Watching City Hall #312, (9-08-04) Shorenstein ‘Stepford’ candidates advance (Groomed, appointed, then elected) Walter Shorenstein and his crowd breed political candidates like other rich people breed prize orchids … or dogs. Let’s take a look at the latest crop bred in the manure of Downtown San Francisco money. Gavin Newsom is the Mayor Noticed playing with the unruly and lazy son of Gordon Getty, Gavin soon became a cabal favorite. Gavin’s sobriety, work ethic and total loyalty to the Getty bank account have helped him overcome lack of imagination and a low SAT score. He ‘duh’ man. People who grew up with Newsom and pal, Billy Getty recall that Billy was first chosen as the puppy of choice to ‘go all the way’. It soon became apparent that young Getty would rather chase chicks and rock n’ roll. (At least someone has their priorities right.) Thus, the special lessons in locution went to Gavin from his teen years on. Shorenstein popped for a scholarship to Santa Clara to get Gavin a degree. Once out of school, the lessons continued and Gavin was handed miniscule stock (under 10% in most instances) and designation as ‘owner’ (“As a business owner,” Newsom likes to say, but like many retired politicians and generals, he gets top billing to lend credibility to his candidacies – See Bill Clinton/Ron Burkle/Treasure Island – putting ‘his’ businesses in trust was a real laugher, Newsom controls nothing.) Newsom owns nothing. Getty owns Newsom. … Heather (“H Bomb”) Hiles That’s what the staff of Newsom’s campaign called her. Apparently, she makes Kevin Shelley look like Mother Theresa if someone takes her parking place or displeases her in any manner. Still, you have to admit, she is black. And, she is a female. And, she is gay. Let’s see Tom Ammiano or Bill Barnes refuse to endorse her for the School Board just because she opposes free speech and is a ranting bully with a full deck of race cards. (Both fell in line with the SFSOS manufactured Hiles who is employed to distribute tax-deductible donations to malleable non profits – who then a’ la the Eli Broad/Dick Riordan combo at L.A. Unified, give all of the juicy contracts and land to the billionaires’ buddies.) The Hellman/Getty/Fisher/Shorenstein choice of Hiles was brilliant. She is one attack dog. Two weeks ago she proposed limiting comments from not only the public (moving public comment to the end of the sometimes lengthly Board meetings – hell, it worked for the Planning Commission!) but, also of the elected Board members themselves. At the same time, the SFSOS crowd is pushing to install a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) for SFUSD who is actually paid by SFSOS. They assure us that although they will pay this person’s salary, the person will be totally independent. … And, oh by the way … they want that person to be able to award contracts without approval by the Board or the Superintendent. (Eli Broad made over $5 million on a contract from such a CFO in L.A. – “It was over 50x what he spent electing L.A. Education Board candidates and paying for a puppet CFO.” commented a source on the ground in L.A.. - Just on one contract.) Folks, I don’t make this shit up. I’m funny drunk and sober and sometimes bright but I couldn’t make up stuff this far fetched. Nope, it’s all real. Don’t believe me? Ask Gavin if he went to Santa Clara on a baseball scholarship endowed by Walter Shorenstein. Check it all out. It’s all true. Then, there’s David Weenie OK, his name is ‘Weiner’ but no one who knows him will deny that he’s a weenie. This guy fits the new age, in-your-face ghetto approach the Downtown cabal prefers in candidates these days (see Heather Hiles). When he entered the race 6 months or so back I interviewed him at 101 Minna and he became so aggressive that I asked him if he was a diagnosed ‘Bi-Polar’. He pushed closer and screamed: I MIGHT BE!!!” Shades of Eric Jaye and Jim Stearns and on and on. The Shorenstein group sent Weiner back east to Harvard on a scholarship arranged through Walter’s ‘Shorenstein School Of International’ … something or other. What it is, is that Walter has been paying off a hundred million pledge in deductible tax dollars to Harvard in exchange for, among other things, ‘recommending’ that turkeys like Weiner & Gerald Green walk away with Boston diplomas and certificates. All I want to ask is why doesn’t the Left cut out the safe-sex and start breeding sons&daughters-a-bitches like these? Bottom line Wynns, Weiner, & Hiles are the Downtown candidates in this race. They’re all devoted to Bully/Racist Superintendent Arlene Ackerman (who