We’ve loved San Francisco since we shipped out from Treasure Island for WWII and sailed back under the Golden Gate when the war ended. Beautiful city, wonderful food and great people. However, since the hippies and homeless took over in the 50s and 60s, the city’s nutcase politicians have ignored the problem or have done their best to stifle anything welcoming about San Francisco.

Now someone seems to be waking up in City Hall, and there is an attempt to do something about the very aggressive panhandlers and other unpleasant street people who are scaring tourists away. They’re trying to allow police to force druggies, drunks, sleepers and beggars off the once beautiful sidewalks and parks of San Francisco. Of course, the knee-jerk liberals are all out of shape, claiming the ordinance violates human rights. What they mean is the right for a menacing drunk to demand money from elderly tourists, or for a gang of homeless teen drug addicts to sleep on the sidewalk, blocking a hotel entrance.

The ordinance calls for relatively modest fines for first offenders, and the possibility of a month’s jail time for repeaters. Of course, even these slap-on-the-wrist punishments are opposed by some legal advocates.

San Francisco isn’t the only West Coast city with these clear-the-sidewalk ordinances. They’re in force in Berkeley, Santa Cruz, Palo Alto, Portland, Seattle and will soon go into effect in others.

Let’s hope that when we visit San Francisco again this summer season, the city will have restored its beautiful parks and sidewalks to their former welcoming friendliness.