I’ll admit, San Francisco is a pretty hard city to leave. On several occasions, I’ve made the decision to stay in town. Yet, then again, I didn’t run for statewide office, while Gavin Newsom did. However, while all of the other statewide officers are being sworn in on Monday, he is going to wait until he’s good and ready:
Mayor Gavin Newsom left Tuesday morning with wife Jennifer and daughter Montana to Los Cabos, Mexico, and will return from vacation Saturday. But he won’t spend the weekend packing up for Sacramento – looks like he’ll be here well beyond his lieutenant governor’s Monday start date.
“He’s going to leave at some point,” assured Newsom’s spokesman, Tony Winnicker. “He will assume the office of lieutenant governor in January.”
Of course, there’s the big reason that he wants the new Board of Supervisors, to be sworn in Jan. 8, to pick his replacement. But there are also a lot of loose ends to tie up – and Newsom, busy burnishing his legacy, wants full credit. {SF Gate)
Of course, some of those loose ends are in fact something of a big deal. However, I leave up to your judgment on whether it is a good idea or not to just cool your heels, and let the state linger. To me, it seems a bit bizarre. After all, he fought for the past couple of years to get out of SF for Sacramento, but now he can’t seem to quit us.
As an aside, but the CW has the Mayor’s race down to Board President David Chiu and SFPUC General Manager Ed Harrington at this point. I’m not entirely convinced that this delay really changes the calculus all that much, but there will likely be some machinations that could end up suprising the entire political community in San Francisco. Perhaps, Mayor Newsom has some play left up his sleeve worthy of the Triple Play.
If only Jerry could tap someone else in his absence!
Too much grease for Gavin to spread: to lock-in the desired musical-chair seats for the ongoing benefit of so few. Besides, the Newsom family has no intention of moving from SF.
Meanwhile, no one is held accountable for mis-management, for profitting personally from ARRA and other funding, as SF’s press watches the Mayor-pick show.
And the SF beat goes on…
… but Lieutenant Governor doesn’t particularly matter.
Gavin was a mediocre Mayor
I can’t think of naything he really accomplished
He was self centered and self involved and nothing else
I voted for Maldanado and Cooley
SF produces the WORST politicians around
All style and pose
A little rich kid appointed Supervisor by Willie Brown and lifted to the Mayor’s office by the Downtown interests
See ya later Alligator
You’d think there’d be just a little more outrage about this. Note that the Constitution says nothing about needing to be sworn in. This ought to be a slam-dunk lawsuit bright and early tomorrow morning.
CALIFORNIA CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE 5 EXECUTIVE
SEC. 2. The Governor shall be elected every fourth year at the same time and places as members of the Assembly and hold office from the Monday after January 1 following the election until a successor qualifies. The Governor shall be an elector who has been a citizen of the United States and a resident of this State for 5 years immediately preceding the Governor’s election. The Governor may not hold other public office. No Governor may serve more than 2 terms.
SEC. 9. The Lieutenant Governor shall have the same qualifications as the Governor. The Lieutenant Governor is President of the Senate but has only a casting vote.
SEC. 11. The Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Controller, Secretary of State, and Treasurer shall be elected at the same time and places and for the same term as the Governor. No Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Controller, Secretary of State, or Treasurer may serve in the same office for more than 2 terms.
Why can’t SF have its’ elections in even numbered years ?
Just like the rest of the state
It would save money by getting rid of odd year elections
It would also prevent antics like this
Better yet, WHY not Abolish the office of Leuitenat Governor ?
The Lt Governor’s office does nothing except create a job for ambitious politicians
Brian, doesn’t this strike you as wrong somehow?
In what way can Mayor Newsom decide on his own to remain Mayor just so he can appoint a successor?
And if he is indeed legally able to remain, is it legally possible for the current Board of Supervisors to delay their departure so as to force Mayor Newsom to leave and then choose a new mayor before yielding their seats to the newly-elected Supervisors?