Now that the Star Wars museum is headed to the Golden State, its two prospective hosts, Los Angeles and San Francisco, are locked in fierce competition that could end up rivaling the lightsaber duel between Luke and the Sith Lord himself. With victory so close at hand, San Francisco has begun rolling out a star-studded entourage to court Lucas and his team.
Earlier this summer, Star Wars creator George Lucas, his wife and museum president Don Bacigalupi met with who’s who of San Francisco politics at the Four Seasons Hotel. Attendees included Mayor Ed Lee, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Lt. Gov. and former San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. Their goal was to secure Treasure Island as the site of the long-anticipated museum.
It appears Lucas is leaning that way, but he has some significant concerns about government red tape. Political support is especially important to Lucas in light of the problems he ran into with open space advocates in Chicago, so Bay Area officials are hoping to make him feel more secure.
“Everything Mr. Lucas has said publicly and privately suggests his heart is clearly in San Francisco and with Treasure Island, but clearly he has to make this decision with his head,” an unnamed source told the San Francisco Chronicle.
Read more about the city's efforts to land the museum here.