Patricia Walkup Interview

Hear the history about the Freeway coming down in Hayes Valley, San Francisco. An interview with Patricia Walkup, the Hayes Valley Activist that shepherded the Octavia Project.

Interview date: December 22, 2005

Interviewer: Jason Henderson

  1. Beginning History
  2. Hayes Merchants
  3. First Involvement 2nd Task Force
  4. Move from Noe Valley
  5. Crime
  6. Judy Edmond; Cecilia Shepherd; Laguna-Waller Safe Group
  7. Freeway down
  8. Thinking beyond Transportaion; Better Neighborhoods
  9. Alternatives; Sup. Hallinan; Carol Migdon; no Sup Sponsor
  10. Frank Jordan; Stuart Sunshine; Wilbur Smith consultant
  11. Jim Houillian’s plan
  12. Supervisors & Caltrans lost interest; Sue Bierman involved
  13. Bierman hearing at firehouse ’95-96; Eph. Hirsch
  14. Hearing continues; Houillian plan recommended; Mabel Tang; Stuart Sunshine
  15. Environmental Analysis; FEMA money
  16. Patricia’s role; meetings at First Baptist Church; Richard Johnson and fliers
  17. Press and TV
  18. Coalition
  19. Initiative went to first ballot; Task Force; Citizens Advisory Group; Tom from Zen Center; Lynne Creighton
  20. Peter Albert mediated; List of what we agreed on “took us over the top”
  21. Strategic Analysis Report ’97; Plumber’s Union; Eminent domain
  22. Houillian plan wouldn’t fly; Willie Brown; Peter Albert rendering of Blvd.
  23. Had no clue how to run City-wide campaign
  24. Not discouraged at all; Tom Ammiano’s aide; Jane Morrison; Jim at SPUR
  25. Alternatives; Caltrans; League of Conservation Voters; Sierra Club; Chamber of Commerce
  26. Allies; Campaign consultant David Binder; Jim Rivaldo artwork
  27. Other allies; Bike Coalition; Tom Radulovich
  28. Proposition on ballot; Brad Benson
  29. We lost; Called meeting of supporters; Robin Levitt
  30. Sue Bierman; Peter Albert
  31. I made decision to do it; Hired attorney with my own money
  32. Linton Stables; Tom Radulovich; Lynne Creighton persuaded Eph. Hirsch to “put his name on petition”
  33. More about sponsors; Had petition printed in Berkeley; Robin Levitt organized signature campaign
  34. Some people hostile; Danger of duplicate signatures
  35. Ballot committee; Writing of ballot ;Art Agnos signed on in ’97
  36. Back off from the Board for a while
  37. No money; House tours
  38. Money for fliers; Newspaper ads; Jim Rivaldo
  39. About coalition
  40. Early 90s house owners didn’t live in neighborhood; Most houses were rentals
  41. Realtors very interested in campaign, but didn’t give money
  42. Opponents: Real Estate people; Julie Lee and Rose Tsai; Rose Pak, Joe O’Donahue; Frank Jordan
  43. Motives of Julie Lee and Rose Tsai
  44. Julie Lee didn’t care about freeway; Critical Mass for Cars; Leland Yee
  45. Jim O’Donahue had falling out with Neighbor’s Association ’97; Willie Brown didn’t support 2nd Ballot
  46. Haight Street Merchants, Polk Street Merchants, Newspapers; Reporters slanted
  47. Traffic on Octavia; Robert Levin; Peter Cohen
  48. 2nd Ballot: Pushed for ramp touch-down on Market St.
  49. Fliers translated into Cantonese; Lynn Vallini
  50. Demolition “music to my ears”; Bottom deck down in 2003
  51. Patricia not satisfied; Problems will be resolved over time
  52. After Ballot passed; Needed regional transportation plan
  53. Regional transportation plan for whole Bay Area
  54. Visions; bus rapid transit
  55. José Luis Moscovich; Aaron Peskin running for Mayor?
  56. Transportation; Gavin Newsom; Leland
  57. We sued Leland, Rose Tsai, Julie Lee, Republican Party; Judges wouldn’t hear cases
  58. Tenderloin School; Asian population 50% of City
  59. Challenged Environmental Review; Went to court
  60. What isn’t put in the Media; SF Chronicle article
  61. The 280 Freeway needs to come down
  62. End of interview