June 10, 1998

Does Pacifica subsidize our neighbors?

Is Pacifica really a subsidized city, as Chris Hunter stated in last week's editorial? Well, perhaps, but only if you pretend Pacifica is like a has-been actress living out her life on memories and handouts in some actors-union retirement home.

That's not quite true. The average Pacifica family has a substantially higher income than the folks in Daly City, Colma or South San Francisco. Our problem? We are a linear city with limited ingress and egress. Take a look at maps of Tanforan, 280 Metro, Towne Center, Serramonte, Hillsdale, Stonestown Galleria. All are located at or near crossroads. They draw business from all directions (especially from Pacifica, unfortunately).

Our problem is not that we are being subsidized by county, state and federal handouts, but instead that we are heavily subsidizing South City, San Bruno, Daly City, Colma, San Mateo, San Francisco, all the cities within a short driving distance. They all depend on Pacificans to buy their goods, watch the movies in their theatres, eat meals in their restaurants, buy cars at their dealers, and help them pay their bills. Employees in their stores live in Pacifica, using Pacifica police, water and sewer services. Folks from Daly City and South City fish off our pier. They should be using more of our parklands, if the Federal government allowed reasonable access. As it is now, about half Pacifica is government owned land that generates little or nothing in the way of income for Pacifica, but must still be policed and provided with services, with very little return.

If the government entities that own so much of Pacifica were to pay their fair share of taxes, we would suddenly feel rich. Pacifica need not apologize for accepting FEMA funds for the Esplanade disaster. It would have been better to make the coastal bluffs into parklands years ago, and smile smugly when they gave way. For that matter it would have been better if old Lake Matilda, which was located where Linda Mar Shopping Center, Anza, western Arguello, etc. are now, had been left as marsh. That was the result of bad decisions by the county, not the city, more than 40 years ago. The damage from floods in Linda Mar and the eroding cliffs in Pacific Manor could have been avoided easily with more forethought by the county.

I sometimes jokingly suggest that Pacifica should merge with Colma. There are artificial rules against that idea, but it could be done easily if all concerned chose to do it and had the will. Of course the folks in Colma would have to be dragged into Pacifica kicking and screaming. They have too good a deal, what with about a thousand residents, auto row, K Mart, 280 Metro, Serra Center, and so on. But it's still a good idea. The point is that we subsidize Colma with a lot of business. It's absolutely ridiculous that among the top 25 businesses in Pacifica when it comes to generating tax revenues are several gas stations. That's a sign of major weakness in the business community.

Paul Azevedo has been shopping in Pacifica, and in Pacifica's neighboring cities, for the past 35 years.