I do not know what is on Gavin’s mind this year, but I see a plausible scenario and justifications he could use for dropping out of office before finishing his term in 2011 and even before the 2010 election. Word is spreading that with her assignment as chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Dianne Feinstein will NOT run for governor, leaving the Democratic field wide open at this point. The Board of Supervisors is firmly entrenched in the progressive camp for the foreseeable future, especially with Mar, Chiu and Avalos coming aboard and Mirkarimi could be a more activist President than Peskin was. The recession and state budget mess will prevent him form rolling out any new grand schemes and he seems to have given up on fighting the violence in the City. Time is running short when you take into account the money he needs to raise to compete with Brown and Garmendi and raising the cash is a full time endeavor in itself. By the end of 2009, he is either out of Room 200 or out of the race for governor.
All posts by randymi
Feinstein Recalls Milk, Moscone Murders in Press Conference
In a press conference held Tuesday, former San Francisco Mayor and current U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein recounted the terrible day 30 years ago when Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk were gunned down by former Supervisor Dan White. A video stream is avaialble here via ABC Channel 7. A few things stood put for me.
1. She said that White and Milk were friends. The accounts I read said that while they were collegial in their professional setting, they were definitely not friends.
2. She cited White’s motive as the fact tha Milk did nothing to help him. I thought Milk actively lobbied the mayor to not re-appoint him for the obvious fact that he was unstable.
3. When asked if Prop 8 would have passed if we had a figure like Milk today, she said yes. I disagree. Milk and Tom Ammiano were the primary agents behind the defeat of Prop 6 in 1978 and if the LGBT community had Milk instead of the gloating Gavin Newsom, the good guys might have won.
4. The senator, visibly shaken by recalling the killings, made it clear she will not go to the movie “Milk”.
I will be going to the movie when it gets into some more theaters. I’m sure it will be hard to find a ticket this weekend. Feinstein, however you may think of her as mayor or senator, managed to hold the city together during an awful time and I think we owe her that much.
House Dems Short $14 Million in DCCC Dues
We are now in the final month of the 2008 election campaign. On the House side of the equation, our field of battle is changing with pickup opportunities expanding, not contracting. More and more Republican seats are becoming vulnerable, be the DCCC does not have the funds needed to take full advantage. Making matters worse is the $14 million in dues unpaid by members of Congress to the DCCC, according to the subscription-only Roll Call.
House Democratic leaders made an impassioned final plea Thursday night to get their rank and file to cough up more money for their effort to expand the party’s majority, just as Members are set to head home to hit the campaign trail a month before Election Day.
In a closed-door Democratic Caucus meeting, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) implored their colleagues to come up with the $14 million in Members’ dues needed to meet their overall $50 million goal, according to people who were present.
At the outset of the cycle, Van Hollen told lawmakers that the committee’s goal was to raise $150 million, with $50 million each coming from political action committees, individual donors and Members.
Sources said the leaders impressed upon Members that making up the financial disparity would make the difference in the size of their majority next Congress. Democratic lawmakers who are not politically in danger or in competitive races are collectively sitting on roughly $153 million in their re-election accounts, according to party tally sheets.
“We need to make sure we wake up the morning after Election Day and that we have no regrets,” Pelosi told the Caucus. “We will have the money from major donors and from the grass-roots donors. Where we are short is the Members. The moment of truth is now.”
Several Members announced on the spot that they were writing checks, according to sources in the room.
Rep. Chet Edwards (Texas), who is included in the DCCC’s “Frontline” program for vulnerable incumbents even though his re-election in November seems certain, said he wouldn’t be in Congress if it weren’t for the generosity of the Caucus and announced he was giving $100,000 — news that elicited audible gasps from his peers.
Chet Edwards is in strong shape this year, but he is not “safe”. And despite that fact, despite the fact that he represents Bush’s district and that he does not back down from progressive stances, he was willing to turn over $100k for the effort. There are many safe Democrats this year, some of whom did not pay dues. I am asking all of you who live in safe districts to call or write your member and ask if they paid their dues in full. If not, ask them why, and if the asnwer is lame (most are) push them. Two years ago we thought the 2006 elections were a once in a lifetime election and we were wrong. This is a once in a generation election and we need to make sure everyone is doing their part.
Stockton Record Endorses Obama, First Democrat Since FDR
Newspaper endorsements are usually meaningless as far as I am concerned, but sometimes there is the one endorsement that symblizes the times we live in. And today’s endorsement of Barack Obama by The Stockton Record is a huge one, endorsing a Democrat for the first time in 72 years.
Barack Obama is our choice for president of the United States.
