Gavin Newsom, San Francisco’s Teflon Mayor

by Randy Shaw, Beyond Chron (reposted)

Mon, Apr 23, 2007 6:54AM

Anyone trying to discover why Mayor Gavin Newsom is politically unbeatable in November need only examine the events of recent weeks. There was a Muni meltdown over the failed start of the “T” line, the City Attorney reported that the woman the Mayor had an affair with was allowed to sign her own timesheets (while others were approved by her husband), the city’s public housing crisis remains unaddressed, and gun violence broke out in multiple neighborhoods. But none of these issues “stuck” to San Francisco’s Teflon mayor. Why? Favorable media coverage is one answer, but there are more persuasive reasons why the city’s problems do not “stick” to the Mayor.

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http://beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=4433#more

§Newsom Takes His “Traveling Filibuster” to the Excelsior

by Paul Hogarth, Beyond Chron (reposted)

Mon, Apr 23, 2007 6:55AM

Whatever you call Mayor Newsom’s monthly Town Halls (“Fake Question Time,” a “Town Hall lecture,” an “infomercial” or a “filibuster”), no amount of policy talk can replace the fact that he has snubbed the will of the voters. Last December, Newsom refused to attend a regular Board of Supervisors meeting to answer their questions to comply with Prop I, and instead opted to hold monthly Town Halls – one in each of the City’s eleven districts. Not coincidentally, he was up for re-election in 11 months.

Newsom’s fourth Town Hall on April 21st (which focused on “Youth and Families”) at the Excelsior Boys and Girls Club left me wondering why I continue to cover these events. The Forum was called on relatively short notice, and on the same day that various “Youth and Family” events were being held throughout the City. The crowd was smaller than at previous gatherings, and even the chicken-suit protesters failed to show up – but police were ready to keep them out if they did.

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http://beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=4435#more

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