If San Francisco is indeed a city of leaders, then I think we should lead, and if we don't want a chain store, then we should say so loudly.

You eat the burger but you don't want the slaughterhouse next door to where you live.

I think that chain stores in general are really super depressing and I think it really sucks the life out of a city such as San Francisco.

We all have to pick our battles. You've got to draw a line in the sand and stand firm. And it's this squishiness that's really the enemy, like, "Well, I don't know, it's kind of OK but I kind of feel guilty, and I kind of want a bran muffin, I don't know, and I'm wearing a vest; it's crocheted." Shut up. Just pick your battle and just stand there, and whatever you are going to do, own it.

I respect your right to worship Satan, or to worship a tea kettle, or to be a NIMBY, or to be an asshole. There's no law against being an asshole.

High-end boutiques aren't putting small staple stores out of business. What's putting small staple stores out of business is formula retail.

I do not agree that NIMBYism is wrong morally. I believe that NIMBYism is wrong ethically. It's a personal choice.