By Tim Redmond
JANUARY 8, 2014 – The mayor’s appointment of Julie Christensen for D3 supervisor has angered a lot of his one-time allies, but there’s also a bigger agenda here.
Why did the mayor reject Cindy Wu, the president of the Planning Commission, a person with an extensive political resume and actual record, in favor of someone who has never held political office?
One big reason: The real-estate interests and Ron Conway didn’t want Wu.
Cindy Wu wasn’t a big supporter of the Airbnb legislation that Conway pushed. She didn’t support 8 Washington, which the mayor and the big developers promoted. And she backed Prop. G, the anti-speculation tax.
From early in his administration, Lee has been described (correctly) as very close to Chinatown powerbroker Rose Pak and former Mayor Willie Brown. When he chose to run for mayor, breaking his promise not to run, he told reporters that “it was hard to say no to Willie and Rose.”
And some of his allies will now try to spin this appointment as showing his “independence” from his Chinatown supporters. We could also spin it by saying it shows his “independence” from the tenant groups he once worked with so closely.
But it’s really a sign of his dependence on real estate and tech money.
Because he has no visible opponent in the mayor’s race, Lee can afford to abandon the tenant base. He’s thrown in his lot with the tech barons and the big money, and that’s where his alliance is apparently going to remain.
Now come the questions: Is anybody going to step forward to challenge him – with what could be the support of a wide range of communities who have fared poorly during his tech boom?
Probably not – but let’s remember that in January, 1992, everyone said President George Bush was unbeatable and all the Democratic Party heavyweights sat it out, allowing a governor from Arkansas to claim the White House when the economy tanked in the spring.
Will the mayor get the person he wants for president of the Board of Supervisors when the board meets at noon today? Just watch how the newest member votes, and see who can count to six.
