On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to approve a 10 year contract extension for the annual Outside Lands Music Festival in Golden Gate Park.
The new extension permits festival operators to put on the event every summer through 2031 (the current permit expires in 2021).
At Tuesday’s hearing about the contract extension, both supporters and detractors of the festival showed up to voice their opinions about the 3 day event that attracts nearly 300,000 people to Golden Gate Park every August.
CurbedSF reports that many locals “showed up to defend the good name of Outside Lands, including a parade of contractors and union workers who praised the regular seasonal work that Outside Lands brings.”
But not everyone is as pumped up for the August festival. In February, two San Francisco residents, Andrew Solow and Stephen Somerstein, filed a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) appeal with the Board of Supervisors for the music festival, alleging that the high noise levels from the concert are harmful.
Solow, who lives near Mt. Davidson, said in a Chronicle letter to the editor that the noise was “frequently overwhelming” and forced him to shut all of his windows and doors to quell the concert noise.
In a letter to the editor of the Sunset Beacon newspaper, Solow wrote, “In August, 2018 the festival generated 249 noise complaints by 190 different residents of about 12 square miles of western San Francisco. Some of the complaints came from residents who live as far as three miles from Golden Gate Park. And, some residents whose noise complaints have been ignored for years have been abandoning their homes during the three-day festival.”
Solow and Somerstein – who are not opposed to the festival, just to the lack of regulation on noise levels – asked in their CEQA review that the city control the volume levels at the festival.
The city, specifically the Recreation & Parks Dept, has no set rules about how loud an event can be in most of Golden Gate Park. The only exception to this is Sharon Meadow, which imposes a numerical decibel limit on events held at the venue.
At a February hearing about the noise issue, Rec and Park Department Director of Permits and Property Management Dana Ketchum said festival promoter Another Planet plans to implement new technology to mitigate noise impacts this year in response to a spike in noise complaints during the last festival. [SF Examiner]
Ketchum also said that sound monitors measure decibel levels, including the sound of the bass in adjoining neighborhoods during the concerts, and then sends the information back to the “sound board so real time adjustments can be made.”
At this year’s festival, Ketchum said the adjustments will be recorded and that the promoter, Another Planet Entertainment, plans to install “sound baffling” technology to reduce the level of airborne noise.
“We take this very seriously,” Ketchum said in February. “We will remain vigilant in ensuring there are adequate ways to address the sound issues.”
In 2017, city revenues from the Outside Lands Festival totaled $3,512,354 according to Recreation & Parks department spokesperson Connie Chan. $3.03 million of that came from the event’s permit fees, while the remainder came from $1.25 for each of the nearly 209,944 tickets sold.
At this week’s meeting, the Board of Supervisors decided to approve the Outside Lands contract extension, without any further debate.
The city stands to make more revenue from the festival as a result of the renewal. Under the new agreement, the minimum permit fee for the event would increase to $2.5 million starting in 2019 (up from $1.4 million), and by $75,000 each year after that. And the per ticket fee that Rec and Park earns will also increase from $1.25 to $1.50 in 2020, $1.75 in 2024 and $2 in 2028.
After Tuesday’s unanimous vote, Richmond District Supervisor Sandra Lee Fewer said that she sympathized with her constituents who hate the noise, but added, “I’ve heard overwhelmingly that [most residents] absolutely adore this festival.”
This year’s festival runs from August 9-11 and incudes headliners Paul Simon, Childish Gambino, The Lumineers, Twenty One Pilots, Lil Wayne, Mavis Staples and Blink-182.
Sarah B.
Reminder: the 1st year, residents were told virtually nothing — except that this was just a trial, a pilot.
After that Richmond district residents were never consulted at all, NO input sought for years, despite major disruption to parking, denying access to the public to their OWN property — for two full works during summer, when children would use it most. Why? So a private promoter can make a fortune at taxpayer expense. For years, we’ve been flat-out lied to about this scandalous theft — been told how much it “benefits” local businesses. Seriously? As if Outside Lands ticket-holders buy flowers and wine and greeting cards…get their oil changed, get manicures and have their hair done, buy paint or furniture, open checking accounts at BofA or WellsFargo or any of the other banks down on Geary, etc. Ridicuous! A handful of restaurants are mobbed afterwards.
Otherwise, the benefit is only to Uber, Lyft and taxidrivers– not to our ‘hood….People who AirBNB rooms or apt –which means those units are off the market — not being rented, also makes tons of money.
In exchange for this “benefit” the residents of the Richmond district are literally driven from our homes by the noise for that weekend — may people I know leave — their kids can’t sleep, their cats hide under the bed and the 3 full days of walls thrumming with bass/drums is just too much to bear.
Plus, all the parking is blocked in an area which has a critical shortage of same.
As for the claims that Outside Lands is some kind of fundraiser for Rec & Park? Show me an independent accounting proving this. It’s always been denied . Rec & Park also gets a special pass to sell vendors the right to sell alcohol — public is told that a percentage of this goes to the city — despite asking, NO PROOF hs ever been shown that there is even any tracking of alcohol sales.
In other words — the friends of Rec & Park get to make money hand over fist…if the city doesn’t benefit, who does? If public lands are shut down for a for-profit show and the justification is that the city benefits — show us by how much and let US decide it we think it’s worth it. EVERY damn year we’re promised the sound will be turned down, that more traffic staff will be put on to tow cars from blocked driveways. A few years ago, the Richmodn police dept told us that the reason why no cars were being towed for hours and hours was because — the DPT people were BACKSTAGE watching the show! Sup. Eric Mar resisted all pressure to do anything — interesting that he and his daughter were always backstage, too (“Want to meet Sir Paul McCartney, hmmm? Then shut your mouth…”) . Same thing with journalists — a couple of articles early on and then — want to write an article that gives voice to the poor working-class people of the Richmond district who had no say at all — or want to come backstage? You journalists decide. Any time anything was said against Outside Lands on this blog — or in any other paper, etc — within SECONDS dozens of people jumped on and shouted “NIMBY!” and drowned out the voices. This event is a feeding frenzy for the cops who get paid to hang out for 3 days, for all the companies who put up and remove the fencing and furnish the toilets, for the union people who erect the stages and lights. WE, THE ACTUAL PEOPLE of the Richmond district — have had duct tape stuck over our mouths, and been forced to “lie down and spread ’em” –or get out of town — while Rec & Park and all who “catch the crumbs” that fall from their pockets — crush all ability by the people of our neighborhood to speak out or protest.