Trashing The Trash Cans, Not The Mayor.

Let me get this straight. I’m telling you that my “soul’ blogging motivation is promoting clean, safe streets. Yet, I’m condoning the removal of 400 trash cans from our City streets by a mayor who also claims to be an advocate of clean, safe streets.

[Insert a shot of Jägermeister]

I guess the flip-flop from the dramedy bound San Francisco Regressives to the bigger-office, bigger-picture Conservatives has prepared me well for City Hall’s latest agony and irony. Anymore vaults, summersalts and deep knee bends... and my girlfriend will be rendered obsolete.

Having acknowledged this preposterous juxtaposition, let me assure you that it’s not so grim and not so confusing. While the Mayor and I aim to reduce garbage cans, we also remain steadfast to our pledge to reduce refuse. Rather, we are simply insisting local business pitch in. In other words, "give a hoot, pay some loot!"

[Insert a shot of Religion]

Gavin Newsom announced, San Francisco has more trash cans per person than other big cities — 64 per 10,000 residents. Having so many spaced at regular intervals encourages businesses and residents to use the receptacles for their bags of everyday garbage, instead of paying for garbage service.

“I’m still pro-garbage can, we just had too many. We want there to be room in the garbage cans, and there’s often not. They’re overflowing because other residents are using them inappropriately.”

Newsom also said fast-food restaurants and other companies needed to do more to help solve San Francisco’s trash problems, listing the following brand names most often found littered about San Francisco’s streets:

• McDonalds


• Muni (transfers)


• Burger King


• Starbucks


• Safeway


• FedEx


• Jack in the Box

“These are our targets. We called all those fast-food restaurants and now we’re sitting down … to say, ‘you guys have got to step up.’”

Newsom added that the top generic street nuisance is gum, making up nearly 40 percent of all small litter citywide. The information was a result of a $25,000 city litter study that surveyed approximately 100 sites across The City that were randomly chosen. It found, on average, about 36 pieces of litter per 200-foot-long site. Newsom pledged to cut that number in half over the next five years.

The Examiner: S.F. to kick garbage cans to the curb by Bonnie Eslinger.

Brother-In-Law Offers Chris Daly Career Advice

SF Gate is asking for your 2 Cents: What Career Advice would you give Chris Daly?

As of now, there are 222 comments. Of which, none are good for San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly, especially the second observation posted by his bother-in-law Josh Low.

"Focus on policy, keep your head down, and quit playing the game of politics." - Chris Daly's Brother-in-law

Meantime, I hope Daly takes "Time Out" to consider the following career choices that I have carefully selected with his unique temperament and talent in mind:

1. Anger Management Therapist: Daly has more than a bad haircut in common with Adam Sandler's character. He's got a bad attitude too. Daly can follow his own psychological advice to manage his excessive anger. Some techniques for controlling anger are: Stop Talking, Stop Staring, or Leave the Room without Telling the Board to F-off. Healthy adults need to be able to hint or pretend “anger.” Competent teachers, law-enforcement and other City Supervisors are especially skilled to play “Good-Bad Cop” roles. In some City Halls courses in anger management may be mandated by a legal system.

2. Hazmat Diver: If Daly enjoys a splashdown in the Tenderloin, then scuba diving in hazardous waste could be his dream job. Hazmat divers risk their lives every day and literally jump head first into their work -- choosing to swim in a vat of hazardous materials like pig feces, an oil spill or a sewer.

3. Forensic Entomologist: As a result of the success "Gav Girl" Sofia Milos televison series "CSI," the forensics field has undergone a dramatic overhaul in the eyes of the public. But don't be fooled, forensic entomology is not for the faint of heart, the squeamish, nor the insectophobic. These scientists spend their days basking in the florescent light of the city or county morgue analyzing bugs on decaying corpses. They check maggots, larvae, blowflies and anything that breeds off of decaying human flesh in order to determine the "postmortem interval," or the gap between the time of death and time of the body's discovery.

4. Elephant Vasectomist: A perfect career path for "No Balls" Daly to cut loose. The procedure for removing testicles itself is simple enough. But, before going under the knife, one must first track, sedate and hoist the pachyderm four feet off the ground with a crane.

“They have to remove the testicles, which involves going through muscle and fat, and then removing these really large organs before the elephant can wake up, get angry, and take it out on anyone around them. So, it requires bravery, speed, precision, and a lot of humility.” - Jake Ward, Popular Science

5. Garbologist: As its name suggests, is the archaeological and anthropological study of garbage. This job involves going to landfills, digging out a deep well into the piles of refuse, and then analyzing it. Maybe Daly can help Gavin Newsom conduct his litter audit?

