Cable cars (and Rice-a-Roni) aside, two of the first things that come to mind when most people think about San Francisco are the stunning vistas and, of course, the Golden Gate Bridge. I was delighted to read yesterday that the board controlling the engineering landmark has unanimously rejected proposals to sell corporate sponsorships to help finance the bridge’s operating budget, which is pretty cash-starved these days. While corporate dollars may have brought some financial relief, the posting of sponsors’ ads and logos surely would have blighted the “International Orange” bridge, even if they were limited to the property adjacent to the span. I applaud the board for getting their priorities straight.
According to what I’ve read, a non-profit called “San Francisco Beautiful” was instrumental in getting the proposals defeated. While I commend them for their efforts to preserve the San Francisco landscape that I know and love, I cannot help but note the irony of San Francisco Beautiful having sold corporate sponsorships for its “2007 Beautification Awards Dinner” earlier in the month. Indeed, the logos of Citigroup and Parkmerced, a huge residential apartment complex that was once part of Leona Helmsley’s empire, grace San Francisco Beautiful’s home page.
While it is tempting to say something off-the-cuff and snarky about them pooh-poohing corporate sponsorships in one corner while gladly taking them in another, I’m more inclined to admire them for not kowtowing to the presumed preferences of their benefactors on the Bridge sponsorship issue. San Francisco Beautiful clearly put their constituents’ preferences first, and has earned my respect and admiration for it.
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