actually was interviewed by SFSOS members before being recommended successor to Wild Bill Rojas) … So, don’t vote for them boys and girls. Wynns, Weiner, & Heather Hiles Worst thing for kids by many miles. On the other hand we have Mark Sanchez, Eric Mar and Jane Kim, all simply the very best. Open. Genuinely thoughtful. Free of the Downtown cabal that controls everything from the Presidio to SFO. They’re the real thing. Sanchez, Kim and Eric Mar Best for the kids both near and far. Cops mutiny Captain Greg Corrales ran the Mission District police precinct like it was in Mexico City. He’s the guy credited with coining the term ‘mutual combat’ to describe beating the shit out of helpless prisoners. Captain John Goldberg is the department bean counter who until a couple of weeks ago was best known for bringing the best uniformed arm-candy to Board of Supes budget meetings. Now, in a weird twist of fate, Corrales is a candidate for supervisor in the City’s District #7 (although, oddly, most of his campaign signs – taken from Pat Murphy’s ‘Corrales vs the Machine’ – most of his signs are hanging in the windows of Mission district immigration service providers and the like) … Corrales is running for supervisor and Goldberg is having to get used to wearing a jock strap with a nut cup insert as Captain of Mission Station. In 2000, I spoke with Goldberg briefly at Mabel Teng’s ‘Pedestrian Safety Summit’. He was hanging with a big group of ‘real’ police captains in the back of the audience. I tossed out the question of what happened to the police kiosks the City had placed at high crime locations. “Oh, they’re around!” replied Goldberg, replying for the group who all roared. … Fact is, Willie Brown traded them as a line item in exchange for the support of the P.O.A.. It’s dangerous to sit in a vulnerable booth at a dangerous intersection like 16th & Mission (about a block from the police station). And, despite the fact that they’re paid to face danger, the police brass would rather minimize their own risks even if it means maximizing the dangers on the street to ordinary citizens. It is truly ironic that the same bean counting Goldberg (did you get to transfer the arm candy with you, Captain?) … the same bean counter is now charged with bringing continuous 24 hour presence to danger spots, is the same clown who led the chorus of mockery to the idea 4 years ago. Why’s Goldberg in the Mission? Cause Corrales gave Newsom the one-armed salute when Gavin insisted upon the cops doing their jobs there. Enter the Guardian Angels When the cops are afraid to do their jobs, people gotta have an alternative. While wealthy business areas create BID’s (‘Business Improvement District’) and hire the same cops who won’t work while they’re on duty to suddenly change stripes and protect their shops as independent security guards (see Alex Fagan/the Getty family). … So, now get this. Ex Bean Counter meets Ex Gang Banger The Examiner ran this precious picture of Captain Goldberg speaking to a huge Guardian Angel the other day. Goldberg was holding up his pants with one hand as he talked and the Angel was just kind of looking at him with curiosity. A photo of the precinct brass standing across the street showed them doubling in laughter, disorganized, with fat, donut-filled bellies beneath their scramble-egg covered hats. These are Fagan’s boys. Angels are Mission’s best chance for peace The cops won’t do their jobs and no one can make them. Not even the mayor. That became clear when Corrales refused to put cops on foot, on the street and had to be transferred. This is not the first time this has happened in San Francisco, you know. Christian Slater starred in a movie a few years back about a guy who co-owned one of the last surviving community-police companies that dated back to post Gold Rush days. Things haven’t changed. When the cops won’t help, modern citizens turn to such devices as BID’s and the Guardian Angels who actually put shoe leather to concrete and asphalt, up close and personal. The situation is a catastrophe of Newsom’s own making. By staying in-house with his choice of police chief (Fong is presently pushing for persecution of 2 lawyer cops accused of being whistle-blowers) … by choosing a ‘good ole girl’ he relinquished any chance of reforming the department from within. Expect neighborhoods and business districts to continue to hire local muscle to protect them. The Fire Department’s worse But, that’s another story. The Race for District 5 Supervisor In a lighter vein. … The cattle stampede tagged the D5 supe campaign continued last evening