The old political shibboleth about releasing unpopular news on the afternoon of "take out the trash" Friday holds true again, as Gavin Newsom sneaks in a veto on Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi's well-received proposal requiring police foot patrols of San Francisco neighborhoods, after originally saying he would let it pass.

Ross isn't too pleased about this (his commentary was described as "withering" in the paper). Read this with your own mellifluous basso imitation-Ross voice!

The mayor is literally putting his vanity and politics before public safety. What's shameful is that under Mayor Newsom crime of all levels has spiraled out of control. And now he has the audacity to speak out of both sides of his mouth.

Police chief Heather Fong has argued that district captains should be allowed the discretion to make their own decisions about how to police their specific neighborhoods, and the SFPOA police union is against foot patrols as well. Newsom also claims that about 300 officers already walk beats -- though Mirkarimi counters that those reports directly contradict all the previous statements Fong has been making about staffing shortages.

The Board of Supes needs eight votes to override Newsom's veto -- and the foot patrol legislation passed 7-3, with Jake McGoldrick absent. (Your three against: Elsbernd, Alioto-Pier, and Peskin). Newsom says any attempt to override the veto would just be an attempt to make him look bad with a reelection coming up. Well, sure.