San Francisco Moves to Ban Sale of Naming Rights; First Major City to Counter Naming Rights Trend

[Gary Ruskin]

Commercial Alert			July 30, 2002

We've been working to stop the sale of naming rights to San Francisco
public property, buildings and open spaces.  Here's an update:

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 30, 2002			
For More Information Contact: Gary Ruskin (503) 235-8012 or Tom Adkins
(503) 238-7775

San Francisco Moves to Ban Sale of Naming Rights; 
First Major City to Counter Naming Rights Trend

A resolution to prohibit the sale of naming rights to San Francisco
public property, spaces and buildings, including Candlestick Park, was
introduced yesterday with the support of five out of eleven Members of
the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.  

San Francisco is the first major American city to propose a ban on the
sale of naming rights to public property. The resolution is one vote shy
of winning a majority on the Board of Supervisors.  The lead sponsor of
the resolution is Supervisor Matt Gonzalez. Co-sponsors include
Supervisors Tony Hall, Chris Daly, Gerardo Sandoval and Jake McGoldrick.

"It is not the proper role of San Francisco, or any other city, to act
as an agent of public relations firms, prop up tarnished corporate
identities, or otherwise become an advertising venue for corporations,"
said Supervisor Matt Gonzalez.  "I believe some things should not be for
sale."

"Selling corporate naming rights to our public space appeals to our
crass materialistic instincts rather than our highest ideals embodied in
sportsmanship," said Supervisor Jake McGoldrick. "It reduces sports to
the mere level of constant pursuit of profit."

During the last two years, naming rights deals have been proposed or
executed in many areas around the country including New York City,
Boston, San Diego, Milwaukee, Northern Virginia, and Washington, DC.

Candlestick Park is the home of the San Francisco 49ers.  San Francisco
sold the naming rights to Candlestick from 1996-2001, resulting in the
name "3Com Park."  The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department has
proposed to sell the naming rights for Candlestick through May, 2008.

"I think it cheapens people's perception of the City and I'm against the
sale of naming rights of public buildings unless absolutely necessary,"
said Supervisor Tony Hall.

"There's a growing backlash against the sale of naming rights," said
Gary Ruskin, executive director of Commercial Alert, an
anti-commercialism group. "This is a terrific resolution for San
Francisco taxpayers and sports fans.  The Board of Supervisors should
swiftly approve it."

The text of the San Francisco anti-naming rights resolution is available
at <http://www.commercialalert.org/PDFs/sfnamingrights.pdf>.

For more information about the sale of naming rights, see Commercial
Alert's "City for Sale" web page at
<http://www.commercialalert.org/index.php?category_id=3&subcategory_id=41&article_id=129>

Commercial Alert's mission is to keep the commercial culture within its
proper sphere, and to prevent it from exploiting children or subverting
the higher values of family, community, environmental integrity and
democracy.  Commercial Alert's website is at
<http://www.commercialalert.org>.

<----release ends here---->
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
For San Francisco residents:
Please tell your Member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to
support the proposed naming rights ban.  The switchboard phone for the
Board of Supervisors is (415) 554-5184.

For everyone else in the U.S.:
Please ask your mayor and other local elected officials to introduce and
enact similar bans on the sale of naming rights to public buildings and
spaces.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
About Commercial Alert's the sale of naming rights to city property, see
our "City for Sale" web page at
http://www.commercialalert.org/index.php?category_id=3&subcategory_id=41&article_id=129

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<http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/commercial-alert/2002/000119.html>.

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Gary Ruskin | gary@commercialalert.org 
Commercial Alert | http://www.commercialalert.org/
Congressional Accountability Project |
http://www.congressproject.org/
phone: 503.235.8012 | fax: 503.235.5073