Comments on: Denied! Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic event in jeopardy

By: Local links: Bike tours, glad-handing on Clement, passages, old-school barbers | Richmond District Blog of San Francisco (richmondsfblog.com)

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:04:17 +0000

[...] the saga over Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic keeping their charity event in Golden Gate Park? SFWeekly digs into the ugly politics behind it. [...]

By: Jimmy’s Car Picnic is ON! October 16 in Speedway Meadow | Richmond District Blog of San Francisco (richmondsfblog.com)

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:19:40 +0000

[...] news from the crew behind Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic, which has been battling the Rec & Park Department for several months about whether they can continue to use Speedway Meadow for their 20+ year old [...]

By: The oh-so-groovy “Love of God” festival | Richmond District Blog of San Francisco (richmondsfblog.com)

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:28:42 +0000

[...] that events like this get to happen in the park and not those long-running, frivolous events like Jimmy’s Old Time Car Picnic. Cough cough. Are you listening, Rec & [...]

By: Wainwright

Wainwright — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:13:57 +0000

There is no more appropriate venue for the Picnic than the meadows of Golden Gate Park. A picnic in a parking lot or on a closed street is not a picnic. The proposed alternate locations have severe problems — like no bathrooms, no BBQ facilities, and inadequate parking for spectators. Some are very close to busy roadways which present a danger to the many children who attend the event and are allowed to run and play and explore on the safety of the meadow, and some of the proposed alternates simply don’t have the capacity for more than 20-25% of the number of cars that normally attend the Picnic. About half the regular attendees walk to the Picnic from their homes in the Richmond and Sunset Districts and from the Haight District — moving the event from the Park will mean that most of these people, who have attended the Picnic annually for many years, wll simply be unable to attend again. The suggested alternate sites all separate the picnic area from the area where the old cars would be parked, which creates difficulty for those with physical disabilities or who have difficulty walking long distances due to age or infirmity who want to both enjoy the picnic and check out the cars. The existing and traditional site does not require closing any roads and there is more than ample parking within a few minutes’ walk. It has bathroom and BBQ facilities, is safe for children, and is accessible for the disabled.

Golden Gate Park was created in order to be used and enjoyed by the residents of San Francisco and their guests. John McLaren (1846-1943), known as the “Father of Golden Gate Park” and one of the Park’s first superintendants, before he would agree to undertake the job of superintendant, famously required that “There will be no ‘Keep off the Grass’ signs.” It is true that use of a park by members of the public will cause a certain amount of wear and tear, and that some maintenance will occasionally be required. But a park is not a preservation area. A park is there to be used and enjoyed by members of the public. The job of the supervisors is not to protect the park against any damage that might occur (they might as well just rope off all the meadows and require people to walk only on marked trails and not allow them to walk on grassy areas or near trees), but to manage the park so the public can enjoy it, understanding that this means there will be more maintenance than if no one were allowed in the park.

There are no studies showing that the once-a-year parking of cars on the meadow causes any compaction issue at all. Even the few people who were at the hearing who expressed concern about the Picnic possibly having an adverse effect on plants limited their concern to driving over and parking on tree roots, and agreed that the turf is resiliant and is not endangered by the Picnic. There aren’t very many trees in Speedway Meadow, and careful planning can easily avoid exposing tree roots to potential damage.

Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic, a home-grown, organic San Francisco tradition, started by a Golden Gate Park gardener, should be allowed to continue in its traditional location!

By: Administrator

Administrator — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:45:47 +0000

Ok, I changed it back to 1pm.

Sarah B.

By: Rusty

Rusty — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:59:27 +0000

Yikes! The agenda for the Commission meeting came out today, and they changed the time to 1 p.m. Jimmy’s Old Car Picnic appeal is Item 11, and, mercifully, is ahead of the presentation of the Rec & Park budget (Item 15).

Come out and support the Picnic!

By: Administrator

Administrator — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:37:07 +0000

Thanks, Rusty for the meeting time update. I changed it in the post. Good luck!

Sarah B.

By: Rusty

Rusty — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:35:02 +0000

I really hope the community comes together to support this event. Now is the time to send an email to your supervisor and the mayor, as well as Rec & Park.

And come to the Park Commission hearing Thursday, February 18 in City Hall! They have changed the meeting time to 4 p.m….

By: Administrator

Administrator — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:30:16 +0000

Hi Julie – Best of luck at the hearing next week. Please keep us posted. I see you have almost 1,000 signatures on the petition which is great.

I think the track record of the event speaks for itself – a little stray charcoal and a crotchety parks officer should not derail the years of success and fun that the picnic has brought to the park.

Hopefully the Commission will come to their senses and realize what a short-sighted decision they made.

Sarah B.

By: julie okeefe

julie okeefe — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:18:03 +0000

Great article, thank you. In the above article states the reasons for the denial of the permit. The Rec and Park department also states they have pictures of Speedway Meadow showing improper disposal of charcoal and marks on the lawn. I saw the Park Police officer taking those pictures around the close of the picnic last year. The Park Police officer walked the length of the meadow before she found something out of order to take a picture. The picture taking was done around dusk. Jimmy and his crew had not had a chance to clean up. The next day at the first light Jimmy was at the Meadow making sure there was a proper clean up. Garbage and trash were properly disposed of in the cans and dumpster. The marks on the lawn were taken care by Jimmy. No marks were left visible. As a side note, as Jimmy was cleaning the meadow a homeless man jumped into his 1959 truck and took off! Thanks to the quick response of the SFPD the truck was recovered in the Sunset district. Please let us keep the picnic in Speadway Meadow. Please let Denis Kern of the Rec and Park Department know we want the picnic in Speadway Meadow. Please attend the Rec and Park Commission meeting on Feb 18th at 2pm, City Hall. The more people who can show up the moreinflience we have. Hopefully they don’t postpone our appeal!! Thank you all