Heather Knight, the SF bureau chief for The New York Times, has a laudatory piece on Mayor Daniel Lurie that uses a term that is increasingly part of the attack on progressive politics:
Mr. Lurie said he would stick with San Francisco’s long-held liberal values, like standing up for the rights of immigrants, transgender people and women seeking abortions if Mr. Trump’s administration tries to curb those rights. Beyond that, though, he said his focus would be on the nuts and bolts of local government.
His agenda, he said, amounts to “common sense.”
That’s what the billionaire astroturf groups love to talk about. It’s how news media increasingly describe neoliberal, pro-police, deregulation policies that were once defined as “conservative” or “right wing.”
Now: “Common sense,” not “ideology.”
I have to ask: Isn’t it “common sense” to want the very, very rich to pay taxes? Isn’t it “common sense” to realize that economic inequality is devastating US society? Isn’t it “common sense” to think that affordable housing is the best solution to homelessness, or that the old War on Drugs was a failure, or that jail is not a good place for people with mental health issues?
Isn’t neoliberalism, worship of the private market system, and the concept that law enforcement is the best solution to social problems an “ideology?”
But “common sense” now means avoiding any type of discussion of class issues, not much discussion of race or gender issues, and an assumption that modern late-stage capitalism is the best of all possible systems and shouldn’t be tamed or regulated in any way.
Seems to me that’s a pretty radical, very ideological, agenda.
In you’re in the mood for some common sense, artistic alternatives to capitalism, former Sup. Dean Preston is hosting an “Ignite the Left” party at the Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St., Thursday/16:
We’re serving up local bands, DJ Walkin’ Love, SF food, cool art and some thoughts on the power of our movement and what having a socialist in office has meant for San Franciscans, and how we can take on billionaires to benefit working people this year … Bring a shirt or tote bag to get airbrushed with anti-capitalist art, and get to know some organizations that are putting the pedal to the metal when it comes to taking on the establishment elite. Please bring friends who want to join in the struggle. It’s free. You can RSVP here.
The San Francisco Police Department is failing to comply with a state law that mandates reporting and clear racial data on traffic and other stops, the Department of Police Accountability reports in a recent audit.
The Racial and Identity Profiling Act requires all local departments to record data on all stops and report it annually to the attorney general.
But according to the DPA:
SFPD’s audits do not address risks to data integrity, including unreported stops and inaccurate reports. Unlike other California law enforcement agencies, SFPD does not require supervisors to verify the completeness and accuracy of data. …. Of the 19,280 records SFPD reported in 2023, 33% contained errors or omissions.
Some examples from the audit:
In 2022, “zero-stop” days ranged from 11 in the Southern District to 139 in the Park District. While “zero-stop” days may reflect legitimate decreases in activity, data gaps can also indicate reporting issues.
In 2022, dispatch data shows 10,483 traffic stops, whereas SFPD’s stop data shows 6,662—a difference of 3,821 records. This discrepancy indicates the potential for underreported data. SFPD does not require officers to link stop data to dispatch records, limiting the department’s ability to identify the sources of this difference.
Analysis can identify when officers select all seven racial categories for an individual. In 2022, officers reported all seven racial categories for a single individual in 111 stops. While this represents less than 1% of SFPD’s total stops, it represents 28% of all individuals reported as having two or more races.
Although the Police Department loves to talk about how much progress it’s made on reforms, this remains a serious problem.
The Police Commission, which former Mayor London Breed stripped of a lot of its authority, will hold a hearing on the report Wednesday/15. The commission will also hear a report on new procedures for crowd control. Among the new rules:
Kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents shall not be used by members to disperse any assembly, protest, or demonstration. Members shall only employ kinetic energy projectiles and chemical agents if their use is objectively reasonable to defend against a threat to life or serious bodily injury to any individual, including any member, or to bring an objectively dangerous and unlawful situation safely and effectively under control, and only in accordance with all of the requirements stated in California Penal Code Section 13652(b).
A person in possession of current, valid credentials issued by the Department or other law enforcement agency, or other identification establishing representation of news media, whether print, television, or Internet media. “Freelance” media personnel, including reporters, photographers, videographers, bloggers, or vloggers, possessing identification that establishes their ongoing affiliation or employment with a news outlet should be considered duly authorized representatives of the media. …
California Penal Code Section 409.7 establishes that if members close the immediate area surrounding any emergency field command post or any other command post, or establish a police line, or rolling closure at a demonstration, march, protest or rally where individuals are engaged in activity that is protected pursuant to the First Amendment, the following requirements shall apply:
1. A duly authorized representative of any news service, online news service, newspaper, or radio or television station or network may enter the closed areas described in this section.
