Class of 2000: Supervisors Tony Hall, Sophie Maxwell, Chris Daly, Leland Yee, Jake McGoldrick,
Tom Ammiano (BOS Prez), Mark Leno, Aaron Peskin, Matt Gonzalez,
Gerardo Sandoval and Gavin Newsom.
Class of 2008: Supervisors Michela Alioto-Pier, Sean Elsbernd, Eric Mar, Ross Mirkarimi, Chris Daly,
David Chiu (Board Prez), Sophie Maxwell, David Campos, John Avalos,
Carmen Chu and Bevan Dufty.
By h. Brown
February 7, 2010
Since the Super Bowl is today let’s use it as a metaphor and pretend we’re going into a game between the 11 members of the 2000 Board against the 2008 Board with the 2000 Mayor and the 2008 Mayor as respective coaches. It is understood that, as a right-wing lefty, I have a biased view.
D-1 Jake McGoldrick vs Eric Mar: Advantage Jake
Former D1 Supe Jake McGoldrick and his successor, Supe Eric Mar.
Jake has what my family calls “the talking gene.” It took Eric Mar around 6 months to even say a word. You’d think with all of our complaints about Jake’s endless pontificating that Mar would be an improvement. Not so at all. McGoldrick constantly asked the kinds of simple questions that others were afraid to ask lest they appear stupid or ill informed. I recall for instance when Aaron Peskin was pushing a plan (which passed) to mortgage our MUNI fleet to a shady Cayman Islands group of investors for tax breaks. Jake said it didn’t seem right to be giving anonymous rich people with offshore accounts tax breaks because the taxes they would have paid would have helped America, and weren’t we all in this together?
After some cynical laughter (led by Peskin who called the mortgage “the kind of creative thinking I’ve been loooking for”) … after the laughter died down, the Board voted to approve Peskin’s idea. Six years later, federal courts held that Jake was right and that the tax breaks were, and are, illegal, and SF could still be on the hook for $300 million or so.
Point is, in this and many other cases, Jake did not hesitate to ask the question and has subsequently been proven correct. He had and has great instincts for doing what’s right. Mar on the other hand (he’s plenty smart enough) just doesn’t seem to trust himself enough. He didn’t for instance ask Rules chair, David Campos, at their last meeting why the public wasn’t going to get to meet 4 appointees to an important Mayor’s Office of Housing citizen oversight committee because Campos had placed the nominations on that rarest of rare birds, a Committee Consent Calendar. That would have never ever gotten by Jake.
D-2 Gavin Newsom vs Michela Alioto-Pier: Advantage Newsom
Former D2 Supe Gavin Newsom and his appointed successor, Supe Michela Alioto-Pier.
A very pretty lady reporter stopped by to talk yesterday and I took the opportunity to show her my sprinkler head. Which exists due to a collaboration of Gavin Newsom and Larry Mazzola Sr. of Pipefitters Local 38 (I live in a Tenderloin SRO room).
 
A camera shy Larry Mazzola Sr. (right)
Yeah, most people forget that Newsom fought for fire protection in SRO’s after a number of fatal fires that could have been extinguished early had the units all been equipped with working sprinkler systems.
Yeah, back in 2000 Newsom worked together with Supervisor Chris Daly on the issue of SRO reform. The buildings were not only fire traps but residents also often had to pay desk clerks just to have visitors. Some in rooms where tenants had lived for decades. It was a really bad system.
Supe Chris Daly visits an SRO in the TL.
People forget Newsom standing up to not only former Supervisor Tony Hall but also to his own father when Gavin voted in favor of having City Health insurance cover sex change operations. That was the vote where former Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval was the swing vote but locked himself in his office and Board President Tom Ammiano had to get the Sheriff’s deputies to use their pass keys to get into Gerardo’s office and tell him his presence was needed.
So, Gavin was generally a rubber stamp for Downtown business and developers – and still is – but he wasn’t always that way. Alioto-Pier? When she’s not reading directly from a script written by some Chamber of Commerce operative … when she’s acting from the heart … is petty and vindictive.
D-3 Aaron Peskin vs David Chiu: Advantage Chiu
D3 Supe and BOS Prez David Chiu.
Former D3 Supe and BOS Prez Aaron Peskin.
I know that Chiu is a creation of Aaron’s. Or do I? Aaron certainly thinks so, but I think that David is much more than that. This is looking more and more like it’s going to turn out to be a case like the cartoon where the ventriloquist’s puppet coughs up a finger.
These guys are both conniving skunks to me. I mentioned the case where Peskin put SF on the line for what could be $300 million in bad debt in the Cayman Islands. I won’t get into Aaron handing away the City’s playing fields and Marina to the wealthy. God should forbid I mention his attempt to starve the Parrots of Telegraph Hill. Recall when he personally killed the Gross Receipts tax later upheld in court? That one has cost the City well over $400 million so far.
Yummy apple and sunflower seeds.
District 3 is literally Downtown’s district and these two reps are a perfect reflection of Downtown values. I give Chiu the edge for two reasons. First, he keeps his cool. Second, this isn’t his last job as an elected. I think Peskin knew all along that he wouldn’t be elected to anything higher than the post of City Supervisor.
So, he made his deals and he made plenty of ’em. Chiu’s much more cautious. Two dangerous guys to me. Neither share my values. To this date, Chiu has performed better than Peskin did at the same point.
D-4 Leland Yee vs Carmen Chu: Advantage Yee
Former D4 Supe Leland Yee.
 
D4 Supe Carmen Chu.
At this point in 2001 Yee was just starting to roll over from the Progressive to the Moderate camp. Recall that for the years just previous to the 2000 election which brought a ‘Progressive’ board, it was the Moderate faction that held an 8-3 majority. In the minority were Tom Ammiano, Sue Biermann and … ta da … Leland Yee!
Then Willie Brown came up with this mug shot of Leland getting booked for alledgedly shoplifting sun tan oil while on vacation in Hawaii.
D-5 Matt Gonzalez vs Ross Mirkarimi: Advantage Gonzalez
Former D5 Supe and Board Prez Matt Gonzalez.
D5 Supe Ross Mirkarimi.
This was the toughest call for me. Ross has been great and only gotten better but when you look at the things that Matt accomplished in 4 short years in office it boggles the mind.
He and Barry Hermanson created a task force that recommended the highest minimum wage in the country for SF and then actually got it past the voters. He and Tony Hall seized 40% of what were previously all mayoral appointments for the BOS to the Planning Commission, DBI Commission, Elections Commission, Board of Appeals … did I forget any?
He put together the first neighborhood prohibition of small business killing chain stores for his Haight-Ashbury centered district (which has held up for the most part). He created motorcycle parking on the streets in his spare time.
Most importantly, he united the Left. ‘For one brief shining moment.’ The entire progressive movement has been divided and chaotic since Gonzalez left office. Maybe Mirkarimi can fill that gap but hasn’t yet.
D-6 2000 Chris Daly vs 2008 Chris Daly: Advantage 2000 Model
Three-term D6 Supe Chris Daly
Getting brutalized and arrested for doing a sit-in with Sister Bernie Galvin to demand replacement housing for displaced poor on the Hastings Law School campus.
Winning rights from visitation to mail delivery to building access for political campaigns for 15,000 SRO tenants.
Obtaining every dime and concession possible for his constituents from unstoppable mega-developers within D-6.
The 2008 version is beat to shit and leaking oil. It’s understandable. Even laudable. Getting back to the football metaphor, he’s Isaac Bruce sitting on the bench for the last games of his career.
I think I can speak for the entire SF political community when I say that we are all on the edge of our seats waiting to see what Daly does next. He’s spent over a third of his life in public office and, as a major figure. And, he’s still a very young man (37). He has no law degree or family business to fall back on. God knows that no developers or big businesses owe him any favors (they’ll continue to try and hurt him).
But, reinvent himself Daly will. He’s always been one of the smartest people on the Board and he’s young with great energy, a nurturing family and plenty of real friends like me who’ll remain supportive. We’re watching.
D-7 Tony Hall vs Sean Elsbernd: Advantage Hall
Former D7 Supe Tony Hall.
D7 Supe Sean Elsbernd.
Getting along with people who hold diametrically opposing political, moral and ethical views than yourself is a real advantage in life and can lend to your own overall strength. Hell, I used to eat dinner with my dad regularly 3 or 4 times a year and I always learned something.
Sean and Tony (like Daly) are polarizing characters. But, Tony honestly reaches out to people whose politics are opposite his own. And, (like my father and I) both sides benefit. It’s called bipartisanship.
I admire and respect Sean Elsbernd. He’s honest, brilliant, fair and hard working. Most importantly, he has a long future ahead and I could see him not just as Mayor but even Governor (who’d want that job I don’t know).
But, if I’m going to put together a measure for the ballot and I need someone to design a measure that will draw support from all across the spectrum? Tony Hall’s my choice.
D-8 Mark Leno vs Bevan Dufty: 0 + 0 = 0
Former D8 Supe Mark Leno.
D8 Supe Bevan Dufty.
Birds of a feather. Leno’s quite a bit slicker. He’s created a mini rock star persona while Dufty is an ingratiating roadie. Leno will beam and show you that dyed hair and Pepsodent smile and you almost forget that he just gave away the best portion of the only park in a black neighborhood to rich developers from Florida.
Dufty’s the death of fun and Leno’s not. Look for the real fight for Mayor in 2011 (less Gavin becomes Lt. Governor) to be between Leno and Dennis Herrera with Mirkarimi the possible eventual winner.
D-9 Tom Ammiano vs David Campos: Advantage MVP Ammiano
D9 Supe David Campos and former MVP D9 Supe and Board Prez Tom Ammiano.
I don’t have the time or space to list even a portion of Ammiano’s contributions not just to San Francisco but to the U.S. and the world.
Gay rights? Tom goes back over 30 years to the fight against the Brigg’s amendment which would have banned gays from teaching in public schools.
Health care? We have the finest public health insurance coverage of any city in the United States because of Tom Ammiano.
District Elections? The people of the neighborhoods are able to pick representatives from their neighborhoods. The poor and marginalized have been empowered by Ammiano.
For well over 3 decades Tom Ammiano has been at the forefront of every struggle for freedom and true democracy and human rights in San Francisco. David Campos is a smart guy and very personable. He’s got a ways to go.
D-10 2000 Sophie Maxwell vs 2008: Advantage Maxwell 2000 model (in a walk)
D10 Supe Sophie Maxwell.
Sophie used to vote a straighter Progressive line than she does now. I look with interest towards this November to see who replaces her. Keep in mind that her replacement could be the swing vote to determine our next Mayor. That’s a very real possibility.
D-11 Gerardo Sandoval vs John Avalos: Advantage Avalos
D11 Supe John Avalos.
John’s done more in a year than Gerardo did in eight.
Mayor Willie Brown vs Mayor Gavin Newsom: Advantage Newsom
Mayor Gavin Newsom and former Mayor Willie Brown
with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Willie gave up on the poor. He did nothing for gays unless they paid cash up front. As far as I can see the man has no conscience. But, public presence? Give me Willie everytime. Talk about flaunting it. For a guy who’s supposed to be vision impaired he sure always seems to wind up with the hottest chick in the room.
While his wife sat at home raising his kids.
Next year at this time Gavin Newsom will be the Lt. Governor of California. Four years hence, he will be the Governor. Wanna bet?
Conclusions
Draw your own. I think the Progressive movement and this Board are considerably weaker than they were in 2000. In 2000 the Board moved en masse to seize power from a dictatorial mayor. This year we listen to proposals for charter amendments on firefighters who drink (where’s my testing all Public Safety and MUNI employees for steroids?).
Full Board hearings regularly lasted into the evenings in 2001. They wanted to hear what the people had to say. Peskin got that down to 41 minutes for a Full Board hearing last year. Chiu delayed a key Full Board budget hearing for 9 hours while he worked out deals behind closed doors. Daly and Campos have introduced the parliamentary tactic of ‘Consent Calendar’ at the committee level to prevent the public from even seeing or questioning Board and mayoral appointees.
Naw, I feel sorry for you kids out there. You never got to watch Hall and Gonzalez work out reforms in front of a packed house and before TV cameras. You never got to hear about Jake McGoldrick homeless on the streets of Paris. And, worst of all? You never got to see the Niners and the Giants in post-season play.
Enjoy your Super Sunday!
The Hunger Site
February 12, 2010 at 1:29 pm
From the threads of commentary here at FCJ and elsewhere, I’ve noticed something. Many SF progressives find it hard to defend their views with sustained logical arguments.
In debates, they commonly get flustered or angry. They veer away from the topic at hand and cast ad hominem slurs at their opponents. Sometimes they end up mumbling incoherently, as in the present thread.
This sort of behavior drives away people who think for themselves. All that remain are True Believers who accept dogmas unthinkingly.
