City Fee Increase for Street Artists Takes a Giant Leap Forward for Bureaucracy

Categories: Government

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By Benjamin Wachs

Life looks like it’s going to get harder for street artists.

The city’s Budget & Finance committee approved a measure today that would increase the fees for street artists by about $160 annually … despite a long line of artists taking the stand to oppose the increase and a few fishy numbers from the city.

Fishy? Well, not as in “inaccurate.” I take Street Artist Program Director Howard Lazar at his word when he says that street artist fees in places like Seattle and Honolulu are way, way higher than they are here.

It’s just that … Honolulu? Seriously? Why on earth are we comparing our fees to Honolulu’s?

In fact, as several artist pointed out in public comment, SF’s fees are significantly higher than many of our neighboring cities in the Bay Area. About twice as expensive as Oakland’s, for example.

The artists were uncommonly prepared , coming with a counter-proposal of their own: 85% of the program budget comes from two full-time employees. If you need to balance the budget, how about cutting staff?

In response, city employees said that program staff was strained enough as it was, and that they were actually thinking of increasing it … which would probably lead to more fee increases down the line.

The issue now goes to the full Board of Supervisors.


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mmarklod
mmarklod

Howard Lazar is the biggest con artist of all time. He will lie in your face and do the opposite. Mike Addario is so jammed up his ass we all have to hear about their bickerings everyday. Just take Fama Thiam- she has an entire stand of cheap mass produced costume jewelry. Lazar has never brought her in for a hearing and in over 15 years of people complaint about it- he refuses to do anything. Lazar wants a visitor to San Francisco to return for some hearing. Go out and investigate yourself- you bozo! That program is garbage!

towerverre
towerverre

Spoken by a mental case that was always having their license revoked for being a lunatic and menace to other respectable artists that follow the rules.

mark
mark

 @towerverre

 Well. let's see-not only do you refuse to give your name you seem

to like to slander people you don't know. a real street artist.

why don't you have a look at the civil grand jury report. that is if you can read.

towerverre
towerverre

A real con artist is more like it ....Let's see first your online name and gender is false and what you accuse others of you are guilty of which is sad. What you mistakenly call slander is a actual record trail of your violations and license revocations that is a matter of public record available for all to see online with san francisco art commision minutes.You play the victim very poorly when you are a perp that was locked up in jail for 45 days for phone called  threats to a city employee.You can change your name but like a leopard you can't change your spots and everybody knows who you are when you claim they don't know you.They wish they didn't know you!

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