with the 5th or 6th meeting of the ‘Candidates Collaborative’ at the new headquarters of candidate, Bill Barnes (opens this Thursday – 828 Divisadero) … 8 candidates met and drank Bill’s beer and ate his pizza. Except for myself, all were sober, thoughtful and grateful. I came away from the 2 hour meeting with a couple of new conclusions. The Greens can organize any party but their own I love em, but these people are the biggest self-marginalized losers I’ve ever met. Their standard for endorsement, for example, is something like an 80% agreement of their qualified voters (which is, in itself, another story) … by setting the bar so high, they pretty much guarantee gridlock during which they talk. And talk. And talk. And, did I mention, they talk? As a blabbermouth myself, I should appreciate this exercise, but I don’t. I generally have an objective to my ranting. The only true Green objective seems to be to delay … and talk … and talk. Oh, they’re not all that way. Ross Mirkarimi is visionary and insightful but, like Gonzalez before him, he was lucky to get an endorsement from this strange caravan. Marc Salomon is the brightest of all of the Greens but that was enough to keep him from being elected as a high elder (or, whatever) for the local group. They couldn’t find their way to Oakland on Bart Now, I don’t want to lay this all on the Greens because there were more Democrats (another colony of lost boys and girls) at the meeting than Greens. … Still, the decisions were pure Green. Upon the subject of funding community convocations With about half of the D5 candidates marginally employed at best, it is amazing they’d be voting upon funding large public meetings (the last drew “around 25 voters” – from Susan King, who was unofficial doorkeeper at the event) … But, candidate Julian Davis (just back from Burning Man with Siegel & Barnes) was trying to do just that. “I don’t remember voting on this.” … Thus spake Bill Barnes, in whose new $2,100 a month campaign digs we sat (not connected to Julie Lee or Walter Wong). Implication was clear. Don’t start inviting high rollers like Calvin Welch to an event whose very existence hasn’t been approved by the group as a whole. I noted that I’d been to every meeting of the group and never heard the goings on receive a blessing, let alone a go-ahead. Davis got angry and offered to leave. … I countered with a call for a vote upon whether to even continue the discussion which then went on (Green like) for another hour or so. Only Michael O’Connor and I wanted an up or down vote on the item. Barnes noted a vote could be embarrassing. I withdrew my motion and the group left the issue out there in the sun like a beached carp. Going to the candidates’ debate I suggested that the collaborative should put their time and energy into sponsoring debates amongst themselves. I said that most savvy people had seen Calvin Welch and Joe O’Donoghue lock horns plenty in this lifetime and instead of staging that tired match again, they should stage their own tussle. I suggested Sunday debates (long as we don’t conflict with the 49 er’s) since it was a slow news day and we might actually get some coverage. The group voted me down 7-1, agreeing to schedule debates on some unspecified Thursday night in the future after all media political reporters are off the clock. … What City editor will approve overtime for a reporter and photographer to cover D5? Whether or not to invite the public was not decided. (like I said, a very Green-like approach) Conclusions One of the advantages of being broke, homeless and jobless is that you have nothing to lose and can thus, stand upon principle. This in mind, I’m going to revise my initial IRV endorsements in the race for D5 supervisor. Ross Mirkarimi is by far the best candidate. His intelligence, track record and demeanor put him in a class above the rest of the entire field. Lisa Feldstein. I don’t personally like the woman at all but she’s definitely the second most talented of the field. She’s independent and decisive, qualities I’ve always wished I possessed. Susan King. Her heart and head are in the right locations. Although I have some concern that she and McGoldrick might use up all of the oxygen in the Board chambers and thus asphyxiate some of the older members of the staff and public, I’ll put that aside. I know, they’re all Greens. But, they can’t help that, anymore than the pope can help being gay. My previous picks? Haaland and Barnes are institutional Democratic party hacks. Good people, but they think of the party first and the people second. thanks for the beer: