Come its March 3 meeting San Francisco s Historic Preservation Commission will no longer have anyone from the city s LGBTQ community serving on it. The lack of representation comes as numerous queer historic issues are expected to go before the advisory panel in the coming months, from landmarking of LGBTQ historical sites to designating queer-owned legacy businesses.
The mayor chooses the oversight body s seven members and the Board of Supervisors confirms the appointees. Four of the seats are currently up for appointment. While Mayor London Breed has renominated two commissioners for new terms straight allies Diane Matsuda and Chris Foley she did not reappoint the panel s two gay members, Jonathan Pearlman and Aaron Hyland, who had been serving as the commission s president.
San Francisco s Japantown battles to survive
Ariana Bindman
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Japantown, San Francisco.eyfoto / Getty Images
2020 feels like the year of fallen icons. From the 83-year-old Coca Cola sign on Fifth and Bryant to the amber-lit O’Farrell Theatre strip club, COVID-19 has robbed San Francisco of its many historic institutions. Now, following the permanent closure of more than 2,000 businesses in the San Francisco and Oakland metro areas, Japantown’s family-owned shops and restaurants are fighting to survive the pandemic’s iron grip.
In Japantown, small businesses represent more than just commerce they symbolize economic agency and reflect cultural identity. “It’s self-determination for immigrants and folks of color,” says Eryn Kimura, a fifth-generation Japanese and Chinese American resident. From her great-great-grandmother’s Valencia Street laundromat in the 1870s to her brother’s 21st-century “print club,” her family’s businesses created s
variety of mediums used. i think we have given the city of san francisco and the residents an incredible art collection. before i call roll for both commissions, let me remind everyone to turn off your cell phone, your pagers, any electronic devices that may sound off during these proceedings. [roll call] for the historic preservation commission [roll call] commissioner buckley i m here but i left my voice at the ball game last night. commissioner diane matsuda is absent today. the items on this calendar, there s only one item or item 1 is case 2010, amendment up is planteding code including but not limited to article 1011. good morning, commissioners. tara sullivan from the department staff. i had not prepared i guess an entrance speech because i wasn t sure if any of the commission presidents wanted to speak as to what had been going on. i can happily describe what is in front of both commissions today. and i do have some presentation, and items i do need to dis
before i call roll for both commissions, let me remind everyone to turn off your cell phone, your pagers, any electronic devices that may sound off during these proceedings. [roll call] for the historic preservation commission [roll call] commissioner buckley i m here but i left my voice at the ball game last night. commissioner diane matsuda is absent today. the items on this calendar, there s only one item or item 1 is case 2010, amendment up is planteding code including but not limited to article 1011. good morning, commissioners. tara sullivan from the department staff. i had not prepared i guess an entrance speech because i wasn t sure if any of the commission presidents wanted to speak as to what had been going on. i can happily describe what is in front of both commissions today. and i do have some presentation, and items i do need to discuss, but. i would like to say a few words on behalf of the historic preservation commission. president miguel, commissio