San Francisco Blog

By Benjamin Wachs

Monday, August 04, 1 p.m. - Land Use & Economic Development Committee

I know you don’t want to hear this, but, it’s about time somebody said it: Zoning can be futile.

We may never successfully zone our problems away.

Does anybody have a Plan B?

Perhaps we could recycle our way out of this mess, or outlaw fatty foods until everything’s all better?

Tuesday, August 05, 2 p.m. – Full Board of supervisors

How much does the Board of Supervisors like to micromanage city departments?

This much: a measure before the Supes today would “(require) departments to update employee contact information.” Yeah.

On the other hand, just how incompetent do city departments have to be before Michela Alioto-Pier needs to step in and say “Dudes: keep a phone list”?

This is coming up as part of a measure ordering city departments to “report annually on the status of required Disaster Service Worker Training.”

Which they should do anyway … because it’s REQUIRED!

How can the city have required disaster training that nobody reports on?

We’re all doomed.

But at least we won’t be fat. Tom Ammiano’s “chain restaurant menu labeling” bill is poised to be voted into law today, and once it goes into effect everyone will be healthy. I myself have lost 5 pounds already, and that’s just after the law’s first reading

Coincidentally, the Supes today are also likely to ban pharmacies from selling “tobacco products.”

Just to review the logic behind today’s meeting: chain restaurants need to have their food labeled because once people read what’s on the label they’ll stop putting bad things in their bodies; while pharmacies must stop selling cigarettes because labels just don’t work.

Everybody got it?

On a side note: I can’t believe a city that needs help organizing a phone tree is trying to tell me what to eat.

The battle over where we can drive is also still hot, with Peskin, Elsbernd, and Alioto-Pier’s proposal to “conduct an analysis of the economic impact of the proposed ‘Sunday Streets’ street closure planned for August 31st and September 14th on local businesses and requesting the City postpone any street closure until such analysis is completed” comes up before the board.

Man, it takes them so many words to say “give Newsom the finger.” That’s just poor politics. It alienates potential supporters. You could put a measure on November’s ballot saying “Give Newsom the finger” and it would stand a fair chance of passing. But getting at him obliquely through economic impact reports? That’s both less satisfying and less likely to pass.

Other meeting highlights:

• The proposal to limit overtime in city employees to 80 hours a week (except in emergency situations). Jesus: if you’re working more than 80 hours a week for the city, you’re not working “overtime” you’re working a “second job.”

• The much discussed proposal to make city employers offer mass transit benefits to their employees.

For the record, I support both of these measures.

It’s a short meeting – let’s end on a high note and count our blessings. But also let’s be cautious. Remember: tomorrow’s only a deficit away.

Wednesday, August 06, 1 p.m. - Budget & Finance Committee

Budget time may be over, but budget meetings are still interesting: people are always willing to get into fights over money.

Exhibit 1: the Mayor’s proposal to take over the farmers and antiques market at UN Plaza. If tensions are running half as high this week as they were the last time this ugly, ugly, measure popped its head above ground, there will be plenty of people willing to take an extremely stupid bill and say something even stupider about it.

Also of note – though probably little controversy – is a $15.8 million contract for private security guards for the MTA, and a $10.5 million revenue bond proposed by Ross Mirkarimi for 47 low-income, multifamily dwelling units (the “Zygmunt Arendt House”) on Broderick street.

Thursday, August 07

10 a.m. - Rules Committee

And you thought that last meeting got heated! Check this out: a hearing, called by Chris Daly, “to address San Francisco's declining African American population.”

Wow. There are 750,000 of us in this city: in a hearing like that, we’ll be lucky if 10 of us get out unscathed.

This IS a very important subject, and one can only assume that a Chris Daly sponsored hearing in the Rules Committee (the RULES committee?) will give it all the positive attention it requires to find a solution. We’ll all be called racists, sure, but it’ll be worth it after they pass a rule … or, something … reversing our city’s 21st century black diaspora.

