Bulldog 2007-Article 99

(6-29-07)

Rohrer’s a bright guy.      I’ve been impressed at how he hit the ground running with Willie and has successfully managed a series of really under-funded programs over the last few years.       He’s Gavin’s point man on Care not Cash.      Takes some strong hits and keeps on coming.      He was reacting in outrage to a proposal by Aaron Peskin’s Budget committee that over a hundred jobs assigned to his empire be shifted over to the domain of Jessie Blout who runs the aforementioned MOEWD.

It was a mess and it was completely the fault of Phil Ginsberg.      No way in the world the billion dollar Health Department should be clashing in public with the Mayor’s multi-billion-dollar-project-oversight division.       Then Elsbernd starts dissing Mirkarimi for “not giving a single fact� to support some position or other and I felt right at home.       Who needs Daly to start a fight in Budget season?     Anyway, I watched the hearing for several hours and came away with some impressions.

Peskin’s heavy-handed and has a hair-trigger on his gavel.       Since he took over chairing the committee, he’s used every trick in the book to speed up the process with no regard for consequences.      Cut the deliberations in half which isn’t good.       Speed is the enemy of transparency and Aaron has lots to hide.       He’s gonna brag when this is over about how he made it all go smoothly but the fact is that he denied a fair voice to the people and God will punish him for that.

OK, maybe not God, but hopefully, the voters.       The Peskin Board Presidency has been nearly devoid of accomplishment on their behalf while Aaron has handed our land and our franchises to some of the nastiest people and corporations on Earth.        Linked arm-in-arm with the Mayor, the gentrification and privatization of the City hasn’t missed a beat since Willie Brown left office.      It is a shame.      There was such promise in 2000.       And now?      In coming weeks, Peskin will guide the privatization of our golf courses and public stables.     He’ll hand our public Wi-Fi spectrum to a consortium that is both incompetent and has no concern for privacy.       He’ll shake hands with Donald Fisher as Fisher’s kids take over more soccer fields.       Aaron’s the bag man for public property.       If you can support category killers like Home Depot (they’ll kill all your mom and pop businesses for miles) and Comcast (he gave em every single second of government broadcasts for absolutely nothing)  …  Peskin is a disgrace.      He is certainly not ‘progressive’ in any sense of the word.       Shit, the guy even hates the Parrots of Telegraph Hill.

Salon is on as usual at La Reina’s.      We’ve installed a mirror outside so that you can have: “one eye in the mirror as you watch yourself go by�.      Really though, for a 2 hour period each week, we are the most objective and creative forum in town.      If you can put up with the raving drunk in the baseball hat (no, it’s not the Mayor).

Gonzalez will not enter the race for mayor.      His 4 year tease will term-out the first of August with his announcement that he needs to spend more time working at his law firm.      Tony Hall will also quietly fold his candidacy.       When the smoke clears on August 11th the political community will be looking at 2 standing candidates.      Gavin Newsom.     And, me.

Avoid the rush.