6. Coursework Carcass Preparer: Picture a ninth grade biology class, and it's frog dissection day. Odds are you can still smell the formaldehyde. Now imagine Chris Daly enhaling those fumes instead of bong hits. Rather than killing and picklin Gavin's proposals, Daly can start bottling frogs, fetal pigs, cats, pigeons and even sharks.

7. Gravity Research Subject: One of the first things every kid learns at camp is sleeping overnight with your head downhill leads to one major headache. Now imagine our biggest headache getting paid to spend weeks lying perfectly still at a negative 6 degree angle. Ouch, I feel better!

That's what researchers at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston are asking test subjects like Daly to do, as a way of simulating the effects of weightlessness on already lumpy human body.

"As the blood rushes to their heads, over the course of that time, they get the puffy face, the shifted organs, all the symptoms of weightlessness which allows these researches to find out more about it. Not only are they stuck in that position, they are subjected to a centrifugal test … every day they are spun around to get blood down to their feet and get the effects of heavy G [forces]."

8. Microsoft Security Grunt: These are the people behind the Microsoft Security Response Center, who sift through the approximately 100,000 e-mails a year sent to secure@microsoft.com. These techies ward off hackers like Daly scares away voters. They repair kinks in Windows, Internet Explorer and Office, and, generally, protect the Microsoft from its many foes.

"To the millions of hacker's around the world, Microsoft is like the Death Star in 'Star Wars' and they see themselves as the rebel force. So they'll do anything to exploit security loopholes, get in there and worm something in there, so these guys are under assault all the time."

9. Olympic Drug Tester: Daly loves controversy. As a Professional athletics drug tester, he would constantly find himself in his favorite tough position - bent over a sticky situation. If Daly busts an athlete, he would ruin their career and up-end their countries' prospects for gold, but, if he doesn't nail them and he's not doing his job properly and he gets nailed in the media. It's just the kind of lose-lose situation Dly can thrive. Aside from constantly being a tattle-tale, Daly gets to work with the sweet smell of amonia just like his walk to work today -joy!

10. Whale-Feces Researcher: Talk about a job that "stinks." With help from a few well-trained sniffer dogs like the cocaine canines unleashed on Newsom, researchers like Daly track elusive whales and scoop up their excrement in order to bring it back to the lab and run tests on it - more joy!

Complete Article: Danger, Research and a Paycheck by Rebecca Lee ABC News

FodderGate

The SFPD Police Officers involved in the satirical video denouced by Mayor Gavin Newsom and Police Chief Heather Fong as racist, sexist and homophobic have produced yet another video. Enjoy:

The video accompanies a $20 million dollar lawsuit against the city, the mayor and the police chief. Mayor Rudy Giuliani enjoyed a bond of biblial propotions with NYPD and would have never allowedthis to happen. If safe to say, our city needs to close this chapter and take a page from NYC. The planned Tenderloin Community Court is a start.

Coke Smoke & Mirrors

District 6 Supervisor, Chris Daly, isn’t qualified to separate my socks. The Boy Robin Hood of the Tenderloin sought to exact revenge on the Mayor Gavin Newsom with accusations of cocaine abuse. If he keeps up his hysterics he’ll be supervising Gavin’s shorts, full-frontal.

Disillusioned Daly actually contemplated a run against Newsom this year “if no other challenger stepped up to do it,” but then backed down. Yeah right! I can see his campaign slogan:

Bring me your wired, bleary, unemployable poor, and I’ll tax your shopping cart.

Who voted for this bleeding panty housing-rights activist/pacifist douche-bag? The Homeless? I say take away reason (Green Party) and accountability (voters) and you’ve got Daly. Just add a subpoena and serve his dumpy ass over ice. Good grief and good riddance; even Daly’s fellow Regressives on the board are distancing themselves from him.

"I am associated with something that I don't do, never have, not even in the
realm of reason should someone even accuse me of this." - Mayor Gavin Newsom

Just days after relieving Daly of his position as chair of Budget and Finance committee, Aaron Peskin, Board of Supervisors President, is again the center of controversy addressing requests from the Newsom camp to attend to Daly’s misconduct.

"I don't see how allegations about someone's personal life furthers the public
policy goals he espouses to promote. The entire episode is conduct unbecoming an
elected official.” - Aaron Peskin, Board of Supervisors President

Barbara O'Connor, Director of the Institute for the Study of Politics and the Media at Cal State Sacramento, said there is such a thing as below-the-belt in politics, and raising allegations of cocaine use without evidence to back up the claim certainly qualifies.

"This is why the public hates politicians. They view it as people playing by
different rules and civility doesn't always prevail. It's almost like reality TV
in City Hall. But this isn't Jerry Springer. It's a City Hall budget hearing." -
Barbara O'Connor, Director, Cal State Sacramento

It's hardly the first time Daly has spun out of control. In 2004, he escaped censure by an 8-2 vote. The push came from Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier after he had told the audience at a board committee meeting to "f- off" and walked out.

