San Francisco youth population declines

Why would anyone, adult or child, want to live in a town with filthy people sitting and lying all over the sidewalks aggressively panhandling, some with diseases or mental illness? The town supervisors fought the Mayor when he tried to pass an anti sit/lie law. Although a law finally passed, the behavior is well entrenched by now and isn't easily policed.

• 3/23/11, "San Francisco becoming a child-free zone as youth population declines," SFExaminer.com, J. Sabatini

"Despite efforts to stem the tide of family flight, the population of

• children in San Francisco continues to ebb.

Families that remain in The City are bucking the trend that has plagued San Francisco for years as the number of children — defined as people up to 17 years old — has dropped from 181,532 in 1960 to 107,524 today, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures. The 2000 census counted 112,802 youths.

• The decrease is disappointing news for city officials, who have attempted to counter the family-flight trend by creating more affordable housing, improving schools and cutting costs, such as a college savings account for kindergarten enrollees.

“It’s definitely not a hopeful sign that we have 5,000 less kids,” said N’Tanya Lee, the executive director of San Francisco-based advocacy group Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth, which lobbies City Hall on budget and housing issues.

• The census has yet to release a more detailed age breakdown of The City’s youth population. ...

“I’m very surprised,” said Margaret Brodkin, the former head of the Department Children, Youth and Their Families. “I thought we had finally turned the corner in being a more child-friendly city and keeping families in The City.”...

• “Mayor Lee is committed to keeping families in San Francisco,” Falvey said. “He is focused on job creation and economic development, two very real factors in keeping families in San Francisco.”"...

via Drudge Report

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