July 24, 2007
Everybody Hates Chris: SF"Chron"-Gate!
Most people can't comprehend our near OCD level obsession with Chris Daly, Ed Jew, Gavin, and the Board of Supes. So, we're cool when people ask us questions like, "How do you know this?" or "Why do you care?" or "How do you stay awake during all those board meetings?" We've gotten over it and understand most people's position, which is why we just want to say that our mental health is okay and we are not locked in a room, Mel Gibson-style staring at a wall of newspaper clippings. However, this is kinda weird:
First, the Chronicle, on July 19th, runs an article stating:
After Daly's comments last month, implying that Newsom used cocaine -- which were made as Daly was contesting the mayor's spending plans for the new fiscal year -- Peskin removed Daly from his seat as chairman of the board's powerful Budget and Finance Committee.
Which, according to Chris Daly's blog posting from that same day, is incorrect since he was removed from head of the budget committee four days before his cocaine speech. The next day The Chronicle (July 20th) runs a correction stating that they made a mistake and wish to retract their incorrect fact. All's well and good.
EXCEPT! The same day that they run the correction, they also ran an editorial stating the same incorrect fact! THE EXACT SAME WRONG FACT!!!!
He has gone too far, even for his ever-forgiving political soulmates on the board. Board President Aaron Peskin, who backed him generously in last fall's re-election campaign, bounced him a month ago from a prime-time perch as head of the Finance Committee after a Daly wild-child outburst, hinting that the mayor used cocaine.
Now, we have never worked in a newspaper office and can't comprehend the stress and time constraints of a news organization. But we have heard Chris Daly rant about the Chronicle and maybe he is onto something. Conspiracy buffs should be putting their tin-foil hats on now. Or in the case of Chris Daly, dark glasses.
Picture from Flickr
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Can someone enlighten this ignoramus as to why exactly everyone hates Chris Daly? Is there a Reader's Digest version somewhere? Thanks xoxo
To find out why everybody hates Chris, I was going to recommend the wikipedia page wikipedia page-- but after looking at it maybe not.
It appears that somebody needs to enlighten the Wikipedians as to when Daly was removed from the budget committee. According to this locked article,
"On June 15, 2007, Board President Aaron Peskin removed Daly as chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee shortly before it was to finalize the $6.06 billion budget proposed by Mayor Gavin Newsom. Citing Daly's bitter public conflict with the Mayor over budget priorities, Peskin stated that "Fundamentally the budget process is about public policy and not about personality and it is important that we stay committed to having an outcome that ensures we have a budget that reflects the values of the people of San Francisco."
No surprise I guess as the source is the June 16th Chron article.
Do you really give enough credit to the Comical to think that this could be conspiracy? It's a clerical error. The editorial board read their own rag on the 19th and wrote a piece about civility for the edition on the 20th. The newsroom was simultaneously publishing an editorial correction based on their error.
Either way - Daly was removed for being a petulant dick.
I like Chris. And after having plenty of interactions with our mayor, I can't say the same thing about him.
I read the comments posted by people who are unhappy with the way Daly conducts himself and see that many try to blame him for all the ills of this city. I can't help but think though, that there are TEN other supervisors at the Board, so that, even if you disagree with Daly's actions and policies (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't), the notion that he is single-handedly destroying the city is just silly. Let's not forget that nothing happens at the Board without 6 votes. There is nothing stopping the other 10 supervisors from cleaning up the tenderloin, supporting the police and doing any of the things people say they wish Daly would do. To the extent that the other supervisors do not - we must ask them why - not solely focus on one man whose conduct and policies we may disagree with. People recently have said that Daly has made himself an "island" by alienating those around him. Okay, I get that. But shouldn't we also be concerned at what is (or is not) going on at the mainland?
I agree with Sweet Melissa about the other Supervisors need to bypass Daly to get things done, and now they finally are. Not seconding his budget amendments and removing him from his chairmanship are good starts. Enough distractions, and on with improving the city.
I'm sorry to break it to all the Daly haters, but "cleaning up the Tenderloin" is an executive task, and the executive in the City and County of San Francisco is Mayor Gavin Newsom. If he wasn't so busy hanging out at Davos snorting coke of his best friend's wife's tits, he might be able to get something accomplished. Crime, street repair, and Muni are all topics that might suggest themselves to an unoccupied, non-coke-snorting mayor, if our city had such a person in that office.
guys,
why do you believe daly' spin that he was removed before that day? i recall that week and it was no done deal by far until after the accusation fiasco. i even exchanged emails with ross about it. i think you are kissing daly' ass by believing him here.
by the way, the post about the rest of the supervisors getting on with the business of government is spot on. now that daly is totally out of the way, just like the consensus based muni reform ballot measure, i expect to see a healthy and functioning board of supes, sans daly.
he is pretty much a lame duck now.
Um, why do you care?
why do i care that daly is being given the benefit of the doubt when he's spinning this to make it look like everyone is the enemy not him?
i don't know chris
you tell me
sfist doubt daly? Doest thou see flying pigs?
i just always find it funny when people love to rant about our mayor snorting coke, blah blah when the reality of it is, yes the mayor is our leader, but what about this board of supervisors? he can only do so much and these are the individuals that we elected to represent each of our districts come what may.
i can't stand chris, but i hardly am so ignorant as to think it's smooth sailing now that he's not on the budget committee. it is what it is, guys. it is sad that these people are voted in to represent our districts and it always unfortunately seems to be a huge disappointment. all i can say is thank god i'm not in the michela's district. again not a fan of daly, and not a huge fan of peskin who is my supervisor here in russian hill, but at least they show up for meetings!
why is this so rarely mentioned? i find that much more appalling than anything the mayor or anyone else has done. at least he shows up to work each day and is present, like him or not. for what it's worth i have met the mayor many times and his heart is in the right place.
Why this is considered news 4 days after the correction was printed? Newspapers often make mistakes and print corrections. SFIst makes mistakes all the time and even prints corrections occasionally.
I love love love the constant coverage on Chris 'n' Ed but I think Daly's conspiracy claims are just another one of his delusions.
"Why this is considered news 4 days after the correction was printed? Newspapers often make mistakes and print corrections. SFIst makes mistakes all the time and even prints corrections occasionally."
Because of this part, which you obviously didn't read:
"EXCEPT! The same day they ran the correction they also run an editorial stating the same incorrect fact! THE EXACT SAME WRONG FACT!!!!"
To answer commenter number 1 (and to plug ourselves!), if you want some background on Chris Daly, you can check the SFist Chris Daly archives too (basically, he's very progressive and very provocative.)
http://sfist.com/daly/
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www.zapatopi.net
trust me, they really do work!