Sue Bierman (August 5, 1924 – August 7, 2006)[1] was a civic leader in San Francisco, serving on the San Francisco Planning Commission, the Board of Supervisors, and the Port Commission.
Sue Bierman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| San Francisco Port Commission | |
| In office 2003–2006 | |
| San Francisco Board of Supervisors | |
| In office 1992–2000 | |
| San Francisco Planning Commission | |
| In office 1976–1992 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 5, 1924 Fremont, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | August 7, 2006 (aged 82) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Spouse | Arthur K. Bierman |
Born in Fremont, Nebraska, she moved to San Francisco in the 1950s with her husband Arthur K. Bierman. She became active in city politics as a leader of the "freeway revolt" of the 1960s, an effort to stop the expansion of the Interstate 80 freeway into the Golden Gate Park Panhandle.[2] In 1964, she formed a council in her Haight-Ashbury neighborhood to campaign against the proposed "Panhandle Freeway".[3] The expansion was halted in March 1966 when the Board of Supervisors voted 6–5 against it.[3]
Her reputation as a neighborhood activist and co-founder of the Haight-Ashbury Neighborhood Council led to her appointment by Mayor George Moscone to the San Francisco Planning Commission in 1976.[2] She served on the commission until 1992, and afterwards ran successfully for the Board of Supervisors on a platform of housing the homeless, protecting the health budget and preserving open space.[2] She remained a Supervisor until required by term limits to step down in 2000.[2] Her final civic position was on the Port Commission, where she was appointed by Willie Brown in 2003, reappointed by Gavin Newsom, and served until her death in 2006.[2] The Susan J. Bierman Grove in the Golden Gate Park Panhandle[1] and Sue Bierman Park in the Financial District[4] are named in her honor.
References
edit- ^ a b "Susan Bierman". Fremont Tribune. August 10, 2006. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ a b c d e Vega, Cecilia M. (August 9, 2006). "Former supervisor recalled as passionate civic activist". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ a b Adams, Gerald D. (March 28, 2003). "Farewell to freeway / Decades of revolt force Fell Street off-ramp to fall". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
- ^ King, John (October 15, 2011). "S.F.'s redo of Sue Bierman Park wastes opportunity". SFGate. Retrieved 2016-12-31.
Further reading
edit- Hart, John (2006). "Sue Bierman". Legacy: Portraits of 50 Bay Area Environmental Elders. Sierra Club Books. pp. 23–24. ISBN 9781578051519.