Monthly Archives: October 2003

Movie Roundup

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It’s amazing what a minor surgery and the flu will do for catching up on those DVDs and videos! I’ve seen quite a few of them recently.

“Finding Forrester,” directed by Gus van Sant, was an excellent exploration of the relationship between a bright black teenager who is an aspiring writer and an older white novelist.

“Higher Education” is a scary film about the depths of racism on a college campus.

“The Quiet American” provides an interesting perspective on French colonialism in Vietnam and early steps toward the entry of the U.S. into the struggle.

“The Mystic Masseur” wasn’t all that great a portrayal of the life of an ordinary man who becomes a mystic and then a politician.

There were several others that I can’t remember right now. That flu haze is settling in again.

Recall: Republican Bid for California Takeover

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Sometimes, I feel like the strangest of anarchists. 😉

I’d love to read about your reasons for voting otherwise if you disagree with my recommendations below.

I’ll be voting today as follows:

* No on the recall (stop the Republican power grab)

* Bustamante for Governor (the only candidate who has a chance against Schwarzenegger if the recall passes… if we were in a proportional representation or runoff system, I’d probably vote for Camejo, but in my opinion, voting for Camejo or other folks increases the chance of Schwarzenegger’s election and a potential Republican takeover of the entire state… Arianna Huffington withdrew from the race recognizing this danger and the right-winger who funded the darn recall withdrew too to ensure Schwarzenegger’s victory.)

* No on Proposition 53 (ties down legislative budget discretion without clear constraints on spending)

* No on Proposition 54 (racial ignorance not racial privacy, prevents appropriate tracking of racial heritage for medical and other reasons)

Remember to check for your polling place as this special election is using different polling places than the usual ones.

“Any Mayor But Newsom” Smart Mob at Castro Street Fair

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Join us for an “Any Mayor But Newsom” smart mob on Sunday, October 5, at the Castro Street Fair. (Forward this to friends!)

We’ll gather between 11:00am and 1:00pm at the corner of 18th and Castro, then have a renaming ritual at 1:00pm at Harvey’s (since Harvey Milk would be rolling in his grave at the Newsom signs affixed to a business named in his honor).

Need the scoop on why Newsom shouldn’t be mayor? Check this out:

Sup. Gavin Newsom’s record on the Board of Supervisors is that of a corporate, downtown developer, and landlord puppet. Nearly every neighborhood or tenant group which appears before the Board of Supervisors can count on Newsom voting against them and with his corporate and real estate donors and handlers every time. Newsom’s votes have clearly reflected a Supervisor out of touch with neighborhood interests and strongly supportive of the Residential Builder’s Association (RBA), developers, landlords and corporate interests of every kind. Newsom himself is a developer of “live/work” units and a landlord who has evicted tenants for no-fault reasons.

Any other candidate would be much better than Newsom.

Newsom does not support rent control and will work to repeal it! He gets a lot of good press (especially on Channel 2 because Ross McGowan is an investor in Newsom’s businesses), spends a lot of money, looks good and has good corporate and political handlers. But the bottom line is that he votes against the average person, neighborhood interests, renters, and voters of San Francisco nearly every opportunity he gets and in favor of the corporate development, business and real estate interests.
NEWSOM’S ANTI-NEIGHBORHOOD AND ANTI-TENANT VOTES

* July 22, 2003: Voted against proposal to strengthen rent control by giving tenants more seats on the SF Rent Board.

* November, 2002: One of 2 Supervisors (Hall) to support massive condominium conversion and rent control repeal measure (Prop R) on the November 2002 ballot.

* October 7, 2002: One of 3 Supervisors (Hall, Maxwell) to rubber-stamp all of Willie Brown’s nominations to the Planning Commission and Board of Permit Appeals.

* March, 2002: Prohibited from voting on limits to new “live/work” units because he is a developer of “live/work” units.

* April 15, 2002: Voted against controls on “big box” projects, like Ikea or Home Depot. Specifically voted against neighborhood notice and approval requirements.

* March 18, 2002: Opposed requiring developers to include affordable housing in their developments (Inclusionary Housing Ordinance).

* February 11, 2002: One of 2 Supervisors (Hall) to vote against additional protections for tenants, especially senior tenants, from evictions and pass-through of capital improvements.

* August 20, 2001: Again voted against requiring developers to include more affordable housing. (He and Hall opposed resolution to Planning Commission).

* July 23, 2001: Voted against public power. He and Hall voted to prevent the voters from deciding on the ballot whether or not we should have public power.

* July 9, 2001: Voted against limiting evictions for condo conversions. One of 3 Supervisors (Hall, Yee) to vote in support of the Mayor’s veto of Tenant protection Legislation.

* April 2, 2001: Voted to allow evictions of seniors under the Ellis Act. One of 3 Supervisors (Hall, Yee) voting against a resolution urging the State Legislature to amend the Ellis Act to prevent the eviction of senior tenants under Ellis.

* February 20, 2001: Voted against a temporary ban on rent increases for capital improvements.

SOME EARLIER NEWSOM VOTES (Compared to Bay Guardian Positions)

(Prior To 2001, Newsom — a landlord — was prohibited from voting on most landlord/tenant measures. In 2001, the conflict of interest law was changed, allowing him to vote. During this time he could not vote on a measure to limit OMI evictions of senior, disabled and terminally ill tenants, but indicated if he could he would vote against those protections.
Measure Date Newsom’s Vote Bay Guardian Recommendation

* Strengthen Campaign Finance Reform 4/24/00 NO YES

* Delay Living Wage 6/1/99 YES NO

* Support War On Iraq 10/7/02 YES NO

* Limiting ATM Fees 2/17/99 NO YES

* Lower Fines For Slumlords 10/31/97 YES NO (Tenants Union NO)

* Deny Eviction Defense Funds 7/24/00 YES NO (Tenants Union NO)

* Allow More Condo Conversions Fall 00 YES NO (Tenants Union NO)

* Ban Capital Improvement Rent Hikes Fall 00 NO YES (Tenants Union YES)

This event organized by a random group of individuals who support
all different mayoral candidates.