SAN FRANCISCO — As San Francisco embarks on elaborate festivities for Super Bowl 50 this week, some in the city aren't in a mood to celebrate.
Activists on a range of economic and social issues see the opening of Super Bowl City, a multi-stage event space on the city's scenic Embarcadero, as a symbol of how San Francisco has lost its way. Known since the 1960s for its left-wing politics and bohemian bent, the city today, they say, is in danger of becoming just another playground for the rich.
Tommi Avicolli Mecca, director of counseling for the Housing Rights Committee, said he hates seeing San Francisco, which is already facing a $100 million budget shortfall, spending an estimated $5 million in taxpayer dollars to host events leading up to next Sunday's Super Bowl.