Newsom and Dellums outline priorities at forum

By Jeff Shuttleworth, Bay City News Service

January 17, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums agreed at a business forum today that reducing crime and providing health care for everyone are important priorities.

Speaking to about 1,000 business and government leaders at the annual mayors' forecast sponsored by the San Francisco Business Times, Newsom admitted that his record is "spotty'' in reducing crime in San Francisco.

Newsom said the number of black-on-black gang-related crimes has gone down dramatically in the last two years, but he said there are still too many homicides because young people "pull out their guns and start shooting'' after even slight provocations.

He added that San Francisco is not alone in dealing with high crime rates because most major cities in the U.S. had an increase in their homicide totals last year.

Dellums is hoping to meet with gang leaders in an effort to reduce crime in Oakland. He said he wants to put out the word that "the mayor of Oakland wants to sit down with the shot callers in an atmosphere of respect.''

Dellums said, "Let's call a truce'' in the shootings that are plaguing Oakland.

Turning to health care, Dellums said universal health care is a national issue. "We can't afford not to have health care for everyone," he said.

Newsom said universal health care is "not just a moral issue; it's an economic issue'' because he thinks having such a system will make American businesses more competitive.

Copyright © 2007 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

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