Which is self-defeating. You can’t make the world a better place through dogmatizing.
An exception to this uninspiring pattern is Public Defender Jeff Adachi. He understands the importance of factuality, logic, and social skills in making arguments.
SF progressives in general would do better if they followed his example.
February 12, 2010 at 12:00 am
Thank you, Patrick Monk, for your three posts above. I had some difficulty following the logic of your arguments. Some comments and questions follow.
You say:
“Whatever happened to a sense of irony, humor, history, etc, amongst amongst blowhard busheviks.â€
I am not a Bush supporter. What does this sentence refer to?
You say:
“Ranting Ruthie epitomises the decline and fall of the once powerful, though sometimes misguided, conservative philosophy…â€
I’m not a conservative. In fact, I believe in what I call soft socialism – the monopolies and cartels should be broken up, tax laws should be used to redistribute income, favorable conditions should be created for worker-owned businesses and small businesses, and workers and consumers should be protected.
You say:
“Oh Lawd, dat Mister Patrick in de note above, he do say the damndest thingsâ€.
What does this sentence mean?
You say:
“PIGASUS FOR PREZ.â€
You allude to the anti-war demonstrations in Chicago in 1968. I was there, demonstrating for peace. Yes, I was there when Mayor Daley ordered the police to charge us, firing tear-gas into our midst, with Allen Ginsberg chanting “Ohmm†in the background.
You say:
“- take yer ariceptâ€
What does this sentence mean?
You say:
“YIPPIE – OINK OINK – NYAH NA NA NYAH NA.â€
What does this sentence mean?
I look forward to your clarifications.
February 11, 2010 at 7:27 pm
Shoulda read your note h and followed your advice – don’t engage or encourage ’em. But once again I break my new New Week’s Resolution.
Despite the best of intentions it can be difficult to ignore ignorance and myopia, especially from one you would hope might have the twinkling of an inkling.
February 11, 2010 at 6:42 pm
Oh, by the way Ruthie, just for your edification:-
http://www.porkopolis.org/pigcity/pigasus-the-immortal/
http://www.porkopolis.org/pigcity/pigasus-the-immortal/
Dont know if Luke ‘allows’ use of links like this but…
Smarten up – take yer aricept – it’s amerika baby – get with it – love it or leave it.
PS. Heraclitus also ‘said’.
“Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play”.
So..
YIPPIE – OINK OINK – NYAH NA NA NYAH NA.
February 11, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Whatever happened to a sense of irony, humor, history, etc, amongst amongst blowhard busheviks.
Ranting Ruthie epitomises the decline and fall of the once powerful, though sometimes misguided, conservative philosophy that contributed so much to the strength and integrity of our political system and discourse.
Pete McClosky was probably one of the last, truly honorable, principled and patriotic Republicans.
Backwards snivellers are what we are left with.
By the way, that’s a real hip turn of phrase you used above. You could have made it even more colloquial, eg;
“Oh Lawd, dat Mister Patrick in de note above, he do say the damndest things”.
PIGASUS FOR PREZ.
February 10, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Cool Arthur,
You avoided the dark side.
vios con deum
February 10, 2010 at 4:08 pm
Thank you, h. brown, for you note above.
As indicated earlier, I enjoyed your article comparing SF politics then and now. I hadn’t realized you were such a good writer.
I hope you will do more writing along this line – that is, pieces that are informative, clearly written, and highly readable.
As to the decline of SF progressivism from a popular, broad-based movement into a narrow, doctrinaire sect, many factors have worked together to bring about this effect.
One that is rarely mentioned is the impact of AIDS. Since 1981, I alone have known about 100 people who went to their graves because of this disease.
Many were active in SF progressivism when it was still a popular, broad-based movement. For the most part, they were highly intelligent, witty, good-natured, and open-hearted.
They were not generally given to lobbing ad-hominem smears in the name of ideological correctness, or character assassination, or vicious back-stabbing. They were not anti-intellectual, anti-cultural, and lacking in spiritual depth.
As one example among many, I think of my friend, the late Hank Wilson. What a fine human being and lovely progressive he was!
The deaths of nearly an entire generation of people with AIDS has diminished San Francisco as a city and progressivism as a movement.
Another cause that has contributed to the ossification of progressivism is bourgeois careerism. “Progressive” is now a label that cheesy politicians and wannabes uses as a meal ticket to promote their own careers.