2. Members shall not intentionally assault, interfere with, or obstruct the duly authorized representative of any news service, online news service, newspaper, or radio or television station or network who is gathering, receiving, or processing information for communication to the public. 3. A duly authorized representative of any news service, online news service, newspaper, or radio or television station or network that is in a closed area described in this section shall not be cited for the failure to disperse, a violation of a curfew, or a violation of 148(a)(1) PC, for gathering, receiving, or processing information.
If the duly authorized representative is detained by a member, that representative shall be permitted to contact a supervisory officer immediately for the purpose of challenging the detention, unless circumstances make it impossible to do so.
I remember during the invasion of Iraq, tens of thousands of people filled the streets of San Francisco to protest—and several of my reporters at the Bay Guardian were caught up in sweeps of nonviolent protesters and arrested. I spend most of the day trying to get them out. The incident commander basically told me to STFU and stop bothering him.
A few years earlier, at another demonstration I was covering, a cop on a motorcycle literally chased me off the street and would have run me down if I hadn’t fled.
And I know lots of people who have been tear-gassed at peaceful protests. We used to be warned to wear face coverings and carry cleaning agents.
So … let’s hope these new rules are approved—and enforced.
The meeting starts at 5:30.
State law now allows developers to buy and demolish houses in San Francisco and replace them with larger apartment or condo projects—with no community input or oversight from the Planning Commission. I talked about this a couple of years ago, with a project at 428 15th Avenue:
Little, quirky, buildings that have been around for more than a century have no place in the new San Francisco.
So what happened with that site? No surprise, really: The developer who won a permit to demolish the little cottage and replace it with condos just put the place on the market. For $1.5 million, you can get not only the property but the entitlements:
Approved plans with full Addendum plan set filed to build 2 condo units plus an ADU comprising approximately 5,184 sq. ft. This offering includes fully paid permit fees by the Seller.
This is how the housing density bills by the likes of state Sen. Scott Wiener will play out: Speculators buy small houses, win permission to raze them and build larger condos, then sell the entitlements for a quick profit. Maybe new housing gets built, eventually. In this case, it’s been more than two years, and nothing has happened—not because of Nimbys or permits or hearings, but because there wasn’t enough profit in the game.
The Planning Commission will hold an “informational hearing” Thursday/16 on a similar project on South Van Ness. Under state law, the commission can’t reject a project that complies with applicable zoning, but if it’s in a low-income area, there has to be a public hearing. It doesn’t matter what community concerns come out at the hearing; it doesn’t matter what the commissioners say. It’s just a pro forma event to fulfill state law before the project gets “ministerial” approval.
In this case, a little cottage at 1474 South Van Ness will be demolished (although the developer with preserve a little bit of the front of the place) and replaced with a six-story, nine-unit condo project with one affordable unit.
There are no records at the SF Rent Board of an eviction filing at that address; it appears to be a single-family home sold to the developer. One market-rate house becomes eight market-rate houses. Other than the new building being truly ugly, there’s no logical reason to oppose this.
But it’s a symbol of things to come—because as developers start to take advantage of Wiener’s law, building with residential and commercial tenants will be vulnerable. And as the city upzones commercial corridors, small business will be displaced and destroyed.
That hearing, for what it’s worth, starts at noon.
The Women’s March, now named the People’s March, has been an annual protest against attacks on gender equality, civil rights, immigrant rights, and the general well-being of people around the globe. The first event, in 2017, attracted 4.6 million people in the US; this time, with the second Trump Administration about to take office, the urgency, and the turnout, could be even greater.
The message in San Francisco:
We all march for different reasons, but we march for the same cause: to defend our rights and our future.
If you believe that decisions about your body should remain yours, that books belong in libraries, not on bonfires, that healthcare is a right, not a privilege for the wealthy; if you believe in the power of free speech and protest to sustain democracy; or if you want an economy that works for the people who power it—then this march is for you.
The event starts at noon Saturday/18 at 24th and Bryant. You can sign up as a volunteer here.
