Letters to the Editor

Editor:
The Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority and SF Recreation and Park Department have presented plans to eliminate some essential historic elements at the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. Among these elements are several rows of trees between the stage and the west fountain. The reason given for removing these healthy trees, many more than 100 years old, is to create a "more effective" performing space.

The American Society of Landscape Architects Historic Preservation Group (ASLAHPG) objects strongly to the removal of the trees in this area. These trees are in a formal grid; they are an integral, organizing element to the entire concourse.

Please contact the GGPCA and SF Recreation and Park Department and let them know that this landscape is as important as the Conservatory of Flowers. The Music Concourse is part of our historical heritage and we must preserve it for future generations.

Margaret Mori
National chair, ASLAHPG

Editor:
When he needed our votes, he posed as our champion. Now that he is in office, he has abandoned those who got him there. Supervisor Jake McGoldrick is turning out to be a disappointment to many of the core supporters that helped get him elected.

The Saturday closure of a small portion of JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park was at the center of an election controversy. It was his support of Saturday closures that won the election for him. It is what galvanized groups of volunteers, supporters and political groups, like the Richmond District Democratic Club.

In the March issue of the Richmond Review, McGoldrick says the time for Saturday closures is not right. By his actions, McGoldrick has proven, once again, that a politician will tell you anything to get your vote.

David Miles, Jr.