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Hey, remember that Question Time thingy? You know, that non-binding measure that voters passed which called for Gavin to appear in front of the Board of Supes and answer questions thrown his way while the rest of us get to kick back and watch the fun? Well, if you remember, Gavin kind of refused to do it and instead staged fake Question Time, "Town Hall" meetings throughout the city and wound up killing any sort of conflict over the issue by basically boring everyone to death. Even the chickens got bored and stopped attending.
So the supporters of Question Time, mainly Chris Daly, are trying to get a new measure passed, Prop E, which states that Gavin absolutely, positively has to show up-- no buts. In response, Gavin is rasing money from supporters to fight the measure on the ballot. Call them the No-E coalition, although they're calling themselves the "Let’s Really Work Together Coalition.” Or, for you kids out there, the-- "Let's Totally Work Together, For Reals, Coalition." Gavin has lately been going to Pacific Heights and raising money with his peeps to beat back Prop E. Lately, he went to a fund raiser at Dede Wilsey's home to get some of the $100,000 to $150,000 those in the know say he'll need to raise. And wouldn't it be great to have the kind of money that you can just throw around willy-nilly like that to beat back some totally silly ballot measure? Isn't there anything else they could throw money to? Where's Bono when you need him?
Once enough money is raised, the campaign, as they say, "is on." Gavin's people are going to play the Daly card and say an No-E vote is a vote against Daly. As for Daly, he's pretty much whatever about the whole thing and points out that it's a simple measure and that since it passed last time with 56% of the vote, he's sure it'll pass again.
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Hey, I've got an idea: let's have "money time" where people can show up and just throw money at the mayor. No coins.
EXCELLENT idea, K!
Whatever ... the news item that caught my eye today is the possibility that Mayoral candidate Chicken John might have half a chance at tapping up to $850,000 with a 4-to-1 matching from our checkbooks (the City's Mayoral election fund or some name like that) as part of our public financing of elections something or other. What the heck? Am I understanding this right - Mike Savage or some other nut case (yeah, I'm looking at the current crop of "progressive" candidates running for Mayor) raises $212,500 from San Francisco residents in $500 blocks somehow (granted, that's no easy task), and the City matches it $4 for every $1 they raise to a max. of $850,000. Wow!!! I'm just waiting to see every right-wing nut job who lives in the City run for Mayor now (along with the usual cast of nut jobs).
nice echo and the bunny man reference
I was one of the folks who voted for it back in November and I will vote for it again. And Daly had nothing to do with that reasoning. The thing that stood out about why I will vote for it is I would like to know why the mayor or any mayor for that matter makes a policy decision. Why did Newsom appose footpatrols twice and then when it became election year all of a sudden he supports it?
Oh. Come. On. This is such a steaming pile of bullshit. Gavin shouldn't answer any questions from the Board, ever.
Here's another installment of Basic Civics You Should Have Learned in High School. There is no precedent anywhere in the American political system that says the executive branch (the Mayor, Governor, President) has to answer to the legislative branch (Supervisors, State Leg, Congress).
That's why we have an executive. That's why we split them up. So that we can have one person who's not held hostage to a bunch of balkanized, individual constituencies.
You want the president of Board of Supervisors to be Mayor? Fine, I love Aaron Peskin. Put it on the ballot and amend the city charter to do that. Otherwise, sit down.
Chris Daly wants Question Time in like the Prime Minister's Question Time in Britian. Why? Because in the UK, the legislature has all the power and right now Chris Daly's in the legislature. Were the positions switched, Daly would be crying bloody murder. If you think otherwise you're just being naïve.
Mayor's Question Time is a power grab, nothing less. If you don't like The Hair, don't vote for him. Hell, have the integrity to run someone against him. But don't try and justify your reasoning by fundamentally fucking up the office of the Mayor of San Francisco, and by extension, our municipal government.
Bravo!