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Indybay Feature

Thu Dec 4 2003

Gavin Newsom: New Mayor of San Francisco

FOUR MORE YEARS
Cronyism and Money Beat a Grassroots Electoral Campaign

James Ross:
One of Newsom's grassroots volunteers, a well-known high budget political shark.

Angela Alioto:
Ran for mayor on anti-Newsom rhetoric, then endorsed him when he offered her a city job.

David Pottruck:
Newsom's grass-roots support, the CEO of Charles Schwab, under scrutiny for white collar crime.

Street protests have dogged Newsom every time he tried to pull one over on the public.

Matt Gonzalez Audio

click links to hear mp3:

	on his vision for city government
	on the SF anti-war protests
	on newsom campaign dirty tricks
	on being a green candidate in SF
	on snooping for gavin
	on making the most of a 4-year term
	on crowd control policies

Election Night Updates:

Update - 11:45PM: The scene at the Newsom victory party was chaos for a while. The Fire Marshall declared that too many people were in the Fillmore, so San Francisco's elite were forced out in a heavy downpour of rain, kindly directed by the event staff into a mob of angry protesters. In particular, Cecil Williams was shouted at and accused by the protesters, all while corporate media kept filming.

Update - 9:15PM: The SF Bay Guardian is calling the election. As they say, the numbers don't look good: "it's going to by Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris."

Update - 8:20PM: First election results are coming in! Initial results are mostly absentee ballots. see here

Update - 7:45PM: Dozens of teams of election monitors are swarming through the city right now, targeting ballot collection areas, polling places, uplink stations and ballot storage areas. Several sf.indymedia.org teams are also zigzagging around to keep cameras on the ballots. Reports of voting irregularities are getting priority. Updates should be coming in shortly.

Update - 6:45PM: The Gonzalez campaign is dispatching teams to uplink stations, as these have been identified as points of possible ballot fraud. Volunteers are being directed through the Mission office.

Update - 5:30PM: The Election Irregularities Task Force has released a listing of hot spot polling places. Independent videographers are being requested to go to these places and videotape the closing of the ballots happening from 7PM to 8:30PM! Video is needed to keep this election cleaner than normal.

Update - 4:30PM: A mobile election monitor team is requesting people respond to 166 6th Street between Howard & Mission, the Pacific Crossroads Community Center. Reports have come in about people being denied provisional ballots.

Update - 4:15PM: The Election Irregularities Task Force has announced that in half an hour they will report key polling places with historical irregularities, requesting that election monitors with video cameras respond to watch the closing out of the ballots at 8PM.

Volunteer Election Fraud Monitoring Teams Mobilizing

SF Indymedia, independent groups and Green Party teams are all co-ordinating to make sure that SF's tradition of election fraud cannot affect this election. Video cameras will be watching across the city to ensure that: 1) ballots are not tampered with and 2) any suspicious activity will be video-taped and used as evidence in any challenge to this election. Throughout the day, dozens of video teams will provide constant updates, and SF Indymedia will report any irregularities.

If you are a freelance election monitor: keep watching this site for updates and dispatches so you can know the best places to monitor. Also, call the Election Irregularities Task Force numbers to report anything suspicious so observers can be dispatched: (415) 756-7510 and (415) 756-7571.

Volunteer video election monitors have identified some hotspots. People with night-vision cameras are being stationed around buildings where ballots are kept throughout the night: Pier 29, Brooks Hall, the parking garage under Civic Center Park, Bill Graham Center, and City Hall. In particular, Brooks Hall has many semi-secret access points which are going to be covered.

A volunteer team of programmers and process specialists is being assembled to analyze absentee ballot fraud and electronic voting fraud. Volunteers are also organizing to lawfully monitor Department of Public Works and other city vehicles.

One attorney who is helping organize this effort said: "You may do something to get Gavin Newsom elected, but are you willing to go to jail for Gavin Newsom?"

For more information about volunteer election monitoring, or if you can help, email organizers@sfimc.net
San Francisco Election Fraud History

> > SF IMC Interview with Matt Gonzalez.

Monday, December 8, 6:30pm - Spike Lee in town to drum up support for Gonzalez

Saturday, December 6, 11:30pm - Poor Magazine analysis on the SF mayor's election: A look at the SF Chronicle's hypocrisy regarding homelessness issues and Gavin Newsom. Also an interview with Matt Gonzalez about poverty and racism.

Friday, December 5, 11:00AM - Dolores Huerta endorses Matt Gonzalez: Labor activist Dolores Huerta is holding a press conference to announce her endorsement of Matt Gonzalez.

Thursday, December 4, 11:30pm - Matt Gonzalez vs. Gavin Newsom on KPFA: Listen to audio of Matt Gonzalez debating Gavin Newsom on KPFA.

Thursday, December 4, 9:30pm - Lasting Legacy of Willie Brown Development Corruption: Listen to audio about San Francisco's Redevelopment Commission's plan for gentrifying Hunter's Point, a give-away from Willie Brown in the last days of his term as mayor.

Thursday, December 4, 5:50pm - The Yuppiefication of San Francisco: Watch video of the Willie Brown machine happily supporting forced evictions of Latinos to make room for the rich.

District Attorney Election Update: While much of the focus of this election is on the mayor's race, the District Attorney race will determine much of SF's future. The San Francisco Bay Guardian has endorsed Terrence Hallinan for D.A.: "He's vastly increased the number of nonviolent offenders who get sent to diversion programs instead of prison sentences (saving the city millions of dollars in the process). He's refused to treat homelessness and poverty as crimes. He has made real efforts to take on political corruption cases (although he could have done more). He's a national leader in the fight for medical marijuana. And at least he tried to go after the cops who covered up Fajitagate and thus helped put police reform on the public agenda."