He has demonstrated time and again he can think on his feet. More importantly, he has demonstrated he will think things through, seek advice and actually listen to it.
Obama is a gifted speaker. But in addition to his smarts and energy, possibly his greatest gift is his ability to inspire.
For eight years, American politics has been marked by smears, fears and greed. For too long, we’ve practiced partisanship in Washington, not politics. The result is a cynicism every bit as deep as that which infected the nation when Richard Nixon was shamed from office and when Bill Clinton brought shame to the office.
This must end, but John McCain can’t do it. He can’t inspire, nor can he really break from a past that is breaking this nation.
These are extraordinary times that require an extraordinary president, and time realizes it.
How I will Vote in November
Since ballots arrive early in California, I spent time deciding how to vote on both the state and local level. Due to the wonderful work done by the SF Elections Department, there is a wealth of information. So, here is how I plan to vote when my ballot arrives:
Partisan ticket – Straight Democratic, YES WE CAN!!
State Proposals:
1. High Speed Rail – Yes
2. Treatment of Farm Animals – Yes
3. Children’s Hospital Bond – Yes
4. Parental Notification – No
5. Nonviolent Offenders – Yes
6. Safe Neighborhoods Act – No
7. Energy Act – No
8. Eliminate Marriage Equity – No
9. “Mary’s Law” – No
10. Alternative Fuel Act – Yes
11. Redistricting – No
12. Veterans’ Bond Act – Yes
Local Elections
Board of Supervisor, District 3
1. Lynn Jefferson
2. Claudine Cheng
Board of Education:
1. Rachel Norton
2. Sandra Lee Fewer
3. Emily Mirase
College Board:
1. Steve Ngo
2. Chris Jackson
BART Board:
1. Lynette Sweet
SF Proposals:
A. Hospital Bond – Yes
B. Affordable Housing Fund – No
C. Board and Commissions – Yes
D. Pier 70 – Yes
E. Recall Signatures – Yes
F. Elections Even Numbered Years – No
G. Retirement System – Yes
H. Clean Energy Act – Yes
I. Rate Payer Advocate – Yes
J. Preservation Commission – No
K. Decriminalize Prostitution – No
L. Community Justice Center – Yes
M. Rent Ordinance – Yes
N. Property Transfer Taxes – Yes
O. Emergency Responce Rate – No
P. Muni “Reform” – No
Q. Payroll Tax – Yes
R. Rename Treatment Plant – No
S. Set Aside Funds – Yes
T. Treatment Programs – No
U. Redeployment – Yes
V. JROTC – Yes
I not everyone will be happy with some of my choices. If that sparks some thought and discussion, then I’ve done my job. Flame away.
SF: My Board of Supervisors Election Forecast
I write this diary as someone who has lived in the City of San Francisco for a relatively short time. Those who know me also know that I am wedded to neither the Mayor nor the progressive movement, but the overall sentiment of residents is so strong, it’s impossible to miss: The Progressive Wing of the Board of Supervisors is in deep shit. It’s not so much what they have done that puts them in danger. I would argue that most of their actions have been widely supported by residents. But whereas voters had no chance to vent their frustrations during the mayoral election, they will have ample opportunities to do so this November in the November elections. Crime, immigration, cleanliness and out-of-control overtime are the issues I hear repeated over and over. Are fairly or not, voters are set to cast their votes for candidates who give voice to those issues, just as they elected progressives in 2000 t send a message to Willie Brown. Here is an amateur’s take on a few key districts:
1st District (Richmond):
Despite support from the Mayor, I don’t see Sue Lee mounting a strong campaign. Sporadic reports indicate that she is already fading off and it is shaping up to be a race between Eric Mar and Alicia Wang. This is the district there JROTC could be an issues (even though it is a school issue) as a lot of parents here have kids in the program. Wang could benefit from the turnout that will be generated. Her ties to the State Democratic Party could also be a source of funds. This one goes to the wire, though Lee could squeeze through if it gets nasty.
District 3 (Downtown/Chinatown/North Beach):
This is my home district and the one with the most viable candidates. The Mayor’s candidate, Joe Alioto is turning out to be a terrible candidate (smarm without the charm) and I expect him to be a non-factor by October. Claudine Cheng has a lot of cash and a powerbase in Chinatown that I don’t see David Chiu competing hard for. I took my son along Powell Street this morning and saw a number of Wilma Pang posters, but I suspect this is Claudine’s turf. Denise McCarthy and Lynn Jefferson will compete for the North Beach/Telegraph Hill area and Chiu appears to be centered in the Polk Street area. At this point, Chiu is failing to impress because he’s trying to replicate Jane Kim’s youth-oriented campaign in a part of the city where I don’t think it plays well. Word is out the Aaron Peskin is quietly shifting his support to McCarthy and raising money for her. Jefferson is catching fire as the candidate who most eloquently voices frustration with the two warring factions and the consequences of that war. I expect it to come down to some combination of Peng, McCarthy and Jefferson.
