Lt. Governor-elect Gavin Newsom. Photo by Luke Thomas.
January 4, 2011
I don’t get this. How can an elected official decide not to get sworn in on the day that he is supposed to be sworn into office, so that he can block the appointment of his replacement?
That’s exactly what former (as of January 3) Mayor Gavin Newsom is doing. He has postponed his swearing-in as lieutenant governor of the state of California because he doesn’t want the current Board of Supervisors (which is dominated by progressives he doesn’t like) to appoint his successor. New Board members take office Saturday, January 8.
A moderate who has fought often with the current Board, Newsom wants a caretaker mayor who will not run for election in November when voters get to choose the city’s next chief office holder. He doesn’t want a progressive appointed to the position who will then have an advantage in getting elected in eleven months.
Newsom told the SF Examiner this morning, “I don’t want to see a politician get into this office. Anyone who takes this position from Day 1 needs to say, ‘I will not be running for election.’”
He doesn’t want to see a “politician” get into the mayor’s office? Who else is going to be selected? An opera singer? A construction worker? A waitress? No offense to any of those professions, but, face it, the board is not going to choose Joe or Jane Doe.
It’s obvious that Newsom doesn’t give a damn about what the people want. The electorate of California voted him into office as lieutenant governor as of yesterday. Not next week.
Newsom has said “screw you” to the will of the voters of this state and is parking his butt in room 200 of City Hall for another week until the new Board members are seated. Newsom believes a different sort of person (i.e., one that is as moderate as he is) will be chosen by a new Board that has fewer progressives on it.
How can this postponement of a swearing-in be legal? It’s certainly not ethical. Why should Newsom have the power to block the current Board’s ability to replace him? He freely chose to not finish out the term of office he was elected to almost four years ago. What gall to think that he can now force his will on the city.
The current Board should go ahead and replace him. Let the legal people figure out whether it violates any laws to replace a mayor while he’s still stubbornly holding onto an office he left as of yesterday.
The State of California has a lot of problems that need to be tackled immediately, including the budget, unemployment, hikes in college tuition, homelessness, poverty, etc. It can’t afford to wait for a petulant child of an ex-mayor to finish his temper tantrum and haul his sorry butt to Sacramento to do the job he was elected to do.
Governor Jerry Brown should demand that his lieutenant governor take office right now. Or be replaced.
Tommi Avicolli Mecca is a longtime queer activist, writer and performer. He maintains a blog at open.salon.com.
The Hunger Site
January 5, 2011 at 4:55 pm
So I guess in 2011 Chris Daly decided–because his progressive pals had to have beer–his young tavern needed him more than his young family.
January 5, 2011 at 12:39 pm
Couldn’t find anyone to run against Newsom in 2007 because Chris Daly decided—quite understandably—that his young family needed him more.
January 5, 2011 at 11:47 am
No future for left-wing politics in either SF or the country. City progressives are just bummed because they know that this was the only way they would ever get a progressive into the mayor’s office. City progressives represent a minority viewpoint even in San Francisco, which is why you couldn’t find anyone to run against Newsom in 2007.
January 5, 2011 at 9:20 am
My name is Harold Miller and I am a out of work taxi cab driver here in San Francisco and I am running for mayor in 2011, and I would love to have your endorsement. and I know you don’t know me from Adam but I am a good man and the President of the Sunnydale Tenants Association for the passed two years. Or any help you can give me would be gratefully appreciated. 415-841-0840 http://www.haroldmiller4mayor.com
January 4, 2011 at 10:57 pm
PS: For what its worth, Daly would get my support if he broke with the Democrats. I’d think he would stand a better chance if he did.
January 4, 2011 at 10:45 pm
All this speculation about who will be mayor– and now the news: John Avalos: “we let ourselves get played.”
http://sfappeal.com/news/2011/01/ed-lee-has-interim-mayor-daly-declares-mayoral-candidacy.php
Ed Lee is set to be interim mayor.
I cannot support Democrats (or Republicans, of course.)
But it is funny I suppose, that despite all my reservations, I was only now just thinking that John Avalos could be the best mayor.
My reasons: I’ve always observed that he has a real heart and has always tried to do his best. He is the least phony.
Maybe a useless sentiment.
After reading all the speculations about San Francisco’s future, I’ve thought again and again: there is no good future for the foreseeable future.
Same for California. Same for the U.S.
Same for the media, same for the truth.
Same for me. Same for us.
One bright spot: I am glad to read that Matt Gonzalez and others wants to start a free university. That is a good idea.
We need a revolution, alas.
January 4, 2011 at 5:50 pm
I’m disgusted that Jerry Brown seems to have agreed to let him get away with this.
January 4, 2011 at 12:08 pm
Time to get to work Gavin!
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Get-To-Work-Gavin/116077801797907