Board Votes Against Golden Gate Bridge Sponsorships

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 26, 2007 (KGO) (KGO) -- It was a controversial idea from the start -- to allow the Golden Gate Bridge to make a deal with a corporate sponsor. But it was voted down on Friday.

The Bridge District had hoped to raise as much as $20 million over the next five years with what it called "partnerships" -- small signs with corporate names in highly visible spots where visitors would see them.

But 94 out of 108 written comments to the staff opposed the idea. So did speakers at the district board meeting where the proposal was up for a vote.

"Compromising what's become sacred public space to most Americans with any form of crass commercialism remains pugnacious, and I urge the board to squash once and for all the selling of the Golden Gate Bridge's soul," said Tiburon resident Susan Deluxe.

The bridge directors decided the plan wasn't going to raise enough money to justify the public's anger.

"You have politicians who are putting their neck out to a constituency who has spoken loud and clear whether it's 80 percent or 90 percent who spoke and everybody said no," said Bridge District Director Joanne Sanders.

"The larger picture is that we were opening the door to much greater advertising potentially in the future, something that no one here wants, and it's just not something you want to do lightly," said Bridge District Director Gerardo Sandoval.

The Bridge District is facing a five year $80 million deficit. It has already cut bus and ferry service by 23 percent and staff by 22 percent.

Salaries have been frozen, so the district may be turning next to bridge and transit patrons.

"At some point we will have to look at tolls, we will have to continue to look at our fares, we will have to continue to look at ways to reduce internal costs," said Bridge General Manager Celia Kupersmith.

The bridge district's financial problems won't be going away. Over the next five years, it will need to spend $60 million on projects -- $30 million to do cable repairs and another $30 million to work on the south tower.

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