"In 2021, billionaire tech executive Chamath Palahapitiya briefly considered running for California governor on a moderate-sounding platform of low taxes and school reform. This week, the former Democratic Party megadonor will co-host a fundraiser for convicted felon Donald Trump in Pacific Heights.
In reality, Palahapitiya was neither moderate nor a believer in Democratic Party values. He was a zealot clothed in vaguely centrist branding that obscured a politics so extreme that he’s all-in for Trump 2024. And he’s not the only Silicon Valley plutocrat masking himself with bland labeling.
The term “moderate” has become a buzzword in San Francisco politics as venture capitalists bankroll a campaign to win control of City Hall. The conflict typically gets framed as a struggle between progressives and moderates, with tech interests funding the latter."
what these b-list candidates said in this first round informs why they're b-list. but given what the a-listers say and how they behave, we could do worse than to encourage more ideas. #sfpol
Mahmood supports TogetherSF's cynical #MayorDictator measure, which claims to be about reforming commissions but really gives the mayor 2/3 appointing power with no confirmation to the powerful commissions it retains, making them a puppet show.
Probably a good idea to vote for @deanpreston instead, who correctly points out: "We have many problems in SF — lack of mayoral power isn’t one of them."
A business tax "reform" (cut?) backed by business groups, London Breed, and Aaron Peskin contains a gratuitous poison pill that would kill the @sftransitact (boo!).
But we're soldiering on, as we can still win if the ComMUNIty Transit Act gets more votes. Come to an event, sign it and get involved!
This is probably not how SF politics works, but I long to live in a world where every progressive group in the city would tell Aaron Peskin putting a charter amendment on the ballot to hire hundreds of cops is utterly disqualifying for a progressive candidate, and to either pull it or fuck off. #sfPol
if I could make my SF neighbors understand two things about politics:
there's a direct line from the defunding of social programs (SF food bank, etc) to the crime (car break-ins) you're worried about. it sucks i'm sorry if it happened to you but people are trying to survive
more police & surveillance won't do much for that but WILL 100% be used to repress protest when Trump/SCOTUS make abortion, same-sex marriage, and being trans illegal #sfPol
hilarious that TogetherSF messed up so bad, both London Breed and Aaron Peskin are skipping its debate. maybe they are unifiers after all. unifying even rivals to stay the hell away from them
It saddens me to see them all interpret "planters" to mean specifically hostile, anti-homeless planters. Urban gardening is a good thing! It sucks that it's being hijacked.
My favorite example of inclusive architecture in the Mission. People sit on these steps since it’s close to BART, and sometimes it got loud. The residents could have installed an iron gate or put up a scary No Trespassing sign. Instead they just set some ground rules: not after 10 so we can sleep, and pack out trash. So reasonable and neighborly! They built a tree bench as well. #sfPol
If you walk in San Francisco you've probably noticed more and more hostile "planters" blocking sidewalks. I'm part of a group pushing back on this, Gardens Not Barricades, and now we have a website/newsletter. Join us!
"To cut down on fare evasion, we plan to hire three dozen additional transit fare inspectors. We have allocated money in our upcoming two-year budget to pay for these positions."
That's $5M/year less going to new operators who could relieve increasing crowding on buses.
If you have feelings about this, comment section is open
Defunding social services. Hiring more cops and jailing more people. Barricading sidewalks with "planters." It does not work to solve any of San Francisco's problems, it makes them worse and right-populists capitalize on our fear that results from that to do more of it. #SFPol
If you see the Examiner story about Together SF supposedly pulling its measure to centralize power in the mayor's office because they're worried someone they don't like might become mayor and have reconsidered... Do not celebrate. They're lying. They have another measure that does the exact same thing that they're still collecting for. It just also eliminates commissions so they can call it commission reform. They're still trying to make the mayor a dictator. #sfPol#MayorDictator
Chesa Boudin: "If we're at a point in American history where seeing poverty makes us uncomfortable or unsafe, living in big cities is going to be tough. Every big city in America has visible poverty."
"At the same time, people like you and I do have a right to feel safe. We have to think about what's actually going to work... The courtroom that's being used to prosecute the homeless is not being allocated to prosecute actual crimes."
"In the June 2022 election, [Neighbors for a Better San Francisco] spent more than $4.7 million — the most of any contributor — to boost the successful recall of progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin."
they spent $9.43 per registered voter in one race, and they're just one of multiple dark-money groups that funded it. these are unprecedented levels of bullshit amplification. the votes we're seeing are not where SF voters would have landed organically
"'There’s these huge communities of people fleeing violence, persecution, gangs, all these things, trying to survive and we’re basically telling them, "Sleep on the streets,"' said Supervisor Hillary Ronen."
the owner of the infamous 469 stevenson parking lot — who won approval to build housing in May 2023 — is now seeking permission to operate it as a parking lot for five more years instead. #sfpol
What a waste of time and money. David Chiu should focus on San Francisco’s many actual problems instead of trying to beat up Oakland for giving its airport a geographically accurate name.