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Originally Posted by BTinSF

They were built before the law passed in 1984. Also, they are angled a bit so they shade it less than you might think and the Transbay at 1200' of occupied space would have shaded additional parts of it. But mostly it's because they were already there when the law passed.

I'm not sure if you live in SF (and just don't understand the politics) or live elsewhere, but in case it's the latter I'll add that this isn't as crazy as it sounds. SF tends to be cold, windy and often foggy in the summer months--temps are usually in the 60s with a cold wind blowing off the water (where the ocean temp hangs in the 50s). People crave a place to sit in the sun where they can do things like read or eat lunch, especially downtown. It makes sense to try to preserve the places for that that exist.

Well stated!