The progressive-identified political clubs go along with this cheesiness. An example was the election, not along ago, of Gerardo Sandoval as a judge. Yikes!
The good news is that there is an ebb and flow in politics. When one movement for reform peaks and atrophies, and becomes itself an obstructionist part of the status quo, another comes along to challenge it.
As the philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus once said:
“All things flow. Nothing stays.”
Let’s go with the flow and welcome the new challengers.
February 10, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Arthur,
Let me be blunt and maybe Luke will print it and maybe he won’t. You are a great writer. When you write about Greek literature. When you write about politics you are using it as a substitute for something I don’t even care to address so I try to not engage you.
You’re not completely over the hill, guy. Go find yourself a real Valentine.
h.
February 10, 2010 at 10:20 am
In a post above, Patrick Monk say:
“PIGASUS 4 GUV, …or anything !!!”
Whatever happened to intelligence among SF progressives?
Progressivism here once attracted the brightest and best minds in local politics. How did it degenerate into an anti-intellectual sect of character assassins and empty sloganeers, with a bunker mentality?
And why is there a taboo on frankly addressing this problem?
February 9, 2010 at 6:31 pm
PIGASUS 4 GUV,
…or anything !!!
February 9, 2010 at 7:15 am
And I am listening, h. I read your piece two or three times. -A.
February 9, 2010 at 7:03 am
Maybe not, whatever that means, but it doesn’t explain how you reconcile this admiration for the antithetical politics of Matt Gonzalez and Sean Elsbernd. ???
February 8, 2010 at 10:53 pm
When the political history of the last dozen years or so of the board of supes is written, my guess is that Tom Ammiano will emerge as the most solid and enduring figure in the eyes of historians.
As h brown pointed out, none of the other supes has as many legislative accomplishments for such a long period of time.
Which is ironic because Ammiano also has some serious flaws. Although terrific on social-justice issues, he has been terrible on public safety and sanitation. His self-contradictory record on homelessness is a disgrace.
Although he’s great at making jokes about other people and situations, he has no sense of humor when it comes to himself.
Although starting out in the spirit of Harvey Milk, he has ended up with the persona of John Burton.
Although occasionally eloquent as a public speaker, he comes comes across as crude and vulgar.
On the whole, though, his virtues outweigh his flaws, and his overall record comes out on the positive side of the scale.
Of course, it’s not that hard to shine when everyone around you is connected to a dimmer switch.
Chris Daly, for example, has the social skills of a tarantula. Matt Gonzalez should have been a poet. Gavin Newsom disappeared into his own mirror long ago. Gerardo Sandoval makes a Dodo bird look intelligent.
So congrats to Tom Ammiano for coming out as the tallest of the pack. But it’s too bad they’re all Lilliputians.
February 8, 2010 at 9:41 pm
Annie,
I don’t think you really care a thing about politics.
h.
February 8, 2010 at 6:39 pm
OK; third comment. Think I need something to do? I’m waiting for a little news movie I just made about Rwanda, on the precipice again, to finish uploading on a couple of websites, so I’ve now read this, plus comments, two or three times, and. . .
h., whatcha smokin’. or, need I ask? You think Matt Gonzalez was a hero and you want Sean Elsbernd to become mayor, then governor? It’s hard for me to imagine how Sean Elsbernd mesmerized you with his charisma, but I can’t think of another explanation, because their politics could not be more antithetical. One’s a candidate of the people, elected by the people, and, anti-war; the other’s a candidate of the corporation, appointed by the mayor, after which he became a hard-to-beat incumbent—and, pro-war.
February 8, 2010 at 6:18 pm
And Tom Ammiano’s a self-interested politician if I ever saw one. I walked precincts, put up signs, contributed and fundraised for the guy, and in 2003, when I was in Chicago and hadn’t had time to pay much attention, I called back here to see how the primary went, and said, “What??? Who’s this Gonzalez guy?”
Then, in 2007, I chased Tom Ammiano around City Hall, on the phone and by e-mail and in person, to see if he’d join three other Supes in signing to put an initiative canceling the Blue Angels military recruitment drive on the ballot, and he avoided me like the plague. “Could you send me another e-mail?” “Could you send me a fax?” “Tom’s not in the office today. . . this week . . . this year.”
