Disinfo Rehab

This week, I’m giving a guest spot to reporter and Boalt Hall law student Savannah Blackwell, formerly of the Bay Guardian, who has written an excellent piece that analyzes both the prospects of a Chris Daly for Mayor Campaign, and how we got here in the first place. It’s an excellent read, with news and views you won’t find elsewhere. I’ve added links when necessary. Enjoy!-GSD
By Savannah Blackwell
Twenty minutes into “Big Love” on the last Monday in July, the call came in.
Normally, nothing can tear me away from HBO’s polygamist drama, but having heard late that afternoon from a well-placed source that word was former supervisor Matt Gonzalez would not make a second run against Mayor Gavin Newsom, I was on red alert. I had prepared a story looking toward a Gonzalez v. Newsom race, and I was waiting only for an update from the Green Party activist.
But as the city’s progressives and so many other voters hoping to see Newsom face a serious challenge now all know, Gonzalez, the source told me, decided not to go for it — after more than seven months of flirting with the idea. And I, like many, was deeply disappointed.
Fast forward to Monday, August 6 when Supervisor Chris Daly told the Fog City Journal that he was considering seriously taking on the task, and my outlook changed considerably.
Sure, the frequently embattled Daly has the slimmest chance of the city’s top progressive leaders to actually beat Newsom – or even come very close. But seven years after a slate of neighborhood activists and hard-core progressives swept the city’s freshly implemented district elections, and at a time when the murder rate is soaring, MUNI is a mess, the homeless problem clearly is not solved and Newsom’s personal problems nearly have cost him the support of some very key and high-ranked leaders in the Democratic Party as well as leaving many in his own administration wondering if he really can handle the job, it just seemed unbelievable – ridiculous even, that there would be no serious challenge from the left.
That’s not good for “the movement,” and it’s not good for the city. As SF Bay Guardian Editor Tim Redmond pointed out back in February, “for a long list of reasons, there has to be a real mayor’s race this fall..We need to keep Newsom on the defensive, to hold him accountable not just to his donors but to the rest of the city.”
Given that recollection of nearly losing to Gonzalez in 2003 likely influenced Newsom’s decision to make important progressive moves such as implementing gay marriage and supporting Hotel workers as well as Supervisor Tom Ammiano’s health care package, a lack of a serious progressive challenge might make Newsom listen only to the Don Fishers of the city. And that would be disastrous.
Although longtime Daly confidante and supporter Richard Marquez cautioned his friend against a run –“because the opposition and the press likely will threateningly depict Chris to voters as Charles Manson out on bail if he enters the race,” Marquez also feels strongly that “Daly’s entrance, however, would speak to the realities of what the other San Francisco – and especially the powerless, the vulnerable, the scorned and despised — struggles with every day.”
For his part and with less than 48 hours remaining before the deadline to file, Daly says he will sign on only if he feels that doing so will unify the city’s fractious progressive community. He hopes to make the decision by tonight – after meeting with key organizers.
“That’s really what it comes down to,” he said.
Let us pause and reflect on how we got to this point.
(Click below to read the rest of the story)

Continue reading →

oh no, ed jew part deux

.

This week I’m stuck in the labyrinth known as the Hall of Justice in jury duty, so I can’t write much. There’s been a lot to observe in my first voir dire in literally 18 years, but I can’t talk about it.

But, it seems the cavalcade of whimsy created by Ed Jew, Kamala Harris, and the gang is just down the hall, so I snapped a few pics while we had a break.

Later, during lunch, I ran into Luke Thomas of Fog City Journal and Josh Sabbatini of The Examiner at the awesome Caffe Roma located right across the street!

I won’t be able to post too much for this week, so enjoy some pics and be sure to check out the fireworks at tomorrow’s board meeting!

Mayor G.C. Between A Rock and A Hard Place

.

Over at my more popular, likeable, and well-read blog on MUNI and urban life there’s the usual grumbling about MUNI follies, as well as discussion on how to make the system work better. Obviously the charter amendment to reform MUNI has been a topic of discussion as it has weaved its way through the corridors of power.

Today’s snark, however, is not as much about MUNI, or about the usual topics of discussion at the popular blog, but instead a look at how the Mayor has been put between a rock and a hard place, due in large part to the mad legislative skillz of Board President Aaron Peskin, and the lack thereof of some of his colleagues.

First, as originally written, one of the many details the provision contained included serious attempts to change middle-management jobs from cushy jobs-for-life into “at will” positions to give MUNI management some more control over who serves the public.

That went over like a lead balloon with labor unions in the city. But, as we read on Monday, Peskin managed a compromise that kept the essence of the labor reform rules alive but not to the degree the original measure had proposed. As of Tuesday, the Mayor, labor, MUNI, and Everyone Else was holding hands and singing Kumbaya together.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the singalong when a little noticed paragraph popped up that would negate the “>developer-backed parking initiative that made its way onto the ballot. Because the MUNI reform measure is a charter amendment, it trumps any initiative on the ballot, as per the rules. D’oh!

Now, what started with hugs and pats on the back is ending in tears as people who have talked big about MUNI reform and green-city this and green-city that are in the position of having to decide which is more important – comprehensive reform of MUNI, the MTA, and a cohesive transit plan, or more parking for more cars.

Continue reading →

Earlier this week I had an unexpected chance to play “pundit” when Paul Hogarth of Beyond Chron urgently emailed me Monday morning. It seems he’d been invited to talk about local political gossip with the good people at the Alice B. Toklas Democratic Club meeting Monday night, and was slightly concerned about being the only person speaking for 2 hours.
So, at the lastest of the last minutes, and with the approval of the club’s organizers, I showed up at the LGBT Center on Market, and the two of us talked about a range of topics, from the drama of District 4, the junior high theater shenanigans at City Hall, and more, although once the topic of MUNI came up that seemed to provide some of the liveliest discussion of all.
Overall, it was a lot of fun and I owe a big thanks to the Toklas Club leaders and members. I used to do this sort of thing more often, but have slacked off in recent years as I decided to take a lower profile in the political world, but I had such a great time I would like to do this again.
So if you have a neighborhood or political group and would like a lively speaker on SF politics, political reform or frankly, my favorite topic (and that of most people it seems), MUNI’s follies and foilbles, feel free to email me and if I can make it, I’ll provide some free entertainment and info for you and your colleagues.

One has to wonder if Peter Ragone, he formerly of the Mayor’s official press office who was known for posting under assumed names on SFist.com, now working for the Mayor’s re-election campaign, has a little rain cloud over his head wherever he goes, like a cartoon character or something.
After getting a little free press for going to Rio with Al Gore, the news came out that the concert in Rio was canceled at the orders of a judge. Just now on CNN, they report the concert is back underway, but this is all under a cloud as we also heard the news about Al Gore III’s unfortunate run in with John Law.
Someone, please burn some sage or call the Karma Kops on this guy and help him out. This madness has to stop! The trail of tears left by his clients is too long!