Is Art Agnos plotting a comeback? According to the San Francisco Examiner, it’s not out of the question.

Politics is such a bruising sport, you have to wonder how many people would jump back into it 16 years after leaving office.

But that’s where former San Francisco Mayor Art Agnos finds himself these days, with a chorus of people urging him to go into a battle against a man 30 years younger, if only for the reason that nobody else will.

Wow. My memory of Agnos is limited to the days of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which seemed to have been a sucess. But I also remember that he was faulted for his handling of the homeless issue. Regardless, this could be an exciting match. Stay tuned.

It might seem a bit weird to bring this up now, as he hasn’t yet announced anything. But I have my reasons. Well, not anything so secretive really, I got a polling call centered around a hypothetical matchup between Gavin Newsom and Art Agnos.  Because SF is a city of people from other places, Agnos is an enigma for many San Franciscans.And hey, Art, if you (or a friend) is reading this, contact me. I’d be happy to do an interview.

Follow me over the flip…

So, Agnos has a very interesting history.  You want a brief encyclopedia entry? Well, wikipedia has that, but here is a brief summary: he was a member of the Assembly from 1976-1988, and then was mayor from 1988-1992. He was defeated in 1991 for reelection by the slightly crazy Frank Jordan. Well, to be fair to the voters of San Francisco in 1991, the fact that Frank Jordan was a little bit nutty wasn’t fully clear until, well, look at the pic. That was from a radio stunt in the 1995 election. Funny, huh? 

Agnos has a long history, indeed. He was shot in Portrero Hill during 1973’s Zebra Killings, a series of racially based shootings.  His Assembly was distinguished, as Assembly Careers go. He was no Willie Brown, in terms of power, but he certainly was no weakling. But, I’ll leave state politics for some other time.

But, what of his mayoral career? Well, he ran as a progressive with strong labor support.  It could well be argued that his 1987 election was the height of progressive power.  BUt after his election, he lost some fans. It not that he was a bad mayor, it’s just that his Room 200 was a bit insulated. He missed criticism and on occasions, just didn’t see the problems. 

However, in 1989, the Loma Prieta earthquake struck and Agnos had his moment.  Much of the SRO and shelter stock was destroyed by the earthquake.  Agnos permitted encampment on the Civic Center Plaza, providing a very tangible reminder to the entire City that homelessness exists.  His tenure as mayor was very mixed, but one thing you can say for him: he didn’t govern via the press release. He was there

Anyway, there is a lot more to his story, and I’ll likely get to a lot more if Agnos decides he wants another crack at the political apple.