Isn't It Ironic? Don't You Think?
So last week the Gavster announced this big, huge plan to build more housing, even low-cost housing. The point being, of course, the more housing the better, especially more low-cost housing, because the more housing you have, the less expensive housing will be. Gavin's idea is that with just the waving of the magic wand of better bureaucracy, the Department of Building Inspectors and the Planning Commission will have easier times allowing for more housing to be built.
Key to that goal is finally getting around to hiring full-time leaders of each department. The Examiner, however, reports that the Mayor is running into problems in looking for somebody to run both departments. The problem that they're having in finding candidates is because at the paltry salary of around $150,000, no candidate wants the job as it's not enough money to live here.
As Justin Timberlake would say if he were an -ist blogger-- "Cry Us a River."
Of course, we've all managed to get by making way less than $150,000 a year, but we don't think possible candidates want to hear about things like couch surfing and Craigslist. The obvious suggestion is to raise the salary of the position, something along the lines of what other department heads make, that being around $200,000.
Another issue they're running into is that nobody seems to want a job here in San Francisco what with the residual craziness involved in any political endeavor, especially in the Department of Building Inspection. This is the department, after all, in which the current temporary head was vilified in hearings for being pregnant and in which a high level executive was recently arrested for bribery and extortion.
All that on top of the trench warfare currently going on between Joe O'Donaghue and the Mayor. And that's nothing compared to some of the epic battles over the Planning Commission between the Board of Supes and the Mayor, especially when Willie was the Mayor.
Frankly, we don't know why anyone would want to run anything here, but that's just us.