Don’t let the door hit ya where the good mayor split ya!

Expect it's the Board 's turn to tell Daly to "f- off."

Complete Article: Angry Newsom blasts Daly for bringing politics to a 'new low' by Cecilia M. Vega, Chronicle Staff Writer

Michael Moore, Gavin Newsom Flip-Flop

Far from the first and not nearly the last, filmmaker, Michael Moore, joins Gavin Sucks.com in a political flip-flop.

Four years after delivering a speech on behalf of then Green Party candidate, Matt Gonzalez, Michael Moore sat down with Gavin Newsom who is now virtually unopposed for re-election. The Oscar-winning director planned a round table discussion regarding on healthcare as an adjunct to his promotional tour for “Sicko,” an indictment of the U.S. Healthcare system.

Moore extolled praise upon Newsom for promoting a universal health care plan for San Francisco and taking a stand on gay marriage.

I want to say how proud I am to sit next to you here.

Later, Moore and Newsom held a private screening of the new documentary followed by a question and answer session. Today, Matt Smith of SF Weekly weaves his own made-for-the-Internet conspiracy theory involving Moore, Hollywood’s Weinstein brothers, Gavin Newsom, and the international hype machine.

Check out the video for yourself. Me, I say, who cares? Matt Smith’s video is just one of many of the lonely Green Party satellites emanating hot air (destroying the ozone layer) as they orbit hot-topic Gavin Newsom… searching to destroy. Smith’s flick is a weightless, pointless mass without a nucleus. I gave it two yawns and a delete.

Face it, Hippies! Chris Daly and his Big Bang Convention have Plutoed. The Regressives are without a candidate, because none of the Green Party nominees had any votes. You already gave them to Gavin – Good! As a Quality of Life advocate, I’m grateful. No doubt Gavin will set sight on a bigger office with a bigger constituency far outside The City… and far more conservative. Gray’s the new Green! Our city sidewalks will finally get the attention they deserve.

Clean, Safe Streets!

Gav4Gov.com

Video: Conspiracy! Michael Moore, Gavin Newsom In Global Flip-Flop Ring

Matt Gonzalez: Failure to Launch

Beyond Chron has written an superb article detailing why Ross Mirkarimi opted not to tie his lot to sinking dinghy, Chris Daly, and why Matt Gonzalez has no chance of sinking the SS Gavin Newsom. Were Gonzalez to run, he could raise the many splintered progressives from the unfathomable depths of a Titanic convention.

I say "Run, Forrest Run." Unfortunately, no one would be more shocked than Gonzalez were his 'Regressive' braces to fall from his sides so he could pull away. He won't run. Besides, senior citizens in Boca Raton rock the vote, not all bark and no fight activist/pacifist. Rather, the few who do are already smitten with a Conservative in sheep's clothing. For now, the Regressive mantra remains:

I think, I can't; I think, I can't; I think, I can't...

Randy Shaw writes:

At San Francisco’s June 2 Progressive Convention, there were only smiles and applause as over a dozen elected officials claimed unity behind a progressive agenda. But it soon became clear that the supervisors attending the Convention were not on the same page. Supervisor Chris Daly, who called for the Convention, soon announced a budget plan that he saw as a progressive alternative to Mayor Newsom’s. But Daly acted before securing approval of his proposal from some of his progressive colleagues, including fellow Budget Committee member Ross Mirkarimi. When Mirkarimi challenged some of Daly’s budget cuts, the District 6 Supervisor took offense, storming into his onetime ally’s office to denounce Mirkarimi for betraying the progressive cause. Lacking the Committee votes to advance his plan, Daly cancelled the June 13 Budget hearing. The progressive split over the budget then became public when Board President Peskin removed Daly as Chair of the Budget Committee. Last night, Matt Gonzalez met with core supporters about the mayor’s race. Can a Gonzalez mayoral campaign unify San Francisco's fractured political left?

Using his position as Budget Chair, Daly quickly moved to amend Newsom’s budget. But in his eagerness to offer a “progressive” alternative to the Mayor, Daly took for granted that his fellow progressives---particularly fellow Budget Committee member Ross Mirkarimi---would back his agenda.

But Daly either did not realize, or care, that Mayor Newsom’s budget included items strongly backed by Mirkarimi. Daly’s budget proposal also included cuts for street and pothole repairs that were supported by his colleagues, as well as progressive constituencies like the San Francisco Bike Coalition.

