The San Franciscans: Rose Pak
Rose Pak is one of the most powerful citizens of the City not elected to public office. A business consultant for the Chinese Chamber of Commerce here, Rose is the best friend her community of Asian Americans ever had. Whether lobbying for appointments, public works projects, or candidates for office, Chinatown gets because Rose pushes. She is seen here on a block of Davis Street at Washington which was transformed from an unkempt knoll, "everyone's piss stop," to a transit route between Chinatown and SOMA due in large part to her perseverance. Rose and those she influences saw to it that the Davis Street work, the final promise made to Chinatown interests following the destruction of the Embarcadero Freeway, was not forgotten. She says she loves San Francisco because of the diversity of people whose passions run deep over political differences. The chain smoker's reputation as a tough talker is well deserved. On the morning of the Davis Street opening on July 27, 2001, an unnamed opponent of the project harangued organizers because she wasn't invited to the ribbon cutting that afternoon. When the adversary later failed to appear, an interested party suggested, "Maybe she broke a leg." Shot Rose, "I hope she breaks the other one, too."

Copyright 2001 Hank Donat
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