Mark Leno Says Lobbyist Intentionally Snubbed Him When Circulating Letter Regarding Hunters Point Pollution -- And Boy Is He Angry

State Senator Mark Leno is not amused

Mark Leno's signature was conspicuously absent from a letter signed by the rest of San Francisco's Sacramento contingent regarding pollution from Lennar's cleanup of Hunter's Point Shipyard -- and the State Senator says that's no accident.

Leno angrily accused the lobbyist who drafted the letter, Bob Giroux of Lang, Hanson, O'Malley and Miller, of intentionally and maliciously snubbing him -- and, like the situation at Hunter's Point, leaving him with a mess to clean up.

"I saw Bob in the hall and he said he was talking to Fiona [Ma] about the issue at Hunter's Point. And I said 'It's not in Fiona's district, it's in mine. Why are you talking to her?' And he also talked to Tom Ammiano. Next thing I know there's this letter with three of the four members of the Bay Area delgation's signatures on it. Why he excluded me, I don't know. But I will give him a piece of my mind," says a peeved Leno.

The State Senator, who said he would "unequivocally" have signed the letter, said he "considers this an aggressive act" by Lang, Hanson, O'Malley and Miller. SF Weekly's call to Giroux has not yet been returned. Leno says Giroux told him that he was unable to get a hold of the State Senator -- "but that's baloney. He has my inner-office phone -- which he once called me on twice in one day -- my e-mail, my cell, and my door to knock on."

Leno went on to claim that that, far from being a letter written from an environmentalist, Giroux crafted the note at the behest of a firm called Energy Solutions -- "which wants to make money cleaning up the area." Even still, Leno said he'd have signed the letter if given the chance -- "But it's a little after the fact now. 

"That letter was carbon-copied to all the members of the Board of Supervisors. Each of my colleagues saw my name conspicuously absent," fumed Leno.

"I don't appreciate a Sacramento lobbyist -- especially one working for a Republican firm -- causing me troubles in my own district." 

Photo   |   Basykes