Sam Spade's San Francisco

Everyone involved in Jerry Kulek's case agrees it should have been handled much better. For two months' rent, about $700, his landlord, the nonprofit, city-funded Chinatown Community Development Corp. (CCDC), dumped him on the sidewalk.

In the photo: San Francisco's North Beach during a recent street festival

"How this 72-year-old man, with a long and reliable track record of paying his rent, ended up on the street is also a tale of why good intentions aren't enough," wrote C. W. Nevius in today's San Francisco Chronicle.

He lived on the streets for three weeks before he collapsed on the sidewalk in front of Washington Square. He had pneumonia and was badly disoriented, according to Nevius. He's in the hospital now, clinging to life.

"Jerry Kulek has lived in San Francisco for more than 50 years. During the 1960s he published Nexus, an avant garde literary magazine. He is a permanent component of the North Beach bohemian tapestry." -Peter Edler from Beat SuperNova

Fortunately for Kulek, SFPD Officer Mark Alvarez found out about it and got Kulek some immediate help. When organizations and city services, like CCDC, fail and put lives in grave danger, the last line of hope and defense any of us has is the San Francisco Police Department. For all the criticism they get, the point needs to be made that the men and women of the San Francisco Police Department save many more lives, on a daily basis, than any of us imagine. The SFPD is, absolutely, San Francisco's Finest.

Chinatown Community Development Corp (CCDC) is to blame. "We should have had this conversation before," said Gordon Chin, CCDC executive director. "He did sort of fall through the cracks."

You say Jerry Kulek sort of fell through the cracks, Gordon?

Listen, Gordon Chin: you know damn well Jerry Kulek fell through your CCDC cracks. In fact, he was pushed by your bureaucracy!

So, what are you going to do to make this right, Gordon Chin? How about this: stop hiding behind your pseudo-professionalism, clean-up your act and actually DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

We citizens of San Francisco are entitled to and demand more than Gordon Chin seems able to provide. It may be time for Gordon to freshen-up his resume and (as the spin doctors like to phrase it) pursue other opportunities.

Read the full story by Chuck Nevius of the San Francisco Chronicle here.

Resources:
Chinatown Community Development Corporation
Beat SuperNova
Police in the Community Program
Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin (represents North Beach)

If you want to send a comment or a few suggestions to Gordon Chin, you may do so by sending an email to or call him at . Let him know what you think about the way he treats the citizens of San Francisco.

Other San Francisco Housing Resources:
Mayor's Office of Housing
1 South Van Ness, 5th floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone
Fax

Public housing and Section 8 certificate and voucher programs contact: Housing Authority
440 Turk Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/sfha/intro/intro.htm

Redevelopment activities :
Redevelopment Agency
1 South Van Ness, 5th floor
San Francisco, CA 94103

http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/sfra/

San Francisco's housing stock, zoning, and the planning approval process, and the status of specific project planning applications:
City Planning
1660 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
- Planning Info Center
- fax
http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/planning/

Community and economic development activities (other than housing):
Mayor"s Office of Community Development
1 South Van Ness, 5th floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
Phone
Fax
( http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/mocd/

Rent stabilization ordinance and handling of landlord/tenant disputes:
Rent Board
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 320
San Francisco, CA 94102-6033
- Information to Go
http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/rentboard/

San Francisco's fair housing activities and to register a complaint about a fair housing violation:
Human Rights Commission
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 800
San Francisco, CA 94102

- TDD
- fax
http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/sfhumanrights/