"In his five years reign as mayor, Ed Lee gave to me," protesters on the Mayor's own doorstep sang new lyrics to the tune of "The 12 Days of Christmas" this Saturday. "A Twitter tax break, pay to play politics, thousands of evictions, and the displacement of the black community."
The Chronicle writes that the house call to the Mayor's relatively humble Glen Park digs was led by the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, a group demanding $20 million in financial assistance for residents of the Mission and the Bayview. If given the gift of their desiring, half of the $20 million would go to distressed Bayview homeowners to reduce the amount they might owe on loans and half would go toward the small-site acquisition program to help Mission renters buy the buildings in which they live.
Tomorrow @ Glen Park Bart station in SF at 4pm.. We're going to march, protest & sing in front of Ed Lee's home.. ✊🏽 pic.twitter.com/BgRmR8TU01
— Equipto (@EQUIPTO) December 19, 2015
The group of 40 or so 'carolers' may have been hoping to catch the Mayor in the holiday spirit (perhaps following a ghostly visitation or three) but it appears that Lee didn't emerge or wasn't home. Instead, the group left him with a wish list of their demands and stockings stuffed with care — and mock eviction notices.
Mayor Lee's approval rating has suffered greatly in the last year — falling 18 points since last March to 43 percent in a recent poll. Worse still, 49 percent disapproved of the Mayor according to the poll. While Lee's policies have worked to create jobs, critics agree that the politician should focus on affordability and growing San Francisco's supply of housing — oh and maybe his heart a few sizes.
Previously: Survey: Mayor Lee's Approval Ratings Plummet, Majority Says SF Is 'Pretty Seriously Off-Track'