Politics Blog

Cut the cleaners

11.29.07 - 3:18 pm | Steven T. Jones |

(0)

In stories on the $229 million budget deficit that San Francisco could be facing next year, both the Chronicle and the Examiner used the same telling quote from Mayor Gavin Newsom's press secretary, Nathan Ballard: "Although he wants to trim the fat, the mayor made it abundantly clear he doesn't want to see a r Read more »

Angels and Demons

11.28.07 - 2:02 pm | Sarah Phelan |

(0)

For as long as humans have been migrating, but not conquering their host countries, they have been demonized. Check out the Jews under Hitler. The Arabs in France. The Pakistanis in England. Read more »

Some questions for Jackie Speier

11.28.07 - 1:44 pm | Tim Redmond |

(0)

I’m told Jackie Speier is making calls to local elected officials seeking support in her unofficial but very active campaign to unseat Rep. Tom Lantos. I’m sure it’s not an easy decision for some folks: Speier is probably going to run to the left of Lantos, especially on the war – but Lantos will get the support of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and, I suspect, most of the rest of the Bay Area Congressional delegation. Read more »

The left and Ron Paul

11.28.07 - 12:40 pm | Tim Redmond |

(0)

It's tempting to want to promote the GOP's dark-hourse phenon, Rep. Ron Paul, because all he can do in the primaries is beat up and damage the front runners. And in fact, he's gotten a lot of unexpected support, particularly from young people, because he's so strongly against the war (and because he's a libertarian sort who hates the war on drugs and supports medical marijuana). Read more »

Newspaper editor briefly seized by rationale

11.28.07 - 9:46 am | G.W. Schulz |

(0)

Another of Dean Singleton's editors has hit the dust. Here's what Santa Cruz Sentinel editor Tom Honig -- who stepped down after more than 35 years -- had to say about the matter. Read more »

Prop. 83 will never work

11.27.07 - 1:33 pm | Tim Redmond |

(0)

The LA Times reports that "Jessica's Law," which mandates electronic tracking of all sex offenders, is never actually going to work.

The law -- which was nothing but a Republican bid to embarass Democrats in a key election year -- is too expensive, impractical and unenforceable, the Times reports:

"I don't know of any agency that has the resources to track Read more »

Nevius now attacks supes

11.27.07 - 11:48 am | Tim Redmond |

(0)

So C.W. Nevius, who doesn't live in San Francisco and loves to whine about homeless people, has shifted his attack to the San Francisco supervisors. In a rambling and typically vitriolic column, he insists that the supes have wrecked Mayor Gavin Newsom's efforts to clean up Golden Gate Park.

Here's what really happened: Newsom, through Sup. Read more »

Milking it

11.20.07 - 4:00 pm | Steven T. Jones |

(0)

Here are a few things I learned at Saturday's debate among the three Senate candidates, which was sponsored by the Harvey Milk LGLT Democratic Club:
- Mark Leno is desperately seeking Milk's endorsement and thinks he can get it by pointedly attacking and trying to discredit incumbent Carole Migden (a strategy that may backfire).
- When shoved, Migden shoves back hard (also a strategy that may backfire).
- Joe Alioto-Veronese doesn't belong on the same stage as Leno or Migden -- and, frankly, doesn't seem ready for Read more »

Do we need the peakers?

11.20.07 - 2:45 pm | Tim Redmond |

(0)

Joshua Arce has an interesting opinion piece in the Examiner in which he argues that San Francisco doens't need the new Peaker plants at all.

The argument, in essence, is that Mirant could keep running its least-polluting turbine for a few more years, and by then the city will have renewable alternatives.

I Read more »

Great Anti-nukes news!

11.20.07 - 2:33 pm | Amanda Witherell |

(0)

Assemblymember Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) has withdrawn a ballot initiative that, if passed by voters, would have allowed more nuclear power plants in California. In a statement on his website, DeVore says:

"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. While I am disappointed we will not be moving forward on a nuclear power ballot initiative for 2008, I am heartened by the fact that over the next two years we should see applications to build 32 new reactors in America. Eventually, California will catch up to reality."

Yeah. Read more »