District 4 (Sunset):
Dear Santa, all I want is for the reactionary Carmen Chu to lose.
District 7:
Ditto D4.
District 9 (Mission):
This is a progressive seat and will remain so. The only is whether the occupant will be Eric Quezada, David Campos and Mark Sanchez. Endorsements are all over the place with Chris Daly supporting Quezada while Campos has Ammiano, Peskin and Kamala Harris. Sanchez has the considerable firepower of Jane Kim, Mark Leno and Ross Mirkarimi. If you wanna follow this one on Election Night, open tequila and expect to be up late.
District 11 (Excelsior?):
If there is a focal point for the Newsom-Daly animus, it’s here. Years of bad blood between the two will come to a boiling point with Asha Safai and John Avalos acting as their surrogates. This, along with Districts 1 and 3 will also be a barometer of voter sentiment. It will be rough. It will be nasty and I feel lucky that I don’t live there to endure it.
Of course, I could wake up the next day and find I am completely wrong, but I feel safe predicting that Progressives will lose one or two seats on the Board. However, Newsom should not take comfort in that, either. The most successful candidates will be the ones who demonstrate independence from both Room 200 and Chris Daly’s clubhouse. Get the popcorn.
SF: Should We Move The Election for Mayor?
After going though the 22(!!) local ballot proposals put before San Francisco voters this November, I have pretty much made my decisions except for one: Moving the elections for Mayor, District Attorney other city-wide offices to even-numbered years.
On one side of the ledger, it will increase participation and save the city the costs of holding elections in odd numbered years. On the other hand, it can be argues that the issues before the city are so important that we should avoid the distractions that are naturally caused by presidential and gubernatorial races. All these arguments are valid and I thought I would open up this diary to discussion among fellow San Franciscans and others who may hold their local elections during even-numbered years.
My Evening With Barbara Boxer
Monday evening I had the priveledge of standing in the same small room as one of my all-time favorite senators, Barbara Boxer along with Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and numermous local candidates. Here is the rundown of my impressions of the night.
1. Garmanendi knows how to work a room. I spent a few moments talking to him and found him to be quite a gregarious and genioune person. He knows California and the federal government inside and out. He would definately be ready to handle the levers on day one.
2. Board candidates Alicia Wang and Eva Royale are cute, although Wang wore some odd eyewear.
3. Scott Wiener came in with Senator Boxer. He grit his teeth and politely clapped for Aaron Peskin but left while Peskin spoke. Feelings are obviously raw.
4. Boxer seemed honestly optimistic about the presidential race, especially in the west. Told us not to take our eyes off Oregon though. All the good news about Obama in red states is apparently true.
5. I asked her about the CA-46 and she seemed unaware of having a shot at winning there. Instead, she delivered the line about making Republicans spend money in their own districts.
6. She has little patience for cell phones and interruptions.
7. The Harrisons are nice folks.
8. The food was great.
9. Back to Senator Boxer, I believe she said that she expected us to pick up 5-6 senate seats.
10. Schwartzenegger, Carly Fiorina and one other person are potential opponents.
11. Peskin announced 1,100 square feet of campaign space on Market St.
12. Of all the money raised, how much will really be spent for Obama as opposed to local issues and races?
DCCC: Ma’s Vote Was Payback to Newsom
Following up on the saga of the DCCC takeover, Matier and Ross report’s that Fiona Ma’s coup de grace to former chair Scott Wiener was not about a quid pro quo, it was payback to Gavin Newsom.
The big flip: Looks like gubernatorial politics played a big hand in Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin’s narrow victory as head of the San Francisco Democratic Central Committee.
Mayor Gavin Newsom is exploring a run for governor – and would no doubt like to have the local party’s backing. The mayor worked the phones hard to try to keep his dual detractors, Peskin and Supervisor Chris Daly, from taking control.
The key vote in Wednesday night’s showdown came from Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco.
Gay activist Scott Wiener, who was running for re-election as central committee chairman, says Ma promised to support him two months ago – only to flip and vote for Peskin, despite a long history of political run-ins with the board president.
Ma said she never promised Wiener her support. While she and Peskin certainly have had their “ups and downs” over the years, she said, none of it compares to the slights she’s suffered at the hands of Newsom and his chief political strategist, Eric Jaye.