After ten or 15 e-mails and faxes, I realized that it was an election year and Tom was all advancing his career to Sac. No one wants to admit that San Francisco not only invites, but even requests our annual recruitment fest, and thus collaborates in the war(s), or to take a stand about it, especially during an election year.
Much easier to blame it on the Pentagon, and on Reagan, Carter, Ford, Clinton, Bush, now Obama. (Those are all the presidents in office since Dianne Feinstein requested the first Blue Angels recruitment drive in 1981.)
February 8, 2010 at 5:56 pm
Did anyone ask whether it was appropriate for the City to strike a deal with Recurrent Energy to put its corporate solar operation on the Sunset Reservoir, given that Recurrent was financed by investment banking giant Morgan Stanley while Nancy Pelosi’s nephew Laurence Pelosi was a V.P. in Morgan Stanley’s real estate division? Pelosi appeared on some sanctimonious “sustainability” panel at Cal with the head of Recurrent a few months before.
This seems like a relatively minor episode of crony capitalism, a.k.a., legal, in-your-face corruption, give the longstanding Pelosi connections to the Lennar Corporation, but, I kept hoping someone on the Board might know this and/or have the guts to ask whether it was appropriate or not.
And, re that offshore/MUNI/tax break Peskin business, has anyone on the Board ever noted that Lennar is owned by LNR Partners and on up the corporate food chain till it’s majority owned by the Cerebrus Hedge Fund, which is headquartered on the Independent Tax Haven of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific? How appropriate is that?
I sometimes wish we might get a Board that perceived its actions as relations within a web of relations, rather than as isiolated events, in the spirit of acting locally, thinking globally, but I also used to fantasize about peace. Not anymore.
February 8, 2010 at 5:08 pm
greg,
I’m no gambler. That’s just a figure of speech. I knew before Gavin dropped out so that was a safe bet. I guessed he’d go for the Lt. Guv’s seat after 1st of year kind of like I knew that Fast Eddie would end up back in Aimes playing Fats and I could still be wrong on that.
Governor? I predict that as the State second-in-command t Gavin will run up unheard of expenses with travel and security. For 4 years. Maybe add another kid. A dog fits and and perhaps a feisty cat. We’ve all seen the show here.
No certainty. Just a hunch. Or, maybe Gav will do what he and Jennifer promised to do when he’s out of office. You remember that one? Move to Africa and care for the natives. Uh huh.
h.
February 8, 2010 at 2:25 pm
“Next year at this time Gavin Newsom will be the Lt. Governor of California. Four years hence, he will be the Governor. Wanna bet?”
Yes, on both counts. How much were you thinking?
February 8, 2010 at 1:02 am
Thank you, Jerry Jarvis, for your reflections above. I note that you say:
“If more pols were like Chris Daly the world would be at it’s best.”
Is this the same Chris Daly who is the real-estate speculator living in suburban Fairfield and who yells “Fuck you, bitch!” at people?
February 7, 2010 at 9:17 pm
I can agree with most of your post Ruhtra snave, except for, “part of a sagging and defensive status quo”, this statements reflect the blue dog democrats such as Pelosi, Fienstien, and so forth.
Tom has always been true, while Leno and Maxwell has been bought out. Jake may fit into that same frame of politics. Mar now is finding his footing.
If more pols were like Chris Daly the world would be at it’s best. The thing that make people fear Chris is that he has no prob calling people on their shit, and to the best of his ability make them do right. Even I don’t like to be wrong, but I use the times that I am, to improve my self.
Should Daly go no further in the political world it is both a loss and several gains both pos and neg. The pos is to those who will continue to bank on him not being around, the negs are obvious, to those who rely on him to lead the fight against oppression.
February 7, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Thanks to h. brown for this informative and engaging piece. A good read, well written, and thoughtful.
The supes who came into power in 2001 were reformers, challenging the imperial ways of Mayor Willie Brown.
Today, however, they are part of a sagging and defensive status quo. That’s what happens when people who challenge the System, make careers out of it.
The mayor who came into power in 2003 was a reformer, challenging the obstructionism of the supes in dealing with homelessness.
Today, however, he is just another climber, looking around for a higher rung onto which to step. That’s what happens when politicians get carried away with their own hype and ambition.
It’s time for another Big Shakeup at both ends of City Hall. None of the established players want to see this happen.
But it will, as surely as the ebbing tide turns and comes roaring back in.