Sadly, such efforts have been made before, and before, and before … and we still have the same problem on our hands. It is possible … and I say this with regret … that an issue like this one can’t be solved with government hearings. In fact, to the extent that all they accomplish is getting people of different races, creeds, and religions to shout at one another, they might even be counter-productive.

Let’s hope not.

Even after all the shouting’s done, there will still be plenty of government to go around. Ross Mirkarimi has a bill to implement a “whistleblower” protection program so that people who work for the city can say things like “Hey, there’s no departmental phone list!” and “zoning can be futile!” without fear of losing their jobs.

Daly’s bill to make lobbyists wear identification when making lobbying contacts is also up for discussion: this bill is HUGELY controversial among lobbyists. Also up for a vote is Daly’s proposal to turn the San Francisco Zoo into an animal rescue shelter/zoo.

I know, I know, it’s a crazy idea that could risk the zoo’s accreditation … but it’s also extremely humane and even innovative, so why not have a discussion about it? Are things at the zoo going too well to rock the boat?

Ross Mirkarimi has another extremely far-reaching proposal to establish a “re-entry council” – a centralized point-of-assistance to help people coming back to the outside world from a stint is prison make it. Why? Because if we could cut the recidivism rate, we could make a huge dent in city crime. I’ve discussed this issue with him extensively in the past, and his approach makes perfect sense: but I can’t help but wondering if San Francisco is really up to doing this right. Seriously, we can’t even run a zoo.

But, again, it’s worth discussion.

Daly also has a hearing coming up about the Hunter’s Point Shipyard redevelopment – apparently he’s upset that we’re trying to fund it – and Mayor Gavin Newsom has a measure before the Rules Committee that would change the name of the “Department of Telecommunications and Information Services” to the “Department of Technology.”

Hey, at least it keeps him out of trouble. And you know what? BONUS: all the words are spelled right.

1 p.m. - City Operations & Neighborhood Services Committee

This meeting will feature a hearing on the closure of the Marian Residence for Women, and a measure which would prohibit smoking in almost any public place in the city including businesses, the common areas of apartments, taxis, and “tourist lodging facilities.” Because apparently banning cigarette sales in pharmacies just doesn’t work.

Hilariously, the measure also specifically bans smoking in “tobacco shops.”

3:30 p.m. - City & School District Committee

It’s “cover your ass” Thursday at City Hall! Two school board members who are running for Supervisor – Eric Mar and Mark Sanchez – were leaders in getting the school district to cut its JROTC program by any means necessary … eventually leading to the hasty and absurd decision that military oriented training doesn’t count as a PE credit.

For me, it’s the intellectual dishonesty that hurts the most, but for Mar and Sanchez, it’s the possibility of losing their supervisorial races: apparently JROTC was popular among Asian parents and kids.

Who knew? How could two aspiring politicians possibly know what programs are popular in their districts? It’s not like you can go ask the people who you represent and then take their preferences into account!

So now, wonder of wonders, the City & School District Committee is letting its efforts to reduce truancy and violence fall by the wayside so that it can concentrate on the crucial matter of developing a “master plan for the physical education of (San Francisco) students.”

To those who think this is ridiculous, I have two things to point out: first, you haven’t taken into account how incredibly effective the City of San Francisco is at improving the health of its residents. Did you know it’s managed to eliminate smoking through a combination of warning labels and tight restrictions?

Second, this allows Mar and Sanchez to duck for cover against outraged parents by looking busy. In classic political fashion they’ll be able to say that hey, if PE is the problem (and it isn’t) then we’re working with the supervisors on a solution (that will never happen) to the problem (that we caused)! So vote for us!

Which is to say that, if elected, they’ll fit right in.

Of course, I could be wrong. There could be a perfectly good explanation for why the school district would need to consult the Supervisors on what is a purely academic issue. If so, I look forward to the joint discussion on math standards that I am certain will be announced any minute.

Tick tick tick tick …