Board of Supervisors

Jake McGoldrick - Spoke for an hour. I know because I kept looking at the clock! I know that the muni proposal was given to the supervisors at the last second - that is part of the problem - but part of the problem is the way the Supervisor talks and speaks into the mike. It sounds garbled and you really can't hear what he is saying. He must have made some good points- because there were someclose votes. But he does go on and he repeats himself. What was so sad there was a huge group of people that sat there for almost three hours to speak on a Bay View Hunters Point issue (I left after three hours) when they were about to start talking. They had a whole bus of people that came and left. They looked so upset and frustrated. The problem was yesterday was the only day to get the muni issue proposed Tom Ammiano spoke and voted yes but he wondered if all the time was worth the final draft. I am totally confused about some of the issues, one was parking and a question that Alioto asked which brought out that the mayor specifically asked that a portion of the agreement be left out off the press release. Sandoval was concerned about a set aside and it not being legal to move forward. Peskin worked so hard on this. Muni is so important. I don't have a problem with the Muni being separate - just so something works.
What is interesting is watching the "dance" while this is going on. Lots of smiling while Jake McGoldrick was talking. Supervisors get up all the time, go into the lobby and make cell phone calls, talk to the press. They seem to get along with each other. Then there is the moving around because Peskin needed to step down and go to one of the other supervisor's desks to speak and then one of the supervisors had to go up and be President of the Board. Back and forth.
Other comments:
You can bring in water, but not coffee and cokes. James Bryant walked in with a coke and had to walk right out.
Did you know you can go on www.sfgov.org/sfgtv and get the video for the last month of any board meeting?
John Taylor - the retired Clerk of the Board was there.
Other Items
Gough/Franklin -Stores are closing around Gough and Franklin because street was changed to One Way because of the new freeway.
Push Polling Issue was brought up for the ethics commission regarding reporting push polling information.
Newt Gingrich "Current GOP presidents field are a pathetic bunch of pygmies"!
Muddy Waters -Church and Market changed to Church Street Cafe (looks the same). Just Desserts just closed next store and Sparkys is changing to a diner and pizza place.
West Portal -
Waldenbooks is closing down. Finally. Awful store, Small and very dark - did not do a good job of presentation. (Stacey's does a good job of presentation. )
Double Rainbow changed to Cafe for All Seasons Deli (still have ice cream). Didn't realize that Shaw Candies has ice cream. Great street. Back in time - greeting cards stores, bakery, taverns, stationery store, antique store.
Street crossings: Near City Hall you push these buttons and there are crossing signals to let you know when to cross. However the sound is like tommie guns - war toys it's kind of disturbing. In Berkeley the sound is like twerping birds. (my Herb Cain moment). Change the sound.
Gay Talese - "A Writer's Life - Disappointing. I usually enjoy journalist's memoirs because they are so well written and generally span a large amount of time so you learn a lot about history. But this book is basically is notes taken over his lifetime of books he didn't write. Which is okay when the subject matter is interesting. i.E. Bloody Sunday - Selma but also goes on forever on about John and Lorena Bobbitt!
The book did not go into much about himself or how he writes (he doesn't like computers. )He is really interested in restaurants. Loves Elaine's.
Things I didn't know.
During the march at Selma there was an ambulance waiting in case Martin Luther King was injured to send him to Walter Reed hospital!
Did you know that George Wallace use to be a judge!
The Head Coach at the University of Alabama said the integration of the football team did more for civil rights than Martin Luther King.