Since Daly identified his budget as The Progressive Budget, he did not want it changed. Since his goal was to sharpen the distinction between Newsom and the progressive Board, Daly saw accepting some of the Mayor’s budget priorities as serving the opposite result.

Daly’s chief problem was that he advanced a budget whose central feature---the $33million affordable housing package---lacked a mobilized anti-Newsom constituency. While housing activists were not joining Daly’s condemnation of the Mayor’s budget, constituencies angry at Daly’s cuts were rallying to Newsom’s side.

Board President Aaron Peskin recognized how Daly’s budget plan had split progressives and boosted the Mayor’s base, and pulled the plug on Daly’s chairmanship. Those criticizing Peskin for the move seem entirely unaware of how Daly’s stance was expanding, rather than hurting, Newsom’s political base.

Can Matt win? I’m already on record saying that Newsom is unbeatable, and he has become stronger in the past month as his mayoralty entered full-campaign mode.

But the question for progressives may have changed from “can Matt win” to, can he be the vehicle for creating real and lasting political unity around a progressive agenda?

It has because clear that the June 2 Convention failed to achieve this, and one can only wonder as we recall all of the speeches why Daly and Mirkarimi never discussed their specific budget priorities that day---or why the attendees were not asked to approve a progressive budget right then.

If Matt Gonzalez ran on a campaign that included his own budget plan for the city, then the public could assess whether his “progressive” budget differed from Mayor Newsom’s. This could repair relations between the Daly and Mirkarimi camps, and leave the city’s progressive forces in a better position than they are in today.

If Matt does not run, expect the in-fighting among San Francisco’s progressive activists to continue. And for some to blame this on Gonzalez, rather than looking inside themselves.

Complete Article: Can Matt Gonzalez Reunify San Francisco’s Left? By Randy Shaw

Newsom Challenges NFL, 49ers

Mike Swift, Mercury News reports:

NFL officials toured San Francisco's proposed site for a new 49ers stadium on Monday, just two days after the company that controls the 49ers' preferred site in Santa Clara said it opposes the South Bay stadium plan next to Great America.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom used the NFL visit to declare San Francisco's site as superior to Santa Clara's. The mayor told reporters that the NFL wants the 49ers to stay in the city, and that Santa Clara has "no way to justify" spending more than $160 million on a stadium, which could lure the team south for the 2012 season. Referring to the Bay-side location of Hunters Point, Newsom said:

With all due respect to Santa Clara, San Francisco has a better proposal. It should make the NFL pause and reflect on the fact that it makes no sense whatsover for the 49ers to leave and go down next to Highway 101 and an amusement park.

Newsom also questioned the wisdom of Santa Clara officials, who are considering whether to contribute $160 million to the stadium, as well as the multi-million dollar cost of moving an electric substation.

Any city that wants to put $200 million up, I can assure you the worst investment you can make is an NFL stadium. I just don't know how they can justify it. That being said, I guess that's up to them and the folks down there.

After meeting with Newsom in city hall, the NFL executives drove to the former Hunters Point Navel shipyard, a Superfund site that is being cleaned up by the U.S. Navy and developed by Lennar Corp. After passing mounds of contaminated soil covered with plastic tarps, a three-car caravan of city officials and Lennar executives drove the NFL executives to the top of a hill that offers commanding views of San Francisco Bay and downtown.

Neil Glat, a senior vice president with the NFL, called the view "pretty terrific."

Hunters Point is right there on the water and could be a special place, but the devil's always in the details and those infrastructure issues can be thorny issues, an[environmental] remediation issues can be time-consuming and costly.

Today, the 49ers will be showing off the highway and transit connections in Santa Clara - one glaring weakness at Hunters Point. The NFL is not planning to tell the 49ers which site to pick, Glat said.

Asked about Newsom's statement that "the NFL would like to see the 49ers stay in San Francisco," Glat said the NFL had made no statement to that effect.

A big part of the NFL's agenda Monday was to check on Monster Park, the aging city-owned edifice that will remain the 49ers' home until a new stadium is built. Four nationally televised games are scheduled at Monster in the coming season, including the first Monday Night Football game when the Arizona Cardinals visit San Francisco on Sept. 10.

In April, after years of angry correspondence between the 49ers and the city that the city's poor maintenance had led to public safety issues at the stadium, city parks officials agreed to provide the team $10.3 million in rent credits to make repairs.

City officials Monday showed off some of the stadium's old escalators, clogged with leaves and other debris, that are to be repaired or refurbished before the start of the season. The stadium's parking lot, restrooms and elevators are also being repaired.

Asked about perceptions that Monster Park is perhaps the worst stadium in the league, Glat said: "It's far from state-of-the-art at this point in time."

Complete Article: Newsom challenges wisdom of Santa Clara stadium investment by Mike Swift Mercury News.com.