Hope Johnson
Photos by Luke Thomas
By Hope Johnson
February 24, 2009
Keepin’ it reel
Greetings you commie, homo-loving, FCJ readers!
Ask around before drafting ‘eff-you, be more PC’ letters to FCJ. It’s a tribute to a well-deserved Oscar, okay? AYSOS?
Read on at your own peril, folks.
My two Oscar predictions were oh so weak, scoring only 50 percent with the painless prediction Slumdog Millionaire would take best picture.
Luckily, staying tuned politically isn’t about predicting nuances. It’s about tracking trends with an open mind in case you need to predict elections, change campaign strategy, or, you know, prevent a devastating economic depression.
Zoloft, anyone?
So, last time on The Young and the Restless …
Follow-Up: from B2B NIMBYs to Go, Daddy!
District 5 Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi held a press conference Thursday to announce proposed revisions to the new, uber-restrictive Bay to Breakers rules.
Mirkarimi wants the City and race sponsors “to save the celebratory nature of the race, but certainly changing the dynamic so that everybody shares in their personal and social responsibility of making this race that much better.”
Hey, isn’t that a recurring theme considered inevitably destined to break down, like in Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, or Terminator?
But, wait, this time it’s different; the progressives brought a well-crafted plan along!
Local activists joining the rally included Kevin Bard of San Francisco Young Democrats, Heather Box of League of Young Voters, Alix Rosenthal, and Eric Sharpless, the “Facebook sensation” who organized the growing number of groups formed to save B2B from corporate control.
Kevin Bard: “This a corporate entity attacking the sanctity of San Francisco values.
We need to fight that now.”
Major kudos to this group for acknowledging public opinion and bringing serious strategy to improve B2B without tearing out its heart.
No simplistic focus on a bare breast ban here. They propose registering floats to generate revenue and fund the post-race neighborhood clean up, marketing campaigns to encourage participant registration and responsibility, a special Muni service, zero tolerance of destructive behavior, and increased numbers of trashcans and portable toilets.
The media may find difficulty spelling port-a-potty (porta potty, port a pottie?!) but even corporate sponsors will have a hard time contesting the merits of this plan.
So, what’s good to stay tuned to here?
It’s way too early to foresee this B2B watch evolving into trends of a Mirk mayoral bid. However, look for signs all this community togetherness and active leadership is repairing PR damage done during the election of the Board of Supes prez.
Oh, that, and apparently startling the political power machine.
How’s that?
Progressives tend to place themselves in a position of responding. Hallelujah, they’d reversed it! Mayor Newsom and corporate interests have long been the determinants; they just aren’t used to being placed in that more difficult responder role.
Newsom’s response to the press conference reveals a mixed message. He plays both sides of this issue, possibly caught off guard. In one report, Newsom asserts Mirkarimi is “negotiating with himself” and “not negotiating with City leadership,” while in another report, he admits the restrictive rules go too far and “tweaking” is needed.
Sam Singer, speaking on behalf of race organizers, couldn’t help but respond by echoing the feasibility of the newly proposed plans.
“We need to be able to get people to responsibly participate in the race and register . . . to pay for the port-a-potties, to pay for the insurance, and to pay for the police,” said Singer. “The spontaneity, the fun, the outrageousness, should continue.”
What’s next?
Keep an eye on neighborhood association negotiations with Mirkarimi and Co.
North of the Panhandle Neighborhood Association (NOPNA) felt compelled to send out a response, defending discussions with race organizers and stating they’d not been asked to approve restrictive policy changes.
According to Mirkarimi, neighborhood associations have “been invited” to the table.
“I’ve been doing our due diligence in going to folks and giving them opportunity to insert themselves,” he said.
Stay tuned.
Fun Fact
Inspired by a recent FCJ article, Pirate Cat Radio’s League of Pissed Off Voters show named Senator Dianne Feinstein “Asshole of the Week.” Listen to Friday’s program here (part 1) and here (part 2). Part 2 contains the Asshole of the Week segment.
The Hunger Site
February 25, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Hey Hope,
Fabulous column. You’re not just smarter than us, you write better than we do. You drew Howard Epstein out of the woodwork. He’s a great mind (not kidding). He and Chris Bowman are the Republicans to talk to if you want a reasoned opinion from the right side of the aisle. If you want a mile of bile, interview Rob.
h.
February 25, 2009 at 3:28 pm
Not all FCJ readers are commies. But, you do have your fair share.
February 25, 2009 at 8:55 am
The Bay to Breakers non-issue is the ideal progressive issue—essentially meaningless and a chance to show how cool/hip they are. San Francisco Values: public boorishness and vulgarity must be defended at all costs. Calling Senator Feinstein an “asshole” is another example of prog “values.”
February 24, 2009 at 9:29 pm
EXcellent! SF “progressives” can finally get behind something, however meaningless, and bring a change of policy.
February 24, 2009 at 9:02 pm
Glad to see that you are doing this on the regular Hope. Kinda miss h Browns column.