San Francisco

Newsom’s Shaky Political Future

Since winning election in 2003, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has been a rising political star. His landmark support for gay marriage, followed by the California Supreme Court’s endorsing it as a “fundamental right,” left Newsom the candidate to beat in the 2010 Governor’s race. But Prop 8’s victory lent a double blow to Newsom: one of his speeches was highlighted in the opposition’s media blitz, and he did not tour the state – as Harvey Milk is shown doing during 1978’s Prop 6 campaign in the film Milk – seeking to win hostile audiences to his side. Yet Newsom’s political prospects may be more endangered by a factor entirely unrelated to Prop 8: his alienating many of the San Francisco Democrats whose support he will need in the 2010 primary. These are the Democrats who backed new Supervisors John Avalos, David Campos, David Chiu and Eric Mar against Newsom’s selections, and who voted for the Peskin-Daly led “Hope” slate for the Democratic County Central Committee. Newsom is putting himself in the position Louise Renne found herself in her congressional race against Barbara Boxer in 1982 – losing the San Francisco support needed to prevail. (read more)

Senate Should Seat Franken, But Not Burris

Today is the first day of the 111th Congress, but the U.S. Senate will not seat two Democratic freshmen: Al Franken of Minnesota, and Roland Burris of Illinois. After two long months of counting and recounting the votes, Franken legitimately won his race – and must be sworn in. Despite Republican Norm Coleman pursuing further legal action, there is clear precedent for the Senate to (at least provisionally) seat Franken. The same can’t be said, however, about Roland Burris – who was appointed by Rod Blagoyevich, after the Illinois Governor was arrested for selling the seat to the highest bidder. Although many observers claim there is nothing the U.S. Senate can do to shut out Burris (citing the Adam Clayton Powell precedent), the legalities are more complicated than that – and Democrats should be willing to risk dragging this on longer for the prospect of ultimately getting an untainted Senator. Roland Burris is an egomaniacal loser – a political has-been who so desperately seeks the limelight that he was willing to take up Blagoyevich’s offer (while other politicians turned it down), which will only cause Senators grief down the road. While I agree that Illinois must have an African-American Senator, Democrats must stand firm – because “moving on” isn’t worth being stuck with Burris for the next two years. (read more)

City College Ushers in New Generation

At a time of increased demand for affordable higher education among young people, two new young members of the SF City College Board of Trustees were inaugurated last night, alongside two incumbents in a ceremony at the college’s flagship Balboa Park campus.

The four trustees—Chris Jackson, a 25-year-old former student activist; 33-year-old lawyer Steve Ngo; and longtime board members Natalie Berg and Milton Marks—took their oaths of office after a grueling nine-candidate campaign which centered on concerns about the fiscal governance of the college in the aftermath of a scandal regarding its use of public funds. Each was elected to a four-year term on the seven member governing board of City College, which serves more than 100,000 students annually at campuses around the city. (read more)

Keep God Out of the Swearing-in!

From the moment I heard about the controversy over the selection of anti-gay minister Rick Warren to give the invocation at president-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration on January 20, I asked the obvious question: Whatever happened to separation of church and state?

Fortunately, I wasn’t the only one. A group of atheist and other “freedom from religion” organizations filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. on December 30 to halt the use of “so help me God” in the oath of office. It also asks the Court to prohibit ministers from giving the invocation and the benediction at the swearing-in ceremony. I couldn’t be happier. (read more)

Predictions for 2009: America’s Road to Change

For the first time, I approach a new year optimistic that the United States government will implement progressive change. The Obama Administration and Congress will invest hundreds of billions of dollars in new jobs, enact dramatically new energy policies, implement universal health care, impose long overdue labor law reforms, and reverse the Bush Administration’s reactionary social and (anti) civil rights agenda. George W. Bush’s failures have made even radical change politically possible, and President Obama will seize upon this in 2009. While the new president faces a potential pitfall – that his proposals, particularly on health care, will be seen as reformist rather than transformative – Obama knows better than anyone the nation’s hunger for meaningful rather than cosmetic change. Obama’s political astuteness will enable him to do for progressives in 2009 what incoming President Ronald Reagan did for the Republican right in 1981: enact an agenda that both serves and expands his political base. Here’s my detailed assessment. (read more)

