‘Driven Out’ Of San Francisco?
May 12, 2008
Last July, the California Department of Finance (DOF) made its population projections for San Francisco through 2050: While California’s Asian Pacific American population rises, San Francisco’s APA population will drop. After rising for decades and reaching a peak of 31 percent, or 263,276, by the year 2020, the city’s APA population will start to decline. By 2050, the DOF projects the APA population will number only 249,038. Will that decline continue in the capital city of Asian Pacific America? Meanwhile, whites, who retain a plurality in San Francisco, will regain majority status by 2039. Currently, DOF estimates 256,398 APA residents make up 32 percent of the city.
RISING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: Meanwhile, California’s APA population will continue its upward trajectory, going from 4.66 million in 2008 to 8.23 million by 2050.
‘DRIVEN OUT’ THEORY: Michael Chan, head of ASIAN Inc., cited Jean Pfaelzer’s book Driven Out in his remarks at the 50th anniversary dinner of the Chinese American Democratic Club (CADC) in March, posing the question as to whether Asian Pacific Americans are being “driven out” of San Francisco. The book dwells on the “ethnic cleansing” of Chinese Americans in California and the Pacific Northwest in the second half of the 19th century.
TODAY’S ‘DRIVEN OUT’: Some at the CADC, such as Chan and the recently passed Roland Quan, have raised the question of being “driven out” as more subtle and based on anecdotes of families and friends leaving the city, with fewer migrating in. The culprit? Speculation points to public policies restricting access to neighborhood and quality schools, diminishing the supply of affordable housing for APA families who are larger than the city’s median-size households, and City Hall’s anti-small business climate.
JUDGEMENT DAY FOR THE CANDIDATES: Some of the same business, housing and education issues are on the minds of APAs in candidate questionnaires by the Westside Chinese Democratic Club and Asian Pacific Democratic Club. Both organizations asked about the continuation of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) in public schools, and assistance for small business and property owners. Both also asked whether candidates had supported Fiona Ma or Janet Reilly for Assembly, Leland Yee or Mike Nevin for state senate, and incumbent Lawrence Wong for City College board in 2006. A few club members are not forgetting the snubs in electing Ma to the state’s most APA assembly district and the rejection of Wong, the only Chinese American on the College Board and one of its two APAs, along with AsianWeek contributing columnist Rodel Rodis.
CAMPUS IS BIG DEAL: The Chinatown community college campus issue has been on the top of the list for the Francisco Hsieh-led WCDC and Mary Jung-led APDC, which was founded by College Board member Lawrence Wong back in 1994 after splitting from CADC. It’s important how candidates are evaluated on the issue, especially considering Professor Ling-Chi Wang’s remarks to the Asian Coalition of City College scholarship dinner two weeks ago. He had noted his disappointment in the city’s liberal officials, who should be natural supporters of the campus’s immigrant and APA constituencies….
WHICH OPTION? Most political leaders easily supported a campus, but the important distinction is to probe which option a candidate preferred: supporting the taller two-building plan (14-story and 4-story) chosen by the district, or the shorter, less bulkier versions supported by the Hilton Hotel, state senate aide Frances Hsieh, environmentalist Arthur Chang, architect Howard Wong, and other neighborhood groups…
WHEN AND HOW COMMITTED? Besides supporting the 14-4 plan, a candidate should be evaluated by his or her timely commitment to the issue. One of the earliest campus supporters was S.F. Democratic County Central Committee candidate Eric Mar, also a school board member and District 1 (Richmond) supervisor candidate. Mar said he was “active in mobilizing student and parent involvement” that included speaking at public rallies and press conferences.…
Reach Samson Wong at (415) 321-5886 or swong@asianweek.com.
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I don’t really think APAs are being ‘driven out’ of San Francisco, we are just simply following a pattern.
For example, in research by Nazli Kibria on Chinese Americans, it works by generation on where they live. For first generation, it is typically within ethnic enclaves where there is a common culture and knowledge base within the community. The second generation typically goes to the satellite ethnic communities, such as Irving or Clement. And eventually it progresses to the point where families move out of the big city and into the suburbs.
Its the dream of upward mobility. We all want to “up the ante” a little more every time. Heck, I want to live in a mansion sometime.
Regarding the CCSF expansion: All you have to do is look at who was being paid by the Hilton lobby group, and who was volunteered their time to mobilize and educate the community.
Regarding being “driven out;” it is more a matter of socio-economics, then ethnicity. San Francisco is only getting more expensive to live in. Do you really think Gavin Newsom cares about working -class families? Does he even know what one is? When is the last time he made $20 an hour?
This is probably too much logic for Samson Wong to comprehend.