[From the SF Chronicle]
Japanese Tea Garden pitch hangs on $500,000 grant
It’s been years – seriously, years – since the Recreation and Park Department began its search for a new vendor to run the Japanese Tea Garden, one that would bring more authenticity to the cultural gem. Now, the city just needs the Board of Supervisors to sign off on the proposal.
But there could be some tough questions Wednesday when a supes committee hears the pitch. The deal has long been mired in controversy – with current operator Fred Lo accusing the city of racism in years past – and the first round of bids was rejected in 2006 by the parks department commission.
Now, one of those bidders is poised to get the contract. But the board’s budget analyst, Harvey Rose, points out in a report that the selected vendor, Murata’s Cafe Hana (owned by a Japantown leader, Carol Murata), is offering less rent and therefore less annual pay to the city than two of the other bidders.
So why choose Murata? As Rose points out in the report, Murata’s proposal is sweetened by a somewhat unusual guarantee of a $500,000 grant from a Japantown nonprofit to be used for improvements to the attraction. The money is offered as a condition of Murata’s selection as the vendor.
The board’s budget committee has been searching for ways to help Rec and Park shore up extra cash, so we’re interested to see how this one goes down.