from out of town" lacks his characteristic perspicacity. We have more than enough local heavies to fit Deb's paranoia inducing description; consider Terry Gossett caught peering through Ed Carter's window or Chris Mickelsen seen more than once in the weeds outside the Grady's home.

Half Moon Bay’s insurmountable opportunity

June 25, 2008
Great synopsis, Barry, you really nailed it. And I loved your observation, "It’s poetic justice that the value of that piece of coastal scrubland depends on the very people the city has vilified and ignored in the settlement process." That's inspired writing!

Local Government Committee passes AB1991—next stop: Appropriations Committee

May 21, 2008
At the Beachwood workshop held in late January, Orrick's attorney told HMB citizens that city services couldn't be interrupted because of a debt to a private party, nor could the city be forced into bankruptcy because of such a debt, so Ken Johnson is right according to what the city's law firm told us. It's fascinating, then, to learn that even before we were told that the city could not be irreparably harmed and that it intended to appeal, it had registered a week earlier in Sacramento to lobby…

Local Government Committee passes AB1991—next stop: Appropriations Committee

May 18, 2008
p.s. To Steve Hyman: I only suggest revoking your driver's license for reasons of public safety, not out of any malevolence for you. fyi p.p.s. I admire your ability to repeat and quote yourself endlessly. Others might find it humdrum, but it's also soothing, a sort of black-on-white noise that drowns out discord because disagreeing with you is the same thing as arguing with a recording. Acceptance is the key.

Local Government Committee passes AB1991—next stop: Appropriations Committee

May 18, 2008
"There’s nothing special about this infill parcel . . . It looks out of place now with its field of weeds between 2 communities." Written by a blind person, obviously, one who's driver's license should be revoked. And to Mr. Drouillard, when you write, "HMB created their own mess and they should clean it up without jeopardizing our state’s environmental laws," I feel inclined to inform you, respectfully, that you bought the wrong party's lie. Being where you are, and having only begun…

Opinion: Review’s coverage of AB 1991 is biased and incomplete

May 10, 2008
I agree with Kevin Lancing that the Review headline made it sound like AB 1991 is catching on in Sacramento, which it definitely is not. Furthermore, the Review is doing a p...poor job of giving the other side of the story, how it looks to anyone outside of HMB, and why this creative act of destruction is of such overwhelming concern to so many people in the environmental community. Proposition 20 was passed by more than two thirds of California voters and the Coastal Act remains immensely popular…

Local Government Committee passes AB1991—next stop: Appropriations Committee

May 05, 2008
The city has not been honest about the real cost of this settlement so far. The agreement was presented as an either/or scenario, either pass AB 1991 to build 129 homes, with the city collecting fees on 46 of the houses, or pay $18 million dollars with interest to Keenan. Now we're learning it is anything but this simple, with the first option including millions of dollars in legal fees the city pays to pass the bill, fight the agencies, clear the Federal permits, etc. versus paying Keenan and buying…

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