Arnold Ruins the State; Media Lets Him Get Away With it

Since Beyond Chron left on vacation two weeks ago, the state is no closer to resolving its $40 billion budget crisis – after Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed the Democratic plan to plug $18 billion in the hole. Despite the very real threat that the state will soon run out of money, Arnold lamented their proposal’s lack of “economic stimulus.” Specifically, he wants to gut labor and environmental protections for various highway projects – while the press gives him fawning coverage as a “green crusader.” Arnold’s latest budget package (proposed on New Year’s Eve) would steal mental health funds out of Prop 63, include even more education cuts than initially proposed and – as if recklessly borrowing money didn’t put us into this mess in the first place, borrow $5 billion off future anticipated revenues. The Governor announced this while vacationing in Idaho – but no one in the press bothered to care. Meanwhile, the SF Chronicle criticized State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass for being out of town during the budget standoff – although she was trying to get help from the feds. (read more)

Brodkin Has Earned Newsom's Support

What is Gavin Newsom thinking? That’s the question children’s advocates are asking themselves as rumors of the removal of Margaret Brodkin as Director of the Department of Children, Youth and their Families swirl around San Francisco like litter around Civic Center Plaza on a windy day.

A licensed clinical social worker and grandmother of three, Brodkin, 65, served for 26 years as the executive director of Coleman Advocates for Youth, prior to being appointed to the top post at DCYF by SF Mayor Gavin Newsom in late 2004. Among her accomplishments at Coleman was getting the initiative called the Children’s Amendment approved by voters in 1991; described as a “fiscal bill of rights for children,” it created the Children’s Fund, a set aside establishing a baseline budget for services to benefit the youth of San Francisco. It was the first measure of its kind in the nation. As Brodkin said at the time, “Kids have been just so shortchanged. Even the most liberal, progressive politicians have been wonderful on the rhetoric and wanting to do the right thing. But when push came to shove and the resources were limited, they didn't want to waste political chits on a constituency that had no clout.” (read more)

Disability Perspective: MTA Neglect of Disability Responsiveness

This is a new and expanded critique regarding what has been approved by the MTA Board of directors for the much-publicized Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP.) Much has been written about how data-oriented and analytic has been the research and suggestions that formed the basis for the TEP. That allows the uncurious to form the impression that this TEP will provide better service.

Yet, careful reading of the document shows a lack of an emphasis on what has recently been termed "San Francisco values" -- on service for ALL and inclusiveness for any and all, no matter where in the city they live, work, shop, go to school, recreate, or whatever. (read more)

Newsom Approach to Board Makes Mid-Year Cuts Worse

First published on December 10, 2008.

The problem isn’t that Gavin Newsom announced $71 million in mid-year cuts yesterday (or as his PR folks call it, $118 million in “mid-year solutions.”) Everyone knows we’re in a bad fiscal mess, tough decisions must be made, and the Mayor’s health cuts are less severe than first proposed. But you don’t address the Board of Supervisors after repeatedly snubbing them for years, talk about cuts without making specifics available until a press conference two hours later, deny the Board a chance to formally have a say (because the opportunity to “vet” these cuts were made by the Mayor’s Commissioners) – and then expect the legislative branch to want to work with you. Supervisor Aaron Peskin has proposed $8.5 million in mid-year cuts to address the crisis, and Chris Daly is moving forward on plans to de-fund the Community Justice Center – both moves that are likely to rattle the Mayor’s cage. But when the City has a shortfall that requires leadership, Newsom has brought this hostility upon himself – by flaunting our “checks and balances.” (read more)

Guest Editorial: Hosing the Homeless

First published on December 01, 2008.

At 4:00 a.m., the silent street waits. A row of swathed bodies slumbers along the Tenderloin Health Center wall at Leavenworth and Golden Gate. Brilliant lights stab the darkness. A siren screams. A police car hurtles just ahead of a Department of Public Works “flusher truck.” Seconds later, orange-vested men approach, shouting groggy sleepers off the street. People scatter, gathering belongings. A huge white vehicle roars past jetting a powerful water arc over struggling people. A phosphorescent halo spray glows eerily around carts, heads, and bodies.

Memphis was there. “They run me off four times this morning.” He pointed. “I moved here and over there and up there, circling the block. They start at 2:30, 3:00 o'clock. You just keep moving. You’re tired all day. You don’t get no sleep. Three days ago around 3:00 a.m. they soaked me three times when I was asleep. They didn’t give me no warning. I was soaked through and through. (read more)