After being told no to putting his cultural arts museum in a coveted spot at the Presidio even as he threatened to turn to Chicago if he didn't get his way, Star Wars director George Lucas was probably overdue for a little ego-stroking.

And San Francisco's power brokers provided some Thursday with a "Dear George Lucas" full-page ad in the Chronicle sponsored by tech investor and City Hall insider Ron Conway.

The public supplication ostensibly was to persuade Lucas to forget about Chicago and keep his museum of Americana art and motion picture artifacts--for which he's offered $700 million to build and endow--in town. City Hall is pitching a triangular lot on The Embarcadero across from Piers 30 and 32 for the museum.

The latter, of course, is where the Warriors--with backing from Mayor Ed Lee and much of the city's political establishment--wanted to build a basketball arena before that idea was blown out of the water by widespread public opposition.

For all the bluster about going elsewhere, Lucas has exhibited little discernible interest in seeing his legacy museum project anywhere but San Francisco.

But the ad--signed by Lee and every living former mayor--may provide balm for the hard-charging billionaire's bruising at the Presidio. It's maybe the red carpet he needs to step off the Chicago plank.