You can the conservative out of the Republican Party but…:

FBI agents carrying out a criminal investigation searched the City Hall office of San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew on Friday and several other properties tied to the rookie lawmaker.

Federal authorities familiar with the probe refused to discuss what the FBI was looking for, but Jew told The Chronicle that agents questioned him about $40,000 in cash he had accepted from a group of businessmen who had sought his help with city permit problems.

With the FBI apparently having multiple pages listing the serial numbers of specific $100 bills, Jew replied something about, “an unorthodox way of paying.”

[Jew] is a former local Republican Party vice chairman but changed his party affiliation to Democrat before running for office in 2006.

In today’s SF Examiner, Supervisor Ed Jew goes on a rant against, well, city spending in general:

After only two months in office, I am already tiring of hearing ideas that require a blank check from taxpayers. This Board of Supervisors needs to stop spending money with the irresponsible abandon of children at a shopping mall, confident that Mommy and Daddy will pay the bill no matter how much it is. (SF Examiner 3/1/07)

Well, if Supervisor Jew had as his intention to become an outcast on the Board, excellent work.  I don’t know exactly where he thinks he is governing but it’s not the OC (sorry Andrew…but it’s true).  We here in SF tend to accept taxes as the price for living in such a great city. The Club for Growth isn’t welcome here, nor is their rhetoric.

The funny part of this, the program that he’s railing against is actually less than optimal.  I agree that providing discounted MUNI passes to people 18-24 shouldn’t be a top priority, but perhaps a college student discount would be more targeted.  Or wait, we have this great program, the Working Families Credit, perhaps we could include a discounted MUNI pass in that program for low-income San Franciscans.  No, that would be integration with programs from different politicians (WFC=Mayor, Treasurer. Fast Pass Discount=Board).  Who would take the credit??

I give Supervisor McGoldrick credit for the idea, but perhaps we could target better.  At least SF’s progressives have come up with some exciting ideas, what have you got, Supervisor Jew?