Namely, Jaye running the campaign of Ma’s Assembly opponent, Janet Reilly, and fueling the story that appeared in our column about Ma’s relationship with a lobbyist pushing electric meter technology on the city.
Ma also points out that Newsom didn’t endorse her for the Board of Supervisors or the Assembly.
Upshot: When it came time to vote Wednesday, Ma handed her proxy to former Public Utilities Commission boss Susan Leal – whom Newsom recently fired – and she delivered the knife to the mayor’s pick.
As for the governor’s race? “I am urging Jerry Brown to run for governor,” Ma said.
I’m not sure which is worse, a quid pro quo or this. The deal I can sort of understand, but to knock someone off because you have a beef with another person, and to use a respected person like Susan Leal to do the dirty work is sad. This town’s political scene needs an enema.
Is This Why Ma Voted For Peskin?
Two days ago, I wrote a brief diary about a potential quid pro quo between Supervisor and DCCC Chair-elect Aaron Peskin and Assemblywoman Fiona Ma. Word was out that the moderate Ma was considering voting to elect Peskin to the Chair position. This sparked an urgent email from Plan C. It was also rumored to have happened in exchange for Peskin’s support for legislation that would benefit the business interest of her boyfriend, Patrick Koch. What I did know two days ago was the existence of a column by Matier and Ross that connected the dots at the end of last month.
State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma appears to have a very special interest in some special-interest legislation making the rounds both in Sacramento and in her hometown of San Francisco.
At issue: legislation custom-tailored to give an outfit called Current Grid LLC a leg up in the emerging $5 billion energy-saving industry in California.
Current Grid is an affiliate of the Current Group of Maryland, whose investors include Google, Goldman Sachs & Co. and Hearst Corp., which owns The Chronicle. Current Grid sells so-called smart meters – sophisticated electric meters for homes and businesses that allow utility companies to instantly monitor power usage rather than relying on traditional meter readers. The devices also let customers monitor their usage to help reduce wasteful consumption.
The president of Current Grid is Patrick Koch, a Washington lobbyist whose brother is married to President Bush’s sister and who has an interesting romantic connection of his own – the Democratic assemblywoman.
When the two showed up together at a recent Washington reception for new California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, the party’s emcee – Billy Tauzin, an ex-congressman from Louisiana who now lobbies for pharmaceutical companies – introduced Ma as Koch’s girlfriend, according to people who were there.
Ma and Koch were also seen together at the Inn at Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach last month, attending the Speaker’s Cup annual golf tournament.
Whatever their personal relationship – and neither was returning calls to comment – Ma is apparently eager to promote Koch’s business interests.
Ma first attempted to push through components of state energy legislation that would have benefited Koch’s company, however, it was amended to be “technology neutral” and gave no one the advantage. Not one to give up so easily, she took her beau’s cause to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
As Current Grid’s prospects faded in Sacramento, Ma and Koch turned their attention to San Francisco, where Ma was soon pushing the firm’s smart-meter technology to Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier.
“Fiona put me in contact with the (Current Grid) people,” Alioto-Pier said. “They came into the office, and he (Koch) gave me this shtick – here’s what it does, this is what it’s all about.”
A few weeks ago, Alioto-Pier introduced legislation to require Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to bring the technology to San Francisco. At the time, she wasn’t aware of Ma and Koch’s relationship – something she learned about only recently from a member of her staff.
But she had heard complaints from PG&E about her bill and lately had signaled that she intended to tinker with it, including perhaps requiring that the meter supplier first pass muster with the state Public Utilities Commission.
Koch, in turn, complained to Alioto-Pier’s office that she was being manipulated by PG&E.
Two weeks ago, without consulting Alioto-Pier, Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin submitted a proposition for the November ballot – backed by three fellow supervisors, and listing Ma Chief of Staff Bill Barnes as a sponsor – that would require PG&E to use the kind of system Koch is selling.
And now we fast-forward to last night’s vote at the DCCC. Susan Leal, a woman who has every legitimate reason to support Peskin, sat in on behalf of Ma and cast a deciding vote in favor of the Board president. My opinion on this? I don’t really have one except to say that there are no “moderates” or “progressives” in San Francisco, just a series of shifting alliances based on convenience and expediency. Peskin is and always will be an effective legislator and only did a little dirty work to tidy up the deal. However, as Bevan Dufty said in the report, Ma will probably, and should, take a hit for so vigorously pushing legislation that specifically benefits her boyfriend at both the state and local level and should be scrutinized every bit as much as outgoing senator Carole Migden.