Mayor Willie Brown and his Board of Supervisors also want the Presidio to convert the barracks to low-income housing. They and Sister Galvin reject a Park Service offer to donate the barracks if the city will move them to another site. Agreeing with environmentalists, while saying she is sympathetic to homeless concerns, Amy Meyer, a trust board appointee, said the barracks do not fit the area. She said The Presidio location is far removed from work opportunities or transportation to jobs, social services or food. After the early morning fog lifted, the views were sensational.
Nobody likes the suggestion that the park coddles the rich while ignoring needs of the poor.
But moving homeless to The Presidio would create far more problems than they would solve. The Presidio is a national park. San Francisco will benefit greatly, but its purpose should not be to meet San Francisco's social and financial needs. Rent and leases will pay most administrative costs. The golf course will be self-supporting.